Melamine for Dinner?

Now I will buy a melamine plate from time to time, but I never thought I would have to worry about feeding it to my children.

First it was the lead paint in the toys, then the BPH in the bottles. I threw any possible offenders out of my house and away from my kids, but now there might be melamine in the baby's formula! I can not keep up. I am about ready to move to a farm with my own animals, own milk, own vegetables. etc.

What are we suppose to do to keep our kids safe?! There have been many children in China I think it was, die from melamine contamination. In those cases it was a larger amount, but what is a safe amount? To me there should not be ANY acceptable amount of anything inedible in out food, especially when you are talking about baby food.

What's next air? Oh wait, we already have problems with that too....Where is my plastic bubble?

Check Out This Cool Site

Do you like creating photo collages or other types of art? Check out LetterPerspectives.com, they have this collection of photographs. They are everyday things that look like the shape of letters. You choose the letters and the Letter Perspectives turns it into Personalized art that is framed and ready to go.

I made this one goofing around on the site that says DRIZZLY. Isn't it cool?!



I love this kind of unusual, creative item. It would make an awesome gift and one that most people have never seen before and are not likely to get duplicates of. Ooh, maybe I will get my brothers and sisters to chip in on one for our mom and dad. We can get our last name done for them. It is only 159.99 matted and framed, that is a good deal!

You should at least go to the site and play around with it. I am going to keep this site in mind for the next baby shower I have to go to as well. How awesome a gift would it be for a baby's room? I wonder if there is a limit to how many letters for that price, like if you have a really long name or want more than one word.

Oh man, when I see creative stuff like this, it gets my mind scrambling with ideas. You could make more than one word to make a phrase and hang them in a collection on the wall. I love that idea...ooh the ideas are multiplying. I am going to have to tell my friend Jen about this. I know she will go as crazy with ideas as I am LOL!

Tis The Season For Out of Season Fruit

We have been having a bad run of luck in the produce department lately. First it was a half mushy batch of strawberries, today it was a unripe mini watermelon. It made me think of something a local talk radio guy said the other day. "You don't need a fresh peach in the middle of winter"

He was talking to someone about how expensive produce is, especially in winter. They got into how we have fresh fruit year round because much of it is imported from other countries. We have been pretty spoiled in our food choices. There would not really be anything wrong with eating nice canned fruit in the winter. If we did not import so much food from other countries, it would help American farmers, and maybe we would all appreciate our food a little more than we do now.

I know when we grow stuff ourselves in the garden it tastes even better than store bought. Partly because it is so fresh, and partly because of the satisfaction of growing it ourselves. It would kind of be nice to anticipate fresh fruit season. Kind of like what I said about the chestnuts before. I can only get them around here in the winter, so they are even more special.

I am wondering if that might be the one good thing to come out of this recession. Maybe we will all appreciate the simple things more.

Choosing a Cool Ceiling Fan

I can not believe how much choice there is in ceiling fans these days. When my mom and dad got their first ceiling fan over 20 years ago it was a big deal to have reversible design blades. Like two tones of wood grain to choose from or what have you. Now they have Contemporary Style Ceiling Fans ,Decorative Style Ceiling Fans etc.

I think we are going to get a Hugger Style Ceiling Fan,, since our ceilings are kind of low. If you have one of those big front rooms with a high ceiling, your options are almost endless. The site I linked to here is called CeilingFanWarehouse.com. You should go there and look around. There are some things I have never even seen before. Check out the the picture I posted here.

Like I said you would have to have a high ceiling for a fan like this one,, but isn't is gorgeous? Maybe I should buy a house that works with the fan LOL! I know we really use our ceiling fans a lot. Even in the winter, if you run them in reverse it helps push the heat that floats up to the ceiling back down where you get use out of it. Plus having it on low even in reverse it keeps the air moving around and helps keep it from getting stagnant during the closed in winter months.

MMMM Chestnut Season

All that talk of Chestnuts made me decide to write an eHow on how to roast the little buggers. You can check the article and eHow out. You can find all sort of cool stuff on there, and it is fun to write articles. You might even make a little pocket change or more in the process!

What is your favorite holiday treat? We can only get chestnuts in the winter around here, so they become associated with the holidays for us.

Costumes-All Occasions

Thanksgiving costumes can be very frustrating to make on your own.
Sometimes you may not have the proper amount of time needed to research authenticity of the particular costume you may require for a play at school, for example.
I always get that last minute, oh, by the way, I need ...this, that or the other for may play in a week and a half.
I was searching the web for costume ideas and ran across this site that has some professionally made costumes.
I haven't had to make a male Pilgrim costume yet, but the ones I see on this site look very well made. You could even order just the accessories, like, hat or belts, also gloves.
Gloves are a real hassle to try to sew on your own.Check out their Turkey costumes too...how adorable.
Oh ,yes, and with the Yule Tide Season coming upon us soon, there is always a holiday theme play in the makings.
Christmas costumes are always fun, Santa, Mrs. Clause, the elves.
But have you ever tried to make a reindeer yourself ?
I have ! AND NEVER will again ! I could not for the life of me figure out how to keep the antlers up righted. It was a nightmare. I tried and tried but it still looked like I had a drunk reindeer.
Probably should have kept it away from the eggnog bowl.
Ha Ha Ha Ho Ho Ho !
AND there is the matter of if you put wire in the antlers you have to be very careful the wire doesn't poke into the persons head that is trying to wear it.
We did have fun trying though. I think we ended up with a strange facsimile of a reindeer.
It did get a whole lot of attention at the play.
Hmm, wonder why I wasn't part of the costuming department this year...lol.
I'll tell you what though, if I would have seen the costume at this one website before I attempted to make that silly thing, I definitely would have purchased it from them...it is too cute and the antlers seem to be in the proper working order.
This web site had costumes for all occasions and all ages, pretty much.
They also have an adult Christmas costumes category.
Like I said...something for just about every occasion.
Well, good luck with your next project.
I know where I am going to buy mine...ready made and reasonably priced.
OK, I will share the web site with you...www.easterntoys.com
Then I will use my extra time to hit the eggnog bowl.
Happy Holidays !

I Feel Like Mother of The Year

Tammy Smith from Moundsville, WV is accused of burning the word WIMP into her 6 year old daughter's neck. Someone at the child's school notice the burn and asked the girl what happened. She said her mother..,,( if this is true I use the term lightly)...burned the word into her neck with a cigarette because she was mad at her for falling down.

Yes, read that again, because it was hard for me to take in when I first heard about it too. Then try not to throw up. What is wrong with people?! They have not proven yet how this happened, but you would think if it was not the mother, she herself would have talked to her daughter's teachers. How could this happen? The daughter was playing with cigarettes and accidentally burned the word into her neck herself?,,ummm NO. So the only other way would be for someone else to do it, and in that case like I said the mom would have been irate and crying as she told the teachers of the ordeal. Or is that just me?

OMG< I am going to go hug my kids.

Another Way To Fund Your Business

Do you accept credit cards for your business? I use to run a store where I had that option. I was thinking of setting up an account for online business. I found out that OnlineCheck.com not only handles credit card porcessing, but they also have a type of Merchant Cash Advance. You can get a loan against future credit card receipts. I guess there is more leeway with this type of loan, and they are cheaper and faster to get since there are no fees or closing costs.

With it getting harder to get traditional loans right now, this might be a good option for you to get funds to grow your business! If you could add a feature or service to your business, what do you think it would be? More square footage, a new product line, or maybe more help? Expanding your business can be exciting.

The "Joe The Plumber" Snoops Get Busted

I do not know if the government figured out exactly who all snooped into the private life of Joe Wurzelbacherm A.K.A. Joe the Plumber, but several people at one Ohio agency are getting reprimanded for their illegal antics.

The workers I am talking about in this instance, all worked for the Ohio Department of Jobs and family services. Some workers received only written reprimands, others got UNPAID suspensions. You can read the article here, and see their names and what kind of reprimand each received.

The one that struck me the most was the agency Directory Helen Jones-Kelley received a one month UNPAID suspension. It said that she would lose about 11,828 in salary, are you serious?! That is more than a lot of people make in a year! This is an agency that helps the unemployed and poor of the state. I understand that it is a very important job, but that amount seems a little high to me.

I don't know. I am not a "share the wealth" kind of person, but I think if the higher ups would not get quite so much pay, or bonuses, etc then the running of these types of agencies would not be so costly and we could help more people.

Shopping For The Hard to Buy For

Do you have one of those guys on your Christmas list that is really hard to buy for? I can never seem to decide on what to get the hubby for any occasion. Some people are hard to buy for because they have limited interests or needs, he is the opposite. There are so many things he likes to do that I get kind of boggled when I try and decided.

One thought I had was something like this 5.11 Tactical Jacket from LAPoliceGear.com. It would cover the something useful and something he would like gifts all in one present. I love giving useful things, but I like them to be fun desirable things, not like socks or ties.

I think he would be able to use this jacket for work, or hunting, or just everyday wear. Now I just have to decide on a color.... that should only take me a couple of days! LOL!

Good luck with your shopping list!

Blogging Gone Too Far

I was just reading a story on FoxNews.com, about a 19 year old boy that commited suicide live on webcam.

I guess he posted messages in the early morning hours before the act, and posted a link to the webcam site. The story states that bloggers watched the webcam feed for around 12 hours debating whether or not to contact authorities. I may have missed something, but it did not say how much the feed showed.

Some people are criticising the bloggers for having not reacted sooner. I do not know what I would have done. If it showed him taking the pills, or whatever I think I would have contacted someone with the thought of better safe than sorry. If I just came across a webcam of someone lying in bed, I might not have known what was going on...again I do not know what all he did in front of the camera.

The parents told authorities that the youth had trouble with mental illness, and hoped the news of this tragedy would spread the word about helping those with mental illness. I hope something good comes out of this senseless waste. God rest his soul.

You can read the article by clicking on foxnews above.

A Holiday Cooking Safety Reminder

As we all get ready to cook our holiday turkeys, hams, geese, whatever, don't forget this this little gem of cooking wisdom...

DON'T OPEN THE TIN FOIL, OR LID IN YOUR DIRECTION!

I almost got myself a few minutes ago while making a roast for dinner. I don't know how many times I have opened a foil covered pan, or taken the lid off a pot and blasted myself with hot steam. It is one of those things that we all know NOT to do, and yet I manage to do it at least once a year for good measure! LOL



So learn from my mistakes and be careful in the kitchen, this time of year or any time.



Other things you should not do.... (that I also do once in awhile for fun ,,haha)



* Don't touch a hot pan or pot without a pot holder



* Don't leave paper too close to the stove ( or paper bags KT!! aha)



* Don't forget to set the timer,, no you won't remember otherwise



* Don't forget to locate any rugrats before moving something hot across the kitchen



* Don't leave plastic items in front of the oven vent, bowls, spatulas, etc, they aren't much good after they melt!



* Don't leave the toaster plugged in,,,why? because technically it is a fire hazard, and it just generally drives me nuts. While you are at it, wipe those toast crumbs off the counter, that is just gross!



On a related note though, that oven vent comes in handy for melting sticks of butter for baking, JUST DON'T FORGET YOU PUT IT THERE, or you will have a huge mess!





HAVE A HAPPY, SAFE TURKEY DAY!

Is That Franchise Really For You ?

If you are thinking about buying franchise for an investment for your future, first you must make sure it is right for you.

Questions you must ask yourself are is this the right one and am I right for a franchise. Sounds kind of like double talk but it isn't. If you think this is confusing, try looking into the franchise market on your own. You will find out very quickly that you will need professional help and guidance to do this. I guarantee you ! I know for fact this is true...Been There, Done That !

I was talking with a business acquaintance the other day and he was telling me about a company called Match Point Franchise Consulting Network that was founded in 2006. A couple years too late for me, but they offer a useful service. Their mission is to match franchise buyers with the proper opportunity for them. Sometimes you think you know what you want and find out there is more to know and do than meets the eye. Franchise buying is one of those areas.

Match Point has testing they do that checks your personality, interests and skills so that you might enter the franchise that you might be most successful in. If you go to their website you can get a test right there to see what your strengths and weaknesses are. They have a free newsletter and free evaluation for the buyer.

If you want to be able to control your life and your income the best way possible for your situation, I would check out Match Point. You will be shown an insider's view on franchising from them. Hey it doesn't cost you a thing. What more could you ask for ?

The Holiday Season And Safety

Holidays is the time of year when all are concerned with shopping and cooking and travel plans for selves , friends or relatives.
We tend to forget about the snow and safety issues.
In the cold there is less oxygen to breath and we haphazardly try to get the walks and driveway shoveled out before the first batch of visitors arrive so they won't slip, slide and fall.
If you have heart problems you should have known better. If you have some new pains in chest area especially, wake up and smell the coffee bud !
That is where your heart is !
Go inside and tell someone IMMEDIATELY what you are feeling.
Could be nothing ,could be something.
But Do tell someone..You don't want to end up in the hospital over the Holidays ...DO YOU ?
Pay the guy the $10.00 to plow the darn drive for you this one time.
Also, this is the time of year you get so busy you forget ...did I or didn't I take my medication(s) today ?
Try to devise a plan at least for the holidays that won't let you end up guessing about your medicines.
It Is Too Important to YOU !!!
OK, lecture over. Behave yourself.,holidays

Thanksgiving Holiday Flowers

Thanksgiving flowers are so needed to put the finishing touches on your turkey table or around the room.
Thanksgiving decorating is so underrated and yet so important to pull off that elegant holiday meal that you worked so hard to prepare.
Flowers in the room give it that newly redone look without all the expense of paint, curtains, etc.,
and they add a very warm and inviting scent to the occasion also.
The centerpiece you select for your table is every bit as important as your table cloth, dinnerware and glassware.
The creation needs to compliment the room as well as the table setting and most importantly, it needs to make a statement with your fabulous meal but not overpower it.
You can first go online to see what some of your holiday special arrangements are and see what else they have available.
You can also do your Christmas shopping for your flowers EARLY and HEY...No lines and no driving on your part.
You pick and choose online and they are delivered right to your door !
Or you can call 1-800 Flowers, tell them your selection and voila ! Poof !
Just like magic they are professionally arranged and at your door FAST !
It doesn't get any easier than that !
Now then, your work is almost done.
Sit back relax and enjoy the holidays season.

Dr. House - for real ?

Dr. House
How unbelievable is he as a doctor ?
Actually, he is very believable.
A lot of doctors have this better than thou attitude.
Next time you go to the hospital, watch the doctors and nurses especially in the ER setting.
The nurses are always saying yes sir, no sir. How high sir.
And yet, it is the nurses who do most of the work after the doctor barks the orders.
And take note how many times the nurses might say, “put that in writing please”.
That is to cover themselves, just in case the doctor might have not been quite correct in the orders and the nurse is not allowed to second guess the doctor’s orders.
House acts like that on the show and in reality there are real settings like that, but do not disallow for the greatness of the doctor either.
Diagnosing takes talent and a ton of knowledge.
Day after day of doing that can tend to make someone have that God-like ego trip.
But do remember…they save lives ALL the time.

Mold or Mildew?

We have been remodeling the basement so that we could make a TV area and maybe some extra space for the family to relax and for the kids to play. We were wondering how to tell the difference between regular "basement smell" and a possible mold problem. We have not seen any black mold yet, but we are keeping an eye out as we go.

This is my parents' basement, but I mentioned before that our basement at home flooded before. That same company, waterrestoration911.com, does black mold removal too. I am going to keep them in mind in case we find any black mold....ick I hope we do not find any. Theirs is a walk out basement though, so I think they get better air flow than most basements.

I am going to have to do some more research. These days there are so many more scary things to worry about, mold, radon, Carbon monoxide ( I think that is the bad one? LOL) I am glad there are companies that help you deal with these problems.

Chest Nuts Roasting

They may have come from the oven and not an open fire, but they are still warm and yummy! We finally located some yesterday and I am now enjoying the first chestnut of the season. Well my mom and I are trying to enjoy them anyway, between the kids grabbing them as fast as we can peel them.

I am very happy that they often try new things, and like more types of food than the average kid, but man can they be little vultures lol. They smell food or hear you banging around in the kitchen and they show up as out of nowhere! Last night I had part of a KitKat bar. I still had two half sticks in my hand when my daughter came in the room and says "What do I smell!?"...LOL I am like, "what does it smell like?" and she says "CHOCOLATE!"..I died. If there is chocolate, steak or shrimp with in a mile of this girl it will cause a big blip on her radar.

Needless to say I lost what was left of my candy bar to the girls lol...but that is ok :o)

Privacy and Convenience for Medical Needs

I read the other day about dhphomedelivery.com. They sell all sorts of health care items, and ship them right to your house. That way you do not have to search around town looking for a specialty health care item. Home delivery also keeps people out of your private medical business, no prying eyes behind you in line.

They sell all sorts of useful items from, Surecare Slip On Underwear, to some really nice looking diabetic socks I might get for my dad. The socks have some sort of silver in the fibers or something that helps fight odors from perspiration and also helps fight fungus. How in the world does the silver stuff work? I don't know, but it is neat. I know my dad had to get a lotion with silver in it once to help a wound heal.

Weight Loss Motivation

I was Iming with my mother in law today ( she lives in another state), and we got to talking about wanting to lose weight. She wants to band together and see if we can motivate each other to get and STAY on track. I love the idea, but like every other idea I try, will I stick to it? It is so hard to stay on a weight loss regimen of any kind.

I know all the things I should and should not do. I need to eat less crap, drink more water, take my vitamins, drink less caffeine, get more sleep ( AHAHAHAHAHAHA), relax (AHAHAHAHAHA) is there an echo in here?!

I don't know, all I know is that I have to do something soon. I am not getting any younger, and having kids fairly close together really took it out of me. I would not trade them for anything in the world, but it seems I did trade away a bit of my health in the process. I just need to fight hard to get it back. I know I will feel better, and be a better, happier momma.

I asked her if we could start AFTER Turkey Day and she said no :o(. I am suppose to email her everything I eat and drink everyday,,, I am going to get typer's cramp for awhile LOL!

Send a Letter From Santa

You know how you can have places send your child Letters From Santa? Well now there is this cool website called LettersFromSanta.Com...catchy name. They have several different companies listed that send this type of letter, and they break down things like how much a letter costs, if it comes with any extras, etc. Some of the companies even do phone calls, and mane offer discounts on multiple letters. I like the link it gave to for other Christmas activities at the bottom of the page.

Oh my goodness, the one company says it send their letters out in shiny green envelopes. My oldest daughter LOVES green, that might be the one I choose for her. Then there is another company that sends a "good list" certificate, how cute!

I think this would be a cool gift too for nieces and nephews or other little ones on your list, just check with their parents first to make sure they don't mind, or that they are not already sending one themselves.

Tweet Tweet

I noticed I have a few new followers on Twitter. Thank you!

Now if any of you would like to teach me how to use Twitter or what it is actually for, that would be great,,,LOL! I am getting old I guess,,,so of these new fangled things kind of fly over my head.

I could not get it to copy/paste or upload...but here is a fun Twitter status generator

http://www.generatorland.com/generators/twitter-status-generator_gl.php#

Heart Info Available On Video

irregular heartbeat can be alarming to anyone if you aren't familiar with medical terminology.
You don't always have a doctor you ask questions 24/7.
There is an online website called HeartLibrary.com you can go to that have "real" doctors explaining the individual illness.
The explanations are done so well that anyone can understand them. So you won't have to take a medical course yourself to understand it.
When you get the information for your particular symptoms or diagnosis from the video at http://www.heartlibrary.com/, it will either ease your mind or reassure you that you should go see your doctor.
This online site could either save YOUR life or a FRIEND'S life.
Either way, it is a very interesting place to visit.
I like the pictures and demonstrations. Makes it so simple for me.
I don't have any heart issues at present, my doctor said so, but I do have a few older relatives that I am concerned about and it enlightens me about what could be going on.
Check it out.

Another Blast From The Past

I found this awesome little thing that any child of the 80's can appreciate...


It is an Atari 2600 label maker. You can even upload a picture to it and make a atari type label, but I could not decide on what picture to upload so I used the text only option and got this...

The cool thing is if you had an old game that the label was messed up on, you could make a decent facsimile of it with the program. What will they think of next, I love this corny kind of crap,don't you? You can make one of your own here.

Less Weight, More Energy

Life is such a catch 22 especially for moms. You gain weight from having kids, and then after you have them it is so hard to lose it. It is not fair that running around like a chicken with your head cut off, barely eating, barely sleeping does not make you lose weight. Have I whined about this before? Probably.

I heard they have the Best Diet Pills at lab88.com. I wonder what would be the best thing to try that would not make me nuts or jittery. Now days there are many more options than there use to be. I know if I lost weight I would have way more energy, but there again is a catch 22. I have to do something soon though, cause I can hardly keep up with my wild children LOL!

Calling All Bloggers....Template Suggestions Wanted

Hey all you bloggers out there, I want to change stuff up again maybe. I made the background for this blog, but you don't always have the time to play around with designing etc. I like the templates they have at finalsense.com, but they don't always cooperate.

Where do you go for templates, tools or tweaks? Or who would you recommend I stay away from? I prefer sites that let you copy and paste code, but I am open to suggestions. I wish had more free time because I love to make things.

Thank in advance for the input :o)

Pick Your Picture

. Ever just need a picture to make your blog complete and you just don't have quite the right one? Well, here yah go...blog pictures. Check out this web site for some really unique pictures.
Beautifully executed snaps of almost any picture you might want. And it is Free...Free to sign up, free pictures...that's right, I said FREE !


They have plants, animals, people, architect items, oh my goodness, just lots of stuff you can readily up or download to your blog. How cool is that ! I found this nice pic of a lavender flower. It made me think of a lavender festival we went to this summer. Ooooh, did I forget to blog about that? I will have to check, it was lovely...but back to the pics...

Now you don't have to search lots of different web sites and clip art places all the time, go to acobox first and save a lot of hassle.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I like to go to photo sites just to look around, it can be relaxing and inspiring. Especially if you are looking for inspiration and writing ideas. Pick a photo category and find one that catches your eye, then tell a story about the photo. It doesn't have to be the real story behind the photo of course, but you get the idea.

80's Memories Stick Around

I was talking with some gal pals the other night and for some odd reason I thought of my old sticker collection. Back in the 1980's sticker books. and sticker clubs were a pretty popular thing. Did you ever collect stickers?



I only had to photo albums stuffed with them, some of my friends and 5, 6, 7 or more albums full of stickers. LOL. man how long ago that feels. I will have to see if I can dig that puppy up and take a walk through memory lane. If you did collect, what was your favorite type such as: puffy, mood, holographic, etc. Come on, I know some of you are hiding your old albums somewhere!

Secure Your Home

I am big on security and safety, especially when it comes to my home. If you have security cameras on your property are they the type that picks up infrared light, like a night vision scope? I did not know that they make Infrared Illuminators that you can buy, that make more light at night, that only night vision cameras can see.

That is awesome, you can have your camera get ample light, and not keep yourself or your neighbors up all night. Check them out at that link above, as well as anything else you could need for security.

Speaking of Pumkin Seeds

It just dawned on me that I have not made any home made pumpkin seeds yet this year. I have probably missed the boat this year. Man this will be the first year in as long as I can remember that I haven't made any.

It just seems that each year goes by faster than the previous year. By the time I am ready for Christmas it will probably be spring. LOL! I better go out and get some chest nuts before they go out of season too. What is your favorite seasonal treat? Of any season.

A Nutty Idea For A Holiday Gift

Yes, I am still shopping for Christmas presents. I happened up nutsonthenet.com and was wowed by their selection of gourmet nuts. What I was really surprised and pleased to find was the different types of pumpkin seeds. They even have the pumpkin seeds in the red package that I use to get all the time when I was little.

My cousin and I use to walk down the the pharmacy and buy a dollars worth each, and back then they were ten cents a package so we each got ten packages. I have not thought about that in ages. I bet she would love it if I got her that case of them from nutsonthnet.com. It is not a bad price, and it says internet orders can get special savings on shipping.

That is a lot of pumpkin seeds, so if my cousin has to share because there are too many just for her that would be ok too! LOL. This site is making me hungry, they have many varieties of luscious looking nuts everything from huge pecans, to mixed nuts.

I bet my hubby would like some of those pecans. He loves candied pecans,but I bet these are great as is. If you have a nut fan on your list,,check it out!

Dirty Jobs, Someone Has To Do Them

Have you all seen that show on The Discovery Channel called Dirty Jobs? That show is so gross it is cool. One of the best parts though, is the host Mike Rowe. He is a hard hat hottie! My own dear hubby was in the construction field so I guess that kind of guy does it for me, and Mike is no exception, YUM!

I found this hilarious thing on his site where you can rate pictures of Mike Rowe by hotness LOL,,If you are a fan of his,,or hot guys in general...check it out!

The Weightloss Struggle

I like to watch those shows on TLC about medical mysteries and the battles people go through to get help for different disorders. I saw one the other night on a man that use to weigh over 1200 lbs, and has already lost something like 400 lbs through diet control.

If I were in the situation I think I would find a lap band physician like the ones at Journeylite.com. They have helped many people with bariatric surgery. I know some people are nervous at the thought of surgery, but to me the health risks of being severely over weight could be even more scary. I have an friend that had lap band surgery of some sort. I know there is more than one kind, and not all types are great for everyone. If you want to know more, check out that site.

Barack's Priorities

I still want to look it up to see if it is true, but my hubby just told me that one of the first things that our new president wants to do is to have them redo how college football is ranked or some such nonsense.

ARE YOU SERIOUS! This is as big a waste of tax payer dollars as the steroid hearings. What did they hope to accomplish with those anyway? I never did hear anything about the end of those. So Obama is a sports fan, I am a fan of feeding my family,, why don't you work on our messed up economy first!

Relocating Service Versus a Mover

If we ever do figure out where we want to move to, my hubby and I might choose to use the relocation services of a company like ABF Upack Moving. With a relocation company like this, they delivery a trailer or " ReloCube" that you pack yourself at your own pace. Once you have it packed how you want it, they pick it up and drive it to your destination.

I really like this idea. I am very picky about how my belongings are handled or packed. This option would let me do all the packing, without having to do any of the driving. This would also come in handy if you are flying to your new location, or maybe you want to drive together in the family vehicle together without having to follow in a separate moving truck. I think that is a cool idea.

Hooray For Lower Gas Prices

OMG! We just put over 17 gallons of gas in our minivan for about 30.00. Gas right now is only 1.83. I was happy enough last week when it was 1.95 or 1.98, I never thought we would see it for under 3.00 again.

I wish gas prices would have come down when there were still some fall leaves to see around here, maybe we will be able to go see some family for Christmas if the prices stay down. Do you think the prices will stay down, or sky rocket after the new president takes office?

Looking For A Home In California?

My family and I would really like to move somewhere warmer. We have family and friends all over the country and I would like to end up near someone I know. One of the options we talked about was California. I found Roseville Real Estate that handles real estate around Sacramento, California. It looks like a nice site and a good place to start doing some more research on California houses.

Black Saturday?

OMG, I got so lucky today. My hubby found out late last night that there MIGHT be laptops on sale at Walmart this morning. He was hanging out with his brother and did not want to call and wake me up. So I got a call first thing this morning, "Hey we are running out to Walmart, get you and the baby ready and I will be there ASAP to pick you up!

Now keep in mind that the baby and I got hardly any sleep last night because he is teething. I had half an eye open and NO COFFEE YET,, ugh LOL! By some miracle we managed to get me and the baby ready, and get out there just in time to get one for us, and one for my brother in law. If it were not for him cluing us in we would not have known about the sale, but he had to work this morning and could not get there himself.

It was limit one per customer, but I charged mine on my card and hubby charged the one for his brother on HIS card...two people, two different credit cards, two totally different transactions,, but some still grumbled about us getting two. Sorry dude, we got lucky, mos days we are the ones that are too late. Our laptop died last week and this was cheaper than getting ours fixed,, so hurrray!

Check Out Lot 44 Coffee

I loooooove coffee. My girlfriends and I are always talking about what the best place is, or the best variety etc. Do you like yours Caf, decaf, mocha, fat free? Me, I like mine high test, full of fat and full of sugar LOL! If you are going to do it, do it up right I say.

I found this video on youtube for a coffee bar called Lot 44 Coffee in Los Angeles. The video is so cute. I jokes about humans making your coffee instead of robots. The last caption reminds me of something my friend would say....."because robots will totally kill you." LOLOLOL.




This place actually brew EACH CUP BY HAND, you can see it in the clip. Oh my, it makes me want some fresh coffee right now! When I visit my friend KT, in California I know the first place we are going to have to go. hmmm I wonder if they have Wifi there, cause the only thing better than a yummy cup of coffee with friends, is blogging with friends over the yummy cup of coffee!

Speeders

Have you seen that TV Show called Speeders? I forget which channel it is on at the moment, but it is soooo funny. Is shows cops catching people with radar and then the stories they get told after they pull people over.

It cracks me up the things some people say. The one the other night they pulled over a lady who was driving a school bus. When he started talking to her it came out that even in park her speedometer read 8 miles per hour...standing still!

I didn't get to see the end of the episode to see if she got a ticket. I think the school should have gotten some sort of citation too. Every once in a while the show has a follow up episode where you can see some of them plead their cases in court...this is entertaining also.

Check it out for a laugh some time!

Maybe Corum Watches For Christmas

I am still searching for the perfect Christmas presents. I was thinking maybe my hubby and I could get nice matching watches for each other as our Christmas present. Thewatchery.com has some really beautiful ones.

They have a line called Corum Bubble, that is nice. I like a watch that is easy to read and is comfortable on my wrist. I think my favorite is this Corum that I have pictured here, with a leather band. I was thinking my daughter would like it if I got a pink watch, but that would kind of leave the matching with daddy option out LOL.

Of course he likes metal bands anyway, so getting a matching his and hers set probably won't work for us, but they definitely have all kinds at this site. Maybe something in the corum admiral line. They have metal and leather bands on the admiral watches.

Thewatchery.com is also having some giveaways and deals with purchase specials. Check them out if you are looking for watches for yourself or someone on your holiday shopping list. Maybe you will get lucky and win one! You can also get free ground shipping, so order early then you don't have to pay for rushed shipping. That can really add up if you are shipping a lot of presents.

Cheap Gas, Will It Last?

I could not believe it today when I saw gasoline for 1.94 a gallon today. I figured that the powers that be were just trying to make us happy before the election, or at least make sure we could afford gas to get to the polls LOL!

I wonder how long the prices will stay down. If our new president is smart he will see that keeping gasoline prices down helps us all more than almost anything else he could do. It lets us go to work, school, doctors visits, vacations if we are lucky. It also makes everything we buy cheaper because of transportation costs.

1.94...wow. I never thought I would see it under 3.00 a gallon again , let alone under 2.00. woohoo!

All I Want For Christmas Is An Infrared Sauna

I saw an ad for an Infrared Sauna on the net the other day. I know they are good for so many conditions like arthritis, circulation problems, weight loss, detoxification and more. I would like to get one for my husband for general pain relief.

He has been having really bad problems with his back right now, and is going to physical therapy and the whole nine yards. It would be great for him to be able to come home after a physical therapy session and relax in a sauna.

You can got to midwestsaunas.com far infrared saunas, and and information you might need on them, such as specs and pricing. They can tell you more about all the different conditions that a sauna can help relieve.

Flipping Houses

The practice of "House Flipping" was already growing in popularity over the past few years as people were looking for a better place to invest their money. Now with all the foreclosures going on, Real Estate investing of this sort is booming. It is definitely a buyers market if you have money to put in to a project right now.


One of the blogs I like to visit is called FlippingAdventures.com. It was put together by a couple that is interested in house flipping. I like seeing the pics of houses that were renovated or even ones that are up for sale. If you are fan of house flipping shows or home renovation shows, I think you would find this site interesting.

Finding Deals On Cable Bundles And More

I am always looking for ways to save money, well who isn't? The latest site I have found is called BridgeVine.com. I was specifically looking to see what kind of deals could find on cable TV Bundles, but they have all sorts of other deals you can look up as well.

They can help you find deals on everything from newspapers and magazines to gaming and dating services. It is amazing how much every dollar you save on something can add up at the end of the year. Saving even a dollar or two one all the things we pay for on a monthly basis can really make a difference and ad up to extra Christmas money, gas money , or whatever. Why spend more for something if you can find the same or better quality service for less?

I see that they have a financial services section where you can find deals on things like identity theft protection services and credit reports. I might have to check that part out, I have been trying to stay on top of my credit and get it into better shape. In this day and age you really need to keep control of your credit report. Especially if you do any banking or shopping online.

Check that site out, you never know, you might find a deal on a service you want or are already using.

Obama Wins The Election

Well this historic election is over. I may not have voted for Obama, but as my president I wish him much success. I wish that his grandmother could have at least lived long enough to see this accomplishment. Her passing must make this a bitter sweet victory, but it is a victory none the less.

I think it is wonderful in the historic perspective that a black man has been elected to the highest office in our country. Maybe this will serve to heal old wounds of the past and let us move on from the topic of race. Hopefully one day there will be a woman president as well,,,hopefully a Republican woman in my view, but that is just me :o).

I hope that the Democrats take the shift of power and do something good with it instead of wasting time and money with non-binding resolutions and the like as they did when they first got a majority. Please think as Americans and not just Democrats.

America is truly the land of opportunity and this election proves that better than any other example.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

More Phone Number Research

Once again I found a cool research tool. If you go to Reverse Phonebook Canada you can look up Canadian phone numbers much as you might look up a United States phone number. I love research tools and sites. You never know when you want to check on something like a phone number.

It could be you got a call that you did not recognize, or maybe you have a phone number and want to know what business or person it is attached to. Keep in mind also that when you are doing things like genealogy research, you might need to look up a phone number and contact someone that might be a long lost relative.

What is your favorite use of phone number research sites? Unknown numbers, locating a business or person? I love all types of research.

ELECTION RESULTS

Here is a good link for keeping and eye on election results.... You can watch the presidential results and the balance of the house and senate.

Keep On Voting

Like I said yesterday, if you want a certain outcome in an election VOTE. Don't let the media tell you an election is over before the final vote is cast. I took another poll on AOL today and it shows McCain leading most states.



This is a non official poll of course, but like I said before, it seems like a good cross section of America.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

Handling The Financial Crunch

I have been looking into credit card debt consolidation lately. I have been trying to weigh the benefits of things like credit counseling, consolidation loans, and the like. Things have been getting more and more tight each month. I am just not sure which avenue to take.

I found debtguru.com while I was searching around. They are one of those non-profit credit counseling companies. It says they will give you a free cosultation, and free enrollment, and they only charge a 30.00 monthly fee if you use their service to help them pay their costs. That does not sound so bad. Since it is free to get evaluated, there is really no harm in contacting them and see how they could help me.

It would be nice to have less money going out each month while still being able to pay my debts. The site says they can reduce my payments 25- 50 percent. That would definitely give me some room to breath. Bill collectors are the worst, but once you get your payments set up, you don't have to worry about people hounding you anymore. That is always a plus in my book. This type of program can also help you avoid filing for bankruptcy. I went through that once before because of medical bills and I would rather not have to do it again.

Vote Vote Vote

I signed on to the internet the other day and it had one of those polls on the sign in screen. This one had two questions.

The first was "Who do you think will win, McCain or Obama?" The second question was "Who do you WANT to win?"

I found it odd that the who you THINK will win answer was Obama,,, but the who you WANT to win answer was McCain.

I think that poll was as good a cross section of America as any other poll...so if that is what you WANT, then VOTE that way. Don't let the media, your friends, your family, etc tell you HOW to vote,,JUST VOTE! Even if the election does not come out as you hope it will,, at least you will know that you took part in a truly American, patriotic event.

I guess we will all see what happens Tuesday...Get out and Vote!

Searching for Web Hosting Deals

As I posted before, I am still looking for good web hosting services. I want to find the best combination of price and service that is right for me.

At top10webhosting.com , they list the top 10 rated web hosting providers and break them down by price per month, what services are included, what types of scripts they support, and more. I like that is has a better price for 2 or three years of service, but also has a good deal on one year contracts too in case you do not want to commit to 2 or more years.

I want to check out some of the ones that say free domains forever, like Monster Host, or the Blue Host one. I wonder if that applies to your first domain, or how many? It says you can host unlimited sites on most of the packages, that leaves you open to a lot of possibilities.

I don't know, I like doing the research though. I will let you know if I find anything else out.