And now for something compleatly different...

Hi all, I know I have been MIA.  Once I got out of the habbit of blogging it all just kinda went down the tubes.  I have decided to try something a little different, Bernie from over at One Mixed Bag has been using a site called Bubblews.  It is a site where you can share news and blog posts that you write and get paid for doing so, which is kind of nice, I never went into blogging to make money, but if I can make a little pin money I am all for it.  After all, if I didn't they wouldn't call me the Coupon Queen. ;) 

I will still post here as well, and try to be more dillagent about doing so in the future.

Thanks for sticking with me everyone!!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

If you love reading and have a Kindle or the Kindle app then this is for you!  Get a free book every day if you want at eBook Daily.  I have found a few books already that I can't wait to read, and these are not the books you usually find for free, these are new and current in a variety of genera like romance, mystery, science fiction and biography, there are even self improvement and children's books.  Its free to join and free to download the books. 

Have a great Friday!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This time of year I start to think about getting away from the winter blahs.  I took this picture a few years ago of FMNH PR 2081, most folks just know her as Sue, the T Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago.  Sue was 28 years old when she died, making her the oldest T Rex to date.  I love visiting Sue when I feel like I am getting old, she is a great reminder of what determination looks like.  Her bones have reviled that she lived though an injury to her right shoulder, a torn tendon in her right arm and three broken ribs.  These injuries appear to have happened at the same and during her life to be injured even slightly usually meant certain death. She also survived infection in her right leg and either infection or infestation of parasites in her skull.  She had arthritis in her tail and a case of gout as well as extra bone built up and stress fractures due to her massive weight.  Most people don't see her as an inspiration, but I sure do.

The deal...

Red Lobster has been running their 30 shrimp for $11.99, but this Friday that gets even better!  Just print the coupon and bring it in for their one day only anniversary deal of 45 shrimp for $11.95.  The price is a little higher in Hawaii and Time Square, but still a great deal.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

Today's freebie may help you stay on track to a healthier you in 2013!  Just head over to Centrum and request a sample of their new Flavor Burst Chews.  Just fill in the form and wait 6 to 8 weeks for your sample to arrive in your mail box.

Have a great Friday!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

The temperatures here are starting to warm up, but in December we had a real cold snap and this little Chickadee was in our lilac bush plumped up as big as it could get to stay warm in the cold wind of the afternoon.


The deal...

Did you make a New Year's resolution to get into shape?  Are you a fan of The Biggest Loser and love Jillian Michaels?  If you answered yes to any of these questions you may want to check out the huge sale on Jillian Michales workout DVDs at Amazon.  Everything from her 30 day shred to the Yoga work out is half off.  If you are looking for her books these are also on sale and everything is available using your Prime membership to get free shipping and 2 day delivery so you can stop putting it off.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

C.Q.

Life can give lemons....

I know you have all heard the phrase "when life gives you lemons make lemon aid ; but sometimes that's not always possible without a little help from friends and people who care about you.  I am guessing by now that many of you who are in the blogging community know about our blogger friend Nina's horrible start to the new year, if you haven't here it is in her own words from the family's Caring Bridge site:

"Saturday January 5th, Tom left after lunch to ride snowmobile a little bit; he was going to visit a friend just outside of town.  Around 3pm he had still not returned and he had not sent any messages or called. This was VERY unusual for Tom and I was worried.  Normally he'll be out for 30-45 minutes and always, ALWAYS sends me random text messages. I called friends that Tom sometimes rides with to ask if he had been by.  I hopped online to see if he used our checkcard anywhere; maybe he stopped for something to eat or there would be another clue.  At 4:30pm there was a loud knock at the door.  My stomach dropped.  I knew it would not be good.  I knew it.  The county sheriff told me that Tom was in an accident and was to be air lifted to HCMC."

Tom had just started a new job and doesn't qualify for FMLA yet so there are going to be some rough times ahead with everyday bills, that's where we need to help Nina make some lemon aid.  If you can go to the Give Forward site set up for Tom and Nina and give even a little bit; together we can all make a big difference and give Nina one less thing to have to worry about over the weeks to come.  Tom has many hurdles to overcome and I know how much we have all enjoyed reading The Adventures of Artsy Nina, so let's make this an adventure with a great ending!

And as Nina herself said in her last blog post: "Hug your kids, your husband, your mom, your dad, your neighbor, your friend.  You never, ever know what that next moment might bring."

Thank you everyone for keeping the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Michele Trautlein

Wednesdays learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

• cathexi
\kuh-THEK-sis\   ~ noun

Definition: investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea

Examples: "The veil that hides Laura and her eyes, her hair, her smile (and its counterpart, the glove that veils her hand) becomes the object of Petrarch's cathexis...." — From an essay by Margaret Brose in the 2010 book The Body in Early Modern Italy 

"The plot of this French film diverges from ... most American film we are force-fed in that it deals powerfully with subject matter that counts. It treats an almost unrecognized aspect of WWII in Europe, eliciting a strong cathexis from the viewer, who learns so much that he never knew before this celluloid feast." — From an article by Marion DS Dreyfus in American Thinker, April 8, 2012

Did you know? You might suspect that "cathexis" derives from a word for "emotion," but in actuality the key concept is "holding." "Cathexis" comes to us by way of New Latin (Latin as used after the medieval period in scientific description or classification) from the Greek word "kathexis," meaning "holding." It can ultimately be traced back (through "katechein," meaning "to hold fast, occupy") to the Greek verb "echein," meaning "to have" or "to hold." "Cathexis" first appeared in print in 1922 in a book about Freud's psychological theories (which also established the plural as "cathexes," as is consistent with Latin), and it is still often used in scientific and specifically psychological contexts.

Find more great words at merriam-webster on line.

~THE REBATE~

Getting a little cabin fever?  Why not get out and enjoy a free game of bowling complements of Musselman's Apple Sauce.  All you need to do is print out the voucher from Musselman's and bring it with you to the bowling alley along with your proof of purchase (Proof-of-purchase is the entire back panel of a Mussleman's® single serve apple sauce cups package; must include the Musselman's® logo and UPC symbol to be valid.)  To find a participating bowling alley near you just visit GoBowling.com and click on the tab to find an alley near you.  There are some restrictions on time and the voucher is subject to lane availability and you can use only one voucher per day.

Have a fantastic day!

C.Q.

Happy New Year!!

 

2012 was a very different year for me, one filled with everything from fear and doubt to joy and peace.  Looking back though I would have to say it was mostly a fun year.  Having something like cancer enter you life really reminds you how precious time with friends and loved ones is; and with that reminder I strengthened friendships with the people already in my life, rekindled friendships from my past and met some new great people who I now consider friends as well.  I took time and every opportunity to do things, both for the sheer joy of it as well as to spend time with the people who mean so much to me.  I hope 2013 will be a year filled with more joy and less fear, more smiles and laughs and less tears, and I hope your new year will be everything you hope and more. 

I have made two New Years resolutions, one to just be more active, that in turn will help my over all health, the other is to go back to blogging.  I will be posting at least 3 times a week again baring any unforeseen issues and I look forward to reconnecting with my blogging community.

Peace and Joy for your New Year,
Michele

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

I took this picture at a great French Bakery near Minneapolis when I stopped there for breakfast with friends after a day at the Renaissance Festival.  We all ordered Eggs Benedict but we each got different coffees.  They all tasted fantastic, but this one was by far the prettiest of them all.

The deal...

As many of you may know I am a member of Bzz Agent so I get to try new things from time to time.  The current campaign is for Green Mountain Coffee, perfect for my K-Cup brewer.  They recently rolled out a new line called their Wellness Collection.  In my sample pack I was able to try the Focus Blend coffee with its 50mg of L-Theanine and the  Antioxidant Blend which has vitamins A and C.  Having gone through a summer filled with Dr.s due to breast cancer I am a HUGE fan of anything with Antioxidants and with the holidays here I find I get more scatterbrained so the Focus Blend has been nice to have on hand!  Both have fantastic flavor and are more than enough to get me up and ready for the day, and even better they are both made using fair trade beans!  So what's the deal?  This line is only available on line through Green Mountain Coffee, and if you would like to try it you can use coupon code GMCBEWELL to get $3.00 off your wellness collection order.  While you are there be sure to check out the other great wellness blends of tea and the brew over coffees.  Really, anything from Green Mountain is great.

Oh, and if you are interested in becoming a Bzz Agent just stop over and click on the How it Works button.

Have a fantastic Thursday.

C.Q.

Friday's freebie...

This weekend the National Parks honoring our nations Veterans by offering free admittance.  Because so many parks have historic battlefields and  and historic sites that honor   veterans the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees to all parks for all visitors.  To find a park near you or to get more information, just go to the National Park Service page.

Have a great weekend exploring.

C.Q.

Wednesdays learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

inspissate  \in-SPISS-ayt\  ~ verb

DEFINITION: to make or become thick or thicker

EXAMPLES: "Marmalade of carrots is the juice of yellow carrots, inspissated till it is of the thickness of fluid honey, or treacle, which last it resembles both in taste and color." — From Capt. James E. Cook's 1777 book A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1

"Estrogen and progesterone affect direction and flow of tubal secretions, which may accumulate, inspissate, and eventually calcify." — From Gary B. Siskin's 2009 book Interventional Radiology in Women’s Health

DID YOU KNOW?  "Inspissate" is ultimately derived from Latin "spissus" ("slow, dense") and is related to Greek "spidnos" ("compact") and Lithuanian "spisti" ("to form a swarm"). When it appeared in English in the 17th century, "inspissate" suggested a literal thickening. Francis Bacon, for example, wrote in 1626 that "Sugar doth inspissate the Spirits of the Wine, and maketh them not so easie to resolue into Vapour." Eventually "inspissate" was also used metaphorically. Clive Bell once wrote of "parties of school children and factory girls inspissating the gloom of the museum atmosphere." There is also an adjective "inspissate," meaning "thickened in consistency" or "made thick, heavy, or intense," but that word is used even less frequently than the somewhat rare verb.

 

Find more great words at merriam-webster on line.

~THE REBATE~

Getting in the gift giving mode yet?  If you are planning on purchasing games this holiday season this is a great rebate.  Hasbro is offering a rebate of up to $40.00 back on many of their great games.  You can mix and match up to 12 games, but you are limited to only 4 games of one title per rebate form, but you can mail in two forms.   Even better, you can file your rebate right on line and save yourself the postage.  The games included are:

• The Game of Life (SKU# 04000)
• Monopoly (SKU# 00009)
• Scattergories (SKUs# A2861, 05721)
• Pictionary (SKU# 05713)
• Scrabble (SKUs# 04024, 37719),
• Yahtzee (SKU# 00950)
• Hungry Hungry Hippos (SKUs# 05297, 98936)
• Jenga (SKU# 53557)
• Twister (SKUs# 16965, 98831)
• Connect 4 (SKUs# 08417, 98779),
• Elefun (SKUs# 05294, 98934)
• Operation (SKU# 40198)

To maximize your savings be sure to check your local paper for game sales and Hasbro coupons as well as join their reward program for their Perks Coupons and discounts.

I hope you are all having a great day.

C.Q.
 

Monday's musings...

I missed last weeks writing prompt because we had out of town guests for a few days.  It was a fun few days that I got to spend with my great nephew and a niece, we always love seeing the younger family members, they keep us young ourselves! 

So, on with prompt #2 ~ Something you feel strongly about:

With the election thankfully only a day away the thing that has always been one of my biggest pet peeves has really come to the boiling point lately.  I have gotten tons of emails from friends and relatives supporting different folks, both nationally and locally and so many of the emails are filled with false information.  All it took for me to find out facts was a simple check to Snopes or a verified (and unbiased) news source like the Associated Press or  Reuters.  There is even a great site JUST for political fact checking, and it's not just for the Presidential candidates called Fact Check. 

It is so easy to believe everything that is out there, but there is so little that is really based in fact.  Take a second to check it out and see if what your reading is the truth, remember, just because its on the Internet doesn't mean it's true.  (Thank you State Farm ~ Bon-jor!)



Have a great week!

Michele

Thursdays pircure perfect deal...

The picture...

The birds of prey have been migrating all month and we have had a few beauties visit our yard looking for mice or small birds but this Merlin was special, at first I thought it was just resting but the more I watched I realized he only has one leg.  In the bird world that's not usually a big deal, UNLESS you need your feet to hunt with.  This guy, or gal, was doing just fine though, beautiful bright eyes, nice plumage and a good weight.  A good reminder of the things we can over come if we put our minds to it.

The deal...

Looking for a way to hold onto your Summer memories through the Winter?  Check out the great deal from Snapfish:  40% off one photo book using coupon code NOVBOOK40, 50% off two books using coupon code NOVBOOK50 or a huge 70% off 3 books using coupon code NOVBOOK70.  This would be a great way to get pictures together as a Christmas gift for someone far away as well.  The coupons expire November 7, 2012 so be quick.

I hope you are all having a good week and to any of my readers affected by Hurricane Sandy you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Michele

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

 

Halloween ~ noun (Concise Encyclopedia)

Holiday observed on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day. Its pagan origins can be traced to the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in ancient England and Ireland to mark the beginning of the Celtic new year. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on Samhain eve, and witches, goblins, black cats, and ghosts were said to roam abroad. The night was also thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. The pagan observances influenced the Christian festival of All Hallows' Eve, celebrated on the same date. The holiday was gradually secularized and was introduced into the U.S. by the late 19th century. Still associated with evil spirits and the supernatural, it is celebrated by children in costume who gather candy by ringing doorbells and calling out “trick or treat,” “trick” referring to the pranks and vandalism that are also part of the Halloween tradition.

Find more great words at Merriam-Webster online.


~THE REBATE~

Today's rebate is great if you are buying gifts for a few children or a lot this holiday season.  Get up to $38.00 back from Crayola on select items including Glow Book, Jewelry Boutique, Light Sketcher and My First Crayola Color Me A Song just to name a few.  Just print off the rebate form; I had to click on "save" to download it, then open it from my own computer.  Check off the boxes of the products purchased, then mail it together with the original UPCs from the package(s) and the original cash register or online receipt(s) dated between October 15, 2012 and December 31, 2012.  There is a limit of one rebate per item as well as per household.

Happy Halloween and hope you are all having a great week!

C.Q.

 

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

 

The picture...

Last month I went to the Renaissance Festival with some friends and got some really fun pictures.  This one of Captain Jack Sparrow in a nail biting conversation with a Black Pearl crew member was one of my favorites.

The deal...

This one is an awesome!  Get the new SodaStream Genesis for only $65.00 using a coupon code and rebate combo.  Just go to Kohl's website and add the SodaStream to your cart.  Then when you check out use coupon code SPIDERWEB and the price will drop from the original $139.99 to $79.99 with a $5.00 for shipping.  With your purchase you will get $10 in Kohl's Cash to use on any future purchase (maybe some extra soda flavors). Then fill out the rebate form and mail it in with all the requirements for the proof of purchase for another $10 cash back. You get the soda maker, 2 carbonating bottles, and 12 pack of flavor samples with this set, plus you get your choice of black or red.  As a little added savings, if you shop through QuickRewards you will get 3.2% cash back on your Kohl's purchase.  We have a SodaStream and it has actually already paid for itself pretty quickly.  With the holidays coming up this would make a great gift as well. The cartridges can be exchanged for full ones so you will never have to buy another one and I have been using Monin and Torani syrups (ordered from Amazon using my prime membership) for all sorts of unique soda flavors, so far our favorites are cantaloupe and blackberry. 

**This great offer was from Brads Deals, if you are not a member it is worth checking into,  I have gotten a lot of great deals from this site!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

C.Q.

Wednesday's lean and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

vanward \VAN-werd\ ~ adjective

DEFINITION: located in the vanguard : advanced

EXAMPLES: The company is looking to hire a marketing director who is savvy in social media and other vanward marketing tactics.

"The New Jersey Festival of Electronic Arts, held today from 1 to 8 p.m. … is described as 'an exploration of electronic, environmental and performance art … where AV geeks are vanward and hip.''' — From an events listing in The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey), March 10, 2012

DID YOU KNOW? The troops at the head of an army are called the "vanguard," and that word can also mean "the forefront of an action or movement." It was "vanguard," rather than "vanward," that led the way on the route into English. "Vanguard" was first documented in English in the 15th century. By the early 17th century, it was sometimes shortened to "van"—a reference might be made to an army's "van and rear." Some 200 years later "vanward" brought up the rear, making its English debut when writers appended "-ward," an adjective suffix meaning "is situated in the direction of," to the shortened "van," thereby creating a word meaning "in the forefront."

Find more great words at Merriam-Webster online.

~THE REBATE~

With the heavy cooking season approaching I thought this was a really nice deal!  From now until November 3, 2012 you can get a really nice free free 5-Quart Glass Bowl OR Food Grinder Attachment when you purchase a new KitchenAid 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer.  The attachment is usually either $49.99 for the grinder or $69.99 for the glass bowl.  This offer has a few store restriction: it is not valid at Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Whirlpool Corporation’s VIPlink program or employee purchase program or at online auction sites.  To get the free attachment you will need to fill in the rebate form and mail it in together with the UPC from the mixer box and a copy of your dated register receipt.  Allow up to 8 weeks for your item to arrive.

I hope you are all having a great week so far!

C.Q.

Monday's Musings...

I recently found a great 30 day challenge over at Beth Ann's blog It's Just Life and I asked her permission to steal it for a writing prompt, I thought this would be a fun idea and a great way to connect with my readers. 

So today we start with #1 ~ Five ways to win your heart:

Well I am a romantic as well as a wanderer at heart so this is an easy peasy question.  The links may help you a little with information on where to fine something fun to do or something fun to eat.

1) I adore flowers, but I tend to lean towards the funner varieties like Gerber daises or Lilacs.

2)  I am not really a chocolate girl, but if you have a Creme Brulee I am all in!

3) Pampering goes a long long way and I am a girl who loves loves loves  spa day!

4)   I love to get out and do things that are cultural, museum, play, ballet etc.  This is a little hard where I live, but I manage.

5) Travel, I love going to new places, seeing new things, trying new stuff and trying new foods etc.  favorite stories of travel though are the conversations and interactions with the people I meet.

So, what are the ways to your heart?

Have a great week!

C.Q.

Silly Saturday...

I hope you all have escaped to a great weekend!

C.Q.
I don't know why Melissa's button dosen't like me and/or Blogger, but we sure like her!  Please stop by the Mommyhood Chronicles and visit her hop. :)

Thursdays picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This is one of the last pictures I took of a flower in our garden this year before the cold set in.  It is a close up of a moon flower early in the morning before it opened for the day.  When it opens it is pristine white, but when it is still closed the bud is lavender around the area that opens like a pinwheel.



The deal...

This is the time of year we think about pumpkins, bats, ghosts, vampires and things that go bump in the night.  Are you ready to dress for Halloween?  If not check out Wholesale Halloween Costumes clearance section for some great deals and ideas.  Use coupon code SALE5 to get 5% off any purchase over $50.00 or coupon code WOW until 10/21 to get 30% off your purchase.  You can get an additional 8% cash back if you remember to shop through Ebats.  Want to save even more?  Check your closets for some fun ideas.  Imagine an old dress as a costume, with a little distressing and some make up you are ready to be a zombie fresh from the cemetery. 

Have a wonderful day!

Michele

Update and stuff...

Well I know I have been remiss for the last month and I hope to get back on track now that the weather is going to start getting cold.

The update:  I went in for my 3 month follow up with my radiologist and my oncologist today and all is well, just need to go in for a blood test since I started a new medication but aside from that I don't have to go to a "scary" doctor for another 3 months.  October is breast cancer awareness month, be sure to get your mammograms and remember to do a monthly self exam. 

I thought since I hadn't posted anything in awhile I would share some of the great deals I have gotten this month and let you in on how to find them.

Shop #1 was with 1800PetMeds, my dog takes Dasuquin and it is pretty expensive, 1800PetMeds has the lowest price I have found on it anywhere and they currently have a sale going on to make it even a little lower.  I then added on coupon code W5PER from Retail Me Not to get an additional 5% off site wide and free shipping.  I ordered through Ebates so I also got 6% cash back on my transaction. 

Shop #2 was with Buy.com and was a whopper!  Our vacuum went kaput so we ordered a new Dyson Animal, it is fantastic at picking up pet hair and is so nice because there is no bulk to it, we will have it a long, long time; but what a price tag!  I was able to find it for the lowest price of $499.00 at Buy.com with free shipping.  Because I could not find a coupon code for this one I did a lot of digging for the lowest price.  Then I placed the order going through Quick Rewards so I will get an additional 2.1% cash back; it's not a lot, but $10.48 is about the cost of a CD for my husband for Christmas.

Shop #3 was with DeepDiscount where I ordered 2 things that will help with the winter Blah's, Frozen Heat on CD, the third book in the Nikki Heat series based on the TV show Castle. (I love books on CD because I can listen while I work on my scrapbooks.)  I also ordered season two of Haven.  Just going through DeepDiscount saved me $32.00 but I also went through Ebates again so I will get an additional 3% cash back.

The last shop was through Kohl's, they are having a huge sale on their throws and I found one I loved that is 60" x 80" marked down to $19.99 from $39.00, then I used a one day coupon code from Brad's Deals that brought the price down another 20%.  I also made sure I was shopping through Quick Rewards so I got 3.2% cash back.  There was tax on the item since I live in a state that has Kohl's but there was no shipping.  My total cost was a few cents over $17.00.

On all my shops online I only use one credit card and it is one that earns me points to use towards miles, gift cards, hotels or merchandise and then pay it off at the end of the month.  My motto is never miss an opportunity to earn something for all your hard work shopping!

What deals have you found this month?  I would love to hear about them!

Have a great week everyone!

Michele