I Could Use Some Energy

I was talking to Cory on Facebook a few minutes ago, and he said he already got some caffeine for Monday morning.  He's been trying to avoid caffeine because he's been having trouble sleeping, but he's got to get up early and get on the road with the cast on Monday, so he figures he'll need something to help him get moving.

The cast is made up of young college students, so I'm sure they'll be able to handle the busy schedule.  If I had to do it, I'd be looking for some kind of Energy Supplement to help me get going and keep going.  I'm not as young as I used to be!  And all those lines they had to memorize?  How do they do it without serious Memory Support?  Oh yeah, they're young!  Sometimes I have problems remembering what I was going to do when I walk into a room.  I can't imagine learning all the lines for a play.

I've seen all kinds of Energy Drinks in the stores, but I'm a bit wary of trying any of those.  I'm afraid they're just lots of caffeine and sugar, and I really don't want that.  There's a new energy product for Women that sounds interesting.  It's caffeine and stimulant free.  The unique blend of vitamins, amino acids, spices, minerals and herbs naturally enables the body to create more energy and also nourishes the brain for optimum mental focus and memory support. That sounds a lot better than extra caffeine and sugar! I like the idea of natural, and I also like the idea of easy to swallow pills better than trying to down one of those huge drinks.

I'm sure I'll never keep up with those college kids, but PureStart Energy, used daily, might help me keep up with what I need to get done in my own life.

Related articles

• New Energy Product Delivers What Women Want; Restorative, Vitalizing Effects with None of the Bad Stuff (prweb.com)

Nursing Uniforms at Affordable Prices

With all the time we spent at the Surgery Center and the hospital this week, I had plenty of time to notice the nursing uniforms.  There was once a time when nurses were expected to wear all white - white shoes, white stockings, white dress, and that white nurse's cap.  One nurse we talked to said she knew of at least one administrator who would love it if nurses still dressed that way.  Our nurse was quite happy that particular administrator didn't get her way!

Nowadays nursing uniforms come in all kinds of colors and sometimes patterns too, and allow nurses to express their own personalities and individuality while still being practical, professional, and comfortable.  And if they are expected to wear the traditional white?  There are many fashionable and professional Scrub Sets available, from white twill dresses to 2-piece skirt suits.

Finding Cheap Nursing Scrubs that last and look great is not always easy, but NursingUniforms.net might just make it a bit easier.  They offer 'The largest selection of Nursing Uniforms in one place' and are committed to providing the highest quality, durable, comfortable products at everyday affordable prices. They have knowledgeable, helpful customer service representatives, 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week shopping at their online store, and a 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee.  And Free Shipping on orders $100 or more.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 73

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

The view from my kitchen window on Tuesday.

That was the day we had strong winds and, even though the nurses did their jobs really well, Jeffrey couldn’t have his surgery because the power was out.  I was expecting a gray, stormy sky that day, but instead we had some clouds, some blue sky, and those strong winds.  The winds on Wednesday (Windsday?) were even stronger, but thankfully the hospital had power, and Jeffrey’s surgery went as planned.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Speaking of Surgery

Do you ever wonder why, if they're doing surgery, and they're in there anyway, they can't just suck out all the extra fat too?  I asked Jeffrey that when he had his appendix out several years ago.  He tried to laugh, but laughing after surgery is not a good thing.  He kept the excess and gained some scars on his belly.

Then today, surgery on the belly again - I told him he should ask the doctor to suck some fat out while he was at it!  Yeah, that would be too easy, wouldn't it?  Instead of having someone suck all the fat out or popping safe diet pills, losing weight really is about eating right and exercising.  It may not be a quick fix, but it's still the best and healthiest way to do it.

Survivor is so Several Seasons Ago

Image via Wikipedia

I'm sort of watching Survivor tonight, and I realized that I have no clue who any of these people are. And I just don't care who gets voted off tonight. First of all, they moved the show from Thursday nights to Wednesday nights - so we always forget it's on. ( I think moving a show from its regular time slot is a really dumb move, but then the networks never ask me.)  We missed the first show this season, and we've missed several others since the season started.

All I know about this season is that they put the young acne crowd in one tribe and the old wrinkly crowd in another tribe.  Since we missed so much, I'm not really sure how that worked out.  I would think that the younger ones would be better at the challenges, at least the physical challenges, but maybe there was more brain required than brawn?

Whatever.  We really liked Survivor for the first several seasons (which season is this?), but it just isn't all that exciting any more.  Occasionally there's a mighty fine male specimen who looks oh so good with his shirt off (James), but overall it's something to watch when there's nothing better to do, but nothing I just have to see.

What about you?  Are you still watching Survivor? What would you rather be doing?  Is there a TV show you just can't miss?

Morning Comes Early

I'm used to getting up at 5:45 every morning (except the weekends) to walk.  So why does it seem like it's going to be so much earlier getting up at the same exact time just to get ready to leave the house tomorrow morning?  Maybe because we didn't have to leave the house today until 9:30, and it was windy and rainy so we snuggled up and slept in a bit?  Or maybe because I've been making myself get up to go walking for years, so I can do that, even when it's still dark like it is now.  But the idea of getting up for anything else?  Well, that's different.  That has me reaching for the eye cream for dark circles and hoping no one notices that I got up too early!

Regardless, we have to be ready to leave the house at 6:30 in the morning.  Getting up at regular time and being ready to leave at 6:30 may be pushing it for me, but I refuse to get up any earlier.  That's too much like getting up in the middle of the night!  It makes me crazy that Jeffrey can go walking with me in the mornings, get back in the house a little after 6:30, and still be able to shower, get dressed, and be able to leave for work before 7:00.  How does he do that?

I'm just going to have to take a quick shower, pull on my jeans and some kind of shirt - that I really should decide on tonight, pull my hair into a ponytail, and hope no one looks to closely.  It's all about Jeffrey, anyway - right?  I'll probably have to put my coffee in a travel mug and grab some muffins to take along for breakfast.  (and when Jeffrey leaves for work before 7:00?  He doesn't have coffee or breakfast until after he gets to work)

Then I could always sleep while I wait for him to get out of surgery...  But I'll probably just read a book.

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• ReScheduled (alwaysbcmom.com)

Blowin' Up a Storm

They started on the siding today and got one side of the garage done and the end of the house.  It is looking so good!  Like I said before, picking out the colors is hard, especially when all you have to look at is a little sample - but I think we picked some colors that are going to look really nice together.  And, even if we didn't, it's too late now!  But we did.  And remember how we were going to stick really close to the colors we had before?  Well, we didn't.

Thankfully we got the windows installed last week, because it doesn't sound like this week will have the weather for it.  We might not get much more done on the house this week because they're calling for some very strong winds the next couple of days - wind gusts up to 60mph.  I guess we'll get to see how our new shingles hold up!  But it's definitely not going to be good weather for putting siding on the house - no matter how anxious I am to see it all finished.

It's batten down the hatches and hunker down type of weather.  Put away the deck furniture, secure all loose items, be glad the christmas decorations aren't up yet kind of weather.  They say people could lose power, mostly because of tree branches on power lines.  At least we won't have to worry about that, since there aren't too many trees left around here.

And, yes, even though we had our share of severe weather here this summer, I still think it's ridiculous that our local news station thinks they need to be on the air by 4:30 in the morning.  What are they going to do?  Tell people it's windy because they can't figure it out for themselves?

And for the Single Guy...

When I first read this following link, I thought it said "Christmas gift wine" which made perfect sense to me.  I may not do Christmas, so I don't know a lot about picking out gifts for everybody on your list, but I think wine sounds like a fine gift.

But what the link really says is "christmas gift wife", which wouldn't be a good gift for just anybody, but might be just what you're looking for for the single guy on your list.  It would be awfully hard to pick out the right one, and I'm not sure what the return policy would be, but if you've got a single guy on your Christmas list...

Cory on the Radio

I didn't hear him live, but Cory was on the radio this morning!  Thankfully the radio show is available online as a podcast and he shared a link, so I got to hear it.   He's with the director and another cast member of the play he's in, The Calico Tiger.  It's really fun to listen to him, and I don't think that's just because I'm his mom.

I'm really looking forward to seeing him in his first college play.  He's got our tickets for the performance at Whitewater, and it sounds like they're pretty good seats.  Then, they will be touring and performing the play at various elementary schools.  One of those schools just happens to be the school right here in town, the elementary school Cory went to when he was a little guy.  A lot of the kids know him, from working with him in Peter Pan and Oliver and also because of a group he was in called Stand Tall.  They went to the elementary schools and performed skits for the students to help them deal with serious issues, like bullying and cancer.  He's thinking the kids will get a kick out of seeing him come to their school and perform in this play.  I'm thinking that I will just have to go over to the school and watch it, too!

If you're interested in hearing this morning's radio show, Click Here and play the podcast for Thursday, October 21st.  You'll have to listen to a few ads, for a bookstore, weight loss pills that work, and I don't know what else, in the middle, but I definitely thinks it's worth a listen.  And they're right in the first part of the program, so you don't have to listen to it all.

Related articles

• He's the Tiger (alwaysbcmom.com)

A Recycled List

While the guys are working on my windows and the rest of the house, I feel like I'm not getting much accomplished.  All the furniture is moved around so that they can get to the windows.  There's no point trying to clean the house - not until all the dust and mess-making is finished.  I couldn't get into the kitchen until after they installed the kitchen window.  And, there was some stuff I was wanting to do in the basement, but that's not possible now.

So, instead, I'm writing a few posts, and I started going through some old magazines trying to get them out of here.  While I have a hard time keeping up with email and blog posts in my reader, at least those don't take up space in my house!  Magazine subscriptions are a whole different story.  I keep those around hoping to find time to read them, but I just never get to it.  So, now I'm just flipping through as quickly as I can and ripping out the stuff that looks interesting - recipes, articles, lists of the top ten diet pills, exercises, etc.  I'm also finding coupons that I should have cut out ages ago, because they're all expired.

Here's a list I ripped out:

12 things in life never to take for granted

1. Your right to vote!
2. Any random morning you wake up happy and actually rested.
3. Love, even if it's coming from your parents.
4. Your body right now (whatever it weighs).
5. Male upper-body strength.  We're feminists too, but that couch ain't gonna move itself.
6. The bliss of vacation sex.  Never conk out early on a hotel bed!
7. The invitation's RSVP line.  They're asking nicely - and in French! - so répondez-vous.
8. Your digital photos!  Save 'em all!
9. Every day you don't need to call tech support 10 time zones away.
10. That they will always make your favorite bra.  Buy four.
11. Your fertile year (sorry, it's un-P.C. to say so, but it's true!).
12. The great guy who never takes you for granted.

And now that I've read and shared that, I can recycle it with the rest!  Yeah, some of that list made sense, others not so much.  It's not a bad thing to think about though.  What things in your life should you never take for granted?

Windows, Windows, Windows

We're finally getting our new windows installed today.  They started yesterday but ran into some problems they weren't expecting, so they just installed the one in our bathroom and left the rest for today.

See, Jeffrey picked out the windows he wanted, expecting them to look a certain way on the outside of the house.  Basically, all I cared about was what they looked like on the inside.  The windows we've had all these years have a Colonial style grid in them, which I was never really attached to - so I didn't want to go back to that.  Then I found these Prairie Perimeter ones, and loved them.  So, that's what we got.  Jeffrey wanted the windows to be more flush with the outside of the house instead of popping out a bit for the screen, like the old windows.  I had never paid any attention, so it really didn't matter to me one way or another.

He thought the windows we ordered would be the flatter ones, and they were supposed to be the same size as the old windows so the install would be fairly simple.  When the windows showed up, they were the wrong series (2000 instead of 3000) - so we had to figure that out.   It turned out that the supplier sent the different windows because they weren't as deep, so the ones we'd ordered would have required more work to install because the installers would have to cut into the drywall to make them fit.  There was some extra work involved on the outside of the house, because the ones we ordered had the J-Channel already attached - so it would just be a matter of putting them in place and then running the siding behind them.  (or something like that)  The ones we got - no J-Channel - so more work.  But our contractor figured out a way to make them work that we could live with, so we decided to keep the 'wrong' windows and go ahead.

Then yesterday when the installer started on the first window, he found out that he would have to cut into the drywall after all, because these were deeper than the old windows too!  And the window and the opening were different sizes. Needless to say, everyone was getting a bit frustrated.  The boss came out.  A couple guys from the supplier came out.  Windows were measured.  Openings were measured.  Etc.  And then we had to decide whether we want to keep the windows that were delivered or send them back and order all new ones - and putting the whole job off for another couple weeks.

Since they're installing today, you know we decided to keep the ones we had.  The guys are really working hard and almost have all the windows in already.  They just have the patio door left.  With all the hard work and hustle these guys put in, I don't think any of them will ever need weight loss pills. Ever.

It's all going to work out, and the house is going to look good when they're finished, but...  The whole thing was just frustrating because we didn't have all the information up front so that we could have made the best decision.  If someone had told us that no matter what windows we ordered, they would have to cut into the drywall to install them, we may have picked completely different windows.  Because it doesn't matter whether they have to cut an inch or three inches - it's all the same.  And if the supplier had sent the windows we ordered, they still would have needed to cut drywall to install them, but they wouldn't have to do any finish work on the outside. 

And now they're getting ready to do the patio door, and I'm wondering not just about the drywall, but what about my tile?  I guess I'll soon find out!

I Feel so Exposed

Because we're getting new windows installed, we've got all the curtains and mini blinds off the windows. It's amazing how exposed I feel with all the windows wide open - especially at night when the lights in the house reflect off the windows. On the other hand, without mini blinds or curtains, we have an amazing view of the sky from all our windows!

In the bathroom, we did tack a towel up across the bottom of the window, so we can take a shower, remove blackheads from nose, or anything else we might need to do in the bathroom in relative privacy.  The new windows supposedly have screens you can see out of but no-one outside can see in - but I'm not sure how much I trust that.  Somehow I think I'll still feel exposed until we get the mini blinds back up.

Wasted Day

I'm really tempted just to throw up some filler here, because I don't have much energy.  I woke up with a head-ache and basically felt awful all day.  I tried going back to bed, but then there was all that banging going on.  Today they started ripping the siding off the house, so instead of thumping on the roof, there was ripping and banging and hammering on the sides of the house.

I was tired enough that I even managed to sleep through some of that.  I hate days like this, when I have so many things to accomplish but can't do any of it!  At least I wasn't planning to start a medical job search or something important. I was planning to do some baking and cleaning of the house for the weekend, but that didn't happen.

I do feel a bit better now, so I might still get some cornbread muffins into the oven.

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Keeping the Bad Smells Out

I ended up closing all my windows yesterday, even though the weather was nice and I really wanted them open so I could get a nice breeze moving through the house.  But, I had guys working on my house, and few of them just happened to be smokers.  While they were putting down tarps and getting equipment ready, they were also smoking - with no notice of which direction the wind was blowing or which windows were open.  Smokers may be OK with the smell of smoke on everything around them and knowing they'll probably need somebody to make their funeral arrangements a bit earlier than the rest of us, but I'm not OK with the smell, and I'd prefer not to find out how soon 2nd hand smoke can kill me.

So, I closed all the windows, wishing they'd be a little more aware - and then I kept them closed so I didn't have to guard for random smoke breaks throughout the day.  And it turned out to be a good thing, because I heard a new motor running in the afternoon.  Yes, it's a miracle I could hear anything else with all the noise the roofers were already making, but I did.  And I looked out to see that the neighbor was getting his lawn treated with chemicals - nasty chemicals that would have come right in my kitchen window if I hadn't had it closed, because that is the way the wind was blowing.

Today, it was cool enough that I didn't really want the windows open.  They were back to finish the roof, and  there was probably smoke, but I didn't have to smell it or breathe it. 

Learn More About High-Tech Careers

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ATETV.org. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have a student thinking about college but not quite sure what to major in or what kind of job opportunities will be waiting after college?  I know we could have used some guidance last year when Cory was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with himself after high school.  He's a smart young man who got good grades throughout high school, and he could probably do anything he wanted to do.  Unfortunately, he didn't have much guidance through his school, and as his parents, we didn't really know what to do to help him.

It may not have made a difference, but I wish I'd known about ATETV. It's a free web-based video series that highlights the vast array of high-tech careers available in the fields of Math, Science, Engineering and Technology.  It's a great way for students and parents to find out about Advanced Technological Education (ATE) - the community and 4-year college programs available, and high-tech careers available.  There are many videos available that showcase all kinds of different aspects of technology and real job opportunities in a vast array of emerging, high-tech fields such as underwater robotics, laser technology, aviation mechanics, wind-farming and high-tech agriculture.

These free videos were produced with a grant from the National Science Foundation to attract young people into the Science, Engineering, Math and Technology fields.  The United States Labor Department says that the demand for technical based educated employees in the United States will be far greater in the future than the numbers of students being trained today.  Meaning, students who train for these high tech jobs today will be pretty much guaranteed jobs in the future.   If you've got a student struggling to decide what he wants to be when he grows up, I'd strongly suggest checking out this site.  Who knows - the perfect future career may just be highlighted in one of these videos, and ATETV can connect your student with the right training program.

ATETV.org is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and is completely free.

I Hate When I Mess Up

I ordered new checks today.  We don't really write many checks any more.  So much can be done online - paying bills, sending money to people.  The bank will even send checks to people or businesses that don't accept electronic payments.  But, once in a while, we need to write a check, and we only have a couple left for that account.

So, I found a site that offered buy one box of checks, get one free, and I ordered - only to realize that the free box didn't automatically get added to my order.  No, I had to actually order 2 boxes, and one of those 2 boxes would be free.  I called customer service immediately, only to find out that there was nothing they could do.  Online orders go directly to the printer.

There are 120 checks in a box, meaning that one box will last us forever.  And I did save about $3 since I didn't have to pay the service/handling fee for that second box, but it's still going to bother me that I messed up.  Nobody actually gives out trophies for doing everything perfectly, but that doesn't stop me from feeling bad when I don't do something right.

In all honesty, not spending an extra $3 on a box of checks that we don't need probably was the right thing to do.  (Am I just trying to convince myself?)

Related articles

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Win an iPad

Image via CrunchBase

How would you like to win an iPad?  They really do look like neat gadgets to have, but I seriously doubt I'll ever have one unless I win it somewhere.  Yes, I know there were people running out to buy them the second they came out, but I just can't justify buying one.  Maybe someday when absolutely everything is paid off, and we just have some extra money lying around...

In the meantime, there's the PrintRunner.com iPad Sweepstakes.  It looks like entering is really simple - just 'like' PrintRunner on facebook, and fill out the entry form.  I can definitely do that for a chance to win an iPad.  How about you?

The only thing that might bother me is that whole touch screen thing.  Don't iPad users get fingerprints all over their screens?  Doesn't it drive them crazy?  I may be able to use any old scrap of paper when I can't find any actual bookmarks, but I'm really picky about anybody touching my screen!  And, of course, I'd never do it.  On purpose.  When I win this iPad, I'll have to get some stickers for it to remind me that it's OK to touch the screen.   I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try, right?

Update (2014): I now have a touchscreen smartphone and a Kindle Fire HD.  I am actually touching my screens all the time.  Eek!  I also clean them a lot.

I'm Such a Girl!

When I was unpacking my garment bag this week, I got to the very end, pulled out the last dress, and a bug came crawling out.  I jumped and screamed and would have called for a man, but no-one was home but me.

Of course, my next step was to call for Commercial Pest Control! No, not really.  I squished that bug with the edge of the garment bag and then ewwwwed and squirmed as I watched it continue to move, even with all its guts squished out.  Ewwwww.  Just thinking about it makes me squirm!  But I finished the job, got a tissue and wiped up all the nasty bug guts - and hoped there weren't any more where that one came from.

I'm not really up on my Bug Facts so I don't know what kind of bug it was.  Not that it matters because pretty much any bug is a bad bug in my world.  I'm sure they all have their reasons for existence, but I'd very much appreciate if they'd exist somewhere else.  Away from me.

If I have to call Pest Control Services to make that happen, then so be it - but usually I can just get my husband to take care of them. When he's home.

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• With Arrival of Fall, Pests Seek Shelter Indoors (eon.businesswire.com)
• Bedbugs on Clothing: How to Spot 'Em and What to Do (stylelist.com)
• How to Keep Spiders, Ants and Other Pests Out of Your House: Tips from Terro (prweb.com)

Look at all These Colors!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of BH Cosmetics. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't really wear makeup very often because usually I'm not going anywhere or seeing anyone - so why bother?  When I'm going out, I'll usually put some on, and last week when I was seeing people every day, I put it on every day.  I wonder if that's what caused my dry skin?

Anyway, I've heard it said that if you're only going to wear one thing, it should be lipstick.  Honestly, I don't get that, and I've never much liked lipstick.  I do wear eyeshadow once in a while, but I've pretty much stuck to the same colors for years.  Nothing too exciting.  It's not that I wouldn't like to try different colors, but I just don't want to spend a lot of money to get all those colors - especially not knowing if they'll be the right colors for me.  I see makeup more as something for dress-up and for fun and not really a huge necessity, so I really can't justify spending a lot on it.

The eyeshadow palettes from BH Cosmetics might just be the answer.  BH Cosmetics makeup palettes offer the most brilliant colors available on the market at low, below wholesale prices!  You can get 120 colors for under $30, and not just any colors but bright highly pigmented colors, bendable with strong staying power.

These would definitely be fun to play with.  Imagine all the color combinations!  With one of these palettes, I might actually end up wearing eyeshadow more often just so I can try them out.  I'd probably start with the 120 Color Palette 1st Edition - just because I don't have many colors at all, and this one offers a bigger variety of colors than the later editions.

Check out BH Cosmetics to find your palette.  Orders ship the same day if ordered before 3pm PST and come with a money back guarantee.

Dry Skin and Zits

For some reason, while we were gone, my face got really dry.  It seemed like no matter how much moisturizer I put on it, it was still dry.  It just soaked up the moisturizer and wanted more.  It's not like we were in the desert or it was winter.  Actually, usually my hands get really dry in the winter, but my face isn't too bad.  I can't recall my face ever being that dry - except for that time I started using a Sensitive Skin cleanser that dried my face out so bad it hurt.  This time I wasn't using anything different from what I normally use at home.  Maybe it was the water there?  Except we went there last year, and I don't remember the same thing happening, so who knows.

Also, even though my face was super dry, it was still breaking out in odd places.  Yep, dry skin and zits all at once.  Not only do I need a good moisturizer, I also need to figure out what acne lotions work best, without drying out my skin even more.  Hopefully being back home will help things get back to normal without too many changes. 

I am thinking of trying a new moisturizer, which I saw on GMA this morning, but I'm having a hard time finding it on their site right now.  Did anybody see that segment?  It was from Olay, I think.