Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

These days, people are doing anything they can to save money.  But what about those extra necessities, like medicine that seem to cost an arm and a leg even with a prescription plan?  Thank goodness my medical benefits at my agency are great, but it's something that as a non profit we are always worried about losing or having to pay more money towards.  On my salary?  Paying more towards my premium or for a prescription is something i couldn't afford. 

 

Knowing about the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens can really mean a huge savings for families that are struggling, or just for people who want the most out of their medical coverage.  Right now they are offering a special discount on annual membership-For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family including pets!  For individuals, the cost is only $5.  Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, diabetic supplies, as well as savings on more than 8,000 brand name medications are only some of the benefits.  Why not make the coverage you're paying into go the extra mile?

 

Stay updated by liking Walgreens on Facebook or following Walgreens on Twitter @Walgreens.

 

 

 

 

Missoni Accomplished

Missoni, instead of mission. I kill me.

But seriously.  The mission, should you choose to accept it, is the constant quest to debrownify the living room.  As frugally as possible.  I have been on this mission for years....and by golly, it may actually be accomplished. 

Allow me to set it up for you-You're in the Targ.  You see 2 turquoise ottomans that are a little too flashy for this space so you don't pay attention to price.  You later have remorse....internal dialogue goes something like this.  "Hmm, those ottomans were turquoise with silver bases.  They would debrown.  But they were fancy pants ish.  I'm pretty sure they were expensive anyway.  Let's look online and torture ourselves."  You type in turquoise ottoman.  Those fancy ones are no where to be found on their website.  But what's this?  Missoni for Target online clearance?  Internal dialogue happens:  "Would it be chevron overload?  Is there such a thing?  What about all the other stripeyness happening in this room?  That's a great price.  Should i get one?  Two?  The one in black and white for the basement?  We'll put this one in the basement if it doesn't work here so hold off on the black and white one."

3 days later, here she is in all her chevron aqua goodness.  Consider this living room thoroughly debrownified.

Still hating the tv cabinet and the end tables, though.  I said we were done debrowning, not tweaking.

Look at that adorable little face peeking behind the new ottoman. 

Just waiting for her chance to join me.

And lest we forget the brownier before pillows and ottoman, here ya go.  Methinks the old ottomans could become a redo project, but they need to be cushier as well as covered.

So what did this fabulous new find put me back??

826.69 from all modern?!?!

249.99 from west elm?!?

Nay.  33.99.  Seriously. On sale from 99.99.  How stupid am i for not buying the black and white one?  Super stupid, because after stalking the website for days, there ain't nothing there. 

What's your latest "one that got away" that you're kicking yourself over?




Showing this puppy off at before and after party @ thrifty decor chick, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, Amaze me Monday @ Dittle Dattle, Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter,  DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff, Met Monday, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing,  nifty thrifty tuesdays @ coastal charm Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design, sugar and spice @ 733, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman winter blues @ diy by design, whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, 100 and Under @ Beyond the Picket Fence, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, hooking up @ house of hepworths, Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue, open house @ no minimalist here, share awesomeness @ 36th ave,   Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloogy Reading @ Serenity now, Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, Addicts Anonymous @ A2D, frugalicious friday @ finding fabulous, refresh your nest @ making lemonade,  show and tell fri @ my romantic home, free for all @ 5days5ways, home sweet home @ charm of home

once, twice, three times a (lucky) lady

Isn't that what they say, that things happen in threes? So there was my lucky streak, and these are the goodies i so humbly won.

Judy had a giveaway from Elemenopillow, and i got to choose this set of fun and funky turquoise pillow covers.  I have to tell you that Karen from Elemenopillow is fabulous.  In the middle of hectic holiday orders from people who were actually paying for her goods, she worked with me to find the best fabric (she wasn't pleased with the batch she got of another pattern) and created a custom order with the pattern on both sides.  Then she shipped them super quick, and they are great quality. I highly recommend working with her if you were interested in pillow covers. 

Then Myra had a Wuslu giveaway-I can't wait to pick something from them!  I've bought this corner unit in the past, and i looove it.  It holds all my getting ready in the morning goodies, like makeup and hairspray and brush.  Yet it looks super nice, right? 

And then, my final win, Gail had a Partylite giveaway, and i chose these items from the clearance section!  These prices were ridiculously better than the original price.

Faux bois candle holders! 

And a dual usage candle holder or reed diffuser.  However, this can only be used with a partylite reed diffuser, which i did not realize, nor do i have.

I just thought it looked neat sitting together or apart as bookends or something.

Thank you to all the companies and the blogs that held the giveaways, i am super appreciative.

Who else is on a winning streak?  Speaking of winnings, anyone have Oscar predictions or must see movies of the year?  Beginners with Christopher Plummer was my favorite this Oscar season.

If it makes you happy

It's been, like, a really long time for not blogging.  I haven't gone on an exotic vacation.  I've been here, right here, trying to comment and sometimes being able to comment on blogs.  It's amazing how easy it is to not blog.  These 3 weeks have flown by.  At least for me...i'm not really sure if you've noticed my absence. 

This transition into the new year was really hard.  My dad's birthday was January 7th.  Instead of celebrating with him, i went to the cemetery and laid flowers on the disturbed earth where we buried him 5 months ago.  There is no gravestone yet.  I suppose that's better, as i know seeing his name etched in stone will be greatly upsetting. 

I found this on a blog this week:

Source: urbansavior.com via Paloma on Pinterest

Yes.  I need to do that.  What makes me happy and what do i need to do more of?

Travel.  Specifically of the passport stamping kind.

Theater.  Specifically of the musical variety.

Shopping.  Specifically of the clearance deals.

Reading.  Specifically of the women centered fiction genres.

Sunday.  Specifically of the feline that is mine.

The boyfriend.  Specifically focusing on demonstrating how much i love and appreciate him and his genius ways.

 Sheryl Crow asked "If it makes you happy, why the hell are you so sad?"  Because you have to actually DO the things that make you happy.  Travel costs money, but i love it. It doesn't do any good to want to travel and not actually do it.  You can't take your money with you when you leave this earth. 

So we're going to Aruba for two weeks in the spring.  Aruba was my dad's favorite place in the world-he and my step mom were even declared honorary citizens by the government and were written up in the local newspaper.  Even last year, in between rounds of chemo, he fought to be able to go and feared it was his last visit.  I know he'd be thrilled for us to experience and share his love of this island, and it is my way of honoring him this first year the island will be without him. 

All the while doing more of what makes me happy. 

So what do you need to do more of?

2011-A Rehashing

2011. 

Things started off strong this past year, in terms of home improvement tweakings.  A Christmas gift from the boyfriend prompted our master bedroom to receive the paint it had been waiting 3 months for.  You see, in October 2010 for my birthday, all i wanted was the bedroom to be painted.  I even bought the paint.  You read that right...for my birthday...I bought the paint. My gift was going to be not actually doing the painting myself, and we'd finally quit treating the whole upstairs as an afterthought.



Turned out to be one of my most popular posts.  Warning, if you click through, you will be singing Boy George the rest of the day.

Then i got the strong urge, and better decorating ideas since i'd been doing this whole blog thang, to de-brownify the living room.  Let's enhance the light blue, and finally, embrace the chevron craze.  I also saw napkins in a whole new way.





I felt it was time to grow the blog, as we were now celebrating our one year blogiversary.  Shout out to my bloggy friend Jill for twisting my arm.  The summer would bring additional guest posts and a facebook page (which i still find pointless).

But the biggest blow in 2011, and that which defined my entire year, was my father's diagnosis of the bastard known as pancreatic cancer.  I could barely post, and when i did, it was random crap.  I just couldn't spend energy composing some witty or amusing commentary when i was in hell.  Nor was I in the mood to do anything terribly creative.  There are literally less than half the posts than in the previous year, and this was after proclaiming i was going to "grow the blog."

We pretended everything was going to work out, and went to Spain for a much needed 2 week reprieve from thinking.  It worked, but made it all the more depressing to come home and know what we were having to face.





I posted this in August when things were getting bad and i didn't want to think, but didn't want to not blog either.  We had actually gone on the trip back in April, so for time line purposes it falls here.

Taking to the outside of our home, we got rid of the mudpit!  I think S did a fabulous job here, considering we spent so much of the summer at my dad's house. 



On August 25th, 2011, barely over 4 months ago, my father passed away.  Devastated.  Still devastated.



That's me as a happy little girl celebrating Chanukah.  Much different than how i viewed this holiday season, the first holidays and birthdays without him all occurring in these recent months.

Because of that, i hardly decorated for my favorite time of year, Halloween and Autumn. 



Just a used car lot for Autumn and winter whites and snowflakes now.



That brings us to the end of the year, and the beginning of a new one in only a few days.  As much as i want this year to be over and done with (as my family also lost my step pop-pop), it is truly unimaginable that now, year after year after year, will be years spent without my father. And for that, honestly, i don't want this December to come to an end. 

But.  There's nothing i can do about that.  I just hope that 2012 brings us, and you, my friends and readers, a drastically different and positive year.  Thanks for sticking with me.

Yabba Dabba Don't

This post has nothing to do with decorating. For Winter.  Or for holidays.

This post has nothing to do with the house.  No basement updates.  No thrifty finds.

This post has to do with fashion.  A first for this blog? A fashion faux pas.

Scrolling through reader, I came across a post from La Dolce Vita.  Noticed something a little familiar about the fashion choice of the Olsen on the right...

Does it remind you of anything?

?

?

?

Ah yes.  There it is. 

"Barney, my pebbles.  Tis the season to be sharing, Fred".  Remember that xmas commercial? 

 There you go, maybe this post has to do with the holidays after all.

Have you ever unintentionally dressed like a cartoon character?

Intentionally, then?

winter in white

I'm being seasonally lazy this year! Just like for fall, when i didn't change the decorations for halloween, i'm now in winter decor mode, and have yet to add in any xmas or chanukah. And i'm not sure that i even will.  Aside from the tree, this set up could take me straight through the whole season.

Hehe, if you look in the mirror you see a sans decorated tree in the above photo, and then with ornaments in the photo below.  I added some extra snowflake ornaments to even further winterfy this table/quasi mantel.  Those white "snowballs" are part of my summer woven ball filler, but i thought they could work for winter grouped in this way. 

This is the maiden voyage for this tree, and she ain't so bad.  Much narrower than our other tree, yet much better for the space.  And she went up in literally one, two, three....as opposed to our usual assembly line of "find correct branch color.  separate into piles.  fluff each branch.  add to tree.  repeat.  repeat.  repeat" over an hour or so.  Not to mention then string the lights.

I was suckered into spending 10 bucks on this sparkly winter beauty.  And by suckered, i mean i saw it, and i needed it. Darn you, big lots and your aisles of seasonal goodness!

Continuing with the white, we adorn the outside.  And by we, i mean the boyfriend.  No way I'm going onto the roof for those dormers!

Frosty aglow and gentlemanly.

His big lot friends (who miraculously have lasted through 4 years and were 8 bucks for the pair).  That left guy looks like he's up to no good with that smirk.

Because we're on the corner (hence the name of this blog) S thinks it means the lights need to span the entire perimeter...

And circle the entire house.  He threatens to add lights to the bump out (which you can kind of see above the sunroom) and to around the detached garage.  I fear it would be bordering on Griswald-esque if that takes place.

I promise there's nothing green being projected on the house-that's got to be coming from the street light.  In case you were wondering if that green glow was purposeful.  Surely not on my neutrally decorated half Jewish house.  Surely not.

  Don't you love seeing other people's lights up?  It's the internet equivalent of driving around aimlessly-think of the gas we're saving! 

Christmas scapes @ It's Overflowing, Vignettes @ French Country Cottage, Mantel Party @ Southern Hospitality, Tablescapes @ The Lettered Cottage, Mantel Party @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia,  2011 Holiday Mantels @ From My Porch to Yours, Xmas Mantles @ Home Stories A-Z, Xmas doors and porches @ At The Picket Fence, Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, Amaze me Monday @ Dittle Dattle, Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter, Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT, DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff, Met Monday, Xmas Outdoors @ Sassy Sites, Tabletop tues @ A Stroll Thru Life,  Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design, How Pinteresting @ The Vintage Apple, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, 100 and Under @ Beyond the Picket Fence, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, SAS @ Just a Girl, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, Addicts Anonymous @ A2D, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloogy Reading @ Serenity now, Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life, Open House @ The Answer is Chocolate,