Deals, Favorites, and Public Speaking

My interest in couponing (a la Extreme Couponing) ebbs and flows. However, I never get tired of the coupons and special offers I receive in the mail/e-mail from non-food stores. Sometimes they are a big fakeout, such as FREE SHIPPING if you $150 or more. (Seriously, that is (one of) my pet peeve(s). Who spends, on a normal occasion, $150 at one store?) But, all in all, they save money and occasionally make something unaffordable, affordable. What's not to love?

At some point along the line, I got on Victoria's Secret's mailing list. Now, I get a consistent arsenal of coupons from them. I'm certainly not complaining (I haven't paid for underwear in two years.). Last month, I received a $10 off anything coupon, and I picked up these sleep pants (which I am wearing now). I love the smocked waistband, infinitely more comfortable than a normal elastic waist. It's like wearing a cloud. (Not that I have official proof of this, but I imagine wearing a cloud would be way comfortable.)

(image via)

I also used a couple of coupon codes from Kodak Gallery to order two mini-albums of our wedding photos (18 months later) for our moms. Two albums for $32 with shipping. Two happy moms.

This is the cover. When I shared it with the hubs, he said, "Hey, that picture makes it look like we're pregnant." This declaration was both inaccurate and somewhat of a buzzkill. However, I choose to presume that the mothers aren't going to draw the same conclusion.

When not making slightly less-than-endearing comments about my custom gifts, my husband was named "Sailor of the Quarter" amongst the staff that teach and/or support the training school he works at. As a result, he was given the honor of speaking at an upcoming graduation ceremony. I'm not really sure that a forced public speaking opportunity is ever a true "honor" (because, ugh, public speaking is higher than death on the fears list for a reason), but tonight he's putting the final touches on his speech. I think it's pretty significant that he has the opportunity to speak to this group of sailors, who are at an exciting, yet intimidating, point in their baby Navy careers. I'm confident he's going to nail it (if not on looks alone). Not that I'm partial.