All the people that are out and about yesterday and through this weekend are looking for the next ‘hot gift’ to give.  People are chasing sales, and fleeting trends trying to find a gift.  Well if guys are looking to get the ladies a timeless gift that doesn’t have to worry about trends or anything like that, check out H&H Jewelry Design in Grand Ledge.  They can help the ladies fill out their wish list of jewelry that they would like to see, and then the guys come in and just pick of their lady’s list.  It’s that simple.  Or you can go in together and design a perfect ring, or whatever else you have in mind.

The two owners have both been goldsmiths for 25-30 years and I’ve seen the on site shop where they do repairs before.  It’s impressive.  You name a jeweler’s tool, and i bet you it’s back there.  Plus, once you buy some nice diamond ring, you can always trust them to reset the diamond if you ever knocked it loose, or just clean up the ring and have it looking like new for special events etc.  Check them out!

Their website is: http://www.hhjewelrydesign.com/index.php

Is there anything better than a Thanksgiving sandwich? I think not.

As soon as you emerge from your Thanksgiving-induced food coma (What? Doesn’t it take everyone 36 hours?), it’s likely that there’s one major thing you’re going to want to do: eat again.

But navigating Thanksgiving leftovers can be a major pain. Just how many turkey-stuffing-cranberry sauce sandwiches can one girl eat, anyway? That’s why CollegeCandy has scoured the internet to find notable post-Turkey Day recipes. Here are seven dishes that especially grabbed us, for reasons good, bad, or ugly:

Most Idiot-Proof: Black Friday Pie (also works on a Saturday)

This recipe calls for lazy cooks to just layer all of their leftovers in a pan and cook them for 40 minutes. It’s like regular Thanksgiving, except all of your food has been mashed together!

Worst Middle School Cafeteria Flashback: Turkey Tetrazzini

Just look at that picture: a beige mess of pasta, gluey white goop, and sad turkey. The only good use for this stuff would be as a projectile in a massive food fight.

Best Way to Liven Up Dry Poultry: Curried Turkey

Heat up a cold, dreary Saturday with this Indian-inspired dish, which should make even Grandma’s dry white meat palatable.

Most Off-Putting Name: Aunt Wanda’s Turkey Carcass Soup

Okay, so this is basically just a regular recipe for turkey stock soup, which could be the least offensive use for leftovers ever. But I can’t get past the word “carcass,” which might be the most unappetizing term ever.

Sassiest: Saucy Turkey

This is really a barbecued turkey sandwich—which sounds scrumptious, by the way—but the name is so sweet that it sounds even more appealing.

Biggest Head-Scratcher: Deluxe Turkey Club Pizza

It’s like a club sandwich—but laid out on a pizza crust. I don’t know whether to be confused or just weirded out. What self-respecting pizza is anchored by a mix of mayo and lemon peel instead of tomato sauce? What about this is “deluxe”?

The So-Crazy-It-Might-Just-Be-Delicious Award: Thanksgiving Won Tons

Turkey, cranberries, and almonds mixed together inside of wonton wrappers, then fried in a skillet. Sounds like an triumph of food fusion to me.

Got any brilliant leftover recipes? Let us know in the comments.

Of all the trashy Thanksgiving food available, the one I most give thanks for is corn pudding. Though I can’t put too much thought into the dish without being turned off (corn? pudding?), I will happily devour as much as I can during the holiday season window of opportunity. This year, I decided to bring my Mamaw’s famous corn pudding. Pretty much everything she makes is famous, so it’s really a question of degree and opinion. This is my version of her recipe:

1 32 ounce bag of frozen corn, thawed… or 2 16 ounce bags, you’re gonna divide it anyway. Just no canned or cream of corn. Don’t do it. My Mamaw actaully gave me a withering sign when I suggested it. “No, honey” (long pause) “That’s not the same.”

1/2 teaspoon of finely diced habanero

1/2 cup chopped onion, up to 1 cup if you like onion

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick of butter

3 heaping tablespoons of flour

6 beaten eggs

3 cups milk. I used 2%

maybe a half teaspoon of salt, more if your butter is unsalted

Put the onion and half the thawed corn in a food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Beat the eggs. Mix the remaining corn into the warmed milk, along with the sugar, butter, flour and pepper.

Now mix it all together and bake in a 9×13 cake pan at 350F for about an hour. Uncovered.

I scored this recipe by walking through Walmart on Black Friday, listening to my Mamaw and Aunt good-naturedly bicker over the finer points of the recipe. I saw and heard very strange things.

*whew* There were no fatal tramplings on Black Friday in the US this year, nor were there any fatal tramplings on Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Congratulations, all.

And it looks like there were no Black Friday-related shootings this year either. So that makes one year since the last fatal Black Friday shooting. Here’s hoping for a streak.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and if you went shopping survived Black Friday.  I personally do not see the appeal of waiting in line for hours to buy things.  I am not a big fan of crowds.  Hubby and I have had a good time with my family this weekend.  The only thing that would have made it better is if Navy Girl, Army Girl and Air Force Girl had been here too.  You were all greatly missed.  All of the “kids” were asking when the next time they would see you.  So when and if you get a weekend off . . . I am so funny! 

Yesterday we spent the day doing some sprucing up of Gpa’s house.  We got him new blinds and washed the curtains and washed the windows (thanks Hubby) and got new shades for his lamps.  Trying to get some more light in his life.  I think the more light he gets the less depressed he will be.  It is so dark in his living room.  He spends most of his time in it so I would like it to be a little more happier rather than the dark depressing place it has been.  He has not felt very good while we have been here.  It makes me sad to see him winding down the way he is.  He is in the bathroom right now coughing and wheezing.  Smoking is such a horrible thing.  Most of what we washed off the windows was tar.  Brown and nasty.  The inside of the windows were dirtier than the outside.  We talked about getting someone in to clean at least once a month, I would like them to start washing down the walls too.  I don’t know how much longer he can be independent.  I know he is worried about that too.  He has talked about the assisted living place over by the church.  We should look into it.  See how much it is and if there is a waiting list.  I worry.

Everyone will be heading out today.  It was good to be together.  I hope we can do this more often.  I just don’t see happening.  Everyone has such busy lives.  All of my kids are grown and so are sister M’s but everyone else is still working on raising theirs.  We are a very lucky family, we have really nice kids.  I hope it stays that way. 

We heard from Army Girl on Thanksgiving, she got to talk to Gpa.  Poor kid had another migraine.  I went through a period like that when I was about her age.  Seemed like every time I turned around I was getting one.  I found out my triggers were stress, coca cola and coffee.  So I try to avoid all of them.  Navy Girl called later on Thanksgiving, we talked for a little bit but it was hard to hear her.  We were at the church still and the echo was fierce and everyone was laughing.  So we talked again yesterday and she got to talk to Gpa.  We have gotten pictures from Air Force Girl so we know she is having a good time.  I am going to make sure she talks to Gpa before we leave today.  I hope you all have taken the time to tell everyone how much you love them.  We are all here such a short time.  I love you all.  Thank you for reading this blog.

Happy thoughts for a happy day!

The mythical Leg Lamp!

And by men, I mean Men, Young Men, and Older Boys. Still, do I need this post? We know what to get men, right? Power tools, ties, socks. Maybe a nice pair of gloves? Yes, I need this post. Believe it or not, Men are more than the Stereotypes Of Decades Past, and many of them are more than the Stereotypes Of Present Day. We do not all want a tie from JC Pennys, nor do we all want a new power drill to replace the other two we already have. We tend to like electronics, yes, but that doesn’t mean throw a dart at a Sharper Image catalog. Ninety nine percent of the time, nothing should be purchased from the center aisle of a department store such as a Singing Billy Bass or golfing knick knack. Don’t do it. Instead, try these ideas:

First, tools can be okay. Just make sure it’s something we need or will need in the future. Don’t get us something cheap that isn’t a solid piece of equipment. Don’t get us a generic tool set from Wal-Mart (unless we have nothing). Craftsmen wrenches, a nice tool box, etc… If you’re not sure what to get, then make sure to ask someone who is knowledgeable. Please note, the stock boy in the automotive department is not knowledgeable. Also, ties are okay too, but make sure they are of high quality, in style, and that we have a lifestyle that supports the wearing of ties.

Second, I’d like to point out the Christmas list at ArtOfManliness.Com. Quality ideas are on that list such as a pocket knife, a straight razor shaving set, a thermos, and several other unconventional ideas that shouldn’t be overlooked. Last year’s 2008 Holiday Buying Guide shouldn’t be overlooked either. Sure, it has some overlap with the 2009 list, but it also has some great ideas of it’s own such as a dresser top valet, shoe shine kit, and an excellent list of toys for young boys as well. You know, the kind that kids will PLAY with for months if not years.

Some other possibilities? There are a host of fun, but not necessarily practical, gifts over at A Christmas Story House. You can get several items seen in the classic movie such as the Leg Lamp and the Pink Bunny Nightmare costume. I would also recommend a solid read such as Five Skies by Ron Carlson for a book about what it’s like trying to find your way as a man in the modern age. If fiction isn’t his cup of tea, try the re-print of the 1st Edition Boy Scout Handbook. Not only timeless in thought, but it actually has some very useful information just like any version of the handbook.

Oh, and speaking of cups of tea, if the man in your life enjoys it, nothing beats quality tea, coffee, or a french press. Now, go shopping!

P.S. A quick rundown of Black Friday events:

I broke down and went out on Black Friday to be surrounded by the People Of Wal-Mart. It was awful, but I don’t regret it as I saved a ton of cash on presents we had already picked out for the kids as well as a few small items for the house. Still, it was about as much fun as a kick in the groin, and if not for a stroke of luck would have been for naught. The main purchase item for me was gone with just two people left in front of my Mother who was kind enough to help me get everything I need. Fortunately, someone I had met in line had taken two for who knows what reason, said they only needed one, and offered me the other. Luck indeed! Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people took extra items in the hopes of trading. That’s crafty, and rude.

I can now say, however, that I highly recommend Black Friday in some minor situations where finances are of the essence and your sanity and stress levels are not. Bah Humbug.

Really????  A hamster????  These things sell for upwards of $50 on Amazon.  What happened to the days when people called radio stations and bid thousands of dollars on Tickle Me Elmo.  Elmo talked and laughed.  And now you want a robot hamster???  You can get a live hamster for probably 10 bucks at the pet store.

No Richard Gere jokes please…

INDIANAPOLIS – A scuffle over this year’s hottest holiday toy brought police to an Indianapolis store to calm Black Friday shoppers.

Sgt. Paul Thompson says police responded to a reported disturbance early Friday at a Toys “R” Us store in the city’s northside Castleton neighborhood.

The Indianapolis Star reports fighting broke out about midnight as people lined up in the parking lot looking to buy the robotic hamsters known as Zhu Zhu Pets.

Store manager B.J. Chavez says the hamsters are the hottest toys this season and the store generally sells out within 10 minutes.

Thompson says police also were called to a Toys “R” Us store near the southside suburb of Greenwood for crowd control.

Both stores sold out of the robotic toys.

Black friday RED WALLET ! Its amazing the pull from retail stores this weekend. I am organized and ready to go with a well thought plan for the holidays most of the time. I have to say this year was a dud for me. After a great Thanksgiving Day meal, my sister and I along with my nephews opened up the mountains of adds and started making a list of wishes. It was not long before my anxiety kicked and felt like I would never be able to get all the “bargains” I was looking at. At that very moment I shut down. I was getting frazzled and overwhelmed. I figured you know this is not what I think Christmas it all about. SHOP SHOP SHOP. Friday am came and I spent the day rubber stamping and making christmas cards. It was a great relaxing day.

Black friday RED WALLET ! Its amazing the pull from retail stores this weekend. I normally am organized and ready to go with a well thought plan for the holidays. I have to say this year was a dud for me. After a great Thanksgiving Day meal ,my sister and I along with my nephews opened up the mountains of adds and started making a lots of wishes. I have to say it was not long before my anxiety kicked and and felt like I would never be able to get all the “bargains” I was looking at. At that very moment I shut down. To me I was getting frazzled and overwhelmed. I figured you know this is not what I think Christmas it all about. SHOP SHOP SHOP. Friday am came and I spent the day rubber stamping and making christmas cards. It was a great relaxing day.

Used Stampin up to create card

First of all, I cought a falling star and put it on my sweater…”Giant Snow Crystal Brooch” is ready for you now:

second, “Stitch by Stitch” takes part in the Black Friday event, wich means that I have reduced more 20  itmes in my mainstore, among them hair, jewllery, as well as accessory  and dresses, here on of the Black Friday goodies:

and

and many others. Take the Taxi to “Stitch by Stitch” main store and look out for the items marked with the Black Friday tag.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Juicy%20Del%20Mar/91/44/28

So, I spent Black Friday in a totally nontraditional way. Instead of hitting the shopping centers, otherwise known as those madhouses, I decorated my home for Christmas, just as my mother has done for years. I put up lights in the windows, set up all three of our artificial trees, decorated shelves and found all three of our stockings. I also dug out and listened to a number of my Christmas Carol CDs. I did not leave the apartment once, except to take out some trash and go out to my van to put some things in it.

Christmas decorating has evolved for me throughout the years. When I was little, I was excited and wanted to help my parents as best as I could. So the tree got decorated with ornaments on branches that were only four feet off the ground and my stocking was hung happily upon whatever piece of furniture we used for our “fireplace” that year. Usually it was a bookcase decorated up like a fireplace, complete with cardboard bricks, pop can and kraft paper logs and tissue paper flames. I remember being told by my parents that it was a magical fireplace and that Santa was going to come through that magical fireplace just like he would any real one. And of course, being the imaginative child I was, I believed them. To this day, a little part of me still believes in that tale.

As a preteen and teenager, decorating sometimes was a chore for me. You see, my mom had a rule that everything had to be CLEAN before it was decorated. That meant tables had to be moved and rugs and walls vacuumed and such. Fall cleaning was usually done the week before Thanksgiving so that the day after Thanksgiving we could decorate everything with the mounds of decorations my mother had accumulated over the years. Everything had to be put in certain spots and I’d get annoyed with my mother because she’d move stuff I set up. At the same time, we had a real fireplace by then, though I no longer believed Santa would come down the chimney. And as for the tree trimming, we got to do most of it, except for the tinsel. That was usually mom’s doing, because we’d all get annoyed after the fiftieth branch or so and the time spent untangling the little pieces of silver plastic as they knotted. My brother and dad would take to throwing the tinsel on to the tree, only to be met with my mother’s scolds of “no, that’s not right!” and her fixing it. In the end though, the effect was magical, though itwas a pain getting ornaments off the tree after Christmas because of the mess the tinsel made.

These days, I find myself wishing I was back at home, listening to my mother and father as they argue where to put the lights as my bother climbs all over the roof trying to arrange them so both can be happy. I want to see the Christmas village as Dad sets it up in the bay window at the front of their house and watch the dog go nuts as people run around putting the accumulation of Christmas decorations into places they’ve been for years. I find myself missing them, but at the same time, I am enjoying making my own traditions half a continent away, with my own family.

On November 27th, the annual The Hundreds Black friday Sales too place at both The Hundreds LA and SF.
With help from LA’s Gomez Warren IV, hundreds of people wrapped around street corners along Los Angeles Fairfax Avenue in order to go for the opportunity to enjoy the special discounted prices. Though the sale officially started at 4 am in the morning, some have waited in line since 10 am Thursday morning and missed out Thanksgiving Day dinner completely. Highlight of the day/night; one customer even broke (or re-broke) his pinky finger just to receive a free cap. Peep the video below for evidence.

Info: TheHundreds

I grew up a bit of a tomboy. I’ve always lacked some very typical “girly” genes. Much to my daughter’s chagrin I’m not much into jewelry and lots of make-up. I don’t like to talk long on the phone. I’m soooo like a guy when it comes to talking (or not talking, as the case may be) about my feelings or arguing or even just communicating in a relationship. (I know, nothing to be proud of. I’m working on it.) I played softball but wanted to play baseball as a kid. I love camping out under the stars. I wore garter snakes around my wrists much to the delight of the boys in the neighborhood. And I’ve never liked to shop. Ever.

Still don’t. So when my 17 yr. old daughter asked if we could shop on Black Friday I laughed. Out loud. When she told me she was serious, I eyed her suspiciously.

“Only if we go at 5am,” I said, confident that she would back down immediately. You see, I’m a morning person. She’s a night person. A very late night person. She sleeps ’till noon every chance she gets. I knew I was safe.

“Ok!” she said enthusiastically.

Huh? What the…? How did that happen? I then tried to weasel out of it.

“Seriously? You’ll get up at 4:30? I don’t think so. Besides, I don’t think the stores you’ll want to shop even open up that early.”

Remember? I don’t like to shop. So in my forty-something years I’ve never shopped on Black Friday. I’ve avoided it like the plague. I thought only large discount stores and appliance stores were open at that un-godly hour the day after Thanksgiving. 

“No, I already checked,” she said, “The mall opens at 5am.”

Rats. I was stymied. I had no idea where to go from there to get out of it.

“Ok…….” I said, voice trailing. I still had 5 more days to figure out how to get out of it. Surely, something would come to me.

But Thanksgiving Day arrived and I still didn’t have a way out. And she was so excited. Sharing this story with my sister on the phone she chastised my lack of enthusiasm.

“You set that alarm for 4:30am and enjoy yourselves. You’re creating memories,” she said, “Just don’t forget your helmet and elbow pads.”

Yikes. That got me. Especially since my stomach sinks every time my daughter receives a letter from a college trying to recruit her. I’m trying to cherish every moment she wants to spend with me. What was my problem?

So on Friday morning, we woke up before the crack of dawn and set out. We drove past our local Wal-Mart at 5:15am. Every, and I mean EVERY parking spot was taken. People were parking on the grass, off the curb. I’ve never seen it so busy. What was I getting myself into?

We arrived at the mall by 5:30am. It was busy but not unbearable. We shopped. We laughed. We waited in lines. I had to go check out the deals at the Disney Store (of course) and she reluctantly tagged along. The line was about 10 people deep and she rolled her eyes. “This is just like waiting in line for the rides, ” she groaned. But when we went to Hollister (her favorite store) the line for the cash register winded, weaved and wove through the store. “This must be SOME roller coaster!” I said excitedly. She pretended not to know me.

We chatted on the way to other stores. We chatted over coffee. We chatted in lines. We chatted in the car on the way to lunch. We observed people and talked about that. She shared with me things that were going on with school and with her friends. We reminisced. Mostly light things but some heavy things came up, too. And when the heavy things surfaced it slipped into our conversation easy, calm. I was able to share things I’ve always wanted to say – things every parent should say. She shared with me her feelings with little awkwardness. (She is a teenager, after all.)

It was an amazing day.

I remember hearing Dr. Phil impart his wisdom on teenagers once. He said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that if you want your kids to talk to you about the big things then you’d better listen to the little things. In theory, I wholeheartedly agreed. But then, I was able to see it in motion.

I’ve always felt I was a pretty involved parent. But days like this remind me I can always do more. Listening to those little things – how many sisters we could tell were shopping together, who her friends were dating, the latest fashion must-haves, how awful school lunches were – turned into conversations and snippets of some really big things. (And since I’d like to preserve some of her privacy I’m just going to let you guess what those were.) I heard her thoughts. She heard mine. It was amazing conversation with a little shopping thrown in. We enjoyed ourselves so much we’ve decided to make it a yearly tradition.

I saved a good bit of money on Black Friday. I lost a little sleep. Looking back, it was a simple gesture that became grand. And I can’t believe I tried to get out of it. What a shame that would have been.

Black Friday

ENJOY YOUR SHOPPING!

Christmas is coming now^^

Wow things could not have gotten any worse yesterday on Black Friday for me:
1. Forgot to feed the cats before I left the house at 5:15 am
2. Forgot to put on bronzer before work and looked liek a pale psycho the whole day
3. Forgot to “claim” a lipstick at work, which now has to be investigated by LP
4. my hours got cut because we were not meeting our goal for the day, so I had to go home early yesterday
5. Forgot my wallet at Mall of America on Black Friday and had to drive all the way back (after driving to Michael’s and getting to the register only to realize I had no way to pay for my items)
6. Locked my car/apartment keys in my underground storage unit and had to wait until someone walked by to let me back in
7. I sat down, looked at all my new jewelry supplies, and collapsed at 630 PM and now am awake again by 4 am to start another day…I really wanted to make some pieces but I would have needed to use my tools to hold my eyelids open!

But today is a new day, right? I am promising myself that when I get home I will make all the jewelry I fully intended to last night! And I promise myself a giant redbull as soon as I get to the mall!

Here are a few things from Anthropologie that I have been especially inspired by:

Uh-oh.  Be careful what you wish for.

Westporters who feared mob scenes downtown yesterday needn’t have worried.  Black Friday — the negative-sounding name given to the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers’ bottom lines are supposed to turn from red to black thanks to hordes of shoppers, some of whom actually kill for merchandise — was more like Pretty Normal Tuesday in Westport.

Parking lots had open spaces.  Traffic hummed along without tie-ups.  The cop at the corner of the Post Road and Main Street could have spent the day in Dunkin Donuts, and no one would have missed him.

That’s good news for motorists, shoppers and agoraphobics.

It’s bad news for merchants, employees, and our nation in general.

Meanwhile, it was pretty good news for Elaine Clayton, a loyal “06880″ reader and artist whose “Illuminara” blog has gotten a shout-out from us in the past.

Elaine took her sketchbook downtown yesterday, and had plenty of room to stretch out and draw.  She was taken by a street musician in the cut-through by Acqua restaurant.  Here it is — and note there’s only one car in the scene.

ENJOY!  Don’t really know what else to say.  It’s a great project and is put on by some great people.

DOWNLOAD LINK: LimeLinx

SOURCE: Peas & Carrots

So, I went shopping last night with my mom and sis. Midnight until almost 8am. Yes, we are special kind of odd.

We had fun searching for just the right gift, standing in line chatting (45 minutes…eeep!) and eating at Chili’s around 3am. It was a blast!

Right now, though, I am too tired to type. I will ask for your help in posting today. As it is Situational Saturday (my day to post random thoughts on life, love and writing), I am going to ask you to share your favorite things about the upcoming season of Christmas. Remember that song from the Sound of Music? “These are a few of my favorite things…”  (for more flashback pics on the the Sound of Music, click on pic to the right)

You can even share your thoughts in haiku form or some other form of poetry if you so desire. How about a top five list? Whatever floats your boat. I’ll post mine sometime tomorrow. But I want to read your favorites first, as I am too tired to type another thing!

hugs,

Donna

Happy Black Friday

Woke up to my mom saying “bye I’m leaving” well that was spanish then I ate cake since I was alone and I didn’t feel like cooking

Didn’t go shopping after all, well at least not in the morning, I went in the afternoon. Went to Aeropostale and bought a red sweater I really like it, then afterwards I went to Life Way Christian Store and I bought a CD by Casting Crowns for Christmas play ideas its full of Christmas Songs.

After shopping I went to church well kind of ran to church except for that small section where I took the bus. After I got to church all I did there was listening to music and we had hamburgers well all except for me I had a bun with lettuce, ruffle, ketchup and mayonnaise, it was good. Well afterwards we went to a sister’s house and we played Rock Band and Guitar Hero that was fun and I tried to show this video by Shakira to my friend but it was taking forever to load so I couldn’t show it to her completely.

I got home at around 12:00, yeah i know its late but oh well. So now I am at home trying to find something to do.

that was pretty much all my day not very interesting. Hopefully tomorrow is better.

Last week, KT excitedly started talking about shopping on Black Friday.  I merely groaned and hoped that she would forget about it.  My hopes were dashed to the ground when I realized that she had talked both her grandmother and her sister into going out before the crack of dawn to fight the crowds for some great “deals”.  I had no choice but to go. 

For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to go so badly.  The last time we had gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving, we ended up frustrated with the crowds and the lack of any real deals.I knew from past experience that Mimi would insist on going and then refuse to climb out of bed when it became a reality and grandma…well…she’s  just up for going shopping anytime. I knew that this Black Friday shopping excursion was all  KT’s doing…I had to get to the bottom of it!   So, I finally asked KT exactly where and more importantly, why she wanted to go.

That’s when she told me that the only place she really wanted to go was Half Price Books.  They were selling everything for 20% off and were giving out free tote bags to the first 100 shoppers and each bag had a $5 gift certificate in it.  One lucky shopper would find a $100 gift certificate!When Shaun heard where KT wanted to go, he asked if he could go too.  I, of course, readily agreed and asked if I could just stay home and sleep in a bit.  (After all, I had worked for hours and hours and hours and ho…ok, maybe I’m getting a little carried away  here…on Thanksgiving Dinner and needed the sleep)\

I half woke up in the wee hours of the morning as my two favorite nerds got ready to set off for the bookstore.  I fully woke up a couple hours later when they arrived back home eager to show me their loot.

I’m starting to thing this whole Black Friday thing might not be so bad after all.  Now if only I could get them to bring me back a latte and a fresh bagel…

Hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was my son’s first, and it was a lot of fun. I’ve never really gotten on board with the whole stuff yourself silly aspect of the holiday, but I love Thanksgiving for one simple reason: Black Friday is the next day, which is the official (according to me) start of Christmas! (Or, of course, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, etc.) December is my favorite month of the year despite the cold because of all the traditions and all the togetherness that it brings.

I decided to start the season off right by going to CVS & Walgreens to take advantage of their Black Friday sales. I did very well for my “newbie” status!  Here’s what I got:

Walgreens

Wheat Thins x 3; Ritz x 1; Triscuits x 2
   Price: 5 for $10 ($2 each) – (3) $1/2 coupons
     *Promo: Spend $10 get $3 RR
     Total: $9.00 OOP, $3 RR (Net: $6)
     Have a $10 Rebate (other items for purchase were purchased in a transaction on Sunday)
     I had done the same essentially, just with 3 Ritz & 3 Wheat Thins. So total, $2 for 12 boxes of Nabisco crackers!

Aquafresh Cavity Protection Toothpaste
  Sale price: $1.99
   + $1.99 RR
  Total: Free!

Dove Deoderant
   Sale price: $3.99
    - $1.50/2 coupon
    +$3.99 RR on each 
    Total: $1.50 Money Maker!

Johnson’s Softwash Body wash
   Price: $5.99
     – $1/1 Coupon
    + $5.99 RR
   Total: $1 Money Maker!

Infusium 23- (1) Conditioner & (1) Leave-in Treatment
   Sale price: $4.99 each
    – (2) $2/1 coupons
    +$4.99 each RR
   Total: $4 Money maker!!

Right Guard Solid Deoderant
   Sale Price: $2.49
    + $2.49 RR
   Total: Free!

Cottonelle Tissue- (2) 12 packs
  Price: $6.99 each
   -$5.00 (2 for $9 in-ad store coupon)
   -$1.00 (2 $.50/1 coupons)
  Total: $8 for 24 rolls

Mars Candy (12 pcs; we ate 2 before the picture! lol)
  Price: $.49 each with in-ad store coupon (limit 6)
   – B1G1 coupon from 11/15 RP (x6)
  Total: $.25 each, or $3 for 12

Enfamil Formula
  Price: $23.99
   – $5 Walgreens-only Catalina
   + $2.00 RR
Total: $16.99
(needed!)

Lansinoh Nursing Pads
  Price: $5.49 (not on sale, just needed)

All savings:
WAG Coupon Savings: $8.05
WAG Advertised Savings: $18.30
MFG Coupon Savings: $19.68
Total Savings: $46.03 (not including RR!)

Grand Total:
Subtotal: $64.11 + $3.48 tax = $64.11 OOP
+ $31.50 in RR
Net amount: $32.61
(& have a $10 rebate; $5 of which is from this transaction; so really $27.61)

CVS
   Sale Price: 2/$18.99 (or $9.50 each)
    – (3) $2/1 coupons
    + $5 ECB
  Total: $20.50 for 3 packs
  (for Huggies, this is a great deal!

Colgate Total Toothpaste x2
  Price: $2.88
    -$1/1 coupon
    – $.75/1 coupon
  +$4.00 ECB total
  Total: $.01 for 2!

(3) Huggies Jumbo Packs

Just for Men Touch of Grey
  Price: $8.29
    + $8.29 ECB
    Submit for Mail-in-Rebate up to $9.50 (so, + $8.29)
  Total: $8.29 Money Maker!

Vaseline Sheer Infusion
  Price: $7.99
    – $1.50/1 coupon
   + $7.99 ECB
  Total: $1.50 Money Maker!

Colgate 360 Toothbrush x2
  Price: $2.99
    -$1/1 coupon
   -$.75/1 coupon
   +$4.00 ECB (total)
  Total: $.23 for 2!

Turning Leaf Red Wine & Turning Leaf White Wine
  Price: 2/$9
Needed these for cooking

Humphrey’s Homeopathic Teething Tablets
  Price: $5.99
  However, they’re priceless! My son hasn’t been sleeping and has been so upset and these helped him instantly!

Hershey’s Bar
  Price: $.89
    + $.89 ECB
  Total: Free!

Hershey’s Bliss Bar
  Price: $.89
I thought you could do 1 for each kind of candy but apparently it’s 1 for any Hershey’s, so I didn’t get ECB on this. Oops! At least it was delicious.

Grand Total:
  OOP: $69.39
  + $30.17 ECB
  Net: $39.22
( Need to also submit for $8.29 rebate, making it $30.93 in the long run)

So what did you all get for Black Friday? Was anyone brave enough to cross into the mall or department stores? I wanted to go to WalMart to get the new All You magazine but there’s no way I was brave enough! Send me your horror stories- or your great finds!