Chi's and Coupons

So girls, this past weekend I experienced a life-changing moment. Now, I'm not pregnant (although I was recently asked, ugh), we're not moving, and I'm still jobless. Ha. In all of my 26 years here on this wide green Earth, I have never been the proud owner of a Chi flat iron. Until now!


Whoo-hoo! I purchased this beauty on sale at JCPenney, and can't believe I'm just now entering the Chi world. Wow!Their sale flyer even had a coupon, so I got it for way less than the original retail price. I was pumped to say the least. I have the thickest hair known to man, and it used to seriously take me over an hour to straighten my hair to get it looking even halfway decent. This baby slashes the time at least in half! I couldn't be more happy with my latest beauty purchase! :)

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On another note, I recently attended my first COUPONING CLASS! (It was a weekend of firsts for me, ok?) I know surely you have heard of this little show:

Source

I've been trying to dabble in couponing for a while now, and I guess with this little show it's caught my attention just like the rest of America. Major box stores such as a Kroger and Wal-Mart have even changed their store coupon policies as a result of this show. Anywho, this class was hosted by my cousin's sister in law, and they went over the basics and showed some of the deals they had recently gotten and how much they paid vs how much they saved. Who doesn't want to save some money in this day and age!? Huh? Hello, is anyone there? Now, I love a good deal and clipping coupons, but you will NEVER see me clear a store's shelf just because something is cheap or *free.* I can't tell you how many times I've checked a favorite coupon website to see a good deal, gone to said store, and the product mentioned be COMPLETELY OUT OF STOCK. It's so aggravating! This was a Christian-based couponing class, and they stressed thinking "of your neighbor"and only taking what you NEED. If you've ever seen the TLC show you see the stockpiles that some of these crazy people have. Who honestly needs 500 rolls of toilet paper, or 30 bottles of mustard? Let's get real here people! I thought I'd list a few of my favorite couponing websites for those of you who are interested in saving some money and finding the deals! :) (You'll thank me later!)

Trust me, after you get that first good deal by using the sales and a coupon, you'll be hooked!

Mrs. Bees' Favorite Coupon Websites:

www.stockpilingmoms.com

www.krazycouponlady.com (recently featured on"Extreme Couponing")

www.southernsavers.com

www.couponmom.com

www.hotcouponworld.com

Just a hint: These websites do all the leg work for you, they scope out the deals for various products, tell you the price, where to find a coupon, and the final price you will pay. Now, coupons are very regional, so these that I have listed work well for Central Kentucky and the surrounding areas. If you live elsewhere, I would search for other websites that may be more beneficial for you!

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Also, I recently found a super cute blog that pulled at my bargain-finding heartstrings:

Miss Lindsey, over at The Bargain Blonde, has all kinds of sweet stuff on finding beauty bargains! She recently wrote a review on ELF $1 False Eyelashes, and I have to say, I am in LOVE with the ELF line of cosmetics! I had tried some of their stuff a looooong time ago, maybe in high school, and had forgotten about it until recently reading several of my favorite bloggies boasting about how great this stuff is. So, what did I do? Of course I ran to Target and grabbed up 5 new items to test out. ELF's line of makeup is mostly $1, $3, and $5 price points.

Hello, Awesomeness~!

I'll let you know what I think in an upcoming post! I'm still playing with all my new ELF goodness!

XOXOXO

PS-I jazzed up the blog a little with new buttons and a new background, lemme know what you think :)

A little DIY Action

So I've always been told "Courtney, you're so crafty!" by friends and family, especially through high school and college. I will admit I love a good craft or three, and I'm a paper & pen junkie, but I'm really just beginning to dip my toes into the whole DIY world. Mr. Bee is pretty darn good at getting his hands dirty and producing wonderful results. Just within the past two weeks, he has constructed a storage building in our backyard for our lawnmower and tools he doesn't frequently use. {*More on that later, this is about MY project!* :)}

Some time ago we were out perusing flea markets and yard sales, and my eyes spied a lovely little footstool. (Yes, we sometimes feel like Grandma and Gramps, looking at flea markets! Mos of the time, we are the younges LOL) My wallet smiled too, because if memory serves correctly, I believe I only shelled out about $5.00-$7.00 for the thing. It's been so long ago that I don't have or just can't find a picture of how she originally looked in all her circa 1992 glory. I will say she had a dark cherry stain and country blue cushion.

Here's a picture of the cushion, a' la Home Interior 1992:

In other words, "it ain't my style!"

So what's a DIY girlie to do? I grabbed a can of spray paint and a yard of much cuter fabric and got to work!

Step 1: PAINT-

My weapon of choice: Krylon Indoor/Outdoor White Gloss. Simple as that. I will say that I had previously painted the legs with a different type of spraypaint, and it was an ugly flat color. So I guess it sort of served as my primer, ha! So really this was my second go-round with getting this footstool back into action!

Step 2: FABRIC-
Next, I began to cover the cushion with my new fabric while I waited on the paint to dry. I completed this project on my front porch while my daughter played nearby. The sky was overcas, so the pics are a little blueish. I basically layed the cushion over my lap and wrapped the fabric around it. I then used Mr. Bee's staple gun to staple the fabric to the bottom of the cushion.

Stapled around the corners:

The newly re-covered cushion with my handy staple gun:

~Voila!~

The finished project:

(So proud I actually started and finished a project, even a small one like this, ha!)

I have the perfect spot for this little jewel...our home office/treadmill room :)

Have a great Wednesday! :)

Double Whammy

So, let's recap the quality programming from Bravo last night. ;)

First up, we had the Part I Reunion of my ladies of RHOOC. Oh Lawd. They were wild and crazy and we aren't even finished yet! Gretchen and Tamra were really at each other's throats last night, and I really am getting tired of Tamra feeling she is important enough to discuss EVERYONE else's love/work/financial lives. Like really, get your own crap together first. I thought Peggy handled her first reunion very well, she was mostly quiet unless Andy asked her a question, but I have a feeling that is all about to change next week when they begin to discuss Alexis & Jim! Ha! Those two are a whole other case of crazy! I completely understand wanting and having a traditional marriage, but let's get real here, people! I really think she exaggerates it all just to get the attention. (duh.) And let me also point out how I find it kind of crazy that Alexis and Gretchen side with each other against the other wives. Gretchen, a self-described liberal woman who isn't sure she even believes in marriage anymore (!), and Alexis, the wife some have described as a "doormat" to her husband. Wow. Anyway, let's discuss Vicki and Donn. I really felt bad for Donn, and think he was probably being very genuine when he stated that the whole situation was not handled with dignity & respect. It seems like they renewed the vows, and then Vicki is crying to Tamra about having "serious issues." And I ALSO really think Donn made a good point when he talked about how he wasn't sure if Vicki hanging out with Tamra had any influence on their marriage. Vicki sees Tamra get a divorce, and then having "the time of her life" with her hottie boyfriend, and BOOM, Donn is out the door. Whatev.

Can't wait for next week! Now, when are my Beverly Hills ladies coming back!?

Let's not forget those Jersey girls. Let me first say that Teresa and Joe (Gorga) really need to get their crap together. Anyone who watched last night could see how much each of their kids love each other. It's really sad to see this division in their lives. They are both crazy though. I find it hilarious how on every Housewives show, there is at least ONE who think they are singers. Hello Kim (Atlanta), Hello Luann (NYC), Hello Gretchen (OC), and now, Hello Melissa! Ugh. Just be happy being a spoiled, narcissistic Housewife. I mean really! LOL They honestly are like watching a trainwreck. You love 'em and you hate 'em, but either way, you can't tear your eyes away! LOL On another side, I love how Momma Caroline just waltzed into the local radio station and wanted to start her own radio talk show. Wonder how that will pan out? She does crack me up though. Her little quip about being thrown in the swamp had me laughing out loud. Oh and another thing, Ashley is REALLY getting old. The "poor little me" I have to commute into the city, Wah! Can you hear the violins playing for you Ashley? And then Chris decides to get her a brand new freaking Jeep. Ugh. It really disgusts me. THEY are HER problem. They are the reason why she is the way she is. It's annoying. It'll be interesting to see how long she keeps THIS new car. I wanted to slap her when they were sitting at the dealer and SHE wanted to lay the ground rules of who could drive the car SHE ISN'T EVEN PAYING FOR. GROW UP. GET A LIFE. End of RH Speech.

We had a wonderful weekend spending time with friends and family. I shot a former co-worker's wedding on Saturday and was so excited to see my old co-workers. I think my next post may be a "Queen Bee's Prior Life" post. Hahaha. No, I'm serious. ;)

I hope you all had a great weekend as well! :) Muah!

A Little Bit of Randomness...

So...first of all, let me just say how SHOCKED I am that I am actually blogging while sitting on my front porch! Little Miss is playing in the lava rock and her Radio Flyer wagon, and we actually have a slight breeze blowing!

(photo from Instgram app on my iPad, so if the quality is poor, there's my excuse!)

The past few days in the 'ol Bluegrass have been quite unbearable! The humidity is out of control, people!

Anyway, So excited that "So You Think You Can Dance" is back! This season is going to be amazing! I'm still mourning the finales of my favorite shows (Greys, Vampire Diaries, etc) but I really think that my poor little DVR needs a break!

I'm feeling so blessed at this point to be home with Little Miss, but girls let me tell ya, after working for so many years, and for the past year and a half going to grad school full-time on top of work, this little homebody is getting a little cabin-feverish! LOL My husband would say I'm just never satisfied, and I try to roll my eyes and protest, but he's usually right! (Shhhh!) I'm the girl who LOVES buying a new planner just to mark and scratch all in it! It's definitely been an adjustment so to speak! Especially the whole not being able to run to my favorite stores and buy new pretties, now that we are down to one income! It's a new adventure! ;)

However, I did just recently celebrate my 26th birthday. (Now officially closer to 30 than 20, man I feel old!) I say all that to say this: I got a new pretty! My parents instead of actually buying me a gift, gave me money so that I could buy my own. Now normally, I like to hoard gift cards and whatnot, but with this shopping dry spell, it didn't last long! Bought a DIY project kit at Hobby Lobby, (more on that later!) AND because I am a certified bargainista, I hit up my local TJ Maxx. (LOVE that freakin place!)

And this beauty found her way into my arms and heart:

My newest baby, chillin with the Petunia's I've manage to keep alive for more than a few days...

For months now, maybe even a year, I had been pining for a tan Michael Kors addition to my collection. Howev, after perusing the aisles and not finding what I liked, or anything in my little price range, I decided on the sweet little Cynthia Rowley number seen above! She will be an excellent neutral "go-to" bag!

At least I can enjoy my MK sunglasses:

Night ya'll!

Reshaping it All!

Hey ya'll-



Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day holiday weekend. We spent some time away with my parents and had a great trip.

While away, I was able to finish the newest addition to my book collection:

"Reshaping It All," by Candace Cameron Bure, is an excellent read for those who want to lose weight using Biblical references for support and guidance. Candance gives you a workable plan to reaching your goals, whether they be losing weight, feeling better about yourself, or bringing your whole family into leading a healthier lifestyle.

I honestly could not put it down! Now that I've read it once through, I'm re-reading each chapter and making notes in my prayer journal for Scripture I want to be able to easily look up and/or memorize, and notes for keeping myself on track. I look forward to seeing the results as I shape up and slim down this summer/fall/winter/spring, etc! :)

If this sounds like something you'd like to do as well, I highly recommend this as your next book buy!