Well the time is at hand :) My co-worker leaves on the 25th for Cuba, so I just wanted to see if anyone had anything they would like to donate. If you have anything, just send me an email at showandtellmeg@gmail.com and I will arrange picking it up from you before he leaves.

So, just let me know!  I will be getting my stuff ready to give him this weekend!

Coupons & Freebies

Go here to print your coupon for $1 off Any The Biggest Loser Protein Product from Designer Whey :)

Go to Romano's Macaroni Grill's Facebook page to sign up to receive a $5 off coupon for your next visit :)

Go here to request your free sample of MojoMilk! You need to fill out the form and then share it on Facebook or Twitter to get the freebie :)

Also, Pear Tree Greetings is offering a completely free kid's stationary set that includes 6 cards :) Just sign up and it's completely free - no shipping or anything :)

I figured we all could use a little something to brighten our week before the weekend begins. So, I'm going to start posting "Friday Fun" each week :) I saw this first item talked about on TV yesterday, and I had to see it for myself:

Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night ... With Bacon

I didn't know whether to laugh or stare in amazement :) Or both :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A House Party Surprise!

Today, I came home to find a small bubble mailer waiting for me. I was very surprised to find it was from House Party :) Look what I got!

House Party sent me two brand new PlayStation 3 Games! A couple of weeks ago, I applied to the PlayStation Online Rewards Program because I heard it would give you credits to download things on the PS Network. I had no idea it would lead to actual free games!

The program is to improve family time with the PS3. I get sent emails every week or so asking me how our family is doing and what we've done on the PS3. That's it! I looked on the website after I opened the package of games and now I see that there are polls specific to these games. Which is fine by me :) I'll be happy to play these for them - and I'm sure my husband won't mind either :)

So, if you are interested, go here to apply for this "After Party" :) Maybe we'll see each other on the PlayStation Network :)

Fun in the Mail

Wednesday:

• Eucerin Lotion Sampls and two coupons for $3 off 2 Eucerin and $1 off 1 Eucerin 
• Nixwax Footwear Cleaning Gel

Thursday: 

• P&G Brand Sampler with Head and Shoulders Endurance and Prilosec Samples
• Quick Cloth Metal Polisher from QCI Direct
• Ground Pork Cook Book

Friday:

•  Coupon for a free bag of Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries
• Fusion Pro Glide Razor with $2 off Pro Glide Cartridge coupon and $2 off Any Pro Series Product

Also, I got my freebies from Paper Coterie. They had a promotion for $40 of free products the week before Mother's Day. I paid an extra $5 to get all three of these custom journals:

Isn't their packaging cute?! I have to say, I am pleased as punch! That $40 credit was a brilliant idea on their part, because I am now a customer for life! The books are wonderful quality, and what a great gift idea! These journals are only $15 a piece :) And they come in that cute box! Sold! You should really check out Paper Coterie if you haven't already. You won't be sorry! 

Fantabulous Food! Strawberry Freezer Jam

While on my awesome Publix trip, I just had to buy some of these beautiful strawberries :)

Now, I'll be honest. My name is Megan and I have a problem ("Hi, Megan"). I constantly buy fresh fruit and it goes bad before I eat it. I admit it. Looking at these pretty berries, I just couldn't let that happen to them. So, I decided to make freezer jam :) Strawberry freezer jam us totally my favorite (it's neck and neck with Peach). I have made this many times before with all kinds of fruits, and my favorite recipe is the one from Sure Jell.

I know that many people find the thought of "canning" intimidating, but really it is very simple and doesn't take long at all! The only things you will need are canning jars (whatever size you choose). I have a few different sizes. I use pint size regular jars for myself and half pint decorative jars to give away - this does make a wonderful gift by the way.

So, without further ado...

Sure.Jell Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients:

• 2 cups crushed strawberries (1 quart of berries + a few extra berries)
• 4 cups of sugar, measured in a separate bowl
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 box Sure.Jell Fruit Pectin

1. Take your quart of luscious strawberries, clean them, then cut the tops off. Then slice the berries a little bit - there's no rhyme or reason to it, I just chunk them up a bit.

2. Now, put small amounts of the sliced berries in the blender or food processor. 

Make sure there aren't too many, or some of them will purée while others remain whole. You want your berries to be just kind of mashed looking, not puréed completely. You still want to have some larger chunks of berry.

Notice the bigger pieces of berries. This is what you want. The recipe states that you can use a potato masher too if you don't have a food processor, which will yield larger chunks of berry.

3. Measure out 4 cups of sugar in a large bowl. I like to use a clear glass bowl so I can make sure it's well mixed later on.

Now measure out EXACTLY 2 cups of fruit mash. It is very important that it is exactly 2 level cups. I use a scoop style measuring cup and then take a knife and run it along the top to make it level. If you have too much or too little, the jam will not set properly. Mix your 2 precise cups of fruit into the sugar until well combined. Make sure you scoop all the sugar off the bottom and have mixed really well.

Set a timer and let the fruit/sugar mix rest for 10 minutes.

4. After your fruit has rested for about 5 minutes, you can make your pectin. Take your box of Sure.Jell 

and pour it into a saucepan with 3/4 of a cup of water. The pectin will be lumpy at first.

Heat the water and pectin on medium heat until just boiling. As soon as it starts to boil, set a timer for 1 minute and stir constantly for the whole minute.

After the minute is over, remove the pectin from heat. It will be slightly more clear and goopy.

5. our the pectin into the rested fruit.

Mix the jam very well until the pectin has combined completely. You need to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. You will feel a little bit of grit as you stir at first and you need to stir until it feels smooth when you scrape the bottom of the bowl.

6. Pour the jam immediately into your prepared jars (prepare the jars by washing in boiling water and air drying). 

You don't have to have a canning funnel (it has a wider mouth to fit the jars), you can just pour it in the jars. The funnel just helps to keep the jars cleaner. Pour the jam into the jars and leave 1/2 inch of space at the top for expansion.

This is about how you want it to look. I like to wipe the lip of the jar just to make sure (if the jam got on there, it will kind of seal the lid on the jar as it sits).

7. Let your jars sit for a full 24 hours at room temperature (I just sit them on the kitchen counter).

The recipe with 1 quart + a few berries will make 2 pint jars and 1 half pint jar. I did have about 2 tablespoons extra that I couldn't fit into the jars. It wasn't enough to put in another jar, so I made the best of it :)

Did I mention how fantastic this jam tastes on ice cream? :) Well it does.

After your jam has sat for 24 hours, put it in the freezer. When you want to start eating it, put the jar into the fridge and let it thaw a little. It will keep keep in the freezer for up to 1 year and in the fridge for 3 months :)

I will warn you, this will ruin you for store bought jelly. Smuckers is a dirty word in my house. This stuff is so good and so easy, you will never go back to store bought :)

This website has a recipe for most any combo of fruit you can think of. I've made Strawberry, Peach, Four Berry, Kiwi and many more. They all come out delicious. I'm very excited to try the Apricot Pineapple :)

Also, if you are interested in giving these as gifts, one of my favorite crafting websites (Lolly Chops) has some really cute free printable labels and tags that fit these jars perfect! You can download a pre-made one or on that you can customize. Add a coordinating square of fabric and a label to the jar and you have gift that it looks like you spent a lot of time on :)

Let me know how yours turns out!

Deals and Freebies For Today

Go here to print out a rebate for for $10 when you buy Osmocote Outdoor & Indoor Plat Food (3 lb size). Apparently it is on sale at Lowe's for $9.97 until 5/23, so it will be free after the rebate :) Purchase must be made between April 1 and June 30, 2011.
*Thanks Who Said Nothing In Life Is Free 

Go here to request 2 free Goodnights Underwear (you can choose girl or boy)! It is on the Sam's Club site, but you do not have to be a Sam's Club member. I requested this a few weeks ago and this must be a new offer, because it let me get this one too :) So if you already got this one, try again!

Go here to and take a quiz to get a free bottle of NixWax Footwear Cleaning Gel :) This is a great site to join. They allow you to get one freebie every 3 months. I took my first quiz back in February and I just got my sample 2 days ago; so it does take a while, but it does come eventually. can't be too picky when it's free, right? :) Also, while you're taking the quiz, it will take a bit of reading to get the questions right. It takes about 10 minutes to complete. And never fear! If you get a question wrong, you can just click refresh at the top of the page and it will give you different questions. So be sure to read or it will take forever!

Go here for a free 1 week supply of Nature's Bounty Moega 3 Fish Oil :)

Super Publix Trip!

**It has been brought to my attention that the Publix coupon listed for the Pedigree Dentastix actually says "Limit One Coupon Per Customer," so technically I should not have been allowed to get the deal that I did. I have checked around to several other blogs and they have all been showing their purchases like me and they did the same thing. So, we all have unknowingly used a coupon the wrong way. I'm sorry to have mislead you all. 

Had a great trip to Publix today. Hopefully this time I give you enough time to get the deals yourselves :)

•  2 bags of Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes, $3.99 B1G1 - Used $2 off Any Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes Target printable coupon = 2 for $1.99
• DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Small Pizza, on sale 4 for $10 - Used $1 off Any DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Pizza coupon = $1.50
• 2 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese with a Touch of Philly, 2 for $5 - Used two $1 off Any Kraft with a Touch of Philly coupons from blinky box (picked up a while ago) = $1.50 each
• 2 Kraft BBQ Sauce, $1.65 B1G1 - Used two $0.45 off Any Kraft BBQ Sauce coupons from the 5/15 Orlando Sentinel = 2 for $0.75
• Wholly Guacamole, $3.19 - Used $1.50 off Any Wholly Product printable coupon (now changed to $1 - sorry) = $1.69
• Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon, $2.79 - Used $2 off Purchase of Both Jennie-O and Wholly Product printable coupon = $0.79
• 2 packs of Chinet Napkins, $2.15 B1G1 - Used two $1 off Any Chinet Product printable coupon (you have to sign up and they email it to you) = 2 for $0.15
• 2 lb bag of Publix Frozen Chicken, $5.99
• BBQ Basting Brush, clearance $1.00
• 2 mini bottles of Sake Gekkeikan, clearance $1.90 each
• French's Worcestershire Saud, $0.99 - Used $0.75 off coupon from the 5/15 Orlando Sentinel = $0.24
• 4 pack of Enegizer D Cell Batteries, $6.99 - Used $1 off coupon from the 5/8? newspaper and $1 off Publix coupon from the 5/15 Orlando Sentinel = $4.99
• 2 quarts of Strawberries, 2 for $5
• 4 bottles of Wishbone Salad Dressing, $2.97 B1G1 - Used two $1.25 off 2 Wishbone Dressings printable coupon and four $1 off 1 Wishbone Dressing Publix coupon (GMGD display at the front of the store) = $0.56 overage
• 12 packs of Pedigree Dentastix, $3.59 B1G1 = Used twelve $1 off Pedigree Dentastix coupons from the 5/1 newspaper (you can print them here) and twelve $1 off Pedigree Dentastix Publix coupon (from the Who Loves You? coupon book at the store) = $2.46 overage

For the entire trip, I paid $33.36 and saved $90.65! That's 73% savings :) I also had my favorite cashier and we talked about the TLC show Extreme Couponing :) The cash register even beeped because I had reached the allowable limit of coupons used and she had to call a manager over to type in their numbers to allow it :) I've never had that happen before! And it was actually fun because of how 'coupon friendly' my cashier was :)

The best was how much my dog liked the Dentastix :) He is very fickle with treats like that, so it was good that he will like them.

At first, her really didn't like me taking his picture...

But it didn't seem to phase him too much :)

So, make sure to print out the coupons I linked to get these deals for yourself! And make sure to check the clearance section. They had a lot of Kosher items if you need some Matzo Ball mix or Kosher Grape Juice :)

Free Sample of Playtex Sport Body Wipes

Go here to request your free sample of Playtex Sport Body Wipes! The sample will include 2 wipes and a $1 off coupon. And while you're there, request your sample of Playtex Sport if you haven't already :) And you can go ahead and print the $1 off coupon on the website as well!

A Few New Coupons

Head over to Disney Movie Rewards and sign in to print a $5 off coupon for the 3-disc Bluray pack of Gnomeo and Juliet. This movie is set to release next Tuesday, so print it now to be ready for the sale!

Then go to Crystal Light's Facebook page, "like" them, and click on the "Special Offers" tab to the left to print a $1 off Any Crystal Light coupon. This is a rare one, so print it now! It expires on 6/18.

Go here to enter for a chance to attend the 2011 ESPYS Awards and when you enter, you will get a coupon for $5 off Any Haircut at Supercuts! *Just as a side note, you will need to have "pop-ups" enabled to get the coupon. The coupon doesn't expire until 7/31 :)

Go here and click on the "Get Coupons" tab in the bottom right corner. You will be redirected to a site with 4 different Scott Naturals coupons (one for each Scott Naturals product). The one I'm excited about is the $1.50 off Scott Naturals Toilet Paper (4ct or more). Walmart has the 4 count for $2.68, so after this coupon $1.18! That's awesome! While you're there, you can also enter to win a Hybrid Car :)

 Also, for your sweet tooth :), head over to The Cheesecake Factory's website to print a coupon for a complimentary slice of cheesecake! The coupon is only valid Sunday - Thursday until 6/28 and for every $30 you spend, you will get a free slice! This means if you spend $60, you get 2 slices and so on. Maybe this can be my birthday dinner :)

A Few Freebies To Request

 Head over to Avery's Facebook page and 'like' them. Then click on the "Like Us Promo" tab to the left and fill out your info to receive 2 free samples of their Flexible Adhesive Badges and a rebate coupon! The sample is only available to the first 10,000 likers so hurry!

Also head over here to score a free sample bag of Rachael Ray's Nutrish dog food! I got mine last week and it came with a $1.50 off treats coupon!

* Thanks Hip 2 Save for posting these deals!

Go to Aldi Quick!

Aldi has a great "Special Buy" sale this week! It's mostly gardening supplies:

2 Gallon Pepper or Tomato Plants - $7.99! And just look at the plants!

This banana pepper plant has so many peppers on it! I bet it would cost more than $7.99 just for the peppers, let alone a plant to keep reproducing them!

Really big jalapeños on these!

And already big beef steak tomatoes!
The sale also included gardening items, such as:

Tomato cages for $1.49 <--- This is a really good price!

This outdoor tool rack is only $9.99!

These items will only be there for this week and they are a first come first serve type of thing - they will not get any more. So hurry over there and get some of these for yourself!