Sayin' a Prayer!

It should come as no surprise that I didn't have time to make anything for the Stamping Royalty Contest. However, I did go through my box of cards and pick three that fit one of the categories (adding color with markers) and sent them in--so I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and have promised to make a better effort to pay attention to when the contest is happening next year. I mean--do you REMEMBER JoLynn's prize package from last year? A girl HAS to give this contest a shot, right? While I would have loved to just make some new cards, I honestly forgot until it was too late! My hometown celebrated this past weekend with our high school basketball team making it to the state championship in basketball. All of my responsibilities/projects went out the window as I took Maddie to her first basketball game. While they didn't win, they did place 2nd in state which is a first for good ol' Waukegan. In the finals, Waukegan played Whitney Young which is where Michael Jordan's son attends school and plays so he was there at the game which was unfortunate in a way because the focus was not on the kids in that game--it was on him. Even when Whitney Young won, the media flocked to Michael Jordan for his response. I get it, the guy's amazing, but really--couldn't it have just been about the guys playing? It's high school basketball for Pete's sake! Since the championship game was past Maddie's bedtime, she didn't go with me for that game and I went by myself. Lo and behold, I had a seat next to two great guys from my own high school days--it was a great reunion! So ya, stamping was on the backburner! Not to mention, I thought YESTERDAY was the 23rd--UGH! I didn't realize until going through blogs tonight that I was actually off by one day. Oh well--what's a girl to do?

Now, if you are in Illinois and are interested in saving money while you grocery shop each week, you MUST check out JILL CATALDO. She's my new role model! She's been featured in the Sun Times and on ABC news in Chicago many a time--she's a 'Super Couponer' who uses coupons with sale prices to get great prices. I am always trying to save money, but I haven't been good about utilizing coupons until now. She does all of the legwork for you so all you have to do is follow her tips! I just discovered her yesterday and I am HOOKED! I mean, did you know you could have your grocery store savings card store coupons that you find online??? Like, your Preferred Card from Jewel or your Kroger's Savings Card? YES--there are these coupon sites and you plug in your number and then select the coupons you want. Then, when you go to the grocery store and scan your card--it recognizes the coupons that you selected! I had NO IDEA! So, if you're interested in learning more, definitely check out her blog. She has links to those coupon sites I mentioned and so much more. You will be amazed--I guarantee it!