$10 off

JCPenny is offering $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Its really easy… just click on promo code at checkout and enter the following code. This is extremely useful as I shop for early Christmas presents. Hope you all enjoy!

Code:

SWEETS4U

Free Redbox rentals

If $1 movie rentals weren’t cheap enough…here are some codes to get them for free. Codes are good for one rental per debt/credit card… so if you have multiple cards, you could really stock up! Have fun!!

Promo Codes:

KRJX6M3

RXGVGMV

breakroom

dvdonme

9HB6MP22

SMR8DVD (This code is valid at McDonald locations only).’

DVDATWAG (This code is valid at Walgreens locations only).

Oreo Brownie Trifle

Here is a dessert I made for a church picnic. It was super easy and everyone loved it. I think the hardest part of this dessert was getting people to forget that its pretty and just dig in. Once they did… it was gone in minutes. If you don’t like Oreo cookies, you can substitute with any pudding you would like. (white chocolate, cheesecake, butterscotch…yum!!!)

Ingredients:

• 1 package fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
• 2-1/2 cups cold milk
• 2 package instant Oreo pudding mix
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 to 3 Oreo Cookies, chopped ( I didn’t have any Oreo cookies so I just just crumbled up a chocolate chip cookie for the top.)

Directions:

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions for cake-like brownies, using a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping.
Cut the brownies into 1-in. cubes; place half in a 3-qt. glass trifle bowl or serving dish. Cover with half of the pudding. I poured some chocolate syrup around the edges.  Repeat layers. Sprinkle with chopped Oreo cookies. Refrigerate leftovers.

“Mom I’m bored…”

I found this fun idea for kids.  Place strips of paper in a jar containing following activities.  When your child comes to you complaining of being bored, have them pick a piece of paper and there you go…instant activity.  My husband and I have been discussing making our own jar for date ideas. I will be working on compiling a list of date idea …but while I am working on that, enjoy these ideas for kids. You never know, you and your date might enjoy doing one of these activities!?!

Click here for a printable version.

• Write your Grandma a letter
• Run around the yard three times
• Put on some music and dance
• Write down ten things you love about each person in your family
• Brush the dog or give her a bath
• Find shapes in the clouds
• See how many times you can dribble the basketball
• Paint or draw a picture
• Wash the car
• Plan a treasure hunt, with clues
• Ride your bike
• Make a scene in a cardboard box
• Start a journal
• Make homemade wrapping paper
• Organize your room
• Write a story
• Create a play with costumes
• Cut out pictures from magazines and make a collage
• Cut up old holiday cards and make holiday stickers for next year by coating the back with gelatin glue, let dry (dissolve 2 tsp gelatin in 5 tsp boiling water.)
• Surprise your mom by making lunch
• Make a zoo for your stuffed animals
• Make & decorate a calendar of the summer, with important dates marked.
• Put juice & cut-up fruit into ice cube trays to make ice cubes.
• Create a family newspaper/newsletter
• Make dessert
• Start a collection (leaves, rocks, buttons)
• Hang a clothesline in your room and clip photos to it to make an album
• Create a circus performance
• Make your room into a rainforest
• Make a sculpture from pretzels and peanut butter
• Make an obstacle course
• Make a placemat (just laminate it at the local copy shop)
• Write some limericks or haiku
• Decorate an old tee-shirt with cool buttons & fabric pens
• Start a club
• Use old cardboard tubes and boxes to build a marble maze.
• Make “funky junk” art out of old jewelry
• Read a book
• Have a water balloon fight (outside!)
• Memorize a poem and recite it for your parents
• Make a boat using a plastic soda bottle base & popsicle sticks (use duct tape) for the top, then float it at the pond.
• Draw a picture of a desert island with all the things you would want on it
• Blindfold your sibling & take them on a tour of your house & yard, then trade places.
• Play a board game
• Create your own board game
• See if you can draw a picture with your foot.
• Draw on the sidewalk with chalk
• Play hopscotch
• Play jump rope
• Play with bubbles in the sink
• Weed the garden
• Wash the mirror with a sponge
• Make a book of jokes
• Build a fort with blankets and pillows
• Make puppets with old socks, buttons & markers.
• Make a list of fun things you can do without a grownup
• Mix liquid hand soap, cornstarch and food coloring into paint and paint the bathtub.

Different by Design

Being different is a part of our life.  As a woman, the design of my thinking, my body, and my emotions are different from many of the other women around me.  As an interior designer, my taste and style might be different from the next interior design. Someday, as a mom, I will be different in my responses and actions to a sick or disobedient child. Being different in our design is not bad, but it is something that should often be embraced and encouraged, because our differences will help others see situations, people, or objects in ways they never would have thought of before. The main purpose of this blog will be a way to express the differences found in objects around us. Pointing out that old chair in your attic has the potential of being a stylish addition to your living room, seeing how a recipe can be changed to make fast and easy meals for our families, or discovering the potential that lies underneath your late 70’s living room.  I also would like to supply you with different ideas for crafts or gift ideas that will be fun and inexpensive for you or your family. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions and email me with your own projects – I would love to post them and share your different creative ideas with others.