Archive for January, 2009

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

komets

When i was little my dad worked at the Chrysler/Dodge/Peugot Dealership on Coliseum Blvd in Fort Wayne as a car salesman.  he would drive from Warsaw every day except for Thursday (his day off) and some Sundays.  can you imagine!  i wouldnt like that drive.  anyway, one of the perks that came with his job was that he would take me, my brother and sister to the Fort Wayne Komets hockey game.  yes, to see a hockey game was exciting and all but to be a Superstar at the game was even better!  During a few of the half-times he would drive a dodge minivan (or miscellaneous other chrysler vehicles) out on the ice and we’d get to ride along.  we’d sit in the van with the doors open and wave to all the fans.  it was awesome!  one particular time the Hamburglar and Grimace road with us!  That was spectacular!  I still remember the feeling of being the luckiest kid alive to ride in a van with the McDonald’s guys.  i think i recall my dad taking us to get cheeseburgers on the ride home.  aaah, my fifteen minutes of fame.  i can just say that my childhood was the best….thanks dad and mom!  what was your fifteen minutes of fame?

grimace

Useless McDonald’s Character Facts:

Big Mac: In addition to McDonald’s signature sandwich, Big Mac was the name of a character in McDonaldland. He was similar to Mayor McCheese in that he had a large Big Mac for a head, except he was the chief of police and as such he wore a constable uniform.

Birdie the Early Bird was the first identifiably female character, introduced in 1980 to promote the company’s new breakfast items. She is a yellow bird wearing a pink jumpsuit and flight cap and scarf.

Captain Crook was a pirate and is similar in appearance to the famed Captain Hook from Peter Pan. Unlike the Hamburglar, this villain spent his time trying to steal Filet-O-Fish sandwiches from citizens of McDonaldland while avoiding being caught by Big Mac, the Chief of police of McDonaldland

CosMc was a temporary character from McDonaldland. He was featured in a series of McDonald’s commercials in 1990 when the McDonaldland gang went to the moon

Fry Kids are characters used to promote McDonald’s french fries. When they first appeared, they were called Gobblins and liked to steal and gobble up the other characters’ french fries.

Grimace is a large, purple being of indeterminate species with short arms and legs; he is known for his monotonous face and slow-witted demeanor and for stealing shakes.  He was originally and evil guy with many arms but turned good in later years and was reduced to 2 arms.

The Hamburger Patch is part of the fictional city of McDonaldland where McDonald’s hamburgers “grew” like fruit on plants from the Hamburger Patch. Even though hamburgers in McDonaldland were anthropomorphized and spoke, they were picked by characters such as Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar for consumption.

The Hamburglar character was another thief that dressed in a black-and-white striped shirt and pants, a red cape, and a wide-brimmed hat and whose primary object of theft was McDonalds hamburger from the Hamburger Patch.

The Happy Meal Gang (Cheeseburger, soft drink, and fries, all regular size) (later joined by the McNugget Buddies)

Iam Hungry: was a short-lived McDonaldland character. He was introduced in 1998 and dropped in the early 2000s. The character was a floating green fuzzball with orange arms and a monstrous face.

Mayor McCheese has an enormous cheeseburger for a head, and sports a top hat, a diplomat’s sash, and a pair of pince-nez spectacles. He is portrayed as a giggly, bumbling, somewhat incompetent mayor with a wavering, high-pitched voice that is reminiscent to that of comic actor Ed Wynn.

The Professor, a mad scientist type character in a lab coat. He was introduced in 1971.

Ronald McDonald, the primary icon of McDonald’s characters.

Uncle O’Grimacey was created for an advertising narrative of the McDonald’s fast-food restaurant chain both in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and to mark the annual appearance of the Shamrock Shake.

Leave a comment »

McDonalds The Hamburglar Touch 1985 Commercial

Mcdonalds commercial from 1985 with Grimace, Ro…

Leave a comment »

Grocery Store Maddness!

grocery1

for some reason i am always outta food when there is a snow storm heading our way.  then i end up in the grocery store forever behind lots of people that just dont have any brains, patience and are acting half crazed cause they need to get “stocked up” before the big storm comes.  maybe the weatherman thinks this is funny to do to old people like me!  :)   he gets everyone all hyped up and anxious at the thought of 4″ of snow.  seriously, when is the last time you remember not being able to leave your house after 2 days?  I think you will be ok if you wait a couple more days to get your oreos!

the last time i was really snowed in for days upon end was when i was 6yrs old and it was the blizzard of 1978!  i feel like folks should dig in their freezers and get out some frozen things that need to be eaten instead of heading to the store and wigging out.  now i can understand if you are outta milk or bread (the staples) but i see people buying junk they dont need (did i mention oreos).

well, i must have a touch of the “spring fever” cause i dont usually like to complain….i guess the moral of the story is…..please be kind to those of us that dont have a huge pantry or freezer and stay outta the stores for a couple days until after the BIG SNOW STORMS to get your cookies and snacks!  and that maybe i should ask for a deep freeze and new pantry this year!

foodomat26a

Leave a comment »

Toys R Us Rewards Program

rewardsruslogo

Did any of you know that Toys R Us had a rewards program?  I had no idea.  here are the details:

Join the Rewards”R”Us program today to get special privileges like:

  • “R”Us Dollars ($5 for every $150 spent!)
  • Diaper Rewards (buy 9 Pampers value boxes get 10th FREE!)
  • Recall Notifications
  • Member Shopping Nights
  • Exclusive Email Discounts

you’ll receive a FREE shipping code worth up to $15 that’s valid for one week after signup!

I think I could have been swimming in the “R” Us Dollars by now!  seriously, 11yrs later and i am just finding this out!!  aaah!

i did just realize that i still had a receipt from december and i found a tab under Member Area that said “retro request”.  i submitted my info and will see if i can get a reward for purchases made in december. will keep you informed.  keeping my fingers crossed….

Thanks to DealSeekingMom for this info!

toysrusbabiesrus

Leave a comment »

Smiling with Jesus!

Some sad news about one of the little girls i have been praying for.  Karsyn Bell passed away on Friday from battling brain tumors.  You can read her story at her caringbridge site here with pics of her and her family.  She is finally with the Lord and I am sure shining that bright smile to those in heaven with her.  Please pray for her parents, Brad and Anne, and her little sister, Kami.  I am sure they need to feel God’s arms around them now.

I know that Karsyn was an amazing little girl who brightened the lives of everyone around her!  I am sure she is smiling with Jesus!

Comments (2) »

CVS 101 & Grocery Saving Tips

walmartkroger

cvscard

I have a lot of friends ask how i get such good deals at CVS so I want to pass along an article that really covers the whole game plan including grocery savings.  Money Saving Mom’s article is one of the best that i’ve found to explain CVSing well and in detail.  Go here to read her article and check out her other articles on walmart & kroger (2 of our local stores). If you can just dedicate an 1hr or less per week to prepare a meal plan, check ads, and get coupons you will find your household expenses to be much less than just making a spuratic trip to the store with no plan and no coupons.

For grocery savings there are countless places on the web to get coupons.  these are a few of my favorite places to get them.  go here and here.  Never leave home without checking for a coupon before shopping for anything!  also, keep in mind that kroger will double your coupons up to $1.00!

AND……before you buy anything online go here or here to find a coupon code.  You can ALWAYS find a discount coupon and you should never pay full price for anything!

we all need to use our money wiser so take a few minutes to read the article and make 2009 a fantastic year for saving yourself $$$!

Happy Shopping!


Leave a comment »

CVS~01/19/09

Start being frugal in 2009!! your first step to cvs’ing is to Save, Save, Save those coupons from your weekly paper!  i do not get the paper but my parents and mother-in-law both do so i have them save the coupons for me.  you could also try your local library, a neighbor or your hubby’s work might have one in the break room.

go here to see what’s on sale this week at cvs and match up your coupons.

here is a run down of what my shopping entailed this week and maybe you can benefit too if you have the coupons.  If you want to do these transactions READ the BOLD print before shopping!! (i forgot to put my 2-2ltrs of pepsi in the pic!)

dsc02761

Transaction #1

duracell aa  4 pk $2.99
duracell aaa 4 pk $2.99
excedrin migraine 24 ct $1.99
excedrin migraine 24 ct $1.99
excedrin extra strength 24 ct $1.99
24 hour allergy relief (CVS brand Claritin) 5ct $3.79
24 hour allergy relief (CVS brand Claritin) 5ct $3.79
1 puffs plus 60ct $0.99
4 atkins energy bar $1.69

subtotal $27.28

Used Coupons:

$5 off 2 duracell cvs coupon, tearpad ~just ask the cashier if she has any BEFORE you get shopping! this coupon limits any coupons/extrabuck scanned after it to $5. either use it after any coupons/extrabucks over $5, or have the cashier rescan your card
-$1 Duracell CopperTop, PowerPix or Ultra Digital Batteries 4 pk or larger 12-28 Procter & Gamble (P&G)
-$0.75 Duracell CopperTop, PowerPix or Ultra Digital Batteries 4 pk or larger SS (cant remember which one- recent one though)
-$0.25 Puffs Plus 60ct 12-28 P&G
-$2 Excedrin Migraine
-$2 Excedrin Migraine
-$2 Excedrin Back & BodyPM 10/19 SS
-1 atkins bars you can print off 3 coupons

-$5 off $25 Purchase.  You can get these by scanning your card at the self-printing stand in cvs.  Do this BEFORE shopping to make sure you can use it

= $8.02 oop cash

received:
$7.58 eb ($3.79 x 2) for 24 hour allergy relief (CVS brand Claritin) 5ct

summary:
spent $8.02
received $7.58 eb

Transaction #2

pepsi 2 liter $1.25 (forgot to put in pic above)
pepsi 2 liter $1.25
(forgot to put in pic above)
mt dew 12 pk $3
mt dew 12 pk $3
diet dr.pepper 12 pk $3
diet dr. pepper
12 pk $3
tostitos 13 oz $3
tostitos 13 oz $3
st. ives lotion $2.99
st. ives lotion $2.99

subtotal $26.48

used coupons:
-$2 any st. ives product
-$2 any st. ives product
-$5 off $25 Purchase.  You can get these by scanning your card at the self-printing stand in cvs.  Do this BEFORE shopping to make sure you can use it

-7.58 ECB from transaction #1
= $10.45 oop

received:
$10 eb for pepsico products

will receive:
$15 mir for $15 worth of coupons wyb 3 12pks + 3 frito lay products (see form for details) (i need to go back and buy 1 one tostitos next week – need 3 for the mail in rebate deal)

Transaction #3

skippy PB $1.67
ragu original spaghetti sauce $1.67
ragu original spaghetti sauce $1.67
curly hair gel (splurged) $7.99

subtotal $13.00

used coupons:
-0.40 skippy pb ~i think it was from red plum 1/18/09
-0.75 ragu spaghetti sauce ~i think it was from red plum 1/18/9
-10.00 ECB from transaction #2

summary:
spent $1.85  (i admit this wasnt the best use of $10ecb but i really need the hair stuff so i stretched my $$!)

Transaction #4

Ground Pepper $0.99
Coupons used: -1 ECB from last week

Total Day’s OOP (out of pocket) $20.32 ~ Saved $88.06 + will receive: $15 worth of coupons for free frito lay products!

Comments (2) »

Mr. President

white-house

i hope that you all have had a chance to watch some of the inauguration of our 44th president today especially with your children.  it was wonderful to see all the people that turned out to welcome our new president and his wife!  the news said it is the biggest event in the U.S. to date!  it’s really amazing to see how awesome it is to watch as the power of our country changes hands so smoothly.

please take some time tonight to pray for our new president.  especially for protection, wisdom and God’s guidance through every decision he has to keep us safe and for our country.  God has blessed us so much by living in this free country and all of the wonderful things the United States offers to each one of us.  Even though i am a republican, I am an American first, and  i wish President Obama only the best.  i pray that he brings the change that he’s talked about as i only want the best for my children and their future.

These will be exciting times in the white house!  i was daydreaming at what it must be like moving your children into the white house with all those antiques!  whew.  my boys would pry be using the president’s bust as a football and painting mustaches on the paintings in the house!  I am sure the girls will get used to all the adjustments and learn what they can and can’t do.  did you hear they might get a dog?  I cringe at the thought of having a puppy there.  having to potty train a puppy is tuff work and i wonder if there has ever been a dog that accidentally pooped in the oval office! eek!

flag

Leave a comment »

Evolution of Dance

This is the first one he made. Below is the second edition!

more about "Evolution of Dance", posted with vodpod

Comments (1) »

The Evolution of Dance 2! DANCE like there’s no tomorrow! SAVE so there is one!

Leave a comment »