Coupon Envelopes Project

My latest and greatest project was making coupon envelopes. I was using this super awesome system (insert sarcasm) of shoving all my coupons in a ziploc bag and doubling my grocery shopping time while I searched for coupons and got in everyones away. I decided enough is enough. I began researching coupon organizing systems on the internet and found binders, and acordian files and all sorts of contraptions. Some of them looked like something I would want to try but I am cheap and didn't want to pay for them, lol. So, I got the creative juices flowing and made envelopes. This is not a new idea, lots of people use envelopes, but I wanted something pretty. Its a simple idea really, one envelope per coupon category and you're good to go.

Here is what I did for my envelopes:

Supplies:
Pretty Craft Paper ( I used scrapbooking paper since they were thicker)
Envelope Template
Pencil
Scissors
Glue Stick
Pen or Marker to label envelopes

Direction:
Turn over scrapbooking paper and trace your envelope pattern on to paper.
Cut pattern out and fold flaps to make envelope shape.
Glue the two side and bottom flaps together. Let Dry
Write coupon categories on envelopes

The coupon categories are completely up to you and your needs. Some of the categories I chose were:
Dairy
Pet Food/Supplies
Health and Beauty
Cleaning Supplies and Paper Goods
Frozen Food
Snacks
Cereal and Breakfast foods
Drinks
Baking Supplies
Restaurants
Pasta/Rice
Canned Goods

I think there are a couple more but that is what I remember off the top of my head. They are in the pictures, lol. Now all my coupons are organized into their envelopes and this will hopefully make things a little easier when I am grocery shopping.

Pillow Pets

Just about anyone who has a small child knows what a Pillow Pet is. Its an adorable stuffed animal that also unfolds to become a pillow. They are very cute and very cuddly and alot of little kids wants one, including mine.

C is determined to get the purple unicorn pillow pet. Not sure what it is about the unicorn but that is the one she wants.  Her birthday is coming up so maybe, hopefully, she will get her unicorn.

However, a new Pillow Pet has made its home in my house tonight and its all my fault. Don't get me wrong, I love pillow pets but I am not ready to pay $20 for one. So here is what happened........

C and I were at Walmart picking up a few things when I saw the Valentine Dog Pillow Pet. He is a cute red puppy with a white tummy and red hearts. I showed C this cute little fur ball and she fell in love. She grabbed that Pillow Pet and wrapped her cute little arms around him and started cuddling. Uh oh Jenn, what are you going to do now??!! Well, thinking my almost 4 year old daughter would understand we couldnt get one today and maybe some other time, I took that little fur ball out of her grasp and placed it back on the display. HUGE MISTAKE!!!! She did not throw a tantrum. Nope, she just let out small pathethic little sobs. Ugh, I felt so horrible! I figured she would be okay in a couple minutes until the giant crocodile tears decided to make their appearence. Great!!!! So guess who went back and got that little red fur ball for C??!! Yep, me.

Lesson learned....don't show your kid something that is so gosh darn cute that if you dont get it for them their world as they know it will seem like its ending, lol.

If you have no idea what a Pillow Pet is here is the link to their website and to the Pillow Pet I spoke about here. Enjoy the cuteness. Oh and BTW, any and all nice things I have to say about Pillow Pets are my opinion and only my opinion, no one paid me to say it.  :) 

http://www.mypillowpets.com/pages/pillows/valentinedog.html

Well hello there

Wow! It's been way too long since I have blogged. Bad Jenn, lol. I am going to try in 2011 to blog more.  So, happy belated 2011!! See you soon :)

Need a break and feeling guilty

I am a stay at home mom, and I chose to be a stay at home mom. I could go to work full time but the costs of daycare doesnt make it worth it. I love my daughter, I love her more than anything on this planet but I need a break. I feel so guilty about writing this but its true. I need some time alone. Im not asking for alot just maybe a day, two max and I think I will feel better. Every mom needs a break right? Why do I feel guilty about this?! We have never been apart more then eight hours in the three years she has been in my life. I hope I feel better soon, Im told I shouldnt feel guilty but I do.

Happy Veterans Day

Today is the day that we honor all the brave men and women who served in the US Military. I can proudly say that I served in the US Navy for six years. My husband is going on ten years serving in the Navy and is ready to put in another ten plus years. The military has been good to us. I would not trade this for the world. Yes, times can be rough but at the end of the day I have the most important thing in the world, the love of my husband and daughter.

Sometimes I wish we had more then one day to honor those who served. Yes, I am a vet but I think there are many more who gave alot more then me. I never saw combat, I never went to a war zone. My job was making sure my fellow service members were ready medically speaking to go into combat. I think there needs to be more done for them. 

I am so happy to see people showing their appreciation for our servicemembers today and I just pray that their appreciation, thoughts and prayers continue beyond today. Thank you to those who support our troops and pray for them every day.   We still have many brave men and women overseas protecting our country and need our prayers and support. Thank you to all my fellow veterans and thank you to those who are still putting their lives on the lines to protect this great country.

Trying to save money

We moved to Connecticut a couple months ago and as of right now I am not working or going to school. Money is a little tight, it is for most families right now. I have started a quest to save money. I check blogs for coupons, check out coupon sites for coupons, and try to get free samples when I can (samples usually = coupons so its a win win). I have even started buying more store brands because those few cents can add up. One of the biggest things I am trying to do is shop at the Commissary. The Commissary is a grocery store on military bases. I guess you can compare it to Wal-mart. The prices are usually pretty much the same but the commissary is usually tax free. If there is one thing I have learned to buy at the commissary it is meat. This brings me to my point:

I was picking up a few things for dinner tonight. I'm making chili. I was checking out the ground turkey because its usually cheaper, tastes just as yummy as ground beef and its healthier. I found one pound packets of ground white meat turkey for 50 cents a pack!!! After I went a little turkey crazy, I had 6 pounds of ground turkey in my cart. A grand total of $3.00 for 6 pounds of turkey. Why was it so cheap you ask?? Because the sell/freeze by date was today. Thats okay with me. I will use 2 pounds for the chili tonight (freeze leftovers for a later time) and still have four pounds for another use. I'm so proud of myself.

I think my money saving quest is paying off. Hopefully..........

Ok, so its been a while

It has been way too long since I wrote something on here, so I figured it was about time that I did.

C told me the other day that she hates it here. It broke my heart. She told me that she hated the house here, specifically the fans, and wanted to go back to North Carolina. I knew this was too good to be true. C didn't cry once during the moving process. I was so worried that she would start sobbing at the sight of her toys being packed up and put on a truck. Nope, not a tear. So here we are, two months later, and its biting me in the butt. What is a mom to do when not only she is miserable but so is her baby?!?!?!

The solution: C and I went to Lowe's today and picked out some paint to make her room pretty. She picked out the lightest shade of pink that I have ever seen. Hubby can't even tell the difference between the shade of pink and regular white paint, lol. Hopefully this weekend we can start to paint her room and make this place a little nicer for her. We live in military housing, so there isn't much I can do about the ugly fans. Then, we went to Target and picked out a simple white and pink lamp for her room. I just need to find some other inexpensive things to make her room her own little paradise.

The second thing I need to work on is meeting some people. I am a bit of a recluse and I can sometimes have a hard time meeting people. Hubby on the flip side can make friends with anyone and everyone. I don't need a lot of friends, just a couple women that I can hang out with and maybe have a glass of wine with and vent or chit chat. C needs to make some friends too. I feel so bad that we have lived here for two months now and she doesn't have a friend yet. I saw that the base youth center is having sign ups for dance classes on Monday. I hope C is old enough to get into one. I think it would be a perfect chance for her to make friends and hopefully a chance for me to meet some other moms. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Other then that, things are same as usual. C and I are still working on letter crafts and other projects that I come up with. I have been baking and cooking up a storm just to pass the time.

That's it for now. I promise I wont stay away for so long this time.