The Happy Meal Experiment

Can you guess what "food" items won't mould in over 5 years? Click here to visit the Higgins family's 5 and 1/2 year old Happy Meal.

I saw something similar to this in the documentary, Super Size Me a few years ago. It really makes you think about what you are putting into your mouth. That said, I will now admit that I love McDonald's on occasion. I will also admit that I feel like crud afterwards. Pretty smart, huh?

So, what's your favorite fast food?

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday

Grilled Steak, served with Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions,

Potato Salad and Grilled Asparagus

Monday

Chicken Fajitas served with Salsa, Guacamole, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream and Tomatoes

Tuesday

Turkey Sandwiches, Cottage Cheese & Fruit

Wednesday

Almond Chicken Casserole, Garden Salad

Thursday

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Bean Soup

Friday

Cheeseburger Pizza

Saturday -- Independence Day

We will either be hosting a cookout or attending one. If we host, I will post the menu for that day separately.

Click here to see over 2 years worth of my menu ideas.

This post is linked to Org Junkie.

Home Sweet Home

We're home! If you look back through the archives, you will notice that every post I've ever written to recap a wonderful mini-vacation is entitled Home Sweet Home. That's because it is. As much as we enjoy visiting family, fishing, and just getting away from it all for a few days we love to come home.

We left bright and early Saturday morning after getting things in order -- primarily errands and cleaning. I also made sure we had something ready to eat when we returned. I can't stress strongly enough how much we dislike coming home to a disorderly home. How relaxing is it to know you will be coming home to a bunch of work? We would much rather put the effort in before leaving. We've found that by doing this, the trip laundry and groceries are the only chores we come home to. It's so much more manageable.

One of George's brothers recently moved back to Michigan after living in Florida for a number of years. (You can bet he will be getting warm clothes for Christmas gifts -- lol) I've only met this brother once before this weekend. So this trip was especially nice because we all got to spend a few hours with him on Sunday. It's uncanny how much of my husband I can see in his brothers and dad.

As most of you know, my husband and I love to fish. No weekend at the lake is complete without a fishing excursion and we had several this trip. Even though we love to fish, we (I) don't like to go out all day. It does get a little tiring after a few hours, plus there is there is the how-long-can-you-hold-it-before-you-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom factor.

We like to fish for Walleye, but they weren't very cooperative this trip. We caught mostly Northern Pike, Dogfish and Carp --which we do not keep. I reeled in a particularly feisty Carp, which was a lot of fun. I see now why Carp have become big tournament fish. The larger ones are such a challenge to bring in!

George's dad goes fishing almost every day, so they have a freezer stuffed with fish. George's mom sent us home with a giant package of Walleye, probably enough for 8 or 10 meals. I'll make some for supper tonight with rice and broccoli.

Heading North to the Lake

Oh goodness, we've had a busy week! George and I are looking forward to heading up north to the lake to visit his folks for a long Father's Day weekend. As a result we've been sticking to a rigorous schedule so we can get all the loose ends tied up before leaving this morning.

The laundry is finally all caught up, (ironing included) and the house is cleaned with the exception of the dusting. I couldn't bear the idea of having a dust free home and not being around to enjoy it. George was able to finish up a big landscaping project for a customer this week, which involved some very long days. He also cut our lawn and dug into finding a way to fix the transmission on our garden tractor. Things have a way of breaking at the very worst time.

Last night and the night before we had some very strong thunder storms. When last night's storm hit, it felt like the north side of the house was going to cave in! Then the lights started to flicker as if the lights were on their way out. Not a good time for that to happen. I had our pizza in the oven and was still trying to finish up the last of the laundry. We got the candles out and filled a couple of pitchers of water just in case. Thankfully the power stayed on.

I love lying in bed watching the flashes of lightning listening to the crashing rain and thunder. It's funny, I always sleep so well when it feels like the whole world is coming down around me.

Once we have some coffee and watch the news together, we will load up the car and head out for a fun weekend. Hopefully we will catch some fish too!

Warning: I'm on my Soapbox

A kid I know received his high school diploma a couple of weeks ago. I find it very interesting (read unbelievable) that he was able to graduate considering he only attended a very small portion of his senior year and was so far from meeting the requirements for graduation that he couldn't even complete them if he stayed on for another full year. Verrry interesting...




In our state, the low high school graduation rates have been making the news recently. Michigan's average graduation rates range from 60 to 75% depending on who's calculating the statistics. In light of the example above, I wonder how many of the 60 to 75% of students that do graduate are actually ready to become productive, contributing members of society.



20/20 recently did a special on public schools in America, entitled Stupid in America. You can see it here. I support many types of education: public, private (religious and secular) and homeschooling so I'm not posting this video link just because it's singling out public schools. I'm posting it because it closely represents my personal educational experience.



Here's my personal experience with public schools:



Up until the 8th grade, my school experiences were quite positive. I was encouraged and motivated by a number of excellent teachers. The only exception was being publicly ridiculed by a teacher for choosing to job shadow a farm wife for career day and a boy that ran around the playground trying to beat kids with a baseball bat (he didn't last long, unfortunately the teacher did).



I started the 8th grade in a new school in a new district. My jaw dropped as I walked into a cage of wild animals. I had never seen anything like it in my life -- the foul language (I'm talking the F word here) screaming, grabbing, punching, jumping, destruction of property and the lack of any kind of common courtesy or respect. The closest thing I can compare this environment to is a gigantic cage of wild monkeys with the only difference being that monkeys don't use foul language and they appear to better behaved.



All of us kids had to wait in the main hallway by the front office until it was time for school to start. For all of that 20 or 30 minutes I quietly stared at the rest of the group in disbelief. There were a few students that appeared to be in a state of shock like myself and several more that seemed like normal, happy kids -- not perfectly behaved by any means, but they weren't destroying anything or scaring other kids.



Aside from the serious behavior issues that teachers and students had to deal with, I really liked the school. It was much newer building, I thought it beautiful compared to my old school and many teachers did a fabulous job given their environment. The schoolwork was very easy. My 8th grade year was almost entirely a repeat of my 7th grade year in another district. When the administration looked at moving me up a grade so I could learn new material they decided that as one of the youngest 8th graders in the school, I might not be emotionally ready to handle high school. Ahhh haaa, haaa. Their logic still tickles me today.



So after I completed a second year of 7th grade I entered high school. Unfortunately the Junior High administration was right. I wasn't emotionally ready to enter high school. I wasn't ready to see the verbal, physical and emotional abuse many of the teachers suffered. I wasn't ready to see parents come into classrooms and cuss teachers out for causing their kids to get suspended. I wasn't ready to see drugs and weapons being sold. I wasn't ready to be scared to walk to class every time the bell rang. As an adult, many years out of high school, I'm still not emotionally ready to deal with high school.



As a general rule, my teachers were pleasant and fair. Most taught straight to the curriculum and discouraged independent thinking and creativity which I suppose they had to do. After all, few people like a round peg messing up their square hole system. A very small percentage of my teachers were real duds -- sorry excuses for humans, let alone humans that are trying to shape and mold the future generation. Then there were the two or three one-of-a-kind teachers that lived to inspire their students. These teachers made all the difference in the world-- they encouraged and nurtured me to develop a life long love of learning just as my parents had done.

An aside:

You know, I always get a chuckle when people express concerns about home educated children not being well socialized. I'd like to ask them where they were when I was going to school with hundreds of unsocialized troublemakers.

By Junior year, I was so sick of high school I could barely stand it. This did not mean I was sick of learning. Oh how I loved to read, investigate, experiment, study and learn! The high school I attended just wasn't the place to do any of those things. By my junior year, I had earned enough credits to allow me to begin a work study program. I went to school for three classes each morning and then worked nearly full time.



In my spare time I took classes at the local community college. (Most community colleges accept students as young as 16). I held high hopes for college being the answer to my need for learning. You may not believe this, but the 101 classes I took were filled with "adult" students that had the attention span of kindergartners. Most of these students showed little respect for the instructor, or interest in learning. While the violence and blatant hatred of authority figures present in high school was not a factor in college, I was still very disappointed with the experience.



Thankfully a coworker suggested I go to college at nighttime because most of the classes after 6pm are filled with working adults. Shortly after I stepped into my first night class I knew I had found an environment where I could learn, I was so excited! These were serious students. They wanted to hear what the instructor said, they asked questions, they had goals and they were willing to work hard to achieve them. Almost all of the students were working full time and had families. During the introduction each one of us had to tell a little about ourselves, why we were in school, what our goals were and anything else we wanted to share.



One by one my classmates stood to share a little about themselves. It was clear that many had overcome tremendous obstacles just to be in college. Most were there to gain skills to help them build a brighter future for themselves and their families. Some that had come from other countries and spent many extra hours trying to learn English so they could succeed in their courses. Those students took the privilege of education seriously. They were determined to provide a way to help their family members in countries where education (or food) isn't quite so easy to come by.

I was tremendously humbled and honored to attend college with so many wonderful, inspiring, hardworking students. But that was years ago and I hadn't thought much of my college experience until writing this piece. Looking back, I understand more fully the value of those classes. The lectures and the classwork were very helpful. I couldn't do what I do today without it. Yet, the education I received from my classmates is the one that has been the most valuable.

Hot New E-Coupons

Cellfire has just released a new round of e-coupons. Go here to download yours.


Have you heard of Cellfire yet? Cellfire is a company that produces e-coupons for consumers to at all Kroger and Kroger affiliated stores. e-coupons are quick and easy to download right to your shoppers card. "Clipping" coupons electronically is so much easier than dealing with the paper and scissors. Once you've downloaded the coupons to your card the value of the coupon will automatically deduct from the order once the coupon item is rung up. Easy peasy.

I usually download all of the coupons just in case I buy something I wasn't planning to. It's a nice surprise to see a coupon I didn't know I had deducted at the bottom of the receipt.


Here are a few of my favorite Cellfire coupons









Vaseline Lotion: Save $1










Betty Crocker Supreme Browine: Save $1












Hamburger Helper: Save .75















Betty Crocker Frosting: Save .50




Here is a complete list of all the new Cellfire coupons:
You can download them here.

Vaseline® Lotions Save $1
Hamburger Helper® Save $.75
Fruit Snacks Save $.50
Fiber One® cereal Save $.55
Betty Crocker Frostg Save $.50
Fiber One® Bars Save $.40
BC® Supreme Brownie Save $.75
Lucky Charms® cereal Save $.55
Chex Mix® Save $.50
Yoplait® Save $.50
Betty Crocker® Wram Del $.50
Yo-plus® Save $1
Romanos Mac Grill Save $1
Chex Mix® Bars Save $.60

The Magnificent is Right Outside Our Door

Did you notice our lovely peonies are in full bloom now? I'm so happy! Peonies are one of my favorite flowers. Depending on the variety and the weather, they start blooming the first two weeks of June. Beautiful, they are.

Usually we reserve our garden work and tending the flower beds for the cooler mornings and evenings. But, yesterday after church I was in the mood to work in the flower beds so I chucked my "let's take a break on Sunday" philosophy out the window and started digging. You know what? It was HOT. I thought I was going to die of heatstroke. Well, not really, but it did get your attention... We had what I think is our first 80 degree day yesterday and I could barely take working in the full sun. I had to take a break every half hour and drink a ton of water. It takes a few weeks for me to get acclimated to the heat.

My dear southern readers must be laughing hysterically about now. Remember, our trade off for these "hot" 80 degree days is a long, cold winter where we fairly burst with excitement if the temperature even approaches 30 degrees.

One of the reasons I enjoy the outdoors so much is that it feels like I have a front row seat in God's day-to-day miracle of creation.

The outdoors is teaming with life. Life of all kinds -- plant, animal, insect, is in constant motion-- beginnings, ending and transforming into something new before our very eyes. Even new soil is being created! Whether it's discovering the first shoots of a peony up through last year's dead grass, picking a ripe watermelon, watching a butterfly dart about or crunching through a pile of fall leaves it's as if I'm right there in the midst of God's majesty.

When I'm outside, it is so easy to forget all the grown up things I think I should be doing. A few weeks ago when we were planting our vegetable garden I sat and knelt in the garden for several hours planting seeds and plant starts. Nothing else mattered -- I wasn't thinking of the pile of laundry, the errands that needed to be run, who I needed to call and the business records that needed to updated. I noticed the wind on my face, the texture of the dirt, the miracle hidden inside a seed, all the different shades of green, the great variety of insects and the beauty of flowers that we so readily call weeds.

What a glorious time that was -- to marvel at our Creator and His creation. Gardening has always been good for the body, but sometimes I wonder if we garden more to feed our souls than the body.

How to Get Coupons for Free Products

Great News for readers that like to get coupons for free products.


Kraft First Taste is now accepting new members!


First Taste is the "promotion headquarters" of Kraft. By clicking here, you can sign up to get the skinny on all their new products, coupons to try new items for free, and other high dollar value coupons.

Joining the promotion programs of major manufactures is one of the ways I keep our mail box filled with fun, money saving coupons and free samples. Many times we find a great new product that becomes a household staple and once in a while, we try out a dud. I'm just as thankful for the duds as I am the great products. Often the duds are products I've been wanting to try and then I get to try out a free sample. If it's a dud, I'm so glad I didn't go out and pay full price (or even sale price) for a regular sized container!

Just for fun, here is a list of several of the programs I belong to -- all have given me free products, and high dollar coupons -- often there is enough to share with friends! Please keep in mind, these promo programs are not always accepting new members so jump on it if they let you in and let your friends know too.



Vocal Point

Psssst.... (from General Mills)

Kraft First Taste

She Speaks (testing products)

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday

Reuben's and Baked Beans

Monday

Enchiladas topped with salsa, guac, sour cream, lettuce and tomato

Tuesday

Stuffed Pork Chops, Squash, Broccoli

Wednesday

Sloppy Joes, Corn on the Cob, Green Pepper Strips

Thursday

"Big Sandwich" is my name for a sandwich on deli sub buns. My husband loves these deli-style sandwiches.

Our Big Sandwich will have ham, colby, shredded lettuce, tomato, green pepper slices, cucumber slices, mayo and spicy mustard.

Friday

Chinese Take Out


Have you heard one of the leading grocery manufacturers is now accepting new memberships to the promo program that sends out coupons for free full sized products? Click here to find out how you can sign up and try new products for free.





This post is linked to Org Junkie

It's Begining to Look a lot like Summer

Website Updates

I just wanted to let you know that I've updated the right side bar sections. Each section features the latest resources for coupons, free samples and easy ways to make a few extra bucks.

While these are all sites I have personally used, I highly recommend a few as being above and beyond the rest for money saving and making potential.

Savings

Home Depot Garden Club

Longtime readers know that my husband and I are gardening fanatics. If it grows we love it (well, except for weeds....). By signing us up for Home Depot's free garden club, we've scored some very high dollar Home Depot coupons. When I first signed up, they also gave us a free gardening book. Not some cheapy book either -- it was a very nice hard cover one. I'm not sure if they are still giving out the book, but it's worth the 2 minutes it takes to sign up, just for the coupons alone + they have lots of great gardening tips for newbies. Click here to get signed up and get some great savings and tips.


Coupons.com This is one of my favorite printable coupons sites. They usually have some very good high dollar coupons. You can print two of each coupon per computer and if you sign up for the email updates, they let you know as soon as a new batch is released. (After you print a coupons, a pop up box will appear so you can sign up for email alerts if you like). Or, you can sign up for the email coupons, here. The two grocery stores that I shop at double coupons so by combining a sale and a coupon gets me a very sweet deal most of the time. Let's hear it for coupons! Print yours here.

U Promise Coupons


It has only been a few months since UPromise started having coupons on their site and I can't tell you how great that has been for us. These coupons do not work like you would think a coupon works, but it's easy to understand.


After you've signed up for UPromise you can log in and go to their coupon page and select all the coupons you would like to use. (Very similar to printable coupons, so far) Once you buy those products the value of the coupons gets added to your Upromise account. For example, you select 10 $1.00 coupons to use in a particular month, then that $10 gets added to your account. This has really helped increase our UPromise balance quickly! Because we do not have children and do not plan to furthur our own education, we just have UPromise send us a check every month or two.


Free Samples

Walmart's Free Sample Page is my favorite way to try all kinds of products for free. I get something free a few times a week from them. Just yesterday I received 2 free Loreal Samples -- their day and night creams. Each package is enough for about 4 uses. It's pretty fun to open the mailbox and see a freebie in there!

Quality Health Free Samples is another great resource for freebies. Not as generous as the Walmart page, and you have to answer to health questions. But you do get some nice samples.

Earn Some Extra Cash and Free Goodies

One of my favorite easy ways to earn gift cards is SwagBucks. You don't get cash, but you can trade in your SwagBucks for prizes and gift cards. You can read how well it's worked for me here and here.

P.S I will be putting up a special SwagBucks promo later today so my readers can start out with 6 free SwagBucks. So if you haven't signed up yet -- hold on so you can get the

Cash Crate has also been a very nice extra income maker for me. One thing I like about this site above all other survey/offer sites is that it is hands down the most user friendly site out there. It is so simple, clean and easy to navigate. That's worth a lot in my book. In over 2 years, I've been able to earn just a little over $1,000 -- but that is mostly from doing offers that involve the use of a credit card. If you just do the surveys, plan on earning considerably less. Go here to give it a try for yourself.

All you bloggers out there can check out the Blogging section on the right side bar for ideas to earn a little money by placing ads your blog.

Mid Week Humor

Hot $4 Claritin Coupon

I have seasonal allergies and as all allergy sufferers will tell you, it ain't fun. I'm not a big fan of taking any kind of medicine but it is tough to go through a day with itchy watery eyes and constant sneezing so I've made Claritin my new friend.

Taking Claritin helps me have a normal day -- it's nice to not go through a box of kleenex in a day or look like I've been up all night bawling my eyes out. The bad news is that Claritin isn't cheap. I nearly gasped at the price when I first started buying it -- but it works so much better for me than the sudafed type stuff or benedryl so I've stuck with it.

Good News -- A Coupon!

Right now there is a great $4 off Claritin coupon out there on the web. Click here to get yours. I was able to print two per computer (just hit the back browser). It works for me!

Oh, Do I Ever Feel Old Lately

And, I'm not all that old, seriously. But lately I've been feeling old, or at least older. Lots of things have been happening lately to bring this about...

• My sister became a grandmother a few months ago. While we were discussing the happy news of my niece becoming a mother, it suddenly dawned on me that her daughter becoming a mother made my sister a grandmother. That thought hit me like a ton of bricks. I must have been having a blonde moment because I said "Hey, that makes you a GRANDMA!!!" Duh, like my sister had not been digesting that fact for a whole 9 months. She laughed when I told her that it never occurred to me that any of us kids would be a Grandma.

• The first employee I ever hired is retiring this fall. Not only is she a wonderful employee, she's also a good friend. Where did the time go?
  


• My husband has recently gone through a battery of doctor appointments, tests, and medications the past couple of months. It seems like I have a new career of talking to the doctor's office, the testing facilities, the pharmacy and insurance companies. You know what, they all treat me with the voice reserved for sweet little old ladies. (Which is not all bad, by the way). The minute I mention that I'm calling on behalf of my husband, they say "hello Mrs. So -and - So" and move right into discussing my husband's health care as George were my child instead of my husband.

• I've seen George's mother discussing health issues with doctors, insurance companies and pharmacies and it seems like I am on my way to becoming her. It's not just the health care stuff either. I am starting to notice that I relate to George just like his mom relates to George's dad in most everything. We don't even see these people on a semi regular basis so it's not based upon what we see modeled to us day to day. Please note, this is not a bad thing because I love my mother-in-law and we have a lot in common, it's just a little disturbing that I'm acting like a woman that's been married for 50+ years. But, maybe that's a good thing too :)

• Home Alone is turning 20 soon. This is one of my all time favorite movies (that and what I fondly refer to as the "Leg Lamp" movie, A Christmas Story). I laughed myself silly when Home Alone debuted in the theater and have seen it dozens of times since then, most recently, this weekend. It dawned on me this movie is approaching it's 20th birthday. My other favorite, A Christmas Story is much older than that. When did my favorite contemporary movies start becoming "oldies"?! And another thing -- all of my favorite tv shows are 30 and 40 years old. The only commericals you see are for the JitterBug cell phone, Depends, arthritis cream and laxatives.... The good news to that is I'm never tempted to go out and buy something seen on a commercial.

• It has slowly dawned on me that our social circle consists almost entirely of those that are 10, 20 and 30 years older than us. All but two of my closest girlfriends are 20 years my senior, our friends from church -- older still. Many of our friends are retired, or are nearing retirement. They are celebrating their children's weddings, babies and retirements. We are in a similar place in life as most of our friends (with the exception of children)-- we are actively planning for our home to be paid off, for George to retire in a few years and for me to work from home

• We were recently invited to join the weekly seniors luncheon group at church. This group is comprised primarily of older retirees -- like late 70's and early 80's. My husband barely qualifies for this group, being 50. I qualify because I'm his wife and am friends with most of the group members.

How did this happen?

I never set out to purposely build a life surrounded by those older than myself. Or marry a man 16 years my senior. It just sort of slowly happened as I was busy living life one day at a time. People tend to form friendships with those that have similar interests, lifestyles and values. Same for marriages. It would be safe to say that all of my friends (including the two that are close to my age) and our couple friends share similar values, lifestyles and interests.

Friends have often described me as an old soul. I'm not sure if this is a result of being a raised by older parents, my dad in particular. He was 53 when I was born. Or, if it's just how I happened to turn out.

Lately I've become more aware that time is marching on -- for all of us. The most significant thing that made me realize this is my sister becoming a grandmother. My cousins, childhood playmates, siblings are middle aged. I'll be there myself in a few years. How did this happen? It seems like just yesterday we got dirty playing outside all day and had to be made to take a bath and comb our hair. If most of my family, all of my friends and my husband are already middle aged or older and lets just say it: elderly, what does that mean for me when I reach middle age?!

Trust God

Thankfully God managed to get a hold of me, or more likely the other way 'round. Getting older is nothing to get all bent out of shape over. Living, laughing, and enjoying the company of those older than myself can't be tainted with the worry "what if they bite the dust before I do and then I'll be a husband-less, friend-less, acquaintance-less basket case and my only social contact will be the pharmacy clerk.

Ever since I became a believer, I've asked for God's guidance in my life. I've asked Him for some of the best blessings He can give us in life -- a close relationship with Him, the ability to enjoy the simple things in life, wisdom, His pick for a husband, a happy marriage, good friends that uplift and encourage me, good relationships with my relatives, enough resources to bless others and a wonderful church family to worship with. Circumstances haven't always been easy, but life has been good.

So far God has done a fabulous job and it's very unlikely He is just going to stomp in and say "Okay you've had a nice life, but your time's up. From now on, your whole life will be miserable". I've moved past this mental hurdle of approaching middle age and begun to view the future as an opportunity to enjoy all the blessings God brings my way. It's not necessary to know what tomorrow holds. I only need to know that One that holds tomorrow.

A Life's Like That Moment

Yesterday we had some rain -- or rather a cloudy day with periods of heavy showers. I popped into Wally-world to pick up some odds and ends. The sun was shining when I got out of the car to go in, so I didn't even think about taking an umbrella with me. You can probably guess what happened.

Just as I'm checking out rain starts pouring down at a furious pace. Here I am with several bags, no umbrella -- not even a jacket. Anyone want to guess how far away the car was? Yep. I waited by the doors for several minutes with some other shoppers, but finally gave up. I couldn't wait there all day, or could I?

I was soaked to the skin and my feet were sloshing around inside my tennis shoes by the time I made it to the car. As soon as I wiped up as much water as I could with the handful of paper napkins in the glove box I noticed the pouring rain had slowed to a very light rain. Somehow I knew this would happen. But what can you do but laugh -- life's like that!

Menu Plan Monday

This week we will be having quick, easy suppers so I can enjoy a little more free time in the evenings with George when he gets home, plus I have a late out of town appointment on Thursday.

Sunday

Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Rolls

Monday

Taco Salad, Cornbread

Tuesday

BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Pasta Salad

Wednesday

BLT's, Brussel Sprouts, Beets

Thursday

Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Cottage Cheese & Fruit

(I likely won't be home until 8:30, so in order to have dinner ready in a jiffy, I will mix up the tuna fish and cut up the fruit the night before). Trust me, this would be the night of all nights for me to want to order take out -- I will be going strong for at least a 15 hour day and can pretty much count on wanting to flop onto the couch the moment I walk in the door. By having something simple all ready ahead of time we get something fairly healthy and I don't have to deal with a crowded restaurant or more people at the end of a long day:)

Friday

Pizza

This post is linked to Org Junkie.

Hot New E- Coupons

Good News! Cellfire just released a new set of 15 e-coupons for all Randall's, Kroger and Kroger Family stores. If you've never tried the Cellfire e-coupons you are really missing out on some great deals.

My local Kroger allows me to stack these with paper manufacturer's coupons so I've been able to score some very good deals lately. Please remember it's up to each individual store to decide if they allow stacking, so be sure to check with yours.

Go here to download your e- coupons. Or click on the banner on the right sidebar. It takes all of 2 or 3 minutes to set up an account and download the coupons.

Looking printable coupons? You can print a whole boatload of new June coupons here.


Lucky Charms® cereal Save $.55

Chex Mix® Bars Save $.60

Chex Mix® Save $.50

Romanos Mac Grill Save $1

Fiber One® Bars Save $.40

Knorr® Sides Save $.75 on 2

Fruit Snacks Save $.50

Fiber One® cereal Save $.55

Vaseline® Lotions Save $1

Yo-plus® Save $1

Betty Crocker® Warm Delights $.50

Yoplait® Save $.50

Betty Crocker® Supreme Brownie Save $.75

Betty Crocker Frosting Save $.50

Hamburger Helper® Save $.75

I Heart My Kirby Vacuum

My vacuum is old, dirty, junky and clunky but I love it!


This vintage Avocado Green Kirby was my husband's bachelor vacuum. After the wedding, I smugly carried my new Hoover over the threshold thinking there was no way I would ever use George's piece of junk vacuum.

The handle won't stay upright on it's own, the rear wheels are two different colours, you have to empty the bag the old fashioned way, the light doesn't work and it's just plain ugly. I mistakenly thought all these things meant it didn't vacuum well. Silly me.

I gave it a try just one time and I was hooked. My vintage Kirby does the best vacuum job ever! Now the Hoover is sitting in the closet with dust on it.

The View From Our Place

We've been enjoying the beautiful late spring weather around our place. Here are a few photos...


This is some kind of viburnum shrub located near one of our bird feeding areas. This bush blooms for a good two weeks -- it's difficult to capture just how beautiful it is in a photo.

Here's another of the same type of shrub next to our milk house.

A neighbor hard at work. He uses a 12 bottom plow, which is a large as you ever see around our area. Here in Michigan our fields are small, they are most always bordered on two sides by a fence row with lots of trees. So very different from the vast open fields of the prairie states.

A field of wheat back of our house. Wheat is not a very common crop in our area because it's so difficult to get the fields ready and go through a second planting season in the fall. Our winters come early. (Winter wheat is planted in the fall and lies dormant all winter long until the warmth of spring coaxes the seed to germinate)

Each spring we anxiously await the arrival of our hummingbirds. We try to grow plants with flowers they like and we supplement with two sugar water feeders. We usually have several hummingbird families join us for the summer. This is a photo of one of our first visitors. Once all the babies are grown and the parents have gotten used to having us around, we can stand right next to the feeder and all of the hummingbirds fly about your head. You could reach out and touch one if you wanted. Very cool!