Life and Such

This past April 22nd was our doggie Riley's adoptaversary! We celebrated by bringing him a couple small gifts and taking him on 3 long walks during the day! He's so adorable, I just had to play with him a bit!

I can't believe it's already been one year since we adopted this little guy! He's such a great dog!

Posing for this picture was not something he planned on doing! Scratching his neck under his collar however did work.

Today I hung out with my mom. She wanted some help couponing at Target so I obliged! She wound up saving a lot of money, so I think I finally opened her eyes to never paying full price for anything, since she is always so stressed out about money! While we were there I found a few goodies on clearance, which sprouted my plan for what I want to do with the kitchen! We have to get rid of the awful purple floral wallpaper.

My current kitchen items and gadgets are all red. I have salt and pepper shakers and small canisters I found at target about 6 years ago that are beige with cherries all over them (I love cherries!) But I didn't want an all red and beige kitchen.

Then it happened:

I found these large canisters on clearance for $2.48 each! My mom thinks the colors clash and look terrible together, but when I saw them next to each other on the shelf, I found the combination oddly appealing! So I snatched both them, and a matching aqua paper towel holder ($3.74 on clearance). It will be nice to incorporate another color into the kitchen, so I am definitely looking forward to expanding a little.

And how was your week?!

Bored Inc!

I'm not going to lie, there are so many tshirt sites on the internet to buy shirts from, that Bored Inc somehow slipped right past me! Then I stumbled upon a giveaway for a Bored Inc shirt at Cake Mom (Thank you again!!!) , so on a whim I decided to enter, and I won! Much to my surprise, as there were over 120 comments.

I chose this shirt:

Mainly because it cracked me up and made me smile. There are a TON of adorable and hilarious designs and sayings to choose from, in everything from t-shirts to belts to tote bags to magnets to onesies for babies. A couple other faves:

It showed up today while I was at work! The shirt is amazingly soft and the print is crisp on the front. I put it on to make sure it fit, and it fits perfectly. Then my dear husband came out of the shower and cracked up.

All in all, if you haven't heard of Bored Inc, you should for sure check them out for all kinds of adorable-ness!

Smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

Smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

Has anyone checked this out?

It's a great site and it's completely free to sign up!

What it is, is a network of consumers who participate in social media programs and receive different products and services. They talk—the world listens.

As a member you get to be among the first people to learn about new brands and products, and in some instances to even try them out.

I just joined myself!

Potential Job offer!

I've been working in retail for the last year, after getting my massage license and being unable to find any work in that field. My friend works at a renal dialysis clinic, and her boss asked me to fill out an application there to become a Patient Care Technician.

I find out the end of this week, if I will officially be offered the job.

This job would mean so much to me and my hubbs. We've been struggling monetarily for months now. My hours at work dropped off, his did too, so we were barely working and not bringing in enough money. 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me! 

I've wanted to begin working in the healthcare field for a while now, and this could be a great step into it for me!

UBP2010 After-Party

So the UBP 2010 is officially over! I had a fabulous time, and I'm very much glad I participated in it! I've gained a few new followers, found a ton of blogs I was excited to follow, and hopefully can form many more friendships through it all!

Blogs I found out about through the UBP:

1 - Chi-Annie: at the table - I haven't had much luck finding bloggers from roughly the same area as I am in, and I came across this blog  :)

2 - Handbags & Handguns 

3 - Bitsy Baby Photography - I love photography and this blog has some amazingly beautiful shots in it!

Now that's just 3, but I have found and begun following WAYYYY more than 3. I look forward to updates from all of you in your blogs!

Tagged!

Kate over at Some Dreams Come True tagged me in a couple of fun posts! I'm going to do what she did and combine them into one post :)

First - a handwriting game. Grab a piece of paper and write down:

1. Name / Blog name
2. Right handed, Left handed or Both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letter to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
6. Write in CAPS-CRAB-HUMOR-KALEIDOSCOPE-PAJAMAS-GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing

 

And Secondly - some questions!

1. Who is your style icon? 

I don't really have one, but I do generally love the way Alyson Hannigan dresses!

2. What is your favorite book?

I'm a big fan of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty

  And of course the Twilight series (I'm addicted!)

3. Favorite Party Theme?

Luaus are always fun! I love 80s parties though!

Me & 3 of my friends went to Awesome 80s Prom in Chicago before I met my now husband.

  

4. Go to Halloween costume? 

I generally just pull out an old costume and tweak it a little bit. This bee one has been pretty popular for me!

5. Extravagance You can't live without? Not sure if this counts, but my camera!

6. Living person you admire? My best friend David. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006. Went through chemo and radiation for months, and he is doing just fine now. 

7. Greatest Fear? Either losing somebody I love,drowning, or not being able to have children.

8. Trait(s) you deplore in yourself? I am constantly worried about something, sometimes for no reason. This leads to me biting my nails. A LOT. Hate it. Ack!

9. What talent would you most like to have?

I would LOVE to be able to play the guitar.

10. What is your greatest achievement?

Ya know.. I'm not entirely sure I know. If I had to answer right away, I would say passing all of those horrifying anatomy classes during massage school. Ironically now I LOVE reading about anatomy and learning more things, and am debating on going BACk to school :)

Same group of bloggers tagged! Hope to see some fun answers soon! 

2010 Ultimate Blog Party

Heard about this through a fellow July 2009 bride (Go say hi to Kate), and I loved the idea! So here goes!

I'm Vicki, and I'm 27 years old. I married my dear husband On July 10, 2009. As you can see, he hates buttoning jackets. We are currently trying to have a baby. I am a state licensed massage therapist, and a manager for a retail store (SUUUUCKS!), but the economy definitely isn't helping that situation. I do side work as a wedding and event photographer. I'm relatively new to the world of blogging, but I'm having a great time learning and exploring, as well as reading other blogs and getting inspirations for everything. I LOVE photography, and generally wind up posting a lot of pictures in my posts. Since wedding planning disappeared from my world, I've begun crafting to fill the void it left. I love to be creative, and I love planning things. 

We have 2 cats, Glitter (7) and Hendrix (11), who I have had since before I even met my hubbs.

Glitter above, Hendrix below

We also have one dog. His name is Riley, and we adopted him from animal control in Chicago on 4-22-09.  His adoptaversary is coming up! We have loved every moment of having him. Most people think I'm a bit insane for the amount of photos of him I have.

Riley loves playing in the hose when it's hot outside!

In case this post didn't give it away or anything, I have a tendency to ramble...and jump from topic to topic. Keeps my little world interesting!

If there is anything you want to know, do not hesitate to ask, I'm hoping to make some new blogger friends!  :)

Thanks for looking!

XOXO

-V

Top 3 Prizes would be :

US39 -  Be My Guest certificate ($250 value) for one lucky winner, (2 night stay for a family of four) at any Hilton Garden Inn.

USC3 - A $50.00 Target Gift Card.

USC8 - $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com Gift code will be emailed to the winner and can be used for purchases from Amazon.com.

Other Faves:

US48, US36, US23, US18

Spring has Sprung!!

The $20 Challenge

My dear husband doesn't understand the joy of couponing. His argument is that couponing just makes people buy things that they don't need, or won't use, just to get a deal. Which I guess could be true, although I know many people that get free items via couponing and then donate them to animal shelters, hospitals, or send them to Iraq. So I don't know. He decided to give me $20 to see what I could do, saying that everything I bought had to be something that we need or would use. I chose Target and Meijer as my stores of choice for this challenge, and off I went.

Meijer

The Goodies:

2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights : on sale for 99¢ each

Used 2 75¢ / 1 coupons (SS 3/28/10)

Cost: 24¢ each

2 Snuggle Exhilarations Sweet Blossom and Pomegranate fabric softener sheets (70 count)

Priced at $3.48 each

Used 2 $3/1 coupons (SS 3/28/10)

Total cost: 48¢ each

3 Boxes Of Barilla Pasta

On sale for 89¢ each

Used Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1 off 3

Cost $1.67

2 V-8 VFusion Juices

On sale 2 for $5

Used 2 $1/1 printable coupons- Found Here

Used Meijer Mealbox $1/2 coupon

Cost: $2.00

Always Pads

On sale for $4.95

Used BO GO (12-22 count) free coupon from 4/4 PG

Register decided to take off the $4.95 for the larger package, rather than the $2.99 for the smaller package

Cost : $2.99 for both packages combined.

Cost Wrap Up!

Meijer Promotions Savings : $2.02

Meijer Ad Savings : $6.20

Coupon Savings: $14.45

Total Savings: $22.67

Final Price: $9.36

Amount remaining from $20 challenge - $10.64

Annnnd onto Target!

The Goods:

4 Banquet Frozen Dinners (yes, healthy I know!) : 

Priced at 89¢ each

Used $1.50/4 coupon - Found Here

 Cost: $2.06 for all 4

Degree Invisible Solid Men's Deodorant
Priced at $1.97 each

Used $1.25/1 Coupon - Found Here (as well as some other good coupons!)

Cost: 72¢

1 Package Ball Park Angus Beef Franks

On sale for $2.49

Used 75¢/1 Coupon found on http://www.coupons.com

Cost: $1.74

4 Pack Activia Yogurt

Price Drop to $1.87 per 4 pack

Used $1/1 coupon from SS 3-28-10

Cost: 87¢

Trial Size Clean & Clear Morning Burst facial scrub

Priced at 97¢

Used $1/1 coupon from 3-28-10 SS

Cost: FREE

Trial Size Johnson's Lavender & Chamomile lotion

Priced at 97¢

Used $1/1 coupon from 3-28-10 SS

Cost : FREE

Trial Size Tide 2x Laundry detergent

Priced at 97¢

Used $1/1 coupon from 4/4/10 PG

Cost: FREE

Tums Extra Strength 750 (116 tablets)

Priced at $3.89 on sale

Used $1/1 printable - Found Here

Cost: $2.89

1 Jar of Ragu

Price Dropped to $1.87

No coupons, had just run out at home!

Cost : $1.87

$0.05 credit for bringing my reusable shopping bag

Cost Wrap Up!

Total saved : $9.55

Final Cost: $10.62

Amount left in $20 challenge : $0.02

I'm waiting for him to get home and see my victory now!

XOXO

-V

Laura's Baby Shower - March 28th, 2010

After a month or so of going back and forth on decor and invite ideas, Laura's baby shower has come and gone. She absolutely loved it, and I got a lot of compliments on the color choices and the decorations. Figured I would share some pictures of it, as I found all my inspiration by peering onto other people's blogs :)

The food and gift tables as well as the banner that I had printed using graphics from My Grarfico - Alisha McConnell

Balloons - We had blue hearts saying "Baby Boy" a handful of Mod Monkey balloons, and some banana bunch balloons.

Plastic Coconut bowls filled with Banana runts

The Welcome posted I designed and printed using vistaprint.com

The favors - cleaned out baby food jars with the labels removed. Hot glued fabric and ribbon to the lid, and printed out labels. The jars are filled with pastel colored Sixlets candies, and more banana runts

The awesome frame my boss made! I didn't get a picture after we put the ultrasound picture in it though :(

The cake was delicious! Bought the sitting baby cake topper at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the little stuffed monkey from Target's toy section

The centerpieces for the table. The planter pots doubled as prizes for the raffles we held during the shower. I wanted something that was reminiscent of a palm tree, but wasn't one of those tissue paper ones, so ostrich feathers took that place and I love love love how they came out.

A bundle of monkeys for the "head table" i.e. the family table.

Presents galore!

All in all the shower was a success! everyone had a great time and baby Luca has officially been showered! He is scheduled to arrive at the end of the month!

XOXO

-V

Saving Money! Coupon Crazy :)

I know it's been a while :( I've been neglectful to this blog. Life went back to being chaotic again!

This week started K-Marts Super Doubles event. Doubling coupons is fabulous, although their new 5 coupons doubled limit kind of kills it a little. Luckily it's close by home, so it's not out of the way to go up there and take advantage of the sale!

I went to K-Mart this morning with my stack of coupons in my hand. I walked out with this:

I know i know, microwave steamer bags take all the nutrients out of the steamed veggies I love so much, however since we are always on the go, they are more practical for us to use, and we love them nonetheless.

I walked out with:

3 packages of Large Ziploc Zip 'N Steam bags : $2.89 each at the store.

Used 3 of the $1/1 coupons from the 3/28 SS insert
Final Cost: $0.89 each after doubling!

Hartz Crunch N Clean dog biscuits : $3.99 each
Used one printable $2/1 coupon (Found Here)
Final Cost: FREE

1 Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth deodorant: on sale for $3.79
Used printable $2/1 ( Found Here )
Final Cost: FREE

Left me enough money to pick up that cute red shirt in their $1.99 Winter clearance clothing!
Total Saved: $7.38
Final Transaction Cost : $5.56

Annnnd Walgreens:

 There weren't too many completely awesome deals at Walgreens this week, however I did score a few goodies for a small price!
1 box 30 Tuf trash bags : $2.99 after coupon in Walgreens ad
1 package Pilot Frixion gel pens : Sale for $1.19
Used $1/1 from Walgreens April coupon book
Total: $0.19

Walgreens storage bags:
$0.99 after in ad coupon

Dawn hand soap:
Normal price : $1.99
Used $0.99 coupon in Walgreens ad
Used $0.50/1 coupon from 4/4 PG Brandsaver
Final cost: $0.49

Total savings: $8.70 (includes sales, and coupon savings)
Final Cost: $5.03



So it was fun. I like saving money, especially since we're just not making enough right now! And we will be well stocked on the things we run out of after this week is over :)

I'm working on putting more things up in my Etsy shop as well.

I'm actually thinking about learning how to make soaps and candles, but we shall see.

I wish there were more hours in a day!

XOXO
-V