It's my BLOG and I'll cry if I want to

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.
I of course had to work Thursday night which left me a bit bummed since I like to be out when the stores open Black Friday. But I waited until I left work at 7am and went. I must say I did miss a few of the deals I went out for since I got a late start. But all in all I think I did good. I actually ended up coming home and staying up with the kids while hubby got things in order for hunting on Monday. I can honestly say I was up for 24 hours. Not a fun thing. I should have done a lot of things today but I just couldn't. My body is too tired. So maybe tomorrow.

Black Friday is just about here. I am a bit bummed because I have to work until 7am Friday morning. Hubby looked at me like I was nuts when I said I was bummed but I told him. Hey Black Friday to me is like opening day of Buck Season to you... but to be truthful there isn't anything I want that I have to be out there at 4 or 5am. There are a few deals I would like to take advantage of though so I will make a quick trip on my way home from work. I have a few things I still need to get for some people. Also some of the Black Friday deals are available online now. You can check those out here So what about you? What do you do on Black Friday? Do you get up early and go out shopping? Do you watch your computer starting Thanksgiving eve for the deals to start showing up online? Or do you just not care at all about all the fuss of the day? Make sure to stop back here Saturday and share with me your finds and deals from the day! I would love to hear how you made out! You know I will be sharing mine!




PS And make sure you stop by this website where you can watch 101 Classic Christmas Videos online!!

A little over a week ago MomSelect contacted me about checking out a product. Of course I was thrilled to say yes. They sent me a gift card to Ridemakerz. Ridemakerz is like Build a Bear for boys. Any boy (man) who loves cars and building models would love to have one of these vehicles. You go to the website and can pick out your vehicle and all the accesories for it. You can even have it made as a remote control. Ridemakerz sends you your package and you put it together. My son picked out a truck similar to this one

Our package is on it's way to us now and both of us are excited for it to come. You will have to check back to see his truck and the finished product!
Right now I have an online code for you to get $10 off a $30 purchase at Ridemakerz. Just enter code 93486 during the checkout. This code is good until January 4, 2009. This would make any boy (man) a great Christmas gift!
I would love to hear from anyone who orders from Ridemakerz to hear what you picked out!

Last night I got up to go to work and everyone was gathered around our fish tank. It seems one of our guppies had babies. It was rather late so hubby had to wait until this morning to remove them from the tank. Half of them disappeared overnight, either becoming fish food for the other tank mates or by being sucked up through the filter. He did get the other tank we have set up and put the remaining babies in there this morning. I wish I could get a picture of them but it is just so hard since they are so tiny. Hopefully most of them make it. The kids are really enjoying watching the baby fish this morning. I will keep you posted on their progress.

I was able to get a picture of some of the babies

Kmart Layaway for the Holidays is another layaway option for you to use.
All you do is pick out your items, take them to the layaway counter and put down a down payment. Make payments every 2 weeks and when it is paid off take your items home. Simple as that.
Your down payment is either a $5.00 layaway fee plus a $10 cancellation fee (in case you cancel) or 10% of the total whichever is greater. Maryland has it's own layaway rules so be sure to check that out if needed. Of course certain items are not allowed to be put on layaway. Make sure to check out the site for full rules and details.
And remember layaway isn't just for the holidays. Use it for back to school shopping, birthday shopping whatever you can think of. It is a great way to spread out your spending on larger priced items. Both of my older boys have birthdays in July a week apart and layaway is a good option for me to purchase their birthday gifts without breaking my budget. I also like to use layaway for back to school shopping. With a large family it helps to be able to spread out the cost of back to school. And with layaway I know the kids will be able to pick the styles of items they really want instead of waiting and having to pick from what is left.
What other ways do you use layaway??
Make sure you stop by the Kmart site for your printable $5.00 off coupon good until Nov 30th.

I think this was so cute. The kids were raking leaves over the weekend and Noah was picking them out of the tree and putting them in his little container on the ground....apple picking must have left a real impression on him. LOL.

The photo finalists at 5 Minutes for Mom are up. Make sure you stop by and vote for your favorite today. The winner gets that $500 grocery card. Congrats to all the finalists and good luck!

Did you know that Sears now offers a layaway program? For only $15 or 20% down (whichever is greater) you can layaway most items at Sears and pick it up by December 23rd.
Layaway is a great option for many people. I used to use layaway all the time at Christmas. I was upset when stores starting doing away with layaway plans. Layaway lets me stretch out my shopping over more time and allows me to purchase the things I want. And if I wait to pick my layaway up until the end I don't have the hassle of "hiding" my Christmas gifts from the kids. We all know how they like to search around to find the stuff ahead of time. This year I am considering putting a few things on Sears Layaway for Christmas like this

Fuji Finepix Z20FD Camera for my oldest,


PSP, NCAA Football 09 for my middle boy



and the Playskool Clipo Big Bucket: Playskool Clipo Big Bucket for my little guy.

And here she is....
This is last weeks pictures. The top one is a good one of her profile. You can tell she will look like my two youngest. The bottom one at the top is her foot. The tech thought it made a neat picture...

I made my applesauce yesterday. It got great the only thing I will change is to not put the cinnamon in mine when I cook it. The kids like it better without cinnamon. Otherwise it was simple and yummy.
Here are a few pictures


The final product...


This was a double batch of the recipe from A Year of Crockpoting

Have someone you know who loves the outdoors? Sierra Adventure Gear has lots of great items for your shopping needs. They carry great names like Maglite, Luminox and more. There are backpacks, camping gear, watches, emergency kits, tents and many many more items on their website.
They have quick shipping policy and all orders are shipped within 24 hours of being received (except for weekends and holidays). Orders received on Friday will be shipped Monday (next business day). If you would like to expedite your order, we do offer 2 and 3 day shipping (weekends and holidays are excluded).

Check out their Return Policy
Sierra Adventure Gear will accept all products that are returned to us in its original condition and within 20 days of our shipping. After 20 days, this policy becomes null and void.

The buyer is responsible for return shipping charges and may be subject to a 15% restocking fee
(miss-shipped or defective products will not be charged). All merchandise purchased on sale or special order will not be eligible for return. Sierra Adventure Gear reserves the right to refuse returned items that appear to be used, adjusted, damaged or the original packaged is defaced or absent upon return.

Defective Merchandise

If you receive an item that is defective, you have within 20 days to return the item. Once we have received the defective item and determine that the item is defective, we will resend you a new item at no cost.


This 2 person emergency kit would make a great gift for someone who travels to keep in their car.
Sierra Adventure accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards. Stop by and get some holiday shopping done right from home.

Not much happening here. I have my applesauce cooking in the crockpot and I even am taking pictures to share. Yesterday was so warm here and now today it is cold and windy. Gotta love the weather. Hope you all are relaxing the day away!

I am in desperate need of new glasses. I know the prescription needs to be adjusted and I am just waiting until after I have the baby to go get them. ZenniOptical has prescription eyeglasses online for as low as $8.00!
ZenniOptical uses the latest modern materials, manufacturing and marketing systems to bring their product direct from our factories to you. No middlemen, no retail overhead, and practically no advertising budget. This allows them to bring you great prices for their own name brand glasses.
To place an order, you need to have at least a prescription for corrective eyeglass lens and your pupillary distance. If you have a prescription for contact lens, it may not be used to make eyeglasses.

When you have your eyes examined, request the PD of the person who does your exam, since corrected lens cannot be made without it. It’s used to position the optical center of the lens so that you will be able to easily see through the lens, to center the correction in front of the pupil of your eye, in the eyeglasses. Therefore, you cannot alter your PD simply to have it match the specifications of a frame that you might want (which will not accept your PD), because you will not be able to see through a lens produced from incorrect information. I know when I go in for my exam I will be asking for the PD along with my prescription! For more information on this read this page.
They even offer a guarantee which states (taken from website)
OUR GUARANTEE:

We take great pride in delivering a quality product at an incredibly low price. Each order is carefully checked by our certified technicians for prescription accuracy and optical clarity before shipment. Since all orders are custom produced and unique, all sales are final. Please be very careful in filling out the order form.

If you are dissatisfied with your eyeglasses for any reason, they may be returned for a -50% refund within a period of four weeks. We do not reimburse for shipping and handling of orders returned for a refund. If the glasses are being returned for a warranty issue, this must be completed within the 30 day period, as well. We do not address warranty issues beyond a thirty day period.

Read what the Chicago Tribune had to say about ZenniOptical.


If you wear glasses it is worth the stop at their website to check them out. They even offer chilren's glasses!

Frugal Carol did one of these Celebrity Look Alike's so I thought I would play along too. Make sure to check out her collage!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Well hubby and the kids just left to go apple picking. I will miss getting some great pics I am sure but I'll go next time. I am just too tired to have gone. I work all weekend and spent the morning scrubbing the kitchen floor. Maybe my middle son will get some shots with his phone for me. I am sure I will have a ton of apples when they get back. Hubby always goes overboard when he goes picking things. That's ok I have my applesauce recipe ready and plan to make some of that and maybe a pie and some apple butter.

Today I had my biweekly OB visit and ultrasound to check my placenta. I am on a biweekly schedule of this until I deliver. Not good news on that homefront. The placenta is still right next to the cervix and I am still looking at a C-section. I am really starting to stress out about this as I am so petrified of having to go through that. I guess I will just pray that the placenta proves them all wrong and moves.
Baby looks good though she weighs 3 and a half pounds. Guess that is good.

5 Minutes for Mom is teaming up with Playstation and giving 10 sick children PSP Bundles. They are asking for nominations of children that bloggers know. After long and hard consideration I have decided to nominate Max. Max is a 4 yr old boy who was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome like my youngest son. Max could not complete all of the surgeries required of a child with this condition and received a heart transplant. Just in October he was diagnosed with PTLD Max’s PTLD is Non-Hodgkin’s-Lymphoma it is polymorphic lymphoblastic aggressive and causing necrosis. Talk about a mouthful. Max has been receiving Chemo since this diagnosis and his family have sought out another facility to treat Max, one that has a doctor with more expertise in this form of cancer along with being a heart transplant patient. He also shows signs of mild heart rejection. This little boy is in and out of the hospital all the time. He and his family are doing the best they can to cope with all that they are enduring right now. I could write a whole book on this little boy and family but I am sure you get the idea of how ill he is. He is currently in the hospital right now and I am sure being the recipient of a PSP bundle would help pass his hospital time and make things just a wee bit easier on him and his family. They truly are close to my heart as I deal with my own HLHS child.
Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Help Fight Hunger

The maker of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is joining Feeding America™ in the fight against hunger. This amazing organization is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity and supplies food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors.
Now, every time you buy ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda, you help us meet our goal of delivering One Million Pounds of fresh food to America's hungry. Each purchase helps fund a $50,000 donation to Feeding America™ and every dollar of this donation helps them deliver 20 pounds of fresh food to those in need.
Make a difference when you purchase ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda.
Baking Soda is your do-it-all solution for baking, cleaning and freshening all around your home. And when you stock up now, you're helping to support the ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda One Million Pounds of Fresh Food Drive. So make sure it's at the top of your shopping list... you'll need more than one size for all your holiday needs. Click Here for More Information.
Visit the website now for your $1.00 off coupon

Kim at What's that Smell and Alyson at 3 P's in a Pod have teamed up for a Christmas Giveaway. Stop by their blogs to see the Charities they are supporting and to earn your chances to win in the giveaway!

This is a rare moment. My son and nephew usually do not sit and play together. Usually they fight if this close.

Fun with Food Photos is the theme of this photo contest over at Five Minutes For Mom. The winner gets a $500 grocery card, how awesome is that! With the price of groceries right now we could all use one of those!
So here is my entry for the contest. This is Noah back in March at his 2nd birthday. I had just finished his football cake and he came to check it out. WEll his checking it out involved just diving into the cake and taking a huge bite out of it. I'm just glad I had my camera in hand to capture the moment! Stop on over at 5 Minutes for Mom and check out all the other entries.

Monday: Meatball Sandwiches and fries
Tuesday: Football pizza party
Wednesday: Hot Dogs Baked Beans and noodles
Thursday: Meatloaf scalloped potatoes and peas
Friday: Veal Parm. mashed potatoes and carrots
Saturday: Pork roast in the crock pot taters of some sort and corn
Sunday: Shake n Bake pork chops noodles and brussel sprouts

Best Buy has an EMachines Laptop today for $299 you can see it here
I personally took advantage of the deal because we have a very old desktop that my boys use. It still has Windows 98 on it and the disk drive doesn't read anymore. I decided that the BB laptop would be a good deal for me to replace what my boys use. I don't want to spend a fortune on a computer that will be used by a 16 and 11 year old. If you are in need of a basic use laptop stop and check it out they will go quickly!!

Head on over to AC Moore on Saturday from 1-3 for a Craft Event for the kids. You can see the crafts here.

Ikea is having a free breakfast Saturday Nov 8th-Tues Nov 11th until 10:30am. The offer is vaild on small breakfast and cup of coffee. While supplies last and some stores not included. See site for details.

Yankee Candle Sale...

Sale Ends Tuesday Nov 11th