The Adventures of Danielle 05

Pasta with Roasted Sausage and Broccoli Recipe

2011-04-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

Pasta with Roasted Sausage and Broccoli

From Real Simple Magazine, November 2010

Hands-on time: ~10 minutes

Cooking time: ~20-25 minutes

Serves 4

8-12 oz pasta (Calls for rigatoni, I used shells. We actually used 16oz and that was way too much!)
1 "bunch" or 16 oz of broccoli
1 small onion (I used yellow)
Olive oil, as needed
Cooking spray, as needed
Salt and pepper, as much as you prefer
1 lb Italian sausage links, (I used Lightlife brand=fake sausage) casings removed and meat broken into 1-inch pieces
Parmesan, shredded, as much as you prefer

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out broccoli, onion, and sausage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray with cooking spray.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Flip/toss ingredients. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.

During baking, cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain pasta and return it to the pot.

Combine all ingredients. Add olive oil to make the dish moist. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Holidays Adventures 12/24/10-1/2/11

2011-01-03T11:54:00.000-06:00

Ben and I had quite the adventure going to and from New Haven and Iowa for the holidays. We tried to fly into Moline, Illinois on Christmas Eve, then drive to Harlan. Our flight to Moline was cancelled (probably due to a large amount of snow in Moline), but we were able to fly to Omaha instead. Then, since we had to change our car rental to a one-way (instead of the round-trip from and to Moline) Hertz tacked on another $500 to the bill! Ben's mom, Sheri, picked us up instead and we went to Harlan and stayed there until Monday, 12/27. Then we all went to Waukee to visit some of Ben's cousins. After that, they gave us a ride to Altoona where my mom and Bob picked us up. We were in IC that night through New Year's Day, and then we went to Moline to fly back home. I was very happy to to be back with my Mom again, I've missed her a lot.

While we were in Iowa City, on 12/29, Ben and I went back to Shambough Auditorium where we met in september 2005. We talked for a few minutes, and then he got down on one knee and proposed!!! While I was volunteering at the Book End just an hour later, he drove out to the mall and bought a ring from Greenberg's. It is white gold with a princess-cut diamond solitaire--exactly what I wanted. We went to dinner at Red Avocado (our favorite IC restaurant) to celebrate. By the way, my sister Megan got engaged at the beginning of December, and they plan on getting married in early-mid June 2012 in Iowa City somewhere outside.

My great-aunt Lois passed away on 12/31. She was 92 years old, and had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I wish I could stayed in eastern Iowa for the funeral, but my plane tickets were non-refundable and Ben needed to get back to work today (Monday).

Our flight back home on Saturday was delayed by over three hours, so we changed our flight to Sunday. We received hotel and food vouchers to spend, and we stayed the night at Jumer's Hotel and Casino. I had never been to a casino until then. We didn't gamble anything though. It was interesting to watch.

Our first flight yesterday morning was delayed by 48 minutes, so of course we missed our connecting flight in Detroit. We didn't have to wait too long for our back-up flight. After we landed at JFK in New York, we had to walk down the plane's stairs (because the parked the plane far away from the airport), and take a shuttle bus to take us to the airport. It was raining at the time. Then we found out our checked bag had been put onto another flight, and we had the options of waiting more than two hours for it, or it could be shipped to us for free in 2-3 days. We chose the latter option. I really hope they don't lose the luggage! What a day we had!

While we were in Iowa, New Haven had a blizzard, but the temperatures were so high afterwards, there is not much snow anymore. I'm glad we didn't experience the blizzard because not only were the winds terrible, but I think the city received well over a foot of snow over the course of about two days. I was so happy that we didn't have to dig my car out from the parking lot at Ben's office.

I really enjoyed being back in Iowa, and I wish we could have stayed longer, but I am happy to be back home since I have been living here full-time since mid-July 2010.

Please feel free to share any wedding suggestions. :)

Easy and Fast Recipe: Penne w/ broccoli & chickpeas

2010-12-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

Penne w/ broccoli and chickpeas (An altered recipe from All You, 10/22/10)--Serves ~5

1 lb of frozen or a head of fresh broccoli, cut into florets

~12 oz. whole wheat penne, or other smallish pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic (or substitute garlic powder)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup lemon juice

Parmesan as wanted (vegans could add nutritional yeast)

Boil pasta and cook until tender, following directions on box, for the last 4 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the pot. Meanwhile, warm oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, saute for ~ 1 minute. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through. Drain pasta, add it to the skillet. Add in lemon juice. Add olive oil as needed to make it moist. Sprinkle on parmesan/nutritional yeast as wanted individually.

My CVS visit, yesterday 8/15/10

2010-08-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Key:

BOGOF or B1G1F=Buy One Get One Free

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

FAR=Free After Rebate

OOP=Out of Pocket

Head & Shoulders $4.99
Head & Shoulders Free! Used a B1G1F (C)
Pampers $8.88 (Will be FAR)
Crest toothpaste $3.49
M&M Pretzel $0.50 (Because of raincheck)
M&M Pretzel $0.50 (Because of raincheck)
M&M Pretzel Free! (Because of this week's sale of B2G1F)

Used:
$5.00 ECB
$7.99 ECB

Subtotal $5.37
6% tax $0.17
Total $5.54 OOP

Received:
$1 ECB for Green bag used (I have used it 36 times so far, making me a profit of $8!
$2.00 ECB for Head & Shoulders
$2.50 ECB for Crest toothpaste
$1.00 ECB for M&M Pretzel (making all 3 packages free!)
Raincheck for Zegerid OTC 14 ct ($9.99-7ECB-hopefully another $3 coupon will come out soon)

So, essentially I bought two Head & Shoulders for $3, free Pampers, $1 Crest toothpaste, and free M&M pretzels!!!

Tag sales and farmers markets

2010-08-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

I love tag sales and farmers markets! Today I bought:

Eclipse (paperback) for $1
New Moon (paperback) for $1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (hardcover) for $1
Sweet Home Alabama DVD for $1
Pictionary collector's edition for $2
And Ben bought 2 DVDs for $1 each

Bunch of lettuce $1.25
Cucumbers 3/$1
Zucchini $0.50
Tomatoes $1.99/lb

Last weekend I bought two necklaces for $15 at a tag sale (not an excellent deal, but comparable to Laila Rowe sale prices), along with a cup of lemonade for $1 from a kid's lemonade stand.

I should blog about all of my tag sale deals....

Renting Textbooks

2010-08-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

I keep reading about how renting textbooks is such a "good deal." In my honest opinion, I think that renting is almost as big a rip off as is buying textbooks new (or even used, in most cases) from your college bookstore. Buying used (or sometimes new is even cheaper) on abebooks.com, half.com, amazon.com, betterworldbooks.com, or alibris.com is easier (you aren't limited to the amount of time you keep the books), cheaper, and you can write and highlight in the books as much as you want. And then you can sell them back at most of the same websites, if you choose to do so. I love shopping at those websites, and I have found incredible deals on so many textbooks, regular books, and even CDs and DVDs. Professors do not mind if you buy the required textbooks new or used, and they often don't mind if it is not the edition they told you to get--as long as it is similar enough and you can figure out the correct pages to read (page numbers often change between editions).

Saturday's CVS Trip

2010-07-28T11:27:00.003-05:00

Went to a CVS that I have never been before in New Haven. It was very different than the Iowa City stores....different=bad. I had a lot of trouble finding almost everything on my list. Ben came with me since we had been running errands by car, and he was able to help me a bit. I am not planning on going to CVS this week or the next because of the very few items that I would get, it's not worth driving up to the bad part of New Haven to shop for so few things. In Iowa City, I would just plan the CVS trip around my walking trips to downtown.

Here is my paltry shopping trip from Saturday, July 24:

Key:

BOGOF=Buy One Get One Free

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

OOP=Out of Pocket

Brita pitcher filters (3 pack) $14.99

Celsius green tea (4 pack) $7.99

Used:

$0.99 ECB

$1.00 ECB

$2.00 ECB

$2.99 ECB

$5.00 ECB (earned by taking an online survey)

Subtotal $10.01

Tax (6%) %0.39

Total $10.40 OOP

Received:

$7.99 ECB for Celsius green tea (made them free!)

$5.00 ECB for Brita filters

So essentially I made $2.59 on this trip.

My CVS Trip Today

2010-07-12T21:32:00.004-05:00

This was probably my last trip to CVS in Iowa City for awhile. I will continue doing the deals in New Haven.

Key:

BOGOF=Buy One Get One Free

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

OOP=Out of Pocket

CVS pantiliners 50c

CVS panitliners 50c

Head & Shoulders $5.99

Head & Shoulders $5.99-BOGOF (C), but the limit was $4.74, so this wasn't free

Papermate 10 pk pens 99c

Caliber scissors 99c

Biotrue multi-purpose solution 2.99

Trident Layers gum 1.49-CVS (C) for one package free, limit was $1.29 though, so it wasn't free

Used:

$10 ECB

$1 ECB

Subtotal: $2.41

Tax (7%): $0.59

Total: $3.00 OOP

Received:

$0.99 ECB for Caliber scissors

$0.99 ECB for Papermate pens

$1.00 ECB for CVS pantiliners

$2.00 ECB for Head & Shoulders

$2.99 ECB for BioTrue

All in all, a good shopping trip. I just wish the second H&S had actually been free, and the gum as well.

Onward to studying, cleaning, and packing!

Books!

2010-07-11T20:09:00.002-05:00

I am moving out of state in just five days!

I have 60 books left that I am selling on Amazon. I do not want to take all of them with me....so, please help me reduce my inventory. Here is my storefront: http://is.gd/dkrEG

Thanks for looking!

Homemade blueberry muffins

2010-07-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

I made homemade blueberry muffins tonight, using a recipe from the back of a box of Ener-G Egg Replacer and frozen blueberries. Here's the recipe!

Egg-Free Blueberry Muffins

1 2/3 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten in 2 tbsp water (or use 1 egg)

1 1/4 cups milk (I used plain soy milk)

4 tbsp oil (I used vegetable oil)

8 oz frozen blueberries, thawed following directions on bag

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine all ingredients except the blueberries, and mix well.
Add the blueberries, stirring carefully to not squish the blueberries.
Put mixture into greased muffin pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until just lightly browned on top.

Makes 12 muffins.

My CVS trip 7/7/10

2010-07-08T21:16:00.002-05:00

I forgot to post what I bought at CVS last week, and now I can't find the receipt. Here is yesterday's meager shopping trip!

Key:

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

OOP=Out of Pocket

Now & Later candy on clearance $0.22

Sobe water $1.59 buy one get one free-(C) for buy one get one free Sobe water

Sobe water $0.00

Subtotal: $0.22

Tax (7%): $0.13

Total: $.35 OOP

Received:

$1.00 ECB for using my Green Bag tag and my reusable bags

Twitter, etc.

2010-06-26T22:01:00.004-05:00

I know I haven't been writing much. I do write often on Twitter though, particularly sharing interesting news tidbits.

I didn't do a cool shopping trip at CVS this past week, I only picked up a prescription. I plan on going this coming week though, and will share the details later.

I have handed over the baton of taking care of The Savvy Boutique's website, email newsletter, Facebook and Twitter accounts. I hope everything stays up to my standards! ;-) *wink*

I'll be moving in less than 3 weeks. Yay. Boo. I'm now close enough to my move-out date that I no longer want to leave. Perhaps Ben could get a job in Iowa City and move back...

Amazon.com gift card contest

2010-06-17T11:21:00.002-05:00

One of the blogs I read through Google Reader is Sarah's Deals. She is having a contest with the following details:

I've earned multiple $5 Amazon.com Gift Cards by using Swagbucks.

I'm currently earning enough points for $35 each month (though I can't cash out for that many...the limit to five $5 Amazon.com codes per month).

This week I want to share some of the love with all of you! Two lucky readers will win $20 in Amazon.com Gift Card Codes (in the form of four $5 codes).

In order to win do at least one of the following and then come back here to enter, letting me know what you did. You can enter once per way below.

Enter by Tweeting:
Enter to win $20 in Amazon.com Gift Cards from @Sarahs_Deals! #SDGiveaway http://bit.ly/a9w0Hr

Enter by Sharing on FB: (Be sure to tag...type @...then start typing Sarah's Deals and pick it from the drop down list...it will show in blue if done properly.)
Enter to win $20 in Amazon.com Gift Cards from @Sarahs_Deals! http://bit.ly/a9w0Hr

Enter by Blogging:
Blog about this giveaway and link back to this giveaway post.

Winners will be chosen next Wednesday, June 23 after Noon EST.

So go to her website here to enter!

Cookies

2010-06-14T11:00:00.002-05:00

I made peanut butter cookies from a mix and banana/oatmeal cookies from scratch last night. I found this recipe for the banana/oatmeal cookies on www.allrecipes.com and modified it to my liking. Here is my recipe:

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

Makes 24-48 cookies, depending on size

1 1/4 cups margarine (I used a butter substitute)
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten, or substitute for 1 egg (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
3 very ripe bananas, mushed
1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, mix everything together to form a moist mixture.
Create cookie balls and place a dozen on each cookie sheet.
Bake for 11-13 minutes in preheated oven until underside is browned.
Allow cookies to cool before eating.
Enjoy!

csnstores.com Contest

2010-06-13T21:36:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite blogger's (Deal Finding Chik) is giving away an $80 CSN gift certificate! I would love to win this because I will be needing more furniture when I move from Iowa to Connecticut in a month.

Here are the details from her blog

"""CSN Stores have generously offered to give away an $80 Gift Certificate to one of my readers! This gift certificate can be used at any of their 200 stores!! Each person has up 4 chances to enter!

1) Leave a comment letting me know your a Follower Deal Finding Chik.

2) Leave a comment letting me know you "like" Deal Finding Chik on Facebook.

3) Leave a comment letter me know you Subscribe to Deal Finding Chik.

4) Blog about this Giveaway and leave a link to your post.

Only 4 entries per person are allowed and all other entries will be deleted before the winner is chosen. This giveaway will end Friday, June 18th, at 9PM CT and I will announce the winner on June 19th!! **Please keep in mind that once you receive your certificate that may be shipping charges and if your a Canadian resident, then there may be an international fee for certain products.

Good Luck!"""

Go *here* to enter your comments in order to enter the contest.

Friday's CVS Trip

2010-06-12T18:49:00.002-05:00

6/11/10 trip to CVS

Key:

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

OOP=Out of Pocket

Skinny Cow ice cream $1.00-$1.00(C)

CVS "Claritin" 30ct (for my mom) $9.99-$1.00 CVS (C)

Powerbar $0.99

Vitamin D supplements 200ct (for my mom) $10.49-$1.00(C)

Vitamin D supplements 200ct (for my mom) FREE (B1G1 Free!)

CVS Calcium supplements chewables 60ct (for my mom) $6.39

CVS Calcium supplements chewables 60ct (for my mom) FREE (B1G1 Free!)

Cascade action packs 20ct $3.97-$2.00(C)

Always pads 18ct $2.97-$1.00(C)

Always liners 40ct $2.97-$1.00(C)

CVS cranberry supplement 100ct (for my mom) $6.89

CVS fish oil supplement 240ct (for my mom) $18.99

Used:

$1.00 ECB

$10.00 ECB

$5.00 ECB

Subtotal: $38.63

Tax (7%): $3.93

Total: $42.56 OOP

Received:

$2.97 ECB for the three powerbars

I saved $58.22 with coupons, CVS coupons, ECBs, and things being on sale!

Princess Diana--a Fashion Icon

2010-06-09T22:20:00.004-05:00

Just read this article from: http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2010/06/09/princess-dianas-dress-fetches-more-than-276000-at-auction/?cnn=yes

Princess Diana’s Dress Fetches More than $276,000 at Auction!

Anwar Hussein/WireImage

Princess Diana may be gone, but she’s certainly not forgotten. The daring black taffeta gown that she wore for her first public appearance as Prince Charles fiancée, fetched a whopping £192,000 (about $276,621) at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London yesterday. Bought by Chilean fashion museum Fundación Museo De La Moda, the dress–designed by Elizabeth Emanuel and David Emanuel–was sold along with an original copy of the invoice, fashion sketches, and photographs of Di wearing it. “As the weeks before her wedding progressed, Diana lost so much weight that she returned the gown to the Emanuels to have it taken in,” explained auctioneer Kerry Taylor at yesterday’s sale. “The alterations required were so drastic that they decided it would be easier to re-make a smaller version for her. They kept the original and forgot about it only re-discovering it quite recently.” A bold choice at the time for its color–which was reserved for funerals in royal circles–and its somewhat revealing nature, the strapless dress established Princess Diana as a budding fashion icon. Jorge Yarur, founder of the museum that bought the dress, said that upon his death, Princess Diana’s dress will be returned home, donated to Kensington Palace. –Marissa Patlingrao CooleyJoel Saget/AFP/Getty

Fashion Fun

2010-06-08T22:00:00.002-05:00

I work for The Savvy Boutique in Iowa City, Iowa. I am responsible for keeping our website, Facebook page, and Twitter updated. On Facebook and Twitter I have been posting useful links and tips regarding fashion. Here are some:

No clothing will keep you safe enough from the sun. Learn the facts about SPF: Sun Smarts: "Everything You Need to Know About SPF": http://bit.ly/c2RyKu via @addthis

Did you gain some weight this winter? You're not the only one! See tips on how to dress thinner here: http://bit.ly/PqIBr RT @Real_Simple

A brightly colored wallet is easy to find in a handbag. Find cheerful wallets at Savvy. RT @Real_Simple

Use pushpins and a bulletin board to keep your jewelry organized and tangle free. RT @Real_Simple

Staying on top of color trends? Find your favorite spring/summer 2010 colors at Savvy! http://bit.ly/3mqwAT

Wait at least 15 minutes after applying perfume or body lotion before putting on jewelry, otherwise there will be a greasy buildup. Find jewelry at Savvy! RT @Real_Simple

Tips on how to dress for any occasion: http://bit.ly/duQnTC RT @Real_Simple

Jeans with fading that is centered on the thighs is slenderizing: The combination of light and dark shading tricks the eye. RT @Real_Simple

Tips for Trying on Clothes Quickly RT @Real_Simple http://bit.ly/cVZiAt

Need a laugh? Read Most Embarrassing Fashion Moments here: http://bit.ly/c6oJlN RT @Real_Simple

How To Iron a Dress Shirt RT @Real_Simple: http://bit.ly/5eVwfO

Safety-pin socks together before throwing them in the wash. You'll never search for matching socks again! RT @Real_Simple

See fashion and beauty made out of paper here: http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/fashion-beauty-paper-sculptures-00000000031779/index.html

Stylish for Pennies (or pretty darn close)---How to Shop at Consignment Stores - at WomansDay.com http://shar.es/mu4bx

My CVS trip today

2010-06-08T18:39:00.003-05:00

Key:

(C)=coupon

ECB=Extra Care Bucks

OOP=Out of Pocket

LifeSavers Gummies Sours $0.25 (clearance)

Gillette Fusion ProGlide $9.97-$4.00(C)

Coppertone Continuous Spray Sunscreen (50 SPF) $10.49-$1.00(C)-$6.00 CVS (C)/2

Palmers lotion $6.99

Used:

$6.99ECB

$8.00ECB

Subtotal $11.20

Tax (7%) $2.67

Total $13.87 OOP

Received:

$1.00 ECB for using my Green bag tag

$10.00 ECB for Coppertone Continuous Spray Sunscreen

$5.00 ECB Gillette Fusion ProGlide

So I essentially made $2.13.

JCPenney towels

2010-06-04T22:44:00.004-05:00

I saw that in their newspaper ad today that JCPenney is having an Appreciation Sale, which means you can take 15% off anything through tomorrow (Saturday). I did want more green and blue towels for my apartment in Connecticut, so I went shopping online at jcpenney.com I settled on these.

I was going to use the 15% off code (15JUST4U), but then I remembered that one of my favorite bloggers: The Thrifty Mama had posted a code for JC Penney for $10 off a $10 purchase (DADROCKS). I chose one olive green and two serene blue towels to make my total go above $10. I shopped through upromise.com, so I should get 3% of my purchase back (I think it will be just 3% of $1.97, which was my subtotal, but hey $0.05 is 5 cents!).

Here are the details:

Towels were $3.99 each ($9.99 originally)

Promotion: ($10.00)

DADROCKS

Total Savings: ($28.00)

Subtotal: $1.97

Standard Shipping & Handling: $5.95

Tax: $0.48

Order Total: $8.40

I don't think I could have done any better than $2.80 per towel, and that includes shipping and tax!

Me wants them, my precious

2010-06-03T23:17:00.004-05:00

I wanted to experiment with adding photos to a blog post, so here is my experiment. With a pair of shoes. Manolo Blahnik specifically. The dream of many a shoe lover, which surprisingly, I am not. I just wear what is comfortable, matches my outfit well enough, and never high heels. I am also very frugal, and often cheap, so I would never buy Manolo Blahniks, but they are fun to look at.

From Gilmore Girls, season 4, I think:

Lorelai: (Holding a Manolo Blahnik) Me wants them! My precious!!

I do not own this photo, is that bad to put it in my blog?

$25 gift certificate contest!

2010-06-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

One of the blogs I just discovered is called Unravelled Threads. I haven't looked at the older entries yet, but I like the clothes that the blogger picks out for work. The blogger is having a contest to win a $25 gift certificate to Tulle4us.com After looking at Tulle's clothes, I would really like to win a gift certificate to that site, wouldn't you? Thanks Melanie for sponsoring this contest, I hope I win (or at least one of my few followers)!

Trees

2010-05-31T19:00:00.006-05:00

I like to make tree jokes because my boyfriend's last name is Oakes. Yes, I am 23 years old. I am not going to share any of those jokes in this post though because I am just promoting Odwalla's 2010 Plant a Tree program: http://www.odwalla.com/plantatree/

When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I planted 3 "helicopter" seeds in the middle of my backyard, thinking that only one would survive (kind of like implanting more than one fertilized egg in artificial insemination, or whatever that's called). All three seeds grew into trees, so I regularly trimmed two of them, so only one would grow up completely. About 13 years later, that tree is taller than my two-story house, and it's beautiful. I love it, and I think it's very funny that my dog, Willy, likes to chew on the helicopter seeds that my tree now produces.

Odwalla's program is simple: "For the past 2 years, along with your help, Odwalla has made a commitment to our state parks by donating money to help plant trees. It’s pretty simple. We provide the trees, and you get to decide how much support each state gets."

I just planted a tree in Iowa through Odwalla earlier today, and I invite you to do the same thing. "One acre of trees is need to offset the annual CO2 from a typical passenger car." It's very easy to do, you don't need to consume Odwalla (I don't), and it's free.

Someday I hope to be a tree...

Note: I added the photo of an oak tree on 6-3-10.

First Post!

2010-05-31T18:36:00.001-05:00

Besides LiveJournal, I've never had a blog before, I thought it was about time to make one though. Hopefully blogger.com is not a website that will die in a year or two, and delete all my posts.

Why the name "The Adventures of Danielle 05"?

My godfather, Mark Egleseder (or is it Egelseder?), was known for saying, "Just think of this as an adventure." That quote has gotten me through some tough times, and it was my senior quote in my high school yearbook.

My name is Danielle, surprise, surprise.

I graduated in '05, and I later met the love of my life, Benjamin Oakes in '05.

In this blog, I hope to keep friends and family updated on the happenings of my life especially once I move away from Iowa. I also will try to post my weekly deals at CVS, which are totally awesome, and I hope to inspire others to score great deals like mine. I also want a central place to save fashion stories or photos that I love. I have been interested in fashion for several years now, and have worked at a women's clothing consignment store for the past 3+ years.

Don't expect a lot of postings, I may lose interest in doing this, who knows?

I would love comments, so feel free to post them! :-)