Saving Money, Wasting Time

Yesterday I was going to go to Target to buy some cat food before we left town.  Before I went I decided to go to a fun money saving blog that I check out sometimes called “Totally Target”  to see if they had any great deals listed.  There was a post about some good savings on Emergen-C and since our family is working hard at staying healthy so we can hang out with Shad I decided it was worth looking into.  

If I bought two packages I could get a $5.00 Target gift card.  There was a link included to a facebook coupon for $2.50 off a 30 count package of Emergen-C.  Print it twice and I could save an additional $5.00 off my purchase.  That sounded good so I cruised on over to facebook.  I  liked the Emergen-C facebook page and printed my coupons. I thought since I was on facebook I  should check out my friends updates so I did a little reading for a while. 

Oh, wait I was supposed to be going to Target.  

While I was on “Totally Target” I was reminded that I could go to the Target website and download coupons from there.  Perhaps I should check and see if they had any good coupons.  I headed to the website,  I couldn’t see the coupon button right away, but there was this week’s store ad.  I should probably look at what was on sale this week before I look at the coupons anyway, so I browsed through the ad.  Armed with my new knowledge I seriously began to search for the coupons.  I located them on the dropdown menu under more and started scrolling through the 17 pages. 

$1.50 off 2 packages of M&Ms  - those were on sale and Target has an “exclusive” peppermint  M&M flavor for the holidays.  I needed that coupon.

$2.00 off any holiday decorating item $8.00 or more – you can never have too many holiday decorations. 

5 coupons selected and I was ready to print but wait, it says I need to activate the coupon printer.  Oh right, I haven’t downloaded coupons from Target since I got my new computer.  Click on the download.  Yes, I want to run this program.  My coupons will print when I click next.  I clicked next and nothing. 

I tried it again and … still nothing. 

I went to my downloads and there was the program, but still my coupons aren’t printing. 

Back to the website. Perhaps if I just select print coupons again they will print.   I try that – “you need to activate the coupon printer”.  Argh!

I looked at the time on the computer.  Ought oh – I need to go buy my green beans and get them cooked before FHE group tonight.  I’ll just turn my computer off and maybe the download will update.  I can wait and go to Target tomorrow morning before we leave. 

So, this morning I once again go to the Target website, click on coupons and go to print.  Wait, all the coupons I selected are no longer on my list.  I get to go through the 17 pages of coupons looking for the five I wanted to print again.  Coupons located, select print.  “You need to activate the coupon printer.”  Yes I know.  Would you like to suggest how I do that?  I ask for the hubby’s assistance and he assists and still no coupons. 

About this time I remember that I have had a similar problem before in Google Chrome.  Perhaps  if I get on the internet using Windows Explorer  the program will download right. 

Close the internet, reopen the internet, go to the Target website, reload the coupons, click on the download, click on the yellow allow bar that appears at the bottom of the page, download, push next, hear the printer fire up and get ready to do the happy dance and then – No coupons. 

Wait, what is that yellow light on the printer.  Toner.  I guess it’s really time to put in that new toner I bought. Find the new package of toner, take out the old toner, wonder if it is really all gone this time, shake it all around, put it back in to try to get a few more copies, nothing, take the old toner out, put the new toner in and PRINT!

Armed with my Target coupons (and a stack of previously printed coupons from a different website just in case any of those items are on sale) I head out to Target.  I collect the things I need and the things that I can purchase using my coupons fairly quickly, but I have want to take a quick circle around the store to check the endcaps on all the rows for clearance bargains.  Nothing today, so I move to the checkout line. Check out, hand the coupons over, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, get my $5.00 target gift card, pay and I'm on my way.  

I am reading my receipt as I walk away and I only see one of my Emergen-c coupons taken off.  I peruse the receipt again, yup, only one.  I look back at the register I just left, that now has a line 3 people deep, and head on over to customer service.  I explain that I had 2 coupons and only one rang up.  "Perhaps was the coupon $2.50 off two"?  I think about it, but no, I'm pretty sure it was off one.  The worker calls for assistance, another worker arrives and is sent to the register to retrieve the coupon. Apparently the coupons are locked in an extremely secure location in the cash register, but finally here he comes back waving my coupons victoriously.  Wow! I was right $2.50 off a single item.  I'll be  friendly and discuss the merits of couponing and what a great coupon that is.  I pocket my two dollar bills and 2 quarters and leave the store.  I load my purchases in the back of the van and I'm off, one step closer to heading to California.  

When I get home I remember I need to take my wallet in the house and put it in my bag to take with me to California.  While I'm at it I should also grab my stack of coupons and take that too so when I go grocery shopping I can save a couple of bucks.  I get the wallet, but can't seem to locate the coupons anywhere. Perhaps I put them in the back with my purchases.  I open the back of the van and check.  Nope, no coupons.  I look in all the bags.  Nope, no coupons.  I walk backwards in my mind.  Where was the last place I remember having the coupons.  I see then sitting quietly on the seat of the cart.  Do I remember getting them?  Not really.  They are probably sitting abandoned in my shopping cart.  Now, the big question - is it worth it to drive back to Target and hopefully rescue them?  Not really.  But wait, there were some good coupons that I know I will use.  It's only a couple of miles to Target.  That's silly though, the cart might not even still be there.  Yes, no, yes, no, and I'm back in my van headed for Target.  

I locate the coupons, right where I left them, turn around and once more head for home.  Who knew saving money could be so time consuming?  

Actually, I did.  

I may be good at saving money, but I am even better at wasting time doing it.

The verdict is still out on whether or not it is worth it, but it's what I do best and it's even fun -  most of the time.  

Today I am grateful for

a husband who likes to drive so I can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

a son who is willing to take care of things while we leave town.

the chance to be with Shad and his mom and dad again.  My mind is a lot more at peace about him when I am here.  

The Cheap Seats

The grandson is a little bit addicted to Toy Story movies. He would watch "Duh", which is what he calls Buzz, all the time if we would let him. He especially likes Toy Story 2.


When we took our family vacation to Greer for Spring break his parents introduced him to the DVD player that we have in our van and since then every time we leave his house he wants to take his "moo-fees" "wif me" and every time we get in the van he asks for Buzz. A couple of weeks ago, I gave in and attempted to let him watch his DVD in transit. As luck would have it, all I managed to do was get the movie stuck in the player. The next day I purchased a new copy of Toy Story 2, because the kid was having major withdrawal symptoms.
The DVD player at their house used to be where the grandson could reach it, open it and put his movies in and out. For some reason, it quit working. Go figure. It didn't take too long for his mom to decide that a new DVD player was a necessary expenditure. However, the device that was purchased, and placed out of his reach, has issues with the Toy Story 2 DVD. It will play any other movie you put in it, but refuses to function when Buzz is inserted. This has once again caused some severe 19-month-old angst. The child has been feeling very Toy Story deprived, so imagine his excitement when on today's outing we visited the Phoenix Deseret Industries and happened upon a showing of "Toy Story 2" on not one, not two, but 13 screens. It was like a dream come true to him.


He allowed me to shop in the store as long as we went back to see what was happening with "the gang" every few minutes. Luckily for him, he knows the story line well and could jump right into the action. When I was ready to leave, we decided to make one more visit to the make shift theater. We were a little surprised to discover that we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the free movie viewing. A cute family had found a place to sit and were happily watching the show. The grandson was convinced that he needed to join them in their "cheap seats" and enjoy the remainder of the movie with them.


For almost half an hour we watched and cheered and danced and thoroughly embraced the suspenseful conclusion of Toy Story 2. Sometimes we even sat quietly.


We just never know what fun our days together will bring!

Today I am grateful for

a phone with a camera.
cheap thrift store fun.
Fridays!

Update (June 11, 2011)- since this post the original Toy Story 2 movie has been rescued from the van DVD player (the youngest son pushed the eject button and the movie came out). The oldest daughter's new DVD player likes that copy of the movie and so now we have Toy Story 2 at both "house" (grandma's house) and "home" (the grandson's house). Also, the grandson has perfected the pronounciation of "Buzz" with a b and a z. No Duh anymore.

A Visit With the Easter Bunny

Today the oldest daughter had the day off of work and so we decided to go on an adventure. I had read online that there was a shopping center up the road where we could get the grandson's picture taken with the Easter Bunny for free. We were pretty sure we knew how this visit was going to transpire, but it sounded like something fun to do anyway.

First we visited Kohl's and Target so the grandson could show his mom what he wanted for Easter. It turned out that all he wanted were clothes, or at least that's what he ended up with. Then we headed across the parking lot to find the Easter Bunny. We were pleasantly surprised that the line was only a few people long and quickly joined the que. The grandson immediately saw the bunny and was quite excited. His mom asked him if he was going to sit on his lap and tell him "hi" and he was very positive that he was. That was before he got up close. He quickly changed his mind, but the mean women in his life still made him visit long enough for the camera woman to snap his picture.


The tears only lasted until his mom picked him up and then he was all friendly, blowing kisses and waving bye-bye. Silly boy!

This picture is just to let you all know that he survived his ordeal and was still able to smile.


The grandson has a fascination with any kind of drain or cover with a hole in it. As we were walking back to the car he found one and stuck his finger in it. As he stood up to leave his mom warned him that the alligator might bite him. He quickly returned to the hole and refused to budge. He wanted to see the alligator.

This is about 4 covers later and he's still looking for the alligator.


After our field trip we met the oldest son and the daughter-in-law for lunch, since he also had the day off of work. They had just come from the knee doctor where the surgeon said the daughter-in-law's knee was healed enough that she doesn't have to wear her leg brace anymore. She was VERY excited!

Today I am grateful that

the daughter and the son had the day off of work so we could play together.
I am feeling better.
the daughter-in-law's knee is getting better.
Jesus Christ was willing to die on the cross for me.

The Tallest Christmas Tree in the Nation!

This morning I took the hubby to the airport to fly to Idaho Falls to meet the youngest daughter and drive home from school with her. Allegiant Air just started flying out of Mesa Gateway Airport directly to Idaho Falls and since it is A LOT cheaper the hubby decided he would give it a try. The airline and flight were both good, according to him, but he did end up leaving 2 hours late due to the heavy fog - not in Idaho but in Mesa. Yup, we had some unusual fog this morning. Oh, and by-the-way don't always trust that map quest knows how to get you somewhere. It sent us on a non-existent road. Luckily the son-in-law had given me some basic directions that got us back on the right path.

After I returned home the youngest son decided he felt bad that he wasn't going to Idaho and wanted to go on a road trip. I am always ready to go for a drive and the grandson likes to go ( said dew, dew, dew with the head waving side to side). We finally decided on a jaunt to witness the tallest Christmas tree in the nation at the Anthem Outlet mall.

Read all about it -

The grandson was a lot more impressed by the tree than the youngest son was.

This is my view looking up from the base, probably about the top 2/3rds fit in my view finder.

Here I'm using the 6 foot 2 son as a height gauge. The toys at the base of the tree were as tall as he was.

And, here you have it - the nation's tallest fresh cut tree. All 110 feet of it.

The son was generous and decided we could visit the Nike store and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory which were on either side of the tree. I took the grandson to Toys R Us the other day and he almost went hysterical with excitement. He jabbered non-stop about everything he saw. I was surprised that he felt the same way about the shoe store. He was thrilled with all the orange shoe box stacks, the little sample shoes attached to the rack with stretchy cords and the floor mirrors that he could see himself in. It was SO exciting!

Today I am thankful that

my son actually wanted to do something with his mom for a change.

the grandson likes to nap in his car seat.

Cafe Rhumba was kind of on the way home from the mall. I love their tropical chicken salad. Yum! Yum!

Wordy Gratitude List

Today I am thankful for

a son who feels and follows promptings that help keep him safe. The youngest son was driving home from school after he had dropped a friend off. He usually goes out onto a main road from this house to travel home, but today he had a feeling that he should go a different way. As he was driving past our church the car started blowing really hot air and suddenly died so he coasted into the church parking lot, parked the car and assessed the situation. He couldn't get the car to start so he called me and I went and got him. A few days ago a woman's car stalled on the freeway and before she could get out of traffic she was rear ended, her car burst into flames and she was killed. The son was sure he would have ended up the same way if he had been on a busy road. I'm not sure that the situation was that dire, but I'm glad he acted upon his feelings and that all turned out well -for him at least. We're still not sure what is wrong with the car.
happy surprises at the grocery store. Today I went to Safeway to buy some groceries. Cheese was one of the items on my list because they had their 2 lb blocks on sale for $4.49. When I got to the dairy department some of the cheese had a .30 cent coupon on the package. I was happy because that made them even a better deal. When I checked out they quadrupled the coupon to $1.00. 2 lbs of cheese for $3.49. Happy day!
one woman who works really hard so a lot of women can have fun being crafty together. There is a sister in our ward who loves to make wooden crafts so she has taken it upon herself to plan a monthly Relief Society Craft project. She cuts all the wood herself and collects all the supplies for us so all we have to do is show up, pay our money (cost of materials only) and create. She is also very willing to accommodate all of the out-of-the ward daughters who want to come with their mothers. It is always a fun evening. Tonight we painted, papered and decorated letters to spell the word LOVE. The sister's husband came home toward the end of the evening and announced that he was going to tell all his buddies in the High Priest's Quorum on Sunday that a whole bunch of Relief Society women came to his house this week and made love.

If the Stake President hears about this our craft nights might be a thing of the past.

My Good Friend Jo-Ann

Today the oldest daughter had to run out to her school to pick up a purchase order and she invited me to go along and do some shopping at the stores on the rez while we were out that direction. Her dad has been asking her to bring the grandbaby by his office so he can show him off to all his co-workers so we decided that we would meet him at the cafeteria there for lunch. The son-in-law was going to be gone flying with his mom most of the day, but the weather didn't cooperate, so he wanted to be included in this outing as well. The daughter warned him ahead of time that this adventure would involve some store visits, but he decided the free food was enticing enough to put up with the shopping.

We got the purchase order, ate lunch and appreciated all of the appropriate oohs and aahs that the baby received and then it was time for the real fun to begin. We told the driver that the first stop was Jo-Ann's. He said "You mean Jo-Ann." Apparently during the many visits to the fabric store that the son-in-law has made with the daughter since he joined the family he has determined that the official title of this business is Jo-Ann - singular and not Jo-Anns - plural or Jo-Ann's - possessive.


Well, I will be the first to admit that I call this store Jo-Ann's. Always have and probably always will. I will even go as far as to say that I thought perhaps the official name of the store was Jo-Ann's and I have a few canceled checks in my possession to prove it. Well, now I know that I have been mistaken all these years, but I doubt that will quickly change how I refer to this store. The son-in-law went on to expound "you don't say you are going to Wal-marts or Targets do you?" He is absolutely correct. I have never once in my life said I was going to Targets.

Of course, this conversation got me started thinking about why this is. Why do I call the JoAnn fabric store Jo-Anns but have no trouble calling Target Target or Wal-mart Wal-mart? Now, I have already said that I might have possibly just been confused about the name of the store, but I am pretty sure I would have still called it Jo-Anns regardless. Jo-Ann just sounds wrong to me.
After much musing on this topic I have finally come up with a logical explanation. It all goes back to the relationship that have with this store. Obviously, through my many frequent visits to this business I have developed a strong and lasting friendship. Just as I would not say I am going to Kim or Denise or Moana when I visit one of my good friends I don't say I am going to Jo-Ann. Actually I think this has something to do with the English language. When I say I am going to Kim's the word house is inferred even though it is not said and therefore the name becomes possessive as in Kim's house and the s is added. When I go to the fabric store I think of it as belonging to my good friend Jo-Ann. I can even envision this Jo-Ann person in my head. She is about my age and she is happy and friendly and funny and extremely talented, not unlike many of my other friends. Sometimes she employs grouchy, overworked individuals in her store, but that just shows how truly charitable she really is. Therefore when I head off to the fabric store to make a purchase I am going to my buddy Jo-Ann's store and the s makes perfect sense. I have no such vision of Target (the person) in my head and as far as Wal-mart goes, well I can conjure up Sam from the commercials that I have seen but he seems to reserve his friendships for people who belong to his club and since it costs money to join his club I just can't get too excited about pursuing that relationship.

Now, back to our shopping experience. The daughter and I had a wonderful time at JoAnn's and found some exciting after Christmas bargains. We enjoyed ourselves so much that perhaps we stayed longer than we had intended. At least that is probably what the men folk in the car were thinking.

Hey, it was a nice day for an afternoon nap in the parking lot of my friend Jo-Ann's store.

Today I am grateful for

a yummy chicken salad sandwich with pecans and dates.
a proud grandpa who loves his grandson and isn't afraid to let that love show.
a patient son-in-law.

Four Weeks Old

The grandson is 4 weeks old today. The oldest daughter and I were discussing how he doesn't look or act as much like a newborn anymore. He is definitely getting more curious and likes to try to stand on his head to find people when they walk away from him. He also seems to enjoy going places and checking out all the new things he can see. Today the community had a health fair for the employees and I wanted to attend and get a flu shot for free. The daughter had some insurance questions so she and the baby went along too. Grandpa was more than happy to show off his adorable grandson and even though we may think the boy is getting big, lots of people there commented on how new he still looked. The hubby even treated us to lunch at the Two Waters cafeteria (where he eats most days). We had turkey, sweet potatoes and green beans and it was all yummy.
The oldest daughter decided that while we were out she wanted to hit the after Halloween sales at Target. We found a few fun holiday things for 75% off and some new little boy clothes in the next size up that were marked way down. I love bargain shopping and apparently it has rubbed off on the girl.
We had such a good time that we picked the youngest son up from school and dragged him to another Target with us. He was impressed by the humongous bag of Starbursts and Skittles that he discovered. I think the little guy was impressed too. It looks like he's counting on his fingers how many pieces his uncle is going to share with him.

His uncle says that yellow is a girl color and we shouldn't make him wear yellow, but we were just happy to find this onesie in the bottom of the diaper bag when he leaked through his diaper. He still looks like a handsome little boy to me.

Today I am grateful for

free flu shots and hopefully no flu.
a daughter to go shopping with.
a son that chose to buy Skittles and Starbursts because those don't tempt me like chocolate does.

Hard Jobs Grandmas Have To Do

The oldest daughter called me this morning and asked if I could visit Deseret Industries and see if they had any newborn or 3 month clothes. Everything they tried to put on the baby was too big for him. Since I have determined to be an amazing grandma, I agreed to this difficult task. Actually, anyone who knows me very well knows I am always looking for an excuse to make a DI run. I LOVE that store!

Then, of course, I had to deliver the cute outfits that I found. The baby was sleeping, but I talked loud enough to wake him up so I could chat with him for a few minutes. Then I cuddled him back to sleep. There's nothing like holding a sweet, sleeping baby.

The pile in the background of this picture are just a few of my thrift store finds. I got a lot of good stuff for less than $20.

*#@*# Costco

Sometimes it amazes me how dysfunctional I am. I can work myself into a state over the silliest things. As mentioned previously, I have started making my youngest son a green smoothie every morning. The main ingredient of a green smoothie is spinach and Costco has the best price that I have found for bagged spinach. It is much cheaper and comes in a much larger bag than the spinach at the regular grocery store. Now, for my issue. I have a very strong aversion to Costco. Read I HATE COSTCO (but I would never say that because hate is such a strong word and I really try to avoid using it.) Up to this point I have depended on my daughters, who both are more normal than I and have no obvious dislike for Costco, to purchase my spinach. However, this is a burden for them, requires me to have cash on hand or remember that I owe them money (yes, I do remember I still owe both of you money), and isn't all that convenient for either of us. I have succumbed to buying expensive grocery store spinach at times rather than make my daughters go to Costco and once I even bought a bunch of fresh spinach, which was cheaper, but that was pretty much a disaster. The son said his green smoothie tasted like dirt and refused to drink it. Perhaps I should have removed all the stems, but that is a lot of work at 6:30 in the morning. I checked Smart and Final in the hopes that they would carry large bags of spinach, but nope, only lettuce. Finally on Thursday I decided that I needed to break down and buy myself a Costco membership. However, I convinced myself that if I want the hubby on the card he needed to accompany me to the store and so was able to put the trip off until this weekend. Last night I asked my husband to remind me that I needed to go to Costco to purchase a membership today. Well, today he reminded me and I was busy - I needed to type the bulletin, didn't I? He reminded me again - I couldn't leave the house yet because my mom was going to call to discuss what items I wanted for my inheritance. He reminded me again - I still needed to take a shower before I could go. Later he reminded me once more - I needed to wait for my hair to dry so I could get my picture taken. I wondered how long I could postpone the trip and asked the hubby if he knew when Costco closed. He didn't but suggested I look times up on the Internet. I couldn't do that because remember I _____ Costco, even their website. He looked the times up for me. They close at 6:00 PM on Saturday. By this time it was 3:00. I pondered this information and then informed the husband that I would buy spinach from Frys today and we could take a trip to Costco for FHE on Monday. Ah, instant relief. You see I don't like Costco, but I detest Costco on Saturday. Unfortunately on Monday I have to deal with my Costco conflict once more. Then if I do purchase a membership I will be visiting Costco at least once a week to buy spinach. That's a lot of Costco visits that I am already dreading. I want to just buy expensive spinach, but I can't do that when I know it is available cheaper somewhere else. I am too big of a tightwad to do that. I wish I could figure out what it is I don't like about Costco. I know I don't like that the closest one is not all that close, but I would drive a lot further to visit a thrift store, a Target or a JoAnns. I know that I think Costco is over priced on a lot of items and I could get a better deal at the grocery store with coupons and sales but I also know they do have the best deal on spinach. I know I buy stuff I don't need and spend more money than I want to when I shop there but I could learn to practice self control. I know the tall shelves, lack of navigating skills, and TOO MANY PEOPLE make me crazy when I go there but you've probably figured out from this post that I'm crazy anyway. What is wrong with me?? Why do I have these strong, negative feelings toward Costco?? Maybe I need Costco Counseling. Intervention treatment. Professional help. What is a woman to do? Any suggestions? It's obvious that I need help. This is right up there on the list of major anxiety causing issues along with talking on the telephone, feeding the missionaries, and all the red price tags they used to have on the shelves at Safeway. I'm seriously considering planting a garden of spinach.

Personal Shopper

The youngest son decided that he wanted clothes from us for his birthday this year. Since he has gotten taller and also thinned out I wasn't too sure what size clothes he really wears anymore so I determined that he needed to be included in the shopping experience. However, this son and I don't necessarily see eye to eye on what looks nice and I wasn't looking forward to this event. I was very happy to give his sister some cash and let her take him to the stores. They did a good job purchasing items that met my criteria and came home with quite a few bags of clothes for him.


He was so excited to model for those of us that didn't get to go on the shopping excursion, that he dropped his pants right away when he got home(or so it appears in this picture).
They discovered today that the son is apparently a "pants square". He wears size 34X34 jeans. The most exciting purchase of the day, in the son's opinion at least, were a pair of LeBron James shoes. He bought those with his own birthday money.

Today I am grateful for

a daughter that is willing to take my son shopping and has good taste as well.
Ross - where you can dress for less.
peach shakes from Chik-fil-a.

One year ago today - Boogie Boarding at the Beach

New and Improved

Frequently companies come out with new and improved versions of their products. Sometimes I am a fan of the new version and sometimes I wonder why they couldn't have just left a product I already liked alone.

Take the new and improved brown licorice - not a fan.

However, Press and Seal plastic wrap - a big fan.

I would have to say that I am definitely a fan of the "new" resealable Oreo cookie package.


Now, I know that this design has been around for awhile, but I usually only purchase Oreos once a year so I haven't really tested it out before now. I thought it was a great improvement. I could close those cookies up pretty tight and still get at them in a matter of seconds when the urge hit me.

Then I think there are some improvements that sound like a good idea in theory, but end up having some inherent problems. Recently my youngest son became the proud owner of a new pair of scout pants. These pants are the new Centennial design and they are long pants with legs that zip off to become shorts.

Great idea you would think but let's think a little harder. Here is a group of scouts out hiking. They get hot and wah-la their long pants become shorts. Perfect. Unless you are a mother of one of those scouts. If the bottom portion of the pant leg actually makes it into the back pack rather than left on a rock or accidentally dropped from a pocket somewhere along the trail, it most likely will not end up in the laundry when he returns home. It's small and easy to miss. I have spent lots of bonding time with my sons searching for a missing scout shirt or scout pants 20 minutes before that court of honor where a scout uniform is a requirement. These new and improved pants just add the very real possibility of 2 more missing items to frantically hunt for.

Or imagine the last day of a week at scout camp. All of the scouts are packing their bags and the scout leaders are picking up the left over items. Here we have a pile of scout pant legs. How do they decide which legs belong with which pair of pants? The boys certainly don't know which ones are theirs. It's possible the ones from their tent belong to them, but it's just as possible that they were thrown into their tent during a pant leg fight. The leaders very efficiently divide up the legs. Each boy gets two and quite possibly ends up going home with one short leg and one long leg, or 2 left legs. Not a pretty sight. Perhaps other scouts are more responsible they my boys were at 13, but I'm not counting on it. This might be a great idea or it might be a huge mistake. I will wait to give my final verdict on this change, at least until my 17 year old gets home from scout camp on Saturday, hopefully with his pants all in one piece.

One year ago today - Poison Cake, Lunch in a Truck

Cadbury Creme Eggs

While serving my mission in England I discovered the delectable delicacy - the Cadbury Creme Egg. I fell in love at first bite. I remember when the Easter season ended and I realized I would be in Utah when it was Easter again - Utah where they didn't sell Cadbury anything - I was very sad. I paid 13 pence apiece (why do I vividly remember this random detail) and purchased a few after Easter leftover eggs, hid them on the top shelf of my wardrobe and vowed I would take them home and enjoy them next Easter. Needless to say, I didn't have to worry about packing them when June rolled around and I returned to the states.

It was a happy day for me when one Easter, there on the store shelves in Utah (or was it Arizona by then?), I once again discovered Cadbury Creme Eggs. Even though American Cadbury Creme Eggs taste different than English Cadbury Creme Eggs, each year I have to buy at least one for old time sake, usually at the after Easter sales because I'm too cheap to pay full price. Today I bought my 2009 Cadbury Creme Egg, but I'm hoarding it away for a special occasion or a desperate moment when I need a sickeningly sweet chocolate fix.

I hadn't really looked at my egg closely when I watched this video on someone else's blog. I looked at my egg again. Yes, it is smaller, but then perhaps I have just gotten bigger. I don't know why I find this so entertaining, but I do.

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Tonight I had the opportunity of going to the temple to see one of my youngest daughter's good friends receive her own endowments. This young woman will soon be known as Sister Zarate and will be serving in the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission for 18 months.

We are all excited for her. Some other members of the family would have gone to the temple with her as well, but it just so happened that tonight was also the beginning of the church young men's basketball tournament and the youngest son's team, which is coached by the oldest son, had a game at the same time. It was hard for many of us to decide where we wanted to be the most. I finally decided that since the tournament is double elimination and the team was only playing one game tonight that I would have another opportunity to watch them participate and so I chose the temple. I was glad that I did. (The son's team lost and listening to the recap, I think I was lucky that I wasn't there to experience it.)
Since English is this sister's second language she chose to go to a Spanish speaking endowment session. My family and I had discussed ahead of time whether or not I thought I could follow what was going on if I had to do it only in Spanish. Pondering this question reminded me of a trip I took to a Denver Albertsons grocery store a couple of years ago. I was getting ready to check out when I received a phone call from my oldest daughter informing me that she had just been offered a job teaching Kindergarten at Fuller Elementary School. This was her first teaching job, school started in a week and we were both very excited. After I hung up I went to the self check out to purchase my groceries. I was still a little distracted and accidentally pushed the Spanish button instead of the English one. I tried to go back and choose English but couldn't figure it out. I decided I could check out in Spanish. I know a little Spanish and I use the self check out all the time, I could probably do it with my eyes closed so I thought a foreign language would be no problem. Scan the item, drop it in the bag. Pretty much the same in any language. I was rolling right along until I got to the produce. Even though I didn't know what a cantaloupe was called in Spanish I scrolled through the pictures and managed to find one that matched my item. Success! Then came the green pepper. I found the picture, entered the code but then the number keyboard popped up again. I thought the code hadn't gone through so I entered it again. I figured out what it was actually asking for about the same time I pushed the enter button. I was suppose to enter the quantity. Instead of one green pepper, or whatever it is called in Spanish, I said I was buying 4035 or some other ridiculous number. My grocery tab was immediately over $2000. That was when I finally decided to call for help. The employee was very confused about why I was checking out in Spanish, when I obviously was speaking English. Luckily for me he stood right next to me for the rest of the transaction. I think I needed his assistance at least 3 more times before I was done and thoroughly embarrassed.
So, as I thought about the temple ceremony, my first thought was that perhaps I could manage most parts, I mean I've heard it all a number of times. However, I quickly reconsidered.
The temple was very accommodating and supplied headsets for all of us who couldn't understand Español. I enjoyed hearing English in one ear while I tried to figure out what they were saying in Spanish with the other. I could actually understand a few things. However, I did find it somewhat disconcerting having Satan whispering directly into my ear at times. He seemed a lot more menacing when he was piped right into my head. Kind of like the devil sitting on my shoulder feeling.
I love being in the celestial room with someone who is there for the first time. My sweet friend was so happy to be there and I was equally happy to be there with her. It was such a wonderful moment. Lots of Love to you Sister Zarate. You're moving in the right direction and I wish you the best in life.

Today I am grateful for

hugs.
modern technology.
the temple - in any language.

21st Century Coat

My youngest son is leaving this weekend to go to the East Coast on Band Tour. Since we live in sunny, warm Arizona his idea of a winter coat is his McClintock Basketball Hoody. It's plenty warm for our temperatures, but not quite as warm as he needs for this trip. His dad has a coat that is warm and he told the son he could borrow it. Unfortunately, the son is more concerned about keeping up his image of looking cool than he is about staying warm. He said he would freeze to death rather than wear that coat. I'm not really sure what is so wrong with this coat. I actually like it. Perhaps that is exactly what is wrong with it. In the boy's opinion he needed a new "cool" coat. However he isn't all that sure what constitutes a "cool" coat. When I asked him for more information all he could come up with was "Something that looks like it was made in the 21st century." I'm pretty sure the hubby's coat was purchased in the 21st century (or pretty darn close) so that wasn't all that much help.

Well, JCPenney was having a clearance sale on coats and I got a coupon in the mail for $15.00 off a $15.00 or more purchase during my birthday month (I'm not sure why it was good for the month of January since my birthday is in August, but heck I wasn't going to complain) so I headed off to Penneys. After some extensive searching I came up with a navy blue coat that I thought the son might approve of. I checked the price tag. The coat was originally $100 but it was on clearance for $50. Clearance items were an additional 40% off which made it $30 and I could use my coupon which would make it $15. I decided maybe the coat was worth $15 to me. The clincher however was when I looked inside and realized there was a cell phone pocket on one side and a IPOD pocket on the other. This was definitely a 21st century coat so I bought it!

"Do you think this jacket makes me look Pooffy?"

Today I am grateful for

a completed physical for 2009 and no pap test needed.
visiting teachers.
shopping bargains, especially surprise ones, and gift cards. The hubby decided to go with me to Penneys to spend the gift card the oldest daughter gave him for Christmas. He bought 2 pair of pants which were suppose to cost $40 each, but the second pair was going to be half price. When the cashier rang them up they were on clearance and ended up costing $11 each. He actually had money left over on the gift card instead of having to add to it. Hooray!

My Birthday Present

For my birthday this year I told my friends I wanted money so I could purchase a specific item that I was looking for. I wanted some kind or cupboard/drawer/hutch type thing to put place mats and tablecloths in since I don't have a good place to store these items. I had been looking for something that would work for awhile and hadn't found it, thus the need for money and not a gift card to a certain place. On Friday one of these good friends called and told me she had seen something that looked like a possibility at Terri's Consign and Design in Chandler. I went to check it out and liked it, but when I realized that the price would drop another $30 if I waited until after Sunday to purchase it I decided I would like it even better then. I have this theory that if you pass something up and then go back and it's still there then you know it was meant to be yours.
Well this morning I had to go to the doctor to have some blood work done and then I headed to Chandler to see if I was suppose to be the proud owner of a "gently used" hutch. I showed my faith that it would still be there by switching vehicles with my son for the day so I could easily bring my purchase home in the back of his handy truck. Everything worked according to plan. The hutch was still there, the price had dropped, the cost was now $1.00 less than the money I received from my friends and I made a decision (a very difficult thing for me to do) and bought it! It is now gracing my dining room wall. Now I just have to decide what I'm going to put on all the shelves and if I want to change the drawer pulls.

I was feeling pretty happy with my purchase until I saw my friend's mom's house and the cupboards that she just put in in her dining room (which is the same floor plan as mine). These are the more updated and costly version of what I have done. They look great, but maybe it is just the fact that she has already decorated them and also has a cleaner kitchen in the background. This is what I can look forward to when I get rich (and buy a lot more cookbooks).

Actually, I am still feeling pretty good about my cupboard. I'm sure I will like it even more after I add some personal touches and clean the kitchen of course.

Today I am thankful for

a phlebotomist who was an expert at taking blood .
a son that lets me borrow his truck.
Good friends that give me birthday money.

Toenail Clip?

Now, I have heard of a paper clip





and a hair clip








and even a bag clip









but a toenail clip?

Could this be a new fashion craze?
I envision decorative little bows
clipped to some rather long toenails.
They would look great with flip flops.
If I created these I could make my millions.

Or perhaps this is a necessary item
that you use to clip all those stray toenail clippings together
before you dispose of them properly.
(This is when I wish I was an artist
and I could add some really nice illustrations for you.)

But no, a toenail clip is just the very common item
that I have inadvertently referred to
as toenail clippers
for my entire, uninformed life.

Here's the proof.

Read it right there
on the package -
Toenail Clip.

The things you learn
when your toenail clippers
magically disappear and
you are forced to go and
purchase a new pair.

Which brings up another question.
Why do I refer to this item as a pair
when there is just one of them?
(The picture may be confusing but the second item included in the picture is my absolutely free bonus fingernail clipper,
or would that be a fingernail clip?)

Along with the bonus fingernail clipper
this toenail clip also comes with
a LIFETIME GUARANTEE.
La Cross will repair or replace
(at their option)
implements defective in workmanship or material
unless they are abused or rusted.

However, if the clipper is suppose to be rust resistant
wouldn't rust indicate that perhaps the material
was indeed defective?
Also, does the company have to prove clip abuse?
Does it have to be documented like child abuse,
or can it just be assumed by looking at the resulting damage?

Anyway, back to the guarantee.

All I have to do is package my inferior merchandise and mail it
- post paid and insured- to them.
Now, I don't often insure items that I mail,
but it seems to me that the packaging,
the postage and the insurance
would far exceed the $2.99 that I paid for these clippers.
I'm thinking it would likely be more cost effective
to just purchase a new one.
Plus, I'm pretty sure I would have a hard time
keeping a straight face as I told the postal worker
that I would like to insure my defective toe clip.
And wait, what if I went to all the trouble
of mailing my broken clip to the company
only to discover that it was not defective at all,
but had just reached the end of its lifespan
and sucumbed to a natural death
thus voiding the "lifetime" guarantee.

I am going to go put this purchase
in a very safe place right now
to avoid having to deal with all of these issues
and to keep it from simply disappearing like the last one did.

Today I am thankful for

the ability to see humor in everyday things.
coupons that save me money.
a husband that cooks.

Shopping Spree

Today the daughters, the roommates and I went shopping together. First we went to Ross which is one of my favorite stores because I can find unique things there that I didn't even know I needed. I bought some new place mats (since my old ones are ugly now since I washed them and they faded all over). A sheet set that I am planning on using to make a tablecloth for the table in my living room and a new shirt. My girls said it looked like me. I liked it so I guess that's OK that it looks like me.

Next we visited Lane Bryant. The youngest daughter was looking for new clothes to wear to work. The rest of us were supposed to just be looking. Lane Bryant was having 40% off everything in the store. We found lots and lots of clothes to try on. We had a dressing room fashion show and it was lots of fun. I ended up with 3 pair of Capri's for $8.00 a piece. I thought that was a good deal. The daughter who was suppose to be shopping had some second thoughts and left without anything. Her loss I say. Just for the record. I really liked the carpet in the Lane Bryant dressing room at Tempe Marketplace. If someone wants to buy me carpet that is the kind I want. They also had some nice square stools to sit on that I would take too.

After Lane Bryant we decided we needed an attitude adjustment and since our theory is that food solves all problems we went for food. We ate lunch at Red Robin. I had the Whiskey River Barbecue Burger and it was good, but I have a hard time paying $10for a hamburger. I'm more a $1.00 double cheeseburger from the McDonald's menu or a $1.00 Junior Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's kind of girl. The younger daughter ended up paying though so that made it taste better.

JC Penney was next on the agenda for some of us and the rest of the group hit Payless Shoes. The eldest daughter bought a lot of clothes with a gift card and birthday money she had.

While we were shopping at Ross there was a mother there with a little boy in the cart who was probably about 2. He kept saying, "Mommy. I want. I want. Mommy. I want. I want. I want." over and over again. When I passed her I said, "I know just how he feels." She agreed that she could relate too. I think that is a common problem for all of us. "I want. I want. I want."

The "Townhouse Team" had to go home after that to let the puppy out of her cage and the teacher daughter and I went to the Lakeshore Store to spend her $500 purchase order from school. $500 sounds like a lot of money, but we managed to spend it quite easily and quite quickly. She mostly bought games for centers. I should have taken a picture of our cart stacked so high everything was falling out, but by that time I was too tired to take pictures.

It was a fun day. Thanks girls for letting me spend the day with you!

Today I am thankful for

a husband and son that mowed the lawn.

I'm loving this Family Life Merit Badge more and more.
daughters (and pretend daughters) to go shopping with.
SALES!!

I bought myself lots of birthmonth gifts today. I listed them above.

How to Build Ikea Furniture

The youngest daughter, the RM/GF, and I took a trip to IKEA today. The daugher was wanting to purchase herself a dresser because she has discovered that she has A LOT of clothes and no where to put them. While they were loading the pieces of her dresser on the cart I took a quick trip though the AS IS department. This is my favorite part of IKEA. In fact, if I had my way I would sneak in the returns door, visit the as is area and turn around and leave (with my 30% off, already assembled furniture). The rest of IKEA kind of gives me brain overload. Anyway, there were several dressers like the one the daughter was buying (only in white instead of dark black, which should not be confused with bright black). These dressers had been returned and had some major problems with the drawers lining up and rolling right. When my daughter found me I asked her if she knew how to put her dresser together because it appeared to me that they might be a little tricky. She was quick to inform me that she has built LOTS of IKEA furniture and she definitely knows how to do it. Good for her!

Later, this evening the sons tell me goodbye. I ask where they are going. They are going to the girl's townhouse to put together the IKEA furniture.

Yup, she definitely knows how to do it!

Pebbles in my Pocket Warehouse Sale

I sometimes feel bad that I no longer live in Utah - the home of scrapbooking. I always think I am missing out on great deals or ideas or supplies or something. So I was glad when I found out that one of the local scrapbook stores was having a warehouse sale while I was here. Something fun that I could actually go to and not just read about! The daughter and I enjoyed digging through lots of boxes looking for the best deals we could find. We were even more excited when we saw the prices there compared to the prices we had seen in their store a few days earlier. What a bargain on all sorts of stuff we really didn't need. What fun!! We even spent the evening being creative with the supplies, so our hubbies would know it was money well spent. I made birthday cards and the daughter worked on a calendar for her first year of marriage. This is the most productive I have been in a long time. Good for me! I am thankful for a husband - that lets me spend his hard earned money. a hobby - I can enjoy and share with my daughter. a son - who buys me Dr. Quinn - Medicine Woman on DVD just because he knows I want it.

Salt Lake Valley for the day

This morning we got up and went to the Jordan River temple. The daughter and I and our hubbies did a session and the sons did baptisms. It was nice to be back in the temple where our family got it's beginning. A lot has happened since my husband and I tied the knot there 25 years ago. It is fun to see my daughter now in about the same place I was then - a newlywed just starting out with the next 25 years still to be experienced. New beginnings are always so exciting and also a little scary. I hope the temple plays an important role in her next 25 years. It's a great place to ponder the whole picture and focus on the eternal perspective rather than the day to day trials. It was a wonderful morning. We met my sister and her roommate for a lunch treat at Cafe Rio. I enjoyed the Pork Barbacoa Salad a lot. It is one of my favorites. Then we took a scenic trip north across the valley past the new Oquirrh Temple (not sure of its actual name) that is under construction and to a store I had been wanting to visit. It was called Market Square (I think) and it wasn't quite as exciting as I had hoped it would be but now I can say I've been there and won't have to feel bad for missing out on something fun. The most exciting part was trying to find it. I was in my sister's car with her and my family was following behind in our van. They were pretty sure we had no idea where we were going and they were right. Then we headed east to another part of the city to locate Ye Olde Dutch Store for the son-in-law. He served his mission in the Netherlands and wanted to pick up some of his Dutch favorites. Once again the exciting part was in the trip and not the destination, but once we figured out it wasn't really called "Ye Olde" it was a lot easier to locate in the phone book and get the actual address. Our next stop was suppose to be to find out if there is still a Snelgrove's Ice Cream Parlor in Salt Lake but after 3 failed attempts to find an open road going under the I-80 we gave up on that adventure and just headed back to my sister's house. We drove really slowly past the Deseret Industries to make my family nervous, but we didn't stop. We did manage one more stop at the Deseret Book Bookcellar Outlet store on Redwood Rd. in South Jordan. This is a must on any trip we take to Utah. I love church books and when I can get them for a bargain, I love them even more. I bought several fiction books for $1.99, a Dowdle puzzle of San Diego for $1.49 (I could do it at the beach next year if I were going back), and quite a few music CDs for $1.99. It was the highlight of the day for me -after the temple of course. We hadn't taken enough scenic routes during the day so we decided to go back to Payson past the Draper temple (which is also under construction, but further along than the Oquirrh one) and over the mountain to Highland. It was a fun and exciting route and we saw lots of big houses and dedicated bike riders pedalling up hill. It was a fun day. I am grateful for a sister - who is willing to buy me and my family lunch and drive me all over tarnation too. Temples - where I can go to remember why I am here on earth. Daylight - until 9:00 at night so I can see all the scenery on my scenic trips.