I Was Part of the State of The Nation Address Tonight!

Something new every day! During President Obama's State of the Nation Address tonight, we could sign in to our Facebook account and comment as he was speaking. My picture and comments came up four times on national TV! I had so much fun! It was a very articulate speech, and the entire congress stood, clapped and supported him constantly! It looked like the comments on Facebook were about 98 percent positive.

Just thought you'd like to know what I was doing tonight when I should have been studying for an A&P test in the morning. ha ha

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

New Posting at the Coupon Blog

Find it HERE. "Take the Tea and Give My Penny Back"

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Shrew, Shrew Go Away!

Flickr photo - Not Mine! (Billy, please read)

I wish someone who loves to study the habits of the Ohio Shrew would find this posting and give us some answers! We have found at least NINE of the small black creatures in our kitchen and dog's dish over the past two months!

The first shrew, or what we thought was a small black mole, was discovered in our kitchen sink last fall sending me into a frightened, screaming rage while I tried to figure out how to get it OUT of my house.

At that time, I thought it had come in with some potted plants I purchased at Meijer. My husband and I are nature lovers, so we found a way to catch it and set it free in the woods near our home. (I posted a story about that.)

Then, a couple months ago during an extremely cold spell here in Ohio, we heard little scratching noises in the night and found another "Molly" in the dog's food dish. This time we felt sorry for the little mammal because it was so cold, and we had a foot of snow outside. We fixed up a nest in a large trash can until the weather got warmer when we could set it free. We wrote the name "Molly" on the outside of the can reminding us not to accidentally put trash in there. We bought some hay and mice food and gave it some water. (Couldof just used dog food!) Again, we figured maybe the first 'mole' had some babies, and this was one of them.

A couple nights later, we found "Molly" in Sheba's dog dish again. (Now we were afraid to clean out the dish for fear "Molly" would search someplace else for food!) We were confused? How did Molly get out of the large trash can? But, when we dumped "Molly" back into the trash can, we found the first "Molly" still there - quite dead.

This time, we said (I said!), "Enough is enough"! We dumped them all out into the field far away from our house. Phew. By now I'm getting paranoid. I'm not feeling like giving them names and offering a warm nest until spring! GET THEM OUT OF THERE!

We don't have any other 'bugs' in our home. No ants. No roaches. No mice. Not even a flea! But suddenly, we have yet ANOTHER "Molly" enjoying a Purina feast in the dog dish!

By now I'm refusing to walk into the hallway by the kitchen at night! I'm checking the dog dish every 3 minutes, and my heart is jumping out of my chest. THIS IS NOT FUNNY ANYMORE! We're up to SIX and I'm searching the Internet to see how many babies moles have at one time! (You don't want to know.)

Finally, Jim does an extensive search of the kitchen and determines that the family of "mollies" are coming from the hot water closet just off the kitchen (or in the corner of it). He says there are "only two more and we'll have them all".

During the next couple evenings, we 'catch' the last two in Sheba's bowl and carefully take them way out by the creek and let them go.

Calm at last. I'm still walking carefully by Sheba's bowl. Sheba is blind and hasn't ever noticed the extra company in her dish. Not even when she stuck her head in and started nibbling on a "molly ear". We heard the squealing and 'rescued' that one just in the nick of time.

Okay, so we got the 'last two', and I start scrubbing the kitchen floor with every kind of cleanser on the market.

Until last night....There was another little "Molly" calmly cleaning out the dog dish again!

I carried the bowl outside walking barefoot in the ice and frozen ground to dump her back to nature (well maybe a little extra hard TOSS) back to nature. I believe that is Molly Number Nine!!!!!!!

Tonight Jim taped up the bottom of the door to the hot water closet with cardboard. We think maybe they have a super highway into the closet from deep underground through a water pipe that comes into the house (if there is such a thing). We're looked outside and there may be a spot, although it's hard to tell.

A Internet search suggests that it's not a mole (or moles) but most likely a shrew family that has made a down payment on our home.

Hey, the Obama bailout is only for humans!

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions - or would like to make a timeshare exchange, please contact me at my email bestnurse@usa.com.

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Happy Birthday Philip Cash

Happy Birthday to my youngest son, Philip. Wish I could be there to throw you an ice-cream cake party on February 19 (even though that was a teen thing)! You are soooo special, and I'm very, very proud of you. A loving son, wonderful husband and excellent teacher!!!!!

(Pictured as Teacher-of-the-Year 2008 holding the tiger.)

Also, Happy Birthday to my long-time friend friend, Tania (who probably won't see this as I don't think she does computers very much.) We've known Floyd and Tania over 25 years!

For those of you who don't get my postings by email, my latest posting is on my other blog HERE. or http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com/

(Looks like I have to fix that link on this blog.)

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

My New Site for Grocery Deals

I've been posting at my new site. Check out all the free groceries I'm getting using those cheap little coupons HERE or at http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com (Thanks again, Buffy, for getting me started!)

I'll post about my new nursing schedule and clinical rotation soon. Bohecker College seems to have difficulty finding places for us nursing students to train at facilities. We have a 15-week rotation at a nursing home! They have our class plus - I hear - 75 OTHER nursing students at one facility!

The first thing I noticed is that the 180+-bed facility smells bad! One first inspection, the employees seem friendly... Wish me good luck that I'll hold my tongue and my nose.

By the way, all of you know about my friend, Buffy. Their 3-year old son is in the hospital and they don't know what's wrong. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. He is in a lot of pain. The parents are very worn out staying with him around the clock with two other small children at home.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda



Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Update On College Grades

Enough about coupons and savings. I created another blogsite just for that. It's called Good Deals and Free Meals and can be found HERE or http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com I'll post my interesting shopping stories there. I seem to have an interesting shopping experience every time I buy something. Still learning the ropes. Like showing my store membership card before I had over the coupons. Coupons are not doubled if you don't.

Back to the present...I got my grades in the mail today. My GPA is 3.69 Wonderful for an old lady huh? Well I'm quite young at heart and in spirit! Thanks to all my followers for cheering with me.

Dare to Dream and to Follow Your Dreams.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Save Money With Coupons or IOU $10 - Part 2

Flickr photo

In my previous post, (dated 2010 so it will stay at the top of the page), I challenged you to try my system and save $10 on your next grocery shopping trip or I'd give you $10 CASH.

I'll try to keep this simple because if you're serious about saving LOTS of money, there are great websites for couponing 101. The Icon at the top left of this site is one that I use often because other bloggers have found the best deals of the week at specific stores. I check to see how many coupons I have for the special, and off I go (singing all the way).

About coupons and why you save more than .40 cents...

There are two or three major 'booklets' of coupons that are inserted into the Sunday newspaper of your town - or retrieved from the paper recycle bins around town. Or, by asking friends or co-workers for theirs. (I check the mail box trash cans in the apartment complex where we live and/or grab several when the weekly grocery store circulars are posted near our mailboxes.) I've been known to go out and buy an extra Sunday newspaper at the drug store too. (In our town, the Drug Mart sells the Sunday paper or a dozen eggs for .99 on Sunday.)

The weekly coupon circulars (booklets) are called: Red Plum and SmartSource. Today I signed up to get Red Plum by mail (for free). Get info how to use these HERE. (I think there's a GM but I don't know what it is yet.) One other great way to get manufactures coupons is to print them from different sites that are easy to find on the Internet. Google your favorite brand or google simply 'coupons'. Caution; some stores won't accept the online coupons printed from your printer because people have made copies and used them wrongfully. Ask your store to be sure.

(Meijers said they are going to stop taking the home printed ones and WalMart says they don't, but that's okay.)

One last way to get the coveted coupons has been right under your nose every time you shop! They are called 'blinkies". Those little black boxes sticking out all along the isles in the store - sometimes blinking! They spit out coupons for cents off which is usually DOUBLED at the check-out counter. For greatest savings, save and use these coupons (take several) when the item is ON SALE someplace. It doesn't have to be used at that store.

The point is that you need as many coupons from the coupon circulars and blinkie boxes as you can get so that you will have MORE coupons for that great grocery deal. When peas go 'on sale', you want to buy 5 cans of peas for .20 each instead of just one. (IE 5 coupons).

Today I took a couple hours (it does take organization and time) to preview the weekly sales at Giant Eagle and Kroger for items that we use. You would be shocked at the difference in prices and specials between each store! At GE, I found the frozen veges on sale for 10/$10 or $1 each. Now for the good part...I had several (wish I had more) for .50 off of each box. At Giant Eagle and Kroger, they DOUBLE the coupons so I got $1 off of each box - or FREE. Plus I had a coupon for .65 off for three boxes. (I'm wondering if I needed to use the .65 coupon if I was already getting them for free, but I'm still learning.)

Also, the Betty Crocker brownie mix was on sale for $1.65 a box. (I use this to thank the maintenance staff for fixing our thermostat). I had coupons for .55 off which would be doubled even though the coupon says DO NOT DOUBLE. I figured .65 a package was a good deal, but when I got to the store, the brownie mix without walnuts was on sale for 10/$10. Guess what? Those ended up being FREE too with each coupon that I had.

At Kroger, they are promoting the '50% less salt' cans of veges. They had blinkies with .30 off coupons. (I also had several I printed out from online.) The cans were on sale for .80 cents each. Kroger doubled the .30 coupons AND accepted ANY of the veges (not just those with less salt), so I got each can for .20. I could have gotten a dozen cans (or more), but I'm too new at this to be that hoggish. I did stock up on corn, peas, and green beans at .20 a can!

Soup is a great coupon steal too. (Same story).

The other day, cheese was on sale for 1.49 at Kroger. They also had the blinkie boxes with coupons for .75 off DOUBLED which made the cheese was FREE. When the word got around town, those blinkie boxes emptied fast. I went to four different Krogers (we have 5 Krogers within 5 miles of our home) looking for some coupons and finally found one that still had a few coupons left. I have cheese in the freezer. Gave cheese to John, and still wondering what to do with all my blocks of cheese.

It doesn't have to be FREE to be a great deal if it's something you want. I found out about a new diet fruit juice when I got a $1 off coupon in the mail. Kroger had it on sale for 2.99 but since it was something I wanted to try, I was happy to use my $1 off coupon (they only double up to a dollar) and get it for $1.99.

By the way, I created an email just for signing up for 'stuff'. It's called junkforme@myself.com and another one workingmomlinda@yahoo.com . Every day I sign up for more coupons and manufactures FREE samples in the mail. (I don't mind that kind of junk mail!).

I think you get the point. Jim's waiting to get his supper so I must stop for now. Later I'll explain how you never need to pay again for toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, bath soap, shampoo, makeup, and MORE. Save coupons, watch sales and get these items for FREE for the rest of your life. Some people actually use 20+ coupons when these things are on sale at drug stores and have a year's supply on hand - or sell them at yard sales or eBay. (Hint. Leave some for the next person.)

Let me know if you have any questions and please let me know about the exceptional deals that you find in your neck of the woods.

I'm - Singing in the snow because I'm in the know!

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Free Groceries Every Day or IOU $10

Would you like to save 50-90 percent on your grocery bill and have fun doing it?

A few weeks ago, told you how I was starting to use coupons to save money, and I'll bet most of you said to yourself, "Yea, but I don't buy those foods. It's not worth saving a dollar or two for all the trouble. Generic is cheaper."

Not so, my loyal readers. Just not so. Can I show you some secrets about using coupons (or not) and promise to save you at least $10 next time you go shopping? If you don't save at least $10 following my methods on your next grocery trip, write me and I'll GIVE you $10!

Right now I have to go put away 5 bags of groceries that I just got for less than $7. (Yes, that's seven dollars!) It includes 8 cans of peas, corn, and beans .
1/2 gallon of orange juice. 2 muffin mixes. 4 brownie mixes. (Some for John). Boxes of cereal. (Some for John). Bags of frozen veges. Loaf of bread. 3 cans of Pillsbury dinner rolls. Several cans of tomatoes. Two big jars of Prego speg. sauce. (Some for John). And a little stash of goodies I won't mention. I had to make TWO trips from the car with these groceries!

When I come back, I'll post some loosely guarded secrets and some excellent links to start you on the way to the grocery store singing all the way!

Do you want this or not? Take the $10 challenge.

Take Care on the Journey,
~ "Laughing Linda"

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

Response To Grades - From My Son

(For those who get my postings by email and don't read my blog, I'm posting this separately. This just made my day.)

"If everybody mails you $5 for every A, you will get rich quick! My check is in the mail! (gotta start making up for all those times you gave me lunch money to go skiing) anywise, A+P is NO joke. The nursing students that take my class have to take it, and they say that is hard to even pass. They do well in Spanish class because they are used to making the notecards. Good job Mom! I am truly proud and happy for you! -Billy"

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com

My Grades First Quarter at Bohecker

- BREAKING NEWS -

January 2009

The grades are in the mail, but by checking bulletin boards, emails and talking to a professor or two, I have put together the final grades for my first term (of four) in the RN program here at Bohecker College.

Although several of you have given me solid confidence and support, I know that no one is as relieved and more happy than I am for making it through a successful quarter. I've missed a couple important birthdays and didn't post as often as I would have liked in order to study full throttle ahead!

Here are the final results...

Psychology 95%.
Pharmacology 100%
English 99%.
A&P (The dreaded subject) I made a 90% for my final grade!
(I made 88% on the final test!)

Yep, I have never been the smartest when it comes to bookwork. I've even failed a college class or two as I attempted to take the RN program in past years. So, this news is more significant for me than you can imagine!

Thanks for all your support and faith in me!

Now I'm going to sleep for a week.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com