I Got a Loan, Now What Am I Going To Do?

That's right, I'm going to Disney World! I am so excited. We are leaving tomorrow, April 27th.This will actually be my fourth trip there. But it will be my kids first. They are very excited.

We are staying at The Pop Century Resort. Which is one of the hotels right in Disney World. And looks cool, with fads from the 20th Century. Like they have a display of a giant "Big Wheel" and a giant"Yo-Yo," things like that. I chose that one because it looks like fun for the kids, and it is actually one of the least expensive hotels they have there. It doesn't matter to me where we stay, because you're not in the room much anyway, just to sleep - lol! I tried to get everything as cheaply as possible.

One other thing that I think will save us money is I purchased the food plan they have. This is something fairly new (they didn't offer this last time I went.) But what it is, is you get one meal in like a take out place a day, one meal in a sit down type place a day, and one snack a day. For everyone! And Tips and Gratuities, are included. I think I paid a little over $700.00 for the meal plan, for four people. That sounds like a lot, but believe me that is a good deal. Last time I went with just two of us, we spent I think at least $1000.00 on food. So I think this food plan is worth it, especially not having to pay the tips and gratuities, that should save us a lot of money.

But after we get back it will be back to being frugal, because I'll practically be broke after this - lol! I'm some what worried about the money we are spending on this trip, but I love Disney World and want my kids to get at least one chance to go there, while they're at a good age to really enjoy it! My husband says don't worry, let's just enjoy it! So that's what I'm going to try to do! I'll worry later!

So I'll be gone for a week. Don't miss me too much! While I'm gone I was supposed to have my friend RV David, do some guest blogging for me. But that's still somewhat of a mystery, since I haven't heard from him in awhile. So check back later this week and see if he shows up. If not I'll "see" you all when I get back! And I'll tell you all about my trip, with some tips on going to Disney, and more ways I tried to "do it cheaper." Bye for now!

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Make Your Own Pizza

My kids love pizza, but it is so expensive to get from a pizza place. And the frozen kind isn't that great. So lately I've been making my own. Or somewhat my own. I've been using Mama Mary's crust.

You can buy them in either the large 12" pizza crust, or the 7" pizza crust. We have been liking the 7" ones, because it's like everyone gets their own individual pizza.

They're very easy to make too. Just add pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and whatever else you want for toppings. We've just been making cheese, and pepperoni pizzas. (See Pictures at top.) But you could add anything you like to it: mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, then put pizzas directly on rack in oven, lower temp. to 425, and cook for 10 minutes! It's that easy.

It's also a fun activity to do with the kids. They love to make the pizzas and take part in cooking a meal. And Mom actually doesn't have to do much!

There are other pizza crusts out there too, but I've just found that these Mama Marys ones are very good. And at a reasonable price (a 3 pack of the 7" crusts are only $2.50) You could also make your own pizza crust. Here's a website I found that has all different kinds of pizza crusts to make from scratch: Easy Pizza Crusts.com. Maybe I'll try some when I get more time.

But making your own either from already made crusts, or from scratch, is definitely better than the frozen kind, cheaper than delivery and more fun for the kids!

WW 7 - "Bubbles"

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Funny Meme Using Alias Names

Here's a cool Meme I saw one someone else's blog, that I thought would be fun to do.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Whiskers Caravan
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Coffee Chocolate Chip
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) SCoo
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Cat
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Elizabeth Medford
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) CooSu
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (“The” plus 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Diet Coke
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Larry Kenneth
9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Sunflowers Almond Joy
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Allen Edward
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Foley Fargo
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Summer Rose
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Grapefruit Pajamie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Pancake Magnolia
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + “Tour") The Knitting Sunny Tour

Soge Shirts.com

My blogging friend Tim Fox from the blog Sogeshirts Presents , also has a great T-shirt site called Soge Shirts.

Soge Shirts has a huge variety of T-shirts and also some other merchandise available. The T-shirts come in sizes small-3X and even has some in kids small-large. (I even noticed some cute baby "onesies".) The T-shirts also come in a variety of colors, and styles.

At Soge Shirts the T-shirts have funny sayings, from Political Humor, to Humor form modern culture. Here's a picture of one I thought was funny. It's a statement about todays rising Gas Prices. And might make a good Mother's Day or Father's Day Gift.

Soge Shirts also has other merchandise to choose from, some of the sayings or designs on the shirts can also be purchased on a hat or mug for example. Here's picture of a hat, with a Captain's Wheel on it, that I thought would make a good gift for someone or even for yourself.
Soge Shirts also will do customized shirts. They can put your picture on a shirt, and even make you into a "Zoolander Model" for example. Look at this guy they made into one and then put it on a shirt (or even some of the other products they have):



So check out Soge Shirts at http://www.sogeshirts.com for a variety of great T-Shirts (and other merchandise) at great prices!

WW 6 - "Big Girls Bike"

(my daughter learned to ride without training wheels last summer. She got this bike for her birthday in February, which is a lot bigger then the one she had before. This is her first ride on it!)

See More WW Participants Here!

Knitting and Free Patterns OnLine

This is a picture of the afghan I'm knitting. It is a simple pattern that I got online somewhere. And then did a few modifications of my own to it.


I am knitting it on size 11 needles. And I am using 4 skeins of (5 oz.) Red Heart Super Saver Yarn. The color says it's Sh. Dusk, but you can do it in any color you want. That's the great thing about knitting, you can modify patterns to whatever you want. Rarely do I do it in the color they suggest or exactly the way the pattern says.

Cast on 94 stitches. Then it's just: Row 1: knit one, purl one, all the way across. Row 2: purl one, knit one. Continue these two rows until you use all yarn. Bind off at end.

They way I'm making it, when it's done it will be more like a little "lap blanket." If you want it longer just use 1 or two more skeins of yarn.

The great thing about knitting nowadays is you can find lots of free patterns online. Before you would have to buy the patterns or buy a whole book just for one pattern that you wanted. Which can get expensive. But now there are many patterns online for free!

My Grandmother taught me to knit when I was about 10 or 11 years old. And sometime soon I might show my daughter how to do it. It's a great hobby, and once you learn, it's something you will have with you forever. So I want to show my daughter to knit, because she is very crafty anyway, and I think she will enjoy it. It's fun to make things yourself and see the finished product.

Here's a few websites which offer free patterns:

1. Knitting Pattern Central
2. Lion Brand Yarn (which requires an easy registration with email and a password)
3. Joann Fabric and Craft Stores
   

That's just a few there are a lot more do a Google search of your own for more. And Happy Knitting!

5 Classes I Wish They Would've Taught In School

I've been tagged to do a meme by Donna Reed in Blue Jeans. This is my first Meme, so you will have to forgive me if I am doing wrong.

1. How to make a lot of money without really trying.

2. How to stay in shape without really trying.

3. How to clean your house without really trying.

4. How to get your kids to pick up their own messes.

5. Math that you can actually use (not algebra, which I practically flunked and still have no use for anyway - lol)


Blogroll:

restless housewife ~ mommypie ~ bad mom ~ wifey's house ~ crunchy carpets ~ redhead in vegas ~ donna reed in blue jeans ~ angel's mind * Oh, The Joy * Just A Girl And Her Dog * Stay At Home Mom * White Trash Mom * Suburban Mum, Housewife@work, HomeschoolingMommy

Okay, GO!

PayPerPost

I got approved for payperpost the other day! I was denied once before, but after emailing the friendly Support team at PayPerPost, the problem was fixed. They told me to resubmit my blog, and I did. Then very quickly that day they told me I was approved.

Now I can start applying to get some Opps at payperpost , and maybe make a little extra money.Being a Stay at Home Mom with two kids any extra money I get only can help. I can use the money to pay some bills or buy myself something or my kids who are always needing or wanting something!

I think I actually heard about them through other blogs. I've seen other blogs talking about it and maybe even saw a Goggle ad on someone's blog for it. So I thought I would give it a try.

What I saw that I love about PayPerPost is that there are so many opportunities to talk about different topics. The prices the advertisers pay are very generous and I can't wait until I can make some decent money. I'm still somewhat of a "newbie" in the blogging world, but I am always trying to find new and exciting ways to make my blog interesting for my readers. I hope that I get more readers, and using payperpost I think I should get quite a few! So check out some of my older posts and see how you like them!

WW 5 - Cabbage Patch Doll That Has Seen Better Days!

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Opening Day at Fenway Park

One thing you should know about me, is I'm a huge baseball fan. But not just any baseball fan, a Red Sox fan! I love the Red Sox! I know you always here people say they are so and sos Number One fan, but I feel it's true for me. I am the Red Sox's Number One Fan!!

Today is Opening Day at Fenway Park! As you may know the Red Sox won the World Series last year, and today they will receive their World Series Rings. It should be a great celebration. I'm so excited to see "My Boys" get their rings!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a big time fan. I'm practically obsessed with the Red Sox. I try to watch every game, and if for some unforeseen reason I can't, I will listen to it on the radio. If I can't do that then I tend to get upset, but will find out as soon as possible the outcome of the game.

I actually got to go to a game last year at Fenway Park. It was literally the first time in 25 years that I had been back to Fenway. The last game I had gone to there was when I was like 14 years old! My husband splurged on some tickets, and it was a great game we won 10-5. With one of my favorite players, David Ortiz, hitting a Grand Slam! I doubt if we will go this year, though, since it is unfortunately so expensive.

But you can be assured I will be watching my favorites, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis (YOUK!) and Jonathan Papelbon, from my couch at home! World Series Champs '07!, and hopefully '08!!! Go Sox!!!!

I Heart Nature

Thursday night after I dropped my daughter off at her Brownie Meeting, I saw a deer running right towards me! Imagine my surprise as I was driving down the street I live on and a deer was in the street. The surprising part is that I live in a very residential area.

It was about 5:15 PM, I was driving down my street, and I saw something running up ahead from a side street right onto mine. I couldn't believe my eyes. It started coming towards me, and as I slowed down to look at it, it bolted to the side and ran right into someone's back yard.

The picture above is not of the deer I saw. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it. But number 1 it was running so fast to get out of the street there was no way. Number 2 I was in the car, and Number 3 I didn't have my camera with me anyway!

I have lived where I'm living now for over 8 years and have never seen a deer, even in the woods around here. Where I lived before this, was in the country with lots of woods, and I would see them all the time. Now I live in a city so it is very unlikely. So it was very exciting to see! I wish my daughter had been with me though!

When I think about it though, on one hand I'm excited to have seen it. But on the other hand it makes me feel in a weird way sad. Because if a deer is running through the city streets, it means that they are being pushed out of their natural habitats. But the nature lover in me is still happy to have seen it!

Wordless Wednesday 4 - Back to School, No Strike

(getting off school bus, no teachers strike. See Teachers Aren't Supposed to Strike)




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Blackberry Coffee Cake by Rachel

Warm Blackberry coffee cake, made me wish I had vanilla bean Ice cream. This is a brand new recipe I cooked up last night, it was delicious, there is always a time when you suddenly wish you had vanilla bean ice cream. I enjoy fresh blackberries, but all I had on hand was a can of blackberry pie filling so I used that instead. Coffee cake can be many flavors, this is just one enticing way to add something special to your coffee cake. Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. Flour 1 tsp. Baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 c. sugar 1 Tbs. Butter melted 1/2 c. Milk 2 eggs 1 c. Blackberry pie filling Directions: Preheat oven to 350 Degrees and grease a 9 x 9 baking pan. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar. Add melted butter, milk, and eggs. Mix together until smooth. Pour coffee cake batter into greased baking pan. Topping: In a small bowl mix 1/4 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Cut in 2 Tbs. Butter Spread half of the topping on to the batter, then add all of the blackberry pie filling. Spread the rest of the topping on top and bake for 1 hour.


**Today's post is from my blogging friend Rachel. Her blog is the Bakedblog.com
We're doing a recipe swap of sorts. When your done reading this recipe head over to Rachel's blog the Bakedblog.com to check out my recipe for Apricot Squares on her site and all her other great recipes!