Wowsa! What a week...As you can tell, I have been absent from the blog (and from home) for about 3 weeks. I intended to be out of town for about 2 weeks, but apparently someone upstairs had a different plan for me. 
I left for Utah to visit my family on June 1 right after the kids got out of school. My plan was to drive (with my mom's help-thanks mom) to Utah and visit with the kids until my husband flew out the evening of the 7th. We were then leaving the 8th to drive to Scottsdale Arizona to check out the new digs (we are moving there next year at this time). We were staying there until the 10th when we were going to drive over to Lake Powell for half the day then move on to the Ranch in Southern Utah with my husband's family. We were staying there until Tuesday the 14th, then back to Salt Lake where Wes had a flight home on the 15th. I then planned to leave Friday the 17th and drive to Cheyenne, WY, then continue on to Omaha on the 18th so we would be home with Wes for Father's Day on the 19th.
All went as planned all the way through Wesley's flight home. Shortly after he landed for his lay over in Denver, my van broke down and overheated majorly in Salt Lake. I had it towed to the place Wes has brought cars to since he started driving. My van was old and we had driven it into the ground and I had a bad feeling about this...(It is a 2000 Chevrolet Venture).
The next morning the call from the shop came, and it was bad news...lots of major things wrong, and let just say it boiled down to this...my van was dead and NOT worth fixing. So, here I was stuck in Utah with no way home, which begs the question of what to do, and how to afford to do it!

So, I askyou this...how does one stay frugal and get the best deal in a crunch? I NEEDED to get home, but how? Let me tell you what I did (and I will preface it by saying I am sure I could have saved more money than I did, but I think I did pretty well all things considered).

My biggest tip for staying frugal is this: Take the time to do your homework-SOOO worth it! I realized quickly that nothing I had going on at home needed to be done emergent-ly, so I took a day to do some homework. I researched my options-flying home with the kids, renting a van to go home or buying a new van in Utah and driving home. After a few quick internet searches and some phone calls, I knew I needed to just figure out how to accomplish the third option: Buy a new van.

So, the work began...researching new and used vans of all makes and models and looking to see what I could find. I did not know how to get financed when the money maker of the family was in a different state...Thank goodness my husband's brother-in-law works for a bank in Utah and was able to tell me what I needed to do to most easily make this work (thank you Cody). Also, in my research I realized that for my needs and my current financial situation, I needed to find a reliable used van.
After a day of research, I set to work last Friday getting preapproved for a loan, and looking for the available, reliable used van of my dreams. I am sorry to those readers that are not religious, but I need to tell you that here is where I believe prayers were answered and a miracle occurred in my life. On Thursday as I was researching, I searched for Used vans in the area over and over and found nothing that I thought I could afford that would be reliable. So, I prayed...a lot...all night and I asked to find a reliable van for less than $10,000 that was going to last for at least 3 years. I had a whole list of things that this van would ideally have-I wanted a Honda Odyssey if possible. I wanted lots of features that I thought I would NEVER find that I had in my dead van-like an entertainment system, like power doors, like a CD player. Nothing remotely like this was anywhere online that I could find on Thursday.

I learned on Friday that my husband's best friend owns a Used car dealership in Salt Lake and headed over there on Friday morning thinking this would be the answer to my prayers. I was wrong-they had no minivans. So, I went back to work and did another internet search. HERE IS THE MIRACLE: The first search I did popped up with a van that had everything I asked for (except a bit more mileage that I wanted). EVERYTHING else and more was included with this van-it was a 2002 Honda Odyssey with a few minor cosmetic issues (cracking leather on the arm of the drivers seat, and a tiny ding in the side that looks like another car door dinged it when it opened-tiny). And  it was well within the range of money I wanted to pay! AND it runs like a beauty AND (amazingly enough) comes with a warranty from the dealership-not factory, but dealership for an additional 100,000 miles of 5 years (whichever comes first)...WHAT?!

To make an already too long story shorter, I will just skip some details of that day and tell you I bought this van! JOY! It took until Sunday morning for my insurance to kick in and I still had to deal with the broken van and get it off the mechanics loton Saturday, so I planned to leave on Sunday. My dad helped me get the dead van back to his house where it will sit until I get it donated (donating and taking the tax deductions was a better deal than the trade in value for us). That was a stressful 15 minutes getting it home as it died and died more...There were other stresses-I had to go buy 3 of those skinnier booster seats to make them fit easier in the new van, and had to buy a 5 point harness car seat for my 3 year old since her car seat was built in to the other van.
So, I thought the nightmare was over and I would at last be returning home. Sunday morning my sister-in-law and I set out with the kids to go home. Not too far from my parents house, my daughter's seat belt broke-YES broke. So, we returned to Salt Lake where there were people that love us to help us figure out this next part of the saga. My dad looked at the seat belt and fixed it, but we wanted to get a replacement to make sure it would not come out again like in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming or something. Stefanie (my sister-in-law) had her friend who does collision repair for a living check it out as well. We all came to the same conclusion that it seems ok but I should probably get it replaced to be safe. Remember though, this is Utah on a Sunday so nothing was open.

So, I went to church, heard my mom give an excellent lesson on families, then tried to relax for the day since there was nothing to do about the van until Monday. My aunt was having a short birthday party for her daughter and asked me to take the kids up to it. I decided to go, and while there, my other aunt who owns a Honda, told me that Honda has a lifetime guarantee on safety features (read seat belts) even if you are not the first owner! WHAT?! REALLY?! Yes, I found out Monday morning that it is true (Thanks Kris).
Monday I took the van to the dealer and they fixed the seat belt (for free) and we were finally able to leave for home around noon Monday. We (Stefanie and I witht he kids-thanks Stefanie) drove to Cheyenne and stayed overnight at the Little America (it was the best deal) and I splurged on room service (at that point I did not want to take the kids out of the room again until we were driving home the next morning-not frugal, but it was fantastically good food and a relaxing thing for me after all the stress).

Tuesday morning (yesterday), we got in the van to get home and made it a mere 2 miles before the throwing up began...I won't go into that, but let me say, it was a lot longer drive home that anticipated with more stops that we wanted to make...let me tell you this though...no throw up got in the new van-we managed to keep it in buckets and on the side of the road (sorry I-80).

So, here I am at home...with a new van that I am loving...(pictures coming soon)...As far a frugality goes, I did OK (well except the room service). I did not but a car out of my means to pay off, and I feel I got a good deal. I probably could have talked the dealer down on the price a bit, but the stress of it all made it not worth the possibility of losing the van...Here is my question to all of you---do you manage to stay frugal in an emergency/crunch? If so, how in the world do you do it? Give me some tips and tricks to share!

Hey there! This is Beckee, coming to you from sunny Scottsdale, AZ. We are here checking out our new digs (we will be moving here in a year). While here, I had Wes bring with him this awesome product I got to review and tell you all about. 
PhotoJewelryMaking.com is a site where you can find all kinds of high quality customizable photo jewelry kits. And the best part (at least for me) is that they are easy to do, and make a unique, fun gift!

I was lucky enough to get the Father's Day Easy Change Photo Cufflink's Kit to try out. The kit includes two silver cufflinks, the EZ Photo Resizer software and a 4"x6" piece of photo paper. Best part is that they normally cost $24.99, but they are on sale for $19.99!! I love saving money!!!

So, let me tell you, I went to the PhotoJewelryMaking.com website to check out what they have, and can I tell you, the selection is huge! You can get watches, rings, bracelets, keychains, and much, much more! And they are all totally customizable!

When it came to actually making the photos to go in the cuff links, I was pretty nervous about how to do it, but the photo resizing CD that comes with it makes it a breeze. AND if you have any questions about how to us that CD PhotoJewelryMaking.com offers a tutorial online about how to use it to resize your photos. I was easily able to resize my photo and prepare it to print. As I am in AZ and have no printer access, I could not print out my pictures and put them in my cuff links, but I did resize them easily, and it appears pretty straight forward and simple to put the photos in.

This Father's Day Easy Change Photo Cufflink's Kit would be an awesome unique gift for dads! Maybe your dad doesn't wear cuff links? Well, there are other options-lots of them, like a Silver Photo Keychain. Seriously-there are lots of options, just go check out the selection they have here.

Hey and while you are checking them out on their website, you should also go like them on facebook.

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. (please link Mom Spark Media to http://momsparkmedia.com) Thoughts are my own. And I should let you know that I did receive the Father's Day Easy Change Photo Cufflink's Kit to review for this post.

Did you see my review of ArtisticLetters the other day? It is a fantastic company and Jodi (owner and photographer extraordinaire) is offering my readers a great deal that ends TODAY. So go read the review and check out the deal here.

You may have noticed less posting...I am in Utah visiting(and BOY was it an adventure getting here-I will post that story later. Spoiler alert: Burger King, tornados and hail were involved).

I wanted to put up a real quick post to let you Utahns know that today is FREE fishing day here in Utah! That means that you can fish in Utah today without a license! So, go out and have a great fishing adventure today then come back and tell me how it went!!

Have you ever seen those fantastic pictures where photographers have used photos of random items around to spell out words? I ADORE that type of thing, so I was super excited when I had the chance to check out Jodi Gerber's work, and make some fabulous projects from them. (Oh and did I mention that she is offering a deal for my readers?! You will want to read on!!)

I want to tell you about Jodi and her work at ArtisticLetters, but first check out the kinds of amazing projects you can make:






And look at what I put together using her letters:
This one is for the blog.

This one is for the family.

And now that you have seen the kinds of great projects you can put together, let me tell you about Jodi and ArtisticLetters!

Jodi Gerber (Photographer extraordinaire!) of ArtisticLetters has created an entire catalog of black & white letter images throughout the past 3 years. She has done it all by taking photos of objects in nature that resembled letters of the alphabet. She recently decided to offer her ENTIRE catalog of 250+ letter images to the public on CD or Download so that anyone could create their own designs! It’s such an awesome and original way to make artwork for your home or whatever (scrapbooking, greeting cards, and digital designs consisting of wedding invitations, baby’s birth, etc.). Really there are endless possibilities! You can use it for really any letter related project you can imagine!

So, What's the Deal?!
As I mentioned, Jodi teamed up with me and is offering my readers (YOU!) Exclusive Discounted Pricing of up to $6 Off!

Please visit her website http://www.buyalphabetphotos.com/ and browse the images, testimonials, and ideas.

Then check out the Exclusive Pricing and Freebie by clicking on this link:
http://www.buyalphabetphotos.com/exclusive-pricing-and-freebie-page-expires-june-4.html (FYI, This link is only accessible here for my readers – you won’t be able to find it on her website.)

AND guess what else?! Jodi also offered my readers a FREEBIE alphabet set (with purchase) as a Bonus! And here’s the great part – you get to choose a Damask set from 6 different galleries! More info about this freebie is available on the special link above.

The exclusive pricing and freebie offer expires Saturday, June 4 at midnight so be sure you take advantage of this great deal while it lasts.

You can also visit Jodi’s facebook page and click “Like” to find more info and receive future promotions.

I would LOVE to see what kinds of amazing projects you do with Jodi's work! Let me know what you end up making if you choose to take advantage of this great deal!!




I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Here are my favorite deals in Omaha grocery this week:

Hyvee

• Coke Product 12 packs 4/$10 with in ad coupon
• Lays Potato chips 10 or 10.5 oz $1.77
• Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs or Bologna 16 oz $.99
• Red Ripe Seedless Watermelon $2.88 each

Hy Vee is having a sale where you buy any 10 participating items and you save $5 (or $.50 per item). The following items are part of that sale and the price I am listing is th price AFTER the $.50 off:

• Oscar Mayer Deli Shaved Meat or Chicken Strips 6-9 oz $2.49
• Nabisco Snack Crackers or Ritz Crackers 5.5-16 oz $1.49
• Kraft Natural Cheese shredded or chunk 5-9.6 oz $1.49
• Capri Suns $1.49
• Kraft Salad Dressing 14 or 16 oz $.99
• Planters Nuts 4.75-16.5 oz $1.49

No Frills Fresh

• Pepsi Product 12 packs 4/$10 (when you buy 4)
• Mix & Match 10-16 oz Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos, Lay's, Rold Gold or Munchies chips 5/$10
• Mangoes $.68 each
• Capri Suns 2/$3 (with in ad coupon) 
• Bar S Jumbo Franks 16 oz $.78
• Our Family Butter Quarters 1 lb $2.48

In addition to their regular week long special, No Frills also has a 4 Day Price Buster Sale Friday 5/27-Monday 5/30 that includes the following:

• Pork Featherbones $.99/lb (sold in 10 lb box for $9.90)
• 7Up or Dr Pepper Brand soda 12 packs 4/$8.88

In addition to their regular week long specials, No Frills at Baker's Square (132nd and Center) also additional deals all week that includes the following:

• 5% discount on entire order for Senior Citizens "55 or better"
• Wimmer's Link Smoked Sausage 16 oz  2/$3(while supplies last, limit 2)
• Dole Classic Romaine Salad $,99 (with in ad coupon)
• 7Up or Dr Pepper Brand soda 12 packs 4/$8.88 

Bag N Save

• Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper or 7Up brand 12 packs 4/$10 (limit 8)
• 84% Lean Ground Chuck $1.99/lb
• Robert's Sour Cream 16 oz $.88
• Cucumbers 2/$1
• Green Giant Idaho Russet Potatoes 5 lb $1.99
• Potato Salad $.97/lb
• Capri Suns 2/$3
• Kraft Singles 2/$3 (with in ad coupon)
• Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs 2/$2
• Oscar Mayer Bologna or Cotto Salami 2/$2

In addition to their regular week long special, Bag N Save also has a 4 Day Price Buster Sale Friday 5/27-Monday 5/30 that includes the following:

• Pilgrim's Pride Boneless Chicken Breast 2.5 lb bag $3.99
• Mr Dell's Hashbrowns 24-32 oz $1.39

Baker's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Pepsi, Coca-Cola, or 7Up brand 12 packs $2.50 each
• Pepsi product 2 L $.84 each (you have to buy 4 and get 2 free for it to average out to this price)
• Nabisco Snack Crackers 5.5-10 oz or Pepperidge Farm Cookies 5-8.6 oz $1.99
• There is a Frozen Foods Sale where you buy any 10 participating items and you get $5 off, which equals out to $.50 off per item. With this sale, Green Giant Vegetables 7-10 oz are $.99 (after the $.50 off each)

Aldi

• Cantaloupe large size $.99
• Blueberry $1.69/pint
• Strawberries $.99 per 1 lb clam shell

Super Saver

• Pepsi Product 24 packs $4.48
• Coke Procuct 24 packs $4.98
• Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip 30 oz $1.64
• 80% Lean Ground Beef $1.88/lb (sold in 10 lb tube for $18.80)
• Dozen Large Eggs $.87
• Powerade or Powerade Zero 32 oz $.64
• Rotella's Bread $.88

In addition to their regular week long special, Super Saver also has a 4 Day Price Buster Sale Friday 5/27-Monday 5/30 that includes the following:

• Pepsi or 7Up 6 pack .5L bottles $1.98
• Whole Top Sirloin $2.96/lb

Fareway

• Peaches $.88
• Johns Mrrell Hot Dogs $.68
• Delightful Farms Boneless Chicken Breast $4.99
• Roma Tomatoes $.88
• Mushrooms $.99 8 oz carton

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.

Why am I Searching on Swagbucks you ask?! Well, today, as with EVERY Friday, is Mega Swag Bucks day! That means more chances to earn more Swag Bucks (which will earn you gift cards or prizes!!)! So, make sure to use Swag Bucks for all your searching needs today!

If you have not joined yet, click on my referral link here and start earning Swag Bucks with me! This is a GREAT time to join-with Mega Swag Bucks going on today!! As an FYI, I have gotten $160 in Amazon Gift cards so far and I have 712 Swag Bucks left. (450=$5 Amazon card).

If you are new to Swag Bucks, please read my explanation of Swag Bucks here. And my explanation of the changes to Swagbucks here.

Wal Mart has a fantastic free sample of Pull Up flushable wipes. Go here to claim yours before they are gone!

Are you always down for a cheap date night? I know I am...Here are some really cute ideas for parents!

When we first moved back to Omaha, we discovered what was a new place to us-Carrabba's Italian Grill. It was awesome! I loved it and in fact, last year for my 9th Anniversary my husband and I ordered Carraba's to go at my request for dinner! (As a side note, yesterday was my 10th anniversary-it has been far too long since I ate there.)

Well, Carraba's has a fun Pasta Personality Quiz on Facebook right now that I could hardly wait to try it out! Any guesses as to what my pasta personality is?! Here was my result...

I am Penne Franco...I love how my pasta personality is "One of a Kind"! Love that! Plus the Penne Franco looks and sounds to good it is making me drool just a little bit! Want to have some fun with Carraba's and find out your Pasta Personality as well? Go to the Carraba's Facebook page, like them, then take the Carraba's Pasta Personality Quiz.

I honestly LOVE pasta and this meal looks fantastic and it got me thinking about my favorite pastas. As many of you know, I am Greek. So, my ultimate favorite pasta is a Greek recipe for Pastichio which we sometimes call "Greek Lasagna". I have been eating this since I was a little girl and it is the BEST! Seriously, It is SOOO good! It is a Greek family recipe, and my mom and XiaXia (grandma in Greek) are totally cool with my sharing the recipe with all of you lucky readers!! Check it out (this makes a big huge pan of this and you will have leftovers...feel free to make a half batch!! Oh and consider this fair warning that it is a decadent yummy food, but it is far from low cal...):

Pastichio (This is broken up into 2 parts-the base and the cream sauce-they bake together in the oven in the end)


Base Mixture
1-1.5 lb Ziti or Pasta Penne
2.5-3 lb Ground Beef
2 large chopped onions
Olive Oil
1 small can tomato paste
1 lb grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese
4 Eggs
1/2 C butter
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 cinnamon stick
dash nutmeg
salt & Pepper
butter to grease pan


Brown onions in a little olive oil, add the ground beef and brown. Drain the grease well. TO this, add tomato paste, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook about 15 minutes covered until you have a thick sauce-add a little water if necessary-let cool. Remove cinnamon stick, then add 2 well-beaten eggs and mix well (make sure mix is cool before adding eggs or they will cook). Then cook for about 5 more minutes.


Boil pasta as directed on package and drain well. Beat 2 eggs in a large pot or bowl and add the pasta to them. Grease the sides and bottom of a large (DEEP) roasting pan (you can use the large foil disposable pans from the store if you do not have a big roasting pan). Cover the bottom of the pan with half the pasts/egg mixture. Sprinkle well with the grated cheese. Next add the meat mixture and pack down well. Add the rest of the pasta mixture, and again generously add a layer of the grated cheese. Melt 1/2 C butter and drizzle over mix in pan. Move on to Cream sauce...


Cream Sauce
3 C Milk
3 C Half and Half
1/2 C butter
3 heaping T flour
6 beaten Eggs
salt to taste


Step 1-Warm and heat in a large double boiler: Half the milk, half the Half and Half, all butter, and salt to taste.


Step 2-Mix remaining milk and half and half with flour. Stir until smooth. Add 6 beaten eggs and mix completely. Add this mixture very slowly to the step 1 mixture on the stove. You add slowly and stir constantly because you do not want the eggs to cook separately from the mix. Continue stirring until the mixture is thick (this could be a while).


Pour thickened mixture immediately over the pasta meat mixture in the roasting pan. Sprinkle the top lightly with the remaining cheese, a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes (check it in 20 minutes and if it is getting too brown turn down to 350 degrees).

This is a pretty extensive recipe as you can see and it is high calorie, but it is SOOOOO good!

If you don't want to go through the trouble of making my favorite though, you could just head over to Carrabba's Italian Grill where they have the Carrabba’s Signature Pasta Meals and New Limited Time Offers:

Signature Pasta Meals, featuring seven distinctive dishes served with choice of soup or fresh salad starting at $10. There’s no better place than Carrabba’s to enjoy a complete Italian meal – any day of the week.

CARRABBA’S PASTA: Carrabba’s makes every pasta dish by hand with the freshest ingredients. Pasta is cooked perfectly every time and signature sauces are made from scratch daily. Creative flavors and combinations of ingredients are part of Carrabba’s authentic family recipes as well as new creations.

LIMITED TIME OFFERS: Now through July 2011.
Featured Signature Pasta Meal:
Pasto Rambo – Named for the chef who created it, it’s made with shrimp tossed with imported Italian linguine, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes sautéed in our basil lemon butter sauce. Lobster is available instead of shrimp for an additional cost.

Other Limited Time Offers:
Parmesan-crusted Chicken – Topped with fresh arugula and grape tomatoes tossed in a hand-prepared lemon vinaigrette, served with choice of side. Substitution of wood-grilled chicken also available. Pairs well with Estancia Pinot Grigio.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin – Three pork tenderloin medallions wrapped with prosciutto, wood-grilled and topped with an apple and fig infused port wine sauce, served with the vegetable of the day. Pairs well with Coppola Pinot Noir.

Limoncello Bread Pudding – Back by popular demand! Brioche bread pudding made with fresh Madagascar vanilla beans and a rich custard, served hot out of the oven. Topped with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and drizzled with Carrabba’s homemade Caravella Limoncello liqueur sauce.

Now Introducing:
Peach Sangria – Carrabba’s new light and fruity Peach Sangria blends Copper Ridge White Zinfandel, Absolut Apeach vodka and Patrón Citrónge with a splash of citrus. Topped with a fresh lemon wedge and strawberry, it’s a taste of the Amalfi Coast in spring.

Locations: Visit http://www.blogger.com/www.carrabbas.com for the closest Carrabba’s location. There are more than 230 locations nationwide.

About Carrabba’s:
Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola founded the first Carrabba’s Italian Grill in 1986 in Houston, Texas. Today, there are 232 Carrabba’s Italian Grill locations around the country, run by passionate local proprietors focused on delighting guests with fresh, made-to-order Italian cuisine and the ultimate dining experience. Carrabba’s serves dinner seven nights a week in a casual environment that pairs innovative dishes and a complementary wine list with abundant hospitality. For on-the-go guests, Carrabba’s also offers convenient Carside Carry-Out. To learn more about Carrabba’s, please visit http://www.carrabbas.com/ .

So, have a little fun and go take the quiz to see how your personality compares to some of Carrabba’s signature pasta dishes! http://www.facebook.com/Carrabbas?sk=app_142632109083371

After you take the quiz, let me know what your Pasta personality is, and tell me about one of your family favorite pasta recipes!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Carrabba’s blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.