Its Hiring Time!

So, I found an employee. Finally! Not a friend, not a family member....a real live employee! I am getting better at not micromanaging and getting better at passing off duties. I can't believe I finally did it! I have so much time to do the things I have needed to do for the business now! I want to plan my first show, like ABC kidshow. But, in case some of you didn't know....we are expecting! yes, a new blackwelder will be gracing us with their presence in the end of March. I am super excited, but I find myself wondering...why does the second pregnancy go by so fast? the first one ticked by like molasses....this one put life into overdrive. Before I know it, a week has passed...then another...then another....omg!
I do plan on jumping back on the blog wagon here in a bit, when life simmers down....hopefully I can make it here once a day!

Today I have been on marthastewart.com and looking up recipes. Whenever I feel I need new recipes in my entourage, I check marthastewart.com. It just seems to have the most reliable flavors and ideas. whereas, with some other sites, you will get something that has 20 ingredients and doesn't taste so good.

Well, I'm off to do a bit of sewing. ta ta.

lauren

Good Monday Morning!

Well guys and gals, its a pretty nice Monday morning here! I am hoping to get a bit of shopping done today...find some good deals! I went to Goodwill yesterday and finally figured out that they change the color of the week on Sundays....so, this week is Black, and already I found a beeswax candle for only $2.00, a throw pillow for $1.50 and a pair of yoga pants for $2.00.
I have no shame in thrift store shopping...as a hard working mama of a busy and rapidly growing two year old, I think that thrift stores are a blessing!

Even if you go to your local thrift store to buy things and then sell them on craigslist, its helping us mamas out! So find out the colors of the week, deals of the day and deals of the week at your local thrift store and start your treasure hunting! you'd be amazed at what you find.

Last week I found two little tikes play structures at my thrift store for only $20.00 each, I sold one for $75.00 and am keeping the other for my little guy....so, not so bad at the end of the day.

Now, I know what you may be thinking...I thought it too. Is it right to buy something from a thrift store and sell it for more on craiglist? I didn't think so at first, but my husband told me, "honey, they get it for free, they've made the amount of money THEY deemed fair, and so what happens to it from there is not their concern" so...I decided it was ok. Hopefully I'm not going to hell for that one...

well, off to start my day!

cheers,

Lauren

Grocery Outlet

I don't know about where you live, but my grocery outlet has vanilla swiss almond Haagen Dahz right now for only $1.49! if i had a bigger freezer, I would buy a ton more!

Macy's Sale

I just got back from Macy's and all the juniors maxi dresses are only $19.99 marked down from like $38 and up. Go get em
gals! I checked TJ Maxx afterwards, and nothing cute there.....found a candle on sale and a cute wallet....oh, and a max and ruby movie.

Matchbox Jets

So, my son has a completely unreasonable amount of matchbox jets in his toy collection. It all started with buying him a jet in Target to keep him from screaming the entire way through the store. I figure its worth $2.97 to me to have a peaceful Target shopping trip. I don't know about you, but if I have a screaming child, I can't think clearly at all and I usually end up leaving Target with half the items I needed, of course without the ONE major thing I needed. And, I have to go back, or buy them somewhere more expensive. Anyhoo....I started buying him these jets. Jets for pee pee in the toilet, jets for being a good boy in Target, jets for not hitting anyone at school....jets just for being cute. And now, we have probably 50 jets. These things are not only built great, but they are entertaining as well. My son plays with these things for hours. I have jets in my purse for restaurants, I have jets in the car for long trips, I have jets in every room. When we first got them, we had to take the jets to bed with us, and co-sleeping with a boy and his matchbox jets is not so comfortable.

I am giving these jets the thumbs up, because they are made well, they are inexpensive, and they are a major source of bribery for any little boy....

Craigslist

Craigslist, ahhh, craigslist. I recently discovered a TON of kids stuff in my backyard that I have been packrat-ing.... I guess its not so much "discovered" but more like, "realized" and I put it on craigslist. I had play structures, basketball hoops, stroller, kitchen, you name it, we have it! or should I say, had it. I put the items on craiglist, and I sold all of them this weekend! It amazes me not only what you can find on craigslist, but what you can sell too! Things that would normally make it into the goodwill pile are now worth a penny or two, to a hard working mama! You know girls, in this economy, we can't earn enough money....every penny counts!

Oh So Tired

Do you ever have those days where you are just struggling to stay awake? I tell ya, for about a week now, I can't stay awake, I am so tired that I have to nap every few hours just to function....which isn't easy being a stay at home mama. I am learning a few tricks here and there to napping while my little guy stacks jets and GI Joes on my back, playing peacefully. I sure would like to know why I am so tired though. Last Saturday I spent the entire evening and night literally throwing up every meal I have ever eaten in my lifetime (or so it felt) I was sick into Sunday, then queezy monday, tuesday, wednesday....you get the picture. Now, I know what you are thinking....pregnant right? But no, I have been taking preggo tests every day this week. Maybe its just burnout? Maybe all my multi tasking, anxiety spending hours are finally catching up to me? Could it be? I wouldn't be too sad to know that all my major stressors this year, are finally coming to an end. I have had drag out terrible arguments and such, I have had to deal with my husband working out of town 5 days a week, I have had to deal with a long long winter, and well......our fantabulous recession we are in. Could my body finally be saying ENOUGH?
Hmmmm........

The Green Smoothie

So, yesterday one of my girlfriends introduced me to the "green smoothie" When she first started describing it, it sounded so good. She said it had papaya, pineapple, mango (or something like that) fresh mint, and then......spinach. I was a bit turned off by the last ingredient, but I knew I was trying to change my ways and eat healthier so I thought I'd give it a chance. I have been having stomach issues for a week or so now, and I needed a little "green smoothie" in my life.

I poured myself a glass, and it went down surprisingly easy! It actually tasted good too! I left her house feeling refreshed and actually able to stomach a real meal last night, which I haven't been able to do for a few days. It doesn't look appetizing, it doesn't sound appetizing.....but it smells great, and will make you feel great too! Here's the recipe;

Green Smoothie

2-3 C. Fruit such as mango, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, etc...
1 - 1/2 C. greens such as chard, spinach, lettuce, kale, beet tops etc...
1/4 C. Herb such as Cilantro, parsley or mint (I use fresh mint)
2 T. Chia seed gel (you can google that....super interesting)
1-2 T. Coconut Oil
add water to top of fruit, blend.

Try it!

Cheers,

Lauren

Michaels Craft Store...Gotta Love it!

So, today I went to Michaels craft store, and found all kinds of packs of notecards for only .47 cents! regularly $1.00....and, a bunch of glow sticks in packs of 15 for only $1.00 and what else? I found so much today, it was crazy. I started collecting things for the 4th of July so we can decorate our house and have a super fun bbq. I have not been keeping up on my posts as I should because...well, its hard to be a mama sometimes! I mean, hello...I am blogging about Michaels Craft Store. How exciting is that? to me, a mama...it is real exciting!

I hope to keep up on this blog much better in the future....hopefully my doom and gloom lawsuit will be over (long story) , I will be able to focus my energy on blogging and running my business!

Richardsons Fruit Stand

Hi hi all! I have been completely missing in action for a bit, but its a good thing. I've been playing with my son who has had a cold all week in a house full of cabin fever! We are better now and can't wait to go back to school and to get out of the house this week.

I have to tell everyone about Richardsons Fruit Stand. If you are local to Bend, it is the best thing since sliced bread. It is located in the parking lot of the old wood mill next door to Cascade West Saloon. (Across the Street from Players) on Century Drive. It is a small wood shack that has every fruit and vegetable you could want. At reasonable prices too! I always try to shop at farmers market in the summertime, but it is so expensive....Richardson's is the opposite! the apples are cheaper than at even Safeway, and way better quality. The bananas are hand picked for freshness and cheaper than grocery outlet! We get all of our fruit for the week, 7 apples, a bunch of bananas, 4 grapefruits and some oranges, all for $7.00.

So drive to Richardsons, they accept check, card, or cash, and support local business...

cheers!

Yuck!!

Ok, so I feel like a jerk, but who can blame a mom trying to save a buck? As we are all aware of, we are in a super crappy recession right now, and its causing all of us to cinch down on the spending. I happen to have a hot chocolate addiction, and I can't seem to cut it out of the budget. I'm sure you are thinking, "hot chocolate? what the heck? what about the coffee, lady!??" Well, I have a lot of stuff going on right now, and I can't handle the caffeine. Argh. But, lets not talk about that.


Back to the saving a dollar. I was reading in the Orange County Register, an article about the new Mc Cafes that are popping up everywhere, and are supposed to be made with real milk like Starbucks and a lot less expensive. I couldn't resist, and drove myself to my local Mc Donalds and ordered a hot chocolate. The first disappointment was that it comes from a machine and they can't control the temperature. I love love love my hot chocolate hot...I mean steaming, piping, hot lava hot! Bummer. Anyway, I pulled through the drive through, and....what kind of savings is that? $1.99 for a small hot chocolate. I'm no math genius, but I'm pretty sure if I ordered a small hot chocolate at my local coffee shop, it would cost about the same. Or less!


No worries, I got my hot chocolate, and headed on my way. Pulling out of the drive through (screaming child in the backseat) I took a sip. YUCK!!!!! I was disgusted. It tasted like some chemical concoction of melted milkshakes and floor cleaner. It was gross. So girls....and guys.....don't drink the Cocoa! It is nasty stuff. Stick with your local coffee shop, or make it yourself...because Mc Cafe, is Mc Yucky.

Easter Fun!!!

Easter came and went and we seem to have made it through without any throwing up or emergency room visits.  We did a playgroup egg hunt Saturday and had WAY too much sugar!! We melted down for oh, most of the day.  Oh yeah, and into the night.  It was fabulous.  There's nothing like pumping a ton of sugar into a two year old and letting the tantrums fly.  My husband has a few more grey hairs, and I think I have a new eye twitch, and maybe even a new wrinkle.  

Does anyone else have the wrinkle right between their eyes? I have this "cling on" looking wrinkle, it is so deep that my makeup loves to settle right into it.  I would get botox or restalin, but that stuff just freaks me out.  Something about injecting botulism into my face and temporarily paralyzing it that just doesn't seem right.  

Oh well...such is the life of a mom. 

What am I going to talk about today? I'm thinking Pastel Playdough.  Has anyone smelled playdough lately? It smells exactly the same as when I was a kid.  I'd like to say it tastes the same, but I am not going there.  I also can't believe how inexpensive the stuff still is.  It only cost us $1.88 for a 4 pack.  Now, I'd like to claim that I am a super-healthy, organic, home made baby food making mama, but lets get real girls.....can you make 4 tubs of playdough in 4 different colors, for less than $1.88? I'm not so confident I could?  I am also a bit scared to make my own because while my dog has not taken a liking to playdough just yet....I'm pretty sure that the minute I slave over some cornstarch, food coloring and god knows what else is in homemade playdough.....she'd have herself a buffet.  

So.....(loving the dot dot dot)....

I love playdough today!

A Must Needed Treat

Wow, I take a few days off, and so much has happened!  Our economy is on the rise.....(That's what I think anyway) because sales are up.  That is so good for this hard workin' mama.  I am working on saving up to fill the hole in our back deck to get a new hot tub.  Nothing fancy, just something from craigslist, but let me just say it is a must needed treat.  In the summer we can keep it cold, and voila! a swimming pool!  Maybe this year if we have that, then our little blue plastic pool won't keep blowing into the neighbors yard? Its always pleasant to start your day by knocking on your neighbors door to see if you can walk in their backyard and get your swimming pool back.  

But, all good things in time, right gals?

Alrighty.  I am talking today about a must needed treat, and not my craigslist hot tub.  This is a seller on Etsy named SDJewelry.  www.sdjewelry.etsy.com  I recently treated myself to a few baubles from her shop and I love them! I was not even aware at the time I purchased them, that they were just what I needed.  Any of you that know me, know that I am completely led by my emotions (part of being a Cancerian I guess)  And I just can't seem to get them, along with my hormones in check......low and behold, the moonstone necklace and Aquamarine bracelet are just what the doctor ordered!  Supposedly, moonstone helps to balance the female hormones and emotional side, and aquamarine brings balance during emotional times.  Hooray! no pills needed for this sister!  

I think you should all go to sdjewelry.etsy.com and check out her stuff! the bracelet is the perfect size and fits tightly to my wrist (I never take it off now) and the necklace is my absolute favorite!

For a Good Cause

Wanna do something good for someone in need? click here http://isothegoldenegg.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-go-shopping-for-great-cause.html

I'm out of words on what to type, but I recently learned of this blogger who was reaching out to others to help out a dad who is just trying to keep it all together.  It is a tear jerker, but a lesson in kindness.  I donated a few items that I knit to the etsy page to benefit the Liz Logan Foundation, and if you have items to donate, please contact either me or isothegoldenegg.blogspot.com because it sure does make you feel better when life gets ya down.  

I remember last year when Frank was in the hospital for a week and a half with a horrible sickness, we racked up almost 10,000 dollars in hospital bills we couldn't pay.  We returned home from Doernbecher and were asked to meet a friend for coffee...my husband went, and there he was presented with almost $4000.00  They had "passed the hat" for us, and I cried for days.  I was overwhelmed by the kindness that people had in their hearts.  It helped us to pay our mortgage that month from not being able to work, and it helped offset some of our hospital bills.  I still cry about how kind people can be.  

So, lets bring some tears of joy to Matt and his loving little family! c'mon girls!

What is the Meaning Behind a Name?

So, while home at my mom's house, my little sister showed me this really cool site.  I was amazed at how "right on" it was.  I searched everyone's name I knew and found that it was true for every single one of them....check it out!

http://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/DisplayNameAnalysis.cfm

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

Well Hi there mommies and daddies and non-mommies and grandmas, and browsers alike! My name is Lauren and I am starting this blog not because I am a good writer, (because I am not) but because I feel like I have to share all my fun deals that I find around town and on the web! I am a confessed shopaholic and I love love love a good bargain!  So, where to start for my first post.......well, I saw on craigslist (as I was looking for a new stroller) that Costco in Bend is offering an amazing jogger for only $99.00 thats right girls, 99 dollars! it is by Dream Designz and normally retails for $300-400 dollars!  I went and checked it out for myself, thinking it would be stubby enough to push around town, but....it wasn't.  It was pretty long, the front wheel swivels....extremely light weight, but not good for boutique shopping.  However, if you are a jogger or walker, this is the one for you!