Friday, April 20, 2012
Step out of your box
How many of you are avid viewers of American Idol?! This is the one show that I sit down to watch faithfully every week! My daughters will watch it with me but my husband chooses not to. He is a singer himself and it is especially painful for him during the auditions to watch the contestants. He literally will cringe and leave the room in physical pain ;-) I am a huge fan though and this years contestants are amazing.
In an unexpected elimination, last night Colton Dixon, 20-year-old singer from Murfreesboro, Tenn, was sent packing his bags finishing the competition in seventh place. His final song that he chose to sing on his departure was called Everything by Lifehouse. What a testimony and excellent role model he is and I'm sure he has a great career in front of him.
Colton was up against great competition and there are six other contestants left. We love Skylar Laine and Jessica Sanchez and expect to see them in the top 3 in weeks to come. USA Today reports that after Idol and the summer tour, Colton plans to continue pursuing his career in Christian music.
Colton gave a great testimony in the clip below and showed humility and thankfulness for the opportunity that he had with American Idol. He challenged everyone to step out of your box, out of your confort zone as we are all messenger and here to inspire one another. Watch the clip below of this wise beyond years young man!
http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_11/curtain_call/
You can watch him sing his last song here as well as hear the judges give him word of wisdom on his future music career http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_11/still_rolling/still_rolling_colton_dixon/ and check out Colton's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CDixonAI11
Monday, February 13, 2012
Italian Soup Recipe
I had looked up a recipe online some time ago and saved it to my computer. Pulled it up, made a grocery list and went shopping on Friday to get my ingredients. Have you ever bought Kale before!? We certainly had not but we have now. Wonder what I'm going to do with that extra Kale?? If anyone has another great recipe to use up my remaining kale...please comment and let me know! Otherwise, we will just have to suffer (NOT!) through another pot of soup next week.
Time to give it a try. I must say that it was very easy but a little time consuming. It probably took an hour plus from start to finish to prepare and cook the soup but it was well worth it!! We will certainly be adding this recipe to the recipe file!
Note to Chef...turn on some Italian music, pour yourself a glass of wine and get cooking! Delish!!
Makes: 6-8 servings
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1½ tsp
crushed red peppers
- 1 large diced white onion
- 4 Tbsp
bacon pieces
- 2 tsp
garlic puree
- 10 cups
water
- 5 cubes of
chicken bouillon
- 1 cup
heavy cream
- 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
- ¼ of a
bunch of kale
- Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
- In the
same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for
approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
- Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
- Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. We used potatoes that we had in stock and I would encourage you to use more than what the recipe calls for. We all felt like it needed more potatoes and we had thinly sliced them but will leave them a little thicker sliced next time.
- Add the
heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
- Stir in
the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve with some Italian sliced and buttered bread. Delicious!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Free Movie Nights
Date: February 7th - 9th
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Westfield Southcenter - 2800 Southcenter Mall, Seattle, WA 98188
Phone: 206-246-7400 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 206-246-7400 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Details: Whoever your Valentine might be, bring them to Westfield Southcenter for a romantic-themed movie! Come grab a bite, sit back and take in the show. Enjoy these fun, light-hearted favorites in the Dining Terrace:
- February 7th - While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock
- February 8th - Enchanted with Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey
- February 9th - Sleepless in Seattle featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Laverty style
P.S. For some reason you cannot see all of the screen so you can click this link to see it better...http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/LMi19nGH0aKIBoaZ3gSk
Monday, December 5, 2011
25 Days of Free Christmas Music
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_158420_21974290_pe_b4_t/?docId=1000453281
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Game Of Your Life
Today's posting is about another Family Movie Night brought to you by Proctor & Gamble and Walmart. Our family loves these movies and puts in on the calendar and makes a point to sit down as a family and watch them together.
Friday, December 2nd, "The Game of your Life" will be showing at 8/7c on NBC and stars Lea Thompson (from Back to the Future and Caroline in the City). Below is the synopsis of the movie and you can see the trailer here. Mark your calendar!
"When industrious high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a prized scholarship to the prestigious Digital Institute of Game Design (DIGD), his future breaks wide open. The opportunity to study under gaming legend Marcus Bentton and alongside the country’s most creative minds will certainly propel him into a successful career as a video game designer. That is, if he can pass the infamous freshman project that eliminates more than half of the class within the first three months.
Paired with brilliant yet socially awkward teammates Phillip and Donald, the trio persuades Sara Ramirez – a determined and striking team leader with whom Zach has a history (and possibly a future) – to join their team. Working off-campus in the teched-out Lincoln Alley loft, the four set out to involve the entire campus in a quirky new social interactive game. But as the group becomes entrenched in the project, Zach learns that his father Billy, a widower, is facing growing financial woes at home. To help out, Zach accepts an opportunity to work directly with Marcus Bentton on a secretive side project that seems too good to be true. The effort requires nearly all of Zach’s time and energy, which he should be devoting to the project. Struggling to keep it together, Zach is torn between his responsibility to his team, his admiration for Bentton and a chance to help his father.
Everything comes to a breaking point when Zach’s team threatens to remove him from the group and the deceptive truth behind Bentton’s project comes to light. With the guidance of Professor Abbie Lambert, Zach must make a decision that not only affects his future, but the lives and livelihoods of the people around him as well. It’s a revealing story that recognizes the magnitude behind the choices we make and the importance loyalty plays in making good decisions."
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Who is Simon Miller?

Remember last month how I highlighted Family Movie Night! Well, they have a new movie...Who Is Simon Miller? and it will be on August 6th at 8/7c on NBC. It's an action-packed thriller about one family's mission to find out the truth about their father.

The Millers were an ordinary family living an ordinary life. That is, until the day Simon Miller went missing. Now wife Meredith, daughter Sarah and son Kevin must embark on a perilous mission to find him. But what they soon discover creates more questions than answers. This heart-pounding thriller takes you on a family's journey and tests the limits to which the Millers will fight for each other-putting their trust, loyalty and forgiveness to the test.
Check out the trailer and mark your calendars! We will be serving up some goodies and having a Family Movie Night at our house on August 6th and my girls are excited for this kid friendly thriller!! Plan your movie night with your kids!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Family Movie Night

They have a new movie, "Field of Vision", that will be shown on Saturday, June 11th at 8/7c. It's a compelling story about the challenges and rewards in doing the right thing and stars Faith Ford (from the sitcom "Hope and Faith"). Looks like a great movie for our kids! You can see a preview here. According to the Family Movie Nights webpage:
Monday, May 9, 2011
Summer Reading Programs = free books
The one thing my kids have always loved is the summer reading programs that are offered by local book stores. My oldest is getting too old for them though! Bummer!! Why do they have to grow up so quickly!? There are several bookstores that participate and who doesn't love a free book!
BORDERS
Borders has the Double-Dog Dare Challenge for kids 12 and under to read 10 books and get one FREE! Go here to print the form and here to see a list of books that your child can select from for their FREE book.
BARNES & NOBLES
They have the Imagination's Destination Summer Reading Program. Kids read any 8 books and record them in the journal. You can download the form and see the list of free books that they can choose from here. They also have some activity pages you can download for both parents and educators.
HALF PRICE BOOKS
Last year Half Price Books offered a Summer Reading Program called Feed Your Brain. I couldn't find any information on their website with summer's 2011 information. So, check their website in a week or two and you should be able to find out the details. Last year, the program gave out free Half Price Books gift cards to kids who read for 15 minutes or more each day for at least 5 days. Seemed like a great program but we did not take advantage of this one since it's not in our immediate neighborhood.
CHUCK E. CHEESE
Chuck E. Cheese offers many incentive program. Kids can earn 10 tokens for reading every day for 2 weeks. Go here to see a list of all the programs that they offer and to print the reading log. They have logs from "potty training" to "no nose picking" where kids can earn FREE tokens! Seriously!!
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Check out your local library because most libraries offer a summer reading program. Our library offers a free book as well as a chance to put your name in for several different drawings like a $50 gift certificate to the mall or a giant stuffed animal.
If you would like to quickly print off some free bookmarks, go here or here and then print them on cardstock. Cut out the bookmarks, punch a hole in the top and then tie on some yarn or funky ribbon. Your kids will love having a new bookmark that you've quickly handcrafted for them!
Reading is a great way for kids to soar! They get to experience adventures, solve mysteries and learn in the process. Shh! Don't tell them about that last part. Help your kids develop a love of reading and reward them this summer by participating in one or more of the summer reading programs!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Scared of Sharks?
There is a great inspirational movie coming out next month that's on our list to see. Soul Surfer, the movie, is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton and her encounter with a tiger shark while surfing.The film features AnnaSophia Robb as she protrays Bethany Hamilton in her fight to recover and get back on the waves. Bethany had a natural talent to surf so her world was shaken after this shark attack. Also starring, Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as her loving parents & the talented musician, Carrie Underwood, as her youth group leader. Sounds like a great cast to me!
Included in the movie are two songs performed by Britt Nicole who is a favorite music artist of Madison. Britt Nicole has thought-provoking lyrics that she tends to write with specific people in mind but that are applicable to all.Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Little Chuckle For Your Day
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Safeway's at it again!
Purchase Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks: Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, or Fruit Stickers Between 12/27-1/23 (The $0.09/box price is only good through 1/8 at Safeway!!)
Buy 3, receive $1 off-your-next-order (This is a Catalina coupon that prints after your purchase)
Buy 4, receive $2 off-your-next-order
Buy 5, receive $3 off-your-next-order
Buy (5) Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks $0.99 each
use (1) $1/3 printable-bettycrocker.com or pillsbury.com
use (1) $0.50/2 printable-coupons.com or 1/2 General Mills insert
Pay: $3.45 out of pocket
Receive a $3 Catalina coupon
Bottom line: $0.45 total (or $0.09 a box!)
Nature Valley Granola Bars $1.77, limit 6 w/ in ad coupon ends 1/8
buy 5, receive $3.50 OYNO Share w/mom
use (1) $0.50/1 printable -coupons.com or smartsource.com
use (2) $1/2 printable-bettycrocker.com or pillsbury.com or
use $0.75/2 from GM 1/2
Total OOP: $6.35, and receive $3.50 Catalina
Final Price: $2.85 or $0.57 each
Just a reminder for those of you who *Swagbuck, you can print some of the coupons above from there and then you'll get more swagbucks! Go to the Earn tab and then select Coupons. My Safeway had plenty in stock to choose from and they even had a healthier chose Fruit Roll-up called Simply... It is made with more than 90% fruit juice and I found it on the top shelf plus it was included in the sale!
*Interested in learning about Swagbucks, see my post "Are you Swagbucking to Christmas?" Now that Christmas has come and gone I can share what I was able to get with my Amazon cards. I got a Small Stereo/Cd player for my oldest daughter which she loves, 3 DVD's (2 of which were new releases marked down to $10 - The Karate Kid & Ramona and Beezus**) and a CD. Not bad for $75 in Amazon gift cards I earned while searching the net! Read my post!!
**I highly recommend Ramona & Beezus! This was a great family movie and gave me a better understanding of how my youngest tends to think :~) I'm hoping they will come out with other Ramona movies.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Kellogg's $10 December Rebate Available
Here is a list of participating products:
Keebler Crackers (7.7 oz. or larger), Keebler Cookies (7.5 oz or larger), Sunshine Cheez-It Crackers (7.5 oz. or larger), Sunshine Krispy Saltine Crackers (11 oz. or larger), Carr's Crackers (4 oz. or larger), Famous Amos Cookies (14 oz. or larger, Murray Sugar Free Cookies (4 oz. or larger), Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats Crispy Marshmellow Squares (8 ct. or larger), Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars (10 oz. or larger), Kellogg's Special K Bars (3.8 oz. or larger), Kellogg's Special K Crackers (8 oz. or larger), Kellogg's FiberPlus Chewy Bars (5 ct. or larger), Kellogg's Cinnabon Bars (6 ct. or larger), Kellogg's Fruit Flavored Snacks (10 ct. or larger), Austin Sandwich Cracker Packs (7.4 oz. or larger), Kebbler or Sunshine 100 Callorie Right Bites Snacks (4 ct. or larger)
All products must be purchased in a single transaction on one store receipt between 12/1/10-12/31/10. Requests must be postmarked by 12/31/10 and received by 1/10/11.
It's available to the first of you ladies to comment!! Time's ticking...
Monday, December 13, 2010
HOT Safeway deal for meat
Queenbeecoupons.com had most of the info following and you can go to her site to see what she ordered. Right now Safeway has several cuts of meat as BOGO. Queenbeecoupons got two packs of the BOGO Hamburger and Chicken while others got the Fresh BOGO Crab. I couldn't find the crab that is listed in the ad so I'm thinking my store was sold out.
I purchased two packs of the BOGO Chicken Breasts & two packs of BOGO Rump Roast. My online total was $40.08 after promo's codes and they deduct the BOGO meats when they package your order so that amount comes off later. Once again, I paid $11.81 for $57.66 worth of meat!! Basically, I paid for 1 pack of Chicken Breasts.
Head over to Safeway.com to start shopping. You have to be new to home delivery in order to get the deal. Set up your new account and then load your meat. Make sure your total is $50+. After you've loaded your meat, proceed to checkout and select your delivery for anytime today or Tuesday, December 14 (the delivery will be free so don't worry about the price that is usually $6.95 to $12.95). Continue checking out and enter promo code CJSAVINGS, this deducts $15 off your total. Then, enter promo code EASY7 for free delivery on your first order.
You must have your order delivered by Tuesday, December 14 to get about $50 of meat for around $12. If you can't get it delivered by Tuesday, December 14, hold off. I'm sure the deal will run again. Good luck!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas Tunes - FREE
Tiny Tree Christmas by GUSTER
Toy Jackpot by BLACKALICIOUS
Snow is Falling by DARKER MY LOVE
Perfect Gift by NATALIE HEMBY
10,000 Watts by CRYSTAL ANTLERS
You'll Never Find My Christmas by BISHOP ALLEN
Get Down for the Holidays by JENNY O.
Mrs. Claus Ain't Got Nothin' On Me by LITTLE JACKIE
Got Something For You by BEST COAST, WAVVES
It's Christmas by COCONUT RECORDS
Party Hard by LITTLE ISIDORE
Súper Mamá (Supermom)by THE PINKER TONES
Un Regálo Para Mà (A Present For Me)by CECI BASTIDA
Click on this link to go get your free music from Target!
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Rockin' Christmas
Not your typical Christmas Greeting from our family but the kids love it and Katelynn encouraged me to use that picture of Jack. She was laughing hysterically! Enjoy.
Looks like this is having a hard time loading! Hopefully some of you will be able to view it...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Are you Swagbucking to Christmas?
Have you joined Swagbucks and started earning your free giftcards or other prizes? I joined in April 2010 and to date have earned $75 in Amazon giftcards as well as a $10 Starbucks card that I was able to use on my trip to Texas over the summer. Not bad for just searching the net!! That $75 in Amazon giftcards is a huge blessing to our family and will be used for some Christmas presents this year.Not sure what Swagbucks is...let me explain a bit. It is a search engine that you can use for searching the net. By searching, you can earn "swagbucks" or points that will accumulate and eventually earn you giftcards or other prizes. You do not earn swagbucks for every search but are awarded swagbucks periodically throughout the day with your searches.
The $5 Amazon giftcard is my favorite and is available for 450 swagbucks. On average, I get 1-2 giftcards a month just for searching and completing what I detail in the following.
You can easily earn 3 swagbucks daily just for completing the Daily Poll, going to Trusted Surveys and also for completing the NOSO (No Obligation Special Offers). All of these can be found under the Earn tab at the top of the page. You do not have to complete any of the NOSO's to get your swagbuck. You can just skip the offers you are not interested in and after about 4 offers, you will be awarded 1 swagbuck. It just takes a few seconds to complete this.
It's really as easy as it sounds! Just go to Swagbucks to register and then start searching. A couple of tips that will help you out:
1) You can't just do one search after another trying to earn swagbucks. Swagbucks is a search engine so they want you to do searches but if you just complete one search after another trying to earn swagbucks, then you will temporarily not be able to continue.
2) Complete those items I suggested above under the Earn tab daily to get an easy 3 swagbucks daily!
3) On the home screen, if you scroll to the bottom you will see "Special Offers". Check this every week or so for offer under approximately 5 swagbucks. These are usually quick videos that you can watch to earn a few quick points.
4) Add the free toolbar. It's a visual reminder for you to search with Swagbucks. Also, a couple of times a week, there will usually be a message for you to quickly earn any where from 4 to 12 swagbucks just by entering a code! Watch "From TSG" in the toolbar for messages to earn swagbucks.
5) Read the Swagbucks Blog. You can locate it on the Home page on the left hand side about half way down the page. There are usually 3-4 posts a day and every few days there will be a code in the blog for you to earn swagbucks!
6) Coupons! For all you couponers, Swagbucks has recently added coupons that you can print. After printing and redeeming the coupons, you will have 10 swagbucks added to your account for each coupon!! It will take a few weeks to see the points added to your account though.
Sign up for Swagbucks today and start searching. Wishing each of you a Very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
TGI Skillet Meals & Dunkin Donuts Coffee DEALS!!
Buy 3
Total = $11.98
Use the $4/2 Target store coupon found here
Plus, stack with 3 $2/1 coupons from the 9/26 SS or new coupon from the 11/7 SS
Final cost ONLY $0.66 each! What an awesome price!!
To print two Target store coupons, hit the back button after the first coupon prints. I reload my paper the reverse so that I use one piece of paper for both coupons.
We had the Firecracker Sesame Chicken and I was impressed with the packaging. All of the items were packaged separately. We have never had these before and I don't think I would ever buy them but I couldn't pass up on the price for this meal.
We needed two of the meals to feed our family of 4 and I served up some rice on the side as well. Everything tasted really good and my hubbie enjoyed it the most. It was a little spicy for the kids (the rice tamed it down) but that was one of the few I could get. You can't beat the price!
Deal #2 - Centsible in Seattle noted a great deal on Dunkin’ Donuts coffee this week at Target. My caffeine-lovin’ friends needed to hear about it!!
Dunkin Donuts Coffee Bags $6.49
Buy (3) and use (3) $1.50/1 coupons from 10/31 Red
Pay: $14.97
Then, get a $5 Target Gift Card!
Bottom line: $3.32 a bag! That beats the price that Fred Meyers had a few weeks back on Seattles Best of $3.99!
Thanks, Centisble in Seattle!
By the way, if you like coffee deals, don’t forget that every Friday in November you can score a free 12-oz Seattle’s Best Coffee at participating Burger King restaurants.
So, print your coupons and RUN to your nearest Target to take advantage of these deals but save some coffee for me! I'm going later today!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
And the Winner is...
The two lucky readers of the "Sniff, Sniff, Hurray" Gain Prize pack are: Tracie T. and Kristen R. Your packages will be in the mail later this week. Congratulations Tracie & Kristen!
Please be assured that all winners were chosen completely at random. Thanks to all for participating!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Hurray! It's time for a Gain giveaway!
Recently, I came home to a lovely box on my front porch compliments of MyBlogSpark. Don't you just love getting a package! I'd like to give you the opportunity to come home to a package as well but first, let me give you some details about what was inside the box.
When I opened the box a crowd cheered! Literally! You know those cute little greeting cards that sing when you open it. Well, the advertising that went into this box was great. My kids got a big kick out of it!
I got a sample of Gain Dishwashing Liquid to try out. It comes in 3 refreshing scents at Walmart: Original, Lavender and Citrus Splash. The sample I received was the Original scent and it does a great job of taking care of the after dinner clean-up! I would like to try the Citrus Splash scent next.
Thanks to P&G through MyBlogSpark, two lucky readers will win a Gain “Sniff, Sniff Hurray” prize pack that includes:
v $5 Walmart gift card
v An I Heart Gain t-shirt (size large)
v I’m throwing in a $1.00 off Gain Dishwashing Liquid coupon
To enter the giveaway, please leave me a separate comment for each method of entry. The first one is a requirement to enter the giveaway.
1. Leave me a comment of which scent you would like to try.
2. Post this giveaway on your blog and let me know in the comment section
3. Not a blogger? Then, email 3 of your friends this post and leave me a comment that you’ve done so.
4. Post this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment stating that you have done that.
Contest runs until
Goodluck!

