A Cheap Seat For Your Favorite Event

I was helping a friend of mine search for Rose Bowl Tickets online the other day. I think he decided to get them from ACheapSeat.com because of their prices. I know he likes to buy tickets to events quite often.

Then he says lets check for SEC Football Championship Tickets or BCS National Championship Tickets. I am not much of a sports persons so I have no idea what all these initials he is listing mean, but this site had what he was looking for. We were looking around the site for upcoming events in our area once he was done looking for the specific events he wanted.

Once we were looking around for awhile he landed on concerts and it dawned on me that I never picked up tickets that my hubby had me order for a concert. The concert is not until October, but I still should go pick them up. I think I would forget my brain if it were not attached. I am so glad that sites like this and the internet in general make my life a little easier. Point, click, poof I get what I want. You have to love modern convenience!

Long Lived Legends and Mysteries

I saw a head line today that said a witness of Natalie Wood's death was ready to speak out. I thought Oh my goodness! Then I read the article and was less than impressed that the witness ( who was the captain of the boat Ms. Wood was on), said drunkenness," a "terrible argument" and a smashed wine bottle all contributed to the actress' demise. I did not think that this was a new revelation?

Do you think we will ever know the truth about such long lived mysteries as this? Will they find Jimmy Hoffa? The truth about JFK? Is Elvis still alive? Maybe the Elvis one will fade out when he would have to be 150 years old to still be alive..I don't know. Some legend and mysteries are fun, some not so fun, but I doubt that we will ever know the truth about everything.

I just wish they would stop with headlines that say things like, THE TRUTH REVEALED, when in fact it is the same old information mixed up in a new order.

Turn Your IRA Golden

A group of friends and I were sitting around talking about the current economy and investing. So many people, myself included, are afraid to invest in anything at the moment. Everyone was saying things like " I wish I would have investing in a great company a long time ago" and things like that.

I said that I wished I had kept up the coin collection that my grandfather started for me when I was little. I wish I had started any savings plan at this point. The conversation turned to thoughts of retirement. Those of us with IRAs were wondering how to put gold in an IRA. So we got on the web to look it up. We found this site called Goldcoinsagain.com and it has a lot of information gold IRA transfer.

The site talks about how to invest in gold and why it is a more sound investment than some other types of investments. One example it gives is how if you had purchased $25,000 of limited mintage investor gold coins in the 1970's, you could sell that gold today for $1,377,257.00. Yes I think I want to learn more about how to put gold in my IRA after reading that. If you want a gold 401k, you might want to check this site out and learn more about this investment option.

It talks about how gold is the purest form of money and has been for over 5000 years. I myself can not think of a country that would not give value to gold, can you? I want to learn more and see if I can strike some 401k gold!

Girl Missing For many Years Found ALIVE!

One California family got a miracle today. They were told that a daughter they had lost in 1991 was alive and well. Little Jaycee Dugard was only 11 years old when she was abducted while walking to a bus stop one morning. Her step father had raced after the car that was speeding away with Jaycee, to no avail. He did his best to get a description and turned that information over to the police of course.

The story was even featured on America's Most Wanted at some point, but no one was ever caught or charged in this case. Now out of the blue a grown up Jaycee supposedly walked in to a police station and said I am Jaycee Dugard. If anyone on staff that day knew the name I bet their jaws dropped! They did some checking on the lady that came in to the station before they contacted the family at all. I do not think they have gotten a DNA test yet, but authorities and family are reasonably sure it is her.

I can not imagine getting news like that. I hope the upcoming road of healing and reconnecting is not too bumpy for this family that was torn apart so long ago. I hope they give this couple that stole her the chair, or maybe bring back public stoning! I am so tired of people who do not have whatever it is they want just taking it from another person. I want a car, money, a TV, heck I want a child, I think I will just take this one!

God bless Jaycee and her family,, I hope they can make a true connection again and make up for some of the time that was lost.

Van Insurance At A fair Price

My mom was telling me about a friend of hers that moved overseas to the UK.
There are many new things she has to learn about as far as customs and rules and regulations for that area.
She had to get her van registered there and get new van insurance and found to be pleasantly surprised in the process.
The company she applied with did a search with about 40 companies to get her the best rate.
She wanted liability, roadside assist, coverage for the tools and contents and gosh I forget what else, but it was a bunch of things she need covered.
They offered her several quotes and discussed the coverages they included and she picked out which was right for her uses.
I could not believe she asked for all those items and got them for the inexpensive cost she did.
It made me think I should go insurance shopping again and refresh my options.
Who knows maybe I will get a better rate and better coverage, after all I have been with the same insurance company for many years and I just took it for granted that my insurance agent was looking out for my best interest.
I am going to do that this week and see what I come up with as a better quote and more options.
I am not going to use my current agent though, I think it is time for a second opinion.

Too Much Stuff

I got too much stuff!
I was trying to reorganize our stuff the other day...as I do many a day..lol and I cannot believe all the stuff and junk we have collected over the years.
I have really tried to get rid of some of it, but I think it is Ebay time again.
We have already donated to the Salvation Army, Harvest House and Pregnancy Center.
And yet there is still way too much stuff.
I had quit shopping because I would always find something I would need or want or must have for the kids...you know...impulse buying.
So I quit shopping.
But I still have a whole lot of good things I am having a hard time parting with, but oh, well, such is life.
On with Ebay.

And Baby Makes...Me Grow

I love the look and fashion trends in the maternity clothing now being manufactured.

It was not that long ago that I gave birth to my last child and I remember going shopping and trying to buy something that did not resemble a sack of potatoes.

The materials and patterns that maternity clothes have that I have seen lately are so cute and stylish.

Wish I had seen them out when I was shopping for me.

It is amazing how a little top or a nice pair of shorts or pants that fit nice can make you feel so much better when you are pregnant. Clothes can really be a moral booster.

I got invited out for a luncheon with some friends and had absolutely nothing I felt was cute enough to wear, yes I know I was mega hormonal at the time, but still, I had nothing to wear.

So I did not go to lunch...and did I get really grouchy after that.

Now as I surf the net I am seeing all these cute fashioned that I wish I had then. I found an awesome site called kikisfashions.com. That is where this pic is from, and they have a special coupon code just for us bloggers. If enter "blogfriends" during checkout you will save an extra 20% off their great prices. I am going to have to tell my one girlfriend who is expecting!

Family Recipe Secrets

Article in the morning paper was talking on the subject of Family Secret Recipes and how you should share it with a family member.
Some families have such secret recipes that they think they have to take it to the grave with them.
I know first hand that it does not matter what the recipe is because if you think about it, no two people make the same thing and make it taste exactly the same.
My mom makes meatballs and swears she adds nothing to the meat, just rolls them and puts them in the sauce...I do the same thing and they still do not taste like moms.
So I do not care how many herbs and spices you add to a recipe or how many you don't..you cannot duplicate the human love that a food is made with...not yet that is, but I am sure science is working on a clone.
I think there should be more in kitchen time with Grandma and grand kids so they can all share in the love and good smells.

Circuit Board Info I Did Not Know

How often have you looked at a circuit board and just took for granted how it was manufactured?
I saw on a website where you can have made to order stencils for your own printed circuit design if you make your own product line of goods that need circuit boards.
And that made me start thinking about just how many different items have printed circuit boards to make them operate.
And another thing I did not know about the printed designs is that they are oven dried after being printed.
Hey...the oven that dries the printed circuit boards has a printed circuit board in it!
I have seen specials on television where they show you how things are made, but I only remember the soldering of the parts on a circuit board.
I really need to pay more attention to these shows so I don't miss important information.
The website I looked at had all kinds of interesting info on circuit boards, products and designs to make them, shipping info, time line of product production to be sent out to the customer and really if you get a chance you should take a look at the website to see all this stuff I am talking about.

Goodbye To Ted Kennedy

Alas another Kennedy has passed on.
Ted Kennedy died after a battle with cancer.
He fought a long and hard to beat this dreaded disease, but lost.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
All throughout the years the Kennedy name was familiar to me as the law makers and the law breakers.
The Kennedy's were of Irish decent and when ever they attended an event or government occasion, it was well publicized.
They were in the political arena for as long as I can remember.
It was one of those families you either loved or hated.
A lot of good and bad changes were made in government by the Kennedys.
But at least they voiced their opinions and made things happen.
Ted will be missed by many.

Do You Sweat at Night?

Lately I have been Sweating at Night, not every night, but maybe 3 nights a week. I don't know why it is happening all of the sudden, but I am not really enjoying it.

I know there are many reasons that people have Night Sweats, but I do not know what my reason is yet. I have one theory that I might be going in to early menopause, but I hope that I am wrong. I know that menopause is something the I will eventually have to face, but I want to put it off as long as possible. I already do not get to sleep much so I don't really need another reason to stay awake.

I know there are other medical problems that can cause night sweats, such as Cancer Night Sweats. I just found a website called bedfan.com where they sell this really cool...no pun intended... fan to help people sleep more comfortably no matter why you are hot. It is the specially designed fan that will blow fresh, cool air under your sheets. It is a totally unique design that I have never seen before.

I know some people will say just don't use covers and then crank up your ceiling fan, but I for one can not sleep without at least a sheet over me. If it is summer time I have to have it at least cool enough in the room to put a sheet over my shoulders or I absolutely can not sleep. So if you are like me and like covers, but do not like being hot and sticky for any reason while you sleep you might want to check this sight out.

Locks of Love

My oldest daughter is headed off to kindergarten in about a week. I am only about half as prepared as I wanted to be before she went to school. I mean I don't think I will ever be emotionally prepared, but I wanted to have a few more ducks in a row.

I have most of her clothes ready, but I still want to take her out and find her a special first day outfit and some shoes. She said she wants a pair of high tops. ( stop it you are growing up too fast)

She has also been trying to get me to have her hair cut. We have never so much as trimmed her hair since she was a baby, so it is all the way down her back. We said OK, maybe shoulder length and she says, "but I want it like Jordan's". Well Jordan is an adorable little pixie, but her hair is a super short bob. It looks great on Jordan and I am sure my girl would look just as cute, but when you are a mom trying to deal with the idea of a first hair cut going from super long, to super short is just too much.

I was talking to my hubby about it one night and he came up with a good idea. We always talk to our kids about volunteerism and donating. They often help us round up clothes or toys for the kids that do not have much. Well, hubby thought of Locks of Love. It is a program that takes donated hair and has a company make wigs for children that have lost their hair do to health problems I mentioned this to a girlfriend of mine yesterday and I had forgotten she had done this with her little girl years ago. So she called a friend of hers that is a hair stylist and the stylist said the hair only had to be 6 inches long.

I got on the Locks of Love website to double check the details and they say 10 inches. I think I am going to email them and see, because it also says something about shorter hair being sold do defray costs of the program. I would be OK with that, because in the end it still helps a child in need. If we are close in length then we might let her get the short do she has been wanting. If we are far off, then I think we will even out the bottom and have her grown it for a while longer before we donate.

She is excited about the idea and I think it is much better than throwing the hair away for sure. If you want to learn more about the program, you can check out the site I have linked to it in this post.

Great Table Covers and Exhibits

I have been to a site called CamelBackDisplays.com before when my dad was shopping for trade show exhibits. I was just there again because a friend of mine was thinking of buying a table top display for when she does craft shows. While I was looking around I came across a lot of great ideas. This site will definitely inspire you to jazz up your displays.

These people make everything from full blown displays to personalized directors chairs . It does not matter if you go to huge trade shows or smaller craft fairs like my friend, a good display can make all the difference when it comes to making a sale. I know I get worked up on this topic, but I was raised with my dad always having his own business so it frustrates me when people don't give presentation an thought.

Anyway, I came across the table covers section and I had the greatest idea. Why not get one of their special, made to order table covers for a wedding, birthday party etc? You can get something as simple as a name or logo printed on the table covers, or you can get a photo style print on the table cover itself. I just helped plan and decorate a wedding for my cousin, I wish I would have thought about it for that reception.

How cool would it be to get a table cover with a picture of the bride and groom on it or even just their names and date of the wedding?! I will have to remember this idea for when my hubby graduates from college. I am sure we will through a huge party for that.

Is There a vAMPire Lurking in Your House?

I like to do what I can to be kind to the environment, and I also like to find ways to save money where ever possible. If I an combine those saving green and being "green" then all the better.

I have often heard different theories on how much electricity/money I would save if I were to unplug appliances and other electronics when they weren't in use. I just saw this clip that I embedded here from a series called The Savings Experiment. The gal on here shows how you can measure the amount of power that things like toasters, computers and DVRs suck up when they are not in use, but still plugged in.

She found out through her experiment that she would only save about 20.00 a year if she unplugged all of her appliances when not in use. For her it was not worth it financially, and it would not really make the big of a difference to me either. Then I thought about multiplying that in terms of electricity used on the planet, how much energy would it save total?

As she points out everyone has a different sized house and amount of electronics, so it may add up to more or less for you and I, but know I want to get one of the testing gizmos she talks about in the clip....interesting.



I could not get the video embedding to work, so you can go here to check it out,,
http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL News/the-savings-experiment-electricity/33827827001

Dry Erase Calendars For Home or Business

Have you ever used a Dry Erase Calendar? If you have, then you probably know how handy they are to have around. I found this site called Wallcalendar.us that sells custom vinyl Dry Erase Calendars for many uses.

They have sizes that range from the average home use size to giant format calendars for businesses, schools, etc. I am thinking of getting one for a friend of mine who always has her little fridge calendar jam packed. I bet she could still fill up a huge calendar just as fast. I think I might measure her craft room wall and see what size of dry erase calendar would fit there and get her one for Christmas.

The prices for even the biggest dry erase calendars aren't really that bad at all. I am going to have to keep this site in mind for future projects as well. Oooh, I wonder if a Dry Erase Calendar like this would make a good auction item for a school fundraiser...I bet it would!

Box Tops For Education

Good Morning parents..... the school year is getting ready to start. Time to get the clothes and supplies in order, maybe a new lunch box etc?

This will be my first year with a child in "real school", I am dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. I know she will have a ton of fun learning and making new friends, and I am looking forward to helping at her new school. I had been saving some cereal boxes for craft projects around here, and when I looked at one the other day I saw the Box Tops For Education logo. I realized that I too will soon be needing to save these for her school.

Then a day or so later I realized something kind of funny...did you know that there is a box tops for education label on some feminine paper products? I found one on a box the other day and it kind of made me laugh. I guess they are targeting the mothers eh? lol

That made me wonder what else they put the labels on,,, I know they have them on Juicy Juice, but I always forget to save them. I went to the site to see if there was a list of products to keep an eye out for and sure enough there was. There are also many other ways to use the box tops for education program through this site. If you shop through the site with several sponsors you earn donations for your school. Each store offers a different percentage, Target for instance is 1.5%, Shoes.com is 8.5% and the donations can go up to 15%.

So if you still have back to school shopping to do, or more shopping during the year, remember to go to BoxTops4Education.com and help out your little one's school while you are at it!

Local Info, Local Food

I saw part of a segment on Food Network the other day about a barbecue place in Cincinnati, Ohio. I did not catch the name of the restaurant, so I thought I would do a search for barbecue restaurants in Cincinnati and see what came up.

I like going to local.com when I am doing any local search. I think I have mentioned them before. When you use their local yellowpages type site, you get more than just a list of results. I get a list of places, mileage from my location, directions if I want them, local weather, and even reviews, it is awesome.

For instance when I am looking for local restaurants like I was today, I like having the reviews of the restaurant right next to the results. I bet the restaurant that was profiled is the one that came up in the results with a 4 and a half star rating. If not, it still sounds like a place I might want to check out.

I would recommend using this site the next time you want local information at your fingertips.

Check Out These Great Photos

I love photography, I always have. I think I have taken many good pics of the years, and maybe even a couple of really good ones, but I would love to take a truly awesome photograph one day. I think many people feel the same way, and I think that is what makes photo galleries like the one I saw today so popular.

You have to go look at this collection of photographs. There is everything from a photo crashing squirrel, to a photo of a painting by three-dimensional painting artist Edgar Muelle in Shanghai. This painting is insane! Have you seen the photographs of the chalk paintings people will do on city sidewalks, that look 3 dimensional, this one is like that. It looks like a waterfall in the middle of a mall or something, it is amazing.

Check them out!

More Back To School Shopping

I am still on the hunt for back to school items for my girl. Of course I stopped by shopwiki to see what I could find over there. I was looking around in the accessories category and came across this cool little set of hair clips from a company called Baker Ross. It will be perfect because my girls love hair clips and they love crafts. This hair clips kit comes with all the pieces you need to make a either butterflies or flower clips. I might have to get a bunch of these and save them for the girls' next birthday party.

Of course while I am there I might as well take a look at some stuff for myself and the rest of the family right? I have told you before how much I love the buying guides on shopwiki, if you are getting ready to buy some sunglasses you should read their sunglasses buying guide. It explains why sunglasses are important, what to look for when buying a pair of sunglasses, and even how to pick the right shape of glasses for your face.

While I was looking around the jewelry and watches section I found the cutest pair of white pearl butterfly stud earrings by Tiger Lily Trading. I told my oldest that if she did well in kindergarten and learned to listen like a big girl that we would get her ears pierced and get her some "big girl" earrings. I think she would love these butterflies!

Aren't There Bigger Fish To Fry?

I just read a story that mind of made me laugh, only because there was a happy ending. A little eight year old girl wanted to go to Disneyland with her family, so she decided she wanted to have a lemonade stand to help raise the funds. Evidently the little girl's family helped her set up a little stand near a intersection in their town...then a red tape city guy with nothing better to do came by and shut the stand down!

Are you serious? Were there bigger violations in the city that could have been taken care of? I would think "little kids with lemonade stands" would rank pretty low on a list of priorities for a city official. Is this the one city on the planet that had every other violator and job taken care of. No building codes to enforce, no fire safety issues to check on? Come on.

Luckily a local radio station got wind of the story and traded the family Disneyland tickets for 30 cups of lemonade. I love it when there is a happy ending to a story like this.

Let's Go On A Road Trip

My mom and dad are still looking for a nice piece od property in the Carolinas because we all love the area so much. I think one day even when they do find the right property and get settled in they plan on getting an RV and traveling to different places.

I said we should rent an rv and travel around North Carolina looking at properties for a few weeks. I did a search for rv park nc and it came up with CampNorthCarolina.com. It is the site for Sycamore Lodge which is a private RV campground and resort in Jackson Springs North Carolina. The pics on this site make it look like a very inviting place to stay.

There are other nc rv parks I am sure, but this place looks decked out. If you are searching for an rv park north Carolina, then you definitely want to check this site out. Even if you want to go camping but you are not traveling in an RV, you can rent one of their great looking cabins. Heck I think I might want to rent one of the cabins even if we do go in the RV, they look adorable. I got to stay in a cabin once when I was little on a family vacation, but I have not been since.

The site says there is even a pool and a playground, the kids would surely love that. What feels better after along road trip than a dip in a nice, cool pool?

Weber, More Than a Grill,,,A Destination

Do you remember me telling you about the massive weber grill my hunny would love to have? Well we just saw this segment on Unwrapped that was all about BBQ. WE just found out that there is a Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois..we want to go!

This place looks awesome, and you can just tell as you watch the television that the place must smell awesome! They do all the cooking in the kitchen on huge industrial Weber style grills. They said they keep a few set up with big flames for searing and quick cooking, and then a few for indirect heat cooking. Indirect grilling comes in handy for stuff you want to cook low and slow.

They even have a few grilled desserts on the menu. I think they said a pineapple upside down cake and a banana dish. Sounds tryable at least..mmmm. Are we there yet?

Mailboxes and Much More

I think I have mentioned a site called Mailboxixchange.com before. They have the most gorgeous selection of Commercial Mailboxes and Residential Mailboxes that I have seen anywhere else.

What will surprise you about the site though, isn't the great selection of mailboxes, but the other items they have for decorating your outdoor spaces. They carry an upscale line of items like flower boxes, bird feeders, planters and more.

If you or someone you know like to tend to their yard or flowers, you can find some lovely gift items on this site. How about a stainless steel watering can, or stainless steel plant sprayer? They carry terrariums, house numbers, lanterns for your yard. Just so many things to spruce up your curb appeal, you really have to check out this site.

You can get a great mailbox here, but don't let the name make you think that all they have is mailboxes, because it could not be farther from the truth.

Hillary's Hair

While I am always glad to see a "slow news day" because that means there are a few less horrible things happening in the world, but how slow does a day have to be when people are worried about Hillary Clinton's hair?

I agree that some of the looks that she has carried have looked a little severe, but I hardly call it big news that she styled her hair differently. If you want to check our her new do, you can read the story here. Hillary's hair never really looked bad in the first place, I think Jane Valez Mitchell is in more of a need for a new hair style.

What public person or celebrity do you think needs a new look?

A Great Site For Gift Baskets

Do you like to give Gift Baskets when it is time to send someone a present or a thank you? I just came across the coolest site when you are shopping for gift baskets. The site is called GiftBasketfair.com and it is like a one stop shop for anything you could want in a gift basket.

You can use Giftbasketfair.com to compare prices or find just the right type of basket you need. You can search through their ever growing database of gift baskets by several criteria such as price, theme, contents, etc. I love sites that save me time and allow me to shop at the same time, lol!

There are so many more options these days when it comes to gift baskets that is for sure. A nice fruit basket is always appreciated, but the sky is the limit when it comes to basket options any more. If you can dream it up I am sure someone out there can make it in to a wonderful gift basket for any occasion.

A New Feature on AOL

I just found the coolest new feature on AOL Food, it is a grocery list maker. You can look up recipes on AOL Food and have the whole list imported straight to a grocery list. You can also just add the items that you don't have at home already, or add other items you need from the store as well.

Once you have all the items added to the list that you want you can even organize it into sections of your grocery stores like dairy, meat, etc. A little bit of time spent organizing your list in this manner could save you quite a bit of time once you are at the store. Not to mention saving you the extra trips back to the store for things you have forgotten.

When you are finished making the list you can print it out, email it, or even send it to your cell phone...ooh I imagine that means you can email it to your hubby while he is out too :o)

Easier PDF Files

Do you often need to make or view PDF files? Even if you do not know what PDF stands for ( Portable Document Format by the way), you can now make a PDF in just a few minutes. Go to PDFconverted.com and download the software there. The software is a pdf creator and a pdf editor and more.

If you are tired of having to have a word program up to date on your computer just to view pdf files, now you can use this software for pdf conversion. It looks like this program can do just about whatever you might need to do with PDF files. It even converts pdf's in to word format, that could come in very handy since that is how so many people view pdf's you send to them.

I don't know about you, but I love products that are multi-purpose. I don't want to have to hop from this program to that program to do different editing or creating. What is your favorite software now? You might want to check this site out and give PDFconverted.com a try. Anything that helps me get things done quicker and easier is a big plus in my life these days. I think we all have more tasks than time, if this saves a few minutes here and there, that can add up!

John Hughes Passes Away

The world will have a few less laughs. Famed director John Hughes has passed away while on a walk. Come to think of it, this is the second time I have written about people passing away while walking today,,,,there is a joke there, but I will resist since I am talking about people passing away.

John Hughes was famous for directing just about every teen movie that was famous in the 1980's. Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Breakfast Club just to name a few. I did not realize until I just looked him up on the Internet Movie Database, that he did so many other things. He not only directed, he wrote, produced and even acted in movies. A bit of Breakfast Club trivia, it says that he was Brian's dad in that movie...who knew?

I also forgot that he wrote one of the funniest movies EVER....Planes, Trains and Automobiles. This is one of our family's standby movies. We love to play it around the holidays when the stress of getting ready for the holidays gets to be a little much. That movie will give you a laugh and put things into perspective at the same time.

God bless Mr. Hughes for the many laughs over the years. My prayers to his family and friends.

Beautiful Barware

Do you like to entertain? Some people like to have big parties, others only care for intimate gatherings, either way entertaining your friends and family can be so much fun. My husband loves to make dinner for our crowd as often as he can. When he has the time he can really put together a spread, everything from appetizers to cocktails and coffee after dinner.

When the weather is nice we like to cook and eat outside as much as possible too. I was looking around for a nice cart of some sort for when he is cooking outside or making drinks. I saw this really nice cart on GlassStemwareRacks.com. It has wheels, a cutting board and even a built in wine rack. I put a picture of it here, isn't it neat looking? I think it would be perfect for indoor or outdoor entertaining.

That site I mentioned has a wonderful selection of glass racks to choose from. They have everything from whole pieces of stand alone furniture like I was looking at, to stemware racks that you can set on a table or mount to a cupboard. I also saw a really neat expandable bar on the site that I might get for dear hubby whenever we get a new house. It is really cool in that is folds open to be a serving bar size, then folds up for compact storage when you are not using it.

Pay Attention When You Jog

I just read a story about a lady who was jogging in a park in Philadelphia today and was killed by a falling tree branch. The article also said that there was a similar incident in New York's Central Park just a few days ago. These random tragedies are definitely sad.

It said that the woman was wearing headphones and listening to music while she was jogging. I don't think it said if the man was wearing headphones or not. The man was put into a coma, but I guess he is doing better luckily. The article brings up the question of whether or not the woman would have heard the tree branch breaking if she was not wearing the headphones.

I can understand wanting to block out the world and relax while you walk or run, but it is just not safe. If I am not mistaken there is usually at least one person hit by a car each year because they weren't paying attention with headphones on. If you want to hear "your tunes" while you exercise I would think it would be safer to wear just one earphone or ear bud, whatever they are called these days.

Back in the day when I would take my walkman for a walk ( yes this dates me), I would put just let the ear phones hang around my neck. I could still hear my inspirational music to keep me pumped, but I could also hear my surroundings. You do not have to break your eardrums to hear music. Better yet, leave it at home once in a while and really listen to the birds, trees and critters. It is easy to forget what beauty we are surrounded by on a daily basis.

Please be careful out there folks.

Do You Play Spades?

I have played cards with my family for years and I like almost any type of card game. Euchre is probably my favorite, with spades being a close second. The two card games are similar in rules and playing style, with just a few variations. If you are familiar with spades, then you can easily pick up euchre and visa-versa.

As relaxing as it is for me to play cards it is often hard to find the time to get an actual card game together with my friends or family. That is one of the things I love the most about the internet is playing cards online. If you are specifically looking for a good site to play spades online, then you might want to check out Spadester.com

On Spadester you can play spades online for free or join in their real money games for a chance to win some real money. I like card sites that give you the chance of playing games without money being involved, or taking my chances with winning something. One of the best aspects of online card playing is that you get to play and chat with people from all over the world. What are the chances in your average day of you meeting someone from another country and getting to have a conversation?

They have a partner site called Myspades.com where you can play online without downloading anything as well. So there is an option for everyone.

Put An End To Infamy

I wish there was a way to put an end to infamy. It seems that at least once a week we have some crazy person killing innocent people and then themselves. I am so tired on innocent people dying because someone was having a bad day, week, life, etc.

Now we have this guy in Pennsylvania who has killed 3 innocent women and wounded several others just because he was not happy....boo hoo! What are the families of these three women going to feel like now? There are short a mother, sister, wife or something now because this bozo wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. (or so he imagined I guess).

These crazies are always sad because they feel short changed in some manner, short on friends, short on money, short you know what,,blah blah blah. It makes no sense to me. If you want to end your life I kind of feel that that is your right. STOP taking others with you, they did nothing to you. I can't help but think that if the media would stop telling the names and "agendas" of these people that there would at least be fewer of these occurrences.

To top it off this guy published his plans on a website. I guess it was all laid out in black and white on the web what he planned to do. It says he even posted that he tried once before and chickened out. I wonder what the people who were at that fitness center on that day will feel like knowing they literally dodged bullets? People go back and forth about government watch dogs, and privacy issues. I don't know why we can't patrol the internet for things like this. It is not in invasion of privacy. If someone wants to keep something private, they do not publish it online period.

Did you notice that I did not mention the guys name? I think the media should do the same,,no names and no pics of these killers. Honor the victims instead if you want, but ignore the bad people.

More on Zappos

Oooh, I am having a great time shopping on Zappos.com. I also wanted to point out to you all that Zappos.com has Free Shipping both ways it says.. I think it is great when a company believes in its product or service enough to even pay for return postage if the need should arise.

I never heard of a brand called Baby Nay Kids until today, but they have some super cute outfits. I think my daughter wants to wear a dress on her first day so I am going to look through the dress section on here for sure. I still want to take her places and let her try some on, but who says you can only have one dress right?

If your school has uniforms, I noticed that Zappos also carried French Toast uniform items too. I love buying all the different outfits for my girls because it is fun to dress them up, but sometime I think it would be nice if their school had uniforms. Not only are they neat looking, but I think it would cut out a lot of the headache of getting ready in the morning. There would be less fights about what fits or doesn't, what color to wear today etc. I am tempted to buy one of the French Toast skirts to pair with others shirts and leggings. Who says you have to have a uniform school to wear the pieces separately?

Touched By An Angel

I have found myself watching the television show Touched by an Angel lately. I have always thought it was a decent show, but I never watched it much. I guess I am drawn to it because the show has a sense of calmness about it, and I have been so stressed out lately. What can make you feel better than a happy ending at the end of every story?

I did not know that Valerie Bertinelli had joined that cast. I wonder how long she has been on the show? I know she has been in the news for her weight loss battle and victory, she looks great. She never has looked like she has aged much since I use to watch her on One Day at a Time. She has one of those faces and smiles that make you feel better by looking at it, maybe that has added to the appeal of the show as well.

I know I am weird, but what is the point of having a blog if you can not ramble on about the things that no one else will listen too, eh?

ZAP Your Back To School List

I like many of you out there am getting ready to face back to school shopping. While I do love to shop, there is something about this type of shopping that tends to get a little over whelming to me. When I was in school I loved buying the pencils, paper, and all of those supplies, but not the clothes. Now that I have a little one getting ready to go to kindergarten I can wait to put together a nice fun wardrobe for her.

I want to take her out for at least one or two days of "real" shopping, just so that she can have the fun of trying on clothes and picking out that one special outfit that she wants to wear on here first day. I think that the bulk of the shopping I do to get her ready for school will be done online though. When you are busy you really can not beat knocking out your list of must haves with a few well placed clicks of a computer mouse.

I am going to head over to Zappos.com and see what they have on sale there. They use to be the place to go for shoes, and now they have branched out in to all sorts of shopping. They have great brands like Columbia, Roxy, Nike and more for the whole family. This will be great since hubby is headed back to school this fall too. I can shop for his clothes and hers all at one place, love it!

My Ears Click All The Time

For as long as I can remember my I have had a problem with my ears. I know it has not been my whole life, but I really can not remember the last time I did not feel this way. Every time I swallow, or yawn or anything like that my ears crackle, click and pop like I have water in them or something.

It doesn't usually doesn't bother me much, or cause any real problems. It is often a minor annoyance, but when you have several minor annoyances in your life they add up. Sometimes in the morning when the kids are just being themselves (loud), my ears crackle with every sound they make. And when my son hits high C I feel like my ears will literally explode.

I typed, "my ears click" into a search engine, and you would not believe how many people have asked that question! I found one site that has several possible theories on ear clicking problems. The site is for Fauquier Ear Nose and Throat Consultants of Virginia. Their homepage address is kind of involved so I put a link to it here for you. If you have any ear problems like I do, it is an interesting site for information.

Build Your Business UP

HEY! Need to build your business up? This is a great idea how to help you do that.
There are companies that can help you with things like lead generation, market research, database deleting and appointment setting.
I did not know this type of organization existed and it is perfect for large or small business.
If you are a small business they can save you time and money doing the footwork for you to set appointments, match other businesses that might need your goods or services and they are a third party list buyer and that can help your company immensely in new prospects.
They can give you business leads that you might never have thought of or maybe you could not make the contact on your own.
If you are a large company, this place can save you monies because they do the research for you to see what companies might be too costly for you to deal with and or find new companies to help expand your sales forces.
The company had contacts that you probably are not aware of and they can make the contact for you.
The serves this website company can provide you the time to free up your work force to be out in the field making money instead of in the office making phone calls to try to make contacts, day after day.
Did you ever hear the saying, "you have to spend money to make money"?
Well this would be monies well spent to help your business make a bunch mire than it is probably making now.
Every once in a while a company has to update and reinvent itself to get a fresh prospective on clients.
At least check out the web site and see what they have to offer...if not for you maybe a friend is in a rut and needs some new ideas for business.

School Is About To Begin

OMG! It is that time of year again.
The school clothes shopping, the supplies, the new sleep schedules.
UUUGGGHHH!!!
I have to get organized or I am going to really be in a mess.
I have to go shopping and fill in the gap of what we do not have for school clothes and I have to start the inevitable night time drama of "But It Is Still Daytime" and other excuses of why they don't think it is time to go to bed yet.
Why is it that a child can understand it if they want something and they get it but try and explain what DST is and why it is not starry outside for bedtime...lol.
I think they understand it but they are just pulling my chain to see how nuts they can drive me!
HA! Short putt!
I think it will be nice to have school start again, but my schedule even as unorganized as it is, will go to you know where real quick.
I have to be able to get some sleep too and I do not know if I can change my habits this fast either!
Back to breakfast and dinner at certain times...yeah right and planned week end instead of spur of the moment weekday events...
Oh My...what a change we all have to adjust to.
Anyone really ready for the upcoming school days?

Home Security Options

I tend to be a cautious person anyway, but reading stories like the one I just told you about make me think even more about getting some sort of Home Security Surveillance System. I have been thinking about extra security measures and there are several ways a person can go. You could get a big dog, a firearm, extra locks, etc. I think a combination of things is the best way to go.

There are many Home Security Systems on the market these days. I found one site you can go to where you can check out ADT Home Security Systems and see if they might be right for you. The site is called homesecurityteam.com. You can go there and either fill out their easy form and one of their consultants will get back with you, or you can call the 800 number that is on the site and talk to someone when you are ready.

They are offering a free 850.00 monitoring system when you sign up for the monitoring service. I do not know all the details because I have not read the whole thing yet, but it sounds interesting. Everyone has heard of ADT, and they are America's number one home alarm company so they must be doing something right eh?

Another Pointless Tragedy

I just read a story about a young 17 year old girl that makes me just want to scream or cry, I am not sure which, probably both. Her name WAS Lily Burk and she was on a errand for her mom one day when she gets abducted by some crazy person. The person who took her apparently tried to have her withdrawal money from an ATM machine, but she did not know how to do it.

In a super sad twist in this story Lily then called BOTH of her parents to ask about how to get funds with a credit card. Her parents say that she never let on that she was in trouble. I would imagine she could not say anything because the person was right there with her. I can not imagine the pain a parent goes through after they lose a child, but to have this extra feeling that you got to talk to her while she was in dire trouble and didn't even know. You could do nothing to help her and she was "right there" so to speak.

I pray that Lily's parents can get through this nightmare. There is a suspect in the case and when the figure out for sure who did this, they need to give them the death penalty..period! I am so tired of these animals that roam the Earth disguised as humans, who put no value on the life of another human being what so ever. How can someones life not be more important than a few dollars or the next drug fix? I am so tired of the supposed rehabilitation system that jails are suppose to be. There is no rehabilitating something that does not have a soul in the first place. If they do not care about another human, what point is there in keeping them on this Earth?