Thursdays picture perfect deal...

The picture...

My hubby recently took this picture on his walk back to the car from Split Rock State Park.  They just finished putting the new highway over the walk way this Fall and it makes this unique view of Lake Superior. 

The deal...

Do you or someone you know love to cook?  IF so, this is a great deal!  When you order right now from Spice Sage they will automatically send you 1 gram of saffron free with you purchase.  This is a great company to get all sorts of fun spices from, plus you can order in small one ounce amounts to see what you like.  I ordered one ounce packages of different things from A - Z for my husband for Christmas and he loved it, we have tried a ton of new things and most of them we really love, especially the spice mixes from India, what wonderful flavors!!  If you are on the fence about ordering something new because you don't know what to make with it be sure to check out the cooking section for some really enticing recipes. They have wonderful customer service as well, we had one little bag that had a split seam and they sent us a new package right away.  If your order is over $40.00 they offer free shipping as well.

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

aureate \OR-ee-ut\ ~ adjective

DEFINITION(s):

1: of a golden color or brilliance

2: marked by grandiloquent and rhetorical style

EXAMPLES: Matthew tried to get into the novel that Stephanie had recommended, but he found reading the author's aureate prose too much of a slog.

"Still low over the flatland east, the sun threw long aureate light across the field." -- From Jeffrey Stepakoff's 2010 novel Fireworks Over Toccoa

DID YOU KNOW? "Aureate" is among several adjectives in English pertaining to gold that derive from the Latin name for the metal, "aurum." While its relatives "auriferous" and "auric" are more likely to appear in scientific contexts to describe substances containing or made from gold (or "Au," to use its chemical symbol), "aureate" has tended to have a more literary allure since it was first used in English in the early 15th century. Over time, the word's use was extended from "golden" to "resplendent," and it finally lost some of its luster as it came to mean "grandiloquent."

~THE REBATE~

What to do on a rainy Spring day, hummm.  How about catching a movie complements of Kellogg's?  To receive your movie ticket just send your completed Official Order Form and five Movie Pass Official Tokens from specially-marked packages (most of the cookies and crackers have the offer on them).  Allow 90 days for delivery.  There is a limit of 3 movie passes per household. Limit one Official Order Form per envelope. One Movie Ticket good for one admission at participating theaters.

Hope you are all having a nice Wednesday!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Spring is in the air, you can tell by the amount of daylight and the birds singing and the calendar says so, mother nature isn't agreeing though, we still have snow on the ground and cold winds off the lake so its a little early to fire up the grill.  But what says Spring is here like Barbecue?  Today's recipe is for slow cooker Barbecue Beef Sandwiches.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

3 to 4 pound pot roast, chuck roast or other pot roast cut

1 cup water with 2 beef bouillon cubes, beef base, or granules, or use 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed beef broth
2 tablespoons minced or grated onion
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons mustard
dash Worcestershire sauce

Place roast in crock-pot; add water and bouillon cubes or granules, or add 1 can (approx. 10 3/4 ounces) condensed beef broth, undiluted. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 11 hours, until beef is very tender. Shred meat with a fork after cooking and retain 1 cup of the juice from cooking.combine with remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours (or on high 1 1/2 to 2 hrs). Serve over split hamburger buns or dinner rolls.  * Variations ~ Top with cheese, onions or coleslaw.  Serves 8 to 12.

$1.00 off any two (2) 32 oz cartons of Swanson Broth
$0.50 off a bag of Imperial Sugar (any variety)
$0.50 off French's Mustard
$1.00 off any 10 oz. bottle or larger of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

Have a great Tuesday everyone!
 
C.Q.
 

Meet me on Monday...

Well the fun is over and its Monday again, that means its time for the one fun Meet me on Monday blog hop hosted by Java over at Never Growing Old.




This weeks questions:

1. Crunchy or soft tacos?
2. Do you scrapbook?
3. Do you take any daily medications?
4. What is your favorite sound?
5. Where were you born?

-----------------------------------------------
Questions:


1. Crunchy or soft tacos?

I make a mess no matter what I eat but the soft shelled ones seem to be a little less of a problem for graceful eating skills.

2. Do you scrapbook?

Funny this should be a question this week, I do scrapbook but my friend Bernie just got me interested in making Artists Trading Cards, they are like baseball cards but funner to make.  I got 5 done on Sunday and  I am going to trade with her for some she has made.  This is one I made that has a pose picture in it. ;)

3. Do you take any daily medications?

Aside from my acid reflux meds no, but I probably should for the scrapbook addiction huh?

4. What is your favorite sound?

I actually have a few, I love listening to frogs, rain and a low rumble of a train to sleep by, in the morning I love to hear mourning doves, aside from the rain I really don't have any of those things where I live now and I miss them.

5. Where were you born?

Never left, was born in Minnesota and haven't left....yet, maybe Ireland next, who knows.

Have a great start to the week everyone!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

 Something I always swore up and down I would never do is buy TV on DVD, but of course I didn't listen to my own rules and currently own quite a few TV show on DVD.  I love being able to watch as many or as few episodes as I want and not have to wait for commercials to get popcorn, its also nice for those cliff hangers that the networks always make you wait until next week for the final outcome.  The down side?  The season end cliff hangers can be brutal!!!  I started watching In Plain Sight starring Mary McCormack and Fred Weller and the season 2 ending was a near impossible wait for the season 3 DVD release, but its finally here on March 29th.

In Plain Sight is the ongoing story of two Albuquerque Federal Marshals, Mary Shannon and Marshall Mann trying to take care of the good the bad and the ugly who all, for one reason or another, are in the Witness Protection Program.  Season four is set to begin airing on Sunday May 1, 2011 on the USA network right after Criminal Intent, check out the previews!

If you are new to the series you can purchase season one at Movie Mars for $27.34 with free shipping for a new copy, or I was able to find a used copy on Ebay as low as $14.95 with $3.00 shipping.  Season twos lowest price was again $27.34 from Movie Mars with free shipping, on Ebay there was a copy as low as $3.25 with $2.50 for shipping.  The season three release is set for this Tuesday and if you would like to order it on line Amazon has it listed at $26.99, if you want it right away you should be able to find it at your local Target store for $29.79.

Hope you are all having a nice relaxing Sunday!

C.Q.

Yup, its all about me...again...

Another beautiful award this week, its a little embarrassing but really nice to be recognized.  This one is also from Bernie over at One Mixed Bag, who has the funniest blog in the world!  Thank you to her for thinking I am still special, I am betting that will wear off in time. ;)

I am supposed to share five random facts about me:

1) My dad was a professional football player back when they were called Leather heads.  Because of that I grew up knowing how to play the game and could out play the boys, even the ones on the Football team in High School which non of them liked when we did that part of gym class.

2) My mom was Miss Robbinsdale in Minnesota and one of the court for the Minneapolis Aquatennial, so I have absolutely ZERO grace and poise that was passed on to me, not sure what happened there, must be a recessive gene. ;)

3) I love to collect things, perfume, tea pots and cups, miniature shoes, Pez dispensers, books and DVD.  I draw the line at husbands though, one is enough to deal with, they are kinda demanding. 

4) I love to travel and explore, I have 4 trips this year that I am looking forward to and I will have books read and lists made for every place we are going long before we leave.  Sometimes I start putting stuff in suitcases a month in advance.  Yup that's me, a little obsessive compulsive about traveling.

5) I am an on again off again mystery shopper.  Usually its fun and I have one coming up on Tuesday that I can bring a friend with for lunch,  I am thinking my friend Jen and I will get to go to Sam's then lunch that day. :)

The second part of the award is to pass this along to five other bloggers. I read so many great blogs that its hard to narrow it down to five.


Simply Beautiful Veg.
Meet Virginia Design
Housecat Confidential
Dogs, Cats and Other Crap I Talk About
Cat Chat with Caren and Cody

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!  Is anyone doing something fun and exciting?  I would love to hear your plans.

Friday's freebie...

Looking for a great side dish with dinner?  Here is your chance to try Uncle Bens Ready Rice free.  Just fill in the online form and they will send you a free sample of one of the three varities, Long Grain and Wild, Whole Grain or Roasted Chicken.  Samples are only available as long as supplies last so hurry if you want one.  Allow 6 - 8 weeks for delivery and only one per household.

Have a great Friday everyone!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This is a shot looking straight down at a very large paper weight that is part of the Arthur Rubloff Collection at the Chicago Art Institute.  "Glass paperweights became popular in the mid-19th century when the establishment of a dependable mail service led to an increase in letter writing and a demand for writing products."  This collection is so impressive, I spent almost an hour looking at them all.  This one is a Millefiori paperweight which translated from Italian means thousand flowers, in this case it was far more than a thousand!

The deal...

Eddie Bauer is having their Spring sale with up to 60% off and sweaters starting as low as $19.99.  I was able to find a pair of long johns for $29.99 - $34.99, marked down from $49.99 - 54.50 (frankly a product I was hoping to to think about for awhile until it got so very cold here).  For the hubby I was able to find a Sueded Jersey Fatigue T-Shirt between  $29.99 - $34.99, marked down from $39.99 - $44.50, for me these are a great find since he love them and they are available in a nice variety of colors and tall sizes.  Also be sure to check the clearance section with deals up to 70% off their original prices.  Plus, while you are at Eddie Bauer, either in store or on line be sure to join their Join Eddie Bauer Friends program, (this is not a credit card) you'll automatically start earning 3% in Rewards toward a Reward certificate for every $1 you spend, no matter where you shop Eddie Bauer. You'll also be invited to member only shopping events and receive free shipping offers.
I hope everyone is having a great Thursday, the weekend is on the way!
 
C.Q.
 

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

emprise \em-PRYZE\ ~ noun

DEFINITION: an adventurous, daring, or chivalric enterprise

EXAMPLES: The poet Rupert Brooke, in an elegy to the passing of youth, lamented the loss of "high emprise and ventures dear."

"But perhaps he was the only one courageous enough to voice an opinion that others might have shared, but were afraid to say, that this whole quixotic emprise had been a bad idea, that they had been fools to attempt an escape." -- From John D. Lukacs' 2010 book Escape From Davao

DID YOU KNOW? Someone who engages in emprises undertakes much, so it's no surprise that "emprise" descends from the Anglo-French word "emprendre," meaning "to undertake." It's also no surprise that "emprise" became established in English during the 13th century, a time when brave knights engaged in many a chivalrous undertaking. Fourteenth-century author Geoffrey Chaucer used "emprise" to describe one such knight in "The Franklin's Tale" (one of the stories in The Canterbury Tales): "Ther was a knyght that loved and dide his payne / To serve a lady in his beste wise; / And many labour, many a greet emprise, / He for his lady wroghte er she were wonne."

~THE REBATE~

Planning on being out of town for a few days on business or pleasure?  Consider staying at a Country Inn and Suites Hotel.  Right now they are offering a $30.00 Amazon gift card to folks who stay two or more nights at their participating Inns in the US an Canada.  Your stay needs to be between 3/2/2011 and 4/30/2011.  Plus if you are a member of the Carlson hotel rewards program you will receive an additional 3,000 Gold Points for your stay.  Plus, guests who complete an Eligible Stay at Participating Properties in the U.S. will also receive a coupon from T.G.I. Friday’s at the time of check-in for $5 off a purchase of $15 valid through October 31, 2011.  Check out the Country Inn and Suites site for information on how to receive your Amazon gift certificate code, Gold points and dining coupon.

I hope you are all having a great week!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

It is very cold and windy here today and it is supposed to snow like mad a little later on so when I was trying to come up with something for dinner I thought of Swedish Meatballs, they are a nice warm comfort food, great for days like this.  This recipe is from Carnation and turns out great every time.

Carnation® Swedish Meatballs

MEATBALLS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons dry NESTLE® CARNATION® Instant Non-fat Dry Milk
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

GRAVY:

vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dry noodles, cooked and drained

1.FOR MEATBALLS: PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. MIX all meatball ingredients lightly but thoroughly in medium bowl. Shape into 2-inch balls. Place in jelly-roll pan.

2.BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain; reserve fat drippings. Keep meatballs warm.

3.FOR GRAVY: COMBINE 1/2 cup fat drippings from meatballs (adding vegetable oil to make 1/2 cup) and flour in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, evaporated milk, dill and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly. Add meatballs to sauce; stir. Serve over noodles.
 
$1.00 off  any Arrowhead Mills flour
$1.00 off any two packages of Swanson Broth
$0.50 off two cans of Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
$1.00 off any two boxes of Ronzoni pasta

Today's no cook option is with KFC.  Just go to the KFC web site and enter your name and zip code for printable coupons for your area.  My area came up with $3.00 off a 12 piece meal, $4.49 for a 3 piece chicken strip meal that includes two individual sides and a biscuit, and $29.99 for a 16 piece dinner with four large sides and eight biscuits.

I hope you are all having a great week so far with better weather than we are "enjoying".

C.Q.

Meet me on Monday...

It's amazing how fast the weekend goes by, its time for the Meet me on Monday blog hop again!  Thanks for Java over at Never Growing Old for hosting this every week! I hope you all had a great weekend!





Here are this weeks questions:

1. What jewelry do you wear 24/7?
2. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
3. How many siblings do you have?
4. Were you named after anyone?
5. Coke or Pepsi?

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1. What jewelry do you wear 24/7?

I wear a wedding ring 24/7.  Yup, I said A wedding ring, I change between the one my hubby and I picked out, my grandmothers ring and a ring my grandmother inherited from a close friend.  I love them all and like being able to switch them up.

2. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?

I am a twirl girl! :)

3. How many siblings do you have?

Zippo, I am it.

4. Were you named after anyone?

Nope, I wasn't named after anyone.

5. Coke or Pepsi?

I love love love RC, its the best cola ever!  Pepsi throwback is a close 2nd, I will drink Coke if I can find it in a glass bottle, it tastes entirely different then.

I hope everyone on having a great Monday so far. :)

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Are you a fan of Glee?  I know quite a few people who really enjoy the show and the music.  The fifth CD in of the music just hit store shelves the beginning of March and features the cast versions of some really great songs.  The song list includes Thriller/Heads are Gonna Roll, Fat Bottomed Girls, Somebody to Love, and Kiss just to name a few.  If you are interested in the CD the lowest price I found was $10.76 with $1.98 shipping from Blow it Outa Here for a total of $12.74.  If you would like to fill in your music library with the first four soundtracks, Glee 1 can be found for $10.13 with free shipping from Movie Mars, Glee 2 can be found for $7.99 with free shipping from CD Wow, Glee 3 can be found for $10.13 with free shipping from Movie Mars and Glee 4 can be found for $11.99 with free shipping from CD Wow.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

C.Q.

Oops I did it again...

Bernie over at One Mixed Bag awarded me the  Cherry On Top Award!  Thank you Bernie. :) 

In order to accept and keep it I have to post three things I love about myself and post a picture I love.

1. I love love love to find the perfect gift for my friends. It thrills me to no end to watch people open something I find for them.


2. I have a knack for decorating and I love it.  I can design and decorate almost any style, even the ones I don't care for, I should probably look at doing it for cash someday but that may make it less fun.

3. I love to take pictures and started scrapbooking last year.  Its a thrill to take a ton of pictures and find that one gem in with all the others.

The picture is from the late 50s, its my grandma at her sisters cabin pretending to be a Coke girl.  It was a weekend get away for her and grandpa and my great aunt and uncle, probably celebrating that the kids had all moved out. ;)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

C.Q.