Remember when people used to polish shoes and get them repaired at the cobbler? I do. We had a great cobbler in the town where I grew up - and that was inside the Washington Beltway!

This time of the year it's good to remember to take care of our shoes. We've been walking through salt and snow perhaps and treating them rather roughly. Help your shoes last longer and keep them looking nicer by using shoe polish!

And to get started right hop on over to Frugal Upstate and enter Jenn's giveaway for a Kiwi Shoe Protection Kit. Included in this kit are:

Kiwi Express Cream Polish-In just a minute give your shoes a great shine, cover scuffs and restore colors-with no buffing!

Kiwi Express Shine Sponge-A great on the go solution! Clear shine liquid and just a touch of color in the sponge.

Kiwi Suede and Nubuck Cleaner-Remove dirt & dust while conditioning & softening the leather.

Kiwi Suede and Nubuck Protector-Creates an invisible shield of a special polymer that protects your shoes against water stairs so they look newer longer.

Kiwi Fast Acting Cleaner-make your sneakers look like new again by swiftly & effectively removing stains.

The winner will also receive a coupon good for $1 off any Kiwi product!

This is definitely a Cool Idea!

These coupons are available on Cellfire for Kroger and Safeway starting Tuesday 03/09/10 can be saved until Monday 03/22/10 and expire Monday 04/05/10. Hop on over to the Cellfire coupon bar and grab yours today!

Pillsbury Frozen Grands! Save $.75 - Save $0.75 when you buy any TWO Frozen Pillsbury® Grands!® Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls, OR Mini Cinnamon Rolls


Betty Crocker Potatoes Save $.40 - Save $.40 when you buy any flavor Box or Pouch Betty Crocker® Potatoes (Except Potato Buds®).



Romano's Mac Grill kit Save $1 - Save $1.00 when you buy any flavor Romano's Macaroni Grill® Restaurant Favorites® Dinner Kit.

Yoplait® 32oz Save $.55 - Save $.55 when you buy any flavor 32 OZ. Yoplait® Yogurt.


Honey Nut Cheerios Save $.55 - Save $0.55 when you buy ONE BOX Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal.


Select Cheerios® Save $.75 - Save $.75 when you buy ONE BOX cereal listed- Frosted Cheerios®, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios®, Banana Nut Cheerios®, Fruity Cheerios®, Chocolate Cheerios®



Pillsbury Holiday Cookies Save $.75

Save $0.75 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury® Refrigerated Holiday Cookies



Pillsbury Cookie Dough Save $1 - Save $1.00 when you buy TWO PACKAGES any variety Pillsbury® Refrigerated Cookie Dough.


Betty Crocker Cookie Mix Save $.40 - Save $0.40 when you buy any flavor 17.5 OZ. OR LARGER Betty Crocker® Cookie Mix.


Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks Save $.50- Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® Fruit Gushers® Fruit Roll-Ups® OR Fruit Roll-Ups® Fruit Stickerz® Fruit Flavored Snacks.

Green Giant® vege's Save $.50 - Save $0.50 when you buy TWO any variety Green Giant® Frozen Boxed Vegetables.

Nature Valley Granola Bars Save $.40 - Save $0.40 when you buy ONE BOX any flavor/variety Nature Valley® Granola Bars.


Nature ValleyGranola Nut Clustrs Save $1 - Save $1.00 when you buy ONE BAG any flavor Nature Valley® Granola Nut Clusters.

PB Italian Meal Bred Save $.40 - Save $0.40 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury® Italian Meal Breads (Includes any Loaves Breadsticks Dinner Rolls and Pizza Crust).


PB Toaster Strudel® Save $.55 - Save $0.55 when you buy any TWO Pillsbury® Toaster Strudel® Pastries.

Yoplait Kids Zone Save $.80 - Save $0.80 when you buy TWO any flavor Yoplait® products listed: - Yoplait® Go-GURT® Yogurt - Yoplait® Trix® Multipack Yogurt.


Yoplait® Delights(tm) Save $1 - Save $1.00 when you buy any flavor Yoplait® Delights Yogurt Multipack.

Kroger stores Only:
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Save $.75 -Save $0.75 when you buy TWO any flavor Betty Crocker® Box Supreme Brownie Mixes.


Betty Crocker Warm Delights Save $.50 - Save $0.50 when you buy ONE any flavor Betty Crocker® Warm Delights® Bowls OR Betty Crocker® Warm Delights® Minis Bowls.


Fur Fighter Refills Save $1 -Save $1 off Scotch Fur Fighter Refills for Upholstery.

Scotch Fur Fighter Save $4 - Save $4 on a Scotch(tm) Fur Fighter(tm) Hair Remover Starter Kit.

Not blog maintenance. Car maintenance. I'm not sure anyone would notice if the blog went away. Well, someone might. [Hi, mom!] But the car is very necessary as it's our only vehicle.

So, I was at the car dealer for the scheduled mainenance. I had intended to write my post in the waiting room because they have wifi but I got side-tracked.

First I got side-tracked looking for a power outlet. Last time I was there the place was lousy with outlets. Not anymore. Apparently they want you to be online but not using their power. That works great unless you're there more then 2 hours or you have a netbook. I have a netbook. And I was there for two hours.

Then I got side-tracked watching morning television. I never watch TV in the mornings. EVER. When I get back from taking Comfort and Joy to school I get on the computer and start working. I did have my computer on and started going through my inbox but I was distracted by Kelly and Mark [Regis had the day off] and the recap of the Oscars.

It turns out that morning television keeps on going. Who knew? I also didn't know that Kathie Lee is back on TV. I promise not to go on and on about the questionable color of her hair these days. You know, sometimes we should look more our age. I'm forty and she's older than me, you know. This color can best be called "Nice Try". Well, Kathie Lee and Hoda recapped the Oscars - again.

On the way out the service technician mentioned that my car was parked around the corner but that I couldn't miss it. I knew what he meant. It's because our car is bright RED. I let him know that if he had the ear of anyone at Honda that I wouldn't be buying a family-sized vehicle unless it was RED - not maroon, not pumpkin, not sienna, not 'nice try'- but RED!! Yeah, I like colors that aren't putty and beige

So, back to the Oscars how many red dresses did you see? I don't remember any. None that are on my "wow" list anyway. All the "wow" dresses I recall were pastels or jewel tones. In fact, they might actually have been the color of minivans!

We are big movie fans at our house. Joy loves the popcorn at the theatre around the corner from our house. Well, everyone does. The Byrd pops the popcorn fresh every day of the year and melts real BUTTER. Yeah, it's good.

Tonight though most of America will be watching to see how their favorite movies, and movie stars, do against each other. It can be a long night. Longer than most movies and you'll need sustainance, right? Personally, I take advantage of events like this to make nachos usually. Yum!

Just to add some more fun to to the evening Hyundai has pulled together a cute collection of movie related recipes all together in a wonderful blog friendly widget. Check it out for great ideas to whip up tonight, then sit back and have a great Oscar night and Enjoy!

I don't get a lot of invites from Survey Savvy and I qualify for even fewer of them but they usually pay at least $2-4 each and don't take very long so it's worth signing up. These surveys pay by check at your request. Definitely a Cool Idea!

Are you fascinated by American Idol? Or maybe you just tune in everyone once in a while? Either way, have you ever officially voted? I know I haven't.

HCDSurveys is following up on the official network voting to find out what the public actually thinks of the 'official' choices. Everyone who is part of their survey system gets a chance to vote and every vote gets you 50 points. So, in effect, you are getting paid to vote for American Idol. Not bad really.

If you aren't part of HCDSurveys, don't worry. There's still time. Hop on over and sign up and you can still make a difference while accruing points in your account and that is definitely a Cool Idea!

Sending the kidlets to school each day with a healthy lunch that they will actually eat has been a daily adventure. I tried sending cut fruit but it got too mushy. Then I tried to send fruit snack cups but there was too much juice in them and the package was too hard for my 4 and 3 year olds to open by themselves. This was clearly evident on the laundry.

Then I decided to take a fresh approach. What if I made my own fruit cups? The snag was finding a container that would stay sealed properly in transit yet was easy enough for the girls to open by themselves.

One day while I was walking up and down the aisles of the grocery store I saw these Rubbermaid containers and decided to give them a try. They, themselves, are not an inexpensive option necessarily but I will tell you that they work like a charm! They don't leak and they work exactly how I hoped they would.

Now, when canned fruit goes on sale and I stock up I make my own fruit cups for Comfort and Joy's lunch. I get to make sure they eat something good for them and it's a frugal options all the way around. Definitely a Cool Idea!

If you live in NY, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, or LA you're in luck. Juan Valdez and his mule, Conchita, are visiting your cities. Pretty Cool.

If, like me, you don't live anywhere close to those places then you can still enjoy some fun with Juan. Hop on over to What's Behind the World's Best Coffee's and learn what makes Columbian coffee different. Yeah, there's a sweepstakes for a chance to win $10,000 or weeky prizes of COFFEE! Definitely Cool!

Now, go and have fun and enjoy a cup.

The Coupons.com bar has reset and there are some interesting new coupons in addition to the ones we usually find. Scroll through the cereal and yogurt coupons that you usually print out and you'll find a coupon for Gold Medal Flour. Yep. Pretty Cool, too, since people have reported seeing Gold Medal on clearance at CVS in their area. Bundle that up with the coupon and you have some nice, inexpensive flour for baking up bread, cookies, or muffins.

Also, don't forget to load your Upromise e-coupons to your loyalty cards. Sign into your Upromise account and do it before you forget. If you don't have an Upromise account you can click on the bright blue button down the page to sign up. It's super easy and you earn money toward future college savings for anyone you want. That is definitely a Cool Idea!

I saw crocuses in someone's lawn today so I know spring is coming soon so that mean's it's time to think about the garden. Even living in the city we try to plant someting every year so that the kidlets can see it grow. Last year we had cherry tomatoes on the back porch which fed Joy all summer long. I also have a beautiful lavender plant by the front door that the girls pick from as we walk by.

One thing I love to do is double up my blessings. This year I'm building my garden and helping an organization with which I work. SynerGeo does afterschool art programs for city kids. It's a non-profit organization and in this time of economic stress fundraising is a challenge. That's why I've ordered my new plantings from Flower Power.

This is a great fundraiser for SynerGeo because Flower Power will mail the plants directly to you at the appropriate time for planting. Also, plants are guaranteed. If you have any trouble you just give them a call and they will send you a new one or credit your account.

This is entirely online this year so you don't have to worry about contacting me or being near Richmond. The link takes you to our online store and each item will let you know the details about each plant.

So hop on over to Flower Power and check out the beautiful plants. If there's something you were going to buy for your yard anyway why don't you get it here. It'll help a kid have afterschool programs that they wouldn't otherwise get and personally I think that's a Cool Idea. Thank You.