UNCLE LALA AS SANTA !!

This is a picture of Uncle Lala so that we could take pictures , It is a lot cheaper than going to a store and we get to pick from about 100 photos and poses !

POWER OUTAGE TRYING TO STAY WARM !

This is Sissy and Auntie Lala trying to stay warm during the power outage we had. This is Auntie Lala's dog Rusty. If you look in the background you will see the fireplace on.

THESE WERE THE MINI APPLE PIES WE MADE !!

These were the mini apple pies we amde for the holidays!! They were a lot of fun and delicious, too.

WOW WHAT A WEEKEND ! NANA NEEDS TO REST !

My day started out yesterday when I ran to SHOPRITE to get the last minute deals on VANITY FAIR NAPKINS, INTERNATION DELIGHT CREAMERS AND BETTY CROCKER INSTANT POTATO POUCHERS. The sales are over ut you can still download $.75 coupons for the creamers and $.40 coupons for the instant potatoes.
Then I went over to see Bobo and Sissy. It was a beautiful day so we decided to take out Bobo's battery powered car and their beautiful bikes that Nana's sister bought them for Christmas last year. They are still a little small to reach the pedals but there was no stopping them on the car!
We decided to put up the THOMAS THE TRAIN blow up decoration in the front yard. Bobo and Sissy loved it , it even had Sir Topem Hat on the side . We had a lot of fun putting up lights, too. We even raked up some leaves and they jumped into the piles with Mommy, Daddy and Auntie Lala and Uncle Lala.
Auntie Lala wanted to make a great snack called REINDEER FOOD. The funny part is that earlier in the day while Nana was on her way over to see them a deer actually ran past her a few houses from them.
It was really good and the kids put them into containers for everyone. Nana was able to grab some of the M&M candies before they were all gone.
Today we went over to Mommy's brother's house and Uncle Lala dressed as you know who ! We took tons of pictures. Sissy and Bobo were fooled, they really thought he was Santa. At first Sissy was scared but after a few minutes she was happy. Then we all went over to Nana's and she cooked dinner. I am so tired I am ready to go to bed. But first, I have a few more gifts to wrap...

YESTERDAY WAS THANKSGIVING !!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was also my (Nana's) birthday. We won't discuss how old I was but I was very happy that all of my children and grandchildren were there! Boy were we all stuffed. Then we had a huge Italian rum cake for me and Mommy, who's birthday was on Monday. Nana's sister Lisa's birthday is today. We were all born in the same week. Bobo and Sissy were very happy to help us blow out the candles.
The really strange thing though, was that it was over 50 degrees. That made the house hot, way too hot for November. I can remember when we used to have fires in the fireplace on Thanksgiving because it was soo cold. Heck a few weeks ago we had the freak snowstorm that made us all lose power for over a week! I guess we really have a lot to be thankful for.
Mommy and her sister, http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/ decided to go out after we all ate dinner to get some bargains. Nana was too tired to go out. I was told they got some great bargains. I waited until today and went to a few stores to use my coupons before they expired. I was surprised to see so many people in the grocery stores.
I hope to go out tomorrow and try to get more shopping done. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving and all get home safe.

IT'S MOMMY'S BIRTHDAY !!

Today Monday November 21, 2011 is Mommy's birthday. On Friday while Bobo was in school and Mommy was volunteering at his school, Sissy and I (Nana) went to get her a present. I told her it was a secret but the minute we picked her up and she got in the car she told her mother that we had a gotten a flannel nightgown for her birthday. Then she told her it was red! Mommy laughed. The we picked up Bobo and she told him too! I guess I better finish my Christmas shopping without Sissy. She can't wait to tell a secret. A typical little funny girl. Happy Birthday, Mommy . We love you !!!

BIG Y GROCERY ADS //// FRESH EVERGREEN WREATHS AT STORES , ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?

Nana , Mommy and Sissy spent the day catching up on errands while Bobo was in school. We were able to get to BIG Y to get 3 more pounds of butter for each house. While we were there we saw that they had RITZ CRACKERS our favorite for the holidays $1.48 each with a limit of 2. There was a coupon in Sunday's paper for $1.00 of 2. So we paid $1.96 for both. The last thing we bought were GREEN GIANT FROZEN VEGETABLES for $1.00 each . Paired with the coupon for $1.00 off three. We were able to get 12 of these .




Total paid : $12.00 for frozen vegetables




$3.96 for crackers




$5.97 for butter




Used 4 coupons $1.00 for vegetables crackers $1.00 butter on sale $1.99 plus 3 online store coupons




before coupons $21.93




after coupons $14.38 A great day of shopping.









There is a coupon right now on the HORMEL website for $3.00 of 1 party tray. We were able to print 2. Within the next couple of days we are going to check TARGET and WALMART to see what their prices are. These will be great to keep on hand if anyone stops over and we want a quick snack.




Is it just me or is The Christmas season out of control? It's bad enough to see some decorations at the stores and watch all the ads on TV. But do I really have to see fresh evergreen wreaths for sale on racks outside of the grocery store. What a joke! They should at the very least wait until Thanksgiving. Maybe it's just me , but I want to be able to enjoy the season not just run to see if I can beat someone else for a sale.

BOOK REVIEW VENGEANCE IS MINE BY MARIE WEEMS

I received this book Vengeance is Mine by Marie Weems because I am part of the Dorrance Book Review Team at www.dorrancebookstore.com. This begins as many other books do of it's kind. A young woman is waiting for her love to come back to her from the war so that they can be together. She is devastated to find out that his plane has gone down with no survivors. She goes on to surmount many obstacles in her way. She meets a young man who believes that they should be together and he says he loves her. Will she be able to love again? This story is a story which makes for a good read. The problem is that this book needs to be edited by a professional. There are spelling errors and errors in the copying of pages etc. It still although being a little hard to follow this is still a great read . The opinions are all my own.

BIG DEAL AT BIG Y ON BUTTER THIS WEEK !

This huge bargain is courtesy of Nana's sister. BIG Y has their own brand of butter on sale this week for $1.98 a pound with a silver coin. On their website under coupons they have a coupon for this for $.85 cents off one. This means that each will be $1.13 for a pound of butter!! Yoo hoo, just in time for the holidays ! There is a limit of 3. I am going to get these to start to fill my freezer, right now it looks pretty bare because of the storm 2 weeks ago. Thanks Lisa !!!

BOOK REVIEW THE CHRISTMAS NOTE BY DONNA VANLIERE

I was very excited and happy to be able to read and review THE CHRISTMAS NOTE BY DONNA VANLIERE. She has written so many Christmas beautiful stories and I have equally enjoyed each and every one. This is about an unlikely friendship that is between 2 women. They go on to form a friendship that changes them both forever. Gretchen Daniels has moved into a new community and is starting a new life with her 2 children. She has done this to be closer to her mother. There is a young woman living next to them who is very mysterious. She keeps to herself. One day her landlord knocks on Gretchen's door for assistance. He wanted to tell Melissa that her mother has died. Gretchen reaches out to Melissa and offers to help her empty out her mother's apartment.When they get there the apartment has nothing really worth saving. There are a few photos and a note discovered on a crate beside the bed. It is not finished . There are 2 scribbled lines. When Melissa reads the note she finds out secrets about her family that she never even knew. These 2 very different woman set out on a journey to explore a need for hopes. redemption .
The book goes back and forth writing as Melissa and them as Gretchen. I really would have wanted to be under one person but I think it was necessary in this book. It is a heartwarming story of family loss, family finding family and most of all love .

I was provided this book to review for www.booksneeze.com

FILLING THE FREEZER, AGAIN !!!

So, now after almost 10 days we finally got power and we are trying to get back to normal. It really isn't as easy as you think. I have an empty refrigerator and a empty freezer to fill. I have decided to go easy and to use coupons to stockpile once again. We lost power 2 months ago during Hurricane Irene and I was just building it up to have to start all over.
I read as many on-line coupon blogs I can find and I plan what I am going to get before I go to the store. Today Mommy, Sissy and Nana, (me), met at BJ'S WAREHOUSE and we got LAND'O'LAKES American cheese for $3.49 a pound. We bought 4 pounds. Sissy and Bobo loved grilled cheese sandwiches! Mommy and Sissy got frozen stuffed shells and frozen manicotti so that they can make these with the homemade sauce Mommy made and filled the freezer with.
If anything good can be said about this experience it is that we all seemed to have a wonderful time just enjoying each other. The kids were very good considering they had to spend the night at different relative's houses. I just thank goodness that we are all safe and our homes were okay.
Now we have started to think about Christmas and the holidays. I guess like all of Connecticut residents we will be cutting back. I think back to the days when Mommy and her sisters and brother were small. We always seemed to be able to get what they wanted by shopping the ads and being able to run to the store in the morning.
I remember standing in line for hours to be able to get a CABBAGE PATCH KID. I had to get three!
So, I guess my first step in preparation for thr holidays is to do what Sissy and Bobo do. Sit down, play a game and think about what I really want to do first. Sometimes kids have all the answers!

FINALLY WE HAVE POWER !!

We finally got power on Saturday morning exactly a week from when we lost it. Some of our family members still don't have power. The light company has a lot to answer for. Sissy, Bobo, Mommy and me Nana spent the whole week together! First 2 days were at their house with all Nana's children and grandchildren because they had a fireplace. Then Sissy, Bobo Mommy and Nana along with Mommy's sister www.dealsharingaunt.blogspotcom went to a hotel. We stayed for 3 nights. Then we came home . Mommy Sissy Bobo stayed at Nana's son's house who had power. Nana stayed home. That morning we woke up to power. That night they stayed at Nana's house. Sissy and Bobo were so good. It was really hard for them because they really wanted to go home. Today they were able to.
So here we go again. Just 2 months ago we had hurricane Irene and lost all of the refrigerator and the freezer contents. We will have trouble filling it up again so soon so I started looking for coupons. I guess it will keep us busy for a few weeks. I am so very thankful that we are all okay and no one got hurt. I am praying everyday that the rest of our family members get power soon . The kids have been out of school for over a week. I certainly hope we get back to normal soon.

WITHOUT POWER FOR ALMOST A WEEK WITH NO END IN SIGHT

well we got the SNOW and I do mean SNOW! We have been without power since Saturday with no end in sight.It has been very cold at night so we have had to go to a hotel for a few days. I never realized how much I depend on food, (cold and hot) lights, grocery stores, mail and more. Our town is 99% out of power as is the towns that surround us for miles. It actually looks like a tornado went through some of our streets. There are 2 power lines down on our street that I know of. I again within 2 months have had to throw away hundreds of dollars of groceries. It is getting to be a bad habit. Thank goodness I like to use coupons. But it really is becoming a necessity to do so. Sissy, Bobo Mommy and Mommy's sister www.dealsharingaunt have been staying together at a hotel. It is nice but we miss Daddy and the rest of the family. We are all worried about each other too because the towers are down and most of the time we do not even have cell service.
It is sooo bad that they aren't even picking up the rubbish and we have shelters set up all over. i just hope it all ends soon and it is a distant memory . Nana