Exploring the NE Georgia mountains!

Happy 2021, y'all! 

I know - it's been forever.  I'm going to be better about posting in 2021!   

It's been a hard 14 months.  But I'm digging my way out and moving forward. 

Today I am going to share a super-fun place to have lunch in the NE Georgia mountains. 

I first heard about Fenders Diner in Cornelia, GA on Facebook.   I checked out the menu online and knew it was a place I wanted to try.    My friend Katherine came to visit in January from Houston, Texas.  I love when she comes to visit because we stay on the go most of her visits! 

Here we are being goofballs on Snapchat - we have such fun times together! 

This particular day started in my little town at one of our antique stores.  So many cool things to see (and buy!) there.   

Next we headed up to the Amish store in Homer, GA.  It's about 45 minutes from me, but SO worth the drive.  They have every spice you can imagine, in bulk. They sell the marshmallows from Lucky Charms in large bags - yum!! They sell Amish popcorn, jellies, preserves, sauces and more.  Plus there is a deli/meat counter where you can get a sub to go, brisket burgers, and other fresh meat and seafood.  Don't get me started on the Amish butter and cheese!! And chilled sodas in glass bottles that you don't usually find everywhere - like Cheerwine, one of our faves!  They have a nice selection of soup and dip mixes too.  And a few personal care items like CBD oil, natural remedies, and Amish soap.   It's a little bit of everything, and one of my favorite places to shop.  The prices can't be beat, either. 

This gem is called David and Katie's Amish Store, and it is located at 969 Historic Homer Highway, in Homer.  Click here for their Facebook page. They post specials, changes in hours, etc. there, so give them a look before you head up to Homer. 

A few of the goodies I got on this trip.  The dehydrated cantaloupe chunks were amazing.

After we left David and Katie's, we headed up to Cornelia.  Despite living in Georgia for all of my adult life,  I haven't ventured up to this corner of the state much.  We loved seeing Cornelia. It's your typical all-American small town.  And Fender's is the cutest retro diner - both inside and out! 

We started with the Hot Southern Mess appetizer - crispy french fries, topped with sausage gravy, cheese, bacon and jalapenos (we got those on the side). YUM! 

I decided to try the Rockin Chicken - it's a Nashville Hot fried chicken breast served on a huge 1/2 lb cheddar cathead biscuit.  I asked for a side of ranch, and I chose their grits for my side.  They were the best grits ever - super creamy and delicious.  The chicken was HOT and perfect! 

Katherine chose the Southern Lovin' - a Southern fried chicken breast served with a mac n cheese waffle and sauteed green beans.  I only got a pic of that waffle! She said it was all wonderful! 

The service was good and we enjoyed our visit to Fenders.  I'll definitely go back!

Fenders is located at  631 Irvin Street, Cornelia GA 30531.  They have a website and a FB page, too. 

Mural near Fenders in Cornelia, GA 

Nice views looking down from Cornelia.

More from downtown Cornelia. 

We ended our day by heading down 985 to Jaemor Farms store in Lula, GA.  We picked up some fried pies and other delicious treats before heading home.  

We had some other fun experiences while Katherine was here, and I'll try to add those here soon! 

What's your favorite Diner, wherever you live? I LOVE Diners! Leave me a comment, maybe I'll get to try it one day!

Y'all take good care, and thanks for stopping by! 

$25 Family Christian Stores Giveaway! #FamilyChristianStores #FlyBy

Last week I had the opportunity to visit my local Family Christian Store for a little shopping.  They have some great summer sales going on and I was excited to see what I could find.

We were greeted by the salesperson as we entered the store, and she told us about the awesome sales going on.   We headed back towards the journaling Bible section first, but along the way we checked out some of the other sale items!  The wall art is fantastic here - so many beautiful options.   Coloring books, CD's, water bottles, greeting cards, books - they have it all at Family Christian Stores!

I already have the Inspire Bible, which I received as a gift last Christmas.  Even so, I still love to look at all of them, as well as the tools that go with them.  Family Christian has a great variety of journaling Bibles and supplies, and many of these are on sale for 30% off now!  (Think Christmas gifts!)

Speaking of sales: The Family Christian Summer Sale is in full swing right now!
Make the most of your summer with Family Christian’s unbeatable Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off sale on ALL Books, Movies and Music for the whole family! You can mix and match products to get the deal, which means you don’t need to shop within the same department. For example, you can buy a movie at full price, and get a book (or CD or another movie) for 50% off!

This sale is going on now through August 25, so visit your local store or shop online at familychristian.com!  Their website is very user friendly so shopping online is as easy as shopping in their store!

Just a few of the summer sale items you will find in stores and online:

Bible: Journaling Bibles
Description: Select journaling Bibles are now 30% off through August 25! Ignite a renewed passion for exploring God’s Word, whether you’re jotting down notes from a church sermon or recording prayer requests from small group—you’ll have all the space you need. And many of our journaling Bibles are filled with illustrations to inspire and get you started. Choose from 26 styles, and save now!

Book: For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton
Description: Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, ran and lived for the glory of God. This compelling narrative is his untold and inspiring story of athletic heroism and faith in the darkest circumstances—from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during World War II.

Book: Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson
Description: When Evie Blackwell arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining two of the city’s unsolved crimes. As she dives into evidence and develops new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly a third cold case. She’s determined to solve them before she leaves town, and Sheriff Gabriel Thane and his family will be key to those answers. Book #1 of the Evie Blackwell Cold Case series.

Music: H A R D L O V E by NEEDTOBREATHE 
Description: This sixth studio album from NEEDTOBREATE finds the group reflecting on the tumultuous seasons behind their recent albums, Rivers In the Wasteland and The Reckoning, and enjoying extraordinary success while experiencing personal conflict. “We were in a dark place when we made the last record, but to me this album is mostly a story of redemption,” Bear Rinehart said.   H A R D L O V E delves into the world of electronic effects and instrumentation, resulting in a sublimely crafted and expansive sound that reflects the band’s unforgettable live show. Includes lead singles “Happiness” and “Money & Fame.”

DVD: Miracles from Heaven 
Description: Upon discovering her 10-year-old daughter, Anna, has an incurable disease, Christy Beam becomes a ferocious advocate of finding a solution. After Anna has an accident, an astonishing miracle unfolds in the wake of her rescue, restoring her family’s faith. Based on a true story. Stars Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers with Queen Latifah.

DVD: Risen
Description: Risen tells the story of a powerful Roman military tribune and his aide seeking to solve the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the Crucifixion. Their goal: to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Stars Joseph Fiennes and Tom Felton.

New Product Line: Active Faith
We’re thrilled to be the exclusive retail partner for Active Faith Sports! Formed by a group of Christian athletes, Active Faith offers apparel with Christian-inspired designs and messages, encouraging you to share your faith whether you’re on the court, out for a jog or running errands around town.
Pro athletes seen wearing Active Faith apparel include Stephen Curry, Demaryius Thomas, Clayton Kershaw, James Harden and more.  Men's, women's and youth apparel available now!

About Family Christian:
Family Christian is a Christian retailer, operating in 250 stores across the country. They are committed to helping you find, grow, share and celebrate your faith through a wide selection of Christian books, music, Bibles, DVDs, gifts and more.  When you shop with Family Christian, your purchases support their efforts to unite with ministries that are helping children and families in need around the world.

After browsing the entire store, I ended up choosing the War Room DVD, a Fall decorative "tag" that I'll hang on the back door knob in our family room, two sets of tabs for my Inspire Bible, and some little cards for sticking in greeting cards.   I'm going back again soon for a few more journaling items - they had some cute stickers and other accessories that I have my eye on!  The clearance section in the back is also a great place to score some amazing deals on seasonal merchandise!

Now that you've seen some of what they have to offer, how would you like to have the chance to shop at Family Christian with a $25 gift certificate of your own? (in store or online!) They have generously offered to give one of my readers just that - and it's easy to enter via my rafflecopter widget below!

Don't forget to complete the mandatory entry first - otherwise none of your other bonus entries will count!

How we prepared for our juice fast

It's been a busy week here, and I'm really thrilled the weekend is thisclose!! I'm so excited to start our juice fast this Sunday!   My beautiful Katie started her juice fast today.  She watned to try the 3 juice a day fast, but after getting home from her p/t job she decided she wanted dinner!   it's healthy as long as she drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout the day!  Her breakfast juice was:  2 oranges, 1 apple, 2 carrots,1 lime.  For her lunch juice, she had a couple carrots, 1/4 of a peeled cucumber, 2 celery sticks, white grapes, a few leaves of spinach, 1/2 a pear, a little mint & parsley, plus a couple oranges.  She will do this for 30 days. I'm very proud of her - this is a healthy way to get the weight off that she wants to (about 30 lbs), and get a good foundation for how she'll want to eat/drink for the rest of her life, I hope!  So far, so good.

I found this webpage that explains the stages of detox your body will go through during a 30 day fast.  It is pretty amazing!  I know already the first few days will not be fun.  As in - my caffeine addiction is going to have to leave me and I'm not gonna be happy!  Me & diet coke/diet dr. p are like BFF's, it is going to BITE to give that daily fizzy caffeine drink (or 2) up!  But once you hit day 8 of this fast/detox, you are supposed to start feeling good.  I mean REALLY GOOD!  I can't wait for that to happen! Can I fast forward to that, please? lol  : )

Yesterday I went to Aldi & Kroger to get a huge amount of fresh produce.  I spent about $22 at Aldi ~ got a bag of oranges, bag of pears, 4 tomatoes, 2 lbs green grapes, 4 lbs of carrots, bag of Granny Smith apples, bag of Gala apples, a pineapple, bag of lemons, and bag of limes.  Aldi has the best prices,  but it is about a 30 mile round trip for me to shop there.  That is about 2 gallons of gas - so I have to balance the savings with the $8 (appx) I will have to spend in gas to get there too.

At Kroger I spent $25 and got 1/2 watermelon, a pineapple, fresh organic mint, ginger, 2 bunches of spinach, 1 bunch of kale, red grapes, a grapefruit, cucumbers, zucchini, and a bunch of organic parsley.  Eventually I want to transition to organic grapes, apples and greens, too.

Today,  I juiced each fruit separately.  Then, I poured the fresh-squeezed juices into ice cube trays and froze them.  Then I put them in freezer bags, marked with type of fruit, and how many cubes = how much of the fruits. (ie,  I juiced four tomatoes, and got 12 cubes, so 3 cubes = 1 tomato!)  I'll take some pics tomorrow to show you!  This way, I will just pick a recipe, pop the right number of cubes out for each fruit or veggie.  I can let them defrost and then mix them together, or throw them into my blender, and blend.  That way I can have slushies sometimes too!  I am freezing the juice immediately after juicing and I should have enough to make it through next week.  Tomorrow we are going to the Dekalb Farmers Market to get a bunch more fruits & veggies - I'll be freezing some of those as well, but juicing some fresh for the beginning of the week, too. 

Also, I don't want you to think that all I'll be posting about is juicing!  No way!!  I have recipes, crafts and more coming up!  So I'll post a lot more info on my fast on the Juicing Page - check out the link at the top of this page - it's a work in progress! It will have alot more information about juicing, our fast, plus recipes and resources!  If you are interested in juicing, or seeing how we do on this fast, I'd love to have you check that page often! : )

Hope y'all have a great  Friday, and a fabulous weekend too!

The 43rd Annual Yellow Daisy Festival is almost here!

Just got the press release about one of the best arts & crafts shows around , and wanted to share with my Atlanta readers!!  If you haven't been, you've got to check it out!

Celebrating its 43rd year, Stone Mountain Park’s Yellow Daisy Festival (YDF) is one of America’s favorite and most well-known arts and crafts festivals. Featuring more than 400 artists, YDF is consistently voted one of the nation’s top arts and crafts shows by Sunshine Artist Magazine’s Annual “200 Best” survey. This year’s show will be held September 8, 9, 10 and 11 at Stone Mountain Park’s Special Events Meadow.

The Yellow Daisy Festival features 425 crafters and artists from across the U.S. The artists are selected from a pool of applicants by the Yellow Daisy Jury to display their distinctive hand-made work in categories such as pottery, fabric, painting, jewelry, sculpture, dolls, photography, fine arts and crafts and traditional arts and crafts. “One of the best things about the Yellow Daisy Festival is seeing the same shoppers year after year,” said Wendy Thomas, Stone Mountain Park Special Events Manager. “Generations of women come in groups to spend the day shopping and socializing; it is a unique aspect of this event.”  The annual celebration attracts an estimated 200,000 shopping enthusiasts to the four-day event. The event draws multi-generational shoppers as a family pilgrimage to shop for the hot craft item of the year. 

In remembrance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, select YDF crafters are donating a piece of their artwork to be sold in a “We Remember” display. All proceeds from these sales will go to HeroBox, a non-profit organization that supports deployed American service members. More information about HeroBox can be found at http://www.herobox.org/. 

New for 2011, Yellow Daisy Festival shoppers can also enjoy accommodations right inside Stone Mountain Park at Marriott Evergreen Conference Resort. Yellow Daisy Festival Girlfriend Getaway Packages start at $209 a night, include a one-night stay at the newly renovated Marriott Evergreen Conference Resort, breakfast and a meet and greet with this year’s featured artist.

The Yellow Daisy Festival selected chARiTy elise as the 2011 Featured Artist. Originally from Maine, Elise has travelled the globe and currently resides in Tucker, Ga. Her artwork features designs including flowers, leaves, the sun, wavy lines and geometric shapes. This year’s featured artwork is a kaleidoscope design using vibrant colored acrylics on a 19 inch round masonite board. A glowing yellow daisy is predominantly situated in the center of the design. Her artwork will be included on all promotional and marketing materials for this year’s festival.   “It seemed like a perfect kind of design for such a tremendously vibrant festival,” said Elise.

In addition to the unique arts and crafts, the festival offers entertainment for everyone in the family and festival foods to meet a variety of tastes. Throughout all four days of YDF, there will be live main stage entertainment including the JaneDear Girls. The JaneDear Girls are a new breed of country music. They will perform their hit song “Wildflower” Sunday evening. The Children’s Corner will provide crafts, entertainment, face painting and Fair Hair.  The Men’s Den is a great venue for the gentlemen coming to the event that don’t want to miss the big game. The Men’s Den is outfitted with recliners and big screen TVs showing fall football.

Guests may also visit the 40th Annual Yellow Daisy Flower Show at Memorial Hall.  The theme for the 2011 flower show is “Daisy…Fabulous at 40!”  The Yellow Daisy Flower Show runs from September 9-11. The flower show is sponsored by the Redbud District of the Garden Club of Georgia. 

Shoppers can stop by the Humana tent, the festival’s presenting sponsor, for free giveaways and to enter for a chance to win a Stone Mountain Park Annual Pass Package good for four (4) Mountain Memberships. For more information on the Yellow Daisy Festival, please visit http://www.stonemountainpark.com/.

Or watch a slideshow of the event at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09o9uN_IVbI. Listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up and cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die,” Stone Mountain Park is located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. 

To get to the park, take I-285 to Exit 39B, Hwy. 78 East.  Stone Mountain Park is Exit No.8 on Hwy 78. More information regarding Stone Mountain Park attractions and hours of operation is available at 770-498-5690 or by visiting http://www.stonemountainpark.com/.

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* Post includes affiliate links*

My semi-extreme Walgreens trip

Wanted to share, step by step, how I spent under $4 for almost $70 worth of products yesterday.  And to vent a little,too!

So first ~ I made my list Saturday night from http://www.southernsavers.com/ .  I wrote a small CVS list on one side of the paper, Wags on the other.  I used two envelopes - one for each store.  Each envelope held the coupons I needed for that store.  CVS was nothing special, spent under $3, got probably $20 worth of items.  

Drove 2 miles to the Wags in a nearby town, and was dismayed to see a LINE out front!! That's a first!!
I hurried inside with my coupon box, list, and Wags envelope.  Here's what I got:

First transaction:

1 box of Crackerfuls - they had a shelf full of these, yay! Got these for our vacation later this week. On sale for $2, used  $1.50 off coupon, got $2 RR back
2 boxes of Ecotrin (1 for hubby, 1 for my Nana), on sale for 99 c with Wags ad, used 2 $1.50 off coupons
1 pkg Poise pads for Nana -  $5.99, used $5 mfr coupon, plus $1 store coupon
2 6 pks Scott Paper Towels - on sale $3.99, used 2 $1 off coupons - for my stockpile
2 pk Walgreens Sunscreen lip balm $1.99 ( no coupon, need for the beach later this week!)
2 Dixie Bowls $2.99 each -  B1G1,  used $1 off 2 coupon - for vacation
Icy Hot - on sale for 99 cents, used $1 off coupon got 99 c RR back  - for my daughter who has started running!
BC Powder 6 ct - on sale $1.50, got $1.50 RR back - for my husband
4 Right Guard Deodorants on sale B1G1, used 2 B1G1 coupons - for my stockpile - will send to my 2 stepsons in a care pkg later this year
4 packages of candy (need more items to use last week's RR to pay) $1 each for 3 of them, 89 cents for the 4th.  These will be for our vacation!

Paid $2.60 out of pocket after using $13 in RR from last week!

Let 2 people go ahead here - not fair to hold up the line for multiple transactions - couponing etiquette 101!

2nd transaction:
Ritz Crackerfuls - sale $2, used $1.50 coupon, got $2 RR back - for stockpile
Icy Hot 99 c on sale, used $1 off coupon - for my Nana
paid 59 cents out of pocket  
saved $4.99

3rd transaction:
Ritz Crackerfuls - sale $2, used $1.50 coupon, got $2 RR back - for vacation

Icy Hot 99 c on sale, used $1 off coupon - for my Mom
paid 59 cents out of pocket
saved $4.99

Let one person go ahead here.

4th transaction: 
Icy Hot  99c on sale, she adjusted coupon to 99 c (can't have overage)  - for my stockpile
paid .06 (tax)
saved $1.99

total spent out of pocket:
$3.84
total saved:
appx $68
RR for next week:
$21.50 (includes some leftover from last week's Advil purchases)

I'm really happy with what I spent, and what I have for next week!

Here's my vent:
To the woman who felt the need to empty the shelves completely of at least 20 - 30 bottles of the Right Guard body wash, and same with the deodorant - left only 10 or so of those - wow - you must have a stinky family.  Several of us (other shoppers) asked her if there were any left, and she laughed and said no.  Wow.
She also took several *hundred* of the BC powders, (took the entire cardboard display boxes off the shelf - wow!) I asked if I could get ONE 6 ct package, and she did give one up. She also took most of the Ecotrins after I got my 2, she just knocked them into her cart off the shelf. Grrr.

I asked the clerk for help in locating the Icy Hot, it was in a weird place.  I took two from the shelf, and when she found more in the back later during my trip, two more. They are small, and I'm sharing them!  Yep, Mrs. Extreme Couponer took the rest.  Such a great example of what not to be.  Then she did 8 transactions with huge lines behind her.  The cashiers were super-annoyed with all of the couponers after that, and it was not a fun trip.  There were other new couponers there and we were all chatting in line, sharing tips and coupons. That was nice, but the shelf-clearer was the main topic of conversation.  She took almost all of the sale items.  We were all annoyed - we all got there at the store's opening time, but still had a hard time getting the items we needed. (Several of them had the B1G1 Right Guard coupons and wanted the bodywash, like me, but couldn't get it) The BC was another hot product - they all had coupons for it (I didn't, darn it!) and they wanted a couple packs for free, but Mrs. Extreme wouldn't give it up. 

When I got home, I told my husband that when it stops being a fun way to save money, I'll quit.  If I run into more of these obnoxious tv-wannabe Extreme couponers, I'll be quitting sooner rather than later.  At least til the tv show goes away and that kind of shopper goes back home.  I do this to build a SMALL stockpile (no more than 6 -8 of any item) for our family, not to get on tv, or to "win" at being the best shopper of the day.  I don't rush through the store knocking things off shelves into carts! I don't leave empty shelves - I'll go to another store before I do that!  I do my semi-extreme couponing to help stretch our budget, and to keep us supplied with quality products at rock-bottom prices when I find them.  Again, not years worth of products, but a few weeks or  months, tops.   

To hoard is to be greedy, and the hoarders out there are starting to really tick me off! Also - I'll consider that maybe she is donating it, but is it right to take all of a store's stock of something to donate?  I don't think so!  Before I quit my weekend drugstore shopping, I am going to find a new store to shop in.  The one in our area is becoming an extreme shopper's dream store, and I'm not going to go through another trip like this one.  It was stressful and not fun! 

But at the end of the day,  I did get a few items for our trip, a couple of items my Nana needs, and a few items to restock our stockpile (especially the 12 rolls of paper towels - we were down to 3 rolls I think!)  And I spent less than $4 to do so!  That's a great trip, in my book.  Yes,  I probably could have spent even less, but this made me HAPPY.  I don't care about getting it all for free, I just want to save big when  I can, where I can, while restocking our little stockpile.  

**And yes, if I don't like your comment, I will probably delete it.  This is *my* happy place on the web, and I don't have to keep comments that are snarky.  Why are you here if you don't like what I write?!**

 Y'all have a blessed Memorial Day. I'm remembering my Papa and my Grandaddy ~ both in heaven ~ who served our country and make me proud!! God Bless our military and their families for their service and sacrifice!! 

How to shop at CVS for free (or almost free!)

This year I have spent VERY little out of pocket at CVS.  I would say under $26 total since January.  Most of that is tax on my freebies each week! Here's how I do it. 

Each week, I look at the items they are selling that will give me Extra care bucks (Like CVS money) back.  Then I look at my coupons, and match up the best deals.  Of course, if it is something I don't need or use, unless it will cost me 0, I won't get it. But if we need it - I buy it.

For example: last week's sale featured Right Guard bodywash for $3.88 - and they would give you back $3 in ECB.  I had a B1G1 coupon, so I could get 2, use ECB from a previous trip to pay the $3.88 that would be due, then get $3 back.   You do this every week or other week, and you'll build up a "bank" of ECBs to spend when there are things you want and need! They usually are good for 3 weeks or so
before they expire - so keep an eye on the expiration dates of your ECBs!

Another tip - scan your CVS card at the red kiosk every time you go in the store and you'll get some great CVS store coupons! Today I got a $5 off 2 Revlon cosmetics which helped a lot on my Revlon purchase! CVS doesn't double manufacture coupons, but they will let you stack their store coupons with your manufacturer coupons!

This week I had my best CVS trip ever!

Bought 3 Airwick Ultra kits $6 on sale - used 3 $4 coupons

Bought 1 Neutra Air $2.50 on sale - used $1.50 coupon
Bought 2 Biore poducts - 1 strips, 1 cleanser - 2 for $15 on sale, used buy strips get cleanser free coupon
Bought 2 Revlon lipglosses $7.99 each, on sale for B1g1 50% off - used $5 off 2 CVS coupon, 2 $1 coupons
bought 1 Russell Stover egg - 74 cents on sale
bought 1 Gain dishwashing liquid 97 cents on sale  used $1 off coupon
bought CVS contact lens drops on sale for $2.99

Then it was time to pay.  I used these ECBs from previous trips: $8.99 ECB, $2.50 ECB, $3 ECB, and paid balance with my FSA card - it actually covered 2 items - the Biore cleanser (which was free with the coupon!) and the eye drops. My balance was zero.  (I consider items I buy with the FSA card to be free since the money for the card comes out of DH's paycheck - it isn't out of my grocery/drugstore budget at all).   Total saved on this trip? $79!

I got back $10 in ECB for spending $20 on the Airwick & neutra air, $5 back for the 2 Biore products, and 74 cents back for the candy egg!! And I still have some ECB I didn't use today! : ) LOVE CVS!!! (Don't forget to take your own bag, then scan your green tag - every 4th trip you will make $1 in ECB too!)

If you have questions about shopping CVS, please let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them! It's like a game ~ they pay you CVS monopoly money, and you use those with coupons to get items for practically free!!

Tell me your favorite Apps for Android (or Iphone)

Last week I got my first smart phone! My husband got me the HTC Incredible, and though it seems smarter than me, I'm slowly learning to navigate it!  I've found a couple of apps so far that I absolutely LOVE! And that made me wonder, which apps do you love? Are there any you can't live without?  Here is my newbie list so far - these are all free, because as we all know, I am a frugal mama!!

Shazam - Katie introduced me to this last week, when a song from my youth came on Sirius 80's on 8... she held her phone to the speaker, hit a button and....shazam - it was Nightranger singing When you close your eyes! WOW!! So if you are enjoying the music and suddenly a song title or band name is eluding you, try this app and get instant brain relief - no more waking in the middle of the night with the answer popping into your head! lol

Cellfire -  this syncs with your online cellfire account to offer coupons and savings that can be loaded onto your store loyalty cards.  I've saved $20+ with cellfire coupons this year alone!

White Noise Lite - sound machine for your phone! It's got several noise options, including the ocean, rain, thunderstorm, white noise, fan, clock and more!

Games for my kiddos - Angry Birds, Ant Smasher, aTilt 3D labyrinth, Bubble Popper and Hungry Shark.  These were all chosen by my seven year old and he LOVES them.  My phone has become his entertainment!

Google Night Sky - aim the phone at any part of the sky and learn which constellations you are seeing - how cool is that?

Of course I added my favorite store apps: Kroger, Walgreens and Target so far.  nothing for Publix or Cvs yet...

There is an app called shopkick - they have you scan items in stores near you and you get points for each scan. Points can be traded for gift cards - I know a few people who use this and love it, so I'm going to try it too!  I have it downloaded, just haven't tried it yet.

Ok - there's my beginner list - let me know what you use!