Marchin' for Babies

This is a picture of Miss Ava born at 32 weeks to one of my bestest girlfriends Stacey. I posted about her early arrival here. She spent 6+ weeks in the NICU & in the past 6 months has grown, thrived & turned into this cute little precious chunk-a-licious diva: I am so excited to be a part of this years March of Dimes-March for Babies walk.

This cause is very important & very special to me. I have unfortunately had several girlfriends who delivered preemies & have experienced first hand the complications that can arise from being born too soon & the amazing efforts that are put forth to save these babies. Miss Ava is living proof of that!

I am proud to be a team member of the Woodland Ridge Racers which consists of girlfriends from my neighborhood - aka: the "game-night" girls. The walk will be held on May 1st in downtown KC & my personal goal is to raise $500. I'm hoping all of you who follow my blog can help make that happen.

I would love if the blog world would rally together & help out this very important cause. If you feel it right in your heart to donate, please follow the MOD link on the right. Every little bit helps & even small amounts add up to make a huge difference. All donations go directly to MOD and their research.

Help us make sure all babies are born healthy. Help us celebrate the little miracles that have made it & honor the ones who were lost.

Thank you - Heather :)

Doing Dave Ramsey proud

I am SO excited! Why you ask? Because today is the day - the day I put my "extreme couponing" to the test & save us some money :)

I spent about an hour doing my research last night by going through last Sunday's ads, cutting coupons, researching & printing coupons online & today was my first outing putting my skills to the test. I had my list of the 3 stores I was going to stop at, the items I was going to purchase & the coupons in hand.

This is what I bought, was all stuff I needed that was on my list & it all added up to $72! After the sale prices & my coupons, I ended up spending $36 with a savings of over $36.00! Cha-Ching! How you ask? Well take a look below:

First stop CVS:

-Clear Care contact solution (reg: $10.19/on sale $8.19 w/$3 off coupon)

-Dawn dish soap (reg: $1.79/on sale $0.97 w/25 cents off coupon)

-Dunkin Donuts ground coffee (reg: $8.49/on sale $6.99 w/$1 off coupon)

Total = reg price: $20.47 /purchased for $11.90 / savings of: $8.57

Next stop Target:

-Crystal Light drink mix (reg: $2.49/on sale $2 w/$1 off/3 coupon)

-Steamfresh vegetables (reg: $1.39/on sale $1.02 w/$1 off/3 coupon)

-Lucky Charms cereal (reg: $3.99/on sale $2.50 w/$.55 off coupon)

Total = reg price: $15.63 / purchased for $9.01 / savings of: $6.62

Last stop Price Chopper:

-Kellogg's cereal (reg: $3.88/on sale $1.94 w/$1 off coupon x 3) *bought 8 boxes at $1.56/box & going back for more :)

-Stove Top Stuffing (reg: $1.79/on sale $1.25 w/$.55 off coupon)

-Ragu spaghetti sauce: (reg: $1.89/on sale 2/$3 w/$.60 off coupon + bonus free pkg pasta w/purchase of 2 sauces valued at $1.59)

Total = reg price: $36.61 / purchased for $15.62 / savings of: $20.99 + free 16oz bag pasta

Bargain of the week: I would definitely have to say the cereal at $1.56/box plus scoring a free bag of spaghetti wasn't half bad either!

I can hardly wait for the new ads to come out tomorrow so I can start researching & scoring the next bargain of the week :)

Extreme Couponing

Those of you who know me, know that I am all about getting a good deal. It makes me insanely happy when I score something for 75-80% off the regular price. That is why I love Kohl's & their 30% off coupon with $10 earned cash deals. Now don't get me wrong - I am not an obsessed shopper - meaning I don't buy something to buy it just because it is on sale BUT I do love me a good bargain.

With that said, you can imagine my excitement when my sister recently blogged about her new way of saving money at the grocery store. She has inspired me once again. Coupon-cutting isn't a new concept but the idea of it is being taken to a whole new level & it is known as "extreme couponing". After doing a little research on it I am convinced & have joined the craze. Here are the 3 websites my sister talked about which provided great information & printable coupons:

couponmom.com

krazycouponlady.com

hip2save.com

Every week these websites do the foot-work for you. Couponmom.com will email you a series of links that lists your weekly national "sales" at places like Walmart, Target, CVS & Walgreens along with local grocery stores & let you know if there is a printable coupon to go with the sale item which = double the savings. It will also let you know if there was a coupon available in past Sunday paper ads along with the date so you can easily locate it. Once you print/cut your coupons, you can make your way to the store & start saving money.

Now I'm not gonna lie - this does require a bit of organization on your part. You need to buy the newspaper every Sunday as well as save the ads every week. You need to spend a little bit of time "researching" what is on sale & where. You need to be flexible about buying different brands if you want to save some money & you also need to be willing to shop at a few different stores to get these bargains. But trust me, when you start seeing the savings you will find it is well worth your time. It almost becomes like a game when you find the best deal & add up your savings every week!

So today I thought I might put the savings to the test. I was planning on getting my weekly groceries at Walmart today so I made out my grocery list & did my research last night as to what was on sale using the websites. I found 3 coupons for items I normally buy that were on my list to get, printed them off AND all three of those items were on sale at Walmart:

Nature Valley Oat's & Honey granola bars - on sale 2/$4.00 (reg: 2/$5.00) - had two $0.50 off coupons. Each box cost: $1.50 (saved $2.00)

Birds Eye steamed vegetables - on sale $1.25 (reg: $1.34) - had two $1.00 off/3 bags coupons - bought 6 bags at $0.92/bag (saved $2.52)

General Mills cereal - on sale $2/$5.00 (reg: $3.49/box) - had two $1.50 off/2 boxes - bought 4 boxes, averaged $1.75/box (saved $6.96)

I also printed a coupon for $1.00 off Scott's toilet paper which is a brand I don't normally buy but with the coupon it ended up being cheaper than the generic/other brands so I went ahead & purchased it. Along with the rest of my coupons, I ended up saving $13.00 on my receipt today. Now that isn't a miraculous number by any means, but if I could do that or better every week imagine how much I will have saved every month - $50+!

Also wanted to share that TLC is premiering a new show called "Extreme Couponing" that follows savvy shoppers while they plan & plot their way to unbelievable savings. The series starts on Wednesday, April 6 - check it out for some inspiring stories:

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/02/tlcs-extreme-couponing-premieres-april-6/84383

Dave Ramsey would be so proud....

Slacking

I have been a "blog-slacker" lately & I wanted to apologize. There are a few reasons for my inability to entertain you all with blog posts:

a) we lead a boring life - which isn't necessarily a bad thing
b) I have been battling a bad cold for over a week now & not feeling up to doing anything
c) been working crazy late hours & too tired to blog at night
d) don't have any interesting topics to blog about

So until something super exciting happens in the "life of HT" to talk about, please forgive me for the lack of posts. I have a few ideas brewing so bear with me until I feel better & get my blog-mojo back.

In the meantime, if there is anything you would like to ask me or see me blog about then please leave a comment & let me know. I will do a blog post about it in the future if I get enough responses. This pertains to all blog followers & anonymous followers so don't be shy.

With that said, I'm off to blow my nose for the 118th time...

Top 2

Top 2 Random Facts About You

1) I can't go to bed knowing there are dishes in the sink & the kitchen is a mess. Call me crazy, but that is how I roll. Shane doesn't get it & I've grown tired trying to explain it to him. I just think there is something comforting about waking up to a nice, clean, uncluttered kitchen in the morning....or maybe I am crazy?!

2) I am ashamed to admit this, but we are currently on our 6th bag of Easter candy here at the Taylor house. Reeses PB Eggs & SweetTart Ducks, Chicks & Bunnies are going to be the death of us.

Madness

It's that time of the year again & I'm not just talking about Spring Fever, Mardi Gras or Easter. I'm talking about March Madness. The Big Dance. Where everybody in almost every town in the U.S. is wearing their "gear" & supporting their local college basketball team. Some take the entire week off to indulge in the games, others travel to places like Vegas to watch & some even call in sick to work so they can spend the day glued to the television screen in vicarious enjoyment - not that I would ever think of doing this but I know some who do!

And, of course, there is the thing that I look forward to the most: the brackets. Those wonderfully optimistic, always lovingly filled out, but inevitably scratched-out & lined-through brackets that all college basketball fans sweat over hoping to win the big payout when the Final Tournament is all said & done.

I look forward to these 3 upcoming weeks of "madness" every year so now that Selection Sunday is finally here, the teams have been announced & the brackets are now posted online - let the research & filling out of the brackets begin!

It's March Madness, baby!!!

Game Night

Tonight I headed over to my neighbor Melissa's house for another fun-filled "game-night" with the girls. Unfortunately, there were a couple of the "regulars" that weren't able to make it however we did have a couple of "newbies" present that were welcomed by the group.

We all spent the evening gathered around the island eating, drinking & catching up like usual & later in the evening we managed to get together for a hilarious game of Apples to Apples. There was lots of funny stories shared, plenty of laughter that made my tummy hurt & good times were had by all.

Thank Melissa for a fun evening & also for the photo op ;) Can't believe Erinn has her eyes closed - LOL!

Birthday Lunch

This afternoon I met my girlfriends HK, Deb & Marlo out for lunch at Cheddar's to celebrate Deb's birthday. It had been awhile since we have all gotten together so it was so very nice to see these girls & do some catching up with each other.

First things first, Miss Deb started out with a celebratory b-day beverage:Next we all ended up sharing a bunch of appetizers rather than ordering individual entrees which was a nice way to try some different things on the menu. It was all so very good & we were all so very stuffed! BUT not too stuffed for some birthday cupcakes from Smallcakes:

We sampled each & every cupcake & trust me, they did not disappoint! There was a Birthday Cupcake w/sprinkles, Red Velvet w/cream cheese frosting, a Hostess Cupcake & a Chocolate Lover's Cupcake w/pink frosting. Such a yummy ending to a wonderful afternoon with girlfriends :)

Top 2

Top 2 Things I've learned about relationships:

1) Compromise is key. Without the willingness or the ability to give & take, then committed relationships & friendships can be at risk for failure. I have learned that there definitely has to be a little bit of both give & take to keep a healthy balance in any relationship...especially my marriage :)

2) Every relationship is a learning tool & prepares you for the next. Pay attention & learn from them. Discover your mistakes & remember theirs. Observe others & learn. Every relationship, no matter how good or bad the ending, no matter how much of a mess it leaves you, can make the next one that much better. I have had many a boyfriend, girlfriend & friends teach me these things & I'm so grateful to every one of them for it. It has helped mold me into the kind of wife, daughter, sister & friend that I am today.

Fun in the Sun

Had a relaxing & very fabulous mini-vacation in warm, sunny Florida this past weekend. My family headed down to Destin for my cousin's beach wedding & a great time was had by all. It was so nice to have escaped the cold, snowy winter weather here in Kansas City & enjoy a few days of warm weather & sunshine!

My sister & I arrived around the same time in Panama City, FL where we rented a car & made the 45 minute drive over to Destin. We got all checked in to the Hilton Sandestin Resort & the first thing we did while waiting for our parents to arrive was bought a beverage, ordered some chips/salsa & sat outside by the pool soaking in the sun. It was wonderful!

This was the view from our hotel patio:Saturday was a perfect day. We enjoyed breakfast with our family, then my sister & I packed a bag & made our way down to the beach for some fun in the sun. Later that afternoon was my cousin's wedding. We enjoyed people watching, listening to the waves & the seagulls flying up above, reading our books & enjoying some lunch on the beach - it was heavenly.
By mid-afternoon we headed back inside to get ready for the wedding. After I had showered, I noticed that I looked really red & was annoyed because I had put on SPF 15 sunscreen. My sister & I are the same skin-tone & she didn't look burnt at all (other than her knees & the tops of her feet where she forgot to put sunscreen :) so I didn't know why I looked so red?!

As the evening went on I kept getting more red but it didn't really hurt like a sunburn would. My dad is a pharmacist & had asked me if I was on any photo-sensitive medication & I didn't have a clue so I had told him everything I have been taking lately. Come to find out a few of the meds I am on are "photo-sensitive" meds & the reason my skin was so red was due to a reaction from the sun exposure. Go figure...

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, by the next morning the edema had settled in my lower legs & it felt like hot needles were stabbing me in my shins when I got up to walk. The pain eventually faded away after about 5 minutes of getting up but it was rough going until then. I spent what down-time I could elevating my legs & applying cold compresses, rubbing cold aloe gel on any chance I could & eating Tylenol like it was candy. Flying on Monday didn't help the situation any. As I got off the plane I looked down & noticed I had cankles :(

Here is a picture of my lovely legs that day...sunburn, edema & all:Compared to the foot pic above you can definitely tell they are swollen! At least my toes look pretty :) Here are a few more pics from our wonderful weekend....

Me, my parents & my sister at the wedding:
The beach house in the middle is where my cousins' family stayed. The wedding was located right in front. You can see some of the adirandock chairs set up for the guests: My cousin Drew (the groom) seating his mom (my aunt): Here comes the bride with her dad & mom:

Exchanging the rings:
Introducing the new Mr. & Mrs:
The reception was held aboard The Solaris for a sunset dinner cruise around the harbor:Mmmmm - wedding cake:
Sunday we awoke to an extremely foggy & cool day so me & my sister decided to spend such a dreary day shopping at the Silver Sands Factory Outlet mall. Unfortunately, we didn't find too many deals that just had to be purchased so I guess that was a good thing. I even passed on buying a new purse at the Coach Factory store - shocking, I know!

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the hotel lounge with the wedding guests & my sister & I even snuck in a short nap! Then we enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner at Louie Louie with the newlyweds, my parents, grandparents, aunt & uncle. It was a great ending to a fabulous weekend with my wonderful family.

By 4:30am Monday morning my sister & I were headed to the airport in Panama City to catch an early flight & make our way back home. We were sad to be leaving the beach & heading back to the cold weather (my sis to Wisconsin & me to Kansas) & cold it was! When we left Destin it was 65 degrees & when I got off the plane in Kansas I was rudely greeted by 26 degree temps & snow on the ground!

Hmmmm - I wonder if the hubby would mind if I go back in the very near future???

Top 2

Top 2: Things You've Learned About Money

1) Being buried in credit card debt when I was in college & digging my way out was the most difficult thing I have experienced in life. But it also was the best lesson I could have ever learned in life & I am SO proud to have gotten myself out of that mess on my own.

2) You can't take money with you when you die so if you really want something & can afford it then buy it - with cash! Be sure to enjoy your life but don't put yourself in debt over the "wants". Never pass up the opportunity to buy those fabulous shoes, or go on a dream vacation or spend money on a really nice meal once in awhile. It's only money & I think if you work hard for it you should be able to enjoy it a little bit. Unfortunately you can't take it with you when you die so enjoy those splurges every now & again!

24 hours

In less than 24 hours, I will be enjoying a little bit of this:and maybe one or two of these:and definitely a little of this:in the warm, sunny state of:Will return next week just in time for Top 2 Tuesday :) Until then...