It's savings time...again!

Yep, you've asked that I give you a heads up when those rock 'em, sock 'em, kick them out of the park kind of savings come around, and it's here...again.
You would have laughed at my friend and me, sitting around the moms' snack room while our kids were in their weekly home school classes, clipping coupons, and stuffing our coupon binders. Of which mine has now been completed upgraded for this non organizer.
I think we ended up explaining the CVS "game" and double coupons for three straight hours.
It was a site to behold (or laugh at...it's ok, I am fine with that :)
Anyhow, she pulled out the Kmart flyer...yes, you guessed it.
Kmart is doubling coupons up to, and including $2.
Do you remember all of this, and how much I saved?
I know, I know....I don't have the time to go either, but it's SO worth it.
You'll be thanking me afterwards.
Remember, if you procrastinate like I did, the shelves may be empty.
So head on over there tomorrow.
The "details" are the same as last time.
**They will DOUBLE $2 manufacturer coupons
(you can't use internet coupons for this).
That means if you if you have a $2 item and have a $1 coupon for it,
yes...it's free! Body wash...free! Cleaning supplies - $.50.
There are oodles of free or nearly free things to be had...
it's yours for the taking -
if you hurry.
Just a small showing of what I found the last time around for pennies on the dollar. Deals vary from store to store (especially if you have a few other thrifty ladies in your area...hee hee).
Edited to add a $5 off/$50 coupon...yipee
I am scrambling to get my house ready, but
come back tomorrow and I will share the budget balancer that I accomplished today.
$39.96 of marinated pork tenderloin from the meat department for only $9.96.
This meal will grace our table tomorrow evening for the
company that is coming for a week. And the reason I am scrambling? Well, my daughter put it so eloquently today as she proclaimed to 40 some people, "Our house is a wreck."
But you know how I love "Homestead Hospitality."
It will soon be a haven. :)
And yes, as much as you were all pulling for Mocha, she is finally back in her rightful place (which isn't the porch swing).

Homestead Hospitality...only at my 'haven'

I sincerely believe in the spirit of a "Welcome Home" mentality.
I want every single one of you to feel as if you could "make yourself at home" on our home stead, and come away refreshed and renewed from your stay.
I desire our home to be a hiatus...a place where real life happens. Yet in the midst of that real life, an oasis of safety and security dwells.

With that being proclaimed from every ounce of my sincere soul, I want you to take notice of my side bar. A haven of hospitality is one of the things I passionately pursuit.
But come on....this is ridiculous...even I have some boundaries!

No lie...no photoshop...no exaggeration...
just MY LIFE of balancing beauty and bedlam.

This is what I woke up to this morning.

Mocha, the Menace, taking advantage of my homestead hospitality...
much to my chagrin.
"Boys, Mocha got loose again, go take care of her this instant."

"Awww, but mom.....look how cute Mocha looks all cuddled up on our coach swing."

TWELVE HOURS LATER.....

What in the world ever happened to first time obedience by my excellent listeners?

Make yourself at home for the night, Mocha, and enjoy this peaceful place of refuge, because once 'Morning has broken,' you are so back in the woods...eating our weeds like a good goat ought to be doing.

(All I can say is that she is so lucky that I just took off the slip cover I "made" - ok, so maybe it was fabric that I just draped across to look cute, but still.....)

Yes, just another day of balancing beauty and bedlam - don't you want to join me? There's room for one or two more on this swing.

DIY - Even you can do this!

As I have shared unabashedly, I am a crafter copycat. That's right, this blog world here has made me into a complete thief, and am I proud of it.

Yet, I still do have those moments where the creative juices whirl and all those originally suppressed designer emotions come rushing to the surface.
This is one of those times. Yes, ladies, I have done it.
It is with much joy and excitement that I share a creative brainstorm, something that I can Show and Tell. Something that I didn't steal from another blog. So, if by chance you have already done something like this, and therefore, probably better than I, it's ok, I am a big girl. I can handle it, and really want to see it.

You see this brainstorm is only the tip of the iceberg. What I am posting took two minutes of drawer digging. (And ten minutes trying to figure out how to take pictures of candlelight on this fancy camera. I still can't figure that out...sigh). Anyhow, once you delicious, designer delights get your hands on this idea, it will be so fun to see what you do with it.
Ladies...it's free....and beautiful!
So here goes.
We all have those unmatched stem glasses
that we aren't quite sure what to do with, right?
(I guess I am making an assumption that people hang onto things like I do...hmm....this could be a wrong assumption. :)
Well, for those of you who haven't quite brought the unmatched ones to Good will yet, get them out.
Examine them, and see what you have to work with -
sizes, shapes, width of the stemware etc.

Turn those glasses over..... and start having some fun.
What candles do you have laying around?
Pumpkins, gourds, pinecones?

White votives work.....


Or maybe a combination of fall colored candles might be better?

I am trying to stick with the fall theme, and can you believe my entire box of fall decorations are still in my attic? Yep, it's been one of those months, so I went with what I had on hand in the kitchen. (I am heading up to get my boxes out tomorrow, and then I will have LOTS of fun with this.)
Depending on the size of the cup, you could put decorative leaves underneath, small acorns/pine cones...anything that you might have in your apothecary jars right now.
Yep, you guessed it.
We had candy corn in ours....oh, and did I mention that I got it FREE at CVS...ladies, I am just sayin' :)
Since my mantel is dusty, and I didn't want to waste all of our precious candy corn before I could refill my jars, I just put in a few for effect. When I buy some more, I will fill the cups almost to the top - too cute.

I am just playing around with the different glasses, and heights.
I think the pumpkin is a fun variation.
Can you see the potential for varying themes over the different holidays?
I obviously wouldn't keep the arrangement like this since it's off balance, but I want you to have fun "playing with me." What works, what doesn't?

For Christmas, I can envision holly berries or peppermint candies under the glasses.
Valentine's Day....hearts, red candles, red beads.....oh, I could go on for hours.
On a dining room table, a simply elegant look would be all white candles on larger stemmed glasses with varying sizes. Arranging these on mirrors with glass beads underneath would illuminate the candlelight in a magical way.
Oh yippee - I am trying this tomorrow for dinner and I will let you know.
Prime Rib, anyone?
The Nester has us all looking at plates in a new way, so why not stemware? The wheels are turning now, can't wait to hear some of your ideas.
Thanks for letting me have fun with my thrifty new decorating discovery. I hope you enjoy it and have lots of brainstorms as well.

And just to keep the real life balance of beauty and bedlam in perspective....
this if for those of you who ask how I do it all.
I CAN NOT!!
This is what I should have been doing while I was taking those pictures -
working on climbing laundry mountain, and sorting clothes for Good Will.

Oh, but wait....if I am showing my bedlam, then just pick up the laundry on the coach and look what's hiding underneath. A few yard sale finds....the cutest designer purse ever, and some uber cool Kenneth Cole boots. Brand spanking new. Oh yea...I am a styling momma. And just wait till my designer duds on a dime post...hee hee... then I'll let you know how much I paid. And what they were retail ( I googled them, yep, I did).
Don't think for a minute I paid $10 for them...not me. :)
(edited to add: I am laughing because I totally forgot this laundry mess was in here for my Show and Tell post...oops. Well, nice to meet you, just keeping it real. xoxo)

To drink or not to drink...

We spend countless hours with our Middle School/High School aged sons talking about choices.
One of my responsibilities as a parent is not only to love, inspire, nurture, etc, etc. , but to give them the tools of learning, and the ability to ask the hard questions...especially those difficult life questions.
I don't want them to regurgitate spiritually sound "Jesus" answers that they think I expect. They know those too well growing up in our home,
and I abhor hypocrisy.
Our desire is to raise thinkers.
Thinkers, who examine a situation through the lens of absolute truth, will find that it holds up under scrutiny.
So, my young sons, here is the "tool" you need to question this issue accurately, and arrive at a valid conclusion.
I have dug deep into my reservoir of wealth
to find what might bring the truth to light.
To drink or not to drink...that is the question?
So, please my teen age sons, I desire your sincere contemplation on the consequences of underage drinking.

Pray, ponder, persevere....pretty please.

Yep, the consequence of sin.

Don't worry, boys, when it truly becomes a temptation, you can bet your mom will do a bit more than just show this picture.....xoxo

Fuh-net-ics- HELP!

I've mentioned now and then that we home school.

Yep - I sure do, but this post isn't about that fact .
It's about the English language, and my poor kids trying to learn it.
Do you understand how crazy our phonetic system is?
Do you know how hard it is for some children
to decode words, no matter how hard they try?
Tell me why in the world there are EIGHT different ways to spell the LONG A sound?
Think about it.....
ey (they), ay(pay), ai (pail), a-e(cake), ei (as in veil),eigh (weight),ea(break)....
do you get the picture?
Since all five of my children are SO dramatically different in terms of their learning styles,
I have contemplated it all.
I mean good grief...I even speak at home school conferences, for goodness sake.
So when one son read The Hobbit in second grade and polished off The Lord of the Rings by third, I contemplated how easy this home schooling thing was.
And then I began to teach my daughter, and life changed
(insert pretend reflective post on all the monumental ways this mom has grown through teaching this precious blessing).
This delightful 9 year old of mine has struggled.
My precious, kind hearted, responsible, and diligent worker .......struggling...... with the fuh-ne-tics of the English Language.
So when this phone conversation occurred Sunday evening with my hubby....I just had to share, lest I be driven to drink.
(Studying American History, and being the good home school mom that I am, I thought we should rent an educational video.)
Here is what I overheard from my daughter who dialogged as straight faced and sincerely as Mother Teresa.

"Daddy, we picked out a family night movie.....
yes, it's called the DIARRHEA of Anne Frank."

Poor, poor Anne....first hiding people in her attic, and now this!