Free Or Super Cheap Anniversary Ideas

Hubby and I had planned on getting babysitters for all 4 kids (first time anyone's taken #4!) and going out for Dinner and a Movie to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary.

Unfortunately, Life is a bitch.

My van started acting up over the past week or so, my check engine light is on and it's been making funny noises and acting strange. We are PRETTY sure we need to replace the spark plugs and wires, and the air filter too, it's pretty grungy from driving down a lot of dirt roads lately... oh yeah, and I'm low on Oil and Anti-Freeze as well.

PLUS, we need about $150, give or take, for some improvements at my office, and those have to be done like NOW because they involve the heating system.

So that, along with some extra expenses over the last 2 weeks around the house, and there goes hubby's extra paycheck for the month of October (5 Thursdays = Extra paycheck).

WHICH, is what I was planning on us using for our anniversary. There goes that idea right out the window, along with my Sanity if I don't get a night OUT very soon!

We had planned dinner at this quiet little Cafe in town, we are friends with one of the owners, and it's a great place, practically the center of town, EVERYONE goes there. AND, it just so happens, that we ate breakfast there together the morning we got married, so eating there on our anniversary is like a tradition that I DON'T want to break!

Our plan to see a Movie... probably not gonna happen because there's no way we can afford the gas plus the cost of a movie and you cant watch a movie without at least a little popcorn and a soda...

I could REALLY use any suggestions... Our anniversary falls on a Sunday this year, we had planned on going out to celebrate the night before, but I'm not opposed to doing something during the day on Sunday instead, since that IS our anniversary after all.... breakfast at the Cafe instead of dinner.. I just have no idea what we could do instead of seeing a movie...

Everything Happens For A Reason

You ever notice how some things just seem to happen, no matter how off the wall it seems to be, shortly after you think about the possibility of it happening?

For example, The most embarrassing email I ever sent (it's a link, click it), I happened to be thinking to myself "wouldn't it suck if this got sent to the wrong person? I'd better be careful."

And then there was the time the inspection sticker on my car ran out, but I needed new tires before I could get a new one, and I still had to pick the hubby up from work and was SO paranoid I'd get pulled over, I wound up seeing more cops that first day than ever before.

It kind of goes along with my belief in Karma (what goes around, comes around) and that everything happens for a reason. I also believe that no matter how bad things really seem to be, if you remain positive, things will work out for you. All you have to do is believe it will happen and focus on the end result you'd like to see.

For instance, our financial situation, not so great. We do what we can, but you know, things happen. We recently had a week where things were so tight, we had no money for gas, the bank account was overdrawn, and we were missing at least one thing to make a meal out of any combination of food in the cupboards. We did our best to stay positive and take things a day at a time, and after just a day or two things turned around. I had some new customers in my store, which provided gas money, and in the mail we got some coupons from a local company for $20 worth of groceries of our choice, on them. A gift for the new baby. Thinking back to needing tires to get the car inspected, hubby got a bid on a roofing job and the extra money bought our tires.

Every day I am reminded that it all works out if you just believe, and I hope that my readers have the same positive experience with their outlook on life.

Product Review: St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub

No, I am NOT being paid or compensated in ANY way to post this opinion on St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub.

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Now that we have the formalities out of the way:

I LOVE IT!

Now, I'm typically an avid Avon user, but have been looking for a good exfoliant for awhile and hadn't found one through Avon yet (I AM associated with an Avon Independent Sales Rep. who provides for all of my Avon needs - Click the word Avon anywhere in this post and check out her site - so even though I appreciate any potential offers, I am already covered, thanks!)

Back to my story...

I got this and another St. Ives product from one of those Sample people (you know, like in Walmart Supercenters and SAMs club and places like that) and was excited to try this especially (the other was a Collagen Elastin moisturizer and Avon already has me covered in that department!), I have loved all the St. Ives products I have tried in the past (though there was a peel off face masque that caused my face to turn bright red... BUT I think that's cause I was pregnant... hormones you know), Anyway, I tried this in the shower last night, and my face feels GREAT! Immediately after I rinsed it off, my skin felt SOOOOOOOO smooth, it was awesome, I can't wait to try it again! Thankfully it wasn't a little dinky sample pack or something, it was an actual tube of it, possibly even full size.

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Here's the details from their site:

Brighten Up. Your face comes first, and when it looks great, you do too. St. Ives Fresh Skin products - formulated from ingredients you know, like apricots, minerals and olives - give you the power to uncover your best you - naturally revealing fresh, glowing skin.

Invigorating Apricot Scrub

Exfoliates to reveal smooth, radiant skin

From America's #1 Scrub brand*, this award-winning Apricot Scrub deep cleans, instantly leaving skin smooth and glowing.

• Oil Free
• Non-Irritating
• Dermatologist Tested
• 100% Natural Exfoliants
• 100% Natural Extracts
• Formulated without Parabens and Phthalates
• Made without animal ingredients
• Not tested on animals

how to use

Moisten face with water. Dispense product onto fingertips and massage over face. Rinse with water. Avoid direct contact with eyes. In case of contact with eyes, flush thoroughly with water. For best results use 3 to 4 times per week.

*IRI F/D/M all outlet unit sales 52 wks ended 11/23/08.

Swagbucks Just Provided Us With FREE Birthday Presents!

I have been using this awesome search engine called Swagbucks for a few months now.... Before summer started I was able to use some of the Amazon.com gift cards I had gotten by redeeming the Swagbucks I earned to buy the kids these things called Bakugans. Something along the lines of Yu-Gi-Oh, or Pokemon, a trading card game with a cartoon and toys, etc. I never really did get the whole gist of it, but the kids really got into the whole thing... for about a week.

I am still randomly stepping on those damn Bakugan balls in the middle of the night!

BUT, back to the whole point of my story, this Site is AWESOME. I have set them as the default search engine in my browser, and also as my homepage, so when I want to visit a new site, I just type the name of the site into the search bar and go. Find the site in the search results and occasionally get myself some swag bucks in the process. After you have earned enough Swagbucks you can go to the Swag Store and redeem them for all kinds of cool things like gift cards or even actual items from all kinds of different categories. It's great stuff!

I usually redeem my swagbucks for Amazon.com gift cards and then use them to buy things we need or just plain want, that aren't in the regular household budget. We haven't needed anything lately so my gift cards have just been stacking up waiting to be used.

Things are tight lately and we have birthdays coming up over the next few months, as well as Christmas, so I just thought "Hey, why not use my Gift Cards and Swagbucks to get some gifts!" I was able to fill in the gaps to cover all the birthdays we have coming up that we hadn't purchased for yet, and at the rate things are going, I should be able to cover a good number of Christmas gifts using my Swagbucks and gift cards as well!