Knoxville MamaBelle

Bumps in the Road to Operation Pay-off: C-diff, a Transmission and a Baby

2013-11-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

A year ago (plus a few months) I wrote about our transition from Operation Vacate to Operation Pay-off. At the time I thought we'd be just about ready to start Pay-off, and we were, but there's been a few bumps in the road that stopped us in our tracks.

Bump #1

In approximately Aug-Sep of last year a walk-in clinic over prescribed antibiotics including the mega, full-spectrum antibiotic Clindamycin. One thing led to another, and I got to enjoy my first hospital stay of four days with a C-diff intestinal infection. C-diff is overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut & intestines. It's the same principle as what happens when you get a yeast infection from antibiotics--the antibiotic kills off the good bacteria and then the bad bacteria grows, and in the case of C-diff, it's a nasty, mean, antibiotic-resistant bacteria that grows. The most common time people acquire C-diff is after an unrelated procedure in a hospital. They go in for surgery, their immune system is weak, etc, and then a hospital worker accidentally transfers C-diff spores from one patient to another. Commonly used alcohol based cleaners do not kill C-diff.

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At that time, I knew nothing to very little about probiotics and it seems neither did those in the medical field who tried to help me.

After I was released from hospital prison, a friend recommended the strongest probiotic Earth Fare offers, which was a 7-day powder. I took it every other day. I also researched C-diff and gut health to discover some of the easier foods for me to digest, such as potatoes, bananas and other basic foods. I already don't eat meat, which is harder to digest and also avoided dairy. It took a couple months to regain my prior energy levels, and it was about six months until I felt normal again. I feel I'm one of the lucky ones whose only lasting problem at this point is a mild dairy intolerance, and hopefully it will be a long time before I need traditional antibiotics. The GI doctor told me I should never again take Clindamycin or Amoxicillan or other related antibiotics.

This situation could have been avoided!

When taking antibiotics, only take them if absolutely necessary, of course, but when you do take them, don't just "eat yogurt" like a friend or your doctor might recommend (if there's any recommendation at all). Take a high quality, highly potent probiotic as well. Take your probiotic at a different time of day than your antibiotic or the antibiotic will kill the probiotic before it can work. I now take herbal antibiotics, remedies and preventative medicine, use a neti pot for sinus trouble and so on.

As you can imagine, that was a hefty bill.

Bump #2

My van's transmission died. No explanation needed here, just lots of cash.

Here she is, my new transmission. Look at all that pretty metal-- Bling bling!

Bump #3

Finally, the good bump! Because of my C-diff history (and new knowledge), I needed several things to be done differently for this pregnancy. For example, I needed to be under the care of someone with herbal experience AND OR I also needed to be under the care of someone who fully understands C-diff (there's a chance I could get it again) and the huge risk it could cause for a newborn and his or her mother during pregnancy and labor/delivery. My two choices were to go to a highly knowledgeable OB or have a homebirth. Either choice is more expensive than how I had my first child, especially the hospital route. But only one choice, homebirth, fits my family and our values and beliefs about birth. But, the cost... double.

We've now got that ready and have ordered our water birth tub! We also love our midwife and though we haven't yet had our baby, we are already so happy that we would go this route again if there were to be a next time.

The best of the the three bumps.

Three large bumps conquered!

I'm both relieved and happy to report that we have added ZERO debt thanks to having sold our more expensive home and lowered our costs. Below is a recap.

We wanted to accomplish several things with our move:

Have a low enough payment that either of us could afford to live here alone (if we were to become separated by death or divorce)
Have a low enough payment that we could handle it even in case of a job loss.
Have a 15 year mortgage
Have a higher cash flow that we could use toward debt
Have a home that would easily be changed into a rental home (or be resold if desired)

#2 a low payment and #4 higher cash flow were the key factors in maintaining no new debt despite what would have been unmanageable bills otherwise.

Operation Pay-off (what remained after our move) included one dwindling school loan that is now done! And the larger part will officially start in just a couple weeks. We're still trucking!

October 15, Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day

2013-10-15T12:02:00.000-04:00

It's been time to update for a while now, but there's this BIG THING I don't know how to put into words. Like anything else, the only way to begin is just to start writing and see what words come out, read over them, see if they make any sense.

You see, I'm having a baby, a little boy. He's probably around three pounds now, and I'm about 30 weeks--entering the final stretch! At first, all we did was worry. I cried daily, often multiple times during the day. Partly it was because I was so happy, but mostly it was because I know what losing that happiness feels like, so I mourned in advance at the thought of losing my current baby, for my past ones and everything in between. We had extra, carefully-timed ultrasounds so we wouldn't have too long in between without knowing if baby was alive, or if the unthinkable had happened again.

Eventually, the hardest part of this pregnancy passed, and I could feel my body's precious cargo poking, kicking and moving about. What glory! I'm in awe, even today! And I look at my belly now in amazement. I feel I knew my body could do this again! I knew it!

But there's this THING still nagging at me. It's the hurt and worry, and I don't know exactly how to rid of it, so it seems, I can't. I can't ignore it and think it'll go away. It's frustrating because I want my innocence back. I want to be in middle of the ignorant bliss of my first perfect pregnancy and birth.

Friends are having a shower for me, and I'm so happy, but it's choking me up. I've started crying about it even though it's weeks in the future, and what if I can't even attend my own shower? What if I cry the whole way there, try to get out of the car and my knees buckle? And how do I explain all of this to my dear friends? That I couldn't be happier, that I want this more than anything! To celebrate a pregnancy with loved ones instead of crying over one is such a great joy! But I'm scared too. It's this "thing" I can't fix and won't go away. So now I've let that out, and surely it will be easier from here.

****

Today is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day, which, believe it or not, wasn't even planned for this post! On this day, all over, women and their families will light candles at 7 p.m. and leave them burning for at least one hour. In so doing, a continuous light will glow in honor and memory of the children we are a missing.

The Thing with Feathers

2013-02-28T22:37:00.002-05:00

"One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to the total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying." --Morris West

This winter my husband found and brought to me this beautiful nest, which we filled with our pain and hope.

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all." --Emily Dickinson

Dresser Conversion Project

2013-02-18T20:48:00.003-05:00

Procrastinating about posting a dresser for sale on Craig's List paid off last month. Long after it should have been sold, I was pondering the best housing solution for our stereo system. It hit me one day on... Pinterest. Here's how our project went:

Here it was ready for a sale. We could've gotten fifteen bucks, maybe?

Mirror and drawers removed & lightly sanded

We decided to keep one drawer. The rest of the supports were removed except the top drawer supports. Two cans of spray paint later on a warm day, and this is what we had.

So there you have it!

This project was definitely a favorite. It was easy, fast, used something we already had and best of all, it prevented us from having to purchase an additional piece of furniture!

Our new playhouse bed!

2012-10-20T17:03:00.002-04:00

The inspiration for our playhouse bed

Between our first visit to the life-size doll house at the Oak Ridge Children's Museum and seeing the above cool house bed on Facebook (and later on Pinterest), we made up our mind on this one a long time ago.

Our kid would have one! The moment we won the bid on our home purchase, the idea gears were in full motion. We knew the room to hold it would be large enough (not some small attic room with a half wall, in other words), so about a week before we closed the deal, hubby began what is in my opinion--his best project of all time!

We wanted it to be fully functional both upstairs and downstairs and also fit a double/standard size mattress. We drew out some simple plans, purchased supplies and began in my parent's garage. Then, we disassembled and reassembled it in her new room. A couple coats of paint and a little decor were all we needed after that.

And so, without further adieu, here's the story... in photos:

Assembly

Little helper

Reassembly and painting begun

Little helper again

Finishing touches

Completed bedhouse!

View of upstairs

Side view with ladder

Cat on the roof--what a perk!

Typical Errand Involving Junk Food

2012-09-18T20:14:00.003-04:00

Does anyone else have trouble not picking up junk food when you make a quick trip to the grocery store? I sometimes eat something I'd not eat otherwise except for there it is staring at me in the check-out line at Kroger. It says to me, "Oh, come on, just this once!"

For my husband, it's Reece Cups. My kryptonite? Chocolate-iced doughnuts, ~~but let's not even discuss how I eat those until I make myself sick~~.

Today, he came home from Kroger with peanut butter cups that claim to have no GMOs, partially hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial ingredients or corn syrup. Read about it here: http://getunreal.com/our-story/

They were right in the check out lane at Kroger and from their Website, they appear to be at a good many stores already. Try them out. Next time those shall-not-be-named peanuts & chocolate bars call out to me, I'm going to try the UNREAL version instead.

Learning to Make Bread

2012-09-18T16:14:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to attend a bread making class with a friend of mine. Her friend Rena of The Royal Slice of Bread blog put on the class, which was basically a trial run for teaching bread-making classes in the future, which she hopes to do. Her post about the class.

It went great! Though I grew up watching my mother make bread, I never really learned the process. I saw it, but I didn't internalize it, memorize it. I also watched mom make pie crust, but even with her recipe, mine were awful. But, back to bread. Another reason I didn't learn bread-making is because as time went on, my mom no longer made bread very often. When she did, it was a special, yummy treat!

And so I jumped at the chance to attend the class. After I left, I was eager to try my skills, and here's how my first try at home went. (By the way, I'm a visual learner if you can't tell.)

The dough after kneading

The best part has got to be watching dough double its size. Seems like some kind of supernatural power.

After I'd already kneaded, I decided to make one loaf into cinnamon-raisin bread, so I kinda rolled them in the best I could before putting the bread in pans.

My loaf pans are undersized, so...

After their second rise. The one on the left was so high I had to punch it down a bit before baking.

All done! They looked wonderful, but did they taste wonderful?

Indeed they did!

I prefer the taste of whole wheat for most bread, but I didn't have any whole wheat flour, so for these loaves pictured I used King Arthur's white whole wheat which yielded a lighter taster than my preference.

I'm excited to have learned something and am going to keep on practicing and making my own bread as much as possible! If you're interested in one of Rena's classes, contact her via her blog or The Royal Slice of Bread on Facebook.

And finally, if making bread isn't your thing, you can still get excellent bread at a great price at Old Mill bread Company or at Kroger stores that carry their bread.

Just like her mom

2012-08-31T08:22:00.000-04:00

In working on a different look for the blog, I've loaded tons of new pictures for the side bar. Some of the things might be familiar but others are things I hope to blog about in the future.

I'm still not finished with labeling them as I'd like to, but at least they are here.

A sampling:

At Cruze Farm's corn maze last fall, a mini paradise.

My cat and most recent painting in progress. A gift for my husband for our recent twelve year anniversary.

My dogs, one boy and one girl, always moving. Getting a picture of them is nearly impossible.

Just like mom! Rescuing an earthworm who'd found itself in bad spot.

A new home for earrings

2012-08-23T21:43:00.000-04:00

Earrings, bracelets and necklaces at my casa now have a new home. It's yet another hubby project--completed! After seeing so many cool ideas for storing jewelry on Pinterest, I felt it was time to free my earrings from their fishing tackle box prisons. The tackle boxes I used were great for years, but they don't work at all in my new bathroom because there's not enough counter space or storage.

Another problem was that I'd often long neglect pairs that got hidden or were oddly shaped and not with the others. Finally, most of the ideas I'd been seeing were made from old picture frames and were much too small. I wanted something much larger that would hold all I have now and hopefully all the earrings I'd ever have or ever want. At first I thought I could divide and conquer the task myself, but after discussing it with hubby, we realized it'd take both of us (ok, so basically just him).

First, we worked out a "plan" for what I wanted. It took a while to figure out how to make it work. The supplies were very cheap. Basically a couple of trim boards, some hooks, hardware and a roll of screen from The Home Depot. (see above)

"B" (hubby) cut angles on the trim.

B used both hardware and wood glue on the corners. (see above)

Daughter helped. (note my wall hen decal--purchased off Etsy, love it!) We let it dry until the next day. (See above)

And of course The Cat helped. I used a little acrylic paint and water to make a wash for the wood. No reason really, just seemed like the fastest and easiest way to get it done.

Time to attach the screen! Seemed like it would be easy, but even with two people, it was a real challenge trying to hold the screen tight enough while also stapling it. You don't want the screen to sag when finished.

Here's what it looked like close up. (see above) But, the staples will be covered with an inside trim piece.

It was then time to cut more angles for the inside trim pieces. My new counter-top has taken a beating already!

And here's the first of the four inside trim pieces (bottom of the top edge) that went along the inside edge of the frame and performed two purposes: hiding the staples and tightening the screen even more than with just staples.

Daughter was THRILLED to finally be able to "play" with mama's earrings and have such an important job--transporting them pair by pair to their new home.

Last but not least, I added hooks (my fingers got so tired!) all around the perimeter to hold hoop earrings, bracelets and other pieces that would fit.

And hooks along the bottom for necklaces. Though nothing's happened yet, these could become dangling cat toys... yikes. I hope to find the perfect little containers to go across the bottom shelf to hold small, non-dangle earrings. If you have an idea, please let me know. I'm picturing small, wire-like circular or square containers that I could glue onto the ledge.

It's exactly what I wanted! Thank you, hubby!

Reading Goals and Bookshelf Plans

2012-08-21T19:45:00.001-04:00

One of my (important to me) goals is to change my life. Isn't that always The Goal? But, this change is in regards to my mental health: I feel so much better when I read! I fell off the book wagon a few years ago, however, and haven't been reading as much as I'd like to.

So, my new goal is to read at least one book a month. And no garbage. I only want to read seriously-good-change-your-life books. Afterall, I only have so much time left in which to apply the lessons from my reading into my life, right? So, no fluff, nonsense or romance novels need get in my way.

Besides going out and buying the book, one of the easiest ways I've found to keep track of what I'm wanting is to keep an on-line list. I keep one on both Amazon and Goodreads since my to-read list seems so much bigger than my have-read list, and buying that many books would never work. Goodreads also allows me to interact with friends and see what they're reading, which of course only makes my to-read list even larger.

I also now have an e-reader, which I enjoy though it can't take the place of a physical book. I like the smell of a book and the weight of it in my hand, not to mention the satisfaction the comes from viewing a stack of "have-read" or "to-read" books lying about.

I've been enjoying looking through the free book offers on Amazon that I can send right to my Kindle and also I've checked a few out from our local library. For now, my own physical books are still packed away, and I miss them immensely. They will go here (see below) around this fireplace. My spouse, B, is going to build for me, grand, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side, and I could not be more excited.

The house came with this purple-gray wall color, which we love but would have never chosen on our own.

Of course, we have our first home to thank for the inspiration (below), but the new shelves will be open, and there are no windows in the space.

How it looked after it was ready to sell.

I most enjoy books by and about women (Sula is a favorite), about biracial experiences (some favorites are Ceremony and The Girl Who Fell From the Sky), coming-of-age (To Kill a Mockingbird, Forever by Blume), transformations (Song of Solomon), autobiographies (Malcolm X by Haley) and the grit of human experiences (Grapes of Wrath, Bloodroot, Roots).

If you have similar tastes, share a book recommendation with me & I'll share one with you, or join me on Goodreads. I'm Mamabelle, and if you're on the blog, you can click on my bookshelf to the right.

Operation Vacate to Operation Pay-off Update

2012-08-03T15:48:00.000-04:00

In the last two years, I occasionally mentioned what I called "Operation Vacate"! It was our slow but steady plan to do some long overdue remodeling and attempt to sell our home and for the ultimate goal of becoming debt-free and acquiring our dream property. Since our home wasn't lavishly decorated nor are we the greatest of housekeepers, we decided to live temporarily in an apartment at a parents, which afforded us the luxury of it costing us very little (besides more gas expenditure) to live somewhere else. The costs were probably evened out completely by not having to pay a high utility bill on an occupied old home (read: no wall insulation, old heating/cooling system, etc). In addition, being out of the home made remodeling go much easier.

After our house sold in December 2011, our plan was to then buy a foreclosure or some other fixer-upper for much less than we paid for our first home. And we did! We found a great place closer to my husband's work but still close to mine and to all of Knoxville.

It's taken some adjustments. Our old home was not just spacious for us with a full basement and four bedrooms, it was also super cute. Even though I know I'll never buy another house based on curb appeal, that's what I miss the most. I miss the tall ceilings, wood floors, the charm and most of all, the stone exterior.

Besides struggling with nostalgia though, our decision to move has been overwhelmingly pleasant. Though I look forward to a day when I have a gigantic garden, hen house, woods, a pond and can't even see a neighbor's house from my window, I am thoroughly enjoying our neighbors and the sense of community here. The new house is small enough that we can actually afford to decorate it! And to landscape as well. Our home is solid and most of all, it's completely affordable, which brings me to the core of our direction for operation pay-off.

We wanted to accomplish several things with our move:

Have a low enough payment that either of us could afford to live here alone (if we were to become separated by death or divorce)
Have a low enough payment that we could handle it even in case of a job loss.
Have a 15 year mortgage
Have a higher cash flow that we could use toward debt
Have a home that would easily be changed into a rental home (or be resold if desired)

We have not yet activated operation pay-off (but we are super close) because we are still in the midst of fixing up our new home. When we finish, we'll begin putting all we can toward one debt at a time, till they're all gone. Doing that and also hopefully acquiring another rental property in the meantime, will take our guesstimate of about seven years.

We anticipate several large bumps in the road along the way, of course. We hope those bumps are additional child(ren), newer vehicles or other anticipated events, but some bumps may end up being job loss or other calamities. And so we brace ourselves as best we can and continue moving forward!

Our new home with sunflowers and new, baby trees and flower beds planted.

Rosemary Wreath

2012-07-31T08:07:00.002-04:00

I just made my first wreath ever, and it's made with fresh rosemary branches.

One of the perks of subdivision life is having cool neighbors, and my cool neighbor, K, has a rosemary bush, so each year when it's time to trim it back, she makes a wreath and hangs it in her kitchen. Not only does she then have au naturale aromatherapy, she then also has a fresh herb to easily add to her cooking. And it sure looks cute while it's drying when hung like a wreath.

I'd never made a wreath before, so she told me the basic procedure. I fashioned a coat hanger into an approximate circle with pliers and began. After going around it once, it looked kinda sad.

I didn't put the branches close enough together nor had I shaped or trimmed them all that well. I like the look of the wreaths with branches that stick out though, so I just kept on going.

Not too shabby, errr, actually quite shaggy, but I like it anyway. I don't really have a place to hang it in my kitchen, but I made room anyway and hung it from the curtain rod in front of my pantry. I just tied it on with string.

And making this wreath is about the only thing I accomplished yesterday morning. The rosemary does indeed smell nice!

Unsubscribe & a new direction

2012-07-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

Knoxville Mamabelle blog is working toward a new direction. I have many interests, and my interest in couponing has waned.

It was fun! Sharing as much as I could find and posting more frequently, but it's been nice to have a break.

Perhaps it's all the hype, but maybe it's also all the coupon fraud that has lessened my interest in posting deals and going after the deals myself, even. I might still post something about saving money every now and then, but my main purpose will be to explore other facets of my world on this blog.

For now, I'll be working on changing the design and content of the page.

As I start posting again, the posts will be infrequent and varied--with the focus being more on crafts, projects, pets, motherhood, gardening, books, working toward our debt-free goals and more. I do enjoy having a more (seemingly) permanent home for things I'm interested in besides Facebook. There, everything is mumbled and lost in a mountain of walls and feeds. Here, everything is neat and categorized and much more under my control. I don't feel like I'm competing for attention or struggling to keep up with everyone. I can just relax and write...

Those who were subscribed because of wanting deals and coupons, etc, please do unsubscribe. This will be more of a personal blog. If you want to stay subscribed please reply to this email or post a comment in the upcoming weeks. After the blog changes get underway, I'll delete anyone I haven't heard from in a while to help me feel like I'm not wasting anyone's time.

Peace and be well,

Mamabelle

Home Depot offering first-ever Do-it-Herself Worksop: Inspired by Pinterest

2012-07-07T17:33:00.000-04:00

Home Depot offering first-ever Do-it-Herself Worksop: Inspired by Pinterest on Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Do-It-Herself Workshop is free!

Learn how to create one of the most “pinned” projects on Pinterest – the Hanging Rope Shelf – at the next Do-It-Herself (DIH) workshop at The Home Depot.

The DIH Workshop: Inspired by Pinterest will cover how to create a functional and stylish Hanging Rope Shelf that can accent any room in your home.

The Home Depot DIH workshops aim to empower its female customers with skills, tips and tricks to deal with common household and fun décor projects.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

The Home Depot

(off Chapman Hwy in South Knoxville)
140 Green Road
Knoxville, TN 37920
Phone: 865-573-1457

ADMISSION: Free of charge

Say No to Censorship

2012-01-18T17:14:00.002-05:00

Say no to Internet censorship.
Go to http://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ to sign an on-line petition.

2012 List on When to Buy Stuff at the best prices

2012-01-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012!

Here's a comprehensive list from Life Hacker on when to buy this and that--from kitchen appliances to boots!

The Schedule

Free Christmas fun at your local library

2011-11-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

There's always fun to be had at the library! Here's some upcoming events, times and locations:

A Visit from Santa Claus!

12/1 at 10:30 AM at Burlington Branch
12/5 at 6 pm at Cedar Bluff Branch
12/7 at 11 am at Bearden Branch
12/8 at 6 pm at Powell Branch
12/12 at 4 pm at Corryton Branch
12/13 at 10 am at Norwood Branch
12/13 at 3 pm at Carter Branch
12/13 at 6 pm at North Knoxville Branch
12/14 at 11 am at Lawson McGhee Library
12/14 a t 3 pm at Murphy Branch
12/15 at 11 am at Karns Branch
12/15 at 2 pm at Fountain City Branch

Chanukah Storytimes
Discover and celebrate the Festival of Lights through stories, games, and crafts with storytime extraordinaire, Laurie Fisher.

12/6 at 6 pm at Powell Branch
12/7 at 11 am at Lawson McGhee Library
12/8 at 3 pm at Carter Branch
12/13 at 6:30 pm at Karns Branch
12/14 at 10:30 am at Burlington Branch
12/15 at 3:30 pm at Bearden Branch
12/15 at 6:30 pm at Cedar Bluff Branch

On December 3, they are having a special holiday-themed Saturday Stories and Songs featuring holiday books, tales and sing-a-long classics for the whole family! Perfect to get the day going or to take a little break in the midst of holiday shopping.

Appearing at 10:30 a.m.:
Cedar Bluff with storyteller David Claunch
Fountain City with storyteller Dianne Hackworth
Howard Pinkston with storyteller Millie Seiber
Lawson McGhee Library with baby guru Charlene Ellis

Appearing at 2:30 p.m.:
Burlintgon with storyteller Dianne Hackworth
Karns with storyteller Millie Seiber
Powell with baby guru Charlene Ellis

Kroger 4X fuel points event

2011-11-19T11:13:00.001-05:00

Earn 4X fuel points November 20 through December 11, 2011 at participating Kroger stores!

This is your chance to purchase gift cards you'll be giving as gifts and to purchase gift cards you'll be using yourself at locations ranging from Macy's to Lowe's to JoAnn's to Amazon.

Remember to purchase your cards in multiples of $50 (ie, two $25 cards, and so on).

Stock Up!

Vegetarian Society Potluck Nov 20, 2011

2011-11-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Looking for a Thanksgiving feast where you won't have to share your dinner table with a turkey?

If so, enjoy a completely vegetarian or vegan potluck annually hosted by the Vegetarian Society of East Tennessee.

This year, the potluck will be Sunday, November 20, 2011, 5:30 with food ready at 6 p.m. at the Knoxville First Seventh Day Adventist Church, 3611 Kingston Pike (next to Laurel Church of Christ).

To attend, you'll need a family-sized (feeds 6-8) vegetarian or vegan dish (with a serving spoon) to share and admission, which is $5 for adults, $2 for children 5-10 years and children under 5 free. You'll be asked to list the ingredients in your dish and label it as vegan or vegetarian.

Enjoy lively conversation and compassionate dining.

For more info call 865-eight zero nine-3502 or e-mail laurabroderick at mindspring dot com.

Lisa Ross Birth & Women's Center 20th anniversary celebration

2011-11-09T08:42:00.001-05:00

The Lisa Ross Birth & Women's Center is celebrating 20 years!

They are having a celebration at New Harvest Park on Saturday, November 19, 1-4 p.m. Details here.

Go grab some applesauce at Target

2011-11-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

I love these new squeezable applesauce packs, and East Target has them on clearance over by the frozen section. $2.02 for a four-pack--applesauce on the go!

Zoo Free Days Nov 12-13

2011-11-03T09:01:00.000-04:00

It's time for Knoxville Zoo's Free day, but this year they are having two of them. I'm very glad since their free day is so popular & crowded that you might hardly be able to get in! This is an especially good time to visit for folks around Tennessee who are too far away to benefit from an annual pass or for those who can't afford one nor the daily rate & parking fee.

Free days are November12-13 (Sat & Sun), from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. They close at 4:30.

The event is again being sponsored by Kroger this year, and you should bring a non-perishable item to donate for charity in exchange for the visit.

Thanks, Thrifty Christy

Win tickets to Tinsel and Treasure

2011-11-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Thrifty Christy and several other bloggers are having giveaways for tickets to the annual Tinsel and Treasure holiday market. Read all the details here and enter to win tickets! Don't forget to watch additional local blogs for more chances to win tickets.

Cruze Farm Halloween Fun

2011-10-26T09:26:00.001-04:00

Unless you've been living in a cave, by now you've heard that Cruze Farm opened up a corn maze this fall. I've been reading and hearing wonderful reviews, and I've finally got plans to go... for Halloween!

Click on the image to enlarge it and see all the details!

Diaper Love event on Market Square

2011-10-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

I received a tip from a friend that Kimberley Clark is partnering with a local charity group, Diaper Love to help needy moms in East Tennessee while raising money for United Way of Greater Knoxville. Kimberly-Clark is donating 100 cases of diapers, 100 cases of training pants, and $2,500 to Diaper Love. The event will take place on Market Square, Thursday, October 27, 2011, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

As part of the event they will be selling 100 Cases of Diapers to the public at a cost of $10/case with 100% of the proceeds going to United Way of Greater Knoxville. For each case donated, Kimberly-Clark will donate an additional case to Diaper Love. Win win.

Event is listed here, but with little info.

If you or someone you know is in desperate need of disposable diapers, this is a great opportunity.