Fifty About Me

In case you want to know a little more about me... and you have a few minutes to spare... Enjoy!

(Oh, and this beautiful shawl is from Asia Mountain Collections! I love it!! I modeled it for them along with some other great shawls and wraps. - My side job... not really.)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30am (When the kids get up... I get up.)

2. How do you like your steak? Medium-Well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema: Can't remember... I'm more of a "cozy up on the couch with hubby with a bowl of popcorn" kinda gal.

4. What is your favorite TV show? "The Amazing Race"

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? The mountains (maybe Tennessee or North Carolina)

6. What did you have for breakfast? Sliced Apple & Yogurt

7. What is your favorite food? Caprese Panini - I love artisan sandwiches!

8. Foods you dislike? Most Fast Food chains. I've come to crave whole foods most of the time.

9. Favorite place to eat? Macaroni Grill, Panera Bread

10. Favorite dressing? Balsamic Vinaigrette

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Dodge Grand Caravan

12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans & a cozy Sweater - Yoga pants are high up there too!

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Italy

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? A little of both...

15. Where would you want to retire? Huh? I'm sorry, what is retirement?!

16. Favorite time of day? Quiet evenings at home.

17. Where were you born? Kalamazoo

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Triathlons and Track & Field Olympics (or Gator Football)

19. What is your favorite fragrance? I'm currently wearing... Wait, let me go get the bottle... Okay, it's Very Hollywood by Michael Kors - a gift from my husband.

20. What is your favorite face cream? Neutrogena (and I'm assuming this means moisturizer...)

21. Favorite baby/kids products? Boxes, plastic cups, and paper bags. My kids think of such cool ways to make these toys!

22. People watcher? Not really

23. Are you a morning or night person? Middle of the Day

24. Do you have any pets? No

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Um... I'm heading up Angel Tree Christmas at our church right now and I'm excited about it!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A Christian singer

27. What is your favorite memory? The day my babies were born.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog Person

29. Are you married? Yes, to a wonderful man!

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, it's a habit.

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, but never as the driver.

32. Any pet peeves? Poor customer service drives me nuts.

33. Favorite pizza toppings? Veggies and White pizza

34. Favorite flower? Roses and Lilacs

35. Favorite ice cream? Rum Raisin

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Not a fan... maybe Firehouse Subs.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero

38. From whom did you get your last email? My church

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Gap

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Daily! But, I bought some fun patent leather bright red ballet flats at Target the other day. Super cute!

41. Like your job? I have more than one... And yes, but with every job, there's good days and not-so-good ones. Mostly good ones though.

42. Broccoli? Yes, with Ranch Dressing

43. What was your favorite vacation? My honeymoon to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Savannah.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Hubby & Fellowship Group

45. What are you listening to right now? Gator vs Georgia Game on TV (Hubby's watching while I blog and the kids play.)

46. What is your favorite color? Green

47. How many tattoos do you have? None

48. Coffee drinker? Yes - I'm loving Barnie's White Christmas these days.

49. How tall are you? 5 feet 7 inches

50. Hobbies? Sewing, knitting, cross-stitch, singing, baking

A Day Off & Pumpkin Bread...

I have had an absolutely wonderful morning! ...and I thought I'd share it with you.

Actually, it starts with yesterday. As some of you may know, my husband (and our family) has struggled through some job changes over the past couple of years and we are now in the midst of that struggle once again. I have found that we are one of many, many families in this same situation. My husband is a hard worker and rarely takes days off for himself. (And when I say rarely, I mean it's probably been 6 years since he has taken a day off... just to take a day off.) With our kids in school now, we decided to take the day off together and spend it together. This, once again, is an extremely rare thing for us.

God really blessed our day and we had a wonderful time catching up on the important talks and time together that we so often struggle to find time for. It was a nice renewal of our friendship and marriage as well. It kind of took us back to our dating years - before kids! Can you imagine?!

And now, onto today... A friend and I recently began a Bible study and we both wanted to have an accountability partner in our spiritual walk with the Lord. I know it's been a blessing to me to have a friend to share the ups and downs with as well as know that we can encourage each other in our quiet time and share how God is working in our lives. I don't know how I went so long without this person in my life. We are both fallen people and yet God is doing amazing things in our lives.

To dwell on the things that God is working out in our lives... and to actively pursue a relationship with Christ through reading His Word and praying His Word has greatly impacted my day. I will never have everything together; my children will never obey me in everything in life; my house will never be completely clean; and my yard will never be perfect despite my desire for perfection in so many things. But, God will always be in control. He will always know what's best for me, my husband, and our 3 children. He will always lovingly direct our paths. His promises are true - and oh what blessed promises they are! And in all these things, I trust in Him completely.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus never said this life would be easy. In fact, He says the opposite. Thankfully, He has already won the victory and in this truth we can find hope and joy in our times of struggle.

You may wonder... what about this pumpkin bread you mentioned?! Well, I'm throwing that in because as I write this post, I am smelling the most wonderful pumpkin aroma from my kitchen just 3 yards from where I sit. This is a new recipe I found at TammysRecipes.com. You can check it out HERE. I made a few loaves so that I can give one away, throw one into the freezer, and have the last one for my kids when they come home from school today. My daughter has been begging me to use my large can of pumpkin for something. She's like me and loves pumpkin desserts!

Anyways, I hope that I haven't bored you with the ramblings of my heart and life... maybe you can relate in some way. I pray that the Lord encourages your heart to find time in His Word today. As one who tends to walk through life thinking I can be in control of everything, I'm amazed at myself when I realize I have no control. That's God's place, not mine. I need to submit to Him daily and He will direct my path.

Takin' it easy...

I've decided to take a short break from blogging this week. I pray you all had a blessed Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

I'll be picking up the pace here in the new year.

Don't forget to VOTE!!

REMINDER: Tomorrow is Election Day.

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One Print Per Day Tips!

I often have people ask me how they can support Coupon Saving Game, so I've decided to share a very simple way that you can give a "Thank You" tip and help support this site.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and do not expect "tips". But if you enjoy this site, and you feel so led, by all means you can "tip me"! :) I feel like a waitress all of a sudden... (which, by the way, I was one once back in college and failed miserably. You would not have wanted to sit at the tables in my section...)

Simply CLICK HERE and print one (1) coupon. That's it! If you do it every day, you are (in a sense) tipping CouponSavingGame.com as I make a small amount just in one print of a coupon.

12 New Things

I thought it might be fun to throw a little personal goal of mine on this blog... and feel free to join in over at LikeAWarmCupOfCoffee.com!

Before I begin, I'll just tell you that I put a lot of thought into this list and it's already a bit overwhelming to me. However, I'm committed.

• August '10 - Learn how to make this adorable bag! I'll post pictures by the end of the month...
  
  
• September '10 - Learn to be organized and stick to our Homeschool Schedule. (Believe it or not, this would be a new skill for me in my 3 1/2 years of homeschooling!)
  
  
• October '10 - Learn to make homemade bread that my family loves. This will bring a lot of trial and error!
  
  
• November '10 - Learn how to make at least 3 shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child for under $10 total!
  
  
• December '10 - Learn how to make all extended family/friends Christmas gifts by hand with a budget of no more than $5/person. (i.e. canning, cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, something crafty)
  
  
• January '11 - Learn how to create a designer clothing look at a significantly lower price. This one should be fun!
  
  
• February '11 - Learn how to sew pillow covers.
  
  
• March '11 - Learn origami and teach it to my kids.
  
  
• April '11 - Learn how to sew pillow case dresses that are as cute as this one! I love that my girls can where these in the summer, but also in the winter with leggings and a long-sleeve shirt underneath! And I might even try to make matching dresses for their dolls. We'll see... I might be a little too ambitious on this one.
  
  
• May '11 - Learn to make a beautiful Photo Collage for my wall.
  
  
• June '11 - Learn how to dive. I know, I know, I should already know, but I've always been afraid to go head first... I children's swim instructor swore she could teach me in one day, so I'm going to let her - this month.
  
  
• July '11 - This is so far away for me... Learn to hula hoop!
  

I realize some of these may seem quite simple to you, but with my hectic life, I can only do what I know I'll have time for. I'm really excited about having a project each month and plan on posting pictures of the finished result at the end the months.

A NEW Homeschool Resource Site!

...and best of all, you are the FIRST to know about it! After searching online for a clear, informative, and easy-to-navigate homeschool resource site, we felt there was a need for one. I am simply a co-author of HomeSchoolPrep.com, but the other author (a good friend of mine) is a certified and licensed teacher with a Masters in Education. Between the two of us, we have nearly 25 years of teaching experience from preschool to 12th grade. So, since I know a little and she knows a lot, we decided to create this website to help and encourage other homeschoolers.

As we have only just begun, you have the opportunity to be with us from the very beginning! Aren't you excited?! We hope you come along, tell your friends about us, and let's journey through the world of homeschooling together!

You might ask, "What is HomeSchool Prep all about?"

HomeSchoolPrep.com offers curriculum and educational resource reviews, a thorough list of curriculum and supplemental items, and helpful tips to help you create a fun, creative, educational, and simplified environment for your homeschool. As we are continually adding to our site, you will find free downloadable forms and educational materials in the near future.

You can find a direct link to HomeSchoolPrep.com on my Menu Bar at top under HOMESCHOOL.

Visit us online HERE!

FREE Movie Reviews!

In our world today, it seems as though it's an "anything goes" culture. As a parent, I cannot accept this for my children. We need to protect our children from the questionable things they might see in the media and on television and movies.

CommonSense.org is a great resource for age-appropriate reviews of movies, television shows, music, games, and books.

Favorite Things Friday

I've felt for a long time that I don't reveal much about my personality on my site - mostly, to spare you all the details - but in case you do want to know a little more about me, I thought I'd start participating in Amy's Favorite Things Friday post.

I have lots of favorite things, but this morning I've decided to reveal my absolute favorite mug.

I'm guessing most people have a favorite mug, but the story behind mine is that I "received" it as a gift at a Christmas mug and cookie exchange party 6 years ago. I love these types of parties! Here's the little bit about me you should know... I purchased it myself at Big Lots (yes, the thrifty side of me) probably for around $1.00. I loved it so much that as we were exchanging mugs, I secretly grabbed it hoping no one would take it from me. As it turned out, no one else wanted it. It was the type of gift exchange where you can take from another person or grab a new gift. In the end, I ended up with my own and I've loved it ever since!

It fits perfectly in my hands and doesn't radiate too much heat that it would burn my lip or hands. Add some yummy creamer and coffee, and I'm set for my morning blogging!

So, out of curiosity... do you have a favorite mug you can't live without or just really enjoy?! I would love to do a fun little mug-share linky. So, take a picture of your mug, tea cup, or travel mug and share it on your blog. Link back here for the Mug-Share!

Spring is in the Air!!

Today is the first day of Spring!

So, how are you spending your first day of Spring?!

Our house is bustling with cleaning activity. We talked about going to the beach, but in the end the housework that we've been needing to catch up on won over. Oh joy! My husband is catching up on some much-needed yard work, whilst I enjoy the fruits of laboring in laundry upon laundry and cleaning bathrooms... FUN stuff, really!

I just HAD to take a blogging break. :)

I'd love to know how you are enjoying Spring-time. Leave me a comment!

Vote For Me!

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Looking For Your Input

Dear Readers,

I am working on a new money saving recipe collection, and would like your help. If you have a recipe or know of a fabulous blogger who does a wonderful job of showing off their favorite recipes, please let me know in a comment. You might just be highlighted on CouponSavingGame.com!

In January, I figured it was time for a site-evaluation. And what I decided was... this site is truly missing the general everyday saving tips that we all NEED to help us out financially. Coupons are great, and I'm NOT giving them up!! Afterall, we've saved thousands this past year with the use of coupons. However, I also love to find great money-saving tips and recipes to help our family save more and learn to live with less. I'm not a super creative person, so this does take me time and research to come up with ideas. I've only touched on this in the past, but would like to make it an integral part of the saving game.

I would love your help and ideas as I launch into this new arena.

Thanks for your help,

Stephanie

Thank you! Keep it Up!

I'm moving up in the TopMommyBlogs, but I still need more votes. If you haven't already, I would love it if you could simply click HERE. Just by clicking, your vote is counted. There are no extra steps.



While you're there, click around and visit more fabulous blogging moms. I'm ranked at #34 right now, but would LOVE to make it into the Top 25!

UPDATE: Coupon Saving Game is now at #30! Almost there!!

Vote For Me!

If you like what you find on Coupon Saving Game, simply click HERE and your vote counts for me to be a Top Mommy Blog. That's it! There's no extra steps. It helps me out and I would love to get your support.

This is also a great resource for other wonderful mommy bloggers. I'll be keeping this button up at the top of my blog for a week or so to give you a chance to vote.

Thanks in advance! :) Y'all are the BEST!!

Happy New Years!!!!

Happy 2010 everyone!

2009 has been full of fun, memories, struggles, and just plain ole' life.

I'm looking forward to how God will continue to work in our lives through more of the same!! Remember, it's through our everyday life that He reveals himself to us.

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Merry Christmas!!

May you have a blessed Christmas!

I will be posting again on December 26th.

Remember if you're looking for new ads, you can see the Weekly Ads menu option above.

Slow on the blog...

I know my posts are few these days - mainly sticking to the store deals. December and Christmas are seasons of family time for me. A little extra traveling, things to do, cookies to bake, and of course keeping our minds set on our Christ's birth.

My guess is you all have been pretty busy this month as well, so please forgive my lack of posting. You will see things pick up again and go back to normal in January.

Are you New Here?!

Last night I held a coupon class for a wonderful group of ladies. I'd like to welcome you as well as any other newcomers to my site! I'm so glad you're here. Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have. I'm here to help!

If you'd like to learn more about saving through coupons, I am booking classes as early as January at this time.
Email me at couponsavinggame@yahoo.com for more details.