Great Deals at Target!

Target has some good deals going on right now!! 

$1/5 Campell's Condensed Soups (excludes great for cooking soups) - (campbellskitchen.com)

I love soup, so this was a great find for me!! $0.55 is a great deal anyway, plus this coupon brings your total down to $0.35 each when you buy 5!  How awesome is that?!

$3/1 Blue Bonnet product, any - (bricks.coupons.com)

With the cooking holidays on our doorstep, you can never have too much butter.  Besides, you can freeze what you don't need right now so go stock up on this deal.  Target has their 1lb stick regularly priced at $0.84, with the coupon you get them $0.51 each when you buy 3!! 

$3/1 Thermacare Heat Wrap

Around my house, someone is always in pain... it could be handy to have these in your stockpile!! I know this coupon is on my printer and my Target list for tonight!

Vanity Fair Napkins

Use 2 $.55/1 Vanity Fair napkins, any - (coupons.com)

Or $1/2 Vanity Fair Napkins, any - (coupons.com)

Starting 11/20 Walgreen's will have their Vanity Fair Napkins, 100ct on sale for Buy 1 Get 1 free!!  They are listed at $2.99, and you can get them as low as $0.95 each when you buy 2!! 

Stock up for the holidays everyone :)

Rubbermaid Reveal Mop @ Target!!

$3/1 Reveal Mop - (target coupon)

$5/1 Reveal Mop - (rubbermaid.com)

How about this scenario guys!! A manufacturer's AND a Target coupon!  They are listed at a sale price of $24.99 through 11/19.  Use both coupons and get this one for $16.99!  

I am excited about this one... I will never have to buy another set of refills for my febreeze mop again!! :)  Nor will I have to buy refill cleaning solution!! This is exciting!

Dove Men+ Care Deoderant

$1/1 Dove Men+Care Deoderant -(expertsinthefieldsweeps.com)

If you are a frequent Walgreen's shopper like I am, this one is a DEAL!  You have to register, but then you get a coupon that will in turn make your product FREE!! 

On sale 12/4 for $3.99 

Use $1/1 and get a $3.99 Reg Rewards

Final Cost: FREE

STOCK UP!

$2 off Afrin Nasal Spray :)

I don't know about you guys, but I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately... Sinuses... UGH

$2/1 Afrin Nasal Spray, Any - (coupons.com)

If you get them at Walmart your final price will be $2.52!!  They are listed at regular price for $4.52... Get them while they are hot and clear up that nose :)

Disappointment turned around!

I was perusing Pinterest yesterday and came across a blog with an awesome (and simple) way to transfer letters printed from a printer onto painted wood.  I did not have any success with this method despite multiple attempts :(  Here is the link if you would like to try this for yourself.  Please, if you do, let me know how it goes... I would  still love to have success!!

 Vintage Painted Signs by Diddle Dumpling

Once I realized this was NOT going to work for me, I decided I would try something different, and a little less awesome :(  Sad evening....  Anywho... I still used the same idea, and mirror printed letters, I just traced the letters onto the wood and painted them.  While this sounds easy, it was actually pretty difficult.

I got to use some of my wood from that Home Depot gold mine I found about a month ago!

That made me happy!  I knew I wanted a vintage look so I painted the wood black first.  I diluted my paint down quite a bit for the entire project FYI...  Once that dried, I painted over it with a dark brown which actually brought back the grainy texture of the wood! :)  Next, I painted a small area of the front a light, off white color so my red lettering would pop.  The off-white color was diluted down with more water than paint.  I had to actually use a dry sponge brush to move it around after I applied it.... use your own technique for different looks!

I let the paint set for a while while I printed out the lettering I wanted.  ***Remember when you print the letters to make them mirror images if you are going to try the original project idea!***  If you are doing it my way, either way works.  Since I already printed mine out backwards I just went with it.  I laid the paper flat onto my wood, and went over the lines HARD with my pen.  I learned quickly that I needed to do it to the point that my pen went through the paper and marked on the wood. (Just the indention was too hard to see)  I then mixed up the color paint I wanted and began to paint my outlines.  Voila!

Now I have something else to display in the new house!! Fingers crossed... we will be owners in A MONTH!!!  EEEEKKKKK

I'm Excited!! (again)

I have been finding all sorts of new decorations for my house... some are even useful!! I recently stumbled upon a 25% off your entire purchase coupon for Michael's.  When I got there, to my wonderful surprise, their Christmas decor was on 40% off!! I got 65% off my newest Christmas decorations!!!

The top one I bought in pieces... I had to assemble them.  Aaaand, the sleigh I got at Target in the dollar spot for $2.50 one day.  Overall, I think the sleigh and the decor to go inside it cost me about $4.50.  

Then my Santa countdown was a steal!! It was listed at $14.99 and I paid just over $5 for him!!  Just goes to show that finding good deals pays off!! Jarrod will attest to the these days :)

Now, speaking of saving money... I got a delightful free gift yesterday!  We recently moved into a new warehouse at work, and when we got there this gem was left behind by the previous owners!

I knew I wanted it, so when Keith (my boss) decided he was going to throw it out, I snatched it up!  Now, I had no clue what I wanted to do with it, all I knew was that I couldn't pass up bringing it home.  Now accepting ideas, by the way!   Ah, the small things :)

Pizza Crescent Rolls

Not too long ago I discovered the easiest, tastiest treat!! I call them Pizza Crescent Rolls, and they are a HUGE hit!  They are so simple to make and take about 15 mins total!!

All you need:
1- pack crescent rolls
1- pack pepperoni
4- individual string cheese
1- can pizza sauce (I have substituted pasta sauce)

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lay your crescent rolls out on your pan, put desired amount of sauce on the dough.  Layer your pepperoni (to your liking... Jarrod likes lots of them!)  Cut each string cheese in half and lay one half across the wide end of your crescent roll.

 Roll them up and tuck the sides in to prevent cheese and sauce leakage!

 Bake them for about 10 mins, I would watch them just to be sure.

They are a huge hit around my house and super simple to make!  Also, there are always coupons for crescent rolls and pepperoni floating around ;)

Happy Baking!

Lysol Disinfecting Spray, 12.5oz

H-E-B has an in store coupon for free 35ct Lysol disinfecting wipes with the purchase of one Lysol Disinfecting Spray, 12.5 oz.

  Sooo, here is a coupon I dug up for you for an extra $.050 off the spray :)


$0.50/1 Lysol Disinfecting Spray - (lysol.com)

I am not sure how much they cost... but I know I use mine all the time!!

Smart Balance on sale at Walgreen's starting 11/13!

Starting on 11/13 Walgreen's is going to have their Smart Balance on sale for $1.99!  By using a $1.00/1 Any Smart Balance Product, any size -(smartsource.com) coupon you can get them for only $0.99!!! Stock up for the holidays with this one!!  Be quick, I know Smart Source only allows a certain number of prints!

Thanks,

Passion for Savings

Free T-shirt anyone??

I have come across some pretty good deals today... plus a free t-shirt!!  Here ya go folks!

I don't know about you guys, but I know with Jax around my house, I can always use a lint roller!  Target has them listed for $1.48 regular price.  With the $1.00/1 Scotch Lint or Pet Hair Roller - (scotchlint.com) coupon you can get them for $0.48!! Get them while they are hot, because coupon prints are limited folks!  I know I printed multiples ;)

At Walmart, you can get Visine for $.04!! Ask me how?!  Use the $3.00/1 Visine Product, 0.5 oz or larger - (walmart.com) coupon.  Print multiples of these too folks!! 

Wendy's is giving away 50,000 FREE T-SHIRTS!!  You do have to play a few games, but they have multiple options for designs!  I was shirt 27,700 something... lots left! Get yours now :)

Earlier today I personalized a letter from Santa to Conner and had it sent to my house.... you guessed it, FOR FREE!! I can't seem to shy away from something free... who can??  Anywho, it is completely free if you ship it to yourself!  They have two designs to choose from, the Checking it Twice layout or the Santa's Scroll layout.  

Use the code XMASFB at checkout for your free card :)

!!Merry Early Christmas!!

Those amazing party trays that take away working your hiney off for a party... they're on sale :)  They are $5.00 regular price at WalMart and with the $3.00/1 Hormel Party Tray - (coupons.com) coupon you can get them for $2.00!! Remember that for your next party y'all!!

'Tis all for the night folks!! Hope you enjoy :)

-Shaunda

:::Trying something new:::

Okay ladies, (and maybe gents)

I have discovered the greatest thing! COUPON-ING!! And no one is allowed to tell me I am behind on the times! I have become an extreme coupon-er and can't wait to see how I do!

 I have decided that since I get so excited about finding great deals I am going to start sharing them with you all!  There are some pretty crazy deals out there is you are willing to dig a little bit!

For already being loyal and reading my boring blog I am going to hook you up with a couple of really awesome (in my opinion) deals!  Hurry, once the coupon is printed the allotted amount of times, it disappears, OH NO!

They have their lego minis on clearance for $0.39!!  How awesome is this for some stocking stuffers!!  Look for them near the registers, and even if they aren't marked "clearance" they are still ringing up at $0.39!

Campbell's Cream of soups, usually $0.49.

$1/5 Campbell's Cooking Soups - (campbellskitchen.com)

As low as $0.29 when you buy 5!  Stock up, 'tis the season!

Pepcid AC 10 ct, usually 4.38

$3/1 Pepcid product (excluding trial size) - (pepcid.com)

Final Price as low as $1.38!! Stock up on this item too!

Thanks to the Krazy Coupon Lady!

Holiday Wreath :)

So, I have made my first Christmas season wreath!  It is quite simple actually, but holds lots of meaning for me!

The lighting is a little dark :(  But i promise it looks adorable!!  The reason it seems so simple to you, yet so sentimental to me is the source of the materials!  The pine cones were collected when we went to Red River, NM.  Jarrod and I found them across the stream from the cabin we were staying in :)  I know, I know.. gag, right? LOL!  For a wreath that looks so simple, it actually took me a while to make.

Step 1:  I painted the edges of my pine cones red and green to give them more of a holiday feel.

(yes I use postal service boxes as my work space for now, don't judge)

Step 2:

Once you get them painted to your satisfaction, which is much harder than you would anticipate, you are ready to start with your hanger.  I used burlap and hot glue (go figure).

I folded the edges over to keep them from fraying because burlap is difficult to work with if you use rough edges!  Then I wrapped it around the wreath and hot glued the seam together.  I centered it a little to the back so you wouldn't be able to see it while it was hanging.  

Step 3:

You are ready to start gluing your pine cones on.  Since I only used 3 colors (I left some pine cones natural) I had to be careful when placing them so there wasn't a cluster of green or red together.  

**Remember, here you can alter your pine cones... there were quite a few that I cut the bottoms off of so they would not stick out too far!

 You can see the green one sticking out in the picture (above). I cut this one shorter before I hung it

the same with the red on at 5:00 here

Just keep gluing and working them into each other and eventually you will get there!  It seems to take forever, and if you sit in the floor like I did, you will DEFINITELY have a back ache :(

Once I got all my pine cones onto my wreath, I decided it was too plain and painted a decorative "B" for Brainard on my burlap hanger.  Get creative here folks!  It really is more fun!

Once everything looks the way you want, you are ready to hang your masterpiece and start preparing for the holiday season!

(I am not quite ready to put up the Christmas tree like some folks, but a little cheer this early never hurt anyone) ;)

Happy Crafting,

Shaunda

 *Side note:  While creating this post I have realized my phone takes much better photos up close!* Mental note!

Paper Flower Wreath

Okay, first of all... I know it is not the BEST picture in the world :(  Soon guys, soon!  BUT, isn't it cute!!?  It was super simple (which seems to be a trend).  I had a small wreath on hand with no ideas.  When I made  my last entry I used a small paper flower for embellishment, which as you can see, transferred over to this project!  I added the burlap bow to the top then hot glued the small flowers around the rest.  It turned out quite nice.  You can't tell in the picture, but there is a sheen on the wreath because I used some spray glitter to give it some pop!  Ah, the joys of simple crafting.  Hopefully my next post will be the pumpkins Conner and I worked on this weekend!  

Happy Columbus Day y'all!

Ahhh, Holiday Season :)

I am so glad holiday season is here!  Since I lost all of my holiday decorations I am getting to start from scratch.  To some, that may sound daunting, but to me that sounds like opportunity!  With the idea of buying a new house that is much bigger than the one we are in now, I have developed so many ideas.  Holding myself back is proving extremely difficult!  I just keep crafting!! Plus, it doesn't help when you make OUTRAGEOUS finds at the local Home Depot.  I scored a basket full of what they called "trash".  When they trim the wood for other customers, they throw the scraps away! HOW DARE THEY!! Don't they know I can use them?! Well, they learned... I bought the entire cart of wood for $4... that is right $4!

 Have I mentioned that I will have an actual craft ROOM in the new house? :)  Can you tell I'm excited? Ha... understatement!  I will no longer have to work around dogs and kids and Jarrod!  Nor will I have to vacuum up all my craft dust every night!! Woo Hoo!

Anywho, here is what I worked on last night until midnight!

It turned out much different than I had originally planned, but I like it!  It was so simple, and I got everything for 50% off at my favorite local store :)  Hobby Lobby!  I took a thin wooden letter and decoupaged it with torn pages from a book. (yes I actually destroyed a book, ahhh!)  I made a little bow with burlap, a flower out of a book page, and then glued the leather rope around the edges...  Really was simple!  Jarrod even helped with the hot glue gun!  

Do not fret my fellow crafters, I am working on lots of fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving projects right now, I just have yet to finish them!  As you can see, I get distracted :)  I will have them up in plenty of time for you to copy them if you would like! 

Happy Crafting!

Mmm.. Sour Cream Chicken & a good book :)

My latest literature voyage has started.  George Bush's autobiography, Decision Points, and I must say it is wonderful thus far.

This book gives insight into so many aspects of events that affected our lives.  Aspects that I bet most of us didn't know existed, but influenced his decisions.  I have learned so much, and I am only through chapter 5. (They are pretty long chapters)  Jarrod enjoys the book too, although I think he might enjoy having me read to him more than the book itself :)  There are so many critics of George W. out there (I am not included... LOVE HIM) that should read this book.  Even if you disagree with his beliefs, policies, procedures, etc. it may help you understand that the decisions he made where not whimsical.  He has experts, administrators, Generals, Intelligence officers, so on and so forth, telling him what was good for the country and it's people whether they thought he would agree or not.  

I am not attempting a political persuasion, just offering food for thought.  It is a good read at least and a tool for understanding the former President, maybe even creating a little compassion, at best.

Now, I am sure you are tired of my ranting so here is the food!!

Looks pretty boring, yes.  It tasted phenomenal (if you don't like sour cream you may disagree).  I am dubbing this the Italian Sour Cream Chicken, creative I know!  It was rather simple, but I wanted something different.  A twist :)

I used the following:

4 chicken breast

2-3 tbs of sour cream

a dash of Tony's (I put this on EVERYTHING)

1/4 zesty Italian dressing

I marinated the chicken in the 2nd and 3rd ingredients Then cooked them over the stove at just above medium heat until they were cooked thoroughly.  Try not to flip them more than once if you want even browning.  When they were about 3/4 of the way done I added the Italian dressing to the pan.

I served it up with some green beans and Voila!  Simple :)  It took me about 10-15 mins in the kitchen and it was a really good (and somewhat healthy) meal!  Jarrod said the chicken was really tender!  Try it out and let me know what you think!

I'm Excited!!

I have officially started decorating for the Holidays :)  I am SUPER EXCITED!!  We went on a mini road trip this weekend and stopped at an orchard in Fredericksburg, TX.  We stopped there on vacation in June and loved the homemade peach ice cream so, of course, we stopped agian :)  I got some homemade peach ice cream, Jarrod got some fresh apples, and we picked out a WHITE pumpkin for part of the decorations.  We got some cute smaller ones too.  I will post pictures tonight when I get home.

While I have your attention, I must recommend Fredericksburg to anyone looking for a stay-cation!  They have so many wonderful things to do!  Their historic heart of town is beautiful and has lots of wonderful stores and restaurants.  We found some homemade candy last time we were there; Jarrod fell in love with the chocolate covered blueberries!  We are at a restaurant claiming the best burgers in town who did NOT disappoint, and this past weekend was Oktoberfest!! While we did not get out to enjoy the festivities (we had Jax and they clearly did not allow dogs) we still enjoyed the town.  If you love history like me, you should definitely check out the Pacific War Museum!  It has lots of powerful exhibits!

I could write an entire page about the wineries!  They say 290 is the second best location of wineries behind Napa Valley. To anyone who likes wine, hearing that makes you smile!  I believe there are 10 wineries withing a 20 mile stretch of HWY 290.  The one we have visited is Grape Creek.  The wine was fantastic and we really enjoyed the tour we got.  They teach you about the entire process and even take you to the cellar to taste the all the differences in how the wine is barreled and aged! It was fantastic!!

When you are out in Hill Country you can't help but enjoy the drive as well.  It is so beautiful!  We have decided we would love to live out there someday!

Enchanted Rock was really pretty!  It was sort of a last minute, "Hey, let's do that" sort of thing, but we enjoyed it!  We were a little ill-prepared since I had on a long sleeved shirt and Jarrod wore boots :(  We will be going back soon to conquer the summit though!

Anywho... I will give you some pictures to see what we enjoyed :)

Beautiful Hill Country :)

Homemade peach ice cream! (It really is delicious!)

Grape Creek Winery

Pacific War Museum

The summit at Enchanted Rock

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I was browsing some other cooking blogs the other day and couldn't help but feel like my photography skills are lacking.  These people all have professional photographers to take pictures of their meals... then it hit me...

We cook to eat, not to look at the food and say, "ooooh, aaawwww"  so I stopped feeling bad about it! :)

My mom used to make chicken & dumplings in amounts large enough to feed a small army.  We would freeze what we didn't eat and I would have meals for weeks!  Back then I thought it was because my mom knew how much I loved them, but looking back I realize it was probably because it was WAY CHEAPER that way!

Once I moved out I never made chicken & dumplings, and I can't seem to figure out why... then I met Jarrod.  Jarrod said he didn't like them, but I was determined to change his mind!  He tried them and he loved them!

Now it is time to share with everyone else!

You need the following:

1lb boneless chicken breast (slightly thawed)

2 cans (10.75oz) cream of chicken soup

1 package of grands biscuits ( I have learned that the flaky layers, while delicious, do not work well)

*You can also add onion, but we don't like that*

You want to tear your biscuits into pieces before you add them...I like smaller pieces but not everyone does

1. Put your chicken in the crock pot, top it with the soup (and onions if you like them weirdo).

2. Cook them on low for about 8 hours (high for around 5)

3. Roughly 45 mins before they are done add you biscuits

4. Cook about 45 minutes longer or until your biscuits are no longer raw in the center

 I love slow cooker meals because I can put them in the crock pot before work and not have to worry about what is for dinner that night!!  Let me  know what you think!

Happy Crock Potting :)

and yes, I made that up

DIY Headbands

I saw these headbands on Pinterest the other day and got really excited!  I have an odd size head so store bought headbands rarely fit :(  I realized if I make my own they are guaranteed to fit! (As long as I don't goof them up)

When I first saw the picture it looked a little intimidating but it really was simple once you figure out what you're doing!  Plus, you probably have everything you need just sitting around the house!!

All you really need:

A t-shirt (logos are fine, they will add character)

Some fabric scissors (regular scissors will work)

Needle and thread, or hot glue

Take your t-shirt and cut up one side of it (probably under the armpit of the shirt is best)

Lay it flat and mark your lines if you are like me and feel like you can't cut a straight line without a guide :)

*remember the thicker the strips, the thicker the headband and vice versa*

(make sure you cut the hem off first... oops)

I cut all the way across the shirt because you can always make them shorter if you need to!

Once you have your strips cut, stack all five strips on top of each other and sew one end. (I used hot glue because I didn't want the seams to show in my finished product)  

Pull on all of the strands to make the pieces curl up a little.  Once you do that, you are going to braid all five strands!!  It is not as hard as you think...

Split the strainds with three on the left and two on the right.  We are only going to deal with the set of three for the instructions! (#1) Take the far left strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far right strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the right side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the left and three on the right.

Do the exact same thing on the right now, just mirror it!

(#1) Take the far right strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far left strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the left side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the right and three on the left.

Start again on the left side, then move to the right.  Continue braiding... the trick is to keep the tension the same all the way down.

Once you get to the desired length, sew (or glue) the ends together. 

Overlap the ends together... now sew (or glue) them to one another.  Try to keep the ends as close together as possible.

Now, cut a square piece of the shirt.  Make sure it is wider than the overlapped ends of the headband.  You want to fold the sides in and attach it to what will be the inside of your headband. 

Fold the raw end over itself to create a finished look, then fold it onto the headband and stitch (or glue) into place.  Voila! You have a handmade headband!

Once you do the first one they get much easier, and you get much faster!  I have not tried this yet, but I am sure you could embellish these by adding beads or flowers.  Whatever you desire!  

*As you can tell I did not take these picture.... I hoisted them from another blog!  I am not trying to take credit for them, but I thought she did a MUCH better job of showing the steps through pictures for those of you who need visuals :)   Don't worry, I have asked for a new Nikon for Christmas!

ENJOY!