tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5065778353491514802024-03-05T18:28:15.997-08:00Crazy JessCrazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-6842038820684321522015-10-28T17:08:00.004-07:002015-10-28T17:08:56.185-07:00Beauty Obsessions<div style="background-color: #bce4e5; border: 0px; color: #552f25; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Today I'm going to highlight some of my current favorite beauty obsessions. Everyone knows how cheap I am when it comes to beauty products and cosmetics. My motto is "if it's free or on clearance it's for me, especially if I've got a coupon!".</div>
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So with that being said, recently I've been pretty successful scoring some great products at 50% off at Ulta or Bare Escentuals by signing up for their emails and rewards/points programs. Because of such, I have tried lots of new items I never would have wanted to try before (simply due to cost). So far I have not been dissappointed and honestly can tell a difference in the quality of the products. Sometimes there is benefit in splurging (a little) on cosmetics. But that's a personal decision that only you can make. </div>
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So here is my opinion on the items that I've tried, currently L.O.V.E and plan to continue to keep in my beauty toolbox for the time being.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Concealer:</b></div>
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Physcians Formula Gentle Cover</div>
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I used to stick to my ol' faithful Wet n Wild cheapo concealer stick until I scored this at Harris Teeter on clearance during super doubles coupons a couple years ago. I essentially got it for free which is great since I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Fell in love immediately. It's now a must-have in my beauty tool box. </div>
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<img height="200" src="http://www.crazyjess.com/PhysForm-Concealer.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="200" /></div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Eye Shadow Primers:</b></div>
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Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion</div>
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I love it because it makes the Urban Decay eyeshadow last much longer and not "crease" it also makes the colors look brighter</div>
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<img src="http://www.crazyjess.com/UD-Primer.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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NYX Eyeshadow Base (white)</div>
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Love love love it because it can be paired with any eyeshadow and still works well. I love the white base version because it makes my colored eyeshadows pop even more (see my Urban Decay Shadow Palette below which is full of color! Pairs very well together to make those colors POP.</div>
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<img height="200" src="http://www.crazyjess.com/NYX-EyeshadowBase.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="200" /></div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Foundation:</b></div>
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Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation (Matte & Original)</div>
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<img height="200" src="http://www.crazyjess.com/BareMinerals-Foundation.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="200" /><img src="http://www.crazyjess.com/BareMinerals-MineralVeil.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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I've tried both versions and love them both. The mineral veil that goes with it though is a must because it adds that finishing touch. They even have tinted mineral veil which serves as bronzer essentially which is pretty great too. I've not used any Bare Escentuals product to date that I didn't love.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mascara:</b></div>
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It's hard to impress me with mascara because I have naturally long, curly and somewhat thick eyelashes. I've tried every brand at your typical drugstore or Target/Wal-Mart as well as most brands you can find in high end department stores and have never found one that was like "oh my goodness, this is IT, this is THE ONE!". Until....now.</div>
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Benefit - They're Real </div>
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I tried this at the store (Ulta) with the assistance of a Benefit Beauty Consultant. I spoke to her in length regarding what I was looking for and how I'd yet to find it and she forced me to let her put this stuff on me. I agreed and man am I glad I did because it is really perfect for me. It thickens them up even more and curls them. I pair it with one light coat of a lengthening & separating mascara (usually Loreal Telescopic) then apply two coats of this magic and bam. My eyes are FABULOUS! </div>
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Anything Urban Decay. There really is value in splurging. I've tried every Urban Decay wanna-be that they sell and have to say nothing compares to it. It lasts forever too by the way which makes the purchase over time not so bad...or maybe that's my way justifying the purchase to not feel so guilty? Who knows?</div>
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Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette - the basic nude colors are perfect for every day. The dark smokey colors are perfect for a night out on the town and all in all you can't go wrong with the pallette. Most of the colors have a little shimmer to them as well which is great and it lasts all day with no creasing if you use a primer base (which you definitely should).</div>
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<img src="http://www.crazyjess.com/UD-Naked2.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><br />Urban Decay Shadow Box - scored this on a super sale Ulta was having at 50% off and am in love with the colors. The are pigmented well and when I use my NYX eyeshadow base the colors pop even more. A great pallette for spring/summer when you find yourself wearing brighter colors.</div>
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Foundation Primer</b></div>
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Bare Escentuals Prime Time</div>
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Love it because it's not overly oily or greasy and it doesn't break my skin out like so many of the other brands do. It's very light and doesn't make your face feel like plaster.</div>
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So that's just my two-cents on what I'm using and love right now. I'd love to hear if you have products that you swear by so I can try them too! I'm still in the need for a moisturizer/BB cream that is good for every day use and won't clog pores and break my face out. Any suggestions? Seems like the ones that are most highly rated are the most expensive ones from what I've found.</div>
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Until Next Time...</div>
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XOXO Crazy Jess</div>
Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-87860767617942720692015-01-31T16:01:00.002-08:002015-01-31T16:02:40.671-08:00Birthday Freebies!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8RpHJL5wbtcKOPSSfGk4Wc8ChUpwz5Rq9jdmyQesCfc2ZxR49UmnnuUj8TSnPkqw0v4L1Q6d6wfXx9NFC4B13kkfClH1F05_EexI1ikaNk7gsTsh-Ela4YtyoLNc7LiDEJkTjtg1Uys/s1600/birthday-cake-clip-art-free-animated-designs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8RpHJL5wbtcKOPSSfGk4Wc8ChUpwz5Rq9jdmyQesCfc2ZxR49UmnnuUj8TSnPkqw0v4L1Q6d6wfXx9NFC4B13kkfClH1F05_EexI1ikaNk7gsTsh-Ela4YtyoLNc7LiDEJkTjtg1Uys/s1600/birthday-cake-clip-art-free-animated-designs.gif" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
Everyone that follows me on IG, FB, Twitter or knows me IRL knows I'm obsessed with saving money and love a good deal! One of my favorite times of the year is the month of January. Reason number one, the amazing sales! Everyone is having sales to get rid of holiday items, or last season/year apparel, products etc. I always score amazing deals with pairing these clearance deals with my coupons. Reason number two, it's my birthday month. Most people think women don't want to celebrate getting older. And yes, you are right. We don't. I'm one of those women as well.<br />
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Case in point, just today I about had a meltdown when the lady at the ABC Store didn't card me. So I may have demanded she look at it. I mean she carded the Duke kids in front of me (they did look 12 though). But seriously, I'm only 32 lady! You should beg me to see my ID because in my head I feel like I still look 18! <br />
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See what I mean? Women don't like to talk about getting older and we try to pass of being the same age for about 10 years before we up it by a couple years. So with that being said and yet again on an unrelated note, I think I'll be 32 for a few more years. I can probably pull it off.<br />
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Anyway, going back to my point. January is my birthday month. And because it is my birthday month I get lots of freebies and great deals. Not only because I'm an avid couponer and sales hunter, but simply just because I was born. Apparently I'm really important and even major retailers and brands want to celebrate my day of birth. I don't blame them, I am pretty awesome. Everyone knows that.<br />
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If you are still reading this and I haven't lost you in my narcissism, I really do have a secret to share with you that you should try. Even if you hate shopping and aren't a couponer nor do you care about sales and getting a good bargain, you should at least think about the perks I'm about to share with you.<br />
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So, you know how every time you go shopping or buy something online they always want your phone number or email address to sign you up for their rewards or loyalty program? Yeah, I know it's annoying. Sometimes it still annoys me, however the benefits no one ever tells you about make it worth it. <br />
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(Note: I'd like to mention that I created a "junk" email account to use for such royalty/rewards programs. Any time I am asked for my email address I use that one so all my coupons/sales/rewards go to one inbox. It makes life super easy and you don't have to worry about all that junk being in your regular day-to-day email account inbox).<br />
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Back to the point...below I'm going to highlight my birthday freebies that I received during the month of January this year...you know, just for being born and stuff. <br />
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Ok so this year:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHljWk05wvD7GxijeIJWVXQ5P63Wn8FxgNmZM7qR8v-BPAY7lXDPsJLcQyByMik9ldvdErgXQr4FAyX4lQ_X4NSETnIDMlpZaEF1P0du_fI1F72mVlni0FMBO8yX2fbcOWmtz7Lyuc_k/s1600/BirthdayFreebies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHljWk05wvD7GxijeIJWVXQ5P63Wn8FxgNmZM7qR8v-BPAY7lXDPsJLcQyByMik9ldvdErgXQr4FAyX4lQ_X4NSETnIDMlpZaEF1P0du_fI1F72mVlni0FMBO8yX2fbcOWmtz7Lyuc_k/s1600/BirthdayFreebies.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><b>STARBUCKS:</b> $5.00 automatically gets loaded to my registered Starbucks gift card for me to get a free handcrafted beverage of my choice. Naturally that ends up being the venti Skinny Vanilla Latte. I'm so basic and boring it's ridiculous. </li>
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<li><b>KRISPY KREME:</b> 1 free doughnut of my choice. And yes, I got only ONE! I was a good girl. (Every southerner knows Krispy Kreme is the only good doughnut (with the exception of Britt's in Carolina Beach of course).<br /></li>
<li><b>BARE ESCENTUALS:</b> 1 free Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss ($10.00 value)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>ULTA:</b> 1 free Ulta Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette ($12.00 value)<br /></li>
<li><b>BEST BUY: </b>(Almost free) 2 DVDs. I used a $5.00 Best Buy Rewards Certificate to purchase two of my favorite movies on DVD that were $2.99 each. Meaning I spent $1.05 and got two DVDs. <br /></li>
<li><b>VICTORIA'S SECRET:</b> Free Bombshell In Bloom Body Lotion. I used my $10 Birthday Reward with a $10 Angel's Reward I had and got that item for FREE! I did happen to have two Rewards to redeem at once, but even if I didn't have the Angel Reward I could have gotten a $10 item for free just with the Birthday Reward. </li>
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Below is a photo of the freebies....I wasn't that annoying person that took a picture of my food or coffee cup though. Please excuse the bowl of fruit in the background. Sadly that was not a birthday freebie ha ha!</div>
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This is just a small glimpse at the free stuff you can score on your birthday....there are lots more. Like apparently I can get a free burrito or something at Moe's if I sign up with them. I haven't done that yet. Maybe next year.</div>
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There are always more that I never take advantage of too. I guess these were just the ones that got me the most excited because the cosmetic brands especially are kind of pricey so I thought it was super cool and I should share this information with you all. </div>
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If you are still reading at this point then you must be super excited about getting free stuff too! Or you are now at least! So I'm sure there are countless other birthday freebies I don't even know about yet. So if you have any that you think I should check out let me know! Do you take advantage of birthday freebies or just delete the emails as another piece of "junk" from retailers? I'd love to hear from you so I can score even more freebies next year, you know, when I turn 32 again. </div>
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Until next time....</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>XOXO</b> </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">CrazyJess</span></i></b></div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-18707550138490475042014-03-16T18:22:00.003-07:002014-03-16T18:23:09.713-07:00Couponing For Beginners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I frequently get asked how I get such great deals and how did I get started Couponing, etc. I also have received a lot of requests to write a blog post about this as well so here we go. I apologize if this is hard to follow along with or if I ramble on too much. I tend to be wordy, especially when I'm very excited or passionate about what I'm writing about so with that being said...<br />
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The following steps should assist you on your Couponing journey. These steps are what I did when I started out.<br />
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I'm going to have to make this post a series because this would just be way too long if I do it all at once. So make sure you come back for part 2 and 3 as well. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Step one: Find coupons</strong></span> <br />
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I started receiving my coupons in the mail sometimes twice a week. Then when we bought our current house and moved to a new zip code they quit coming in the mail. To say I was devastated was an understatement. I then began begging anyone I knew that had a newspaper subscription for their coupons if they weren't going to use them. Finally about three months later Love Muffin got me a weekly subscription to the Sunday paper so I could get my own coupons in the mail without having to beg everyone for theirs. <br />
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At first I only used to cut coupons for items I already used. I wasn't sure how invested I wanted to get in to Couponing so I started out slowly. The items that I found myself cutting coupons for the most were toiletry items, my one brand of clothes detergent and dishwasher detergent I liked to use at the time, and paper towels and toilet paper. Then over time I began feeling comfortable trying new products because I had coupons to pair to sales items in the store. <br />
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Then I also began searching the internet for coupons for products I wanted to try or that I already was using but wanted to save money on. By doing this I found some awesome coupon websites that I began downloading and printing coupons from. (this will require an entire blog post all on its own) .<br />
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Once you have begun collecting coupons then next step is very crucial to your saving success. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Step 2: Understand Your Favorite Store(s) Coupon Policy</span></strong><br />
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Everyone has their favorite or usual grocery store(s) that they frequent. This could be out of lack of variety if you live in rural areas, or due to being a creature of habit and the need to stick to what you know, etc. Before you begin coupon shopping at your local stores you need to make sure you fully understand their coupon policies. All national retailers have published coupon policies. The easiest way to find this information is to visit their website. Their website should have a link to their coupon policy somewhere. Sometimes it is in the really small text at the bottom of their homepage. If you can't find it easily by visiting their website, then they usually will have a search option at the top of the page. In the search box type "coupon policy" and without fail that usually always works. Once you have found this, read it very carefully and save it as a favorite or bookmark in your internet browser in case you need to refer back to it later.<br />
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The reason this step is so important is because each retailer has policies on the number of coupons they accept or some may double coupons up to a certain dollar amount and some may not. Some may accept paper coupons as well as let you use their online coupons together. This is called "stacking" Coupon stacking is the ability to use more than one coupon on one item in a transaction. Since all retailers have different rules you have to do your research ahead of time to avoid a confrontation in the store. If I had a $1 for every time I had a sales associate check me out at the store that didn't even know or understand the current coupon policy for the store in which they work I could retire. Be educated and informed of the policies so you can be sure you are maximizing your savings and paying close attention as the items are ringing up and that your coupons come off correctly is critical so you don't end up with surprises once they hit "total" to complete your order. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Step three: Loyalty Cards. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Every store has them and they all call them something different. Food Lion calls them MVP cards, Harris Teeter calls them VIC cards, Kroger calls them Kroger cards, etc. These are those plastic store issued savings cards that you can sign up to receive in the store. They give you three copies of them usually. Two that are credit card size and one that you put on your key ring. Its very important to make sure when you sign up for the cards that you provide a valid email address when you sign up for them as well because they will in some cases email you weekly specials just for you or weekly savings for you that you can take advantage of simply by swiping your loyalty card at checkout. Usually you will be able to pair paper manufacture coupons with these custom savings so this is key to maximizing savings. Another reason providing valid email address and phone number information is because in some cases your loyalty card offers you discounts on other products or services as you accrue points. For example, at Kroger the more you spend the more fuel points you accrue meaning that you save money at the gas pump at certain fuel branded stations by saving a certain amount off per gallon. Both Lowes Foods and Kroger have fuel point saving programs that you can take advantage of while at the same time you are saving money on your groceries with your paper manufactures coupons, loyalty cards with your store, etc. </span><br />
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By mastering the first three steps you are on your way to a new addiction. The addiction of saving money. Once you get started you can't stop and you'll never be able to pay full price for anything again!<br />
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Stay tuned for part two which I will post in a few days. Until then this should keep you busy on the beginning of your Couponing journey. <br />
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Until next time....<br />
<br />
Crazy Jess <br />
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Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-76131359293926188172014-02-23T18:39:00.001-08:002014-02-23T18:39:34.476-08:00Super Doubles 2/23/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So today I finally made it to HT for Super Double Coupons. I hate that I waited until the end to go, and I ended up going to another location that I usually don't go to and they were out of many of the best deals, and pretty much all of the free deals. But below is what I scored this week though. It was a pretty successful trip and I got dog food and fresh meats so I spent more than I wanted but oh well.<br />
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<li>Hefty Zipper Bags - $2.99 on sale BOGO, - $1.00 off 2 coupon x 2 = .99 cents for two</li>
<li>Beneful Playful Life Dog Food (7lb bag) - $12.49 on clearance for $8.99 - $2.00 of 1 coupon x 2 - $2.00 off 1 ZVR coupon = $2.99 total price</li>
<li>Purina Dog Chow Light & Fit (4lb bag) - $6.59 each - $2.00 off 1 coupon x 2 - $1.00 off 1 coupon = $1.59</li>
<li>Newmans Own Spaghetti Sauce - $3.15 on sale 2/$4 - 3 $.50 cents off 1 coupon x 2 = $3.00 ($1.00 each)</li>
<li>Newmans Own Salad Dressing - $3.99 on sale, my weekly eVic price = $2.37 each - 2 .50 cents off 1 coupons x 2 = $1.37 each</li>
<li>Cheeze Its Crackers - $4.49 on sale 2/$5 - 2 $1.00 off 2 coupons x 2 = $6.00 for 4 boxes ($1.50 each)</li>
<li>Gain Flingz Detergent Packs - $2.99 - $1.50 off 2 coupon x 2 - $1.00 ZVR = .99 cents each</li>
<li>Franks Sweet Pepper Chilli Sauce - 3.29 on sale 2/$4 - .65 cents off 1 coupon x 2 - .55 cents off 1 coupon x 2 = .80 cents each</li>
<li>Ritz Crackerfuls - $3.99 on sale $2/6 - $1.00 Checkout51 Rebate = $2.00</li>
<li>Honeymaid Grahamfuls - 4.25 on sale 2/$7 - .75 cents off 2 coupon x 2 - $1.00 Checkout51 Rebate = $2.25 each</li>
<li>Belvita Breakfast Biscuits - $3.89 on sale BOGO - $1.00 off Checkout51 Rebate = .95 cents</li>
<li>McCormick Hot Taco Seasoning - $1.70 each on sale BOGO = .85 cents for two - .50 cents off 2 coupon x 2 = FREE</li>
<li>Buy 1 Lee Kum Hoisin Sauce ($3.99) get $2.00 off one Soy Sauce ($2.99) x 2 = $1.49 each</li>
<li>Secret Outlast Deodorant - $4.99 - $2.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = .99 cents</li>
<li>Loreal Advanced Hair Care Shampoo - $4.99 - $2.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = .99 cents</li>
<li>Loreal Advanced Hair Care Styler - $4.99 - $2.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = .99 cents</li>
<li>Loreal Preference Hair Color - $9.99 on sale for $7.99 - $2.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = $3.99 </li>
<li>Suave Professionals Hair Color - $2.59 - $1.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = .59 cents</li>
<li>Dove Deodorant - $4.99 on sale 2/$7 - $1.00 off 1 coupon x 2 = 1.50 cents</li>
<li>Ground Bison (1 lb) = $8.99</li>
<li>Smart Chicken Leg Qrtrs (3 lbs) = $6.25</li>
<li>Boneless Pork Chops (1 lb) = $4.94</li>
<li>Sliced Mushrooms - $1.99 each</li>
<li>Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwiches - $4.99</li>
<li>Various Frozen Veggies = $1.19 each</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Total Spent: $89.15 </b><b>Total Saved: $89.95</b></span><br />
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So basically everything I purchased was 50% off. That's super exciting.<br />
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It was exhausting! It took me two hours because they were so busy today too. Maybe next time I won't wait until the very last minute to go so I'll get some more of the freebie items. Either way it was a successful trip and I love savin' money honey!<br />
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Until next time....<br />
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XOXO - Crazy Jess<br />
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-56745423754642722692014-01-19T19:27:00.002-08:002014-01-19T19:27:55.695-08:00Deal Shopping 1/19/14Well, another weekend has come to an end. My weekend was really awesome and busy. One of the most exciting things about my weekend would have to be the great deals I got today while shopping. I had a "me" day where I spent most of the day by myself. I went shopping because I had so many gift cards for various places so I thought today was as good as any to see what I could find.<br />
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I started off my trip at Macy's as I received a coupon in the mail this morning for $10 off a $25 purchase, or 15% off any purchase. I somehow ended up in the shoe department and found the most beautiful pair of Sperry's ever made. Look how pretty they are. I should put them in a case and look at them from time to time but never wear them. Haha, right, like that would happen.<br />
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The photo isn't even doing them justice. They are metallic silver with glittery details on the sides. So.In.Love. I heard birds chirping and angels singing when I saw them. They called to me from afar. Something pulled me to the clearance shoe rack today, and I just know it was "them". That sounds weird because when you think about it, is there really a clearance rack in Durham that I <i>don't</i> check out a least once a week? But really, I never look for shoes at Macy's because I'm so cheap. There I said it. <br />
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Anyway, since they were calling to me so loudly, I went ahead and tried them on. Oh man. It was like butter. They felt like home. They were shiny and glittery and on clearance, so obviously I was smitten. What made it even better was I realized they were marked down to $47 which for Sperry's isn't too bad. Then I remembered I had a $30 giftcard and a $10 off $25 purchase coupon so after paying tax essentially I became the proud new owner of these Sperry's for only $10. <br />
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All of this was going on in my head while I was standing by the rack and I can't lie, I did get a little too excited about it and had to share the news with the lady beside me. She was not amused. She was also not in to saving money or coupons either apparently. Not sure why she was even at the clearance shoe rack in the first place. She should have taken her snotty rear end to Nordstrom with the rest of them. She was dead inside I tell you! Wait, where was I with this ridiculous story? Oh yeah, so I'm spreading the news about these Sperry's being such a good deal and I was so excited. Then entered the random lady, but I didn't let her snotty attitude get me down. I marched my big butt up to the register and proudly paid for my new glittery yet affordable Sperry's like a boss. Here they are....<br />
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They are so pretty I might name them. <br />
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I've got it, I shall call them, Roxy and Foxy. Great names for diva-licious glittery Sperry's if you ask me.<br />
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Moving on....<br />
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So, just when I thought my day couldn't get any better I managed to find my way in to Victoria's Secret to stumble upon one very lonely $1.99 table in which EVERYTHING was $1.99. It wasn't like that mind trick where the sign says $1.99 really big and then in hieroglyphics underneath it actually reads "and up" only you can't read "hieroglyphics" so when you get to the register you're so frustrated you pay the actual sales price anyway. No this little table was for real $1.99 - everything on it. At first I thought only I could see the table and it was a figment of my imagination because no one was standing around the table, only the one sales associate who was stocking it with product. I got closer and closer thinking I needed to get my eyes checked, as I was sure the sign probably said $11.99 instead but no. It was real.<br />
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Lotions, body scrubs, perfumes, body sprays, shower gels!. Oh my!. It was like entering the gates of heaven. Well, if heaven were filled with half naked skinny women that always smelled good and that wore angel wings with their underwear like that was a normal outfit. I'm pretty sure that's not the case. But only time will tell ha ha.<br />
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I guess after I saw it every other woman in their magially saw the table at the exact same time and they all began sworming right after I got to the table. The women in their today were not very angelic for the record. That $1.99 sign makes the freaks come out, and it got pretty brutal, but I managed to come away with quite a few goodies...some for myself and some for gifts of course, no cops were called and I didn't have to take my earrings out. So all in all pretty successful.<br />
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Then I left there and headed down to Belks to see what I could find there. It was a pretty good trip because I found a pair of gray pants for work (thank sweet baby Jesus because every pair of work pants in my closest are black). They were only $19 on clearance so that was a win for the day. I also found these two wall art picture frames for $7 each so naturally had to get those too.</div>
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I also got some GREATTTTT deals at Macy's on work clothes as well. I still can't believe it.</div>
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I got a royal blue Calvin Klein skirt for $20, a black/white Calvin Klein sleeveless top for $9 and a brown sweater for $24, all at Macy's. I was able to use my coupons so I spent a total of $50 but saved $167. </div>
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At Belks I got this tan/cream leopard print sleeveless top as well as a black/white damask top that you can't really see in the picture. Might be a good thing because it's for a special occasion so I don't want anyone to see how smokin' hot it is. So, long story short I spent about $40 at Belks but saved $120. That was even without a coupon if you can believe it. Belk has great clearance sales if you didn't know. </div>
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So then after all that excitement at the mall I decided it was time for my weekly HT grocery store trip to coupon shop on my way home. Today's trip was very successful. I didn't take a photo of everything I got, just the items that were the "best deals" but basically I spent $40, and saved $67. So I got $107 worth of groceries for $40. This week I didn't need to spend much because we have a lot of meat stocked up so there wasn't much to get this week regarding perishable food. I can menu plan for the next 2.5 weeks with everything we have stocked up so today really was just meant to be a trip for me to get produce for my meal prep my breakfasts and snacks for work. </div>
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See details below pic for regular v sale v coupon v final price paid if you're interested. If not continue to the next section.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwKTAS_RFilO-WfRcLISJo76H2Yd-QS1cG49xz-KisXRMcfL4Jwm72JE9GVXqs5tJ5NwuDMkobmHUtded8xEFCuVkAMhKEjw4PD-U2N_p_j3uyc3m_9aihd6I_rcbEh1Z5YgHPJZhT_U/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwKTAS_RFilO-WfRcLISJo76H2Yd-QS1cG49xz-KisXRMcfL4Jwm72JE9GVXqs5tJ5NwuDMkobmHUtded8xEFCuVkAMhKEjw4PD-U2N_p_j3uyc3m_9aihd6I_rcbEh1Z5YgHPJZhT_U/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Best Deals This Week:</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Apple Cheerios: $4.26, on sale 2/$4, on eVic for $1.77 - .75 cents off 1 x 2 = .27 cents</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Total Cereal: $3.69, on sale 2/$4, - .75 cents off 1 x 2 = .50 cents</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Quaker Oats Medleys Bars: $3.99, on sale 2/$6, - $1.00 off 1 coupon = $2.00 (great deal because these are NEVER on sale)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gain Detergent-50oz: $7.49, on sale $5.99, on eVic for $3.77 - .50 cents off 1 x 2 = $2.77 </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ortega Reduced Sodium Taco Seasoning: $1.19 each, on sale 4/$3 - .50 cents off 2 x 2 = .30 cents each</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Marzettis Simply Dressed Salad Dressing: $3.79, on sale $2.99 - .75 cents off 1 x 2 = $1.49 each</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">John Freida Shampoo & Conditioner: $6.99, on clearance for $2.38 - $3.00 off two coupon = .88 cents each</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Loreal EverCurl Shampoos: $6.99, on clearance for $2.38 - $2.00 off 1 coupons = .28 cents each</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce: $3.49, on sale 2/$4 - $1.00 off 1 = $1.00 </span></div>
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While I was shopping at HT today I even shared some coupons some other shoppers. There was one couple in particular that I could tell money was an issue for them based on the conversations I couldn't help but overhear as we made our way from aisle to aisle so I offered them some coupons on items they were getting that I didn't need. You could tell it made their day so I felt good to be able to help. Maybe it will inspire them to start couponing themselves. Every penny saved counts.</div>
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So all in all it was a pretty successful shopping day for me. I managed to get great deals and completed almost everything on my to-do list. I never made it to Target, but maybe tomorrow during my lunch hour I can fit that in after I make my way to Dollar Tree to pick up some wedding related items.</div>
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So, that's all for today. I will leave you with some humor to lighten your evening. I apologize in advance for the naughty language on one of them but it's rather hilarious. Honestly. If you don't laugh at that one then we can't be friends anymore.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJVgUpfJ_y_KFeBiV6TqaMXY1s3A89QbONGg68WBTdN21yxMkaoufq-6YXn7LNgpQM1UVcpeOOkq3sppwXJvVCGrMkFNKijPIe9_jl7IUSXRcshd5_qjxJ2q5LIGTy_N_qY-9xko3gQM/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJVgUpfJ_y_KFeBiV6TqaMXY1s3A89QbONGg68WBTdN21yxMkaoufq-6YXn7LNgpQM1UVcpeOOkq3sppwXJvVCGrMkFNKijPIe9_jl7IUSXRcshd5_qjxJ2q5LIGTy_N_qY-9xko3gQM/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-241538690574932322014-01-04T19:59:00.000-08:002014-01-04T19:59:07.694-08:002014 - The Year of Being Awesome<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI9d4s8Jbri8nY-wRUAyvkKfnFp9bA6yuKoEMU99zY4lZQq7dxFHUaeHYUb1aCymCpMBx-S7P_yhW_bqlulslzMVITU5c3in15rc2QSn4yFbXUom1BumSqIH1f3pgj576FbddgyRtKjA/s1600/newyears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI9d4s8Jbri8nY-wRUAyvkKfnFp9bA6yuKoEMU99zY4lZQq7dxFHUaeHYUb1aCymCpMBx-S7P_yhW_bqlulslzMVITU5c3in15rc2QSn4yFbXUom1BumSqIH1f3pgj576FbddgyRtKjA/s200/newyears.jpg" width="200" /></a>So, it is three days in to the beginning of 2014 so everyone and their cousin's neighbor's grandma's stepson's daughter is making resolutions that they intend to give up on in two weeks. Not to be a "Negative Nancy" but you get what I'm saying. It's the same thing each year. I get it. However not I! <br />
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I first of all, don't make resolutions ANY time, let alone at New Years. I do however set goals for myself. Sometimes these goals are daily, weekly, monthly, for the entire year etc. Usually I manage my goals like a "to-do" list and mark things off as I accomplish them. Sometimes when I have time I might blog about them but this year has been hella busy so my blog was kind of left behind.<br />
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With that being said....<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">My to-do list for 2013:</span></b></div>
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_A7xqssAuIB1dwdO_07E8yH7qOsA3-SEKrdLeHsPqzD9hpAEpfbjEqX-aYz9weHHszQB9JLtxmDWiYUlw6bKFMV4O27fhb_mt16-OsqM-THuFjr82dfp4T4EV7YAFUQRPY-Hy5H_Adc/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Coupon Seriously</span> </b>- meaning save money and never buy anything full price if I can help it. (<i>The fuel to this fire might have been prompted even more by my five seconds of local fame on the WRAL SmartShopper blog which was written right when I first go in to couponing)<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_A7xqssAuIB1dwdO_07E8yH7qOsA3-SEKrdLeHsPqzD9hpAEpfbjEqX-aYz9weHHszQB9JLtxmDWiYUlw6bKFMV4O27fhb_mt16-OsqM-THuFjr82dfp4T4EV7YAFUQRPY-Hy5H_Adc/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_A7xqssAuIB1dwdO_07E8yH7qOsA3-SEKrdLeHsPqzD9hpAEpfbjEqX-aYz9weHHszQB9JLtxmDWiYUlw6bKFMV4O27fhb_mt16-OsqM-THuFjr82dfp4T4EV7YAFUQRPY-Hy5H_Adc/s200/IMG_1007.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Coupons Coupons Coupons<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVerx8bLPNbgN8f2vIOWlBiaojpZLP8hwlpNN-d32m8b34yiomDYgVIdHxqK9wsRDSKbAWGEBtnute7fUrtPSYzeKm-9QB_7s94kGvnBnpd9bTcr4HZhDVs7v7ArzBDdqoWJcSDmt7PLE/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVerx8bLPNbgN8f2vIOWlBiaojpZLP8hwlpNN-d32m8b34yiomDYgVIdHxqK9wsRDSKbAWGEBtnute7fUrtPSYzeKm-9QB_7s94kGvnBnpd9bTcr4HZhDVs7v7ArzBDdqoWJcSDmt7PLE/s200/IMG_1119.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">One of many good deal "hauls" from HT</td></tr>
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Organize my closets and stick to the organizational plan</span> </b>- done, although still have more improvements I want to make. So that one is still on the list for 2014. Thus no picture. Sorry!<br /></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Redo the desk in the living room to make it prettier</span></b> - done, like a boss might I add. I rock!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2bGirhWKrfMI6CVGPyxQo8H_Hp93Hy9yrHyTtcIAduF_TLr6Y44x-45U-IEd4utPMz_jW0w8G1HvvJulMXoY59aiSb4bN9fbNL0nuFRfutetc7oBfbatfN7JvtuJNusxyG4iiobfRLs/s1600/IMG_0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2bGirhWKrfMI6CVGPyxQo8H_Hp93Hy9yrHyTtcIAduF_TLr6Y44x-45U-IEd4utPMz_jW0w8G1HvvJulMXoY59aiSb4bN9fbNL0nuFRfutetc7oBfbatfN7JvtuJNusxyG4iiobfRLs/s200/IMG_0928.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Desk - BEFORE<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyo3q8XwMrexyMKe6XgqdCVwoj-j4HvFO9Uy4A-6QJGM8brbrOPWQL4OP-gsJdmk82q7h4xMG0ftKQBuFEy5XHIYsE-PNgYFAwWDPkesfw7XeKb4Sop1cUVOzWMDkHnvBdRqWzG5rQkE/s1600/Desk+Redo+-+AFTER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyo3q8XwMrexyMKe6XgqdCVwoj-j4HvFO9Uy4A-6QJGM8brbrOPWQL4OP-gsJdmk82q7h4xMG0ftKQBuFEy5XHIYsE-PNgYFAwWDPkesfw7XeKb4Sop1cUVOzWMDkHnvBdRqWzG5rQkE/s200/Desk+Redo+-+AFTER.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Desk - AFTER</td></tr>
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Get my eye surgery</span></b> - Booooooom. Done. Damn I look good too. Worth every penny I had to pay out of pocket.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDIqa40Ba-X-j_W3NxAOtsRjGWiO4amaIu5nevxj3a08Nj4vLRH5_w3Z41HxdPN3GVP0j5jHEScK0DltWnY-jvb-tTmrggawbgDFubDyifkj9SKheTspKmh9q1iKr0H6BW0p8Z_oOuoo/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDIqa40Ba-X-j_W3NxAOtsRjGWiO4amaIu5nevxj3a08Nj4vLRH5_w3Z41HxdPN3GVP0j5jHEScK0DltWnY-jvb-tTmrggawbgDFubDyifkj9SKheTspKmh9q1iKr0H6BW0p8Z_oOuoo/s320/IMG_0939.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">First pic I took after eye surgery</td></tr>
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</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Meal plan each week </span></b>- yep, did that too, even got a dry erase board for the refrigerator to write it down on.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_VixXAxnEG5baOUHrBjmzmH7x2ScoX4d6cxhpSv9kkWkJe7w9Itfchukmn1VAZz7e3-l5kKRlbBNwj1P4skPmEou3sd1oOTDR7Kt-vj5pjLATdt0Tz8JZogQ7tg7_ZxGcTJn8_YH840/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_VixXAxnEG5baOUHrBjmzmH7x2ScoX4d6cxhpSv9kkWkJe7w9Itfchukmn1VAZz7e3-l5kKRlbBNwj1P4skPmEou3sd1oOTDR7Kt-vj5pjLATdt0Tz8JZogQ7tg7_ZxGcTJn8_YH840/s200/IMG_0480.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cute weekly menu board</td></tr>
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</li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Eat healthier</b> </span>- somewhat successful at that. I attempted this year to recreate recipes I like to make them a little healthier, made sure I ate breakfast every day, became more mindful of the ingredients in some of the items I was buying, etc. I also quit drinking cows milk and stick to only Almond or Coconut Milk which helped my digestion issues some. <br /></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Create a budget and stick to it</span></b> - I need a freakin' gold star ya'll. I not only stuck to our weekly grocery budget by week but I also saved us a lot of money on groceries by sale shopping and couponing. We were also able to pay off some credit cards last year as well. <i>(Patting myself on the back right now.). </i>I'm such a dork I kept track of what I spent at each store I typically go to (Harris Teeter, Kroger, Target) and the amount I saved per trip to make sure my yearly spend is what I had budgeted. So for this year I was at my budget per week of $50.00.....oh yeah!<br /></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Be Awesome</span></b> - that comes so naturally that I had NO problem marking that one off the list for the year.</li>
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So basically I'm stating for the record that I accomplished ALL of those goals aka my "to do's" last year 100% or darn near close. The only thing that could still use improvement would be the healthy eating because I did have quite a few cheat days, but doesn't everyone? Meaning that I'm still leaving that one on the list for 2014 because I'm currently researching the Paleo diet now and honestly there is always room for improvement in healthy eating anyway.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">So my to-do list for 2014 looks a little something like this:</span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Plan a budget friendly but beautiful wedding - already successfully working on that one - blog post in the making on that note</li>
<li>Continue Couponing only this year with a $40.00 per week budget - might be hard but I'm up for the challenge</li>
<li>Continue being awesome - hellooooo I do that EVERY year.</li>
<li>Try to continue to eat better but not beat myself up if I have one cheat day </li>
<li>Organize the cabinets in the kitchen more efficiently</li>
<li>Install shelves in the hallway closet</li>
<li>Create a plan for the laundry closet and draw up plans for the "pantry" I want built in the kitchen.</li>
<li>Repaint the foyer and hallway and decorate the wall at the end of the hallway accordingly</li>
<li>Fancy up my "getting ready" station in our bedroom to make it cuter and more girly (I'm sure Love Muffin will be THRILLED about that! :-)</li>
<li>Have a yard sale and get rid of some stuff, while making $ in the process</li>
<li>More dilligently track our spending in areas we didn't track last year to better manage our funds in those areas</li>
<li>Buy a new laptop. For real. This one has seen better days and is circa 2008 which is ancient in computer years.</li>
</ul>
<br />
So....basically we have established that I am amazeballs and rocked 2013 and made it my you know what. So I'm sure 2014 will be equally as amazeballs. <i>(I think I'm too old to say amazeballs. It's almost as bad as me saying "totes" or another one of those shortened words all the "kids" are saying nowdays.)</i><br />
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Anyway, do you make resolutions? Do you ever find that you actually stick to them? Or do you find that you are more of a goal setter and are pretty successful at marking the goals off your list? <br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-39684086131478707952013-12-31T20:51:00.002-08:002013-12-31T20:53:30.816-08:002013 In Review<div class="MsoNormal">
It's the end of a really awesome year. Below is a recap of my year based on the photos in my phone and my status message updates on Facebook. It truly has been a great year and it was over very quickly! Seems like it was just New Years Eve last week....<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>January</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I turned 30!
Matt threw me a party and we went out on a night on the town. But since I’m old that means we had a few
drinks and were home by 11:30. We closed
on our first home. I don't have hardly any photos or status updates in January so here's a special collage of me, Gracie Boo and Love Muffin. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QOX1UExm-PIqqUGnXNlBSDV9M1bajA9jEGkgt5wabJ07MFDXUb4F5i3UhuUAGb42oEJVPBT6aToBnjBwHf-tSlRxd6e8BDdosuuf9Svb1e041vklpqYcx3aNeNOTN9w2kd-oZPVNjCM/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QOX1UExm-PIqqUGnXNlBSDV9M1bajA9jEGkgt5wabJ07MFDXUb4F5i3UhuUAGb42oEJVPBT6aToBnjBwHf-tSlRxd6e8BDdosuuf9Svb1e041vklpqYcx3aNeNOTN9w2kd-oZPVNjCM/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>February</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We moved in to our first home, bought some new
furniture, unpacked and settled in and I began decorating one room at a time.</div>
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<b><u>March</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I continued by couponing and deal searching on the
weekends. I'm not sure what I did this month as my Facebook status updates for March were minimal. I know I have quite a few random pictures taken on my lunch hour at work on my iphones. They make me laugh. I'm a dork.<br />
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<b><u>April</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My awesome sister Ericka, our Mom, and Matt’s mom threw us a
Housewarming Party, Matt turned 30 and I planned him a surprise party – he really
had no clue! We also got our Kitchenaid
Mixer! This was also the month I was
featured on the WRAL Smartshopper Blog aka my 5 seconds of local fame.</div>
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<b><u><b><u><br /></u></b>May</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was the month I went on my business trip only
accidentally left my suitcase in my driveway….aka the epic traveling failure of
2013! My little cousin Kala graduated from high school, and Mom, Ericka and I had a girls weekend and went to see Chonda Pierce.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>June</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My awesome little brother Tyler graduated from middle school, I ate at
Cosmic Cantina for the first time, I wrote inappropriate sayings on Matt’s Mom’s
birthday cup from Starbucks, but it’s dry erase so no worries ha ha, we had
that one random night of a power outage.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>July</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Went on a week long vacation to the beach for the
first time I can ever remember. It was a
great time with a few temper tantrums, a couple of games of monopoly in which I
can not confirm nor deny that I was taking money from the “banker” when she
wasn’t looking. This trip also resulted
in a few late night trips to Krispy Kreme and allowed me to spend some quality time with my BFFL Megan.<br />
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<b><u>August</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Katie left for college, I had a four week long
obsession with the “humpday” commercial phenomena, and we celebrated Gracie’s
first birthday by having a watermelon theme party at the park with water ballons, tie dye t-shirt making, bubbles, and watermelon pops! What watermelon theme birthday weekend would be complete, without a trip to the Watermelon Festival Parade! <br />
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<b><u>September</u></b></div>
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We celebrated our two year anniversary by having
dinner at The Little Dipper Durham and followed that with a short but awesome 2
day beach trip in which we took a historic horse drawn carriage ride tour. We
went to Southern Lee for my little brother’s first high school marching band
performance, and I had eye surgery to have my lazy eye straightened. The is also the month my Dexter addiction
started and I watched the entire first season in a 48 hour time period. I also refurbished a desk we had although I've yet to finish the blog post I started about it. A friend sent me a beautiful plant while I was recovering from my surgery although I still have no clue what type of plant this was. I don't do plants. I can't seem to keep them alive. In an effort to keep it alive I finally watered it and when I did, it died. It's so pretty it deserves a spot on the year end highlight blog.<br />
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<b><u>October</u></b><br />
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We went to the state fair, ate some cheese, got a bootleg Curious George monkey for playing the balloon popping games and had some deep fried oreos. I continued my couponing/deal searching and posted pictures along the way on Facebook and sometimes blogged about it. Me, Sam & Tim had our annual pumpkin carving contest, unfortunately I lost. We also celebrated Boo Bear's aka Gabe's third birthday with a wheels theme at a bike park and he got his first bike!<br />
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<b><u><b><u><br /></u></b></u></b>
<b><u>November</u></b></div>
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Matt got me a subscription to the paper so I
would get coupons delivered to me every Sunday. Oh, wait, something else also awesome happened this month...what was it? Oh, yeah, Love Muffin also proposed to me
on 11/5/13! This was also the month that my beloved crock pot with the fancy digital timer died so I bought
a new less technologically advanced one at a great discounted price of course,
I got my hair cut in a new “style” which resulted in my wearing my hair
straight 5 out of 7 days a week which made Love Muffin very happy, and I counted down the days until Thanksgiving so I could get out my tree and decorate for Christmas. I also began wedding planning hardcore and even created a wedding planning notebook to assist me. <br />
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<b><u>December</u></b></div>
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We
celebrated our first Christmas in our new house, I became addicted to glittery
Christmas items, Matt got his backpack blower that he has been drooling over
for months, I continued couponing and wedding planning and went crazy over day after Christmas sales and bought even more ornaments...and my Starbucks addiction was in full overload with all the giftcards I received for being a good girl this year.<br />
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Well, that pretty much sums up 2013. It was full of laughter, tears, tantrums, stress, happiness, family, friends and blessings. I can't wait for 2014. It's got a lot to live up to after this last year! <br />
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Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-4790240578400963382013-11-15T20:46:00.001-08:002013-11-15T20:46:08.672-08:00Harris Teeter Deals 11-15-13I'm very excited that a new Harris Teeter has opened near our house. I was even more excited when I received coupons in the mail to save $10.00 a week for the next four weeks off a grocery purchase of $50.00 or more. So naturally after work today I decided to head on over.<br />
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I got some great deals. However, it took me twice as long because I was not familiar with the layout of their new store footprint so I had no idea where I was going. I can say that the open floor plan is great, and the motion detected LED cooler lights are also pretty cool too. The fixtures in the restrooms are modern which was also impressive and they have a Starbucks inside as well. So all in all I think this location will become my new "home store" but it will just take me some time to get used to it.<br />
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Below are the best deals I got today and breakdown of my savings. <br />
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Sargento Shredded Cheese: $3.75 each on sale BOGO = $3.75 for 2 - .80 cents off 2 = $1.47 each<br />
Betty Crocker Cake Mix: $1.69 each - .75 cents off 2 x 2 = $ .94 cents each<br />
Classico Family Favorites Past Sauce: $2.90 on sale 2/$5 - $2.00 off 2 = $1.50 each<br />
Wheat Thins & Triscuits: $3.25 each on sale BOGO = $1.63 each - 2 $1.00 off 3 coupons = $1.29 each<br />
V8 Splash Juice: $3.39 on sale 2/$5 - .50 cents off 2 coupon x 2 = $2.00 each<br />
Prego Alfedo Sauce: $2.35 - $ .75 cents/1 = $ .85 cents<br />
Heluva Good Greek Yogurt Dip: $2.99 on sale 2/$4 - .75 cents off 1 x 2 = $ .50 cents<br />
<br />
So had I not have shopped the VIC deals and paired them with coupons I would have spent $147.36.<br />
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However, I received a special promo of 10% off my entire order today, I then used a $10 off $50.00 or more purchase coupon that I received in the mail, and then I used $20.30 worth of manufacturers coupons.<br />
<br />
So I paid $65.08 for $147.36 worth of groceries which is savings of 44% which isn't too bad considering I had to get dog food and a few other items that were necessities that believe it or not I did not have a coupon for and obviously are not pictured above.<br />
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I love savin' money honey!<br />
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Until Next Time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-21317772943171403402013-10-02T13:51:00.001-07:002013-10-02T13:51:10.929-07:00Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos<div dir="ltr">
I've been desperate to find new, easy, and delicious recipes that aren't too expensive and honestly that are very effortless to create due to our hectic schedules and the fact that I was growing tired of all my easy go-to fallback recipes. </div>
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The other day I decided to go through all of my pins on Pinterest to attempt to find some inspiration to make something new and exciting with the crockpot. Luckily I found a pin on how to easily make these chicken tacos however as always I modified the recipe to make it more my own and spice it up some. </div>
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I also made prepackaged spanish flavored rice and canned seasoned black beans to go with our tacos. I know that that was not the best choice due to the high sodium levels but when you are recovering from eye surgery trust me when I tell you that you won't give two craps about eating processed high sodium foods. You'll put on the table whatever can be made the quickest. </div>
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Below is what I did. It is super easy and the results are fantastic. </div>
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Ps - you don't have to over do it with the cilantro lime sauce like I did. I'm just obsessed with it because its so good so I seriously put it on everything on my plate. Oh, and the leftovers are also great on salad for lunch the next day.</div>
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Ingredients:<br />
1 lb of frozen boneless skinless chicken breast<br />
1 packet of hot/spicy low sodium taco seasoning <br />
The juice of 2 fresh limes or 1/4 cup bottled of lime juice<br />
1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro<br />
1/4 cup of water<br />
Crushed Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)</div>
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Directions: </div>
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Put all ingredients in the crockpot. </div>
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Stir and cook on high for four hours or on low for eight hours. </div>
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If you are able to, stir it at least once halfway through. </div>
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When done the chicken should shred easily. </div>
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You will have to use a fork to shred the chicken and stir in the excess liquid for flavor. </div>
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Serve hot with hard or soft shell taco shells and all your *usual fixin's. </div>
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You could also put on top of tortilla chips to make nachos if you desire.</div>
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<br /></div>
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*Instead of using sour cream we made a Cilantro Lime Dressing to go on top. </div>
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<br /></div>
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See below for that recipe. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
1 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
<br /> 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
(store brand is fine)<br /> 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
<br /> 1 tablespoon of minced garlic</div>
<div>
1/4 cup olive oil
<br /> 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
<br /> 1/8 teaspoon salt
</div>
<div>
Honey or sugar to taste (optional) <br />
<br />Directions: </div>
<div>
Puree all ingredients food processor until smooth. We have a Ninja so that is what I used. Use of a Vitamix or regular blender would be ok too. </div>
<div>
Taste and adjust flavor as necessary - I say this because the plain greek yogurt gives it a tart/tangy taste when coupled with the lime juice so you may want to add
some honey or sugar to alleviate that if that is an issue for you.<br /></div>
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That's it. A very simple, no work dinner that was something new and a keeper for the recipe lists</div>
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<br /></div>
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Hope you try it out and don't be afraid to experiment and enjoy! </div>
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I may or may not get around to posting about the eye surgery. We shall see. </div>
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XOXO</div>
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Jess</div>
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Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-21396546849503322302013-07-14T19:41:00.000-07:002013-07-14T19:41:09.908-07:00Egg White Muffins So I've seen more than one of my favorite weight loss bloggers post about egg white muffins and finally I decided this weekend was the weekend in which I should try to finally make some of my own. <br />
<br />
I searched Pinterest for recipes and found a few however I wasn't quite sure I wanted to make mine the same way. Plus I wanted it to be super easy so that it would be something I would stick to doing every Sunday. <br />
<br />
What I love about these things are that that are super easy, very versatile and can be completely different with a simple change of additive ingredients and they are healthy and taste oh so good.<br />
<br />
Let me also start out by saying that I could not find my muffin pan so I was really bummed. However I remembered that we have these mini can pans (slightly larger than muffin size) that I thought may work just fine so that's what I used however you are supposed to just use a muffin pan.<br />
<br />
So here's what I did....<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
liquid egg whites<br />
turkey sausage links 1/2 a link per muffin tin.<br />
low-fat shredded cheddar cheese<br />
ground cayenne red pepper<br />
garlic powder<br />
black pepper<br />
fresh sliced white mushrooms<br />
vegetable oil cooking spray (canola olive oil spray will work fine as well)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350<br />
Cook your turkey sausage per directions on package (I microwaved mine)<br />
Spray your muffin pan with vegetable oil cooking spray so they don't stick<br />
Pour 1/4 cup liquid egg whites in to each muffin tin (or less depending on your muffin pan)<br />
Cut your sausage links (like you would cut up a hotdog)<br />
Chop your sliced mushrooms to small pieces/chunks<br />
Add desired amount of turkey sausage, mushrooms and cheese to each muffin tin<br />
Once all ingredients have been added to the egg whites, add desired amount of spice<br />
<br />
For mine I did a pinch of garlic powder, black pepper, and ground cayenne red pepper. I did not add any extra salt because I figured the sausage would be salty enough.<br />
<br />
After all your ingredients are added to your muffins put in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. I watched mine because I wasn't sure how long it would take for the egg whites to cook and I didn't want to over cook or burn them. Mine were done after 15 minutes however keep in mind I used these mini cake pans for mine which are slightly larger than muffin cups. <br />
<br />
Once they are done. Pull them out of the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, use a fork to slide them out of the muffin cup (they should not stick if you used the cooking spray generously). <br />
<br />
I then prepackaged mine to easily grab when I'm on my way out the door in the morning. Just package in tupperware or sandwich bags and put in the refrigerator and re-heat and eat when desired. <br />
<br />
When you are ready to eat them, put them in the microwave for 30 seconds and they are good to go.<br />
<br />
You can pair these with fresh fruit or toast to make a completely nutritious and filling breakfast. For extra spice add some sriracha hot sauce or texas pete to them to spice them up some.<br />
<br />
So you don't get tired of them you can switch up the ingredients. Next week I think I am going to do red peppers, spinach and mushroom with low-fat mozzarella cheese.<br />
<br />
These are super easy, nutritious, and pretty healthy as long as you are thoughtful of what ingredients you add to your egg whites.<br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-85538663803984393842013-06-17T19:11:00.001-07:002013-06-17T19:11:02.690-07:00Kitchen Feat - Banana Ice CreamI saw a pin on Pinterest the other day on making banana ice cream. I was so excited because it seemed simple enough. I pinned it only to try to pull it up later and realize that the recipe was no where to be found when I hit the link. I almost had a hissy fit. <br />
<br />
But then I talked myself off the ledge and reminded myself that I'm an educated woman with some kitchen abilities so I'm sure I can figure out how to do it myself. <br />
<br />
And boy did I ever. This is a freaking LIFE CHANGER! <br />
<br />
The photo isn't the best but it highlights the main ingredients (other than the bananas of course).<br />
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Quite honestly I thought this was going to be an epic failure so I didn't take step by step photos because I didn't think I was going to be blogging about this.<br />
<br />
Anyway...here it goes.<br />
<br />
Two posts ago you may remember me sharing my phobia of eating bananas with any brown spots on the peeling. Yeah I know, I'm crazy. I get it. With that being said, I don't like to waste food so I wanted to come up with ways to use these bananas. If I can't see the brown spots then it doesn't freak me out. I know, I'm so weird. <br />
<br />
Anyway, when you have a few bananas laying around that are starting to turn brown, take them and peel them. Then slice them (like you are putting them on cereal slice them).<br />
<br />
Once sliced, put them in a freezer bag or container and freeze. I left mine in the freezer for 24 hours.<br />
<br />
The next day I grabbed the following items:<br />
<br />
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk<br />
Organic All Natural Almond Butter<br />
Nutella<br />
Container of frozen banana slices<br />
<br />
Excuse me if I don't use technical terms here...<br />
<br />
Dump your bananas in your food processor. We have a Ninja. Love it! (Pictured below is the model we have only ours is black not white.<br />
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Anyway, dump your bananas in. Then take a heaping spoonful of Nutella, a heaping spoonful of Almond Butter and 1/2 a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and blend until smooth. The actual amounts will vary depending on how many bananas you use. I used four med-large size bananas for my batch.<br />
<br />
Because you are making ice cream and not a smoothie the consistency will be pretty thick so you'll need to stop blending every minute or so and stir the ingredients up some so that everything gets blended.<br />
<br />
Basically just blend until smooth and you will have the most delicious homemade ice cream of your life. It is amazing. <br />
<br />
It was so good that next weekend I'm going to do it again only this time I'm going to use bananas and strawberries and maybe even a peach. I'll probably leave out the Nutella for that recipe though. If it's not an epic failure I will be sure to blog about it and with much better step by step photos too.<br />
<br />
Also important to note, you don't have to eat it all right away. We ate some and then I put the leftovers in a freezer container and we have been snacking on it for the last two days off and on. The consistency is the perfect.<br />
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Anyway, that was my kitchen feat this weekend. What have you experimented with in the kitchen recently?<br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-24259478492804070382013-06-17T18:40:00.001-07:002013-06-17T18:40:06.986-07:00A Letter To MyselfI read a blog the other day where they wrote a letter to themselves...ie A Letter To My 21 Year Old Self or something along those lines. I thought this was a great idea and have been toying with the idea of posting mine for everyone to read. <br />
<br />
So here it goes...<br />
<br />
Dear Jessica,<br />
<br />
I know you think you have everything all figured out right now and that you literally know EVERYTHING. But trust me when I tell you that quite honestly, you are an idiot. For real. You don't know squat. I know you think your life is so hard right now working full time and going to school full time but one day you will look back on where you are right this very minute and laugh at what a blast this time in your life is, and you will want to smack yourself for not enjoying it more. <br />
<br />
You will get your heart broken this year even though I know you don't believe that. You will think your life will never be the same but deep down you know that he is not "the one". I know you don't want to admit that but it is so very true. The sooner you accept that the better off you'll be. All the dumb stuff you do after that experience is laughable now but trust me when I tell you that it is T-Totally-Stupid. I'm not going to ruin the fun and highlight the dumb things you are going to do but trust me it's not your finest year.<br />
<br />
You will then be able to love again only to be hurt again. Only what you don't know is that what you are feeling really isn't love. You have no freaking clue what love really is. You have never experienced it. But you will one day. And when you do, you'll be blown away. I won't tell you when though because I don't want to ruin the surprise but it will be absolutely AMAZING. It won't be as lame and tear jerking as the movie The Notebook in which for a full year you will be absolutely obsessed with watching. Seriously. Burn that dvd already. And by burn I mean literally light it on fire.<br />
<br />
Just so you know that year and half of your life was not in vain, you will meet life long best friends during this process. They will be there for you through the heartbreak, and through the crazy mess you get yourself in to over the next couple of years, and for years to come. That very reason right now makes this time in your life totally worth while.<br />
<br />
Also, even though you can't see it right now, your hard work and dedication in school and in the early stages of your career are monumental in getting you to where you will need to be in the future. If you only could see yourself at thirty you would be amazed. And by the way, thirty is <i>so</i> not OLD. I know you think it is but believe me when I tell you that life really doesn't even fully begin until you reach the big 3-0. So with that being said, keep rockin' it in school and working hard at your internship you get this year which will lead to your first full-time position in your industry. <br />
<br />
I will leave you with these words, and I want you to listen to them closely....Believe me when I tell you that you truly are an amazing, talented, smart and wise beyond your years woman at the age of 21. But at the same time you don't know $hit. Accept each mistake you make and learn from those mistakes. You are going to make tons of mistakes. It's ok it's normal. You don't have to be perfect all the time. You really should stop spending time worrying about what others think about you. Stop trying to please everyone and be true to yourself. The sooner you do this the happier you will become. Those who matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter. Dr. Seuss is a freaking genius too by the way. The older you get the more often you will find yourself quoting him. <br />
<br />
Oh and one more thing, enjoy that free music you are downloading now because one day soon downloading music for free on the internet will be a major no-no. Limewire & Napster will be things of the past soon. I know you don't believe me but haven't you already figured out I'm way smarter than you are right now?<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Your Future Amazing SelfCrazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-31029285352202307232013-06-09T19:47:00.002-07:002013-06-09T19:47:27.124-07:00Random Facts About MeAn innocent conversation about bananas prompted me to write this post. May you will find these facts about me interesting. Maybe you will find them weird. Maybe you already know some of these facts. Either way here they are in no particular order...<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I only eat green bananas. If they aren't green then they better be bright yellow without one brown blemish on them. Once they start looking brown (even just a couple of freckles of brown) I won't eat them. They freak me out. Ask Matt. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Out of all the various type of apples that there are I only eat the granny smith ones. They are prettier, juicier, and taste better. I don't know why I feel that way, I just do.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I hate, no not hate, absolutely loathe the feel and sound of paper. The texture of it makes my skin crawl which is why I hate using paper napkins and why I also wet my paper towels before I use them. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I have anxiety when the towels are folded incorrectly. Me adding this to the list right this very minute, or even being able to acknowledge that this is an issue for me is prompted by the fact that as I type this over the top of my laptop screen I'm looking at my future brother in law that is folding the towels that I had drying in the dryer so he can do his laundry and I want to rip them out of his hands and fold them "hotel style" or "my way" whatever you want to call it. In my head that's the only correct way. I know there are more than one way to fold towels. But if it's not my way then I think it's weird. I can teach you the method if you want. It's much prettier. I never realized I had so many issues until recently.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I don't like eating things with my hands. Corn on the cob? Nope. I will cut the corn right off the cob and eat it with a fork. Chicken wings? Nope. I will eat those with a fork too. Apples? No, I don't eat those like a normal person either. I core them or peel and slice them and then eat them although I will put a slice in my mouth using my hand. Pizza? When I rarely eat that I always use a knife and fork as well. T-totally-weird!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I always get in the shower before I turn the water on. Then get pissed when the cold water hits me because it always does when you don't let the water heat up before you get in like most normal people do. After 30 years I still keep doing it. I don't know why. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I really do think I have an addiction to Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Lattes. My mouth is watering now just thinking about one. I plan my weekend activities around which Starbucks in the area has a convenient drive-thru. Although I did switch it up today and got a Chai Tea Latte and it's probably now going to be my new addiction. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Going back to my weird issues with fruit, I also prefer green grapes to the other types of grapes. Not sure why. All grapes taste good, I just prefer green ones the most. Maybe because I'm obsessed with green fruit? I have no clue. I'm a nutjob so there really is no telling.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I'm not a morning person. I don't like for you to speak to me until I've had coffee or at least had the chance to get fully awake. If you breath too loudly or make any noise whatsoever I want to automatically throat punch you. Thankfully Love Muffin is not an overly annoying morning person so we don't have too many morning issues. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I can't sleep in socks. They make me feel weird when my feet are under the covers. Like my feet are going to suffocate or something. I don't know why. If you see me under a blanket with socks on in bed it's only because I'm probably sick and have to have socks on to retain body heat.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I have anxiety about the most random ridiculous things but the major things in life that should cause me undue stress, discomfort, or pain don't seem to bother me in the slightest.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I can't stand to be late! For anything! Not even to a movie. In fact, when I go to the movies I like to be one of the first ones in the theater. My friends and loved ones make fun of me frequently on that one. It's just my thing so deal with it. I just spent $100 to go to the movie! I'm going to watch every preview, partake in the movie trivia, and make sure I watch every second of the movie in it's entirety. Not to mention if you are the first one in there (at the theater I usually go to anyway) you can score that awesome middle section first row center seat with the rails in front so you have a foot rest! Score! </li>
</ul>
<br />
I'm sure I could think of a few more but these are the first ones that come to mind....<br />
<br />
I know I'm not the only one that has weird tendencies and issues. So come on, share yours!<br />
<br />
<br />
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Until next time...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-44216866931362426932013-06-09T18:48:00.002-07:002013-06-09T18:48:44.249-07:00Iron Chef Here I Come...So as you saw from my Facebook/Instagram photo upload, I made a delicious breakfast this morning and followed that by thirty minutes of exercise and then by having a healthy nutritious snack. I really do so much better on the weekends than I do during the week. The other day it was 11:45am before I realized I forgot to eat breakfast. Then by the time I got to lunch I was starving so naturally ate more than I should have. <br />
<br />
Anyway, notice the presentation of the orange. I mean I should get extra awesome points for that. <br />
<br />
With that being said this weeks weight loss was 2 lbs<br />
<br />
Let's hope I keep that up this week and have another week of loss rather than gain.... <br />
<br />
Anyway, recipe is below if your interested. <br />
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I'm sure you are fully well aware of how to make an omelete so rather than a recipe, this is just my ingredients list...</div>
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1/2 cup of egg whites</div>
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1/4 cup of fresh chopped baby spinach</div>
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1/2 slice of turkey lunch meat (you can also make it without or substitute mushrooms for meat instead)</div>
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a small amount of cheese of your preference (I used sharp cheddar)</div>
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Garlic Salt to taste</div>
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Pepper to taste</div>
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Moving on....<br />
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What is so exciting about this breakfast is that for the first time in my life I was able to flip the omelet over without the use of a spatula. No for real. I mean like Emeril style lifting the pan up off the eye of the stove and with the flick of a wrist flip that thing over so it got brown on the other side. Sadly no one was in the kitchen to witness this feat. I was so proud of myself. I had to tell someone. So I told Bear and Princess. They didn't care. They just wanted me to drop some food on the floor so they could indulge themselves in to what the humans were eating, which is why they follow me around whenever I'm in the kitchen. Since no one saw this I thought they probably wouldn't believe it. When Matt finally woke up I told him. He didn't seem too impressed either. So, I thought I should blog about it. That way it's at least documented somewhere that for one day at least I was able to make an omelet like a normal person.<br />
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Am I the only one that gets really excited over things like this? <br />
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I'm a dork. I know.<br />
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Anyway, stay tuned for the next post:</div>
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Random Things About Me You May Not Know</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-90724444622043392792013-06-02T20:57:00.003-07:002013-06-02T20:57:57.135-07:00Super Doubles Time Again & Other Stuff...So I wasn't going to participate in Super Doubles this time at HT but who was I kidding? I can't resist. Love Muffin's Moma always saves her coupons for me so today after a quick stop at Mom & Dad's I grabbed some scissors and cut some good ones I thought I was going to use and then headed right on over. I did commit the ultimate cardinal couponing sin by not making a list before I went to the store and by not having my coupon book. Since today's trip was impromptu as it was, I just threw the coupons in my wallet and hoped for the best. Normally this does not end well but today it was somehow manageable. Maybe because I had a limited number of coupons on me? Who knows.<br />
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Anyway, I didn't manage to do too incredibly bad and even menu planned in my head for the week while there and managed to come home with items that either worked together or complimented items already in my stockpile. <br />
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I feel I got some pretty awesome deals today and also did a little ibotta shopping as well. Love Muffin and his lil' bro whom is now what I affectionately refer to as "our tenant" since we let him move in with us love snack foods so I thought I might as well take advantage of some sale items that I could also get ibotta rebates for in the process. Perfect example would be the two bag of chips I bought. I don't usually eat chips but did because of the rebate and because the guys would like them. However it is hard for me to resist them and I did have a few earlier. I'm hanging my head in shame as we speak. <br />
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Moving on...<br />
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Total Spent: $90.05</div>
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Total Saved: $66.33 (between coupons & VIC specials)</div>
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Total ibotta rebates: $7.50</div>
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Total savings + rebates = $73.83</div>
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<b>% Savings of 61%</b></div>
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Details on my best deals of today are below. If you aren't interested in the details of all that please skip on to the next section...<br />
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Best deals from today:<br />
<br />L&P Worcestershire Sauce: on sale for $2.50 - $1.00 off x 2 = .50 cents!<br />
Sunlight Dishwasher Detergent Packs: on sale for $3.49 - $1.00 off x 2 = $1.49!<br />
Head & Shoulders Men's Shampoo: on sale for $4.99 - $2.00 off x 2 = .99 cents!<br />
Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner: on sale $2.99, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner: also on sale for $2.99 - $1.50 off two Aussie products x 2 = $1.49 each<br />
L'Oreal Advanced Leave In Repairing Oil Treatment: on sale $5.99 - $2.00 off x 2 = $1.99<br />
Dove Men's Deodorant: on sale for $3.50 - $1.00 off x 2 = $1.50<br />
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Front Porch Ice Cream: on sale BOGO = $2.24 each - .75 cents off 1 x 2 = .74 cents<br />
Front Porch Ice Cream: on sale BOGO = $2.24 each - $2.00 off 2 x 2 = .48 cents each<br />
Green Giant Frozen Veggies (corn & carrots): eVIC email deal at .97 cents each (without coupon)<br />
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Now that that's out of the way...<br />
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I haven't been blogging much lately. I know you all have been heartbroken over this. Maybe even shed a tear or two. Please rest assured that it's not because I don't want to or because I don't have anything to say....Lord knows I've got <i>plenty</i> to say about everything. I guess I just feel kind of overextended right now. We have so much going on and work is crazy busy too and I just don't have the mental energy to get on the computer as much anymore. I keep telling myself that if I don't make some time for me and my health that all the work and things we have going on won't matter anymore. Some days this does the trick and on the days where I'm feeling the most overwhelmed I just head on over to some of my favorite blogs for motivation and encouragement. I will share a list of my favorite blogs/bloggers in my next post.<br />
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Anyway, for those that asked, the Skinny Cookies & Cream Milkshake recipe is below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7hCS5rlbFY8cBAbEo__ZZuFXE9Fc9DszSnba3v10Yipww43lcuv8qclDmmzgItzlzx3sgZK_K3AsIeHlHl2NrwIFXx4pdWm133fyl1FQqlzasV_6Hs7xNJWk50DtZ2WtjdyML1hnStQ/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7hCS5rlbFY8cBAbEo__ZZuFXE9Fc9DszSnba3v10Yipww43lcuv8qclDmmzgItzlzx3sgZK_K3AsIeHlHl2NrwIFXx4pdWm133fyl1FQqlzasV_6Hs7xNJWk50DtZ2WtjdyML1hnStQ/s200/IMG_0607.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
1/2 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk<br />
2 reduced fat oreos <br />
1 heaping tablespoon of non fat cool whip<br />
1/2 cup of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt<br />
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add all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth<br />
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Not sure of the WW points or calories but trust me, it's delicious and you won't feel too guilty about drinking it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoLqnj5yaTyGSRItAtRDImJyaw2-ra26XEPQdjoVoJge99I1hGuUxwfYDc2h74JBhkfYD1a0JZVELswjY6LbxeI-WCSzwsgR4C5ZHKgZL4JpprMfyRa8iEcIhgwvK8M3A06056kInjzs/s1600/IMG_0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoLqnj5yaTyGSRItAtRDImJyaw2-ra26XEPQdjoVoJge99I1hGuUxwfYDc2h74JBhkfYD1a0JZVELswjY6LbxeI-WCSzwsgR4C5ZHKgZL4JpprMfyRa8iEcIhgwvK8M3A06056kInjzs/s200/IMG_0611.JPG" width="149" /></a>Let's see what else...oh yeah, I've also finished week 1 of couch to 5k however it took me two weeks to do it. So yeah, I'm thinking that's not the most effective method...I will really try to push myself hard this week to get up early enough to make it to the gym for my morning workouts before work, and then to finish up in the evenings with my 30 minutes of couch to 5k. I will TRY. I really will. <br />
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Thursday night last week I decided that I should read while walking on the treadmill on an incline of 3 on level 3 speed. Partly because I felt guilty about skipping the gym all week and also partly because I really wanted to read but knew that I should be fitting in a workout....so it's not much but it's something....one chapter later I had already walked 1.56 miles without managing to fall off so I'd say that's not too bad. If they'd only let me mount my laptop to a treadmill while at work I'd be fit it no time... <br />
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Anyway, until next time....</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-39771562591877544972013-05-11T20:04:00.001-07:002013-05-11T20:04:31.061-07:00Fatty McFattersonOk so I joined WW back in December and I was all jazzed up about it at first. I mean it seemed easy enough. All I had to do was track my points, pay the monthly membership fee for my online account and download the apps. I was all about it for two months and then I kind of lost the time and energy needed to keep up with all that crap. Because of this I found it ridiculous that I was paying almost $19 a month to have an app on my phone that I wasn't using. <br />
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So today I said screw it and I cancelled it. <br />
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Do I really need to pay for an online app to loose weight? I mean I lost fifty pounds all by myself before. Granted I've gained 25 of that back but still. I did it once. Couldn't I do it again? <br />
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I've also joined the Y so that I can work out again. I work out every morning before work for at least thirty minutes. I don't see any results yet. But it's only been two weeks. I can however tell you that I had the free orientation to the weight machines and for the first time ever am doing the weights after my cardio workouts. If feels good doing it too. It releases stress and makes me feel strong. I never realized how little upperbody strength I have and how much lower body strength I actually do have. I can barely do 30 pounds on the arm machines but on the machines that work your lower body I can do close to 75. On the leg press I can do 100 lbs. <br />
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I also decided that I needed to quit obsessively weighing myself because it was just stressing me out. Your body weight fluctuates during the week and every time a pound or two was not in my favor on the screen it was causing me anxiety and stress. I finally got on the scale Thursday morning at the gym and was horrified to see I had gained five pounds? WTF? I was totally pissed when I saw this. But someone once told me that when you start doing weights that it can make you gain weight some? Is that true? Who the hell knows. Maybe that's just something some fatty mcfatterson made up to make themselves feel better. <br />
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Anyway. I'm trying a new technique of stress relief where I work out five days a week. Try to watch what I eat and not stress so much about the scale. I'm also pushing myself to try something new. I've decided that I'd like to work my way up to doing my first 5K so I'm attempting the couch to 5K app. <br />
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Week one I kind of did half ass because I kept forgetting to bring my iPhone with me to the gym. The first day I did it at home on my home treadmill because I was too embarrassed to do it at the gym in case I wasn't able to hang for that long to do it. I'm that fat person that thinks everyone is staring at them while they work out. They probably are. I'm probably good motivation for them to keep going in their attempt to NOT be me.<br />
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Anyway, the first week you do a five minute warm up then alternate between 1 minute of jogging/running and 1.5 minutes of walking for a interval of 30 minutes. <br />
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The pic below is from day 1 where I actually had my iPhone and did the full 30 minutes. But I was in the comfort at my own home so it kind of made it easier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGoirtRO9BgZxWktAv1cP0JVcz3f9cLOiJFVcDeLrEv73XL3buB4nSWn_weONRmE3tMiHqzftQ3MeUAnCZCLp9ejotabF-SZQ3eCDLpRuJqWLGTtK0n3NhsB9PPr6IUYn5bCJBbfbKCQ/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGoirtRO9BgZxWktAv1cP0JVcz3f9cLOiJFVcDeLrEv73XL3buB4nSWn_weONRmE3tMiHqzftQ3MeUAnCZCLp9ejotabF-SZQ3eCDLpRuJqWLGTtK0n3NhsB9PPr6IUYn5bCJBbfbKCQ/s320/IMG_0570.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm going to try to go hard next week and really do the full week and actually bring my phone with me to the gym. I'll report back next week on my progress. <br />
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As of right now I'm still fat and have a gain this week of 4 pounds. I feel that it's total BS but I am not going to let that get me down. I'm also working up the courage to go to one of those early morning classes at the gym but all the people that go to those classes are in much better shape than I am so I feel like I'll be the weird fat kid in class and keep talking myself out of going.<br />
<br />For those reading that work out, what keeps you motivated? What do you do to work out? Do you go to the gym or workout at home? What weight loss techniques have proven to be successful for you?<br />
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-43138858210212910992013-04-22T18:16:00.003-07:002013-04-22T18:16:35.991-07:00My Blog Everyone has been so kind to say they enjoyed my feature story on the WRAL Smart Shopper blog last week. I truly enjoyed by five milliseconds of localized fame and sadly still have received no offers on my own reality tv show. Maybe one day. I'm not loosing hope.<br />
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Moving on...<br />
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Over the last week as people have read the post a reoccurring comment has emerged...other than "wow, Jessica sure is awesome", which is a given of course, was the frequent comment on how I am a good writer and my writing sounds exactly how I speak and I could have a following, etc etc.<br />
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A following. That's something to marinate on for a minute. If you will notice, I currently only have three subscribed readers. To my knowledge I don't have any followers via email. If you read all the "how to become an awesome blogger blogs" out there it gives you all these rules to follow to get more readers and to grow your blog. There are even tips and advice on how to make money off your blog. All those rules are just overwhelming and quite honestly annoying. While I love to blog, and I really do think that people enjoy reading what I have to say, following all these "rules" in order to gain readers just seems utterly exhausting and like, I don't know, maybe, um, WORK. <br />
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I want this to be my outlet from life and from work. I want this to space to be a place where people come to enjoy a laugh and share their feedback and experiences on what I'm going through. A place to find common ground and friendship with people you may have not ever have had a chance to meet.<br />
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I don't want this to become a job. I want this to be fun. I want this to be my outlet where I can talk, whine, rant and rave about whatever I see fit. I may talk about double couponing in one post, my weight loss journey and a new recipe I came up with in another post, and then five minutes later post a rant about a topic that I'm particularly heated about for that second. That's the fun part about me. You never know what you will get.<br />
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Maybe that won't get me a million readers. I'm ok with that. But I'd like to think that if you post it they will come...<br />
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Field of Dreams anyone? No one got that? Seriously?<br />
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So I will continue to post my random blogs about random topics and maybe one day people will subscribe. Maybe one day.<br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-43151657206093412682013-04-16T18:41:00.000-07:002013-04-16T18:46:06.546-07:00Shine Bright Like A Diamond - My WRAL feature<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1k2SeYspG23AJW8OGurrLckD8lDIoM0AUyY79vcXEu5Ac3iD3f8K4q_GV1HLIC12QwQ_6sjDRc4TTJtij8lKR9NrrtThf3cnm5CIAL3k5TVsK1NrZZQBuNbj7SFNJAR9pTN1LUNkNYs/s1600/IMG_0546.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1k2SeYspG23AJW8OGurrLckD8lDIoM0AUyY79vcXEu5Ac3iD3f8K4q_GV1HLIC12QwQ_6sjDRc4TTJtij8lKR9NrrtThf3cnm5CIAL3k5TVsK1NrZZQBuNbj7SFNJAR9pTN1LUNkNYs/s320/IMG_0546.PNG" width="213" /></a>I'm definitely shinnin' bright like a diamond y'all. I'm so excited to share with you the fact that my couponing story was highlighted this week on WRAL's SmartShopper blog.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wral.com/juanita-s-couponing-story-/12343909/#commentform" target="_blank">Jessica's Couponing Story</a><br />
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I will desperately attempt to not let all the fame go to my head...no really I will. I also think it's cool that Faye posted a link to my blog on WRAL SmartShopper page as well.<br />
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Still only have three followers though. I'm guessing that Bravo TV or TLC will not be calling me to do my own reality show. I mean you'd think if those crazy folks at Myrtle Manor can get a show I darn should could. Real Couponing Housewives of Durham? Anyone? Ok moving on.<br />
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Below I've included by submission to WRAL to get my story featured in case they ever take the post down in the future. Not that they will, I'm sure they archive the posts, just don't want to loose the proof that I was for one day super cool and featured on a blog. <br />
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To make a long story short, there was an entry on the blog detailing that each week Faye would be highlighting a different couponers story and if interested, you should submit your entries to a specific email address. I was on a total money saving high after double couponing one evening and decide what the heck, might as well send in my submission. I was so sure that hundreds of others had done the same and there was probably a slim chance I'd get chosen. But I was very successful at making Faye laugh out loud with my entry and she has highlighted me already (I'm the 6th feature story so far). <br />
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Am I <i>too</i> excited about this? Am I showing how lame I am right now that this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me this week? :-) Don't answer that. Even if you tell me that I will tell you that you don't know what you're talking about and that I'm super awesome and that any minute I'll have my own reality tv show. It would be call #hit Jess Says (instead of #hit my Dad says).<br />
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Bravo, TLC, if you're listening, if Honey Boo Boo, Myrtle Manor, and freakin' Teen Moms can have their own show then I think I've got a shot. Mmm kay? <br />
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Anyway, here's my entry for those of you that are interested....or you can read it on the WRAL SmartShopper Blog Page (link posted above).<br />
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<i><b>How many people are in your household?</b><br />2 humans and 2 dogs (don't tell them they aren't human)</i><br />
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<i><b>Why did you start couponing?</b><br />I
started couponing because I couldn't figure out where the heck my money
was going and how I spent $100 a week at the grocery store but never
had anything to eat? Or items that matched? Peanut butter but no
jelly? Cereal but no milk? Sandwich meat with no bread? I was a total
nut job in the store apparently and needed to get more organized. Then
my Love Muffin and I started renting a house in a new zip code and I
magically began receiving coupons in the mail. I thought it was a fluke
at first and that they would stop coming eventually however they kept
coming one sometimes twice a week. I was just so fascinated with all
the coupons I was receiving and they were for a lot of items that I
actually used or wanted to use but didn't want to spend the money on
them cause I'm cheap. For real.</i><br />
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<i><b>How long have you been couponing? </b><br />Only
about a year. The year has flown by and I can't believe it took me so
long to get in to this. It's like a new way of life. My family and
friends pick on me all the time about my couponing and stock piling.</i><br />
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<i><b>How much do you spend on groceries and non food essentials per week? </b><br />I
have a set budget of $50 a week period! That is for groceries and any
other toiletry or household item we need. However I do tend to spend a
little extra for my bi-weekly Costco trips (only if I have coupons) and
when there is super double coupon events.</i><br />
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<i><b>How much do you save each week? </b><br />I save 40-75% usually most weeks as long as I've done my research and matched my coupons to the best sales in the area.</i><br />
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<i><b>How much time do you spend couponing and shopping each week?</b><br />I
spend about an hour a week organizing my coupon book. Clipping and
inserting new ones, throwing away the expired ones etc. And then I
spend about 1 to 2 hours in the store every Saturday morning. If it's a
Costco week add on an extra hour to that to make it about 3 hours
total.</i><br />
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<i><b>How do you organize your coupons? </b><br />I
have a three ring binder with clear business card hold pages inside. I
then took labels and wrote categories on them and tried to organize the
categories in order of what is on each aisle in the store.</i><br />
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<i><b>Where do you shop for groceries & non-food essentials? </b><br />I
do 99% of my shopping at either Kroger or Harris Teeter. Mostly Harris
Teeter because I like their coupon policy better. I also shop at
Costco as well and for non-food essentials have found out that if you
match sales to coupons that Target has great prices on toiletry items
and household items if you time it right even though they don't double
coupons.</i><br />
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<i><b>Do you have a weekly/monthly grocery planning/shopping routine?</b><br />Yes!
I first start off every Thursday night by making a menu plan for the
next week. Sometimes this is based on what sounds good and sometimes
this is influenced by what coupons I have that I want to use and what
sales I know are going on. I am a rebel sometimes and plan against the
book and sales and wing it in the store (shhh don't tell). I then go
through my coupon book and get rid of any expired coupons. Add any new
coupons I clipped and then match up coupons in my book to the online
sales papers for my favorite stores and make my lists. I make a
separate list for each store so I can stay as organized and focused as
possible in the store when I'm on a mission.</i><br />
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<i><b>Does anyone in your household help with couponing and saving? if so, how? </b><br />That's
hilarious. Love Muffin wouldn't be caught dead double couponing with
me. He thinks I'm a nut job as it is. That might have something to do
with the fact that we have 17 boxes of cereal in our cabinet right now
and I may have purchased 6 bottles of salad dressing because it was such
a good deal a few weeks ago. He doesn't waste an opportunity to pick
on me about this either. Every time I come home from the store he
laughs at me. But I know he is proud of me when I start bragging about
how much money I saved us this week!</i><br />
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<i><b>What's the worst part about couponing? </b><br />The
worst part about couponing is organizing the coupon book. It's too
time consuming and I wish someone would do it for me! I classify myself
as a Lazy Quasi Extreme Couponer after all. The time necessary plus
the 45-50 hours a week I work are rather draining some weeks.</i><br />
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<i><b>Whats the best part about couponing? </b><br />The
saving money! Also the sense of community there is in the couponing
world. I can't tell you how many great fellow couponers I've met in the
store whom share coupons they aren't using, or couponing tips and
experiences etc. Perfect strangers on aisle 3 chatting it up like
they've known each other for years. I think that's pretty cool. That's
one of the highlights of my Saturday mornings.</i><br />
<i><b>Do you have a stockpile? </b>Yes.
But it is kind of in shambles at the moment because we just bought a
house and i had to move it. It's still kind of small but I can assure
you we are not lacking salad dressing, cereal, shampoo, conditioner,
razors, shaving cream or paper towels.</i><br />
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<i><b>Do you do any meal planning? </b><br />Definitely.
Meal planning is an absolute must.Every week I do this as a part of my
routine. It keeps me sane. If I go in to the store without a list and
menu plan for the week I end up walking around aimlessly confused not
knowing what I need or what I want. Thus as mentioned earlier I end up
coming home having spent $100 but have no items that go together and
it's just a hot mess trust me.</i><br />
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<i><b>Do you have any words of wisdom for someone just getting started in couponing? </b><br />Don't
let it overwhelm you. Start out with clipping coupons for favorite
items and then grow from there. Don't be upset if you don't walk out
with everything for free or .99 like the people on Extreme Couponers.
Savings of any kind should be celebrated. Pretty sure that 30% you
started saving will be 50% and then 70% as you get in to your groove.
It's totally worth all the planning and organizing. I can attest to
this because I'm a busy working woman who is kind of lazy at this
couponing thing. Or maybe I think that because Extreme Couponers
highlights all those over achievers? Who knows?</i><br />
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<i><b>Anything you want to share about your couponing journey? </b><br />I
was so excited about couponing when I started that I started sharing my
savings on my blog (link in box above). It became fun each week to
highlight the best deals I received. It keeps me motivated to keep
going even though its a time consuming process the rewards are great.
In the last year I've saved almost $2,000 and paid off debt due to the
savings so I think that's pretty awesome!</i><br />
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<i><b>Funny coupon stories?</b><br />Sometimes
when I'm in the store and I have a coupon for an item that I know I
have no intention of buying I will give it to another shopper I see who
is thinking about purchasing the item. If the recipient of said coupon
gift is a fellow couponer they get very excited that I was sweet enough
to offer and either take it so they have a duplicate or they take it and
give me one of theirs. However most of the time when I do this the
recipient is NOT a couponer and they look at me like I'm a lunatic
that's up to something. Like it's too good to be true. Like I'm
punking them on a hidden reality tv show. It's hilarious. So now I
purposely look for a random person each trip to give a random coupon to
just to see what their reaction will be. It's a game I like to play on
Saturday mornings. It doesn't take much to entertain me clearly.</i><br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-8194282262000584592013-04-13T15:05:00.002-07:002013-04-13T15:05:27.815-07:00UghhhhhI've been debating on whether or not I wanted to write this post for a long time. I'm not sure what I was afraid of exactly. Maybe judgement? Maybe people offering unsolicited advice. Maybe that by writing it in a blog $hit would get real, really quickly. I'm not quite sure. Or maybe I just didn't want to write this blog because I didn't want to get real with myself and face reality. I'm not quite sure. Tears are forming in my eyes as I write this.<br />
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I'm at a point in my life where I realize that life moves too quickly. Time passes in the blink of an eye and all those things you put off for tomorrow get put off to the next day and the next day. Next thing you know 10 years have gone by and you are in the same damn spot you were in before.<br />
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I'm about to tell you something. Brace yourselves. You'll never believe what I'm about to tell you.<br />
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I'm fat.<br />
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I know, I couldn't believe it myself.<br />
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Truth is, I've always been fat. Full figured. Curvy. Whatever the heck you want to call it.<br />
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The problem with that is that at one point a few years ago I let myself go like horribly. I've gathered that it was from a lack of exercise, adequate sleep, too much work and school, and one day I woke up and was like holycrapsticks pounds.<br />
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I never owned a scale before. I had no clue how it happened. It just did. Slowly overtime I woke up like super mega fat when previous to that I was just fat. Fast forward two years and I managed to loose 50 pounds. Easily at that. I mean I exercised, but not as often as I should. I watched what I ate, but really that just meant I didn't eat carbs anymore. And the pounds fell off more easily than I expected. I mean the 50 pounds just went away over night it felt like...when really it was a 2 year process. But still. I wasn't really depriving myself. But I was single. So if I wanted diet coke and a handful of popcorn for dinner then that's what I ate. The biggest meal of the day I had was lunch. I always ate breakfast and had two sensible snacks during the day. I ate hardly any dinner and had a sensible snack in the evenings but not after a certain time of the day.<br />
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Then fast forward two years. I've found myself in the happiest place I've ever been in my life. Great job. Great friends. New house. Being blessed enough to be in love with my true best friend whom loves me like I love him and makes me laugh day in and day out. But I woke up one day and realized that 25 of the 50 pounds lost has found it's way to my ass again. It's so overwhelming. It's so damn frustrating. It makes me feel discouraged. It makes me feel broken, weak, stressed, and quite honestly want to throat punch someone.<br />
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I don't have anyone to blame but myself. I don't work out anymore. I complain that I don't have time. I mean I work 10-12 hour work days most weeks and by the time I get home I don't want to do anything but have a moment of peace and quiet, watch some reality tv, and find something decent that's not wrinkled to wear to work the next day that is somewhat cute and professional. Then it's time for bed and the cycle repeats itself. By the time the weekend comes I find myself on my usual Saturday and Sunday rituals. Get up, clean the house, do laundry, meal plan, grocery shop, coupon if I have time, and repeat. Then it's Monday again.<br />
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Every time I get on the scale it gets more frustrating. It gets more depressing. I joined WW. It's working when I have time to measure EVERYTHING, count points for EVERYTHING. It's freaking exhausting. I mean I don't have the time to use a calculator or iPhone app to write down every morsel that I eat. I managed to loose 5 pounds after being on it one month. Then gained all 5 pounds plus 2 more back a month after that. It's always something. This time I blamed it on the move and the being so disorganized and not able to meal plan and stay on schedule.<br />
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I know this is a rather personal post but I guess I'm just looking for some motivation. I mean I feel so tired, stressed, discouraged, you name it. I wish I had the energy to actually wake up at 5:30 and workout for an hour. I must admit my alarm goes off every morning at 5 AM. This is my attempt at making myself get up early and exercise. But I never do. I hit snooze until I'm almost late and 10 minutes past actual time to get in the shower. I'm just so tired. My brain hurts. Life is too much. So much to do. So little time. How do I make time for me? How do I make time for my health. How do I be a super woman that does it all 100% perfectly. I just find myself feeling like an epic failure all the time.<br />
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My house isn't clean enough. My laundry isn't caught up. My car isn't clean enough. I'm not organized enough. I don't make everything from scratch. I don't do this or that. Why does it feel like if you aren't doing everything perfectly all the time that you are a failure. This feeling of failure is resulting in the lack of devotion and motivation to exercise and getting back on track to loose that 25 pounds that I gained back and then loose some more. I just feel so damn overwhelmed. There is only 24 hours in a day and I have 30 hours worth of stuff I need to do EVERY.DAMN.DAY.<br />
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I am one of the luckiest women in the world to have a loving devoted man in my life that loves me exactly how I am. But yet I have this constant feeling of failure, anxiety, and like I'm not where I need to be. Which is resulting in the numbers of the scale going up and up.<br />
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How do I get my mojo back again? My motivation to work out? My dedication to obsessively counting my WW points and making sure I'm following the plan to the exact detail? I just feel so overwhelmed. How do I get back on track?<br />
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-44571739452753911632013-04-13T14:59:00.002-07:002013-04-13T14:59:29.724-07:00Living Room Wall Decor ProjectToday's post is a DIY Tutorial (somewhat) of a recent project I did for the new house. I've got lots of walls to fill and am not quite sure what my taste is perse so I'm not willing to invest too much money in decor items that I may get tired of in six months.<br />
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I'm also cheap. There, I said it. Someone had to.<br />
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Moving on.<br />
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Recently we had some photos taken together (me and Love Muffin) so now that we have a permanent dwelling space I'm attempting to incorporate these photos in to our decor. So that left me puzzled, wondering how in the world I was going to be able to do this and not make it look hella lame.<br />
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And now let me introduce you to "Stuck On Ourselves Wall Decor" by CrazyJessF<br />
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What you'll need:<br />
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two 12" x 36" retangular floral foam boards<br />
1 yard of a fabric of your choice<br />
1 package of straight pins<br />
velcro strips<br />
4 photo frames of your choice (with or without matting)<br />
4 photos<br />
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Using a flat, clean surface, lay your fabric out and cut the size needed to fit around your floral foam board. Once you have the material cut, lay your foam board down face first on top of the fabric and tightly wrap the fabric around the board. Kind of like you are wrapping a present.<br />
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You'll want to pull all four sides tight and pin the center. Then work you way around until each side is securly pinned. I put a straight pin every two to three inches. The more the better. <br />
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Then I took velcro strips and put a piece on the top center of the board. It may not want to stick but I was able to get mine to. Maybe because it was stuck on the fabric? Who knows. I just made this up as I went along.<br />
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Once you have your board done (I did two) you can do as many as you want, then it's time to focus on framing your photos. I decided to get 11" x 14" frames, with white mattes to matte by 8" x 10" photos. Once you get the photos of your choice framed, you are done. Then just hang on a wall somewhere....<br />
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Here is my finished product:<br />
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And that's it. I just made it up as I went along. I think it turned out well. I'm very happy with it.</div>
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The best part about it is that if I get tired of it, I can always change out the photos in the frames and recover the floral foam boards with a different fabric. I can also change up the layout of how it is hung on the wall. A lot of possibilities and took hardly any time at all.</div>
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What do you think? What are some of your quick and easy wall decor ideas? I'm always looking for new inspiration.</div>
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-39181593630723962162013-03-25T18:30:00.002-07:002013-03-25T18:30:51.896-07:00Vegetarian Hippies? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4wA2kNmotYx6VTKmjAVSEPEmKpFqQe17gW9EeDSv9ZRUdtFaka5j2xBz7l4eXFr-rXg9MCsNLM5rKxxTJi-20ljy1SVBf9GgYOuOxgI9SE3eVNpdHuNCKiDbtZoSk79giJVZWy_2rfQ/s1600/Vegetarian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4wA2kNmotYx6VTKmjAVSEPEmKpFqQe17gW9EeDSv9ZRUdtFaka5j2xBz7l4eXFr-rXg9MCsNLM5rKxxTJi-20ljy1SVBf9GgYOuOxgI9SE3eVNpdHuNCKiDbtZoSk79giJVZWy_2rfQ/s400/Vegetarian.jpg" width="400" /></a>Ok so Love Muffin and I have been making a lot of changes in our lives, especially in the kitchen. One of the new things we are trying (and I say "we" but I really mean Matt and me kind of trying) is eating a vegetarian diet. I won't bore you with WHY we are trying it.<br />
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Google it. I'll wait...<br />
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yeah, just kidding no I won't. <br />
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Google it on your own time. <br />
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But there are a number of benefits to it we feel like and I'm not here to persuade anyone to join this Vegetarian Hippie bandwagon we are on at the moment either. Also, I am not joining or starting a cult. I will continue to shave my legs and shower too. For those wondering. You know who you are.<br />
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Anyway, since I'm kind of lazy and don't commit to things too much, I'd classify us as Lazy Quasi Vegetarians, very much similar to my classification of couponer if you will. <br />
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Sidenote: Don't judge, I get bored easily is all! But I love change and most importantly, change is good! So I'm up for the challenge.<br />
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Back to my point...oh yeah, Lazy Quasi Vegetarians...what do I mean by that? That is a great question. I shall enlighten you...<br />
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I may be new to this whole vegetarian thing but all the vegetarians I know are like hard core vegetarians. I mean they don't eat ANY meat, (beef, chicken, fish, deer, bison, nada!) and they also don't eat dairy products at all. Apparently though there are many classifications of vegetarians. Some eat chicken and fish but no red meat. Some eat no meat at all but still eat dairy. Some are balls to the walls and eat neither dairy nor meat of any kind. I mean my head is swimming with all the combinations of vegetarianism there are. <br />
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So with that I've decided that I am going to really give this a try but that I'm just not ready to give up chicken and fish yet. I mean it just seems like I'm doing a disservice to grilled hormone free chicken breasts and farm raised salmon everywhere by not enjoying their deliciousness anymore. Also I'm not going to lie, I may have had a moment of silence for my addiction to rare filet mignon. Good thing I went out like a rock star and had my last rare filet at Ruth Chris a couple of weeks ago...mouth is currently watering just thinking about it.<br />
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Anyways so my classification of vegetarianism basically includes limited amounts of chicken and fish, and some dairy (cheese/eggs/some milk products). Although I was already not drinking regular milk anymore anyway and had switched to Almond & Coconut Milk months ago.<br />
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Basically this means that I'm a total Lazy Quasi Vegetarian! Love Muffin is much more dedicated and finding this a lot easier than I am too by the way.<br />
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So now that we have ventured down this new path I've continued to branch out in the kitchen (um when have you ever known me to make homemade mushroom soup). I will admit that I'm running out of meals for meal planning already because I'm so new to this and recipes that require too many ingredients stress me out. Ain't nobody got time for that!<br />
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So I will share with you this weeks menu plan:<br />
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Sunday: Mushroom Soup<br />
Monday: Southwest Chopped Salad<br />
Tuesday: Spinach Quesadillas with brown rice and avocado slices<br />
Wednesday: OUT (to Mom & Dad's for dinner)<br />
Thursday: TBD - Matt's night to bring or make us dinner<br />
Friday: OUT (I usually grab a salad or something on the way home since Matt works late on Fridays)<br />
Saturday: Vegetarian Chilli (still need a good recipe though) <br />
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You may be asking yourself, why the heck do we care about your diet and menu planning? Well I guess I'm so egotistical that I think I'm more relevant and important than I really am so I thought everyone would care. Hello, I'm freakin' awesome so why wouldn't everyone want to know about our life? <br />
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No seriously though, the purpose of this blog is to find out if any of you have ever tried the vegetarian life style? What were it's positives? What was the hardest for you to give up? It is also my attempt at begging for recipes. Like does anyone know of a good recipe for vegetarian chilli that is really good? Do you think we are total nut jobs for trying to go vegetarian? <br />
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Be nice. Limit the dirty hippie jokes if you will. :-)<br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-6298121840051181482013-03-24T11:10:00.001-07:002013-03-24T11:10:53.551-07:00Kitchen Sunday - Mushroom Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I did my weekly shopping for meals...I also menu planned as well first thing this morning. I unfortunately am still not 100% better yet so I think that influenced my menu planning for this week. I had planned to try something new in the kitchen today by making spinach & feta stuff mushrooms. However I quite honestly did not feel like using that much energy to do anything in the kitchen today. I was doing good to be able to even get a shower and put on clothes today let alone try to be Julia Child in the kitchen.</div>
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I was then faced with the conundrum of what to do with all these fresh mushrooms I had in the fridge. I didn't want to waste them and wanted to use what I had the best I could rather than go out and get any more items. So I looked to Pinterest for inspiration and came up with the best plan ever...it's cold and rainy today so why not make Mushroom Soup! I've totally never made that before but there's a first time for everything.</div>
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Below is my recipe but you can do this any way you want to. I didn't really follow any one specific recipe I found on there because I couldn't find one that I liked so I kind of just went off on my own here...</div>
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What you'll need:</div>
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(Not all items are pictured obviously) </div>
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Fresh mushrooms (2 lbs) </div>
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1 medium/large yellow onion</div>
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1 pint of heavy cream</div>
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all purpose flour (4 tablespoons)</div>
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water (4 tablespoons)</div>
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Worcestershire Sauce (amount will vary)</div>
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Salt & Pepper (to taste)</div>
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*Chicken/Beef/Vegetable Stock (3 cups)</div>
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2 tablespoons of butter</div>
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1 teaspoon minced garlic</div>
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2 teaspoons of Marsala cooking wine </div>
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*This is your choice, I went with an organic veggie stock because Matt and I have not been eating as much meat. Not sure how long that will last but we've stuck to it for the most part for a week now and counting. He is doing much better than me with this. I'm having a hard time giving up chicken and fish.</div>
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How to do it:</div>
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Chop your mushrooms in small pieces & also dice your onion </div>
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add butter, minced garlic, marsala cooking wine, fresh mushrooms and diced onion to your pot and sautee on medium high heat for 10-15 minutes until all moisture is evaporated.</div>
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Once all moisture is evaporated turn down to medium heat stirring frequently then add 4 tablespoons of water, Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 4 tablespoons of flour, 3 cups of veggie/chicken/beef stock and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil stirring frequently to make sure all ingredients blend well together. Simmer on medium-low for 10-15 minutes and serve hot.<br />
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This part is where you expirament with the ingredients to get it to the taste & consistency that works for you. I added a little more salt and pepper but for the most part it was delicious when done.<br />
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See, doesn't this look amazing!<br />
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I am planning to serve this soup for dinner tonight with a skinny grilled cheese sandwich (as skinny as you can get it).</div>
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This will include low fat mayo with olive oil and these Arnold Sandwich Thins for bread which are only 3 WW points per serving and 100 calories. I couldn't find any sliced fat free cheese so I bought a Monterrey Cheddar blend sliced cheese and hopefully it is good. I will have to report back after dinner tonight...</div>
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-69103489482265576662013-03-22T19:52:00.000-07:002013-03-22T19:52:15.126-07:00Diva Friday Deals & New RecipeFor those that are not aware, I have been sick for the last week. I'm actually still sick. Transferring from the couch back to the bed for days with a super bad upper respiratory viral infection. However today I have begun showing signs of improvement and was literally going stir crazy in this house. I mean 7 days in your house without leaving (except that one trip to urgent care last Sunday) is true torture. <br />
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Anyway, I ventured out today and attempted a few things...and let me tell you. I need to keep by rear end in the bed or on the couch a couple days longer. So.Not.Ready.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVo58ycm90eHClkPmbEoTFNGRRqu1te8v4CroJQ12GN6eLwxVJzWeYVOuUT7feSjk6pXnCpkrvksVO2dqOss8vzNWjsLqGANz6srTZC63UOMG-omVoMMi5u9ec0dtIYAD59s2OQZ7Wun0/s1600/499706162b3a4c1eb034fb7ef30e143d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVo58ycm90eHClkPmbEoTFNGRRqu1te8v4CroJQ12GN6eLwxVJzWeYVOuUT7feSjk6pXnCpkrvksVO2dqOss8vzNWjsLqGANz6srTZC63UOMG-omVoMMi5u9ec0dtIYAD59s2OQZ7Wun0/s320/499706162b3a4c1eb034fb7ef30e143d.jpg" width="267" /></a>1. Went to Whole Foods and purchased lunch. It was so so good. Whole wheat thin crust veggie pizza by the slice and a salad from the salad bar. My sense of taste is not 100% back but it was back enough for me to taste and enjoy a meal again.<br />
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2. I tried the new Hazelnut Macchiato drink at Starbucks (skinny of course) and it was delicious! I don't even care for hazelnut flavoring too often but it is perfection! Can't wait to have a chance to try it again when my full sense of taste and smell is back.<br />
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3. I went to Lane Bryant to do my clearance rack search and I really racked up this week. I'm actually kind of proud of this weeks purchases. They were having a super sale today 40% off everything in the store plus an additional 20% off - meaning that everything in the store was 60% off. Since I shop the clearance rack anyway I did my usual run through on what they had and then went to check out. I was pleasantly surprised at my final prices today but it may have helped that the items I grabbed were on final clearance mark down.<br />
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Flare Dark Denim Jeans: Original price $59.50 clearance price marked at $20.00 paid $9.60<br />
Orange thin casual scarf: Original price $24.95 clearance price marked at $6.98 paid $3.35<br />
Black shrug sweater: Original price $54.95 clearance price marked at $9.00 paid $4.79<br />
Silver dangle earrings: Original price $16.95 marked $9.00 paid $4.32<br />
Blue/Black strapless maxi dress (not pictured): Original price $89.95 clearance price marked at $74.99 actually rang up at $14.98 paid $7.19!!!!! <br />
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Total Spent: $31.29 <br />
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Total Savings: $31.69 per my receipt (but this is based on the clearance prices)<br />
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If you look at the original prices for each item I really saved $215.01 <br />
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<i>They didn't have my correct size in the store of the dress so they ordered it online for me and it will ship to my house for free in 5-7 days. Thus why the dress is not pictured below.</i></div>
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And now on to my new recipe. It's so simple it's crazy and it's virtually no WW points.<br />
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<b>Scrambled egg whites with spinach and mushrooms</b>. </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvWtwLL3MS6AVNwNvV9IEl9TE1AKj6MjS4nCriYmt5WdO9M72gXyZGj6VgpQkaY7FL7D1ZVu2nyv-cFa-yBXYOj4LAscmr63NEaHlUs_usjALlILQ-7HLvT9J2d1MxYQB2wcTmLDXGzg/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvWtwLL3MS6AVNwNvV9IEl9TE1AKj6MjS4nCriYmt5WdO9M72gXyZGj6VgpQkaY7FL7D1ZVu2nyv-cFa-yBXYOj4LAscmr63NEaHlUs_usjALlILQ-7HLvT9J2d1MxYQB2wcTmLDXGzg/s320/IMG_0479.JPG" width="239" /></a>This has been my new breakfast obsession in the mornings for the past couple of weeks. <br />
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I don't really always measure it out but based on my research it appears this is may 1 WW point per serving if that? It's ok though as I make up for my breakfast point intake with my coffee creamer (I just can't live without my coffee in the AM)<br />
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What you'll need:<br />
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1/2 - 1 cup of fresh baby spinach (how ever much you prefer)<br />
1 - 2 mushrooms cut per your preference (I like my pieces big)<br />
1/3 - 3/4 cup of egg whites (depending on how hungry you are)<br />
Garlic salt to taste<br />
Non Fat Organic Cooking Oil Spray (so it doesn't stick to the pan too much)<br />
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Directions: scramble it up and enjoy (there is no way to mess this up).<br />
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It's so simple and delicious and take virtually no effort (even when you are in a time crunch in the mornings like I am)<br />
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That's all for today...stay tuned for my DIY post on a magnetic menu board for the refrigerator (kind of)<br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-20014373842152086582013-03-21T13:18:00.002-07:002013-03-21T13:18:33.940-07:00I'm Famous! Not Really.So I have had the honor of being asked to guest post a series on Southern Savvy Connections. Long story short this is my awesome Realtor's blog Stacie. She is awesome. If you look up the definition of awesome in the dictionary, her picture is there (next to mine of course).<br />
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Anyways check it out when you get a chance. I'm super excited about it the series. Since I'm wordy and have so much knowledge to share with the Triangle area it will be a series of about 5 to 6 parts about my experience being a first time homebuyer. I'll be sure to update each installment on here for everyone's enjoyment.<br />
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I'll try to make sure the fame doesn't go to my head. Maybe. No for real, I will. I swear. <br />
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<a href="http://www.southernsavvyconnections.com/2013/03/part-1-from-home-buyer.html" target="_blank">My 1st Guest Post - Part 1</a>Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-506577835349151480.post-26487994901867434782013-03-10T19:05:00.002-07:002013-03-10T19:10:47.358-07:00Epic Kitchen Failures & Other StuffI'm on a roll today. I've had two epic kitchen failures today and both were due to my negligence rather than my incompetence.<br />
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<b>Epic failure #1 - Pintos</b><br />
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I decided to be proactive today with the menu planning and cooked pinto beans ahead of time although we aren't having them until tomorrow for dinner...well maybe? Well, probably not, I'm not sure.<br />
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Here they were when they looked normal and incredibly delicious. I was so proud I just knew I was going to blog about them. So of course I whipped out that iPhone to snap a pic. <br />
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I was busy playing around with the settings of my blog template and background today so I sat in the living room and went in the kitchen to check on them every so often. All was going well for the first hour and I was even excited about eating them for dinner tomorrow night. Then after they were cooked I decided to let them cool on the stove and then I would pack them away for tomorrow. Only when I came back they were mushy and very thick. Love Muffin is still trying to withhold the urge to laugh at me hysterically. <br />
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Everyone knows the best part about a bowl of pintos is the juice that you get to dip your cornbread in to. I reluctantly packaged them up and will see how I feel about them tomorrow. I can assure you they were seasoned very well. No need for additional salt or red pepper or anything. But I would still classify this as an Epic Failure. The delicious bowl of pintos I had planned for tomorrow night turned in to refried beans instead. So maybe this wasn't a totally epic failure. Maybe I was very successful at making my own version of refried beans. Go me. Mexican night anyone? <br />
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<b>Epic Failure #2 - Eggplant</b><br />
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I've had an eggplant in the fridge all week that I needed to cook. Tonight I decided to finally get it out, cube it, add some extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes and sautee it on the stove like I'm the next Emeril or something. I'm getting rather ballsy in the kitchen all of the sudden. Possibly due to Love Muffin being a Chef and all. Since I'm competitive, don't ever think I'm wrong about anything, and think I'm so awesome that I can outcook a professional chef I decided to make it without asking his opinion on the matter. Then enters Epic Failure #2 for today.<br />
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I don't measure anything so I just kind of wing it when I'm in the kitchen. This was one of those things where I was talking and not paying attention to how much red pepper flakes came out and well if my addicted to all things spicy and hot sauce loving Love Muffin couldn't even eat it, then I can assure you it was rather inedible. In an attempt to make me feel better he did reassure me that eggplant is a hard vegetable to prepare well unless you are making Eggplant Parmesan. It's pretty hard to mess that up. <br />
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<b>Epic Feat #1 - Pinterest Recipe for Spaghetti Squash Casserole</b><br />
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It seemed easy enough. The pretty pictures were enticing. The limited amount of ingredients needed, and ingredients in which I was actually familiar with, as well as the fact that I just had to use that leftover spaghetti squash from last weekend meant this had to be a success. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't the best either. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm still getting used to spaghetti squash in the first place. What throws me off is that it has a rather sweet flavor to it. I don't like salty and sweet mixed together so I guess t I'm not sure if I want to classify this one as a failure or feat really. The recipe makes a lot so now I have all these leftovers in the fridge that will stay there until they absolutely become inedible and need to be thrown out. Is now a good time to mention I don't like leftovers either? Also, even though I followed the recipe exactly it turned out rather watery. I'm wondering if it's one of those things that really will be better on the second day?<br />
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I should have taken a pic of this but I didn't. I don't think I will be making it again because I wasn't that impressed with it. <br />
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So to sum up my day...I made a mess in the kitchen and have decided that the only thing I like spaghetti squash for is as a substitute for pasta for spaghetti nights. I'm not an Iron Chef, or Top Chef, and I should leave the creative cooking to Love Muffin (a professional!).<br />
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I'm sure next week however I'll find some other crazy recipe on Pinterest I want to try and I'll be back at it again. <br />
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So it's at this point I must ask...what else can you use spaghetti squash for? Any recipes anyone wants to share that call for eggplant or spaghetti squash ingredients? <br />
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Anyone?<br />
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Bueller?<br />
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Bueller?<br />
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Farris Bueller?<br />
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And now on to Other Stuff...<br />
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I am one of <i>those</i> people that absolutely loves The Hangover and can quote the entire movie and have both Parts 1 and 2 on bluray. I was so excited to see the trailer to Part 3 which starts Memorial Day weekend and have decided to share it with you below. I'll be there opening night to see it. I can't wait! <br />
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Until next time...</div>
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<br />Crazy Jess http://www.blogger.com/profile/00332698884124547252noreply@blogger.com0