My Target Shopping Trip!! Total out of my pocket I paid $55.78 ($230.22 before coupons)
Tide release: .99 each coupon
Motrin PM: .99 each after coupon
Lightbulbs - free after coupons
deoderant - free with purchase of soap (I wont stink for at least a year)
Rimmel mascara - $5.49 ea (target gave it to me for $2.24 because it was hung in the wrong spot - I was just not going to even buy it) - after coupon - .24 cents
Candy - BOGO with coupon
Scrubbing bubbles - 3.49 ec (all the other scrubbin bubbles on the right - free with coupon)

The other stuff I didn't have coupons for. I also used a $50 visa gift card that I earned doing a survey) - So basically - I paid for the diapers, wipes and part of the trash bags and got the rest free!!

For those of you interested on how I do this - I get most of my info from www.weusecoupons.com each store has a forum and everyone posts the deals they find etc. It's great for coupon matching etc. This is my second round at trying couponing...but I think I have found a way to stick to it!!

Your Invited

My oldest, Madelyn turned 10 this month. She had asked to have a sleep over with a few friends. This is the invite we came up with. I used Gina K's lava lamp stamp which is something that Madelyn is really into now. So she was very excited - along with her friends. This is really a very simple card of layers of paper. The only really time consuming part was the detail on the lava lamp.

In the close up you will be able to see a little on the detail - I took Eucalyptus stickles and filled in the 'lava' and then after coloring the 'liquid' with a Prismacolor True Blue maker and the stickles dried I covered the 'lamp' with 3-d Crystal Lacquer to give it a glass look.

Images: GinaK - Heartily Yours (lava lamp); TAC - You're invited (inside the card) Cardstock/Paper: Colorbok Pearlescent - blue; TAC - Brighten My Day printed paper, white and lime CS Ink: SUInk - black, Tria Pantone Markers: 368T, cool gray 1 and Prismacolor markers: True blue Accessories: eucalyptus stickles, 3d crystal lacquer, ribbon (walmart), Tombo Mono Aqua Glue Techinques: layering, detail coloring, faux glass

Below are some photos from Madelyn's birthday party!

Freebie Alert
I wanted to share with you a few freebies that I have come across while I restart my couponing adventure: if you go to http://www.coupons.com/ and print the Reach Floss coupon (you can print twice per computer) and take that coupon to you walmart - they have A Reach Floss there for $.97 so you will get your floss for free!!


Also, there are some $1 off coupons floating around out there for Quaker Oatmeal. Giant Eagle is having a sale this week where they are 4 for $4 so you guessed it - if you have 4 coupons (I have 7: so I am only buying 1 because they add says you have to buy 4 to get that price) you will get them all for free!!

Sewing is another hobby of mine. Back when I was in high school I made two of my prom dresses. One was a hunter green velvet fitted dress. It was lined with rhinestones and had a slit up the left leg. The other dress was royal blue, spaghetti straps, empire waist. It had little white roses hand sewn into the trim.

For Christmas I made all 4 girls jammy pants. I also made the older two peace sign t-shirt. Then I made hubby his own pj set. The twins pants are so big (It is better that they grow into them as they have a ton of pjs already) that I do not have pics of theirs yet. I wanted to share a few pics with you...they are not the best as they were taken in the hustle and bustle of Christmas morning.

Here is another picture that I wanted to share - Matt and the girls made me a poster and then the photos were taken so that when I opened my new camera - Its a Nikon Coolpixs L110 - One that Ashton Kutcher advertises on TV (Whoo Hoo - LOL) - It was a very sweet thing for Matt to do for me!

Cheesecakes

As many people know, I make and sell cheesecakes - moreso around the holidays - but I make them year round. I have decided to share with you how I do them. These cheesecakes are not hard to make; rather they are time consuming but come out beautiful and taste yummy.

I start every cheesecake with a basic recipe of the following: 4 8oz bricks of cream cheese, 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 3 tablespoons of four, 1 cup of sugar.

First I bring the cream cheese to room temperture, then I put them in a mixing bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until smooth. I then add the eggs and beat again. Then I add the sugar, sour cream and flour and mix well. Finally I add the vanilla (or any other extract that I would be using for flavor).

The cheescake I recently made that I am going to share with you is a Strawberry cheesecake. After I made my basic batter I took 1/3 of the batter and added 1.5 cups of strawberry glaze and 1.5 cups of fresh, chopped strawberries. I poured this into a prepared cheescake pan (with a graham cracker crust). Next I added a layer of strawberry glaze - about 1.5 cups. In retrospect I should have used less because I do not want my layers to separate like they do - I would say 3/4 to 1 cup of glaze. Lastly, I tooke the remaining 2/3 of the batter and poured it slowly over into the pan spreading the batter evenly. I then piped 1/4 cup of strawberry glaze onto the top and swirled with a tooth pick. I baked the cheesecake in a waterbath for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.Once the 55 minutes is up - I shut off the oven and open the door - allowing the cheesecake to cool in the oven. I then refridgerate the cheesecake over night. This will allow for the cheesecake to release from the pan easily. Once removed I then piped strawberry mousse around the edges of the cheesecake and added fresh sliced strawberries with the strawberry glaze to the center. The next time I make this cheesecake I will freeze it before I garnish and cut - I think this will prevent my layers from separting and falling apart - I have noticed that this happens when I put a fruit glaze layer in my cheesecakes as this has not happened with my other ones.

I learn from my mistakes and either way this cheesecake was very yummy!! Please enjoy making your own!!