Anagrams

I've seen this before, but when I got this email today, I enjoyed it again:

Someone out there is deadly at Scrabble.
(Wait till you see the last one)!

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM


ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER


DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT


THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE


GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE


THE MORSE CODE :
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS



SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME


ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY


ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LETS RECOUNT


SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S


A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE


THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE


ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE


AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:


MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

OK, I'm not completely sure that has anything to do with Scrabble, though being able to see a word in jumble of letters does come in handy. Also, for the record, I do not agree with that Mother-in-law one. But, then again, I have the best mother-in-law in the entire world! Except for Jeffrey's mother-in-law, of course!

Anyway, I was so inspired by the anagrams, I thought I'd try it. So I took thule bike racks, rearranged the letters and came up with - thick blue rakes! OK, so I need a bit more practice.  See if you can do any better.

Saving Money on Groceries

Earlier this week I saw an 'intervention' on tv.  One lady was being watched by two others as she did her grocery shopping.  When she got to the check-out lane, her total was over $400.  That's when the other two ladies came out of hiding, stopped her from paying that much for her groceries, and then took her through the store showing her how to spend much less.  They used store ads and coupons and got everything she had in the first place, along with some extra things, and the total only came to about $37.

Both this lady and her husband were in complete shock and kept going on and on about how they didn't know it was possible to save so much money.  Me?  I was wondering how it was even possible to spend so much in the first place.  Over $400 in one grocery trip?  I know there have been times I had my cart at Walmart so full that I seriously considered checking out, taking everything to the van, and then finishing the rest of my shopping.  Instead, I creatively rearranged my cart and continued - and even then my total was nowhere near $400.

Every time I see things like this, television segments or magazine articles promising to show people how to save money, I get excited.  And then they just tell me things I already know, like this:

How to save money at the grocery store:

• Read your local grocery ads and plan to buy what's on sale.
• Make a list!  That way you keep track of what you need and what's on sale.
• Use coupons, but only on the sale items.  Using a coupon on a regular-priced item doesn't really save you money.  Usually.
• If your store offers double coupon days, shop on those days.  That way, your coupons are worth twice as much.
• When you find a good deal on something, stock up!  Don't wait until you are actually out of something before you buy more.  Your goal is to have a pantry and freezer full of the things you use regularly.  That way, you should never have to pay full price.  For anything.
• Plan your meals around the sale items you buy and the items you already have in your freezer and pantry.  Don't just run out to the store to pick up something for dinner. 
• In fact, once you've got your freezer and pantry stocked, you won't even need to go to the grocery store every week, except maybe to grab a gallon of milk - or have the husband grab it on his way home from work like I do.

Ummm, what else?  I know there are more. The main thing is to do your homework - plan, cut out the coupons, etc.  You know if you were looking for life insurance, you'd do your homework by reading all the life insurance terms and definitions and looking for the best price for the most coverage.  Why should buying groceries and household items be any different?  It's a huge part of your household budget, but it doesn't have to be quite so huge.  I realize that all this takes time, and you may not have time to become an extreme couponer, but every little bit helps, so do what you can.  As you start saving, you might just want to do more!

How much do you usually spend on groceries?  How often do you go to the store?  Do you have any money-saving tips you can share with us?  Please do!

Related articles

• Is extreme couponing worth your time? (momblognetwork.com)
• You CAN Eat Healthy on a Budget (couponshoebox.com)

For the Record

I think it's warm enough out front that I could lay out and start working on my tan.  Actually, just getting out and laying in the son sun, taking a nice nap, would be really good today because I woke up with a slight headache.  But, I've got cleaning and cooking and other stuff to do, so I'm not going to actually get out there. (insert sad face here)  Instead I'm going to keep working.

It is only the end of March, and I know warmer days are coming so there will be more opportunities to get out.  The grass will be turning green, flowers will be coming up, and we won't have to rely on hydroponics but can actually get outside and plant the garden.

In the meantime, I've got the front door open so I can enjoy the sunshine coming in, and I take longer than I might actually need to when I go out to shake a rug.  I might even sit out on the front step for a bit while I have lunch.  Now, that sounds like a plan!  Maybe I could even close my eyes for a bit...

Correction: I was getting ahead of myself.  It only seems warm enough when I'm busy and moving.  Sitting out there eating my lunch, I was very glad to have sweat pants and long sleeves.  But, it's bound to warm up soon.  Back to work.

BabyBond Winner

The winner of my BabyBond nursing wrap giveaway is Elizabeth!  I've already contacted her and forwarded her information to the sponsor.  She will be getting the BabyBond Couture wrap in Riviera.  Congratulations, Elizabeth!

If you didn't win, you can still visit the BabyBond website and use this code - BCM - to get 25% off your order.  Feel free to share the savings code with your friends.

Disclosure: I will receive a small payment for each order, but mostly I want you to be able to order your own BabyBond and SAVE.

They're Moving!

Since Beth and Tim currently live in a very small one-bedroom apartment, they have been busy looking for another place to live.  They looked at a few houses Beth thought they could afford to buy, but then they found out they couldn't get a loan because Tim has no credit history.  So they started looking for apartments.

They found one they liked, but after they gave him all their information, the landlord never called - and ignored all their phone calls when they tried calling to find out what was going on.  So last Sunday I noticed an apartment in the paper that I thought Beth might be interested in and got her the info.  She called, and she and Cory went to look at it last week.  (Tim was busy, so she took her brother with her so she didn't have to go alone)

She really liked it.  It has a lot more room than they have where they are now.  The kitchen is bigger, with a full-size stove and refrigerator.  The bathroom is bigger.  There are two bedrooms, a little patio, and lots of light coming in the windows, so no need for pendant light fixtures, at least during the daytime.  The landlord was cleaning the carpets, painting, etc., and getting everything ready for the new tenants.
 

I think there's more room in the living area than in the entire apartment where they live now.

She filled out an application, and they found out this past weekend that they got the apartment and went and signed all the paperwork Monday evening.   So, they're moving!  Soon!  Which is really exciting and good, because they're going to be needing more room really soon - and it will be good to get moved and settled in before the baby gets here.  And, this apartment will cost them less than the other one they looked at, the one where they landlord wouldn't call them back and let them know if they got it or not.

Thankfully, they won't be too far away - farther than they are now but not too far.

Priorities

Image by Justin Liew via Flickr

A few weeks ago Beth was trying to decide where to buy a crib and how much to spend.  They've pretty much got everything else covered, but they do need to get a crib.  I'm not sure if she got distracted looking at the ads or what, but Beth mentioned something about Tim buying her an engagement ring.

Yeah, that might be nice, but we had to remind her that, now that a baby is on the way, things like everlon diamonds, engagement rings, and other unnecessary items will just have to wait.  Ideally, they would have gotten engaged and married and then had a baby, but that's not what they did.  Now their priorities have to shift.  Now they have to concentrate on preparing for and providing for a baby.

Maybe someday she'll get her engagement ring.  In the meantime, she has a nice ring that used to belong to Tim's mom.

Related articles

• Beth's Baby Shower (alwaysbcmom.com)

Unsubscription Notification

I know I shouldn't, but I feel like I must've done something wrong whenever someone unsubscribes from my blog.  I realize they probably only subscribed to get an extra entry into one of my giveaways, but still...

I do understand that if someone isn't interested in reading my blog or just doesn't have time, then unsubscribing is the smart thing to do.  I should probably do more of it myself, but instead of unsubscribing, I just delete things I don't have time to read - or save them for later.  Most of the time I save for later, but later never actually comes, and my inbox gets fuller and fuller of unread emails.  I could really use some kind of colon cleansers for email that would help me clean it all out.

Unsubscribing from a few things might be a good first step.  But I don't want anyone to feel bad...

Related articles

• How to Overcome Internet Distraction Disorder (pcworld.com)

Is It Really FREE?

Image via Wikipedia

On the way to Michigan, we stopped at Menards.  They were running some special sales over the weekend - Friday thru Sunday - and Jeffrey wanted to get some 6 foot long hdmi cables they had on sale for $4.  He got four of them, and then we started looking at other stuff.  They had a lot of stuff on sale, with rebates.

We got some really nice folding chairs that will be $10 after rebate and some magazine racks that will be 99¢.  We got tennis racquets and soccer balls, and I found some Stainless Steel Soap and some floor mats that will be free after rebate.

We were telling our friends about all our good deals and how it's hard for me to say no to FREE when we mentioned that the rebates are in the form of a merchandise credit check which is only usable at Menards, and that brought up the question - is it really FREE if you have to spend the money you get back in the same store?  In our case, we've decided it's a good deal, because we know we're always going to be buying something at Menards, and the check doesn't expire so we have as long as we need to spend it.  Yes, we have to spend the money in the first place, but then we get to spend it again.

He Ordered What?

Since we got home late last night, I read yesterday's comics today. When I read Ziggy, I couldn't help but think of my dad and my son:
 

Let that be a warning to you two!

Who else orders vanilla when there are so many flavors to choose from?  What's your favorite ice cream flavor?  I usually go for something with coffee and chocolate.

Went to Michigan for the Weekend

We had an awesome weekend in Michigan with some wonderful people.  I wish they weren't 6 hours away - or that Lake Michigan wasn't between us and we didn't have to go through Chicago to get there - but it's all worth it to be able to spend time together.

We stayed up way too late, ate lots of good food, had lots of great conversation, and enjoyed the company of some amazing young people.  It makes me wish we could do it more often.  Then again, I don't know if we could survive.

We left home Friday morning and didn't get home until around 8:30 last night.  And then we had to load up all Cory's stuff and take him back to school because Spring Break is over, so by the time we were finally home for good, it was time to watch the news and go to bed.  And morning came too early...

So, I'll get caught up one of these days.  Yeah, I know, I keep saying that, maybe someday it will be true.  I will at least pick a winner for my BabyBond giveaway by tomorrow, so those of you who entered, keep a look out for my email!  But, for now, it's almost bedtime again, and I'm tired.

Simple Coffee Cake

Written by my friend Betty Walls

Paula Deen is fun to watch with her southern charm and accent. She makes every recipe sound so easy to prepare even though I know that isn't always the case. The other day I was watching her show “Paula's Best Dishes” on my satellite tv from www.direct.tv. She was baking an Orange Coffee Cake. This really did look easy to prepare. Paula used a tube can of refrigerated biscuits. She cut the biscuits then placed them around the bottom of a round baking pan. Next, she brushed the biscuits with melted butter then sprinkled them with a mixture of minced walnuts, sugar, and orange zest. That was it! She then put the pan in the oven to bake for about 20 ! minutes. I even think I could handle making this. The hardest part was the glaze which was a combination of powdered sugar, cream cheese, and orange juice that was whipped until smooth and thin. Just drizzle this glaze over the warm cake and you are done. It's ready to eat. I put all of the ingredients on my shopping list for my next trip to the grocery store. With Paula's directions and these simple ingredients, I think I will be baking this delicious coffee cake next Saturday morning.

We Donated Blood

Even though I've been trying to feed him red meat and other things high in iron, when Jeffrey went again this week to try and donate blood, he couldn't.  This time his blood count was even lower!  So, he went to the doctor today because he's been having trouble with his knee for a while, and while he was there he mentioned the low iron, so they're doing some blood tests to figure out what's going on.  He does donate blood regularly, so that might have something to do with it.  I guess we'll see.

Cory and I both donated blood yesterday at the high school blood drive.  Our iron was fine.  And, mostly, Jeffrey and I eat the same thing.

Speaking of donating blood, I usually have them use my right arm because I'm left-handed.  They always tell me it doesn't really matter.  Yesterday, they were set up to use my left arm so I didn't tell them I wanted to change and just went with it.  And I decided that it really does matter.  Usually I really don't notice it at all after I donate, but it bothered me a bit yesterday - probably because that's the arm I use.  It wasn't horrible, but it just felt slightly bruised, and I noticed it.  So, from now on, I'm making sure they take it out of my right arm.

Related articles

• He Needs More Iron in His Blood (alwaysbcmom.com)

A Professional Blogging Diploma

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I first started blogging, I didn't really know what it was all about.  I signed up, because someone told me I should, it was free, and I thought I could have fun changing the blog design.  Content?  I didn't give much thought to that.  Eventually, I made a few friends and started posting more regularly, mostly random stuff.  Then, somewhere on someone's blog, I saw a link to PayPerPost, and I clicked.  Wow, imagine getting paid to blog!

I signed up and started taking 'Opps' and getting to write about all kinds of interesting things, and getting paid to do it.  How cool is that?  I just jumped right in.  It wasn't until later that I learned about PageRank and Alexa and the importance of getting better rankings for better opportunities.  Thankfully, there were some helpful people in the forums that very patiently explained a lot of things, and gradually I learned and worked to improve my blogs.  I still haven't taken the leap to paid hosting, though I do have my own domains now.   Then Google took away my PageRank, and that was a whole new learning process.  I know there are plenty of things I still need to learn, though I've been able to help some of my friends by sharing some of the things I do know.

I just found out that Ashworth College offers an accredited Professional Blogging Career Diploma, which you can earn in 6 months, and I'm thinking that could have saved me a lot of time - and trial and error when I was first learning to blog.  The program provides instruction and support services which will enable you to create, publish, manage and promote any type of blog, vlog, podcast or webcast. You'll learn the very latest blogging techniques from knowledgeable instructors with years of experience in their field.  You study at your own pace, and all text books and study materials are included, as well as:

• Hosting of your blog for one year
• Weekly tips and action points on improving your blogging
• Access to Ashworth's online advertising affiliates to populate your blog with display advertising from well-established name brand, well-known companies.
• Marketing of your blog each month for 1-year via the Ashworth newsletter, reaching almost 500,000 people each month
• and much more

Upon graduation, you receive an Ashworth College Career Diploma and the knowledge and support to take your blogging career to the next level.

I've enjoyed the opportunities and experience of blogging for pay, but I haven't really earned enough money to consider it a career.  It's been nice to have a bit of extra money, especially since I can earn it from home and still be able to cook, clean, do laundry, and all of the other things that need done around here - and there's no transportation cost. Maybe if I get a Professional Blogging Career Diploma from Ashworth College, I really could step it up a bit with the things I'd learn - and maybe my husband would consider blogging a real job?

Beth's Baby Shower

Tim's sister hosted a baby shower for Beth this weekend.  I got to meet quite a few people from Tim's family, people Beth has talked about, so it was nice to finally be able to put faces to the names.  We had food, played games, and Beth got a lot of nice things for the baby.

With all the stuff she's gotten from the people she works for - she's been working as a nanny for a couple with two kids, and they've given her all their old baby stuff that she wants - and all the stuff she got from the shower, she should be pretty well set with baby stuff.  The only thing they'll end up needing is diapers, lots and lots of diapers.

I didn't take a gift.  Mostly I figured that everything she got at the shower would end up in our basement anyway, with all the rest of the stuff.  They really need to get a bigger apartment, soon.  Also, I figure since I'm her mom, I can always get something later - once we know what she actually needs.  But then, while Beth and I were talking at the shower, I realized something I can and should be giving her - food!  We were talking about the gorgeous hand-made quilt that she got for the baby, and I said I thought about making something for the baby, but I didn't because I just don't sew - so it wouldn't be very nice, if it ever even got finished, and I'd just end up frustrated.  And that's when I realized there is something I can make, (my business cards will have to say Cook and Baker on them.  Definitely not Seamstress!) and we decided I should start making and freezing meals now, so they'll have something to eat for the first few weeks.  Beth was trying for 3 months or something ridiculous like that, but I think she and Tim will have it figured out by then or at least have to start fixing dinner for themselves.  Thankfully, Tim cooks, too!

I just need to get to the store and buy some of those aluminum pans, and decide on some dinners that will freeze nicely.  Leave your suggestions in the comments.  Thanks!

Camera Critters (#154)

I haven’t posted a Camera Critters in ages.  I really don’t know what my excuse is.  I have adorable critters right here in my house.

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.  Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in.

I Won!

I just got an email from Drew of BenSpark.com letting me know I won one of his $20 gift cards to Red Robin.  Recently, I won an awesome Ellis Paul CD from him too and some yummy seasonings before that.  Sounds like I'm winning all the time from BenSpark.com, huh?  There was that time in November when Drew was giving stuff away every single day, and I didn't win anything...

Anyway, the point of this post is that it's fun to win, and Drew is always giving away some great stuff.  Be sure to sign up for his brand new Giveaway Newsletter so you'll always know what he's going to give away next.  You'll be glad you did.

Yeah, I should probably save this post for some giveaway where it will earn me extra entries or something, but I'm excited about winning and want to share now.

Spring Break

I picked up Cory today.  He's home for the weekend and next week too, because it's Spring Break.  No wild party trip to Florida for this college student.  Instead he's going to the dentist, donating blood, searching for a summer job at local fast food franchises and theaters and just enjoying some time off from school.

It will be nice to have him around for a while, though I'm not sure how much I'll be seeing him, and with all his running around, I won't be seeing my van either.  Well, I am planning to go with him and donate blood, too.  Of course, since the blood drive is at the high school, I'm sure he'll be off talking to all his friends there, and I'll have to track him down when it's time to come home.  But that's OK, I guess.

Talented Cousins

My mom (and my aunt) posted a link to this video on facebook.  Mom says these girls are the granddaughters of one of her first cousins - so that means we're cousins somehow, right?  Anyway, I enjoyed their video so I'm sharing.

The PreZcotts ft Yuto Miyazawa - Nothing Else Matters




They're pretty good, huh?  Yep, there's definitely talent in my family.  I just didn't get any of it.  Oh well, someone's gotta listen.

Speaking of talented cousins, give these other two cousins of mine a listen - Charles & Kayla - Your Hands.

He Needs More Iron in His Blood

Jeffrey was supposed to donate blood yesterday.  I say supposed to because they wouldn't let him.  The iron in his blood was too low.  He says it's all my fault because I don't feed him enough red meat.  I say it's his fault for not reminding me ahead of time that he's going to be donating blood and reminding me that he needs to be sure to eat some iron rich foods.  And then, today I went looking for a list of those iron-rich foods just so I'll know what he should be eating.  Red meat isn't the only food that is rich in iron, though 3 oz. of beef or lamb provide 2.3 to 3 mg of iron.

Here are just a few other things he could be eating.

• 1 cup of brown rice - .8 mg
• whole wheat bread, 1 slice - .9 mg
• 1 cup of cooked oatmeal - 1.6 mg
• 1 oz. sunflower seeds - 1.4 mg
• 1/2 cup canned kidney beans - 1.6 mg
• 1/2 cup peas - 1.3 mg
• watermelon, 6 x 1/2" slice - 3.0 mg
• baked potato cooked with the skin on - 4.0 mg

 Get the rest of the list here

Not to say I can't feed him beef or lamb before he's scheduled to give blood, but it's nice to see that there are many more sources of iron than just meat, so I'll see if I can't get his iron up so he can donate blood soon.  It looks like increasing Vitamin C intake helps the body absorb iron, so I should also look at getting him more Vitamin C.  Sounds doable.  Now, if he needed a higher level of gold bullion in his blood, I think we'd be in trouble!

Look for the Supermoon Coming March 19

Image via Wikipedia

I saw this somewhere last week, and then a friend of mine just shared it again on Facebook.  On March 19th, the full moon will be at it's closest point to Earth in 18 years -- a mere 356,577 kilometers away. (a kilometer is ‎.62 of a mile for those of us who don't know)  So that's only 221,078 miles.  (The average distance between the Earth and the moon is about 238,000 miles or 382.900 km.)

There's all kinds of buzz on the Internet about whether this 'supermoon' will cause earthquakes and all kinds of natural disasters.  Science seems to say no or that the effect on the earth will be minor and have no significant increase over the normal influence the moon has on the Earth's tides, so I'm thinking we don't really have to worry about it.

The thing I'm worried about is forgetting to go look at it.  I love looking at the moon, and I just want to see if it looks bigger than normal, and probably take some pictures, too.  I know you're all going to want to get out your telescopes and cameras or just get outside and get a good look at the 'supermoon' on Saturday night.  So mark it on your calendars and don't forget.  And could somebody be sure to remind me?

Related articles

• Can 'Supermoon' Cause Quakes? (foxnews.com)
• NASA Scientist Explains Science Behind 'Supermoon' Phenomenon (livescience.com)

Text to Complain

Jeffrey and I had to go pick up the van this evening - she needed a new motor for the back windshield wiper.  While we were out we decided to go on to Best Buy to pick up our copy of The Fighter (awesome movie!), and then he took me to McDonald's for dinner.  I had a coupon, and he had a gift card, so it was FREE!

Anyway, while we were eating the air conditioning kicked on.  Air.  Conditioning.  On March 16th.  And, of course, it was blowing on me.  (I have a hate/hate relationship with air conditioning)  I said something about it to Jeffrey, along the lines of where's the manager?  I should complain to the manager.  Then I pulled out my phone and updated my facebook status:

Air conditioning? Seriously, McDonald's?

and I put my phone away and went back to eating my cold fries.  And Jeffrey asks me, "Did you text McDonald's?"  No.  Just updated my facebook status.

But that's when it occurred to me.  Wouldn't it have been nice if I could have texted McDonald's or at least the manager on duty.  There should be a clearly visible, easily available number everywhere you go, so you can text complaints or comments or suggestions.  My first text would go straight to McDonald's in Delafield letting them know that there is absolutely no need for air conditioning in March when the outside temperature is 51°.  None.  (Of course, I could have gone and complained to an actual person, but that's beside the point)

Who would you text first?

Get a Free Web Site with Free Hosting

Image via CrunchBase

I remember signing up for my first web page ages ago, mostly because I wanted to 'play' with html.  Yeah, I'm weird like that.  But if the idea of learning html or css has you thinking it's too complicated to make a free website, think again. Nowadays anybody who wants to can have a free website, and you really don't need to learn any of that stuff.  Pretty much, if you can write an email, then you can have a web page.

I've been playing with a site called ucoz.com a little bit, just to see what it can do.   It uses CMS (Content Management Systems) to make everything work, which basically means it controls things in the background while you get to do the fun stuff like adding content.  It also gives you a lot more control over your site than the old free sites.

You begin by selecting a template for your site design, and there are hundreds of them.  Then begin adding modules to your site, such as photo albums, guest books, blogs, and even online games.  Modules are web applications that can be added and combined in many ways, allowing you to have anything from a very simple home page to a very complex page.  All the modules can be adapted to fit many needs.  You're just limited by your imagination.  Beyond that, you can add thousands of gadgets and hundreds of widgets, allowing you to do any number of things like add your twitter feed to your page or a sampling of your latest Flickr photos.  Then just use the visual editor to add your content - remember, if you can type an email, you can do this.  Drag and drop you modules around to make the page yours.

And people like me, who like to get into the html can do that too, so you can have complete control of your pages.  Ucoz offers basically unlimited disk space, so you can have as many pages and files as you need.  You can upload files with your FTP program or through the online File Manager as well as creating them online with the Page Editor.  You can have multiple 'users' who can update pages and publish articles or whatever, so it would be great for collaborative sites.  Once you start playing with it, I think you'll find all kinds of fun things you can do, because I don't have time to list everything, and I don't really understand everything it can do, yet.  There's a lot of information and help available in the support community forum, so if you don't know how to do something, somebody should be able to help.

Ucoz.com offers free web hosting for anybody, whether you're looking to build a personal website or if you need a site for your business.  There are more than 1,000,000 active sites hosted by ucoz.com.  They've been around for 5 years, and they're really reliable with 99% uptime.  This would be a great way for small businesses who can't afford to pay for web hosting or a web designer to get a presence on the web.  If you've got your own domain, you can set that up to work with ucoz, too.

If you've been thinking about getting your own free web page, then be sure to check it out.   See if it's something you can use.  See what you can do with it.

Related articles

• Free Quality CMS and Hosting (mt-soft.com.ar)
• Why You Need A Website (thedailyfare.wordpress.com)

Healthy Ways to Get More Energy

As I was pouring my coffee this morning, I heard this on Good Morning America, "Do you rely on coffee to get your day started?"  And then, when I signed on to facebook, my friend Jenn (of My Kids Are My World) had posted, "I need some caffeine this morning....too bad I'm not a coffee drinker."  That's when I knew I had to go check out GMA's Tip of the Day - 10 Healthy Ways to Get More Energy.  I enjoy my morning coffee.  I'm not sure if I rely on it, but it does help to have some alternatives.

Here's the list from GMA:

1. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
2. Drink enough water.
3. Try whole grains.
4. Have a healthy snack.
5. Have the proper amount of vitamins you need.
6. Don't skip breakfast.
7. Avoid excess sugar.
8. Eat enough alkaline-forming foods.
9. Make sure you are getting enough protein.
10. Grab a handful of nuts.

Nothing earth-shattering or guaranteed to give you a sudden burst of energy, but it looks like eating properly and focusing on good health is the best way to have plenty of energy for everyday life.  I especially agree with drinking water and avoiding sugar.  Not enough water or too much sugar - either one just drains my energy.

Coloring My Hair

 Cory asked me the other day if I was going to color my hair anymore, since I'd mentioned a while back that I was thinking about just giving it up.  Well, I haven't decided, and in the meantime, I let it go way longer than I should in between.  I do know that I'm too lazy to mess with trying to touch up the roots as soon as they need it.  It just seems like more trouble than it's worth.  Those commercials that say you can do it in 'just 10 minutes' - wrong!

Cory said he likes me either way - or something to that effect - because he's a sweetheart.  My husband?  Well, he doesn't really say, but since he's older than I am and doesn't have much gray in his hair at all, I would really hate to look older than he does.  It would make it harder to give him a hard time for being the 'old guy' or just seem odd.  Maybe.

For now I guess I'll just color my hair if I feel like it, not color it if I don't feel like it, and just skip worrying about deciding exactly when I want to quit for good - like when I become a grandma (because that's coming up way too soon) or when it's time to sign up for a Medicare plan.

So, today, I colored my hair.

Related articles

• How to Hide Gray Hair (beyondjane.com)
• Is Your Hair Color Aging You? (everydayhealth.com)
• A New Way to Hide the Gray (blogcritics.org)

CSN Stores Winner

The winner of my $70 CSN Stores giveaway is Anne-Marie!  I’ve already contacted her and forwarded her promotional code.  I hope she has fun deciding what to spend her $70 on – because with so many things available on the CSN Stores site, the deciding is the hardest part!  At least for me.  Have you checked out CSN Stores?  I dare you to tell me it’s easy…

Congratulations, Anne-Marie!  And a big THANK YOU to CSN Stores for sponsoring another great giveaway.

Feed Your Family for Less

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Family Dollar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you've been reading my blog for long, you know that I love a good deal.  I shop the sales, I use coupons, I love getting more for less.  That means I'm not loyal to many name brands.  We were just talking about this the other night, and there are a couple things I have to buy a particular brand, but most of the time I buy whatever is cheaper.  Usually the store brand or a generic brand is as good as, if not better, than the name brand item.

I just found out that Family Dollar has their own line of grocery products called Family Gourmet. These are high-quality grocery products, comparable to the national brands your family may be using now, but at lower prices.  All Family Gourmet products have been quality tested to match the name brand products, but on average buying Family Gourmet products instead of those same national products can save a family 30%.  With the rising cost of food, 30% is huge!
Here are just a few cost comparisons:

• Family Gourmet Ground Roast Coffee 34.5 oz vs. Maxwell House Original 34.5 oz ($2.50 savings)
• Family Gourmet Berry Crunch Cereal 15 oz vs. Quaker Cap'n Berry Crunch 15 oz ($0.75 savings)
• Family Gourmet Apple Juice 64 oz vs. Motts Apple Juice 64 oz ($0.60 savings)

Even better?  You can print coupons for some of these products right from the website, saving you even more.
If you're thinking that the savings sound good, but you're not sure you or your family will like these products, regardless of how much they tell you that they're just like the national products, that's OK.  Try them anyway.  If you don't like them, you can return them within 30 days for a full refund!  They're 100% guaranteed, so you really have nothing to lose.  Except for high grocery bills, that is.

Moldy Cheese

A few weeks ago, I sent some Pepper Jack cheese back to school with Cory.  Yesterday he sent me a message on facebook telling me that he had forgotten about it, and it had mold on it.  Should he throw it away?  So I told him, no, just cut the mold off and then wash the knife before slicing the cheese to eat.

It reminded me of one of the first care packages my mom sent me when I was in college.  I can't remember what else she sent, but I do remember a nice loaf of home-made bread.  The thing is, I didn't eat it right away, and when I did get it out, I found it covered in mold, and I had to throw it away.  I was very disappointed, and even back then I felt horrible about wasting a perfectly good loaf of bread.  It just never had occurred to me that he bread would get moldy.  I don't think we ever had bread around long enough for it to get moldy when I was growing up.  I made bread every week (6 loaves?) and we used it. 

By the way, I made the bread because mom said mine was better than hers - and I believed her.  Now I think she probably just said that so I'd do it and she wouldn't have to, but that's OK, because I've always loved baking bread.  Which reminds me, I need to go put the bread in the oven.

Buying Printer Ink Online

I don't do much printing.  Something has to be really important before I actually print it.  I know it's just me, being cheap, thinking about how much printer ink costs and how much I hate to waste it.  If it's something I can read on my computer, then I'll just read it on the computer.  If it's a recipe, I'll usually jot down the ingredients on an old envelope or run back and forth from the kitchen to the computer to see what comes next.  Even though I don't print that much, the printer still goes through ink, and when it's time to buy it, I'm definitely looking for cheap ink cartridges and getting the best deal possible.  I like finding codes for extra money off and free shipping, too.  Whatever it takes to get the best deal.

In my world, all printer ink would be cheap printer ink, but that's not how it works.  Instead I go looking for online sites that sell ink - almost always at better prices than what we could get in a store.  There was that one time we found $5 black ink cartridges on clearance at Target, but that rarely happens.  The rest of the time, we've always bought ink online.  I think it's easier anyway, because you can search for your printer to find the right cartridges, instead of having to remember to write it down and know the number of your ink cartridge when you go to a store - and hoping they actually have it.  There are so many different printers and so many different ink cartridges, I don't know how any store can actually carry them all, but online they have them - Genuine, New Compatible, re-manufactured, refill kits, plenty of choices.

If you're looking for cheap ink for printers, I think shopping online is the best.  You get a better selection, better prices, and you don't have to worry, because they guarantee your ink cartridges will meet or exceed your expectations, or you can exchange them or send them back for a refund.

I Will Let You Know if You've Won

My $70 CSN Stores giveaway has ended.  Now all I have to do is pick a winner, which I will do SOON.  I know you are all on the edges of your seats waiting to see if you win, right?  In the meantime, check the right sidebar and enter my other giveaway for the BabyBond nursing wrap.  This would be a great item for you if you're a pregnant or nursing mother, or it could be a great gift if you have a pregnant or nursing mother in your life.  Either way, check it out and enter.

I've noticed that the CSN Stores giveaways are popular, and I get lots of entries for those, but other giveaways for things like bowties and nursing wraps don't get many entries.  So, the odds are in your favor.  They may not be the big prizes like money to spend on online shopping or a room full of contemporary furniture, but they're still pretty nice.

OK, so I've never actually given away a room full of furniture and probably never will, but you would enter that one, wouldn't you?  Of course you would!

A Day of Rest

It's nice to just have a day home with nothing that really needs done.  That doesn't happen often, but once a month we have Friday night Bible Study, and then we get the Sabbath to spend at home.  Or, I suppose, we could go visit other churches or groups, but we really enjoy not having to go anywhere.

Some days we get online and listen to sermons or studies from groups around the country.  Isn't technology great?  Today I made French Toast for brunch, and then read a book, while Weasley curled up next to me, and just took it easy for the rest of the day.   No, it's not really a vacation, but it's a good break from the regular everyday activities that keep us busy the rest of the week.  God definitely knew what He was doing when he rested on the 7th day, sanctified and blessed it, and gave it to us as a day of rest.

Daylight Saving Time Starts

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead tonight, or tomorrow, whenever you do it.  Nobody actually stays up until 2am just to change the clocks, do they? 

Anyway - Spring Ahead!  It's time for Daylight Saving Time to start again, where we don't actually save time or daylight, we just shift it from one end of the day to the other - meaning it's probably going to be dark when I walk in the mornings, at least for a while. 

Yeah, I really don't like that, but there's not much I can do about it.

Related articles

• Not All Americans Enjoy the Switch to Daylight Saving Time (dailyfinance.com)
• What is Daylight Saving Time? (genzpad.com)

Still Time to Enter!

If you haven't entered my giveaway to win a $70 CSN Stores code, what are you waiting for?  It's $70 you get to spend on anything your little heart desires, and believe me, you can find practically anything at the over 200 stores at CSN Stores.

Time is running out, because the giveaway ends tonight at 11:59pm CST.  You can research Mesothelioma later. Drop everything and click that link down there - the one that says 'CSN Stores Giveaway!' - and get your entry in NOW!

You can't win if you don't enter...

Related articles

• CSN Stores Giveaway! (alwaysbcmom.com)

Backing up My Photos

One of my friends mentioned yesterday that he's archiving every single photo on his computer to Flickr.  He figures $25 (per year) is a cheap back-up for all his photos.  I never thought about it that way before.  I've always had a free account at Flickr, and I haven't been consistent enough with my uploading to figure I needed a paid account.  With a free account, you have a 300MB per month limit on photo uploads, and I've never even come close to exceeding that.  But, as a back-up for all my photos ... that might just be worth paying for.

Currently I put my photos on CDs and DVDs and back them up to an external hard drive in the basement.  Which is all well and good, unless something happens to my house, like a tornado or a fire or some other disaster.  Then what?  The hard drive is in the basement.  My computer is in the house.  My photo CDs and DVDs are in the house.  I can look for new homeowners insurance until the cows come home, but I'm never going to find insurance that will be able to get my photos back.  I think my friend has the right idea - $25 per year is not a lot to pay for peace of mind.  Maybe I need that pro Flickr account after all.  I at least need to find someplace other than the house to store my CDs and DVDs.

What do you do to protect your photos?  Is there a better way than uploading them all to Flickr?  I'd love to hear it.

Related articles

• 4,000 Photos Accidentally Deleted: Is Your Flickr Account Safe? (blogher.com)

Earthquake in Japan

I have no words.  The destruction, the loss of life, is just horrifying.  While looking for more info about the quake, I found out that they had one on Tuesday, too.  No damage from that one.

So scary!  It really shows how small and helpless we as human beings are, and how easily everything we build can be destroyed.
 

Info and images from the earthquake in Japan can be found on this site.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.

Related articles

• Japan Hit By 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Today (getwititmagazine.com)
• VIDEO: Science behind the Japan quake (bbc.co.uk)

Review and Giveaway: BabyBond Nursing Wrap

BabyBond is a nursing accessory designed to cover mom, not her baby.  I really wish they were around when I had my babies!  I nursed both of them - as long as they would let me.  It really is a special bonding experience between mother and child.

BabyBond was designed by a mother who nursed her own four babies and realized there was a need for something that would allow mother and child to interact and communicate while breastfeeding - something that is not possible when baby's head is covered by a blanket.  BabyBond does just that while discreetly covering the mother for comfortable nursing, even in public.  It is worn like a sash over the mother's own top, allowing her to nurse from the top of her shirt.  There are two layers that separate so the baby can latch on, while keeping the mother's breast covered above and below.  Her back and belly stay covered by her own shirt, and because it's worn like a sash, it can't fall off, like a blanket might.

We received a BabyBond Flex for Beth to try.  She chose the Flex because it will allow her to use her own burp cloth instead of having a built-in one like the Original.  That way, the cloth can be laundered when needed, but the entire BabyBond won't have to be.  She hasn't had her baby yet, but she slipped it on and thought it would be really nice.  Well, she's never nursed a baby before, but I think it will be very nice for her.  I'm looking forward to seeing how she likes it.

Here's a video explaining how it works:





Like I said before, I really wish I'd had some of these when I was nursing my babies!  If you're an expectant or nursing mom, be sure to check out BabyBond.  They are available in three styles - Original, Flex, and Couture - and sell for $35 each. Use the code BCM to get 25% off your order.

Giveaway - The winner gets to choose any stock item from the BabyBond site.

• To enter, leave me a comment letting me know which one you'd like to win or who you'd like to win it for.
• You can earn extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway, sharing on facebook, and/or writing a blog post about this giveaway.  Leave a separate comment and link for each.
• Be sure I have your email address (either in your blogger profile or in your comment) so I can contact you if you win.

Giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide and will end at 11:59pm CST on Thursday March 24, 2011.  Good luck!  (Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com)

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Related articles

• Babybond Nursing Wrap Review and Giveaway (greenbabygreenmama.com)

Who Are We?

Or, more to the point, who will we be - to our new grandson?  What should he call us?  We've never been grandparents, but now we're going to need grandparent names.

My grandparents were Grandma & Grandpa and Mammaw & Pappaw.  Jeffrey had a Granny and a Grandma he called Goomer (I think) and a Papa Joe.  My parents became Mammaw and Pappaw when Beth was little, and Jeffrey's mom became Granny.  We started out calling all of them Grandma Connie and Grandpa Garry and so on, but when Beth started dropping the Grandma and just calling my mom by her first name, we decided it was time to choose something else.  The other grandparents are still Grandma or Grandpa, with their name attached. 

Since I've got a Mammaw and Beth has a Mammaw, Beth thinks that I should be Mammaw.  And I guess Pappaw just automatically goes with Mammaw, so Jeffrey would have to be Pappaw.  We're not so sure about that, though.  Maybe we should have different grandparent names?

I'm thinking maybe Nana, because it rhymes with Anna, which is kind of cool.  Though maybe that would be confusing to the little one?  And we're telling Beth that he's going to call Jeffrey 'Sir' - she doesn't like that at all!  What he's really thinking is Papa or Papa Jeff, like his Papa Joe.

What do you think?  Nana and Papa?  Something else?  (NOT Granny, but thanks anyway, Peggy)  What did you call your grandparents?  Did you even know there were so many grandparent names?  (If nothing else, you have to check out this list.  It's good for a chuckle or two)  I'm not looking for a rv insurance quote, just a little help figuring out who I'm going to be, to the little guy, at least.  Thanks!

Movie of the Week: Unknown

We saw Unknown last night.  It stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris who's in Berlin with his wife (played by January Jones) to attend an international conference on biotechnology.  They've barely arrived when Martin gets into a taxi to rush back to the airport, and that taxi ends up plunging off a bridge.  Martin hits his head, has to be rescued by his taxi driver, almost dies, and wakes up in a hospital bed 4 days later hooked up to ekg machines and IVs.  He had no ID on him, and they had no idea who he was or who to contact.

His memory is fractured, but he remembers his name and that he has a wife.  Thinking she must be worried, not hearing from him for 4 days, he checks himself out of the hospital and rushes to the hotel, only to find that his wife does not remember him, and another man has taken his place.  Martin then begins a desperate quest to prove that he is who he says he is and that he's not crazy.  He tracks down his taxi driver Gina (played by Diane Kruger) to find out what she knows, people start dying, they have to run for their lives, forcing them to team up to find out what is going on.  "The question is, why would they want to take your place?"

There is plenty of action in this movie and lots of twists and turns.  It kept us guessing throughout as we, too, tried to figure out what was going on and why.  Overall, we really enjoyed it and would recommend it for an evening's entertainment.

Related articles

• (2/2011) Movie Review: Liam Neeson's Unknown (basilandspice.com)
• Review: Unknown -- Get to Know Dr. Martin Harris (seattlepi.com)
• Unknown Review: Some Good Twists, But Don't Think About It Too Much (reelmovienews.com)

If you have Marcus Theatres in your area, be sure to sign up for their Spotlight Movie Club for $5 admission to select movies on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

No Mistakes

From my email, this is good:

A US Navy cruiser anchors off Mississippi for a week's shore leave. The first evening, the ship's Captain received the following note from the wife of a wealthy plantation owner:

"Dear Captain, Thursday will be my daughter Melinda's Debutante Ball. I would like you to send four well-mannered, handsome, unmarried officers in their formal dress uniforms to attend the dance. They should arrive promptly at 8:00 PM prepared for an evening of polite Southern conversation. They should be excellent dancers, as they will be the escorts of lovely refined young ladies. One last point: No Jews please."

Sending a written message by his own yeoman, the captain replied: Madam, thank you for your invitation. In order to present the widest possible knowledge base for polite conversation, I am sending four of my best and most prized officers. One is a lieutenant commander, and a graduate of Annapolis with an additional Masters degree from MIT in fluid technologies and ship design. The second is a Lieutenant, one of our helicopter pilots, and a graduate of Northwestern University in Chicago, with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. His Masters Degree and PhD are in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and he is also an astronaut candidate. The third officer is also a lieutenant, with degrees in both computer systems and information technology from SMU and he is awaiting notification on his Doctoral Dissertation from Cal Tech. Finally, the fourth officer, also a lieutenant commander, is our ship’s doctor, with an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his medical degree is from the University of North Carolina. We are very proud of him, as he is also a senior fellow in Trauma Surgery at Bethesda.

Upon receiving this letter, Melinda’s mother was quite excited and looked forward to Thursday with pleasure. Her daughter would be escorted by four handsome naval officers without peer (and the other women in her social circle would be insanely jealous).

At precisely 8:00 PM on Thursday, Melinda's mother heard a polite rap at the door which she opened to find, in full dress uniform, four handsome, smiling Black officers. Her mouth fell open, but pulling herself together, she stammered, "There must be some mistake."

"No, Madam," said the first officer. "Captain Goldberg never makes mistakes."

OK, I was trying to write something about health insurance in nc, and this has nothing to do with it.  But it is set in the south.  And it made me laugh - served her right!

I Hope There's Not a Next Time

We went to Best Buy Saturday night with some friends.  He was getting a new cell phone, which takes a while, so we were just waiting, talking, etc.  (After we got the movies we went for - Burlesque, Bambi, Megamind, and pre-orders of The Fighter and The King's Speech)  One of the employees there got to talking about living in Florida and going through hurricanes.  I can't remember exactly how we got on that subject, maybe mentioning the tornado we had this summer, and our friends had a tornado go through their town a few years ago, which thankfully didn't do any damage to their house.  They had a flood later on, but that's another story.

 Anyway, all the talk about hurricanes made me think tornadoes aren't all that bad.  I mean, yes, they are destructive, and I don't want one to come through our neighborhood ever again, but at least they're over quickly.  And the damage isn't quite as widespread.  He said one time they were without power for more than two weeks after a hurricane went through.  After our tornado, they got the power on within a few days, but if the damage had been to a wider area, I'm sure it would have taken longer.  Even a few days is difficult, but thankfully our friends at Generac came around and loaned out generac generators to anyone who needed them.  We put one in the front yard and ran extension cords to our house and to the neighbors next door.  It was good to be able to plug the refrigerator in!  And make my coffee in the mornings.  It's nice having a manufacturer of generators in the community!

Generac offered to let us keep the generator at a discounted price, and we really thought about it but decided not to.  Next time the power goes out, we may regret that decision, but I'm hoping the power company did a really good job fixing the power lines - and it's not like there are any tree limbs left to fall on them!  Now, if we lived in hurricane territory and there was a possibility of losing power for 2 weeks, we'd definitely want one.  The Best Buy employee (I wish I could remember his name; calling him the Best Buy employee seems rude) said that after having to go without power for that long, he went and bought a generator, so they'd be ready for the next time.  I'm just hoping we don't have a next time - at least nothing as serious as a tornado - and I'm definitely not planning to move anywhere that has hurricanes.

I Think I’m Being Mocked

I just wrote that post yesterday, about Spring being on the way.  At the end of the day yesterday, there was absolutely no snow on the deck.  None.

A storm moved in overnight.  We were supposed to get rain (most likely) so Jeffrey and I didn’t get up to go walking this morning.  But when we did get up and he was getting ready for work, I looked out the window and realized that instead of rain, we were getting snow – and we should have gotten up and shoveled the driveway.  I figured it would be fine; we couldn’t have gotten that much, and I could just shovel later when it stopped.  Then the plow went through right before he had to leave, throwing all that extra snow at the end of the driveway – so we had to at least shovel the end of the driveway and probably Jeffrey’s side so he could leave.   That’s when I realized the snow might not be that deep, but it was wet and heavy and still coming down hard – so I better shovel the whole driveway while I was at it.  Otherwise I was afraid it would get too deep and heavy for me to move it.

It continued snowing heavily for some time even after I came in.  Nope, today it doesn’t look like Spring at all.  Tomorrow, who knows?

Spring is Almost Here!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

March 20th is the official start to Spring, and I know a lot of people are more than ready for it.  We're dreaming of warmer weather and being able to spend more time outside.  The snow has almost melted off the deck.  That doesn't mean we won't get more snow before it's gone for good, but it has me thinking about how nice it's going to be to get the deck furniture back and be able to spend some time out there.  And maybe about getting some new outdoor furniture to add to it.  I'm really liking this Outdoor Serving Cart from Pier 1.

When we grill out, it seems like I'm constantly going back and forth from the kitchen to the deck carrying everything we need out there and then bringing it back in when we're done.  This cart would let me load everything up and make one trip.  Then I could stay outside and talk to my husband while he cooks!

A lot of Pier 1's outdoor furniture is also great for indoor use, and I can see using this in the house, too.  They've also got some great chairs, tables, and a storage trunk I really like.  All of them would be nice both out on the deck or inside the house.  I also saw some nice green chair cushions on sale that would be great for my dining room chairs, and they could also be used on the deck chairs.  They'd go really well with my new green house!

Sign up for the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter for more information about all the Pier 1 outdoor furniture and décor and a special in-store offer for the weekend of March 18 - 20.  If you're in Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta, or New York City, be sure to check out the Pier 1 Tweetups for the date and time of the one in your area.  Make plans to go and meet some of your area’s bloggers & Tweeters.

What is Wrong with this Scene?

Cover of The Walk: A Novel

I'm reading a book (The Walk by Richard Paul Evans), which by the way is really good, and I'm enjoying it.  It's about a man who loses everything and decides to walk from Washington to Key West.  But this bothers me:

At twilight, an Acura MDX that was headed down the mountain slowed down next to me and a blond teenage girl leaned out the passenger window.  "Want a ride?" she asked.

See anything wrong there?  It might be hard to see unless I tell you that the walking man was also heading down the mountain, the same direction as the car was going.

No, it's not that he was planning to walk 3000 miles or so - and can eat anything he wants without ever needing adapexin-p while he's at it - though there aren't many people who would even attempt such a thing.  What's wrong is that the girl leaned out the passenger window.  If he'd been walking on the left side of the road, facing traffic like he was supposed to, the driver would have been the one to lean out her window, to talk to him across the road.

I know it shouldn't surprise me, because no one seems to know that they're supposed to walk on the left-hand side of the road facing traffic.  All the research authors do when writing books, you'd think it would be simple to get this one thing right, at least.  The funny thing is that earlier in the book, the walking man was worried about his safety along the road.  Well, no wonder - you don't turn your back to the traffic!

Charlie Sheen Fired

Image by susie.c via Flickr

So the 'news' is that Charlie Sheen has been fired from his job on Two and a Half Men.  Anybody else would have been fired ages ago with all the trouble he's been getting into, but celebrities get away with all kinds of shenanigans, don't they?  Why do we put up with these people, and even look up to them?

Being in the public eye should come with responsibility, not  the 'right' to do anything they want to do, right or wrong.  I'm thinking that most of us, if we knew we were constantly being watched, would be on our best behavior.  Even most hard-working Americans in not-so-visible columbus jobs, manufacturing jobs, or any other jobs in the heartland are on better behavior than many celebrities.

Yes, there are some good people who are also celebrities, who use their influence for good and don't get into trouble all the time.  The others should be fired, like Charlie.

Print Walmart's Coupon Policy

Print it and take it with you to the store.

I read about the new Walmart Coupon Policy on My Wooden Spoon last week.  According to the policy, you can use checkout coupons from other stores at Walmart - the ones that print at the register and usually say they are good at whatever store you got them from.  (Of course they say they are good at the store where you got them - they want you to think you have to use them there, but they're manufacturer's coupons and should be good anywhere.  It makes me feel kind of dumb that I never realized this before.)
 

So this weekend Cory was home, and he needed body wash and deodorant.  We had a couple buy one deodorant get a body wash free coupons, so he grabbed two different deodorants and their corresponding body washes.  Then I realized I had a $3.50 off coupon for deodorant (printed at Walgreens, but it clearly stated 'Manufacturer Coupon' on it) and a $2.00 off coupon for the body wash, which was a better deal than getting the $4 body wash for free, so I decided to use those instead of the buy 1/get 1 coupon.

The cashier rang everything up and started on the coupons.  When she got to the $3.50 off coupon, she tried to hand it back, telling me that it was a Walgreens coupon.  When I tried to tell her that it is a Manufacturer's Coupon, and according to the coupon policy, Walmart does take them, she didn't listen and still kept focusing on the fact that it said Walgreens on it.  She ended up calling someone else over, and they decided they could take it, but they rang it up as a price match instead of a coupon. (I think they were wrong, because, according to the new policy, Walmart does not accept Competitors' coupons for dollars/cents or percentage off - so if this really had been a Walgreens coupon instead of a Manufacturer's coupon, they should not have accepted it.)  Regardless of how they did it, I did get to use my coupon, but I wasn't sure for a bit.

Some of the cashiers may be aware of the updated Walmart Coupon Policy, and I'm sure they'll be expected to learn it before too long, but for now I think the best thing is to just print it out and have it with me next time I shop there.  That way, if they don't want to take some of my coupons, I have proof that they're supposed to.  If you use coupons and shop at Walmart, you might want to print it, too.

Related articles

• Walmart Coupon Policy Updated (livingrichwithcoupons.com)

Booksfree - Netflix for Books

I love books.  You've probably noticed that, right?  However, I don't really buy that many, unless I find them cheap at a garage sale, Goodwill, or my all time favorite - the Buck a Bag sale at my local library.  And then I don't end up reading the books I own, because there are so many new books coming out.  I get those at the library, though it often takes quite a while to get them because everyone else wants to read them, too, and the waiting lists can be really long.  Also, sometimes when I get a book, I don't have time to finish it before it's due and I have to take it back because someone else is waiting for it.

I'm thinking a service like Booksfree would be really great.  It's like Netflix for books. You add the books you want to read to your queue - and there are over 228,000 books and 26,000 audiobooks to choose from.  Books are automatically shipped to you, and you can keep them as long as you want or need to and then ship them back in the pre-paid mailer or keep any book you especially like at a discounted price.  Sounds really convenient, doesn't it?  There are no due dates or late fees, and shipping is free both ways.

There are several different plans to choose from.  Choose to receive paperback books, children's books, CD and MP3-CD audiobooks, MP3-CD audiobooks, or a combination.  Then select the number of books you read and/or listen to in a month to find a plan that fits your needs.   There's no commitment, and you can cancel anytime. 

Booksfree would be especially great for people who don't have a local library or for people who buy a lot of books, because really, how many books actually get re-read?  If you're buying them, reading them once, and then putting them on a shelf or packing them away somewhere, this service can not only save you money, but keep those bookshelves from becoming more cluttered.  The convenience of browsing and choosing books online and having them shipped right to you is nice, too.  There are a lot more benefits to Booksfree that I haven't even mentioned, like books are guaranteed to be in stock, you can donate books for credit, you'll get personalized recommendations, and more.  Check it out and see if it's something you can use.

EcoSMART giveaway @ My Dogs Keep Me Sane

My friend Misty is hosting a giveaway for EcoSMART all natural pesticides.  There are several value bundles available, and the winner gets to choose the bundle he or she wants.  Misty has tried these products and links to her review in the giveaway post.  She found that, not only are these products all-natural, safe, and non-toxic, they really work!

Winter will be over before we know it, and warmer weather brings all kinds of bugs, insects, and creepy, crawly things.  You'll want to enter Misty's giveaway so you'll be ready!

EcoSMART giveaway @ My Dogs Keep Me Sane - ends Saturday, March 12 @1pm CST.  Enter now!

Zemanta for Better Content and More Traffic

Image by Brandon Christopher Warren via Flickr

The picture in this post has absolutely nothing to do with anything.  It's just cute.  Zemanta suggested it, and I clicked.  I love Zemanta.  It suggests images and related posts for whatever I'm talking about.  Sometimes the most fun is before I even start writing my posts, when it suggests some cool images or posts that I wouldn't otherwise see - like this one.

Then, when I get started talking about online banking, preschool playground equipment, or anything else, Zemanta starts suggesting images and articles related to my content.  If I like what's suggested, inserting it into my post is as easy as clicking!  And, when other bloggers start talking about things I've been talking about, Zemanta suggests my posts to them, hopefully giving me more traffic in the process.  So it's good all the way around.

It's an easy to use plug-in for my browser and runs right alongside my post editor.  Check it out if you aren't already using it.

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