Long before this blog came into existence I was encouraged to write.  I wrote short stories, speeches, essays, competition compositions, the dreaded high school portfolio, and more college term papers than I care to count.  I didn’t always have the courage to speak out, and often soothed myself by writing things down.  Some of my very best work was written in tears, along with some of my worst.
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Are you curious yet about my book?  It is a loose autobiography.  I am not sure that my life is book worthy, but I hope it might help others.
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 I have been plagued by unforeseen accidents, tragedy, poor choices, but I have been blessed with good people.  A doctor and his wife, an unlikely friend, a grandmother who never let me down, and son, all of which play an integral part in shaping who I am today.

It might include the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.  I will probably be accused of airing my dirty laundry, some of which might be unfavorable to me.  I write honestly, maybe brutally honest. The only things that filter me are the writing apps that I use and they only filter out the spelling mistakes!  What other people might view as my mistakes, I view as my triumphs.  If one person reads something I wrote and doesn’t feel alone, I have accomplished my goal.  Some of the most beautiful things in my life stemmed from a broken dream.

I will give you a preview of the heroine.  If Scarlett O’Hara, Pollyanna, Serena van der Woodsen, Jessie Spano, and Ada Monroe were not fictional characters, I would jokingly assume they could be found in my family tree.  The words clumsy, witty, bossy, occasionally ill-tempered, goofy, and kind hearted might accurately describe me.  SPOILER ALERT: She meets her prince charming who is disguised as a slightly nerdy but handsome professor, and they live happily ever after.  Don’t quote me on that yet, those chapters are still being written.  

I generally don’t post about coupons, but I have gotten enough questions lately that it would be easier to post than to type out responses.  Coupons are not difficult to use, the keys are collecting them and matching them to sale or clearance items.  I have a few favorite coupon/deal blogs I follow, they generally alert me to any really good deals.

Coupons on regular priced items rarely make a dent, but when used in conjunction with a sale they can help you score some sweet deals.  I will use the Kmart sale on Purex, Cottonelle, and Viva as an example.

Purex 50oz bottles of detergent were on sale for 4 for $9, they ring up $2.25 each regardless of the number purchased.  There were several nice Purex coupons floating around varying from $1 off each bottle to $1.50 off the purchase of 2.  If you could round up the $1 off each coupon, it brought the price down to $1.25 a bottle before the added bonus of the Catalina printing or the Shop Your Way savings.

Kmart has a free membership based savings program similar to a “Kroger card” called Shop Your Way.  It is free to sign up and you can earn rewards along with additional savings.   Shop Your Way members received an additional $3 off the purchase of 3 designated products during this specific sale.

So what is a Catalina?  I have had this question a few times today.  Catalina’s are the coupons that print at the end of a transaction with your receipt.  They are generally good toward a future purchase.  Catalina coupons generally only print out for a short period of time.  They can often be used with a manufacturers coupon.

A $3 off a future purchase catalina coupon printed with the purchase of 4 bottles of Purex detergent.  I used that catalina coupon toward my next purchase of Viva paper towels, which can be used in conjunction with a regular manufacturers coupon too.  The six pack of Viva paper towels were on sale for $3.99.   I used 3 high value $1 off the purchase of a pack of Viva paper towel coupons, since I was purchasing 3.  This brought the purchase price down to $2.99 a package, and then I used the catalina coupon for $3 off a future purchase to make the package price a $1.99.  This transaction printed a $3 catalina coupon toward a future purchase.

I used a similar senario for the Cottonelle toliet paper which was on sale for $3.99 for a 12 roll pack.  The toliet paper generated a $3 catalina toward a future purchase, and I used it to buy several more bottles of Purex since I had coupons left.

You know that say, “Today is the first day of the rest of you life”?  Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life, but on September 19th  my son had an important first.  He started school, actually preschool.  He isn’t going to just any old school.  I spent many years walking the halls of the same elementary school, just like my mother and grandfather did.  My great grandmother taught there when the school was opened many decades ago.  I can’t imagine a more perfect place for my son to start his education.  He has a wonderful teacher and a classroom full of new friends.  I can’t wait to see what the year holds for him. 

Happy Thoughtful Tuesday,
XOXO
~Jess

Present day University of Kentucky Medical Center

A few months ago I shared my story Salt on a Birds Tail .  I had a terrible accent on July 3, 1986, and broke my arm.  I didn’t “just” break it, that would be atypical of me.  I managed to turn my left arm into a mangled mess. My poor grandmother was so disheveled when she found me, I thought she might loose her mind.  I spent most of that July 4 in emergency surgery, roughly 6 hours.  I think the accident impacted the course of my life, but not as much as the random act of kindness I saw from a stranger.  

I was only six years old so I can’t remember details of his face, but I do remember the outline of a special anesthesiology resident who was very kind to me.  When I reached the University of Kentucky Hospital in the wee hours of July 4, 1986 I was terrified.  The last few hours had been spent traveling from hospital to hospital, the doctors were trying to get a faint pulse of circulation to my badly broken arm.  When I fell from the kitchen countertop onto the hardwood floors of my grandparents house, I had nearly crushed my arm.  It had dislocated the elbow, fractured the radial head miraculously without piercing though the skin, and cut off all circulation to my arm from the shoulder down.  I felt nothing, which given the severity of the accident probably wasn’t a bad thing.  

My beautiful scar

The anesthesiology resident came into my exam room to see me prior to surgery.  I’m sure I was the last thing he wanted to see on a holiday.  I was horrifically frightened five year old girl with a limb threatening fracture.  This will sound cliche, but his presence was almost like an angel.  His demeanor was calming and peaceful.  He left me briefly before surgery and returned with a teddy bear.   I know some of you are probably thinking that I was hallucinating, but I still have the teddy bear.  He was a resident at one of the largest hospitals in the state.  I am sure he saw his share of trauma and bad accidents.  I am positive I wasn’t the only child he had been kind to during his residency.  When I woke up in recovery, he was sitting there watching over me.  I was fighting to wake up but the drugs had not worn off yet.  I can hazily recall him talking me back to sleep.  

I spent July 4, watching fireworks from a wing at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.  I remember having a large collection of stuffed animals and flowers.   My prized possession was that bear.  I doubt that young doctor realized the impact he had on a scared little girl.  His random act of kindness by a complete stranger altered my life.  I was absolutely terrified, and he brought me comfort when I needed it most.  He taught me an invaluable life lesson.  I didn’t know his name or how to find him, but I always knew I wanted to repay his kindness.  

How do you repay someone for changing your life?  I always hoped that I could influence someone else, the way he influenced me.  

There is a passage which is often misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson which reads,

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.“

The faceless and nameless young man became my benchmark for success for many years. 

Happy Fantastic Friday
XOXO
~Jess  

Photo Credit: Raising America

Today is a big day for alot of Mom2.0Summit attendees.  Many of us did Shark Tank for HLN’s Raising America with Kyra Phillips.  The results of the Shark Tank will be announced on air at noon EST today on HLN.  I’m cheering for a few friends including myself.  It was nothing short of an amazing experience and I commend anyone else who had the guts to step up to the plate.  It is one thing to apply for a job or approach someone about  a position.  Everyone in the Shark Tank stood up in a very crowded room with a panel of somewhat intimidating judges, and pitched their story.  You had 2 minutes to state your case and then the judges gave you a red, yellow, or green light.  If you got 3 green lights you were safe, and if you got yellow lights then you had 20 more seconds to state your case. If three or more were red, it was game over.  Luckily for me, my first three lights were green.  My sole red light was from Rena Popp, and I got to chat with her more about that later.  I hope everyone will tune in today and watch the show.  There were so many fantastic auditions.