Free Coldplay Album

As a Thank You to all their fans, Coldplay has made their new album available to download, for free from their website. You can go here: http://www.coldplay.com/lrlrl/lr.html Enjoy!

Free Gift at The Body Shop

I received this deal in my email a few days ago. It is valid until May 27th or until supplies last. You can get a free skin care travel kit with a $30 purchase at The Body Shop. The kit is worth $30, and you can choose from three different types. One for sensitive skin, oily and all types. The Body Shop has some great products. I personally love their body butters. Also check out their specials. They change, but right now they have buy 1 get 1 50% off, different product and buy 3 soaps get 1 free. Also, the Peppermint Foot Spray is marked down to $5, it was $10.

Mother's Cookies

I am so very excited that Kellogg's has bought Mother's Cookies and is now putting out their products. Today, my husband came home from work with a surprise. Two bags of Mother's Animal Cookies. I was so very upset when I found out that Mother's had gone out of business and I was no longer going to be able to enjoy one of my childhood favorites.

I don't need to worry any longer. If you have been missing those famous animal cookies, just check your local grocery store. They just might be there.

Ireland Vacation

Last year, my family took a vacation to Ireland. This is a vacation that I never would have dreamed we could have taken, much less afford to go on. I was lucky to find a great deal and was able to take this dream vacation. I received and email from Septre Tours and they had a great deal that I could not pass up. A couple of days ago, I receieved another email with a similar offer that I used and I wanted to share with you. The deal is $499, per person for 6 night stay in a townhouse, air and car in Ireland. This is a remarkable price and they have other offers available too.

Ireland is wonderful place to visit. I wish that we had more than a week to visit. I will definitely be visiting again. We stayed in Waterford, which is a beautiful town. Everyone there is so very friendly. I hope that you are as fortunate as I was to take advantage of this offer. If you do, let me know about your trip.

Crock Pot Refried Beans

This is a very loose recipe. I'm not one who follows recipes. I kind of just make things up as I go along, and I go by my own taste.

Anyway, I use to think that making refried beans would be difficult, boy was I wrong. They are so easy to make. And very inexpensive. You can buy a bag of pinto beans for a little over a dollar at most grocery stores. I use 1/3 of a bag for my family of four. You can use as much or as little as you need.

Put the beans in a bowl full of water. Make sure the water covers all the beans. Soak the beans overnight or for at least 8 hours. This softens the beans and releases some of the gasses.

Drain the beans and place them in the crock pot. Cover the beans with water. Now this is were you add your seasonings. I add different things all the time. You can add whatever your family likes. I always add onion powder and garlic powder. And a few other things that I find in the cabinets. Go crazy and have fun with it.

Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. After the beans are cooked and soft, turn the crock pot off or if it has a warm setting you can choose that. Get a potato masher and mash the beans. You can mash them as little or as much as you like, it is what you prefer.

When you are ready to eat, take the beans and put them in a pan and fry them. That is what makes them refried beans.

You can top them with cheese or put them in your tacos or burritos. Enjoy!

Electrasol/Finish

I have been using Electrasol, now called Finish for about a year now. I usually used whatever I had a coupon for, or what was the cheapest product available until I tried Finish. Target always has Finish for a great price, so tried it. I was incredibly impressed. I am one who usually rinses my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. With Finish, I didn't have to do that. The dishes came out clean. There are no water spots on the glasses when dried. There is no residue left on the dishes. I also like that they are tablets. It makes it much easier to grab a tab and put it in the dishwasher, instead of dealing with the powder or the liquid. Not that I make a mess or it's hard, but the tabs are just easier.

I still use other products if I find a deal on them, but Finish is the best dishwashing detergent I have used so far. You can usually get a box of 36 tabs for $4.99 at Target. If you have a coupon, you can get an even better deal. Finish usually puts out a coupon every couple of months.

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to wish all you Mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you are able to have a nice relaxing day.

If you do not know the history of Mother's Day, here is bit about our special day.

The tradition of this holiday seems to have stemmed from an English celebration in the 1600's honoring the mothers of England called, "Mothering Sunday." Employees were given the day off to visit their mothers, and many people gave their mothers a special treat called a "Mothering Cake." With Christianity came a different celebration called "Mother Church," which honored the spiritual protection from the church. This holiday eventually combined with "Mothering Sunday" to form one day of celebration.

In 1907, a woman from Philadelphia, named Ana Jarvis, started a campaign for National Mother's Day to be held on the second day of May in honor of her mother. Her mother, also named Ana, died two years earlier in 1905. She gave her daughter the idea after she organized a "Mother's Friendship Day" to heal lingering emotional wounds of the Civil War.

Finally in 1914, Woodrow Wilson made an official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national holiday. West Virginia was the first state to recognize the holiday, and today the holiday has spread beyond the USA to countries such as Australia and Denmark, which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

Source: Biography.com, Holidays on the Net