Hello Hello!
You may be wondering where I have been... I am TRYING to get this baby out! But he is quite content and I am going to be pregnant FOREVER!

Anyhow, it hasn't stopped me from finding some fantastic deals!

Look for this little guy :

I found a bag of these at Dollar General with a bright pink little sticker attached saying TRY ME FREE!  What does that mean? Well once you pay for your item (Mine was priced at 8.50 at Dollar General) You mail in your Receipt, UPC, and your little sticky and they mail you a nice check. Now that is a coupon anyone can use right! Free laundry detergent = EPIC. I have never used these "Paks" before I will let you know how they work out after I use some!

Next:

Look for this fellow at TARGET.

The one on the left. These were a promotional item that KY did for Valentines Day. I am assuming they didn't go over so big because well I don't think many girls want KY Jelly for Valentines Day but anyway they were originally priced at $24.99. Target has marked them down to $12.48 BUT these little guys ALSO have a sticky that says SAVE 5.00 NOW making them only $7.48 OOP. But here is the really great part. They come with a $10.00 off 2 movie tickets coupon. That means you actually get PAID 3.00 to take it home. YEP WOOHOO!

Okay people are you ready for this! Harris Teeter is doing TRIPLE Coupons this week!
Here are some good deals to watch for:

Use 0.75/1 coupon  Minute Maid Orange Juice.
Sale Price: 2.97
Triple Coupon: 2.25
Your Price: 0.72

Use 0.75/1 coupon Pampers Wipes
Sale Price: 2.86
Triple Coupon: 2.25
Your Price: 0.61

Use 0.75/1 coupon Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner
Sale Price: 3.36
Triple Coupon: 2.25
Your Price: 1.16

Use 0.30/1 coupon for Haribo Gummy Bears
Sale Price: 1.26
Triple Coupon: 0.90
Your Price: 0.36

Use 0.55/1 coupon for Silk Almond Milk
Sale Price: 3.00
Triple Coupon: 1.65
Your Price: 1.35

Total Before Coupons:  13.95
Total After Coupons: 4.20
Total Savings: 9.75

I found all my coupons at coupons.com!

Monday: Mexi- Layered Tortilla's

Tuesday: Pork Chops and Potatoes

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese and Home Made Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Thursday: Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries (Don't Judge)

Friday: Orange Chicken and Rice

Saturday: Date Night!! and Hunger Games


This week is busy for us we will only be home before 8:30 PM ONCE the entire week so our menu is sorta lame but thats what happens when your hubby has a second job and you have TONS of V.T appointments :)

A few book reviews...

So I spent some time in the hospital recently .... dang those kidney stones! I was also home from work for a few days so I was able to get some major reading done!

First, I read this book because :
#1: It had good reviews
#2: They compared it to Hunger Games
#3: Disney apparently already bought the movie rights and if Disney likes it, its probably epic
#4:  My favorite color is green


Okay anyways....
I am kinda worried about why this book was given rave reviews! First of all the plot isn't that unique and it moves like a SLOTH! It was a slow read for me. It was ok, it held my attention, I always knew what was going to happen next, and they always took 100 pages to get to what was happening next. The End!
I gave it 3 stars I think ... which was pretty awesome of me it probably only deserved two. On the plus side its very very PG. Perhaps that's why it got an extra star. PG things deserve extra stars, don't you agree?... I also think this is the only reason why Disney bought it. Because its PG and hopefully they can morph it into something fantastic.

Second, I read this book because:

#1: Zombies
#2: Love Story
#3: Zombies
#4: The lady at Barnes and Noble told me it was EPIC
#5: Zombies

This book starts off AMAZING. The writing style is AWESOME, the plot very authentic, the view point is from a Zombie who falls in LOVE with a human thus refusing the temptations to eat her. IT'S AWESOME OK! .... but then the author I think gets confused or doesn't really know what to do next, got bored, or tired, or just really wanted to end the novel because it just kinda  goes downhill. It becomes choppy, super fast paced, and it leaves a lot of open ends. He doesn't do a good job of explaining WHY certain things happen. The ending was just like ... ok, and the world was saved because of love. THE END. It was a PG-13 book. It had violence because #1: Zombies, and #2 Zombies. Enough said. It did have some language too because #1: ITS A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PEOPLE!
I gave this book 3 stars as well, it probably would have gotten a 5 if it had stayed as good as the beginning and the ending didn't ruin my life. Apparently this too is about to become a film. I have higher hopes for this movie.

Nesting . . .

So I am officially 9 months pregnant which is exciting but I don't think I have ever really had a nesting phase! What's up with that? I was ready to get this nursery together and craft up a storm and I have just felt .... BLAH!
I have however, gotten a few things done and here is Project #1. We actually found this little beauty at a thrift store when I was like 8 weeks pregnant.

At this point we didn't even know if we were having a boy or a girl. My husband is actually the one who found it and he was adamant about bringing it home. At first I thought, it's huge, it's hideous, NO. But when we we saw the price tag I let him indulge. This lamp was only $10. CHEAP! I wasn't even thinking nursery at this point and then DING it hit me! Oh my goodness, it would be perfect for a nursery! With a little love it could fit easily into either girl or boy decor so I was happy that my husband was being stubborn and saw the potential WAY before I did. (Please excuse the mess up top that is my husbands way of protecting the top part of the lamp while spray painting... hahaha he used shelf liner. He is a HOOT! No pun intended)

So after a few coats of enamel spray paint and the addition of a lamp shade I think it turned out well. What do you think?

It looks super modern and it fits our nursery theme of 'Forest' perfectly!
You have to love thrift stores right?
Until next time.... Happy crafting!

I am so sorry about being MIA!! Apparently my body doesn't really like being prego, I have been in the hospital with kidney stones and other mysterious back pains! This however, does not stop the power of being Thrifty!!! This weeks thrift comes courtesy of Mr. Owl In a Day's Work. He found this great deal while on the way to the hospital.

This family pack of Twix contains 10 full size individually wrapped bars!!! This whole box comes in at $1.00 at our local Wal-Mart!!! This is a great deal considering that a Twix candy bar at the check out costs $1.10 by itself!
Check it out!

 Ok... This weeks thrift is AWESOME!!!
If you like decorating cakes, if you have thought about liking decorating cakes ... check this out. My local Wal-Mart had this Deluxe Wilton Cake Decorating Tip Set on clearance from $40.00 down to $18.00. Thats over 50% off!

It appears to have every tip imaginable. . .
You'll be a PRO in no time at all!

Monday:  Pork Chop Potato Casserole

Tuesday:  Tacos

Wednesday: Tator Tot Casserole

Thursday:  Its my BIRTHDAY!! Birthday Dinner

Friday: Breakfast for dinner!

Saturday: Date Night

Sunday: Family Dinner

I have a few finds this week!!!

1. Coming from none other than DollarTree is this full size name brand Delsym Cough Syrup. They only had the grape flavor but this is still a great find! Especially since the hubby and I recently came down with colds ( I couldn't use it because I am prego but still!)

 

2. DollarTree also had Hanes Sweatshirts for Toddlers. Be careful when selecting. Sometimes they come into a DollarTree because the are imperfect or they have stains so double check everything carefully. I found a great one that was gray and had all types of sports balls all over it. No stains, and was sewn correctly! You could also buy these in larger sizes to use the fabric for sewing projects.

3. Check out your local Wal-Marts. They are having a major clothing clearance. My husband and I were able to find some great summer jumpers for our upcoming little boy for a whopping $1. It is always a great idea to buy things on clearance and stockpile them for a later date. Due to great sales, thrift stores, and generous friends we have enough clothes for our baby until he is 2 years of age. Yep, his FIRST 2 years are taken care of. Keep in mind what season it will be when your child will be that age. Its always worth it to stock up on clothing at end of the season sales. If your child doesn't end up fitting into clothing you had stock piled due to growth spurts or its the wrong season you can keep them on hand as gifts. $1 dollar gifts are great!!

Valentines Day Disastor

So sorry that I have been MIA as of late. My poor hubby has an incredibly awful cold. I could have posted our menu plan for the week but so far it looks like Chicken Noodle Soup will be dominating our lives...
Valentines Day at the VanBeck household was quite the disaster. I decided that I was going to make heart shaped pizzas for dinner....
It didn't work out so great. First off my dough was expired BOO!! I didn't even think to check it beforehand. I thought I would be an epic SUPERWOMAN and use some left over Pita Breads as a crust but alas, they were already starting to mold. To say the least we ordered out... and had our not so romantical pizza delivered. Not to worry I thought. I had a super romantical dessert planned just for the hubby! I had these delicious looking Peanut Butter Chocolate Parfaits picked out from P-interest. . . I followed that silly recipe and can I just tell you that besides devouring my entire kitchen in goopy mess they did not turn out. My sweet husband ate one anyway but they tasted awful!! The night ended in tears ( my defense is that I am prego!) I am just happy the day is over. . . but my husband did surprise me with a sweet card and a pandora knock off bracelet... WHICH I LOVE!

 Can you change someones day with a quarter? ... I can and I will show you how below:

Since moving clear across the world (HeeHee JK) it seems I send more and more Greeting Cards. Birthdays, Holidays, Weddings, are never ending in my world and Greeting Cards are just plain expensive! I always want to buy a really nice card. One thats either hysterical or really sentimental none of that crappy bargain card kind. I must admit every once and awhile you can find a really nice card in the $0.99 section but its rare and far and few between. But it really bothers me to pay $4 or $5 dollars for a piece of paper that I know is going to end up in the trash can. (Unless you hoard them like me ).
That brings me to this weeks Thrifty Thursday... Our local thrift store has a Greeting Card section! Does yours? The cards are new! Never been written on, come with an envelope and are generally really really nice! The best part is they come in at a whopping $0.25!
There is a catch, you knew it right, you were waiting for the catch!
They don't always have the specific card you need on hand. In fact, they generally only have 3 or 4 good ones at a time and it may not be the gender or holiday that you need! There supply is always changing and it's not the most reliable.
The SOLUTION: I buy every card I can see myself using in the near future. I keep a tab on upcoming birthdays, holidays, and I always have a stockpile of wedding and anniversary, as well as baby shower! Every time I visit the thrift store (Which is more often than I would like to admit) I check that neat little greeting card section out and I normally come home with 1 or 2! The benefit? I get really nice cards that retail for $3-$5 dollars for a QUARTER! ONE QUARTER! And I'm not really concerned about having to many because 1. I don't think I could ever have to many, I use them all the time and 2. For $0.25 I don't think I am losing out on anything.
I also like the idea of having a stockpile... because when a birthday slips my mind, which happens frequently, I can just go to my stack and pick one out. I love missing out on that whole running to the store and grabbing the first thing I see panic episode.
SO: I encourage you to look into your local thrift shops! Do they have a greeting card section? IF so it may just be worth your time to check it out!

HomeMade Healthy Jalapeno Poppers

So here is a recipe my  good ol' papa came up with. It has since been a family favorite and its much healthier than its deep fried counter part. Its about as healthy as you can get when bacon is involved. But HEY! You could switch out regular bacon for turkey bacon (If your willing to make such a sacrifice... our home is NOT! ) to make an even healthier option.

What you need:

10 Jalapenos
1 Block of Cream Cheese ( You can use the low-fat/non-fat option if you like)
3-4 Strips of Bacon ( Or Turkey Bacon if you slimming down)

- Fry your bacon in a frying pan until crispy. Keep in mind that these beauties will be in the oven as well for about 30 minutes so you don't want them to to done.

- If you are Kitchen savvy you can cut your jalapenos in half and de-seed them while your Bacon is frying.... our Bacon burnt when we were trying to multi-task. :) So maybe this is a completely separate step for you if your like me !

- Fill your seeded Jalapenos to the brim with your cream cheese.

- Add a small strip ( about 1/4 of a strip of bacon) to the top of your jalapeno.

- Bake 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.

The end result? PERFECTION. Another rewarding factor about these beauties is they are NOT incredibly spicy because the seeds are removed and with the added combination of cream cheese they are rather mild ... and scrumptious.

Wingers Sticky Fingers

If you are familiar with the restaurant Wingers then you will know just how amazing their Sticky Fingers are! Since moving to the east coast I have seriously been craving these guys especially since I am 7 months pregnant and since there are no Wingers over here ( the east coast is SERIOUSLY missing out) when I found this recipe (I can't remember where I found it, I know its been floating around Pinterest like crazy so for whoever created this recipe please take credit! I only wish I could have come up with this on my own!) I seriously thought I had died and gone to heaven. I have made it several times since finding the recipe and it made the perfect SuperBowl snack!

Wingers Stick Fingers:

3/4 C Brown Sugar

2 TBL Water

3 TBL Franks Red Hot Sauce ( It has to be Franks or it won't turn out )

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and pour over cooked chicken.

Can you believe its that simple? Neither can I . . .

Now devour these beauties before they are gone and they will be gone quick!

Monday: Turkey Panini's

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Orange Chicken over White Rice

Thursday: BBQ Pork on Flat Bread

Friday: Buffalo Chicken Subs

Saturday: Date Night


Sunday: Family Dinner

It's that time again! And I must say my local Dollar Tree never fails me. I have a slew of great finds to share with you!
First, lets start with this little bucket of goodness.

This was definatley a promotional item. These are fairly new. I have seen them and have been dieing to try them! Well, whata you know they had them! I paid $1.00 for this 2-Pack. It retails for $2.18 at my local Wal-Mart bringing in a saving of $1.18.

Next, I found this 'tempting' dessert.

These retail for around $3 depending where you shop... So I saved $2 !
And of course I saved the best for last!
This was truly an amazing find. I was super surprised when I saw them for only $1. . . You better believe I stock piled on these.

This kit included:
12 Taco Shells
Mild Taco Sauce
and, Taco Seasoning Mix for the meat!
I checked at Wal-Mart and these were selling for $4!! Can you believe that! That is a HUGE savings of $3 dollars a box. I just about wiped them out on these!
I hope you have fun looking for good finds!

So below you will find all the yummy things we will be eating this week! Eventually there will be a cool designed menu plan to go here but for now this will do right?

Monday: Meatballs and Spaghetti with Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake*

Wednesday: 

Thursday: Fetticine Alfredo with Garlic Chicken and Garlic Bread*

Friday: Tator Tot Casserole Using Deer Meat *

Saturday: Date Night

Sunday: Superbowl Party (Jalapeno Poppers+Sticky Fingers)
* Recipe coming soon
I guess we are a bunch of italians this week.... lol lots of pasta haha. Oh well it will be great! We are going to a SuperBowl Party this sunday! My hubby is making Jalapeno Poppers from scratch! I will post the family recipe later :) So look for it. I am also making Sticky Fingers because the east coast is SOOO Wingers deprived. Since I moved here to NC I have missed Wingers like CRAZY. I will post the sauce recipe later as well.

Book Review : Shadows of Ashland

Fun fact for you: I am a bookaholic. It's a serious addiction... I can not leave a thrift store or a yardsale without buying 1, 3, 5 books. I tell myself it is ok to buy this many books because I pretty much refuse to pay over a dollar for a book. 25 cents is  right up my alley. Anyway, my husband used to try and monitor the intake of books into our household but at this point the man has given up and has let me indulge in the idea of having my very own library room! I don't really have a bias towards any kind of book. I like them all, and I am willing to TRY and read ANYTHING... key word being TRY.  Have you ever gotten half way through a book and just said No... Nope ... I can not go on. Well I have! Especially if its vulgure. But anyway, enough about me and my addictions. Here was my latest fix.

I found this little beauty at my favorite thrift store. It was a max on my budget of $1 but hey it seemed like a really good read. The beauty of finding books at thrift stores is you come across novels you have never even heard of that then warm your soul. Anyhow, although this book was really good ( I finished it in 2 days people! Nevermind, that it is a really short book.) it didn't warm my soul. It's about a man whom is trying to find his mothers brother (His uncle) it is his mothers dying wish. They haven't heard from him in 50 years and then they mysteriously start receiving letters from him that are post marked from 50 years ago when he went missing.
It's a rather strange book. It makes you think its a historical TRUE novel but then it plays with time travel as well. Really, I wasn't expecting that. It doesn't even mention it at all on the book flap. I was expecting something kinda like PS I love you... letters from someone who has died..... But then it does some weird time trick things that gets you wondering what is going on. It is however, VERY well written. It held my attention almost immediatley and its very.... PG, in the fact that there is no swearing (at least not that I can remember) and no graphic sex scenes. Plus, I loved the way it ended. Overall I would give it a B+. Yep, a B+. Just keep in mind I am not incredibly picky. 

Welcome to Owl In A Day's Work! Thursdays are going to be all about my latest Thrifty find! There is something amazing about getting a really good deal. Does it give you the tingles? Cause it does me! And I want to SHOUT from the rooftops and let everyone know!

Have you seen Extreme Couponing? Or perhaps you are a coupon queen yourself? ... Well I have tried and let me just say I do NOT have the patience. Isn't that horrible?! But let me tell you the next best thing to coupons and it takes no preparation, and no time commitment, and really its so much more exciting I swear. It's called the Dollar Store. I generally shop at DollarTree. Everything is $1 Dollar or less! They get really good promotional things in people, I should know as I used to work there for FOUR years! and even as an employee I would be amazed at some of the bargains they got in. The trick to DollarTree finds is that once things are gone they are gone. . . and good bargains go QUICK. So its best to know your stores local delivery date. This takes little or no time to figure out. The next day your there just ask your clerk what day there shipments come in. They get a weekly shipment and my stores shipment is on FRIDAYS. Meaning SATURDAY is a really great day to shop there. Ok, Ok, OK! Enough BLAB.. this is what I found last saturday.

Yes, CORN CHEX. I grew up on this cereal so I was so excited but if you are not a huge fan you could use it to make muddy buddys or chex mix for the coming up SUPERBOWL! This was a FULL SIZE box, not just a small promotional box all for $1! This retails for $3-4 at the grocery store! Thats just as good as a $2 dollar off coupon. WHOOP WHOOP and all I had to do was show up : D . Well happy hunting!