Got Coupons?

I have a confession ... I love couponing. It's a new hobby, but dang is it fun!
Last week, I went to Target, coupons in hand and for $2.22 out of pocket I got:
4 boxes of Frosted Mini-Wheats
1 pack of feminine products
1 bottle of hand soap
All products I use - not bad at all!

Couponing is pretty overwhelming to a newbie - there are tons of sites out there, and since I'm a singleton, I never thought it was for me. (Since I don't need diapers, 12 tubes of toothpaste or 6 gallons of milk!) I'm taking it easy so far, though. I don't buy products I don't need, unless it is something I can donate to charity easily. (In the past, when I participated food drives, I would purchase food just for the cause - now I can donate food I bought for free/cheap!)

My two favorite sites so far are Money Saving Mom and She Saved. I've also found some great deals at Slick Deals (especially around the holidays!)

Let me know if you have any other sites you use, I'd love to bookmark them. Happy (cheap) shopping!

I Believe

I saw this recently and thought it was a great message.

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
Pictures show that we lived!
And read this slowly.

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe....
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe....
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe....
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe....
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs
to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe....
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe....
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe....
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays
you've celebrated.

I Believe....
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe....
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe....
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I Believe...
That you should send this to people that you believe in, I just did.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything they have

Cleaning out my Stash

Local ladies ... are you looking for some discounted crafty goodness? Several of my friends are on design teams (and get lots of extra product!) and we're having a scrapbooking garage sale on Saturday, March 20. There are over ten of us participating, so you're guaranteed to get a wide variety with a bunch of great stuff.

My word this year is simplify - so I'm working on organizing, purging and using my stash! And since the sale isn't held at a LSS, I'll actually get cash and not just store credit (to buy more!!)

Wish me luck with sorting and pricing ... :)

Pen Pal, anyone?

Did you used to have a pen pal? Wish you still did? (Anyone else remember which teen magazine had the pen pal sign up in the back??)

Reform School is launching an international Pen Pal program and I'm pretty excited to sign up! If you're local to LA, they're even having a 'club' meeting to discuss the program ... if not, no big deal, we'll get our pen pal matches after the meeting on March 15. To sign up, just send an email with the basics: name, address, hobbies, etc.

Yay for more fun mail!

Good Grief: Use the Alphabet

A new challenge was posted at Good Grief: to use the alphabet in my layouts.

I took a different alphabet interpretation to both my layouts. I decided to use the alphabet as a springboard, and tell the story of how Kath changed her last name several years ago.

A True Family Name
Journaling: Kath & Grandma went to Sweden in June 1999… the trip changed their lives. After she returned home, Kath decided she needed to honor her Swedish heritage, and her Grandpa. She went from a Waters to a Johanson.

I have always called my Grandma, “Grandma Em”, so this was an easy letter to pick! I wanted to document the story of how she became Grandma Em (despite not being an Emily!), so it worked well for this challenge. This was inspired by a Studio Calico class I took at CKC.

Grandma M
Journaling: Before she was a Mom & Grandma, she earned a degree from UW and worked at a dairy. Story goes that she wore an extra jumpsuit, embroidered with “Em.” She was never Grandma Marion or Finnegan, always Grandma M. And I’m proud I made her a Grandma.

Thanks for looking!

Lovely Package Exchange

lovely package exchange:
Originally uploaded by ohhellofriend

Do you like getting fun mail? I just signed up for the Lovely Package Exchange over on Oh Hello Friend. What is it? A chance to get a crafty mail partner, send them a gift worth $25-30 (with pretty wrapping!) and receive something fun and pretty in the mail. Signups end on 3/9, with gifts sent during the month of March.

You can see more of the past packages on the Flickr site. Yay for adding a bit of cheer to mailboxes across the world!