Tao of Reanne

A Job JUST FOR ME

2012-09-05T13:32:00.000-04:00

Many of you know that I have been working full time. I was asked by the mother of my daughter's best friend if I needed some work. I was hesitant to do it but I was also quite desperate because my husband had just been laid off again. I was asked to work for the production and inventory control of GEMFormulas. This is a gemstone therapy based company that provides materials and training for gemstone therapists and their clients. We offer a wide array of sprays for the aura, remedies for the energy within and the tools to become certified gemstone therapy practitioners.
What they did not know when they hired me was that my father raised us collecting "rocks". He was originally studying to be a geologist when we went to college and to this day still collects rocks and fossils. We were raised around crystals and gems and knew which rocks were best for fossil hunting, which ones were mud rocks for footprints and what kinds of geodes would contain the better crystals. I was already well aware of many of the stones that I would be working with. There is also a very strong new aged natural healing element to our business. Again I was very versed in a lot of this and being quite open minded I was able to work with my intuition to quickly sort and grade out the stones that were less than healing quality. Another thing that I brought to the table was my many years of management and business experience. I was nice to utilize what I had learned prior to becoming a mom in a new field allowing me to use my mind, my spirit and my strengths as a person. This job seems to have been made for me!

Nothing to say..

2012-02-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

I have not been around much. OK, I have been around but I have not been writing much. I guess you could say that I have been stalling. There are days when I have a million ideas on what to write about and then there are days when I am just floating through the afternoon and not focused on anything in particular. When I am in a floating mood I will think of an idea and then go on and on in my head with what I would write and what I would say. I then realized that I have hashed it all out already and have nothing left to write. I have had a good solid week of this recently. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to say.
Last Friday I turned 41 and I have plenty of thoughts on this. All of the different things I have done over the years and all of the things I wish to do with the time I have left. All of the things I wish I could have received for my gift and the gratefulness of those four gifts I already have in my children. It is also the month of my anniversary. Tomorrow I will be married 17 years. That is quite a long time considering many in my life who have not made it this long. My husband has lived with me longer than anyone else including his parents. I could write about love and hearts for Valentines day. I could write that all three of these occasions fall in one month which used to prompt a big celebration and special month. Alas 41 is not significant. 17 years is not really that impressive and when you mix these two anti-climatic achievements with a "Hallmark Holiday", there really wasn't much to write about. I could write about my new job and perhaps on another day I will but not really into it today. I do love what I am doing and it makes me feel happy to be helping out through this rough financial time. But not today.
  I could write about the Super Bowl and how its frustrating being in Connecticut when the Giants and the Patriots are playing. I am not really into writing about this either however as I am a Redskins fan and my husband a Rams fan. Neither of us were excited about the game and neither of us really care about the outcome. The only thing that got me going on this topic was the food we ate, and its not the kind of "going" you want to hear about- trust me.
  I would love to write about all of the plans I have for the upcoming year but aside from just making it through the bills, days and weekly drama without additional stress, we have none.
  There is little to talk about right now. There is little that you really want to hear me say. Im just stuck in the bland sugar free jello of life. I am not unhappy, I am not ungrateful. I am sleeping well and eating healthy. I suppose that what I am really trying to say is that although I am not charged up with opinions and emotions, there is a part of me that is very OK with it. I like not being overly charged. There is something to being able to just breathe and exist. One of my New Years Resolutions was to just BE. I want to not dwell on the past or anticipate the future. I want to be able to stop, stall and just BE in the moment for a while. After all I have already cheated on the other resolution of no alcohol until I lose the weight. It was my birthday after all!! But Im not telling you about that either. After turning 40 I need not tell you why I had a drink. Its all good. Happy BEING!

Bargain Bits-

2012-01-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

*Follow up on a previous Bargain Bits*
I must be on to something, it was not long ago that I was telling you to be wary of the perceived sales that are out there. Granted I was primarily focused on KOHL's but the latest announcement by J.C.Penney's is right on point with what I was trying to say. A store offers it's merchandise pricing as it is taken out of the back room and put on shelves at a premium. Manufacturer's suggested price is more like "I wish someone would pay this price" . It is a pipe dream number and never even close to what people actually pay. When a store offers sales over and over they are really just bringing the price down to what they were expecting you to pay in the first place. J.C. Penney's is now taking off the veil.
Well they are to some extent at least. I suspect that this new revelation will only be a lower MSRP but to start off the pricing war at a lower level might cause people to take a chance on shopping there first. I have to admit that when it comes to things that you don't want to wait for and you need to have now, to have it be offered at a lower starting price first might entice me to look in their store as one of my first stops. Of course I will also hit my other stores but I have a great sense of what things cost, how much I need to watch for and what quality vs. price really is. I think that for many people that do not want to fuss with coupons or discount stores that this could work. I will have to see for myself if there is truly any value in this concept. After all the only thing I found of great value there last year was a free snow globe on the day after Thanksgiving. Oh wait, they ran out of them fast with the change in Black Friday hours. I didn't even get to go in their store. My friend Nicole had one to give me this year.
To read the full article you can click the link here J.C.Penney's to get rid of hundreds of sales.
Thanks to my Dad for referring the article to me. If you see something worthy of posting, let me know. I just might write about it! Happy Follow Up!

Learning To Drive

2012-01-25T21:27:00.001-05:00

So, I have a sixteen year old. We all know what that comes with. Its not that he had been pounding down my bedroom door on his actual birthday. In fact it wasn't even his idea to get behind the steering wheel. It was mine. I sat at the department of motor vehicles this past weekend, waiting for Nick to take his driving permit exam. I waited to see him either emerge with a huge smile on his face or the tell tale pale complexion of a kid that did not pass. He was both pale and smiling a bit of a guilty smile. He could only get five wrong and apparently he got the first five very wrong. Luckily for him, he was able to get the rest of his test right. He was official to start learning. I was starting to wonder what I was thinking.
  When I was sixteen I did not get my license right out of the gate either. As the first child of four, I had a mass of requirements that I needed to cover before I was allowed to take the test. I had to take the school offered course and all of the hours of driving that came along with that. I had to learn how to maneuver a twelve passenger automatic van. I had to drive Dad's big blue meanie which was a five speed stick on the floor full sized van. It was big blue and quite mean because it was more of a guessing game of where the gears were instead of a normal standard. I was taught by mom how to balance a clutch on a hill and how to parallel park a standard transmission in second gear. I had all of the bases covered, or so I thought. I turned sixteen in February and by the time I had all of my parents driving requirements checked off, it was October. One of the state requirements was that you had to drive a car not a van and it had to be an automatic transmission for your driving exam. My parents did not own one of those so like so many other of my friends, I borrowed my friend Steph's car. It wasn't the first time I had ever driven it but at the time my parents did not know this at the time. My mother reluctantly drove me to her high school where I picked up my test worthy vehicle. We then headed over to take my test.
  I passed the written part with only one wrong and sat and waited, and waited, and waited for my driving portion. Apparently I was the last test of the day and everyone at motor vehicles was tired and cranky, the mood mimicked the clouds that were forming in the darkening sky. The kid that had taken his test right before me was my age and he was white as a ghost when he walked back in the door. He had that look that was mixed with shame, regret and horror. I was next. I wasn't feeling so confident.
  I am not going to say that it was a difficult test. It all started out rather simple. Go straight here, turn here, stop here. Go down this street and do a "K" turn. I was feeling rather confident until it started to SNOW! Mind you it is October, it was getting dark and it was not supposed to SNOW! My heart was pounding and my test was not over yet. Towards the end of the test I was scared, nervous and focused. At the last light I was going through there was another car that chose to run through their red light that was coming from the other direction and was headed right for me. All I could think of was to hit the gas and get the hell out of there. I took a deep breath, I turned where I was supposed to but I failed, I knew it. The tester never said a word. He just wrote in silence and I made the drive of shame back to the parking lot.
  He handed me the paper on entering the testing room and I was so afraid to look. I was white and ghostly for sure and this was going to suck to go to my mom and then my friend with a big FAIL on my forehead. I glanced down at the paper and to my surprise I had PASSED! In the comments section was a note saying that I had not only handled an extreme change in driving conditions but also had taken great care in avoiding an accident.
  Back to Nicholas. I took him to get his permit. He had never driven on the actual road before. He had only practiced in the empty school parking lot until now. While I sat there waiting for his ghostly face I was also looking outside at the six inch snow storm we were having. I knew what I had to do. I made him drive me home. Better to have his first experience in snow be controlled and slow. It was better that he was so scared from nearly failing his written practice test. It was better that there were fewer cars on the road. I made him drive and he went slow but did fine.
  It is such a frightening rite of passage. It is scary to be the kid who is now not only in charge of his parents vehicle but responsible for the other cars on the road. It is terrifying to be the parent and know that this is one situation where life's lessons are truly a matter of life or death. There is no cheating, no winging it. There is no way to explain to him just how important everything you are saying truly is. So far he is doing just fine. Tonight he drove in the dark and through his first traffic light intersection. I will admit though that I was relieved to have him ask me to take over after that. It is going to take me some time to get used to this. I wonder if I can delay this process by requiring him to drive a standard. We don't own one of those. This could take a while.

Reanne'cipes

2012-01-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

2 min Egg'n'Cheese
I am always in a rush it seems. After all of the running around and getting kids on the bus, house picked up and then off to my regular work, I never seem to have time to eat right. When I had lost all the weight by cutting out the fat from my diet I had looked up what was the best meal choices while on the road. I had figured out that an Egg and Cheese bagel from Dunkin Donuts was ok for my meal intake. I thought that it had to be incredibly fast to make because they were always fresh and hot and ready to go from the time that I placed my order to the time I approached the window. I figured out how to make it fast, at home and for less $.

First you need a bagel, an egg, some nonstick cooking spray and some cheese. You can use any cheese you like but I prefer shredded cheddar as you can use less of it, it has great flavor and it melts faster.
I spray the inside of a microwavable bowl a thin layer of cooking spray.
Crack the egg and put in the bowl. Add seasoning if desired. I like to add all of the seasonings on an Everything Bagel (garlic,salt, pepper, poppy seeds etc)
Use a fork to break the yoke and mix just a little so it does not explode
Put bagel in toaster and toast if desired
Put bowl with egg in microwave for 1 minute (I also cover bowl with a small plate)
Take out of microwave and place egg on bagel and then add shredded cheese.
Wait a minute for the cheese to melt and Voila!!

It is filling with the protein in the egg, it does have carbs but I don't do that diet. I can use lower fat cheese as well as a whole grain bagel. All in all its a quick and filling meal that takes only 3 minutes max to make and be taken on the run. Happy Egg'ing!

Cool Savings!

2012-01-24T18:57:00.002-05:00

Ill be honest, I was just looking for something cool to post for you and I plugged in the words Cool, Awesome, Savings and the word FREE! I totally forgot about coolsavings.com. I have been a member of this site for so long now that I forgot to tell everyone about it. Low and behold I had a graphic to post for you here so here it is. Aside from the awesome pig who is currently dressed as a bunny, membership is free. You get lots of coupons, offers and the latest sales and deals. This one is definitely one to keep in your bookmarks. To register just click on the pic (click the banner below)
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Free Valentine Note Cards

2012-01-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

This one is a great find! Got to love FREE!!!
Click on the banner to take advantage of this offer.
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Richard Cory

2012-01-24T08:49:00.000-05:00

When I was young, my dad would play a lot of Simon and Gargunkel. There was a song that they would sing called "Richard Cory" and I clearly remember the last line of the song that would shock me. If you haven't heard it yet, you can view the video I am attaching.
My 14 year old honors student came home yesterday and asked me to critique a paper she was writing about her take and understanding of the poem "Richard Cory". As soon as I heard the name I knew what she was writing about although I did not know the official piece that was apparently written in the late 1800's. The one that I grew up with was tailored to fit within the 1960's but the theme is exactly the same with the same ultimate ending.

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favoured and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good Morning!" and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich, yes, richer than a king,
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine -- we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked and waited for the light,
And went without the meat and cursed the bread,
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet in his head.Edwin Arlington Robinson

My reason for bringing this up is that I find myself feeling frustrated with how difficult times have been. It is hard to watch others succeed around you when with every step you take you seem to stumble or even worse fall yet again. We are stumblers for sure and it sometimes hurts so badly that I have anxiety attacks. I think that this is why I loved that Ricky Gervais was hosting the Golden Globes again because I felt better to hear these celebrities be called out and pulled off of their overly decorated pedestal. I know that a lot of the comments were hurtful and perhaps out of line but from where I am sitting and from how much we had to watch them parade their wealth across a red gilded carpet with jewels and finery... to be put back in to a place where they were human and ultimately no better than you or I was a bit healing in a very messed up way. It was healing for me at least.
And then there is the relation to the poem where you have to look at all of the stresses you feel in your life during these financially difficult times and realize that for all that glitters, the world around you isn't gold. You don't know what faces are being put on before you. You don't know that the neighbor who is driving around in new cars all the time and is always out to eat while wearing the latest mall fashions is buried in credit debt and not sleeping at night with fears of how they will ever keep it up. The higher you rise, the harder you fall. We all fall. We all trip sometimes and we all feel the hurt when we land. Although my husband has been laid off 4 times in the last 3 years we have survived. We have many around us that are in the same boat. Misery loves company and we have so much company that we can have one rocking party! But when I wipe away my pain and clear away the tears, I see that we are doing just fine. We are reasonably clear of major debt, we have enough strength to work it out and enough creativity to come up with what we need. The most important part of all is that we are respected, supported and loved by those around us. We may have had to pass on many dinners out and expensive social events but we have great potlucks filled with friends and family. My kids might not have had big expensive birthday parties in the latest hot spot place to party but they have had friends over, lots of fun and they never walked away feeling disappointed. We have done very well with what we have. I share my tips,discounts and bargain secrets so that some of my wealth, although wealth in knowledge alone, may help those that are willing to try and willing to listen. I share what I have because although I may struggle and cry and feel very low at times, I am ultimately richer than those I thought I was aching to be. I am richer than Richard Cory because I am not alone and apparently he was.

Reanne'cipes

2012-01-23T20:32:00.002-05:00

Healthy Alternative Popcorn-
We all love to snack. I love snacking even more when I am trying to diet. One of the things that I like to snack on is popcorn. Its hard to find a great balance of lower fat options with taste considerations in popcorn. I used to pop it in a paper bag using the microwave but there was little flavor after that. I had tried using "I can't believe its not butter" spray but that required a lot of spray to lighten up the dry popcorn. Finally I found a way of popping it that gave it both flavor and was at least a little more healthy than the other alternatives.
Here is my secret....
I pop it in a pan on the stove and use a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I lightly coat the bottom of the pan with the oil and then add a single layer of corn kernels to the oil. Put a lid on the pot with a little breathing room on the edge of the pot to let the steam escape. Shake and allow the kernels to fall to the bottom of the pan as you pop. As soon as you hear the popping slow down, remove from heat. Add salt to taste. I take my salt and put it in the silver bullet pulverizer to make it very fine so I use less of it. Trust me, its a great alternative to butter giving it great flavor. If you are really brave, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the oil or after with the salt. It provides a kick worth snacking on! Happy Snacking!

To mother a dog-

2012-01-23T09:10:00.001-05:00

I have had 3 dogs during my 40 years of life. We had one named "Butchie" who was a black mop with curly bangs and although I had always been told he was a toy poodle, knowing now what I know about breeds and dogs he was definitely a mutt. We got Butchie when I was maybe 3 years old and my brother and I could not say Bushy so it came out Butchie. I also had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a cross between a shetland sheep dog and a collie. He was a rescue from the pound and we named him Lucky because we saved him from being euthanized. He was a beautiful dog. My whole childhood contains memories of these two with thoughts of playing in the snow, sneaking lima beans under the table and other kid stuff.
Lucky would chase and bite my ankles when I ran, it was only me but he did it every time. Lucky also saved my life when a huge neighborhood dog attacked me landing him in the vet barely alive himself. Butchie would let us put bows in his hair and literally drag both he and Lucky with pretend leashes (they were not leash dogs, we had several acres and never needed to walk them on a leash) to the local park for Park and Rec dog shows. Many times we would find them on the playground at the school waiting for us because they had followed us "walkers" in the morning. At least once a week I would have to leave class to bring them home again. I can't even imagine a school allowing a kid to walk their dog's back home. They were great dogs. But one day Lucky just disappeared and Butchie started to climb on top of the dining room table to relieve himself causing us to bring him to the vet where he was ultimately put to sleep. I remember like it was yesterday the look on Mom's face when she told me that he did not come home with her from the vet. I hated her for it at the time but I have a different perspective now.
  The third dog I had was truly mine and he was named Dale. He was named after Dale Earnhardt Sr. because he was black and white and he had three white dots on his paw as a puppy. We were given him one week before we moved into our current house in 2001. He was another mutt that was a mix between a beagle and a springer spaniel but he looked like a black lab "perma" puppy. For almost 11 years he never grew out of being that puppy. I remember being very upset with my husband for bringing him home. He showed up in the kids bedroom that I was packing for the move and asked the kids which one of 3 available they wanted. I said NONE!! But the kids saw the three pups and picked. One was missing a leg, one was passing horrible gas and then there was our Dale. Being that I was the stay at home mom, I became his mom too. With every breath he took and every move he made, I was his mama and he made me know how much he adored me every day since. I was the one that ran out and gathered all the things needed for a dog. I trained him how to bark on command, not bark when not needed and how to stay in the yard when doing his business. I trained him to shake is paw, sit, lay and roll over all by hand commands. I taught him to fetch.
  This dog could fetch like no other. He caught frisbees in the air, he would run after a foot ball thrown to the other side of the yard and bring it back and before you could throw it again he was back out to the middle of the yard waiting. He would let our son Drake hit golf balls out into the yard staying out of harms way and then he would run out and get the ball so Drake could hit it again. He always dropped the ball right back in front of his golf club every time. The most impressive trick with fetch was when my husband would spit on a golf ball, rub it with his hands to make sure it had his scent and then while we held Dale still he would throw it to a random place in the back yard. Dale was always able to find it, even when he did not see where it went. He was an amazingly talented dog.
  He followed me everywhere I went, I mean EVERYWHERE. I could go to the bathroom and he was there, I would take a shower and he was there. I would walk in circles for ha ha's through all the rooms and he would be right be hind me the entire time. He would kiss our first bird Kiwi, he would sit still while our cat cleaned his ears. He was not allowed on the couches (not that we wouldn't find a few black hairs here and there on said couches when we would return from a long day out) but he had his own chair which only he sat in. We could always just say,"Dale, go sit in your chair" and no matter what he was doing, he would stop and go over to make himself comfortable in his special chair. Sometimes he would leave the pillow up and curl in front of it, sometimes he would paw it down so he could sleep on top of it. It was his chair, he knew it, the cat knew it and so did everyone who visited. We burned his chair in a funeral pyre to honor him two days ago.
  It is so hard to lose a pet as a mom. I have buried fish, birds and hamsters. We have lost several rabbits and 3 cats. Losing my dog has certainly been the hardest of them all. As a mom I was the one that he trusted. I was the one that took care of him. I was the one that bathed him in tomato juice 3 times in one night because he was sprayed by the same skunk. I was 9 months pregnant at the time but I was the mom so I was the one that took care of him. I was the one that clipped his nails because I was the only one that could. I was the one that cleaned up after his trash can adventures. I was the one to re-decorate the Christmas tree after he tried to eat the candy canes off of it. I was also the one that carpet cleaned the dining room over and over again when in the last months where he would relieve himself. I was the one that tried to settle his recent sick stomach with chicken broth and I was also the one that threw him pieces of chicken breast which caused his last bout of vomiting which ended it all. I was also the one that brought him into the vet where we were told that he had a mass on his liver, advanced jaundice and that he would not be coming home. I was my own mother in that moment.
  It has been a long weekend. It has been a sad weekend. My children do not blame me for leaving with their friend and not returning and for that I am grateful. We have never lived in this house without him. It feels different here now. Through all of the tears and the hurt and loss. I am also remembering Butchie and Lucky and the love I also had for them. As I try and talk to the kids I am keeping in mind the heartbreak that I too had felt at their ages. And I am keeping in mind what my own mother must have felt as she stood in the dining room doorway telling me that my first dog was too sick to come home.
  To make that decision to bring him to the vet was so difficult for me because I knew what that would mean. It meant that this was our last day with him and that tomorrow he would not follow me downstairs to start his day. It meant that I couldn't fix it this time. Being his mama wasn't going to be enough this time. I said goodbye to him all alone. I stroked his face with my finger until he closed his eye. He didn't flinch or move and he didn't acknowledge that I was even there. He was already leaving us. The last thing I did was kiss him on the nose and told him that I loved him, he made his mama proud and to chase the golf balls for the angels. They would love that.

Rumor has it-

2012-01-22T21:47:00.001-05:00

Rumor has it that Kraft Mac'n'Cheese will be giving away coupons all week for free boxes of the golden goodness!! I do not have verification on this but it may be a first come first serve thing so I wanted to give you a heads up. It is suspected that you have to "like" them on Facebook in order to qualify so get a head start!

Bargain Bits-

2012-01-22T18:36:00.003-05:00

I have a lot of friends that are bargain shoppers. Each one has different strategies and different ways that they go about it. I have some that are coupon clippers and some that go to the clearance rack each week. I have some that will go out the day after Thanksgiving and some that wait to buy next years gifts the day after Christmas. I also have friends that comb the internet looking for savings. This I believe may be the best way to get the latest scoop and exclusive deals. Today a friend of mine sent me a post about Sketchers winter boots that were supposed to be $88 that were accidently on sale for $3 with free shipping if you had some free elite membership.
Although I was a little late to the game and could not get past the "sorry but we are experiencing difficulties" page, I know that he was able to pick up a bunch of pairs for the discount. Sometimes these things happen and when you subscribe to many facebook groups and coupon clubs you will get the latest sales and discounts in real time as they happen. Sometimes they go really fast and you have limited time to get in there and take advantage of the sale so never hesitate. I remember once when I first started at this there was a misprint on a travel site that had flights for $1 one way. It was another mistake that had to be honored and it is what caused me to be more aware of what was going on out there. Personally I have two email addresses, I send all of my bargains and deals and emails connected t this blog to one and my personal stuff to the other. This way I know to check them without being overwhelmed with a bunch of pseudo sales as well as daily email. Another tip was given to me to search out the best sales tip sites. You can do a seach inside of Facebook or just search in your favorite search engine. Then make a bookmark file and keep the pages linked in there. One of my favorites to use is www.retailmenot.com . I can get coupon codes and latest finds from there and I will check them for an up to date link before I purchase anything online or in the mall. Its a great tip to know! Happy Surfing!

a time to be silent

2012-01-21T22:57:00.002-05:00

Today I said goodbye to a sweet friend, member of our family and one of my babies. Our 11 year old dog passed away from a tumor on his liver. I am besides myself with sadness and loss. Today I will not post bargains or recipes. Today I am not going to be sharing my latest wisdom. Today I just say goodbye to Dale. Rest In Peace sweet puppy, may you chase golf balls for the angels. We love you. You will never know how much you will be missed.

Snarkastic Snickers-

2012-01-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

My dad sends me little silly things all the time. I think that some of them I might share here. You will quickly see where I get my snarky sarcastic humor from. I will share some of this fun in a new set of blog segments called "SNARKASTIC SNICKERS"

I am a HUGE classic Mickey Mouse fan. This one made me giggle. I just wanted to share!

Valentine's Candy Twist

2012-01-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

Here is a great idea for Valentines day!!! This is such a fun site. I have not ordered from here yet but sure had a lot of fun looking through it. Love is timeless and so are some of these goodies!!
OldTimeCandy.com offers Free Shipping up to $25 to APO, FPO boxes "
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IHOME

2012-01-19T09:04:00.000-05:00

One of the best finds that I have recently acquired was an IHOME clock radio. It charges my ipod and it is what I listen to while in the shower or when romance is in the air. I'll be honest, I found it at Goodwill and it was only $15 but I love it so much that I am considering purchasing another one for the kitchen from KOHL'swith my 30% off coupon (if you do not have one, you can follow this link below for 20% off) or through the IHOME site also noted below. It has excellent sound and is incredibly simple to use. I highly recommend! Happy Dancing! (some posts in this blog may contain affiliate links)
20% off everything using your Kohl's Charge- PROMO CODE: KOHLS20

Bargain Bits-

2012-01-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

I have in the past participated in market surveys. They are companies that are commissioned to find specific demographics, have them sample or listen to concepts and ideas and then they pay you for your time and for your opinions. There is always a wide variety of different things they are looking for and a wide range of consumers. Sometimes you need to be within a specific age range and or fall within specific parameters. You might not always qualify but you may know someone who does It is a great way to see what products are up and coming and which ones may be changing marketing strategies.
They also pay you when you are selected. I have been a part of many different ones (due to policy, I won't name product names) including soda, cat food, sour cream, yogurt, insurance, radio stations and crackers. Pretty much anything that could be affected by a wide range of opinions can be polled and sampled. In some cases its opinions on product or labeling and in some its about ideas and opinions on current topics. There are also phone surveys where they call you and ask you a quick series of questions on the phone. Most of the phone surveys will not pay but it does give the recruiter an idea on how willing you are to participate in the survey process. I suggest that you do a search for "Market Research Companies (insert state you live in)". See if there are any that are local to you and then send them a note letting them know your demographic qualifications. They will want your age,sex,income range, marital status and education. Sometimes they need how many children in your family, any pets and if you are a homeowner or renter. Be sure to include your phone numbers where you can be contacted. Then when a survey comes up they can call you and ask if you are available and interested in participating. You never know what you could qualify for . Im hoping that some day they ask me to sample and rate a vacation! Happy Sampling!

Say Hi to ED

2012-01-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

This is Ed-
Ed would be my other half.
Ed is very sad that I don't have any pictures of him on my blog.
Now he is- say hi to ED
Everyone needs an ED- Make me an offer.....

American Earplugs

2012-01-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

I come from a musical family. My mother and her sisters grew up singing songs from musical theatre and it continued through most of my life. Mom played piano to some extent but she really knew how to sing. She was a strong voiced first soprano. My father was not always a soloist but he was very talented with instruments. While I was growing up he would play his set list of music on the organ for us, he would pull out one of his many guitars on a whim and once a year he would drag out the trumpet to play in the UConn alumni marching band. Since then he has collected and learned to play so many other instruments that I have lost count. My brother plays guitar, my sister sings and also plays guitar. My last sister sings very well for the most part as long as you don't ask her to keep harmony on her own.
I sing- I actually sing rather well. I grew up as a soloist, sang in a few years of High School All State chorus. I've sung for weddings and funerals. I was the female lead in a benefit musical and even had an audition for a show on Broadway. But I didn't go because I knew that even with all my experience and with all of the training I had, I was not good enough.
Now on to American Idol. I cannot for the life of me wonder what some of these kids are thinking.
I should just stop writing right there because you and I both know what I am talking about. They come in, get interviewed with their oh so sentimental sob story and some of them truly look like they "BELIEVE". However when they open their mouth to sing you can't help but wonder why somebody didn't stop them on the way in. I do realize that some of them are doing it because they know that they are never going to quit their day job for this gig. Some are just looking for the 15 seconds of fame and the ability to say that they did it. These whackado's are easy to spot. Its the ones that are there who although lacking talent, make up for it in heart and intentions. Someone should ask them how many public places they were asked to sing. And then how many people were laughing afterwards. They should be reminded of how ugly some of the critiques can be and how embarrassed they will be having to hear about it for the rest of their lives. But these poor souls have parents and/or over paid vocal coaches waiting in the wings, convinced that they have a shot and that they will walk out of that room with their ticket in tow. And for the sake of ratings these kids are brutally shown what being famous is really all about. Celebrity is not always a good thing. Being memorable and famous isn't always what you intended it to be. Then again William Hung "hung" in there for more than 15 seconds. And didn't the old bum singing "pants on the ground" get some kind of contract for his song? Maybe... just maybe they will make the blooper clips with a blue censor strip across their mouths. There is always that last ditch attempt to make it on the show.

Shoebuy 20% off!

2012-01-18T07:54:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if this will work because it was an e-mail exclusive. Shoebuy sent me a note today offering 20% off for their Winter Clearance Sale. I am giving you the page that I was sent- hopefully this works for you all! EVERYONE LOVES SHOES!! Shoebuy 20% off click here!

Reanne'cipes

2012-01-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

Old Bay..... how I love the?
Tonight I came home from work to the smell of Old Bay and Shrimp. My heart skipped a beat because I knew what joy I was about to have for dinner. If you have heard of it, you are nodding your head in agreement, thinking of all the things you could eat it with and drooling. There is something about that combination of celery salt, paprika, pepper and "spices" as the bottle notes that makes everything taste like the Chesapeake Bay area and all the goodness that comes from there. It's not quite Cajun. Its not really a seasoned salt either but a seasoning that goes with everything. Its great on popcorn, steak, seafood and potato chips. Add it to a fried batter for a great fried chicken. My sister even puts it in her scrambled eggs. You can mix it into sour cream for a veggie dip or add shredded cheese to the same dip with a can of crab meat and bake for a hot pretzel dip. It is the be all, end all of seasonings. But back to my dinner, I will share with you my recipe-
One pound of peel your own shrimp, One can of beer (only if you like to steam things that way) 1/4 cup of Old Bay Seasoning.
Steam the shrimp using the beer as your steam (or water if you don't have beer)
When shrimp is pink all over, put in a bowl and toss with the Old Bay.
Peel and Eat. Yes your fingers will get very dirty but all of the seasoning that you have on your fingers will get on the shrimp. This is intentional. You are supposed to do that.
*Note!! Be sure NOT to wipe your eyes with dirty hands- TRUST ME ON THIS!!! NOT FUN!*
So there you have it- Maryland Steamed Shrimp...... it doesn't get any easier, even a caveman can do it. ;) Enjoy.

Cabela's Valentine

2012-01-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

Need ideas for that "Manly Man" in your life? How about getting 55% off at Cabela's. Last I checked they were also offering free shipping if over $99 when you use the code 12FREE . Get something for each of those "Manly Men" in your life all in one stop! Although my personal valentine would rather just live in the store for a weekend. I wonder if they rent out tents for in store overnights?

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Valentines Spa Day!

2012-01-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

My husband dreads the month of February because its not only Valentines day but it is also my birthday and our anniversary. Every year it would be a bunch of flowers and a card. Sometimes he would make me a dinner comprised of HIS favorite foods. Another year he threw me a surprise party surprisingly on "Super Bowl Sunday" where his team was playing and all of HIS friends were invited. Imagine my surprise.... or lack of. The year after my youngest was born, he finally got it right! I had a spa day at our local casino. I steamed in the steam room, lounged in the jacuzzi and sweated in the sauna. Then bathrobe and all I found myself walking to the nail salon for a spa pedicure. It was one of the most relaxing days of my life. I love Spa Finder because you can get gift certificates for locations near you and with this latest promotion you get 5% off of them. What a better way to say "I Love You"! Be sure to "Click the Pic!
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Wine'ing about Weight

2012-01-16T21:54:00.000-05:00

For the first time in years I have stuck to my New Years resolution for more than a week. I have now accomplished two weeks and one day. This year my goal was to lose between 15 and 20 pounds before I had anything with alcohol to drink. Easy right? WRONG! Don't get me wrong, I am far from an alcoholic. I like a glass of wine with dinner or sometimes I will wait until the kids are all in bed. After all I AM the mother of 4 kids, I think that giving birth 4 times gives me certain inalienable rights doesn't it? Unfortunately, it also gave me the right to gain the 15 - 20 pounds that I am so eager to lose now. This isn't my first rodeo, I have tried this diet thing before and actually found that I had enough strength to see it through. When I was between kid 2 and kid 3 I had lost 44 pounds. I was in great shape and I felt amazing. Sadly I had done it by doing Tae-bo and using a diet pill called Metabolife which is no longer available in original form. I don't think at 40 I would want to try that again if I could. Back then I could drink a pot of coffee without even a skip to my heart. Now I have one k-cup of French Roast and I am wired. After kid 4 I had lost 30 pounds by using Alli, cutting out the majority of fat from my diet and doing pilates. Again I was true and consistent to my diet and again it had worked. This time I do not have a baby to blame it on. I have slowly over the last 4 years gained it back. The only thing that I can really blame it on is myself. Ok, so stress, unemployment on and off for three years mixed with the stress releaser known as cheap box wine could have had a lot to do with it. Its hard to eat fresh healthy meats and vegetables when the only ones you can afford are the ones that are about to turn on the seconds shelf. When I was able to find enough to cook for the family, it was the kids that had first plates of them so I was left to the meat with fat and whatever the kids didn't eat (which included tons of gravy,ketchup and butter). But to spend $6.99 on a cheap box of red wine seemed a great alternative to my sub par supper. Then at the end of that financially stressful day came that glass of "table red" because it was better than therapy. Ultimately, my jeans became tighter and tighter. I tried running it off but I was really lousy at running. I tried dieting but diet by starvation does not work for me. I have tried doing workouts off the cable but either the phone rings, the kids fight or I find another reason to stall like that desire to refresh the Facebook page "just in case". I have tried pretty much everything including a liquid diet (because it included my coveted glass of shiraz) all without any luck. This is my struggle.... and so I have resulted in this idea of a punishment diet rather than one of reward. It sounds so easy- to not drink anything with alcohol because the total weight loss is my ultimate prize. I have 15 pounds to prove before my reward. I can do this. Its not too hard. Besides its what,two or three months? Yeah right, tell that to my empty wine cabinet, my lonely wine glass and my stress level. Tell that to the kids that are fighting, the loads of laundry that need to be done, the bills that need to be paid, the husband that seems to think that "pay attention to me" is charming, the rumbling stomach that still hates that Im dieting.I wonder if AA gives out chips for this. Wait, Chips? I think I have some in the cabinet. NO- I must restrain myself! ARRRRRGGGHHH! Breathe in and breathe out....OMMMMMMMMM..... OMMMMMMMM.... oh forget THAT! Looks like tension tamer tea again for me tonight! Two weeks one day down, Two more months of tea to go.

Printable Coupons

2012-01-16T20:05:00.000-05:00

You know you want them! You have hundreds to choose from, many are great for double and triple stacking!! Clip away!

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