Starbucks- 1/2 Price Frappuccinos!

Starting today, May 4th, through May 13th, participating Starbucks locations are offering up Frappuccino blended beverages for 50% Off during their Frappuccino Happy Hour from 3-5PM!


Ryan is taking me to Lake Seneca for the weekend for my birthday, I know where we are stopping for a snack on the way this afternoon! ;)

Mother's Day card deals!

Cardstore.com is offering up a FREE greeting card (with envelope) + FREE shipping! All you need to do is select and personalize any Mother’s Day card, and then enter the coupon code LUVMOM during the final stage of checkout (after entering your shipping info).

There is also a great in-store deal at Hallmark, just in time for Mother's Day and upcoming graduations.  Head on over to theHallmark Gold Crown site and look to the right to print a coupon valid for $5 off any $10+ purchase (good only at your Hallmark Gold Crown store)! Keep in mind that the coupon is valid through 5/13/2012 and not valid for online purchases. Limit one coupon per customer.


Thanks HipToSave!

Pittsburgh Zoo

This past Saturday Ryan, the girls and I took a day trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo. We actually bought tickets and planned a Pittsburgh weekend last fall and it rained the entire time and we didn't actually make it to the zoo. We did end up having a great time and discovering the Pittsburgh Children's Museum while rained out in October but we were looking forward to our delayed zoo visit.


We left around 8:45 and after stopping once for gas and one other quick stop, we arrived at the zoo around 11:15. 

The girls did a great job walking and taking breaks in the wagon without any toddler breakdowns! We had a great time and the girls are still talking about all of the animals they saw. 

Since the zoo is technically off season though the end of April, there was only one option for lunch and the zoo was really busy. We made it through a 20 minute line for really bad pizza and continued on with our zoo adventure. Sidenote- they didn't sell milk or juice... at a zoo! We brought drinks but not enough for the day and I was floored that they only sold soda and water. 

We spent almost 4 hours at the zoo and still made it home for dinner. It was a great trip and we plan to return in the late summer or early fall. 

Irish celebration weekend recap

Last Friday Ryan and I headed to Jim Thorpe. It's is a really eclectic town, perfect for a night away. We stayed at the Inn at Jim Thorpe and the staff and accommodations were wonderful. We walked around town and shopped in the little shops the line the streets. Next we had a fantastic dinner at Moya, best scallops I have ever had... in Jim Thorpe! It really felt like a city restaurant in this tiny little town, really surprising.


We then went to the Mauch Chunk Opera House where we enjoyed a (few) pints of Guinness and watched a great Irish Band, The Barley Boys. We had a great time and headed back to the Inn for a nightcap. 

The next morning we had breakfast at the Inn's restaurant, The Broadway Grill, and left for Scranton for the St Patrick's Day parade.

 Even though it was cold, we have a great time at the parade! 

Just a few of the pipe bands we got to enjoy.

Also a great Irish dance team

Have a Happy St Patrick's Day, from the Knowles family!

St Patrick's Day rainbow cake

I wanted to make a special treat for the upcoming holiday and found an great idea on Pinterest that I had to try. I adapted this recipe but didn't decorate it as much or make the leprechaun trap, I only had about an hour while the girls were napping ;)

Spray an angel food cake pan with non-stick cooking spay and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 350 (follow the instructions on the box).

I used one box of white cake mix and separated the batter into seven bowls:

• 6 ounces – red
• 5 ounces – orange
• 4 ounces – yellow
• 3 ounces – green
• 2 ounces – blue
• 1 ounce – purple
• the rest of the batter, kept white

A measuring tip, 1/4 c is equal to 2 oz

Fill ziplock bags with the colored batter and be sure to get all of the air out.

Pour the remaining white cake batter in the bottom of the cake pan. Then the fun begins! Start with the red and make a small cut in the corner of the bag. Pour the red batter in, making it a wide ring of batter. Then pour the orange over that, keeping it inside the red.

Pour in each color, creating narrower and narrower rings. As you go along snip smaller corners off the bags, it will help you control the narrower shape you are trying to make. 

Bake according to the package instructions and after cooled, level off what will be the bottom of the cake and icing/decorate as desired.

Then we had to wait 4 agonizing hours until Ryan got home from work to do the big reveal and eat the cake. We brought it outside to enjoy the insanely nice weather we have been having, 75 degrees in PA is amazingly crazy on March 15 :)

Even though it's not a perfect rainbow, I'm happy with the results. It was fun and much easier to make that I thought it would be. The girls loved it too!

Have a safe and fun St Patrick's Day tomorrow, I will be posting some pictures and videos of the Scranton St. Patrick's Day Parade from last weekend, stay tuned!

Walgreens Photo: 2 FREE 8×10 Photo Prints!

Walgrees Photo is offering a free 8x10 photo print (excludes collages)! Just head over here and create your 8x10 print ($2.99 value), then use the code FREEONE during checkout. If you choose in-store pick up, it will also include free shipping. There is also another code 1PRINT that you can use for a second free print, but will need to use it in a different transaction. This promo runs though March 17!

Thanks hiptosave!


I'm off to attempt to make a St Patrick's Day rainbow cake, results tomorrow!

Free Personalized Greeting Card, Hurry! :)

You can get a free personalized greeting card from Cardstore.com today!

Choose any card from Cardstore.com, add it to your cart, go to checkout, and use coupon code CCC2029 to get it free. Just leave the credit card information blank and your order should go through just fine.

There are 29,000 free cards available.

Thanks MoneySavingMom.com!