Happy New Year and other Adventures!

First and foremost...Happy New Year!  Or is it Happy New Years?  Hmmm....I'm confused.  What's new?  I really think it's Happy New Year (singular).  I'm quite sure it is...don't know why I had that momentary lapse.  Either way, I'm a day early, but for the next 2-3 days, things are going to be really busy around here.  However, I'm going to try to sneak in a few deals & freebies when I have time.

Today, I have to get ready for tomorrow.  Um, did that sound weird?  It did to me.  But seriously, tomorrow we've having Christmas with my family...again!  You see, one of my brothers works off-shore and he missed Christmas.  Sooo, to have a family Christmas with all of my siblings...we have to do it when he's home.  It's sad that we can't just do it once, but my brother-in-law, well, he works off-shore too...on the exact opposite schedule as my brother, so we have to do it twice so that everyone gets to do it.  Plus, it wouldn't be the same if we didn't do anything with the family on Christmas day, especially since we all live so close to each other.  I ramble.  Anyway, I'm really excited about it!!  I mean, who doesn't want to open gifts and eat good food and enjoy a huge family get-together twice in 8 days?  Really, not you?  Well, I am genuinely excited!

After our 'Christmas' tomorrow during the day at Mama's, then I'm going to have a New Year's Party here at my house.  Now, had I known that we were going to be having our second Christmas on New Years Day, I might not have planned a New Years Party...or maybe I would have.  Oh well.  The bottom line is...I had already sent out the invitations when our second Christmas date was decided on, so we're going to go with it!  With all of that going on, needless to say, I have LOTS to do!

Not that anyone cares, but here's my list:

• Eat Breakfast (still haven't done that and it's almost 10am)
• Make a shopping list, organize coupons, and go shopping.
• Bake a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (for my oldest little brother) and make (2) Lemon Icebox Pies for 'Christmas' (at my Mama's request)
  
• Wrap gifts for 'Christmas' because I was too lazy to do them all before Christmas last week
  
• Cook beans for Chili for the New Years Party (and the rest to freeze for later)
• Fold and put away 3 loads of laundry (and probably wash another load or two)
• Make a list for my husband (like gather firewood for the bonfire, take out the trash, clean the patio, etc.)
• Bake and decorate a cake for the New Years Party (I'm taking every possible opportunity to practice with fondant before my other brothers wedding in May)
• Make some candy and other treats for the party.

Okay, that's all I've got for now.  If I have time, I'll blog about some of these adventures.

I pray that you all have a safe and wonderful New Year!

*FREE* Nursing Wrap - Only Pay Shipping!

I told you about this a few weeks ago, but the code is still working!  If you're a nursing Mom, have a friend pregnant right now, or might need a baby shower gift soon, this would be a fantastic gift!  Right now, if you go to UdderCovers.com, you can get a FREE Nursing Wrap and only pay $8.95 Shipping! 

Just go to UdderCovers.com.
Click on "Shop Now".
Choose one of the $32 wraps and add it to your cart. 
At checkout, use coupon code "CHRISTMAS".
You will only pay $8.95 for shipping!

Thanks, Kathy!

MEGA Swagbucks Day!

I originally told you about Swagbucks here, and if you're already a member, I wanted to remind you that Friday is MEGA Swagbucks Day!  Your chances of winning more than 1 Swagbuck is much greater today, so you'll want to be searching alot!

If  you're not a member, go sign up now!  Swagbucks is search engine, much like Google or Yahoo! The bonus with Swagbucks is that you win 'bucks' randomly when you search, and then you can redeem these Swagbucks for prizes.   My favorite prize is an Amazon gift card - you redeem 45 Swagbucks for $5 at Amazon.  I've redeemed for $75 in Amazon Gift Cards over the past several months - I use these for birthdays, Christmas gifts, or just to treat myself.  If you don't like Amazon, there are hundreds of other prizes and gift cards to choose from!

To sign up, go here.  After that, either go to Swagbucks.com to do your searches, or (even better) make Swagbucks your default search engine, then get searching!  Another great bonus is that when you refer someone, you earn Swagbucks each time they win, up to 100 Swagbucks per referral!   Between your own winnings, and your friends winnings, you can earn prizes very quickly!    I make the most of mine by literally searching for EVERYTHING.  While I know how to get directly to hotmail, instead, I type 'hotmail' in my search box before going there and then click through to it.  The more you search, the more you win!  I usually win once or twice per day and redeem for gift cards usually once or twice per month.  I don't know about you, but an extra $5-$10 per month just for searching is awesome!

*FREE* Dora the Explorer Game Download

My kids, especially my 4 and 6 year olds, LOVE Dora and Diego!  That's why I was thrilled to find this deal...you can get a download of a FREE Dora the Explorer game ($19.95 value)!

Here's how:

1. Go here and register to receive updates about Nickelodeon Video Downloads and other Nick Jr. Offers.
2. After registering, you'll receive an email confirming your registration and it will include instructions to download your game (my email came immediately, but landed in my Spam folder so watch for it)
   
3. Click on the link in the email and you'll be taken to a page that will add the game to your cart for $19.99.
4. Add the redemption code from the email in the box provided and your total will come down to $0.
5. Your game will download immediately and be ready for play!

I can't wait to see how much my kiddos are going to love this!

Thanks, Hip2Save!

*FREE* Nestle Crunch Bars on Facebook!

WOW, Nestle Crunch will be giving away 1000 Nestle Crunch Bars every day on Facebook (don't know what date this will end). 

All you have to do is become a fan, then go here and play a trivia game - the first 1000 winners each day get a FREE Crunch Bar! Thanks, Work at Home Mafia!

Become a Facebook Fan!

Welcome if you're new to my blog!  Please click here to become a Fan of my page on Facebook!

Also, enter your email address here to subscribe and receive daily updates of all my latest deals!

Thanks, and Happy New Year!!

Cheap Steak at Wal-Mart

A few weeks ago I told you about this coupon and it appears to be reset for some people (not for me). 
Go here to register and print the $3/1 Chef's Requested Item.  At Wal-Mart, the Bacon Wrapped Beef Filets (10 oz.) are reportedly $3.28-$3.98.  Grab yours for as low as $.28 after coupon!

Thanks, Hip to Save!

Walgreens : 90% Savings

I went to Walgreens last night and I saved 90% off my bill!  I everything pictured for only $2.90 PLUS I left with $9 in Register Rewards for next time.  Want to know more about Register Rewards?  Read here!

See?  Here's my reciept...

Anyway, here's the breakdown:

$4.00 - 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios

$8.99 - Gilette Fusion Gamer Razor

$3.59 - Lipton Tea - 48 ct.

$5.16 - (4) Snapples at $1.29 each

$3.99 - Theraflu

$2.89 - 1 Gallon of Milk

Total (with 7% tax) : $30.62

-$2.00 - (2) $1 Honey Nut Cheerios Coupons here

-$4.00 Gillette coupon from 11/29 P&G Insert

-$2.58 BOGO Snapple Coupons (printed a few weeks ago)

-$2.00 Theraflu Coupon (click on my sidebar to print from Coupons.com)

-$2.00 on Theraflu from Walgreens Healthy Savings Book (found at pharmacy)

Current Total: $18.04

-$16.00 Register Rewards (4 separate ones from previous purchases)

New Total: $2.90 oop

Earned:

$2.00 Register Reward when you buy 2 GM Cereals plus Milk

$4.00 RR wyb Gillette Fusion Razor

$3.00 RR wyb Theraflu plus Lipton Tea

If you don't have any RR to start with - you can still get some great deals...with the coupons and after RR, you'd pay for the milk and get the cereal free, the razor would be $1.99 and the Lipton and Theraflu would be $.58 for both. 

More FREE Amazon Prime!

WOW, this is an awesome offer!  You can get Amazon Prime FREE for 3 Months with a qualifying textbook purchase!    This offer doesn't expire until February 5, 2010.   The regular price for this membership is $79 per year!  If you're still in the FREE Trial I told you about before, you may be able to wait for it expire and then sign up again!  I have had a Prime Membership before and I was able to take advantage of this offer.

Here are the details:
1.  Go to this page and then click on the box for 'FREE 2 Day Shipping'
2.  Click on 'See Details'
3.  Click on 'Shop for Eligible Texbooks'
4.  Choose a book and add it to your cart.  I chose  this book for $3.71 but the books seem to change often, so make sure it qualifies or find another cheap book of your choice (I searched under Literature and Humanities for good reads).
5.  Proceed to checkout.
6.  You will have to go ahead and enter shipping and billing information, including a credit card, but on the last page, you will be offered FREE Amazon Prime for 3 months!  Agree to sign up, then go ahead and checkout.
7.  If you're afraid you'll forget to cancel and be charged, go here to read about preventing that!

My total cost for 3 months of FREE Amazon Prime was $3.71 (the cost of the book)!

Thanks, Common Sense with Money!  Mercedes instructions/experience were a little different than mine..go here to read hers!

*FREE* Yoplait Yogurt

Sign up for the Betty Crocker eNewsletter and get a coupon for FREE Yoplait Yogurt!  This is for new subscribers only!  Thanks Bargain Briana!

*FREE BOOKS* - New Releases

 

Do you like to read?  It's one of my favorite pastimes, although between the 5 kids, the homeschooling, the laundry & dishes, etc., I don't get to do it often and it usually takes me weeks to get through a book.  However, if I can get new books for FREE that I get to keep - it doesn't matter how long it takes me to get through them.

With that in mind, I want to tell you about the Read It Forward program from Crown Publishing Group.  You can get copies of NEW Release books for FREE to keep!    Go here to sign up and right now there are 3 new books to choose from!  These are 'limited quantities, while supplies last', so you'll want to act fast!

*FREE* Lego Club Magazine

If you have kids in your house that love Lego's, you'll want to sign up for a FREE Lego Club Magazine Subscription.  My boys have been getting it for months and they LOVE it!  Go here to sign up your child for Lego Club.  On the right blue side bar under 'Free Lego Club Magazine Subscriptions', you'll select your country and then follow the instructions to get your subscription started.  Once signed up, they'll begin to receive Lego Club Magazine bimonthly.  Oh, and on the child's birthday, they'll get a bonus Brickmaster magazine.  Best of all, it's TOTALLY FREE!

Atwater Adventures is Changing...

Over the next night or two, I will be working to move my blog over to my own domain name.  If you visit at night and don't find my blog, please be patient and come back very soon!  I hope to have it all working and smoothed out in a day or two!  Thanks for reading and be blessed!

Rose

More Cheerios Coupons

Go here to sign up for $4 in Cheerios coupons and a chance to win a FREE box!  Once signed up, a $1 coupon will be emailed to you once a week for 4 weeks!

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

$1 off any Johnson's Baby Shampoo = Free Travel Size

Go here (IE) or here (FF) to print a coupon for $1 off any Johnson's Baby Shampoo.  The travel (trial) sizes are often priced for around $1 at Wal-Mart and drugstores, so you could score some free shampoo!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

*FREE* Honey Nut Cheerios at Walgreens

Go here to get your $1 off Honey Nut Cherrios Coupon (use your back/refresh button to print twice), then go here to find out how to get 2 FREE boxes when you buy a gallon of milk at Walgreens!

Become a Facebook Fan - Get $1 Wheat Thins Coupon

Go here to become a fan of Wheat Thins on Facebook - then you can print a $1 off coupon!  These often go on sale for $2 each, making them $1 each after the coupon!

Thanks, Bargain Briana!

NEW Home Made Simple Coupon Booklet

I told you about this before, but this seems to be a new link.  If you've never gotten one of these, let me tell you, they're great!  You simply go here to request one, and you'll receive it in the mail in a few weeks.  It's packed full of great coupons - sometimes a coupon to get an item completely free!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Smile.ly: Samples and Freebies

Smile.ly is a brand new company that you can sign up with to try new products and possibly give feedback!  Go here to sign up now!  I just completed my profile and it took about 5 minutes.  If you'd like a personal referral/invite from me, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment with your email address!

Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!

*FREE* Sausage Biscuit from Waffle House

Go here to print a coupon for a FREE Sausage Biscuit from Waffle House!  The coupon expires January 8, 2010.

Thanks, Two Thrifty Sisters!

Amazon - End of Year Blowout Deals!

One way I save tons of money is by shopping year-round for Christmas and Birthdays.  If I find a popular toy for a really great deal, I buy it and save it for one of my kids, or one of the many birthday parties we attend throughout the year.  Now is also the best time to stock up on 90% off wrapping paper (turn it inside out for birthdays), cards for next year, LED lights that will save you money for years to come, etc.  Why pay $4 for a roll of wrapping paper in  11 months that you can get for a few cents right now?

Back to my point.  I seriously recommend shopping these after Christmas sales with birthdays, and even next Christmas in mind.  Right now, Amazon has a blowout end of year sale going on with up to 70% off in several departments!  Also you can still get FREE Amazon Prime (2 Day) Shipping on many of these items!  Let me know if you find any outstanding deals!

*FREE* Weekender Beauty Sample Kit

Go here to request your FREE Weekender Sample Kit from Become.  This company makes skin care products.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

*FREE* Photo Books from HotPrints!

WOW, this is awesome!  HotPrints is going to be giving away one free photo book each month, shipping and handling included!  If you've never ordered a photo book, you should give this a try!                                                                           Just a few days ago, I got mine in the mail from Shutterfly and I love it!  I had pages and pages of our favorite moments from our trip to DC compiled into a book and it turned out great!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

*FREE* "All You Need is Love" Music Download

You can go here to download "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles.  This freebie is courtesy of Blackberry.com!  (no Blackberry required)

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

*FREE* Huggies Pull-Ups Sample

You can go here to request a sample of Pull-Ups from Costco.  You do not have to be a member to get the sample!

Thanks, Hip to Save!

Adventures in Baking: A Birthday Cake

A few days ago, a friend asked me if I could do a birthday cake for a girl in our church.  Well, since I love to bake and decorate cakes, I said 'Yes!'.  I didn't anticipate how nervous I would be - doing a cake for someone NOT in our family.

You see, I asked for a cake decorating kit for Christmas when I was just a young girl - probably 13 or 14.  Since then, I've been self-teaching cake decorating and practicing every chance I get.  I'm not a professional; I've never taken a single class.  But that's always been okay...90% of the cakes I've done have been for family, mostly my own kids.  They're easy to please and I'm my own customer, so no worries. 

Yesterday was a different story.  This cake was to be a 'girly-girl' cake - with make-up and zebra stripes.  This cake was for a girl I don't even know - for people to see that were not in my immediate family.  This cake was intimidating!

I decided to do it in fondant too.  It didn't have to be fondant, but I knew it would look much neater in fondant.  The problem was, I've only done one other really important fondant cake, and a few that were just for us.  I didn't even have extra fondant to practice with and watching hundreds of shows about it on Food Network doesn't really qualifiy as 'practice'.  So, again, this cake was intimidating!

Anyway, to get to my point - I did it!  I made a girly-girl, zebra striped, make-up topped birthday cake.  It took me 6 hours.  It took help from my husband.  And my son.  It took three phone calls to my dear friend Shelly to encourage and give advice (she's an expert cake decorator).    But finally, it was done!

And here it is (being delivered today for a birthday party after church):

*FREE* Sample of Galaxy Granola

Go here to request a free sample of Galaxy Granola!  Thanks, The Frugal Girls!

$1 off Honey Nut Cheerios Coupon

Go here to print a $1 off coupon for Honey Nut Cheerios!  These coupons are pretty rare and combined with a sale, could score you some cheap cereal!

Thanks, The Thrifty Couple!

*FREE* Gillette Fusion Razor

Right now, there are 2 ways to request a FREE Gillette Fusion Razor!

1.  Call 1-888-778-3221.  Press 2 for instructions in English.  Then follow the prompts and leave your information to get a free Gillette Fusion Razor.

2.  If you're already a member of ShopText (I told you about that here), you can text PRUEBA to 467467.  You'll have to exchange a few texts and texting fees will apply, so I only recommend this if you have unlimited texting.   After your first text, you'll receive a request for your age in Spanish.  Once you send that back, you'll receive a request for your state abbreviation in Spanish.  After you send that back, you'll get a text saying your razor will arrive in 4-6 weeks.

Thanks,  Money Saving Mom!

Merry Christmas

7 Quick Takes Friday (Volume 3 - Christmas Edition)

Check out Conversion Diary over here!  She's not hosting 7 Quick Takes this week, but I'm pressing forward anyway (finishing this up on Thursday night, by the way).  So, I'm going to do my 7 Quick Takes all about Christmas (wonder why?).  These may be all over the place, but here goes.



1.  Merry Christmas!  That's the first and most important thing I want to say.  I pray that you all have a very blessed wonderful day!!  Please take a moment today, or more than a moment, to thank Jesus and remember Him on this wonderful day.


2.  I love Christmas.  LOVE IT!  I love the gifts - giving and getting them.  I love surprises.  I love desserts...well, all the food really.  I love the lights, the decorations, the time with family.  I love it.  It makes me smile.  I'm not glad it's over...all week I've heard people say "I'll just be glad when it's over." - that's just wrong!  

3.  This is not so much a statement, as a question.  How bad is it that I purchased a Christmas gift (a shirt) for a family member...okay, for my Mama, then in a frenzied Sunday morning panic (last Sunday), decided to rip the tags off, wear and keep it for myself because I couldn't find my black shirt in my mountains of laundry!?!  On a scale of 1 to 10...how bad of a daughter am I?  Or maybe just a terrible person, or a crazy woman?!?  What do you think?  By the way, I'm pretty sure my Mama doesn't read my blog, but if you know her...could you keep this secret from her?  I promise I got her another gift!



4.  Oreo Truffles are super, fantastic, waist-expanding delicious.  If you've never made them - do it.   Do. It. Now.  Here's the recipe - you won't regret it!


5.  Traditions are great and I hope that my husband and I continue them for many, many yearwith our children - memories that they'll carry with them their entire life!  This month we've started some new ones with the Advent Calendars on DVD and carried on some old ones with Christmas Eve PJ's.



6.  Wrapping presents on Christmas Eve in the living room floor with my husband in front of a crackling fire is bliss.


7.  My finger still hurts.  Really hurts.  And it's numb.  Fro the cut to the end feels like it's asleep most of the time - except for the pain, like it's deeply bruised.  A weird combination, I know.  And pain shoots through it regularly.  I initially thought this wasn't going to be a big deal - and maybe it won't.  I keep thinking that I'll just ignore it and it'll be fine.  But then I brush my hand against something and it feels like I'm being cut all over again.  Anyway...just thought I'd share.  


Merry Christmas!!

Adventures in Baking: Walnut Blondies (with Maple Butter Sauce)

These are a new favorite in our family!  Joshua wanted to do them for Christmas and Aunt Amy, so he made them last night!  They are so delicious!!  Here's the recipe, but we've never done them with ice cream and Maple Butter Sauce.

This time, we doubled the recipe, made them in a 9"X13" dish, then cut them into bite-sized squares - can't wait for everyone to enjoy them!  (by the way, no idea why we have a blue tint to these pics...they are very blond and golden!)

Merry Christmas!

*FREE* Pillsbury Cookie Dough at Wal-Mart

In Wal-Mart last night, I saw the Pillsbury Christmas cookies (the Ready to Bake kind) marked down to $1! Go here and click on the banner near the top to print the $1 Coupon to score some free cookies! 

Go here to see more deals at Wal-Mart!

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

*FREE* Fresco Taco from Taco Bell

Go here to print a coupon for a FREE Fresco Taco from Taco Bell!  These will be available until ONE MILLION Tacos have been given away, but once printed the coupon will only be good for 7 days! 

Thanks, Bargain Briana!

Adventures in Baking: Pecan Pie Squares

I've been doing lots of candy making and baking this week and today I'm doing some more!  Pecan Pie is a typical holiday favorite right?  I think so..at least in the South.  Maybe everywhere.  Anyway, my husband likes Pecan Pie okay...but a few years ago when I found this recipe, he decided it is his favorite Christmas treat.  It's like Pecan Pie, but not as gooey or thick, and not as rich or sweet.

It has a buttery shortbread crust, instead of a typical pie crust.  The filling is very similar, if not exactly, like most Pecan Pie fillings, except this is baked on a jelly roll pan, (10" X 15") - so it's thin and crunchy.

Because chocolate makes everything better, I usually take about half of the squares and dip them halfway into melted semi-sweet chocolate chips!  I didn't do that today because I have so many other recipes on my to-do list  In the interest of giving you the whole picture, I decided to run back into the kitchen, melt just a handful of chocolate chips and dip a couple so I could woof them down to show you what I mean.  Believe me, if you like chocolate and pecan pie...you'll definitely want to do this...

 

I didn't even take the time to clean up the chocolate smears or let the chocolate set for this picture, but you seem what I mean...doesn't that look sooo yummy!?!

So, here's the recipe:

Pecan Pie Squares

Prep: 15 mins.

Bake: 55 mins.

Cool: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

Pecan filling (recipe & ingredients below)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease jelly roll pan, 15½ X 10½ X 1 inch. Beat flour, butter, sugar, and salt in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly (mixture will be dry).  Press     firmly in pan.  Bake about 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

2. Make Pecan filling.  Pour filling over baked layer; spread evenly.  Bake about 25 minutes or until filling is set.  Cool completely, about 1 hour.  For squares, cut into 8 rows by 5 rows.  Yield: 40 squares.

Pecan Filling:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups corn syrup

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1 1/2 tsps. vanilla

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

          Mix all ingredients except pecans in a large bowl until well   

          blended.  Stir in pecans.

• Walnuts can be substituted to make Walnut Pie Squares.
• The squares can be dipped into melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Cut into triangles for a slight variation

Christmas Eve Traditions

Here we are, it's Christmas Eve.  Even with the nasty weather outside, I'm very excited about today and tomorrow and all the fun family activities.  For the rest of today, we're cooking and baking and watching Christmas movies.  I have several recipes I need to knock out - some old and some new.  We're also going to bake a birthday cake for Jesus!  Our pastor's wife in Poplarville had this tradition with her children, then with the children in our church, and it's something I want to start doing with our kids!  I think it will be a great reminder in the morning of what the day is really about!

Tonight we'll watch the last of our Advent DVD's (see them here and here), then we'll eat supper (which will be lots of fun, finger food stuff that the kids love),  then we'll watch a Christmas movie, drink hot chocolate, and open our Christmas Eve gift.

Each year, we all get new PJ's.  It's no secret what we're getting, but it's a very fun tradition.  I wrap them early and make sure to get them under the tree before Christmas Eve.  Then we will all open our new PJ's, get dressed into them, and then go to bed.  Or at least, the kids go to bed.  The rest of the tradition is that Richy and I stay up half the night cleaning the house (I cannot stand to wake up to a messy house on Christmas morning), wrapping all the kids' gifts and getting them under the tree, then settling down for some quiet time before all the rush and excitement of tomorrow!


How do you spend your Christmas Eve?  Any family traditions?   I'd love to hear about the things you'll be doing with your family over the next couple of days!

*FREE* Christmas Music from Oprah

Go here to download 2 free Christmas songs from Oprah.com!
You'll get these songs:

Andrea Bocelli's "What Child is This"

Sugarland's "Silent Night"

Thanks, Freebies4Mom!