Free Food on Halloween

Here are a few treats (besides candy) that you can receive on Saturday:

• According to The Freebie Blogger, "Sonic will be giving away free 14 oz. Cherry or Diet Cherry Limeades on October 31st from 2-5 PM." I couldn't find that on their site, so I'd definitely call to confirm on that one... but I'm hoping it's true, as I've never tried their famouse Cherry Limeades. They are advertising corn dogs for $.50 each that evening from 5-10pm.
• Taco Bell is giving one free Blackjack Taco to every customer on Halloween between 6pm and Midnight.
• And, if you haven't come up with a costume yet, consider dressing like a burrito or a salad and you can score a free "boo-rito" at Chipotle.

I usually print a copy of the ad from their website to take along in case there are any questions. Enjoy your free food!

The Simple Woman's Daybook 10/19

FOR TODAY...

• Outside my window... cool air and sunshine all day today-- beautiful!
• I am thinking... that I really need to take some time off of work to get things done around the house... not sure that's do-able any time soon, though. Since I only work part-time, my days tend to fill up pretty quickly with tasks at work this time of year.
• I am thankful for... my family's health right now
• I am wearing... black yoga pants, red tshirt, black socks-- my typical outfit when I'm in a serious cleaning mode.
• I am remembering... a resident who just passed away last night. My prayers are with her family.
• I think I will enjoy... a cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee tomorrow morning on the way to work when I stop to get gas :)
• I am going... to finish up cleaning out the craft room tonight
• I am reading... Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
• I am hoping... that this new chicken recipe for supper turns out well
• On my mind... a problem at work that I'll have to handle this week
• Noticing that... I found entirely too many old receipts when I was cleaning today. Do I really need to keep an fast food receipt? Argh!
• Pondering these words... a line from an email forward I received yesterday-- something to the effect of "Be more kind than necessary, for everyone is fighting an invisible battle." It's SO true!
• From the kitchen... getting ready to go make homemade chicken fingers, potato wedges, steamed broccoli... and maybe some cookies as a treat for dessert
• Around the house... I spent most of the day decluttering & cleaning the bedrooms upstairs -- cleaned out some dresser drawers, etc. I tossed an entire garbage bag of stuff- whoo hoo!
• One of my favorite things~ colorful fall leaves- I just love this time of year!

Post your own The Simple Woman's Daybook & read others HERE.

Menu Plan Monday 10/19

Last week definitely didn't go according to plan, at least menu-wise. We ate, of course... but some unexpected things came up and we went off the plan. So, the pork roast and sausage melts are both repeats from last week's plan-- maybe we'll actually have them this week! But, for the record, the mushroom and chicken quesadillas were wonderful-- I'll definitely be making those again!

• MONDAY: *new recipe* Bisquick chicken fingers, potato wedges, steamed broccoli
• TUESDAY: pork roast in the crockpot, salad
• WEDNESDAY: my world famous chicken enchiladas, our favorite bean dip, , chips
• THURSDAY: leftovers
• FRIDAY: Sausage Melts, potato wedges, baby carrots
  

To share your own menu, or get inspiration from hundreds of others, check out Menu Plan Monday!

Yesterday's Target Highlights

• Two boxes of Archer Farms (Target brand) water crackers for $.49 each using the $1 off Target coupon. These will either go on trays with my holiday cheeseballs, or, they'll end up as a part of Christmas food gifts. I plan to go back and get several more of these before the coupon expires on 11/7!
• Skippy Peanut Butter.... marked $2.04, minus the Target $1 coupon. Some areas apparently have it on sale even cheaper, but at this store it was still full price. Still, that's even cheaper than the grocery store brand I usually buy.... and Skippy is my personal favorite!
  
• Two school uniform shirts, marked down to $1.98 each. I'll put these back for my daughter to wear in the Spring. That's even cheaper than a second-hand shirt from Goodwill!
• The two Crystal Elements Air Freshening Crystals were on clearance for $3.48, regularly $5.99. Combined with my buy one, get one free coupon (from a tearpad I found a while back), these were a good deal @ $1.74 each. My DH loves to use air fresheners, and I've been waiting on a bargain so we could try these fairly new ones.
  
• Found a $.55 peelie coupon on the Drano I needed... nothing spectacular, but every bit helps!
  

Before any trip to Target, I always visit A Full Cup's Target Coupon Generator. This handy program condenses the Target printable coupons (from the Target site) down to fit several of your choosing onto a printed page or two. I find this to be much more economical in terms of paper use, and I've never had any problem using these coupons at the store.

What great bargains have you found at Target lately?

Mèreadesso Skin Care: Worth the hype?

I received a package containing Mèreadesso Woman Face and Neck Cleanser, Cloth, and Face and Neck Toning Gel through SheSpeaks for free in return for my honest review. Being the cheap frugal gal that I am, these aren't products I would have normally purchased to try myself, so I was happy to review these.

Mèreadesso products claim to contain a total skin care routine in just two steps. I was skeptical, especially since I have very sensitive skin that tends to feel very tight and dry after using most face products. But.... they were right! After washing my face with the Fack and Neck Cleanser, then applying the Face and Neck Toning Gel, my skin felt clean, smooth, and well hydrated. There was no heavy residue, no tightness, and no need to apply a separate moisturizer.

The positives:

• My skin just feels.... better. Cleaner. Healthier.
  
• These products didn't irritate my sensitive skin at all. This is a huge plus in my book!
• The toner soaked into my skin very quickly, so it wasn't a problem to use it in the morning before applying my make-up.
• Two steps, two compact bottles= less clutter on my bathroom counter.
• Only a tiny amount of product is used each time, meaning that the bottles should last a good long while.
  

The negatives:

• These products aren't cheap- the package I received has a retail value of $149. Spending that kind of money for skin care products is not something I would normally even think about. (To be fair, I'll be watching to see how long these bottles last, and breaking the cost down in comparison to what I normally spend on skin care.)
  
• I didn't care for the scent. It was light, but noticable.

Mèreadesso has a special offer for my readers: use this promotional code (shespeaks020) at www.mereadesso.com where you can receive 20% off these products, plus free ground shipping. With an offer like that, this might be a great time for you to try Mèreadesso for yourself!

My Stick Family

Here's a fun little widget to play with: My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com . The service is free and it took me just a couple of minutes to create this image. Have fun with it! :)

"Why do we have to go to Mass?"

This handy little booklet answers those questions every Catholic parent is bound to hear sooner or later on Sunday mornings when the kids (or maybe even the adults) really don't feel like going to church.

Did you know that the Emperor Constantine declared that Christians were required to attend Mass on Sundays way back in A.D. 321? I didn't! Little-known facts like that make this booklet an interesting read for both parents and children.

I especially liked the "Can't we just pray at home?" section. It gives a clear explanation of why we, as Catholics, feel it's important to go to Mass and pray with our whole beings. Going to Mass involves all five senses, and it makes us a part of a community of believers.

The Catholic Company sent me this book in exchange for my honest review. Visit The Catholic Company to pick up your own copy of Catholic Parent Know-How: Why Do We Have to Go to Mass.

Menu Plan

Menu Plan Mon... oops... Tuesday. Good enough, right? :) Yesterday, Monday, DH put in a request for Subway for supper. Worked for me... no cooking, no dishes. Whoo hoo!

The rest of the week, though, I suppose I should feed my family. Here's the plan:

• TUESDAY: mushroom and chicken quesadillas, salad
• WEDNESDAY: broccoli chicken casserole, cornbread
• THURSDAY: pork roast in the crockpot, salad
• FRIDAY: Sausage Melts, potato wedges, baby carrots
  

Check out Menu Plan Monday to see what others are eating this week!

WFMW: safe crayon remover

This week's WFMW is a themed edition... we're supposed to share a favorite cleaning tip. The first thing that popped into my mind was something I use all the time-- baking soda. Baking soda makes a perfect natural cleaner, and on top of that, it's cheap-- two qualities that I look for in any cleaning product.

My favorite use for baking soda? Crayon remover! A little baking soda on a damp cloth will easily remove crayon from plastic toys, walls, and floors without any worry of damaging the surface or using harsh chemicals around the kids. If you have a large area of crayon scribbles to remove, make the baking soda into a thick paste with a little water and let it set a few minutes before wiping it off of your surface. This little trick has been a lifesaver for me on more than one occasion when a wayward toddler got ahold of a crayon!

Share your own cleaning tip or maybe learn some new tricks at this week's themed edition of Works for Me Wednesday!

Crockpot Fest

I love my crockpot. I use it at least once a week, usually more often. There's nothing better than having dinner waiting for you after a long day! Here are a couple of crockpot recipes that my family enjoys:

Crockpot Corn Chowder

1 can corn

1 can creamed corn

6 pieces bacon, cooked & crumbled (I use "real bacon pieces" from a bag.)

1 16oz. bag cubed hash brown potatoes

1 onion, diced

1 cup milk

For garnish: chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low all day- 6-8 hours. Garnish as desired, serve, and enjoy!

This one is a little different, but very tasty. I like to serve it with buttered noodles and green beans.

Crockpot Italian Roast
1- 4-5 pound roast
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP Italian seasoning *
1 TBSP Parsley*
2 TBSP dried minced onion*
* All seasoning amounts are guesstimates, as I never really measure. Adjust to suit your taste!

Place roast in crockpot. Mix soup and water, and pour over roast. Sprinkle seasonings over top. Cook on low 7-8 hours.

Another favorite this time of year is my mom's recipe for BBQ ribs. This recipe really couldn't be any easier!

Amy's mom's BBQ Ribs:
3-5 lbs boneless spare ribs
1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce (we like the spicy Kroger brand)
salt & pepper, to taste
Place ribs in crockpot, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on low all day (do not add any liquids). About an hour before serving time, drain liquid that has accumulated, and pour in BBQ sauce.

Share a crockpot recipe of your own, and pick up some new ones, at Bailey's Leaf's Crock-pot Fest !

p.s. I'm not sure what's up with the wonky font sizes in this post... they look fine when writing, then change sizes when posted.