Payless has a printable coupon for 15% off if you shop in their store.  It expires April 4, 2010

Payless printable coupon

They also have a coupon code available if you prefer to shop online for $10 off a $50 purchase.  It also expires on April 4, 2010.

Payless coupon code: EASTER

I totally have my eye on the Champion Pace Fitness Athletic Shoe.  Only $39.99!

Yesterday I received the coolest package in the mail.  I opened the box and this was what was inside:

I didn’t want to open it, it was soooo pretty!  But, I also wanted to know what was inside….

So I opened it up.

Inside was a brand new Febreze Air Refresher scent called Thai Dragon Fruit.

The bottle describes it as “Inspired by the winding canals of Thailand that are lines with dragon fruits, mangoes and papayas“.

I describe it as AWESOME.  The smell is exotic and revitalizing and I can’t stop spraying it throughout the house.  Definitely a great way to lift my mood, especially since we are still cooped up inside much of the day.

Febreze also sent along a little good luck charm, check out the little elephant.

Thank you Febreze for this little pick-me-up at just the perfect time!

(note: Febreze provided the product, the opinions are my own)

BTW, if you liked the “wrapping” that was around my goodies from Febreze, it is a BOBO Wrapping Scarf.  A eco-friendly way of wrapping gifts, making them look gorgeous and it is reusable.

Today, Graco is voluntarily recalling their Harmony branded high chairs.

From Graco:

“We take great pride in the quality and safety of our products, and as such, we are disappointed with the performance of the Harmony High Chair. We have taken significant steps to assess and enhance our internal product design review processes and we are continually committed to ensuring product safety.

In the case of Harmony, we have worked closely with the CPSC to identify and provide an appropriate fix. We are confident that we have come up with a solution that will improve the performance of this chair.

For consumers who own a Harmony high chair, there is no need to return the product. Graco will provide a free repair kit upon request.”

Potential Problem:
The screws holding the front legs of the high chair can loosen and fall out and/or the plastic bracket on the rear legs can crack causing the high chair to become unstable and tip over unexpectedly. This poses a fall hazard to children.

For more information and to order a repair kit go here: Graco Harmony High Chair recall

(leave your WW link in the comments please)

Oh and make sure you visit Sheila’s blog today.  She very generously had a prize sent to me that she could not use for a giveaway we both entered, and it was a prize I had been trying to win for a couple of weeks in giveaways across the web.  Thank you Sheila!!!!

If there was one singer that I would give my right arm to sing with it would be Amy Grant.  Ok, I might not be willing to sacrifice body parts, but I’d sure be will to shave my head or something equally weird.

For as long as I can remember I have been a fan of Amy.  I have been lucky enough to attend two of her concerts, and yes for one I was a nerd enough to MAKE HER SOMETHING and walk up to the stage and hand it to her.  I wish I had a picture of it, it was a pinkish hand towel that I had cross-stitched “Heart in Motion” onto (the name of her album and tour).  Yeah, I bet she still has that hanging in her bathroom  (let me enjoy my delusions).

There was always something about Amy and about her music that I connected with.  She’s real and her life experiences come through in her songs in a way that I really relate to.  Her music helped me survive my teens and twenties with my faith intact and a reasonably sound outlook on life!

On March 30th, Amy is releasing her latest album titled “Somewhere Down the Road” – her latest in 7 years (it’s about time) and I was lucky enough to get a copy of it before it goes on sale.

Here’s some info from amygrant.com about the album:

Her latest effort, Somewhere Down the Road, is a potent collection that takes the listener on a musical journey that reverberates with messages of resiliency, promise and hope. The 12-track set includes four new songs, several previously unreleased gems from her musical vault and a newly recorded version of “Arms of Love.” The new album also serves up four poignant treasures from Grant’s existing songbook, including the powerful title track.

And the track list:

1. Better Than A Hallelujah
2. Overnight (Featuring Sarah Chapman)
3. Every Road
4. Unafraid
5. Hard Times
6. What Is The Chance Of That
7. Somewhere Down The Road
8. Third World Woman
9. Find What You’re Looking For
10. Come Into My World
11. Arms Of Love (2010 Version)
12. Imagine / Sing The Wondrous Love Of Jesus

There’s not a song on the album that I don’t like but really the first two songs are my absolute favorite.  I especially love Overnight because the lyrics are so timely for me and Amy’s daughter sings with her and she has an amazing voice for only being 17 years old.  But also…the song allows me to live in my delusions further and sing my own duet with Amy while driving in the car.  And the best part is that no matter how many times I play the song (and sing along) my kids ask me to play it again!  It’s their favorite song too.

Overall, Amy fans won’t be disappointed by the album.  Seven years is WAY TOO LONG to wait for new Amy Grant music, but she made it worth the wait!

And for MY fans, you are lucky I carry a Flip camera with to record my performances….you only get the audio…I was driving and the video was pretty dull.

(click the little arrow to play)

Every year, when I first see the signs go up on the McDonald’s message board under the golden arches, I stop and get myself a shamrock shake.  This year, I had 2 little monkeys with me who also wanted shamrock shakes.  It cost me almost $10 for those 3 shakes!  They are yummy, and I only get one a season, but still…a bit costly now that I’m not just buying one.

So I scoured the web for a recipe to make them myself.  I figured, vanilla ice cream and mint extract couldn’t be too hard.

Copycat McDonald’s Shamrock Shake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream or soy ice cream
• 1 1/4 cups 2% low-fat milk or soymilk
• 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
• 8 drops green food coloring

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Stop blender to stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend ice cream.
3. Pour into 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw.

That’s it!  Simple, fun, tasty and probably a lot cheaper to make them at home.

Note: for a thicker shake use more ice cream and less milk.

My daughter LOVES fruit.  She would choose to eat fruit over any other food.  Today she actually threw a tantrum because she wanted an apple and it turned out to be soft and not good so she couldn’t have any.

“Apple!!!!  Mommy, want apple! Aaaaaple!  Apple, mommy, apple!

I had to bribe her with yogurt and that worked at the time, but she woke up from her nap asking for an apple again later in the day.

She also likes blueberries, raspberries, grapes, pineapple, mixed fruit, you name it.  The only fruit we have discovered she doesn’t like is bananas, and we haven’t tried watermelon yet because my son is allergic to it so I’m being overly cautious.

Other than serving the fruit as is, or in the case of grapes, cutting them up for her so she doesn’t choke, we’ve never really done anything creative with it.  But when I think about it, imagine the fun we could have making some great tasty dishes with Dole fruit or juice!

If you have a recipe for a dish that your family asks for over and over again that uses Dole canned fruit or juice, Dole has an amazing prize that you can win if you submit it to the DOLE California Cook-Off contest.

• 4-day, 3-night getaway to Los Angeles where you and four other finalists will be able to strut your culinary stuff for Celebrity Chef Ben Ford!
• $1,000 Cash Prize!
• Placement of your entrée recipe on 1000s of DOLE Canned Fruit or Juice labels!

Celebrity Chef Ben Ford is going to select the winner!

Home Depot regularly runs “Do-It-Herself” workshops at local stores.  These workshops are free and teach you how to tackle home improvement projects yourself.

The next workshop is about Martha Stewart Living Paint and will help you learn tools and techniques to get a great paint job – yourself.

Interior Painting Featuring Martha Stewart Living
With a little painting know-how, even projects with a small budget can make a big difference. Find out how by registering for our 90-minute Do-it-herself workshop. We’ll cover the following topics and more:

• Learn how to choose paint and paint colors using the Martha Stewart Living color center

• See the tools and materials you will need for a professional finish

• Prepare and mask walls and trim for paint

• Watch and learn the best methods for painting ceilings, wall, and trim

Thursday, April 15 2010 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

In addition to all this, they have partnered with My Coke Rewards and simply by attending this free workshop, you will get a card worth 20 My Coke Rewards bonus points.

This is a great deal, especially if you are like my husband and I and seem to go through coffee makers like crazy.  Every two years we inevitably need to buy a new machine.  I have the same problem with hair dryers…

Anyhow…

Gevalia is a coffee club where they will deliver your favorite coffees monthly, and if you are a new member, you can click that banner to the left and get a FREE stainless steel programmable coffee maker (12 cup), a FREE stainless steel coffee scoop and 2 boxes of their premium coffee for only $14.95 and that includes shipping.

The best part…Gevalia does not have a minimum purchase commitment, and they have a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.  If you receive your introductory order and decide not to continue, all you need to do is cancel online or call them to cancel and you will not receive any additional shipments plus you get to keep the coffee maker.  If you totally are not satisfied, they will even give you your money back.

I was just pricing coffee makers because the lid on ours broke and the cheapest one I can find is for $16 at Kmart, but you have to pay $8 shipping.

…that parenting has caused me to say (in no particular order).

1.  Everybody has a butt.

2.  What is wrong with you?

3.  Don’t bite your toenails at the table.

4.  Don’t bite your toenails, EVER.

5.  Because I said so.

6.  Get your underwear off your head.

7.  Underwear is not a toy.

8.  Underwear is not a slingshot.

9.  Don’t wipe that on me.

10.  Keep your butt to yourself.

11.  If you are not bleeding or body parts haven’t fallen off then it is not an emergency.

12.  Chapped lips are not an emergency.

13.  Stop scratching your butt.

14.  Stop picking your nose.

15.  The dog is not a chair.

16.  The dog is not a stool.

17.  Who peed on the couch?

18.  Do not sit on the couch without pants on.

19.  Pee IN the toilet not around it.

20.  You don’t have to take your socks off to go potty.

Sadly….they’re all from the span of a single weekend…and why the heck do so many of them involve butts, underwear or pee?