Stove top potpourri

I have an amazing recipe for a stove top potpourri.  It smells so good when its on I can smell it throughout the house.  There are different ways to "cook" it I guess you could call it.  It can be put in a pan and sat on the stove and heated up like that OR you could put it in a empty candle jar and put it on a candle warmer OR even in a small crock pot.  I have a empty candle jar I put mine in and turn it on and it does take longer for it to heat up and smell good but once you turn it on you don't have to worry about it.  When heating on the stove you actually should monitor it more often and the smell ends up disappearing if you don't keep the stove going.  

1 fresh orange
1 Cinnamon stick or powder
cloves
a jar or pan
1 1/2 cups water
fresh or dried cranberries

SLICE the orange leave the peel on and put in jar add cinnamon stick or pinch of the powder, a couple cloves, water and cranberries.
 STOVE TOP:
 turn on high for 5 minutes till boiling turn off and forget about it until you no longer can smell it and then repeat.
Candle warmer:
turn on and set jar on there and forget about it

* The only maintenance required is re adding water when it starts soaking up and drying out.  I have used the same "batch" for a week or so and it did fine.  If you don't plan to use it everyday i recommend switching it out or setting the "mixture" in the fridge when not in use. 
 * Penny Pinching Tip:
I buy cranberries in the fall every year for Thanksgiving so I'll pick out the not so pretty ones for my potpourri same with my orange. 
ENJOY!!!

Elf on the Shelf

Happy Monday!!!  It is 1 week until Christmas and I am bummed.  I know who would think with all the shopping, singing, and beautiful lights out.  However, I am bummed about our Elf having to go back to the North Pole.  This was our 1st year with Scuba Steve ( the elf) and he has been a delight.  My little guy gets so excited when he gets up in the mornings and runs around looking for him it puts a smile on my face as well as my husbands.  I will say he is a rotten Elf,  his first night at our house he put my sons underwear on the fireplace

Then after that he slowed his game down a little bit 2nd night he put toilet paper on the Christmas tree

Then he decided to have a campfire on my dinning room table with a marshmallow and my candle.

Dancing with my angel. 

I sorta have been slacking with taking pictures these last few days and quiet honest they haven't been as creative and CUTE!!!!   I did find him in a pickle jar one morning and lets just say he STILL smells like a pickle almost 2 weeks later!!! 

Today he brought candy back that he took last night along with more candy. 

We also use the don't touch rule with Scuba Steve we don't want him to loose his magic and not be able to report back to Santa.

However, this means we have to try and get Scuba Steve out of sight before our son goes to bed because he asks a million questions of how does he leave when does he leave, why does he leave, who are his parents, where does he live, where does he live, what does he eat, and on and on.  So in this situation we have decided to remove Scuba Steve early to help eliminate some questions and help us enforce he is going to report back to Santa.

I think anyway you interact with your Elf on the Shelf is a positive experience.  Think of him or her as a behavioral tool.  lol.. I know it sounds stupid but really its the only time of the year that your children are afraid they wont get a present so take advantage of the "tool".  My son is a handful sometimes and all I say is "the Elf" is watching and he is going to go tell Santa and he USUALLY straightens up.  However, most kids are excited about Santa and don't want to disappoint him cause he gives good gifts, if they only knew what we know. 
Happy Holidays

Coupon Tips

  Today is SUNDAY coupon day!!!!  Sundays should be a dedicated coupon day.  My husband works weekends so on Sunday's I dinner started in the crock pot and start clipping.  I am not an extreme coupon addict however, I love my coupons.  I will ONLY clip what I will use when I go to the store.  I am VERY cheap I can't help it my mom is that way as well. 

Top 6 Coupon Tips:

1.  Look for coupons that are for 1 item-  When you use coupons that say for example:
       35 cents off when you buy 2 or more you get trapped into buying MORE.  Don't do it unless
       you already buy the item on a regular basis. 
2.  Match coupons with your sale ads-  Buy what is on sale.  So what ya have to buy canned pineapple
     instead of fresh this week.
3.  Look for BOGOF ( buy one get one free)-  I LOVE THESE  specially on body wash.
4.  Look for FREE item coupons-  hard to find but they do exist
5.  Price Match-  Shop at a store that price matches your ads from other stores.
6.  Make a coupon binder- Don't let the bottom of your purse eat your money (coupons).

If you follow these few easy steps you should be able to save money. With these few tips I have saved more money than I have spent a few times.  Just be cautious of what you are doing with your money and keep it in your pocket rather than at the store. 

Holiday Season!

  Happy Holidays!!  WOW, is all i can say about the crazy shopping season this year.  I LOVE to get my shopping done early.  Every year for the last 8 years my sister and I have done some sort of Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  I know crazy right?  Not really,  we were never going after anything specific due the crazy rush so we would just lay low and look for good deals in the leftovers.  However, this year we are not in the same state as my sister.  My family (myself, kids and hubby) moved 10 hours away from family.  Crazy huh?  Oh trust me if you moved away from your family you will thank yourself specially if you have overbaring family.  Any how my husbands came down to visit for Thanksgiving so I had it all planned out that my mother in law and I would go shopping the night of Thanksgiving and the men would stay behind and watch my 2 rugrats ( 4 yrs and 4 months).  We headed out in the rain thinking that some people might would stay home cause of the rain however I was wrong.  We pulled into town and drove past Wal-Mart and there were people EVERYWHERE parked along the highway, and in other parking lots it was absolutely NUTS!!  I made the decission we would just go back home and try again on Friday. 
We struck out on Friday whole family in tow and had better luck.  We still didn't really buy anything because I am VERY cheap and love buying things that only have 1 number in front of the decimal.  YES, I am NUTS!!!  HOWEVER,  I waited 2 weeks and went to Khol's took the hubby and kiddos with and let my son show us what all he wanted from everyone including family back home and then I stayed behind and the hubby took kids to car and I shopped quickly.  As we all know Khol's buggies are NOT practical by anymeans!!! Anyhow, I packed the cart full as well as the child seat in front and headed for the checkouts.  There is always a glitch anything you are doing in a hurry and my glitch was a SNOBBY nose tilted middle aged lady.  She was in front of me walking towards front and stops so I had to stop knocking out all my toys onto the floor making loud noise for everyone to look at me.  I started picking up all my stuff and repacking it into the cart and started walking again she comes around from the jewelery and walks out in front of me and stops AGAIN knocking everything out AGAIN and just looks at me like Im stupid.  By this point Im sweating from being in a hurry and wearing a coat cause Im in a hurry.  So I pick it all up again and go around to get away from her and FINALLY get in line and I'm waiting and the same ol'lady comes up to me and says "Can I get in front of you I only have 2 things and well you have this whole buggie?'  and I said "No, you can get in line just like everyone else has to and wait your turn".  She said well aren't we just in a bad mood today.  I was like yeah and its all your FAULT.  However, it is 1 week till Christmas and I am DONE Christmas shopping, everything is wrapped and hidden and now we are just waiting for the big day to get here and remember the 15th was the last day to get things shipped by Christmas Eve!
Merry Christmas!