A couple of Shaw's deals

*The following post was written by Kelly, part-time contributor to this blog. And Loopy's sister*

The past couple of weeks I've done pretty well at Shaw's. This week I was able to get the Poland Spring aquapod water for free. They were on sale for $1.00 and there was $1.00 off one coupon out there. My receipt is below. Six packages of water, green seedless grapes and two loaves of bread cost $3.46. Don't hate me because I bought white bread. It's the only kind of bread Auntie Laura likes.

Melanie at The Coupon Goddess reminded me that you can freeze grapes. At $.99/pound I bought some extra to freeze and see how the kids like them.

Last week I was able to do the Capri Sun Catalina. After the Catalina each box of juice was $.99. I really stocked up. I would much rather pay $.99 a box than $2.79! This is just some of the juice I purchased. I rolled this deal a few times. The saltines were also on sale and I had a coupon for $1.00/2 boxes. We go through a lot of crackers in our house.

Time for me to sit down with my binder and weed out all the expired coupons and get ready for this weeks sales.

Happy shopping!

Home Parties

There is a new trend in in-home parties. Gone are the days of the Tupperware party. The latest trend is hosting parties for brands. Companies like House Party and Mommy Parties are looking for moms (or non-moms) to invite people into their homes to talk about and sample brands that we use everyday.

Forget about inviting people over to buy things and getting excuses like:

"Sorry, I have to give my dog a bikini wax that night."

or

"I can't make it. I'm waiting for George Clooney to call me back and he only has my home phone number."

or

"No can do. I have plans to color my hair with a Sharpie that night."

Now people will be thrilled to come over and not spend a dime. Oh and they get to leave with a goodie bag containing items about the product showcased. How cool is that?

Recently, Kelly and I were invited to a party by the fabulous Melanie (aka The Coupon Goddess). She hosted a Nutella party in her home. She made crepes with Nutella, bananas and even strawberries.

They were so delicious!

We also got to meet some really cool women.

Tracey (Family in Construction), Darby, Melanie (The Coupon Goddess), Kelly and Me

Here's how these home parties work:

It's free to sign up. You give them your info and they email you when they have a party available for hosting. You fill out a short questionnaire and they contact you (via email) if you've been selected as a host. In a few short weeks you get a package in the mail containing everything you need to host your party. Easy and fun!

Give it a try!

*This was not a sponsored post. I just love spreading the word about these companies.

Bargain of the Week

Last night I received an email from Talbots Outlet saying that their accessories were going to be 80% off. I get excited when I see something for 50% off, so I practically peed my pants when I saw 80% off!

I'm sure I've talked about it before, but I love Talbots Outlet. It's not too far from where I live and I always find something cute to wear. Some people think that it's for "old ladies" but I've been shopping there since I was in my early twenties. Their clothes are timeless classics that are made extremely well. And you can't beat the prices at their outlet/clearance store in Hingham, MA.

Here's what I found today:

Aren't they gorgeous?

They're leather (soft as "butta") and the lining is 100% cashmere.

I just love the buckle detail.

Now, take a look at the price tag:

Originally $69, marked down to $50.99. Would you like to know what I paid?

Drumroll please....

$6.80!

That's right, $6.80! I might go back and see if I can get some more to put away for Christmas gifts.

Don't you just love finding a great deal?

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

Some of my friends, who shall remain nameless, tinkle a little when they dance.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.

Restaurant Week

*The following post was written by Kelly, part-time contributor to this blog. And Loopy's sister*

In the spring and in the fall during restaurant week, some coworkers and I make plans to have lunch at one of my favorite places: Ruth's Chris Steak House

Located in the Old City Hall in Boston this building has lots of charm.

For $20.11 you get a three course meal. How can you beat that? My choices NEVER change. It's always the salad, filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and dessert (which you don't get a choice). Some of the girls I went with were a little more daring.

Mmmm my filet mignon

I was a little disappointed dessert wasn't chocolate. Okay I was A LOT disappointed, because anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE chocolate. Dessert was a warm bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce. It was okay, but again, not chocolate so I wasn't loving it.

Thanks ladies for another great lunch during Restaurant Week. I'm looking forward to our fall lunch date.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation from Ruth's Chris. All opinions are my own

40 Things I Cannot Do

Since I recently turned 40, I started thinking about some things that I can't do. Here's a list of some of those things:

1. Climb a tree
2. Parallel park
3. Speak French
4. Say no to chocolate
5. Jog
6. Cook a turkey
7. Keep my car clean
8. Make coffee
9. Braid my hair
10. Apply make-up (especially lipstick)
11. Read a map
12. Ride in the backseat
13. Color my own hair
14. Paint my own toenails
15. Take the subway (it smells like urine)
16. Perform surgery
17. Change a flat tire
18. Speak Italian
19. Write with my right hand
20. Drive a standard
21. Make meatballs
22. Use a lawnmower
23. Wear a bikini
24. Dodge a bullet
25. Play guitar
26. Waterski
27. Skydive
28. Go through a revolving door alone
29. Play poker
30. PowerPoint
31. Write neatly
32. Drink alcohol
33. Pivot tables in Excel
34. Resist mashed potatoes
35. Trigonometry
36. Watch horror movies
37. Use margarine
38. Cut my own cheeseburger
39. Ride a motorcycle
40. Make serious lists

I'm sure there are a million other things I can't do, but I'll stick with these 40 for now.

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I rarely shave above the knee.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.

Getting Outside

Today was the first day of spring. Well, actually it was at 7:21 PM this evening. It was a beautiful, sunny, chilly day. I'm so excited to get outside. I'm just done being cooped up in the house. I crave fresh air.

Today I went to Weir River Farm.

They have llamas, sheep, horses, cows and many more animals. I got up close and personal with the cows and horses.

They have great walking trails.

I just love the wide open spaces.

If you look very closely, you can even see the Boston skyline.

Weir River Farm's walking trails are open year round. It's a great place to visit.

Wordless Wednesday

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I don't wear a bra in the summer. Or winter. Or spring. Or fall.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.

Slipping Away

I've noticed a trend lately. One that I don't particularly like. When I get my nephews off the bus, no one is willing to hold my hand for the short walk home. This is what I see instead:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This time last year, the 6-year-old refused to hold my hand. He decided that he was too cool. I just never thought the redhead (age 5) would abandon me. That kid is always up in my grill. He still insists that I kiss him on the lips (it's pretty gross, if you ask me). I guess I just can't believe that the littlest child in our family is now 5 years old. It just doesn't seem possible. Sniff, sniff.

Review: My Favorite Shoes

*The following post was written by Kelly, part-time contributor to this blog. And Loopy's sister*

My all-time favorite fall/winter shoes are these Dansko clogs below. Love, love, love them. They are the most comfortable shoes I own. The have a nice little heel too, so they give me a some height. If you know me, you know I'm a bit vertically challenged.

Photo credit Dansko.com

I first noticed these clogs on all the nurses at Mass General when Meghan was hospitalized for pancreatitis. I asked one of the student nurses about her shoes and she told me how comfortable they were and that she loves them so much that she had 5 pairs. Wow! If she had 5 pairs and most of the other nurses were wearing them, then they must be comfortable. I had to check these out. I looked them up online. Good thing I was sitting down. I couldn't believe how expensive they were. I thought about these shoes for a long time before I actually purchased a pair. I have 2 pairs now and I wear them EVERYDAY. I've had the shoes for about a year now and they have held up great, they still look brand new.

Photo credit Dansko.com

Aren't these cute? They'd look great with jeans.

*Disclaimer - I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are 100% my own.

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

My nightly routine before bed is to pee, brush my teeth and pee again. This all happens in a five minute span.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.

The Vault

The Vault is a group of friends that worked together once upon a time. People always ask us where the name came from. Well, I'll tell you; when we worked together, we would acquire lots of office gossip and we'd usually be the first to know all of the office goings-on. When we would share this news with one of us we would say "Vault it." That meant that we were only to tell the other members of the Vault and no one else. It was a very effective system.

Here's a recent photo of The Vault:

The Vault started out as six women but we had to phase one of the gals out. She was just a negative person with a rather large chip on her shoulder and she really brought the group down. We're a pretty upbeat, happy bunch. We don't have any room for negativity. So, "Operation Phase Out" began. Of course, the person who was being phased out reached out to the nicest one in our group (or as we called her during "OPO" The Weakest Link). She felt bad for the phased out girl and invited her to her wedding. Well, she went to the wedding with her dud of a boyfriend, sat in a corner all night, didn't talk to anyone, and here's the kicker: she didn't bring a gift! Not even a card! That pretty much completed Operation Phase Out.

I love hanging out with these women. They're all incredibly smart and beautiful, inside and out. They are all moms who work full-time. I'm in awe of each and every one of them.

They also make me laugh. They have some great one-liners. Here are a few that I've heard recently from this group:

On going to a buffet, "A buffet is a friend to no one."

On being hungover, "There was a little hitch in my giddy-up"

When someone is unattractive, "They're homely as a bag of cats"

When you want someone to leave, "Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya"

We also have some unique, Vault dance moves. And nicknames for most of the people that we once worked with.

I love these women. I feel so blessed that I've had them in my life for the past 10 years.

T.J. Maxx/Marshall's Spring Fashion Preview

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the T.J. Maxx/Marshall's Spring Preview event. It was held at the Ames Hotel in Boston.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to shop. They also know that I rarely pay full price for things. T.J.'s and Marshall's are the perfect stores for me. They always have the cutest styles and big name brands. And their prices can't be beat.

They had handbags:

And hats:

and shoes. Oh my!

One of the things that I loved most about yesterday was seeing all the COLORS! I'm so tired of wearing black and gray. I crave color.

There were so many things that I picked up that my sister would call "Loopy clothes." Those are things that just look like me.

Like this purple dress:

This top is such a Loopy top:

And this bathing suit cover-up:

I also fell in love with this pillow.

It's pink. And ruffles. And oh, so girly.

Now, check out the price:

I thought for sure the price would be $39.99. It was only $12.99. It's reverse sticker shock!

Here's something that I will NOT be wearing this summer.

I'm sure this teeny-weeny-yellow bikini will look great on someone, just not me.

Here's the lovely Robin with a flower in her hair. Check out that beautiful smile.

We saw so many great brand names there like this Under Armour shirt for just $12.99. I've seen these in the stores for considerably more.

I also had fun chatting and catching up with some of my new blogging friends.

Photo credit: Masshole Mommy

Kim from Mommycosm, Moi, Charlene from Charlene Chronicles, Niri from Mommy Niri, Robin from Masshole Mommy

If your wardrobe needs a little spring makeover, check out T.J. Maxx and Marshall's. You won't be sorry!

*Disclaimer: TJX provided us with lunch and gift bags at this event. I received no compensation

for this post. All opinions are my own.

Conversations With The Red-Head

The other day I was leaving my sister's house. This is the conversation that I had with B:

Me: I'm leaving. Bye.

B: Bye Auntie Laura. I'll miss you.

Me: I'll miss you too.

B: I'll miss you more than you'll miss me.

Me: I'll miss YOU more than you'll miss ME.

B: Are you calling me a liar?

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I am incapable of cutting my toenails straight.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay.