Wowowow, The Sweetest Thing

My favorite present this year turned out to be the little tin mailbox my husband gave me. It does not look like this, it's a Mary Engelbreit one. The purpose of it was to send me love notes in. If the flag is up, I have mail and I can leave him notes in it too. I am really enjoying this and looking forward to it the rest of the year. I am definitely a person who does better writing things down that I would otherwise not say or know how to say. More than that, it's a way to focus on our relationship during the day when we are away. Much like reading scripture helps us focus on the Lord during our day. Oh, the power of the written word.

One thing that has been a keen observation for me has been my fostering of love thoughts for my husband. I can have them and then life and kids and messes start happening and I can literally feel them starting to fade away. No fault to him, just life crowding in, or even the temptation to grow bitter or blame about tiny things that frustrate me. I'm really wanting to nourish those love thoughts this year and keep them stirring, focused and surface dwelling most of the time. This little love note box is really helping with that so far. It's like a little mystery in the relationship again. I love it. It was so cute too because he said that he realized that he delivered mail to so many people but never any to his love. Awe, so sweet. I get my own personal mail man....and it's okay if my kids look like him!LOL

So, if you want a good valentine idea early...it's a great gift. Oh, and my kids wanted to leave me notes in it but I very sensitively asked them not to because it was just for me and daddy (actually Rick had to make it a hands off since we may spice life up more even by putting other things than mail in it to send messages and that is a question I don't want from my kids "what's this in your box for mommy?:*). I was however touched that they wanted to do this and I had thought years ago that it would be fun to make them for the kids to leave them encouragement and love too. So, I'm going to work on that for a Valentine gift for them. I also want them to learn to foster love for each other so I may encourage a once a week note to their siblings.

You can never go wrong writing the myriad of "I love you" thoughts in your heart.

My Random Brain Sparks

Had a lot of thoughts yesterday. Can't remember them all. I was out and about and they would just come to me.

The ATM machines are killing me. Every time you figure them out they change. Every store has a different one with a different routine and because they update them, the rotation of changing machines seems to be frequent enough to create a new learning experience every time I shop. I felt like a bad stand up comedian yesterday when commenting to the cashier about the new question at the Target one: "Do you want that all on your card?". My first thought? "Um, no, you can pay for part of it!" Then I was annoyed by the new question issue itself. What else will the machine want to know soon? "Are you wearing blue today?" "Did you enjoy the last movie you watched?" "Are you happy?" "Did you spend too much money today?" ...... my brain obnoxiously just kept going.........................

Christmas Clearance has become a spiritual experience. I remember a few years ago I was fresh off the trail from reading the "Left Behind" books. I found myself halting from buying any Christmas clearance because I was absolutely sure Christ had to be returning soon. I think that was the year my dad was really sick and I knew he was going to pass away soon so it seemed that the whole world would surely end as well.
Then, last year, I survived that tragedy and my spirits were up more. I decided to buy some presents on clearance and in a way it was a good idea. The only problem s that you take a big risk as to whether the gifts will be wanted by the time whatever child you are buying for will still have that interest. Plus, I got tired of storing things in my closet all year (we don't have a garage).
So, this year I went with the intent of not getting anything that was not a steal. As I looked around and absorbed the hum of humanity taking in as much as they could for the next time they all celebrated I felt strange. I wanted to say really loud "How do you even know if you will be here by next year?" "How do you know the next Christmas is promised you?" "So much can happen in a year!" "How can you hoard for today what is not promised you for tomorrow?!" It reminded me of the verse about the man who stored up all his barns full and felt satisfied and prepared and then the scripture says "you fool, don't you know this night you life is required of you?" It's a little depressing on the surface, and I don't mean it that way but it sure helped me not to overspend. I grabbed a few puzzles and doodle pads for 75 cents each to keep for when the kids are invited to birthday parties. I also could not resist a Chip and Dale mommy sized pair of james for six bucks. I never get character jamies and I love Chip and Dale. It was so cute, my girls both came in my room and said "yeah! Chip and Dale jamies!" and I said "aren't those cute! They are for me!" and they got the cutest jealous, but I love you, fake frowny face. I think they have never seen me wear a character jamie before.:)

I'm Amazed At the power of Facebook. I just reconnected yesterday with my old team leaders and a few teammates from my Honduras Teen Missions trip back in 1991! (Thanks Tony for coming by the blog and commenting!) The more I'm on Facebook, the more amazed I am that you can go back and follow the trail of so many other people as they have gone off and lived their own lives. It's rather foreshadowing of heaven when we reunite with the Saints and hear what God did in their lives. You also realize what a small world it is when you start to find the people you know connected or connected to random people you don't know but it shows that they know people you know. Does that make sense? It's been a thrill for my husband too since he was such a social bug at The Masters College. He has more friends than me but I'm okay with that!:)

I'm thinking commitment over resolve. I've been thinking about resolutions and I've come to the conclusion that I suck at them. I want more to commit some things to the Lord that I know I'm discontent in a good way about. Those things that the Holy Spirit stirs me to work toward a victory in through Him. So I've decided to make a "New Years Commit It" List. This also takes me to my knees as apposed to trying to stand tall to "think I can" when sin cuts me at the back of the knees with a bat every time. Makes me think of these words:
"Not by might,

Not by power,

But by MY SPIRIT...says the Lord."

Zechariah 4:6

A Great Movie For Epiphany

Well, as some of my dear friends have admitted to taking down Christmas all ready..I still think you can celebrate Epiphany in many ways.
I wanted to refer you to an old movie that some watch as a Christmas flick but which is really quite good for January 6th. It's called "The Fourth Wise Man".

I am not a big Martin Sheen fan, but the movie is pretty inspirational. I don't think it's a good one for preschool or younger just because of the heavy content of the heart wrenching story. It was originally a book by Henry VanDyke written near 1896. We have a copy but I think it may be a hard one to find. The movie follows the storyline of the book.
Janice Harayda says in her short one minute book review of the story:

"Van Dyke invents a fourth wise man, Artaban, who trades his belongings for gifts for “the promised one” foretold by prophets: a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl. Artaban plans to give the jewels to the infant after meeting up with his companions Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, who have gold, frankincense and myrrh. But he misses the connection after he stops to nurse a dying man, and later on, he parts with his jewels. He uses the ruby to ransom a child whom King Herod had ordered slain and the pearl to free a girl about to be sold into slavery.


Artaban believes he has missed all opportunities to meet the promised one until, near the end of his 33 years, he reaches Jerusalem just before the Crucifixion. There he realizes that his search has ended when he hears a faint voice saying: “Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me.”

The move has been given the dove award for family friendliness as well.

Don't Forget To Have Your Epiphany!

I was horrified coming home from an errand today to see my neighbors Christmas tree laying in their carport! EEEEK! It's not over people! Christmas day is the FIRST day of Christmas! It's like "okay, I got my stuff, now let's move on!". No, no, no. We celebrate the amazing coming of GOD to earth in a more than the day of gift giving.
Let's remember Epiphany:
Epiphany (Greek for "to manifest" or "to show"), is a Christian feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. The Feast of the Epiphany falls on January 6.[1] Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus on this day, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, his manifestation as the Son of God to the world. It is also called Theophany ("manifestation of God"), especially by Eastern Christians. Epiphany falls on the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

So, leave up your tree and read the stories, play the music, make another batch of cookies especially if, like me, you didn't get to yet, and remember that Christmas is not the big bang of boxes and wrapping on December 25. It is a long period of reflecting, celebrating, and commemorating THE BIGGEST REVELATION OF GOD IN HISTORY!

ps: oh, yes, and i'm feeling better today..up and breathing better. thanks for your well-wishing!:)

Forced Into First Gear

This has been an odd Christmas. Rick called in sick on Christmas Eve because he had been up all night coughing. He drank warm drinks all day and I made soup. He was due to do a lot of singing that night at our church Christmas Eve service. He changed some notes to make it easier on himself and made it through very well. By the time we got back from the service, I was feeling rough. It was one of those tired feelings where I could have just layed down on the chairs and gone right to sleep. The dim lights didn't help that either:).
Rick was better Christmas day, thank the Lord, because woke up with my throat barely able to swallow liquids and my neck so sore from swollen glands. I sat on the couch with a throw blanket and warm drinks while Rick helped the kids with their presents. It was still a pleasant day though.
I had to go to bed from 1-3 in the afternoon. Rick helped Superkid build some lego's and the girls were busy with horses and new art supplies.
We were due at my mom's for dinner at 4. I tried hard to rouse myself. We had a good time celebrating Princess's birthday there. It is our tradition that the second half of Christmas day is dedicated to her birthday.
Usually the few days after Christmas I'm motivated to clean up the mess and help the kids organize their new things into their rooms. Instead I'm down for the third day. I'm concerned it's heading into a sinus infection. Rick is getting very little sleep because his cough gets so bad at night. Superkid has a lesser version of our cold and all of the kids has been coughing. It does not help that they have been eating poorly for a while. My wonderful mom brought over some carrot, cabbage, and Swiss chard chicken soup yesterday. That stuff is good in flavor and is a power boost for sickness.
I'm anxious for it to be over so I can make some headway in the house but in the meantime I'm catching up on some Hero's on Netflix watch now while the kids play their "new" retro NES games found for them. If there is a time for Nintendo it's when mommy is sick and daddy has to work.
One thing I know about myself is that when I've been sick and finally get better I get this amazing burst of energy. I also get an amazing burst of energy with the new year. I love mapping out goals and starting with a bang. So, I'm looking forward to better days soon. For now, I'm resting next to a quickly depleting box of tissues.

My Rebellious Mailman

Many of you know Rick is a city carrier Mail Man. He is told this time of year to tell people "Happy Holidays". He's rather rebellious about it. I try to be to so when the people at the store say "Happy Holidays" to you...make sure to smile big and say "YES! Merry Christmas!"

Oh, the power of the name of Christ. To us it is a cause to rejoice, to others it's offensive. It has that reputation you know, and praise GOD, it always will!
Makes me think of the words of this scripture:
"At the name of Christ, every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that HE IS LORD!"
Some people are not willing to bow and confess right now. Sad news for them is that they will one day anyway. Good news for those of us who trust is that we are just practicing for our big day to all bow together. Man, I'm going to be there and my heart will be full!

Karen (Love the Monkey Life"" on the blog reel) shared this fun Youtube and I agree..thanks Karen!

It Does Not Get Better Than This

My honey got this for me for my birthday. Oh, what a absolutely lovely album. I'm a Loreena McKennit fan anyway but I have really been enjoying this very Celtic spin on Christmas.
This is my favorite but it's hard to pick one! The whole album is wonderful.

Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing



Here is a great sample of each song. The album is called "A Midwinter Night's Dream"

What The Kids Are Laughing at Today

NOTE TO SELF

NOTE TO SELF:


It's getting to that point. Some things are just not done. Time to look at the list and scratch out or simplify the grandiose idealistic parameters of tasks and to-do's. Time to remember...live is NEVER perfect..not even at Christmas. Children are still going to get up at night because they have bad gas from the beans but think their tummies are going to explode and refuse to sit on the potty. Husbands are still going to forget some of those things you've been sweetly nagging about. Pets are still going to try to eat the tree and make themselves sick from eating the needles so that you have to run for the Bissel (only happened once to each cat and I think they both learned their lesson). Dinner is still going to burn if you get distracted, even a simple side dish of corn. You babies are still going to need long bedtime rituals and kisses, books and songs. You husband still needs a smile when he walks in the door. And...
If you tree dies before Christmas.. be thankful they gave you a new one.
And..
If it was cut so badly short at the stump that you and your husband cannot get it to stay up straight after hours of trying so that you still have to cut a whole layer and foot of the new tree so that it's much shorter than your original dead tree and it has to go up on a table, and you have to redecorate and get to bed at 2am.

You can still, remember the amazing husband who was willing to go through it all with you and run to the store for a new tree base (at 9:30 and back home an hour later) only to come back empty handed and then relent to spending time out in the freezing night air at midnight to hack the tree down.

You can be thankful. You can let things go that need to go. You can enjoy your kids school parties and be thankful you get to be there with them. You can have that company for dinner and let them see some mess. You can stop trying to perfect...and learn to..
REFLECT...
RELAX...
and more than anything..
REJOICE.

If You Knew Me, You Would Understand

(first I just have to say about the quiz below...it's very accurate, but.. I don't get physical when I'm mad, and I don't make a habit of cursing! Also, I hope I have some more tender qualities than just those mentioned. I still am wreathing that I'm Betty Davis, she is the one Hollywood woman I would never admire. Humph.)

So, if you knew me, you would know why I get tickled about these things.

I found a vintage Little People for Superkid at the Goodwill Outlet (I call it "the dig" because you dig for things literally). I was so excited just to find the frame. It's not as old as the one Rick and I had growing up which had the chalkboard, but it had a retractable playground that is way cool and it had parts too! That is not usually the case at the dig. So, today I cleaned it up with an old toothbrush and some soft scrub w/ bleach. It is so cute now!

We have a crate of a bunch of vintage little people all ready that he can add to this to have more kids and so on.
The really fun thing about this and a reason I think it was a fun thought of God's that I found it, is that school itself is so new to him this year. He is now going to understand the play and be able to get more out of it. So fun!
Just had to share my other little thrill. I use to have a tradition where I would wrap garland and beads on our dinning room light at Christmas to make a type of holiday chandelier. This year I did not want to do that because I don't want to mess with my new special one .

So, I had all this white garland and had some fun with it. I wrapped it around my entry way lamps instead. It gave the same effect as it did in the dinning room, a rather snowy feel to we deprived California types. A cheap thrill.

When lit they are warm and cozy. The one on the right is shown before I turned the shade around so the overlap is showing of the garland. You want to put that in the back normally. It's very easy to do. You just start a loop and tuck it, wrap around to the top and tuck that. No glue or anything.

Lastly, here are some pics form Thanksgiving day before we left for my mom's. We forgot to take the camera to moms:*.

Superkid cuddling with Shasta. If you are on my facebook, you all ready know this cat hates me. She loves Superkid but she is meaning to give me those evil eyes, trust me. Her brother loves me, so it's not me, right? As I said on facebook, I'm sure she is a dominatrix. She likes him because she knows he is the least in charge in the house. She hates me because I boss her when to get off or down all the time.

Rick watching the parade and playing big legos with Superkid.

Lilo happy in a chair with a bucket of crayons and a notebook.

Princess helping me peel apples. She was so cute in her apron.

Superkid building Diego's treehouse with daddy's help.

A Few Fresh Ideas

I three more ideas for ya:

1. Saw a fleece quilt kit for girls at Michael's. You could cut the little squares yourself for such a fraction of the cost (the kit made a throw size and was 20 dollars) and pick colors your kid likes.

2. The Dollar Tree has tiny wooden treasure boxes and acrylic primary and pastel paint. You can make a kit for your kid with some of these so they can decorate them for friends.

3. You can have them decorate some for family and print verses on cardstock to fit in the treasure box. Pick a few themes (security, love, peace, forgiveness etc.) and color code them with a hole punch and ribbon for that theme. Then if they need a verse for reassurance, they pick that color. Create a tiny brass hook in the top of the box so the box can be set on it's side (you could do vertical or horizontal and even have the kids decorate the top of the lid like a picture frame) and hook the one they needed that day to the front to display on their dresser, counter or desk. I came up with this one this morning and will use it for someone special I know.:)

4. Michael's has these neat magnets in the dollar bin. They are shapes of all kinds (animals, butterflies etc). They are black but you have a scratcher to design a beautiful image. The magnet ones (their are plain shapes and stickers too) are good because the kids can create them and give them as a gift.

Maybe more later...who knows. My brain's been reelin'.

Frugal Thoughts For Christmas

I was going to do this post over at our getting out of debt site but it's so consuming my thoughts and life right now that It probably belongs here. The point is that we are determined not to use our credit card at all this year for gifts. Even with the "we can pay it back in January" mentality we sometimes have.

So, in the budget there is so little room for Christmas. I thought I'd share some ideas I'm using to make it happen.

-I'm thrifting a lot, especially for the kids but also to put some things together for family.

-I'm taking Daja's idea from last year and making a basked of felt play foods for Lilo and Superkid (Daja has some other great ideas on there too) who still enjoy playing restaurant and such. The kit will be a basket from the thrift store w/ a vintage tiny table cloth I found a few months ago thrifting, the felt foods, and the aprons and chef hats they all ready have along with a new apron I found that is for the on who wants to be the waiter. Plus one little notebook and pen for taking orders.

-I found a "bedazzler" a long time back at a thrift store and saved it. I'm working on a craft kit for the girls that will include that, some cut squares of blue jean from worn out pairs from our family that I've been saving, thread, needles, buttons, ribbon scraps and whatever else I come up with. Blue jean is a great starter fabric for girls because you can just sew a seam and let the edges fray in the wash. This makes purse or tiny bag making very easy. I'm throwing in the seat of the jeans so they can make them into little handbags and such. I still have to find some bedazzle beads so they can accessorize with those.

-I really liked Julie's hand made gift for her friend and it got my brain rolling on something to make for my mom (so mom, if you are reading....STOP NOW!). Only I want to print some black and whites of the kids and tear the edges and then mount them on cardstock to add to the message of the piece. I'm not sure exactly what will come together, but I loved her idea.

-I found some porcelain dolls in great shape at the Goodwill outlet. Their hair and dresses were still lovely. I have a bunch of old vintage doll dresses my grandma made in the 50's that I want to give to Princess with the dolls. I'm looking for two stands so she can dress them and then set them on her shelf.

-I was given a bunch of American Girl books with some hand-me-downs that I will be putting in sets with a ribbon and giving to Princess.

-I scored after Halloween and was able to get a Batman costume and a Superman costume for 75% off the original price. The nice thing is that they are size 8-10 boy which is what Superkid is even though he is only five, so the little ones never fit him anymore. Even though he looks big, he still wants to dress up. They came with the capes and masks and everything. So fun! You could still do these from thrifting but if you have not thought of it yet, they may be gone. Good thoughts for next year though.

-We are trying to put together some outside things for the kids. I found a huge bouncy ball at the Goodwill outlet that we are going to pump up and give to Lilo. Since the kids have gone to school they have become more interested in foursquare games, tetherball, and jump rope. So, I'm thinking of making a movable tetherball pole with an old time, cement, and a pole. I just need to figure out the pole part. We are also considering making a cheap plywood back board that they can bounce the balls against and letting them graffiti it themselves with paint. That one is still in the idea only department.

-I was very fortunate to find gifts at the Target 75-90% off for my nephews and niece last year. I don't want to say what they were but I also got one for our kids. It's a great way to get quality gifts for such a fraction of the cost.

-I'm making "Get Cozy For Christmas" kits for Rick's family but I can't say what's in them yet.

-Making a few more handmade things for friends that I can's share yet either.

-All year long I pick up "Boxcar Children" books Princess does not have, or "Animal Ark" or "Magic Treehouse" for Lilo or "Nancy Drew", all from thrifting, and tie each set up with a ribbon and box it as a gift.

-At Easter clearance I was able to grab a few Lego men singles from the Target clearance section. Superkid really gets more out of these than the big sets since he can't quite put them all together yet, and he likes the Lego men the best anyway.

-We save great games that we find complete from the thrift store through the year as well. This year I have an original "Battleship" and "Scrabble Jr." for the kids.

-Pier One is a great place to get some after season clearance items. Last year I got a holiday scent set for my grandma and will send it this season.

Those are the ones at the top of my head and I just can't share all of it yet so....have to wait for the rest of the details.

Here is a fun link for ideas.

And my friend Judy at Judy's Notebook always links to this site that is a craft lovers drooling station.

Mothers Of Invention Monday: A Little Mommy Marketing

I came up with a simple way to make some money this holiday season. I wanted to share it for our Monday theme.

I invested in a costco bulk amount to make my homemade almond roca and sell it. It's easier to pick one thing, make it well because repitition helps fine tune the recipe, and sell it in enough time for people to give it as a gift for Christmas. Help them out by pre-packaging it cute but cheap.
Here is my plan:
1. Buy the ingredients.
2. Make a sample batch and put it in a bowl as samples.
3. Create one sample of the packaging. I will not have the product in this, just some filler like foam peanuts or something. It is just to demonstrate how it will look when they get it.
4. Create an order form on the computer and put it on a clipboard with a pen tied to it.
5. Place the product at my husbands work in the breakroom, my mom's workplace (if she let's me:)or anywhere else besides church that I can think of. Put a plastic container of samples with a lid for freshness and a sign that says "please just take one to sample". Have the clipboard left there so they can sighn up their name, phone number and how many bags they want. I'm not sure what poundage the bags will have yet because I have to figure out the cost too.
6. Create a display tray with packageing sample and product samples and go around to the neighbors, kids teachers or other places to see if anyone wants orders. If they are not sure, ask if I can get back to them later.
7. Have a date the product will be ready. Prepare ahead of time to deliver.
8. Make remaining orders. Package and deliver on the date. Collect payments.
(I may warn ahead of time that payment needs to be cash so their are no problems)

Harvest Blessings Bundles
The above is my plan for before Christmas. I have an even easier one for before that. I made a wonderful apple coffee cake this week. The dry ingredients I put in a bag ahead of time. All I had to do after that was chop one apple and add the oil and egg. What a great little Thanksgiving blessing to give someone I thought. Then I thought....what a great item to sell too!
So, the plan is to make batches of the dry mixes. Package them similarly only with harvest colored raffia and tag, along with instructions and ingredients and sell them for a great price if people want a easy "thank you" gift for someone at this time of year. I am not sure this one will sell as much but I thought I'd give it a try and it's something I don't have to cook! Have the kids help and go around with you too!

For packaging I'll be using brown sandwich bags. They are cheap and VERY cute when dressed up a bit. After all, the best present is "brown paper packages tied up with string"!. Here is an idea from what I did for friends and neighbors cookies last Christmas. This photo is from Angry Chicken where I got the idea last year. Mine were more full and I used rick-rack ribbon and cheap price tags w/ red writing and snowflakes drawn. I don't have that blog on here anymore to show you, but this gives you the idea.

Some ideas may be:

-You favorite bread

-Homemade candy

-Homemade cards (I saw a whole group of women at costo around the big pack of handmade cards. I think this could be a big hit)

-Jar Mixes for all kinds of baked goods or coffee mixes

-potholders or scarfs (if you crochet or knit fast, other wise, start now for next year!)

Here is another packaging idea: A coffee cake would be cute put in a coffee mug w/ ribbon.

If you want to take part in Mothers of Invention Monday just paste this sticker to your blog and tag back your blog entry. I'm just getting this going but, I think its a great one to share. Go here to see what it's about.

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe5qkF0cqjsmsfGVWX6X2_N4X1yzf475mcNp1KS1PqNH4140ry03WCuydfJtk5tk1LN-M5wWAgS26inBQrIQWidyALunyCUuCSbnFUJJ8LUGJGdbKLOWlAp9_st-KR-oqXVSxWeiDIfM/s1600-h/housewifeb.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257047961718883650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe5qkF0cqjsmsfGVWX6X2_N4X1yzf475mcNp1KS1PqNH4140ry03WCuydfJtk5tk1LN-M5wWAgS26inBQrIQWidyALunyCUuCSbnFUJJ8LUGJGdbKLOWlAp9_st-KR-oqXVSxWeiDIfM/s200/housewifeb.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />

Here is the large one for the head of your post if you like:

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Coupon for Christmas Now

My friend Trish and I did our CVS run last night. I came for a few highlights for those of you who don't check MSM or other sites.

Softsoap Spa free after ECB's (limit 5)
Remember to get a rain check if they are out!

Speed Stick Deodorant
(Internet coupon sites have $1/1 coupons, and there were some in the paper)
Potential of 4 free after ECB and coupon (limit on ECB # is 5)

Colgate Advance toothpaste (on sale BOGO)
Use coupon from paper or Internet (you need two)
I had 2 of the$1.50/1 and got two large tubes for .19

Accidental find!
Colgate toothbrushes in the travel bins (they are normal size) are .99.
There was a coupon in paper for .75 off making them .24!

Note: I bought four papers this week because I'm finding that I can really get about 10x's my 1.25 off from each paper. For example the Softsoap was free after ecb, plus I have four $1.50/1 coupons and $1/1 from older paper. By the time I get all of my five limit (I had to get a rain check for three because they were out) I will have banked 7$ on that deal alone!
I don't know if I will do it every time but this time I got two, and then went back for two more after seeing that it was worth it.
BTW- does anyone local want a free paper each week for me -the coupons? I have lots! I think the kids and I will have to do some paper projects! I could have really used all this when training Ebony!

GREAT IDEA!
Trish had a wonderful thought. For those of you who think "what am I going to do with five free toothpaste tubes?!" If you get on a roll with CVS or other rebate deals and hesitate to get your full limit, consider this. SAVE YOUR STASH FOR PUTTING TOGETHER SAMARITANS PURSE BOXES AT CHRISTMAS! This will be perfect and such a great use of our coupon runs. Small tubes like the free ones from last week, soap bars, toothbrushes, and all other things may come up to where you can bless many children this Christmas!