First off, wow, what a beautiful day it is out! I hope you are having some great spring weather as well. Here it is 84 degrees and just beautiful. We just spent several hours in the garden (and hubby is still out there planting his peppers) but Dane and I were getting hot and decided to come in. So far we have raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, radish, cauliflower, lettuce, rhubarb, blueberries and hot peppers planted. Hopefully we’ll get to the rest soon. (and hopefully they will all grow…) This is only our 2nd year gardening, so I guess we’ll see! We love it though! Gives us a great reason to spend some quality time as a family outside. We live in a farming community, so the farmers are also out planting their field corn and soybeans. Our 4 acres (contracted out) will have soybeans this year - it rotates each year.

Has anyone got their tax rebate check yet? I hear if you have direct deposit most can expect payments in May. YEA! We were at the grocery store, in the “big town” yesterday (about an hour away) and they had big signs on their windows saying that if you put your rebate check into a gift card at their store they will give you an extra 10%. I know a lot of stores are doing this, so maybe it is a thought if you want your groceries paid for for awhile, or if you have a big home improvement project or such. I think I heard Sears and Home Depot are doing similar (although check with your local store, don’t hold me to that…)

Speaking of the grocery store… the reason we went the hour to go to the grocery store was because of the huge sale I found. The store is Jewel-Osco if you happen to have one (I think it is the same company as Albertson’s?) Anyway… through my local ad, and The Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com - I love that site! You can try it for $1, and if you do, I would be honored if you use my e-mail as your referral christine@dinewithoutwhine.com) ANYWAY… through the ad and the site I was able to find some great deals. They have General Mills cereal on sale for 10/$10 (if you buy 10) but wait it gets better… In the cereal aisle they had coupons for $.75 off 2 boxes of cereal. So we got 20 boxes of cereal at $.67! Try to beat that! Then they have similar deals for microwave popcorn, granola bars, and fruit snacks. I also picked up a few other sales items and some basic items we needed such as produce and bread. Grand total.. read for this? We got 106 items for $115! Total amount saved - $198. I know gas is expensive, so I generally don’t travel an hour to go to the grocery store… but for that deal? Totally worth it! I love deals like that! Anyway, now that morning sickness is pretty much gone… I have been having fun with The Grocery Game and Refund Cents. www.dinewithoutwhine.com/refundcents swiping deals here and there. Our pantry areas will once again soon be re-stocked with great deals! If you have a CVS, you can grab some excellent deals there too - once again check out The Grocery Game with help.

Well, I guess I better go get cleaned up and ready to pick up the boys from school.

C-

Has spring arrived at your house yet? The weather has been such a tease here! One day we had 80 degrees, and now a couple days later it is freezing with a bit or snow. My poor plants in the garden aren’t going to know what to think! Opposed to planting the rest of my garden just yet.. I have decided to stay inside for a bit and get some spring cleaning done! Yuck, I know not the most enjoyable task. However, my friend Susanne, the Hillbilly Housewife, has put together a guide to make your spring cleaning quick, easy and maybe even enjoyable! At least if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy the end results at least. Head on over and check it out:
www.dinewithoutwhine.com/SpringClean

She walks you through cleaning your home room by room and she’s even included some great checklists to help you stay organized and on track. Go take a peek and you’ll be done with your cleaning before you even know it!

www.dinewithoutwhine.com/SpringClean

Christine

If you’re bored… because I know it has been kind of boring lately here on this blog… Head over to www.trafficjam.com This is a great new site featuring all kinds of fun blogs. You just might find a new favorite to add to your list!

Hey, how’s it going? I am feeling more and more “green” by the day. I always struggle with morning sickness, but always pray it will pass me by for each pregnancy. This time I’m just praying it isnt’ as bad as it was with my last little one. Of course it is all worth it in the end, but these first few weeks seem soooo long!

Anyway, my good friend Debi Silber “The Mojo Coach” is an awesome Lifestyle & Fitness expert, and she is hosting a free teleseminar Thursday March 6th, at 2:00 p.m. EST that I wanted to be sure to tell you about. I know she is planning on addressing nutrition and menu planning issus for busy moms as well as various other health and fitness questions. You can learn more here: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CPZRjYxs/ and sign-up here: http://www.askthemojocoach.com Mark it on your calendar and plan to attend!

Today’s Deal of the day on Amazon I see is a kitchen deal! A Le Creuset Pot! I have been dying to give this brand a try but haven’t yet… Anyone else use this brand? I have heard they are excellent, and pretty but heavy…

Do you have any big New Year’s Eve plans? My boys have been asking all year “When is the day we get to stay up really really late?” I’m not sure the three year old will make it, but the other two we let stay up last year for the first time, so of course that is what is expected now. We’ll probably let Dane stay up for awhile and see how crabby he gets. Should be fun huh? My husband says caffine and sugar should do the trick.

Do you have any food traditions for New Years? We don’t really, although things like chips and dip an sub sandwiches pop into my mind. I was browsing online and found these New Years Recipes that look really yummy. I might have to try the meatballs - they look really good, get good reviews and can even be made ahead of time. Sounds perfect to me! If you have a favorite recipe for New Years please post it in the comments below for all to enjoy.

I wish you a wonderful New Years and I look forward to sharing recipes, cooking tips and more with you in 2008!

Christine

I am excited to announce that Vita-Mix has just released their latest version - the Vita Mix 5200. If you haven’t read why we love the Vita-Mix, you can here: http://smoothieblends.com/why-we-love-the-vita-mix The great news is that we were able to work out a special deal for FREE 2 Day Shipping on this newest model, but this special is only available Dec. 10th -13th. If you have considered purchasing a Vita-Mix, now is a great time! You won’t be sorry! We LOVE ours! Here is the link to check it out: www.dinewithoutwhine.com/holidayspecial

Christine

My mom is a 5th grade teacher in Moses Lake, WA and they are trying to get as many visitors from as many different places as possible to their website. The website is: http://www.swiftclassroom.com/longview/nhanson/index.php All you have to do is visit real quick and you will get a little dot on their map. THANKS!

I found another fun Amazon resource tonight - www.warehousedeals.com It is like the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart - you just never know what you’ll find. If you’re a bargain hunter and willing to spend time looking for the perfect deal - this is a fun place to check out!

All right… I confess… I am a huge bargain addict - if there’s a good sale - I want to know about it! Anyoe else with me? If you are, leave me a comment and if a bunch of you are interested, maybe I can post my best finds on here periodically.

I am also a HUGE Amazon addict. We have a Prime Account, so I can order anything (well almost - some things don’t apply) and have it shipped and in my hands FREE with 2 day shipping - or if I’m really desperate it is $3.99 for overnight shipping. Amazon has some fun things for the holiday shopping season that I thought I would share.

First off they have their fun contest where you vote on what you want them to put on sale… then if the item you voted for wins you are entered into a drawing for a chance to purchase it at a very low price… Here’s the scoop and you can vote now. Currently in Round 1 the Nintendo Wii is winning, round 2 the camcorder, round 3 the scooter (the boys really want that), round 4 the Toshiba DVD Player, round 5 the laptop, and round 6 the TV (dang, I wanted that Roomba!). They are all winning pretty big… so if you want to be entered into the lottery to win the opportunity to purchase, those are probably the items to vote for. I might have bought a Wii for that price, but we voted for the Xbox… other than that, probably the only thing I would buy is the skooter.. or the Roomba if somehow it bounces up to win (which looks doubtful). The rest of the items we’re not really in the market for at the moment, but perhaps some of you are! I’m planning on getting a GPS thing for Christmas from hubby, but not that one… He has the one picked out after his extensive research I guess.

Next… Black Friday (the crazy shopping day after Thanksgiving)… For many years I have gone out shopping this day but this year… I think I am sticking with Amazon. Every hour 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. they are posting new great deals. They also have $.99 gift wrapping during this time. Here is the link to the Black Friday Deals Page.

Finally, I added a tool on the left for you here on the blog with the Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals, & Best Deals.

Have fun shopping!
C-

P.S. Oh, and if you want to see all the Black Friday ads early (for the various stores around town), check out www.bfads.net