On Being a Floridian

Most of the time I get forwards and I laugh and delete. Being a native Floridian I had to forward this one on... and repost it to my blog. :)

You know you're a Floridian if....

Socks are only for bowling.

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes. This is a huge problem between The Man and I. He always wants an umbrella and I never even owned one until he made me. It's just some drippy thing you have to carry around after the sun comes back out.

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade. This is so true... all the spots under trees are taken first. We Floridians don't seem to care if a bird goes dookie on our car as long as our steering wheel doesn't burn the flesh off of our hands when we get back in the thing.

Your winter coat is made of denim. Mine is a hoodie.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

Anything under 70 degrees is chilly. Sometimes 75 is chilly for me. I've been known to wear a sweater around the house because it's set on 75. :)

You've driven through Yeehaw Junction. I've actually STOPPED there. Anticlimactic...

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005. There are a few nearby here that still have the blue roof.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

You dread love bug season.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne.

You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

'Down South' means Key West ..

Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before. I pink puffy heart my flip flops.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls. I had to disagree with this... I feed the seagulls.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer.

You've hosted a hurricane party. And stocked up on Hurricane mix! YUM!

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Withlacoochee and Micanopy.

You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim. I've never met an adult who couldn't swim that I know of.

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years. Florida family Christmas photos are always silly like this. We're either dressed like it's summer or our faces are all red and sweltering in our Christmas sweaters.

You recognize Miami-Dade as 'Northern Cuba'

My mom prides herself on being born in Florida. Three generations of my family have all been born in the same hospital. She pronounces Miami as "my-yam-uh" instead of "my-yam-ee" because she swears that's how all the real Floridians say it. I wonder if other states have such a pride about being a native as Floridians do. I mean, if you're from Oklahoma are you all proud that you and your mom and your mom's mom were all born there?

I truly do feel that Florida is my home. I am familiar with the land, I understand the climate, I know my home. I know I can't handle the cold. The coldest I've ever experienced was a dry 19 degree North Carolina winter and I was cold to the bone. That's when I knew I was a Florida girl. There's no place better than dinner and drinks on the water in the cool air of a Florida evening in December. Except for maybe a tiki bar on the beach of a breezy Florida afternoon in March. :)

They say we'll be under water down here in South Florida by the end of the century. What a terribly sad thought. I'd love to think that my grandchildren could experience all the fun of the Florida lifestyle that I've grown up with. We're laid back, we say y'all, we like to take afternoons off, drive convertibles, and wear flowery clothes. That just wouldn't look right anywhere else, y'all!

Confessions of a Slacker Wife Results!

Congratulations to Bethyann who won this weeks book giveaway!

I'm off to contact you now!

:)

Busy morning

It's quarter to 11 and I'm already exhausted.

This morning -
I found the exact denim skirt with the butterfly on it that Munchkin had to wear to school today.
I found two pair of matching socks that fit my kids.
I sent two kids off to one of their last days of school this year.
I made myself a cup of mint tea.
I made Goober a bowl of cereal with Trix and Honey Nut Cheerios mixed together so he'd eat something healthy(ish).
I made The Man a bowl of Cheerios, too.
I read all my favorite blogs that I didn't get a chance to read yesterday.
I made myself a cup of crack lemonade.
I answered a few questions from customers.
I added a bunch more blogs to Bloglines.
I started following a bunch of new people on Twitter.
I cleaned the sink out and loaded the dishwasher.
I cleaned out a stinky broken refrigerator and threw out two 30 gallon bags of spoiled food.
I harassed The Man to take said bags outside.
I managed to pack an amazing amount of food into a small dorm room size fridge.
I cleaned up the mess that was made from cleaning out the fridge.
I cooked The Man a cheese omelette.
I made Pancake Puffs filled with vanilla pudding. (It was novel and Goober thought it was great, but messy to make and The Man says the jam was better.)
I decided to make spice cake muffins.
I realized I only have 2 eggs left and need 3.
I spilled lemon extract all over my kitchen counter. (At least it smells good.)
I gave up.

Fight the Frump! The Internetz Shares Beauty Tips!

This week I couldn't think of much to write about as far as fighting the frump goes because I have to say, I've been pretty frumpy lately.

So I've compiled a small list of household beauty tips that I've found all over the Internet and thought were interesting. :) Enjoy!

From Girls Hang Out:
I found this tip really neat! For cracked heels, apply the pulp of a ripe banana and leave on for 10 minutes. Then clean the heel. I'm still sporting my smooth Ped Egg heels but I thought this tip was really great.

From Blog Fabulous:
I know that Vaseline works great for chapped hands and lips but I never thought about using it for fly aways! Does anyone know what highlighter means?

From Cathy's World:
To diminish dark circles and puffy eyes, freeze parsley in ice cubes and apply to area. "Parsley is packed with chlorophyll which helps fade darkness, while the ice reduces the swelling."

I also loved this one! For that shimmery foundation that is all the rage - "Mix your regular foundation with shimmering eye shadow such as gold, beige, cream, white, ecru or banana,"

From Barefoot Lass:
"Pour a cup or more of powdered milk under running bath water. The lactic acid in the milk will remove dry dead skin and leave you baby soft." Another tip was to add a coupe of drops of scented oil to make the bath extra delicious!

This tip on the same site was sent in from a reader: "Dreama Lawson from Bluefield, Va. writes; "I have medium brown hair and to make it look a richer and darker brown, I take Hershey's cocoa and mix it with an equal amount of shampoo. Just wash your hair with this mixture and it will make your hair a darker and richer brown. After washing your hair with this mixture, you can also add the cocoa to your conditioner. You have to use Hershey's unsweetened coca not the kind that is sweetened or else you will have a real mess." This one I'm going to HAVE to try!

Also, pour a bottle of diet coke over a too dark dye job and it should fade the dye.

There were a ton of great tips on these sites, check them out!

For even more frump fighting tips, check out Mrs. Fussypants!

PS - Have you commented on my book giveaway this week? What are you waiting for? I'm drawing a name TONIGHT! :)

Pancake Puff Update

This weekend I filled them with strawberry jam and they were pretty darned good. I made the regular pancake version and then just pumped them full of jam. The kids absolutely LOVED them and they were easy to eat.

I'm also getting quicker about making them in the pan and being able to flip them.

100th Post!

I'm going to be oh-so-original for my 100th post and present you with

100 Random Facts About Me

1. I have a dimple about a half an inch below my left eye. I once met another girl who had a matching one under her right eye and we decided we must be soul sisters. We never pursued our friendship, though.

2. My mother called me "Poor Family Planning" when I was growing up because I was born 10 years after my youngest sister. It was so normal for me to be introduced in this way that when my kindergarten teacher asked me if I had any nicknames that was my answer.

3. I used to sell Filter Queens in home. I was actually really good at it. My current vacuum cleaner is the one I sold my dad over 10 years ago. It works fabulously to this day. We weren't allowed to call them vacuum cleaners, though. They were home filtration systems.

4. I love Vera Bradley purses and I can pretty much pick them out from across a busy store if someone else has one.... by pattern name and style.

5. The house that I grew up in from age 6 until The Man and I bought this house was burned down by an arsonist in 2004. My parents were on vacation at the time and the house was empty but to this day I still mourn it like a death. I frequently dream I am in that house.

6. We were pummeled by two hurricanes the summer before that happened and my dad had spent countless hours cleaning up the 3 acre lot the house sat on. He had it back in order about 2 weeks before the house burned down.

7. I once dyed my hair hot pink in response to all of my friends going "goth" when we were in college. I stuck out like a sore thumb in their sea of black. I couldn't stand it, though, and went back to brown only a few days later.

8. Someday I will write a novel.

9. I am a terrible housekeeper but I keep trying.

10. I love magazines but I never make time to read them.

11. My favorite TV show is Big Love and I'm dying for a new season to start. It's been FOREVER.

12. I had a tubal ligation when Goober was born and there's a part of me that regrets it. Most of me is really glad I made that decision though.

13. I really really really want the Wii Fit.

14. I'm fasting on the Master Cleanse diet. This is my 3rd time.

15. We have a new beta fish. That story is for another blog.

16. I don't understand the obsession with Starbucks. I mean, sure, it's neat to be able to get whipped cream and have a menu for coffee larger than the menu at most fast food joints, but I still don't get it. I enjoy gas station coffee immensely, though.

17. I used to have a terrible Snickers addiction. I'm pretty much over that, though.

18. We have five working computers in this house and a sixth is in the works. It's a little obsessive, I agree.

19. I was Co-Editor In Chief of my high school newspaper. I think it might be the only thing that got me accepted to the University of Florida.

20. My three best friends and I started our own literary magazine when we were in high school. It was called Identity Crisis and we opened a PO Box so teenagers could anonymously mail in submissions. We passed out tons of fluorescent flyers but no one mailed anything in. :( We had one issue and sold candy bars illegally in school to raise the money to produce it.

21. One of those girls' mom has me doing the Right Stuff dance on video tape. She could totally blackmail me.

22. I can make a KICK BUTT spice cake.

23. I am a failed vegetarian.

24. I spent my entire early teenage years at a barn. I hated having to participate in horse shows, though.

25. I like to read in the bathtub and prefer paperbacks for this reason.

26. I killed my video iPod by dropping it way too many times. The Man gave me his because he loves me. I haven't dropped it once.

27. I love Disaronno on the rocks but I feel pretentious ordering it in public so I only have it at home.

28. My family room has 8 laundry baskets in it right now. Only a few of them have clothes in them.

29. If I didn't have children I would be nocturnal.

30. I love shoes. My heart gets fluttery in shoe stores and shoe departments so I typically don't go into them. I love to buy them but I typically only wear Target flip flops. I have more shoes than any normal woman should have but you'd never know it.

31. I absolutely can't WAIT for Wipeout to start. I am sick and laugh at other people's misfortune.

32. I can't tell if this blog is horrible or hilarious. I feel guilty laughing at it.

33. I try very hard not to curse. This is sometimes difficult. I say things like "What the French Toast?" and "Mother Fuss Bucket!" and "SHHHHOOOOTTT!"

34. I stopped watching American Idol with Carly was voted off.

35. It takes me about an hour every day to read all the blogs I read. I can't add anymore because I am desperately trying to stick to a schedule and I can't spare any more time.

36. I would love it if I could get this blog to make some money. I don't think you're selling out if you get paid to write a blog. Hello? Making money doing something you love?? How is that bad?

37. I do think you're selling out if you're not honest with what you write. (ie - I just love the new Fancy Sugar Balls and feed them to my kids every morning!) I really do love that Ped Egg. My feet are still super smooth and it's almost a week later.

38. Some members of my family truly believe I will go to hell because I am not Christian. This makes me very sad.

39. I find a great sense of peace and fulfillment in my spirituality.

40. I want a dog.

41. I wasn't allergic to anything until I got pregnant. Now I am allergic to most animals, dust, pollen, mold... everything.

42. When I was pregnant with Goober my very straight hair turned curly. I absolutely loved it and was so sad when it straightened out again.

43. I desperately need to dye my hair. I have more gray than most 40 year old women but I'm only 31.

44. My mom has Parkinson's Disease and has had three relatively unsuccessful Deep Brain Stimulation operations. If I had one wish I would eliminate this horrible disease from the planet. It is absolutely wretched.

45. My dad just turned 65 and could out run my sisters and me in any race.

46. I want a boob job.

47. The ending of Gone With The Wind makes me mad every single time. I even read it and was so mad at the end.

48. My first car was a 1991 cherry red Honda Civic. I named it Boobie.

49. My second car was a 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage and I loved it more than I've ever loved a car. Sometimes I dream I'm driving it. It had a CD player AND a tape player and it was silver and had a sunroof and was super cute. I felt cool when I drove it. I never named it.
It looked just like that one. I want it back.

50. My third car was my mom's old Mercedes and I only gave up my precious Mirage because I was pregnant with Munchkin and my mom and dad convinced me I couldn't fit two kids in the car. I'm thoroughly convinced I could have fit all THREE of the kids in there and if I hadn't succumbed to the pressure I might still be driving that car.

51. I've had several cars since then and I really love our minivan. When my kids go to college I'm so getting a sporty little silver car again, though.

52. I sing and dance horribly... but that doesn't stop me from doing either.

53. My cell phone is too advanced for me.

54. I let my kids lick the batter off of my mixing spoons whenever I bake. They haven't gotten salmonella yet.

55. I have a friend crush on Steve Carell but I don't really like The Office.

56. My favorite color used to be purple. I'm not sure if it still is. I think I've started liking red more.

57. I laid down on a bench at the base of the World Trade Center towers and spent at least 10 minutes staring up in awe, watching the clouds go by. I didn't have enough money to go to the top. I would never have imagined that less than a decade later they would be gone.

58. I love to be barefoot. When I was a teenager I spent most of my time, in public and at home, with no shoes on. If I thought I could get away with it I tried. My feet were baby soft back then.

59. I get a headache if I eat too much sugar.

60. I have a birthmark on my butt and one on my wrist.

61. My favorite holiday is Halloween. It's The Man's least favorite holiday.

62. Our 2007 Christmas tree stayed up until April. It had a lot of heart ornaments on it so I tried to convince people it was a Christmas/Valentines Day tree. When Easter rolled around I had no more excuses... but I still left it up a couple more weeks.

63. I love to pop pimples.

64. I also love to pluck hair.

65. Sometimes I don't get out of my pajamas all day.

66. I love Emilio Pucci and Betsey Johnson. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want color in their wardrobe.

67. I love falling asleep in my nice cozy bed when it's raining outside.

68. I'm addicted to drama. It's a sickness. Internet forum drama is the best.

69. I love elephants.

70. I wish I could play a great game of tennis. I'm planning on working on it. I have a racket.

71. I could probably live without chocolate but not without Diet Coke.

72. The Man makes fun of mostly all of the television shows I enjoy. It's really irritating.

73. I am desperately behind on laundry.

74. I can't wait for the day that Man vs Wild is canceled.

75. I live vicariously through one of my best friends who I consider to be adventurous. She drove across the country to live in Portland, OR and decided to just go on ahead and move to Alaska. After a few years there she picked up and moved to Braddock, PA where she and her husband are renovating a 100+ year old house.

76. My toes are incredibly long. I can pick things up with them and I think I could write with them if I had to.

77. The Man and I both spent our childhood at skating rinks. We love skating rink music.

78. I'd love to move somewhere in the Smokey Mountains some day.

79. I have never left the country except to go to the Bahamas.

80. I've also never been further west than New Orleans or further north than Boston.

81. I plan to see as much of the world as possible as soon as possible.

82. I'm amazed at how many products we use every day that are connected to animals.

83. I used to write poetry. I think my poetry was quite good. Some time around the time I had my first child I just couldn't do it any more.

84. The Man and I enjoy Geocaching. It's like a treasure hunt you can do no matter where you are.

85. We also enjoy fine dining... without children.

86. I am really looking forward to a hot bubble bath tonight.

87. My sisters are two of my very best friends. Being that they are 10 and 11 years older than me I never thought we'd be close when I was growing up. We are, though, and I appreciate them immensely.

88. I am desperately fearful of losing a child.

89. My skin gets itchy when I'm really tired.

90. I desperately want to be #1 on the Works For Me Wednesday list... just ONE week! Or even #2 or #3! I am consistently amazed at how fast that list jumps up in numbers. Is there some automatic post to Mr. Linky thing that I'm unaware of?

91. I miss Dead Like Me and Six Feet Under. I don't have an obsession with death though.

92. I met The Man through a local BBS before normal people had access to the Internet. It was called Screaming In Digital.

93. I love Hammacher Schlemmer. They have an awesome return policy.

94. My first job was at Dexter Shoes across from the largest retirement community in South Florida. I spent my days fitting elderly people with comfortable walking shoes.

95. I loved Sassy magazine when I was a teenager. It was edgy and spoke to me.

96. I saw Nirvana in concert in their last tour. The Breeders opened for them and my boyfriend and I got into a big giant fight there. We broke up soon afterward. He was a jerk.

97. I think tree frogs are adorable but if one jumped on me I'd have a heart attack. They like to hang out near our front door and I'm paranoid about them attacking me.

98. I am so proud of Bug as he gets older. He amazes me continuously. I'm proud of Munchkin and Goober as well - but they haven't quite reached the same maturity level as Bug. He's turning into who he's going to be.

99. If I were a guy I'd wear Tommy Bahama camp shirts all the time. They're so soft. Instead I just dress The Man in them as much as he'll let me.

100. I love everyone who reads my blog and comments. :) I'm so glad to be getting to know you all.

WFMW - Double Shot Mocha at Home

So... I'm the kind of girl who stumbles with eyes half open to the coffee pot in the morning. I like a lot of caffeine as quickly as possible. Especially when there are usually four family members demanding my attention as soon as my feet hit the floor. Who am I kidding? They're demanding it way before my feet actually hit the floor.

I digress.

I could make my coffee stronger, but I like to enjoy the coffee and who wants to drink a cup of mud first thing in the morning? Coffee makes me turn into a person. Before that I'm just a muttering shell. Aside from guzzling to get to a 2nd cup in order to ingest enough caffeine in time to handle all the hub bub, I figured my best bet was to slam a Mountain Dew in one hand and my coffee in the other.

Until I discovered this at Publix a few months ago.

There it is in all its yummy chocolate caffeinated glory... Swiss Miss Pick-Me-Up.

I simply brew my normal cup of coffee, skip the creamer and the sugar (or agave nectar), and I drop a packet of this in. It's 110 calories and dare-I-say makes a double shot mocha that can rival whatever Starbucks can dish out.

That's what works for me! For more WFMW tips, check out Rocks In My Dryer!

PS - This week I'm giving away Confessions Of A Slacker Wife by Muffy Mead-Ferro. Go comment and maybe you'll win it! :)

Book A Week Giveaway - Confessions Of A Slacker Wife

Congratulations to Mah-Meeee over at Raising A & C for winning last week's book giveaway! I'm still waiting on your shipping info so I can mail it away. Send your info over to spaz AT domesticspaz DOT com and I'll have it right out!

Now - on to THIS week's giveaway!

This week I am giving away Confesions Of A Slacker Wife by Muffy Mead-Ferro.

This book was a great read on my vacation over Thanksgiving and now it's my turn to pass it over to you. So comment here and I'll randomly select a winner on Friday!

Book A Week Results - With or Without You

I was going to put all your names in a hat and have one of my adorable kids draw the name out and make a cute little YouTube video to embed.

Y'all... I'm tired. It's after 11:00 and I still have two spice cakes to make and a 65 gold dollars to affix to a poster and frame before the morning. My 4 year old is still awake and cranky as I've ever seen him.

So I used this random number generator instead. :)

Here are the results!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2008-05-24 03:12:24 UTC

Checking back at the original post, the 6th comment and therefore winner of her very own pre-read copy of With or Without You by Carole Matthews is Mah-Meeee at Raising A & C!

Congratulations. :) I'll go over and harass you to give me your mailing information right after I post this.

Fight the Frump! Cracked Heels BEGONE!

As I mentioned in this post, I bought the Ped Egg the other day at Walgreens. I have a friend who recommended it to me and because my heels were badly cracked I figured I might as well give it a try.

Girls - run, do not walk, and purchase this thing for yourself. For $9.95, half the price of a walk in pedicure you can have baby smooth heels. I'm not kidding, I was SHOCKED at what this thing could do.


(Dramatization - your heels will not appear to be those of a 5 month old's)

I've had weekly pedicures. I've use the shaver thingies before and I've used pumice stones. I've used creams, abrasive scrubs, and sprays. Nothing has ever done for my feet what this little thing has done.

It's sort of like a miniature cheese grater for your feet. A cheese grater that works! Then you follow it up with a very fine sandpaper like file and it's like your feet are 10 years younger.

Now, my feet have been a little more sensitive since I liberated them from cracks Monday night. Yesterday I had to do a decent amount of walking in some hard thong sandals and my feet were too sensitive to handle it (owie!) but I'm hoping that a week or so of wearing socks and sneakers and being barefoot in the house will help them to desensitize a bit.

For more frump fighting tips, check out Mrs. Fussypants! Don't forget to congratulate her on her new bundle of ooey gooey happiness while you're there!

PS - Have you commented for my book giveaway this week? This is my first giveaway and I'm giving away With or Without You by Carole Matthews. Get over there and comment, I'll be drawing a name tonight! :)

Pancake Puff Review!

As I mentioned earlier this week I was suckered into buying the Pancake Puffs kit. It all started when I went to Walgreens with one thing on my mind. I wanted to purchase another As Seen on TV product that had been recommended to me by a friend, the Ped Egg. I did find the Ped Egg but right next to it was the Pancake Puffs kit.

If you have a child who watches Nickelodeon you've probably heard about the Pancake Puffs. "They're finger food pancakes, mommy!" "You can make a birthday cake puff!" These exclamations and more have come from the mouths of my little darlings over the past couple of months since Nickelodeon has been running the ad every 5 minutes.

Heck, even I was a bit taken with the ad.

(I would even embed the ad here if there were a way to make it not play AUTOMATICALLY upon you loading my page. Geesh.)

"It's Pantastic!"

So... sucker that I am, I dished out my $19.95 and arrived home with my Pancake Puffs kit.

My children saw it immediately with their xray vision through the bags. The reaction was somewhat like this:



After the children were calmed down a bit with small doses of narcotics my soothing words and gentle ways, we opened the box.

Our kit came with the unique pancake puff pan (which I later learned is really something called a monk pan which has been used forEVER in Denmark to produce Aebleskivers - aka pancake puffs), a small paintbrush - that's right - a paintbrush, a shaker for confectioner's sugar, a injector device to inject things into our puffs, a oven mitt type sleeve for the handle of the pan, and a package of sharp pokey sticks.

Oh, and it came with a recipe book. The recipe book was quite a disappointment actually because I assumed it would give me detailed instructions on how to make all of the yummy delights that I had been promised in the commercial. It really only gives a few recipes for pancake batter, one for cornbread batter, and one for brownie batter and one for crabcake puffs. I think there were a few other recipes but I was not impressed. This is when I began googling Pancake Puff recipes and found out about the Aebleskivers. I felt a little bit snookered when I realized these puffs have been around for years and are not some newfangled thing. Oh well.

We decided to try to make Brownie Puffs first because I already had brownie mix in the house. I mixed up a batch and preheated our pan (which is actually a good solid heavy cast iron pan and probably worth the $20 in itself). We sprayed some cooking spray on there and poured in our dough. We waited. I periodically poked at them to see if they were ready to turn and it seemed to take FOREVER to get them ready to turn. In actuality it was probably something like 7 to 10 minutes per side. This was an eternity, however, with three anxious brownie puff awaiting children over my shoulder. In a few I was ambitious enough to deposit a blackberry in the center of them.

They were a bit sloppy on the turnover but overall turned out some tasty little brownie puffs. The blackberry ones were delicious, though The Man did not care for them. I sprinkled them with confectioners sugar (from my own shaker - the one they included really is crap) and the kids devoured them. They were good, yes, but if you're just looking for brownies it is far easier to bake them in a pan like normal.

This morning I decided I'd actually try the pancake version of the puffs. I mixed up a traditional Bisquick batch and filled my cups up. I sliced up some strawberries and put them in the center of some of the puffs and some I left alone. They turned quite nicely (though I don't think they were easier to turn than an actual pancake like the commercial states) and were yummy with the strawberries inside. The big advantage to the puffs was that they were super easy for Goober to eat and I didn't have to cut pancakes. He just dipped them in the syrup. Maybe someone should send a box to the Gosselins for their weekly pancake day! Then Jon wouldn't have to use a pizza cutter to cut all those pancakes. They would need a few pans, I think.

I didn't stop after pancakes, though. I was ambitious enough to make tiny little omelet puffs! These were impressive and again, Goober ate them like finger food. A few of them didn't cook all the way through though so I had to watch for that. The ones that did go all the way through were so good though!



Overall, I'm happy that I was suckered (and so are the kids). I haven't tried injecting our puffs with anything yet but I'll probably try that next. Jam, pudding, whipped cream? The possibilities really are endless!

**I've noticed a lot of searches for RECIPES that are pulling up this entry. The thing with the pancake puff pan is that you don't really need a separate recipe for pancakes or brownies or anything that I've tried to make so far. I just use the same simple recipe for pancakes or brownies to make them. My son really wants me to make him a pancake puff birthday cake which I will try to do with regular cake mix and frosting and just stack them all together.**

Thrifty Thursday - Week 4

Today's Thrifty Thursday post is a big one! I'm combining my scores from this week and last week as last week's post featured one of my older finds.

My first find this week was for the boys. Even though Bug's joy for Buzz Lightyear is starting to wane, I won't let him forget how he chose to be Buzz for Halloween three years in a row. Goober is just starting to really love Buzz (and will be using the same costume this year) so when I found these three VHS videos for $.59 each I snatched them up!

The covers on these aren't in the best condition but the kids have been enjoying them thoroughly since I grabbed them. I'm wondering if the excitement will hold out through the summer.

It was next that I discovered my new favorite coffee cup.



It's from Caribou Coffee and I paid $.39 for it. I love it because it's normal coffee cup sized and still has a lid. It's also purple which is one of my favorite colors! The bottom is weighted so it's tough to knock over and even if it did get smacked minimal amounts of coffee would come through the lid to kill my keyboard. :)

I also grabbed these two LeSportSac purses for $1.50 and $2.25 at the same time as the coffee cup. These are great purses for Munchkin or even for me to carry around. The prints are cute and they're made from parachute nylon so they're durable and easy to clean.



Now these were a great find, if I do say so myself!

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I paid $1.91 each for these vintage Tupperware containers. When I was a kid my mom had these with this removable handle contraption so this could be carried as a lunch box. Back then I snubbed my nose at it and favored my Barbie lunch box, but when I saw these on the shelf at my favorite thrift I grabbed them up. Now if only I could find one of those handle thingies!

Next I had to fulfill my girlie reading habit and found these three books just waiting for me!



Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes and Goodnight Nobody were my first finds. The paperback was $.39 and the hardback a whopping $1.29. Then I found Jane Green's (who doesn't love Jane Green?) Mr. Maybe for another $.39. Look for these on my Book A Week giveaway in the coming months. I've already started In Her Shoes so that one will be first.

Since summer is here and The Man can always use cool shirts for beach days and nights drinking yummy rum drinks I ventured over to the men's clothing section to see what I might find. Lucky me! I found for $3.59 each a swanky Reyn Spooner cotton camp shirt with vintage woodys and surfing men on it and right next to it was a silk Tommy Bahama camp shirt. The Man happily has added these to his collection and boy does he look yummy in them. ;)

Finally, I was thrilled to find this Baby Bjorn carrier for $7 for my favorite preggers mommy. It appears to be in great condition so I'm hoping it works out for her!



So our total for the past two weeks is as follows:
Toy Story VHS - $.59
Toy Story 2 VHS - $.59
Buzz Lightyear VHS - $.59
Caribou Coffee Mug - $.39
Brown LeSportSac Bag - $2.25
Polka Dot LeSportSac Bag - $1.50
Tupperware Container - $1.91
Tupperware Container - $1.91
Goodnight Nobody - $1.29
In Her Shoes - $.39
Mr. Maybe - $.39
Tommy Bahama Shirt - $3.59
Reyn Spooner Shirt - $3.59
Baby Bjorn Carrier - $7.00
TOTAL for all the goodies! - $25.98