Rite Aid and Giant Shopping Trip

Grand total for the above: $3.00

I really apologize for the crappy photos. I've been taking most photos with my phone and the quality is not the best.

I'm a CVS girl. I'm all about the instant gratification of ECBs. I've never liked my local Walgreens. I don't really have a convenient Rite Aid, so I've always kind of ignored their deals. BUT, Shannon had some really simple scenarios with low out of pocket costs, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Then, Mindi posted this incredible deal on cheap ravioli at Giant. And, some weird ice cream that I refuse to let my 3 year old eat--I know 98% of it would end up on the floor!

Rite Aid

3 John Frieda root awakening shampoo/conditioner 5.00 each

1 Cover Girl powder 8.19

1 Cover Girl concealer 8.19

- 8.19 Cover Girl BOGO sale

- 5/20 Rite Aid coupon

- 9.00 John Frieda mfr 3 x 3.00

- 1.00 John Frieda RA video values coupon

- 8.19 Cover Girl BOGO coupon

= $0.00, plus 5.00 rebate for JF products

Giant

18 bags ravioli 1.00 each

- 15.00 instant savings

= $3.00

Rite Aid was out of all the Biore stuff, so I got a raincheck. Also, I may go back to Giant tomorrow for more ravioli. That's right. More ravioli. Deals are my crack, so look out.

Edited to add my receipts! [Ignore the extra $40 on the Giant receipt, that was cash back.]

I.Made.Bread.

I made my first two loaves of homemade bread this weekend. For those of you who missed it last week when I made homemade pizza crust, I admitted that I was afraid of yeast. I don't know why. It just seemed so easy to mess up. So, since I've been getting braver in the kitchen, I decided to give it a try.

I used the Honey Wheat Bread recipe from the back of the Gold Medal whole wheat flour bag. I used my KitchenAid mixer, but did the rest by hand. No bread maker here. (Although the funny thing is, I had one for years and never used it. I just sold it at a flea market a few months ago.) I also like Jo-Lynne's step-by-step instructions with photos here.

I'm pretty proud of my first effort. Not so proud that I remembered to take a picture, though. Dangit. The loaves came out more dense than a traditional sandwich bread you buy at the store. And, it tastes REALLY good! I will probably have to make it a few more times to get it perfect for us.

What did I learn this week? I learned that I need to stop saying "Oh, I can't do that." Because I most certainly can. And, because who really cares if I fail at making a loaf of bread?

I can see how this translates into other areas of my life. I've been a bit on the timid side my whole life. Playing it safe. Too scared to get hurt/fail/look stupid. It's funny, as I get older, I find that I don't care as much anymore. Not that you will ever find me sky diving or mountain climbing mind you. Really uncoordinated people know their limits. But, I want to try new things. I think this calls for a list. Hmm... I will have to start working on that.

What have you tried that has taken you out of your comfort zone?

This post is linked to What I Learned This Week at Inmates to Playdates (guest hosting for Musings Of a Housewife)

Featured Recipe on ForTheMommas.com

Attention, attention. I am now famous! Hahahaha.

My Alligator Danish recipe is featured on Shannon's new recipe site. Please go check it out and look at her other recipes. Her alfredo recipe is SO GOOD!

Enjoy!

CVS Shopping Trip

1 CVS pain relief 2.00

2 Excedrin 2.50 each

2 Revlon nail polish 4.99 each, buy one get one free sale

= 11.99

- 4.00 Excedrin IPs 2.00/1 x 2 (no longer available to print)

- 2.00/1 Revlon mfr

- 2.00/1 Revlon CVS coupon

= 3.99 + tax oop

Look what you can get for less than the price of ONE nail polish! I didn't have any coupons for the CVS brand acetaminophen, but it was a very good price. I'm having minor surgery in a few weeks and I can only take acetaminophen, so I wanted to grab one. I also couldn't pass up .50 a box for Excedrin. I like to buy nail polish on sale and include it in gift bags for my friends. These prices are good through tomorrow 3/6/10.

I Love a Good Book

Ever since I found this handy dandy website, Good Reads, I've finally found a good way to keep track of my books. Books I've read, books I want to read, and books I'd rather forget. I'd never had a good method before. I tried to start a journal recently, but I had a hard time remembering things when I sat down to write in it. I remembered that I wanted to read a that book that a friend recommended, but not the title. Or the author. Just a general description. Does this happen to anyone else? Good Reads is just perfect for me. Plus, I get to "friend" people, like Facebook and Twitter. It's a modern day book geek's lover's dream! So, come join me and let's geek out together...

I highly recommend:
Going Rogue by Sarah Palin
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Not available in the US yet, but you can order it on ebay from the UK. Ask me how I know.) by Stieg Larsson

Not a fan:
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

I'm currently reading The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. I'm not loving it, but I'm giving it a chance. Our next book club pick is The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring. Looking forward to reading that next.

I was at B&N the other night and had a store credit to use up. I couldn't decide what to get, so I threw it out to my Twitter friends. Their suggestions: The Piano Teacher, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, Prodigal Summer (oddly enough, I have never read any Barbara Kingslover!), The Help, and anything by Lisa Scottoline. I ended up grabbing Olive Kitteridge and running out because apparently browsing at the bookstore was not on Dash's to do list!
Have any books I should add to my list?

You Get What You Pay For

When am I ever going to learn? Quality has it's price. And, it is (almost) always worth it.

I have been on an obsessive search for new bedding for Dash's room. We moved everything around a few weeks ago and he is now in his real and final big boy bed. Except he will probably be too tall for it by the time he's 13. And, well, then he just better get a job.

This used to be our guest bed, so I did have a set for it. Sort of. I had been using an extra king-sized comforter, and it's just too big for the bed. It was annoying me. Especially with the toddler guardrail. And, it was all flowery and I felt bad for the kid. (Note: Dash did not care about it being flowery, nor does he really care about covers in general. He kicks them off. All. The. Time.)

So, what is my problem? I don't know. I wanted to have a nice "boy" bedroom for him. I think I need to write another post on why I obsess about things that don't matter. I can already hear Mr. Incredible shouting "AMEN!"

Anyway, back to the bedding search. I looked everywhere: Target (all twin stuff, no full), Walmart (poor quality), TJ Maxx (no kids bedding), Home Goods (an ENTIRE AISLE of GIRL bedding; one boy set, not my size), Pottery Barn Kids (gorgeous stuff, super pricey).

I love Pottery Barn kids, don't you? Dash's crib set and rug are from PBK (mostly gifted to us). I just feel so guilty spending the money on their stuff. But, it's what I really want. And, it's good quality.

Uggghhh. I hate this. I wish I could be more like my husband. When we go out to dinner, he orders what he wants. Forever the penny pincher, I try to order something inexpensive that I may not really be in the mood for. Am I the only one that does this? Please, just say no so I can feel better.

Anyway, I took Dash to Walmart the other day and decided to check their kid's bedding again. They had a big, ugly Batman comforter. Dash made a beeline for it and declared it his. The feel of it kind of made my skin tingle (not in a good way). I figured, what the heck? For $40 I will no longer be annoyed with an oversized comforter, AND my kid will be happy. (He thanked me profusely when we got home. He is a thankful little dude, thank God we're doing something right.)

Are you ready for the point of this post? Whew, I am. The quality of this comforter is not very good. I threw it in the washer, fine. Then, I put it in the dryer. One of those "old school" dryers with no moisture sensor. Yeah, I sort of fried the batting in a few parts of the comforter. I made it worse.

So, what did I learn this week? Go for quality, even if it costs a little more. And, don't put a crappy comforter in a small dryer. Now, to do something about those flowery curtains in the boy's room...

This post is linked to What I Learned This Week over at Musings of a Housewife

Weekend Cooking

Here is my weekend of cooking in pictures. I would like to note that I've never made my own pizza crust before. I'm actually afraid of yeast, and try to avoid making anything that requires it. Except I did make The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls one year. They are pretty darn good. I got myself PW's cookbook for Christmas and was drooling looking through it again this weekend. Acme was out of the frozen dough I usually get, so I thought, "Time to get over it. Make your own." So, I did. And, it was fabulous. 

The boy loves a good spatula

Blueberry pancakes, nom nom nom. Love my griddle!

Popeyes a la The Pioneer Woman. When we used to make these at camp,
we put 2 slices of bacon over the eggs, but I didn't have any. Hear that PW? Add bacon!

PW's pizza crust (from the cookbook)

Tidy Mom's Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cake, made into a trifle. I've made this before with perfect results, but this time my filling came out runny. I blame the natural peanut butter. The family and I walked this over to our sweet neighbors, who used their snowblower to help us with the end of our driveway in the recent snow storms. They (and their teenagers) also dug out our elderly neighbors.
I love seeing neighbors helping neighbors.