Which are Cuter - Puppies or Babies?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
There's just something about babies of any kind - whether baby animals or baby people.  They're just so darn cute!  Which, of course, is a good thing, because we all fall in love with them when they're little and cute, and then when they grow up into dogs or cats or teenagers, we're already attached to them.  Otherwise, they might not survive.

I'm not really a dog person, but I do love a cute puppy.   However, I have to say babies are the cutest.  Little, bitty people with their sweet smiles, cute laughs, and even all that drool.  Yep, adorable!  Especially my precious grandson Jason.  Why is this even a question - which are cuter?  It's because of the Animal Planet Puppies vs. Babies online contest. They seriously asked the question and are letting people vote.  There are several stages to the contest.  Unfortunately I missed the first stage when I could have submitted a photo of the cutest baby ever - Jason! 

Now the photos have been submitted, and it's time for all of us to rate them - on a scale of 1 to 10 - to determine the highest rated photos in both categories, puppies and babies.  Then, on or around November 5, Animal Planet will select the 16 highest rated photos in each category.  Voting will continue, babies and puppies will be eliminated, and eventually the top baby and top puppy will be chosen.  The parents or owners who submitted these top contenders will win $5,000.  It's a real shame I didn't know about this in time to submit Jason, because he'd win hands down!!
 
Once the top baby and puppy are determined, the real Puppies vs. Babies fun begins. They'll go head-to-head to once and for all finally determine which is cuter - puppies or babies.  So what do you think?

 Puppies?  or  Babies?  

I'm going to predict that, even though I'd like the baby to come out on top in this contest, it's going to be a puppy that wins.  Why do I say that?  Well, just go through and rate the puppy photos and the baby photos, and you'll see.  Those puppies are definitely cuter than those babies!  If only they didn't grow up to be dogs...  Oh, and please come back and tell me which ones you think are the cutest!

Saving is Not the Same as Investing

I'm really good at saving money - so good that one of my friends thinks I should start teaching others (specifically her) how to do it.  The problem I have is that the things I know seem so obvious to me, I don't even know other people need to be taught!  Does that make sense?  If only I'd thought of it first - there are lots of people out there telling people how to use coupons, how to shop when things are on sale, how to stock their pantries, etc. - things I've been doing for years!

If only I'd gotten an Online Broker way back when and started investing all that money I've been saving!  I really don't know anything about investing, though.  I'm really clueless.  The only thing I know about Stock Trading is what I've seen in movies like Wall Street and The Pursuit of Happyness, and it made no sense whatsoever to me.  I still can't figure out why people lose money when the stock market falls.  So you buy a stock at one price.  If the price of that stock goes up then the stocks you own are worth more - but how do you make more money unless you sell them at that higher price?  Same with when the market goes down - the stocks you own are worth less, but how do you actually lose money unless you sell them at that lower price?  See, I don't understand it at all. 

I'd need someone who's good at Online Trading to explain all the basics to me.  Someone who can tell me - If I'd started investing all the money I've saved, would I have more money now or less?

I Need to Update My Reading List

Speaking of being busy, I was noticing that the list of books I'm reading (on the sidebar) is way out of date.  I haven't updated it since before I changed my blog template.  I've finished reading the books it says I'm reading now and read several others.  I just haven't kept the list updated.  Thankfully I have been keeping track through the WeRead app on facebook - except I just attempted to access my book list (shelf? do they call it a bookshelf?) on WeRead and got an error message: "Sorry, the application you were using is experiencing a problem. Please try again later."  So now I'm panicking.  What if my book list for 2011 is lost for good?

Considering I've been reading all my life and just started keeping track of the books I read a few years ago, I'm sure I'll survive even if I don't get access to my book list again.  But I will, right?  Right?

Whether I keep a list of all the books I read or just read them without keeping track, I'll still be reading - until I need reading glasses.  Actually, I guess I kinda do need reading glasses, since I had to get bifocals this year, but I can still read without them if I want to.   I might end up doing that even more, because it's harder to find cute eyeglass frames for women that can handle the progressive lenses - at least for me because I need such narrow frames for my face.  I can't imagine not reading.  I would probably put up with big, ugly glasses if I had to just so I was able to read.  Thankfully, I don't have to!

Right now I'm in between books, trying to decide what to read next, and I feel sort of lost - even though I haven't actually had time to sit down and read for a while, I still need to have something at least started.  Technically I say I'm reading the next Harry Potter book, Order of the Phoenix, but all that really means is that I finished the last one and pulled this one off the shelf.  For some reason, I took a break from Harry Potter and read a couple other books in between - books that aren't on my list yet!  As soon as I can get back into WeRead, I need to update that list in the sidebar and probably start working on my end-of-the-year reading list post.  It will be fun to find out how many books I read this year.

How many have you read?

Who's Your Favorite Sesame Street Character?

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeI haven't actually watched Sesame Street in ages.  After all, my kids are all grown up.  I still love the Muppets, though.  Jeffrey and I stopped at a gift shop about a week ago.  They had a little bit of everything - it was a huge gift shop.  We didn't buy anything, because it was a gift shop, and that always seems to mean outrageous prices.  But I did have to look, and they had some really cute little stuffed Sesame Street characters.

Most people like Elmo or Cookie Monster.  Me, I've always loved Oscar.  Yeah, I know he's a grouch, but I just relate to him somehow.  It's probably the way he has a hard time getting along with others or just would sometimes like to be left alone.  I understand that completely - interacting with people is sometimes more than I can take, and I just need to be left alone for a bit.  Maybe I'm a grouch, too!?  Not really, just introverted enough that it takes effort for me to interact with people sometimes.  Depends on the people, though.  There are some people I just click with.  I guess that's true for everyone...

I think my little grandson is going to be a really outgoing little guy, at least he is now.  Takes after his Uncle Cory, I guess.  It probably won't make much sense to buy him a personalized oscar the grouch. I'll probably have to get him an Elmo - and get Oscar for myself - just not at the gift shop.  Does anybody really ever outgrow stuffed animals and Sesame Street?

Who's your favorite Sesame Street character?

I Think My Nieces are Fish

I finally got to meet my nieces - 3 precious little girls who live in Oregon.  Why do they have to live so far away?  Anyway, I'd never met them before this week, so I'm enjoying getting to know them.  They are adorable little things - quite amazing who their dad is!  I mean, of course my little brother would have adorable children, of course he would.
 

Yesterday we went to the waterpark so all the kids could play in the water.  Jason loved it, but he was getting cold so we left fairly soon, but those little girls and their parents stayed for hours.  They must be little fish or something.  They were probably all shriveled up and pruny by the time they left that place and needed lots of lotion and argan oil for skin afterwards. But they had a good time, and that's all that counts, right?

I would have stayed longer if Jason hadn't been so cold.  I've always loved spending time in the water, and my kids always did, too.  It really is fun to watch them have such a good time.

Stand Up for Family

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

I was watching some of these Stand Up For Family videos the other day.  I haven't watched all of them, but the ones I saw were really good.  The videos feature some of today's hottest comedians providing entertainment for the entire family. Inspired by experiences from their own families, the performers offer their own perspectives on daily life with loved ones, finding the humor that we all can relate to. It's good, clean stand-up comedy, and you're bound to see something of your family in there.  There's one called Street Lights that reminds me of a story Jeffrey always tells about when he was growing up.  It was a safer world back then when kids could go out and play all day, as long as they were home by dark - or when the streetlights came on.  And, in that time before cell phones, how did they know if mom needed them sooner?  She honked the car horn three times.

I'm definitely going to have to go back and watch the rest of these videos.  They're sponsored by AmFam, and I think it's a really cool effort. It's just nice to see some profanity -free stand-up comedy.  Why in the world do so many comedians - most of them - seem to think profanity is necessary to make something funny?  It's also nice to see an effort that supports family.  I believe our society is only as strong as our families, and so many families are falling apart these days.  Thanks to American Family Insurance for putting this together!
Be sure to check out the videos.  I think you'll like them.

Fall Fun in Branson

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

I love Fall.  I think it's my favorite time of year - at least at this time of year!  Yeah, I'm fickle like that.  Whatever season I'm in, that's my favorite.  Right now I'm loving the colors on the trees.  They're just so gorgeous with all the bright reds and oranges and yellows.

Right now would be a great time to visit Branson.  Not only could we enjoy all the great attractions Branson has to offer like live theater music shows, championship golf courses, that zip line I'm really dying to try, shopping, museums, and more, but we could enjoy the beautiful Fall colors!  I'm thinking it would be really spectacular to try that zipline at this time of year - zipping through all the bright colored trees.

We could stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and be close to just about everything.  They're offering three great packages right now:

• The Silver Dollar City package which features two adult and two children's tickets to Silver Dollar City and rooms starting at $257.50/night.
• The Santa Claus package which features deluxe accommodations for a family of four (two adults and two children) and breakfast with Santa at the Level 2 restaurant with a special gift for the children. Rooms start at just $228 a night.
  
• And for the shoppers, a deluxe shopping package which includes hotel accommodations, a $25 gift card to Branson Landing, a second $25 gift card to Tanger Outlets, and complimentary breakfast buffet for two!
  

It sounds like there is plenty to do any time of year in Branson, and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel or the Hilton Promenade are the perfect places to stay.  Maybe even Thanksgiving when the Level 2 Steakhouse offers a Thanksgiving Brunch.

Hard to Believe it's October

The weather has been so sunny and warm and nice for the past week or so.  It's hard to believe it's October!  I'm not complaining at all because I know soon enough it will get cold.  I think maybe we enjoy these warm, sunny days in Fall more than the warm, sunny days of Summer - just because we know they can't possibly last, so we appreciate them more.  I try to appreciate the weather no matter what it is, but it's easy to take something for granted when it's what you expect.  Soon enough the neighbors will be putting on the solar pool covers, the gardens will be completely done for the season, and we'll even have to turn the furnace on, but for now I'm enjoying every minute of the nice weather.  If only I could get outside in it more...

The beauty of warm sunny days in October - besides the before-mentioned sun and warmth - is the cool nights!  Warm in the daytime, cool snuggle weather at night.  I love it!

Take the Hill's Healthy Mobility Challenge

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hills Pet Nutrition for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 
When we had our dog Nikki, we just fed her whatever dog food we got the best deal on.  We didn't really realize or think about how important it would be to feed her better food.  With the cats we are trying to feed them better food.  We haven't yet tried the Hill's Pet Nutrition foods, but we have been trying to buy the better foods with more natural ingredients.  Reading some of the information on the Hill's Pet Nutrition page, I'm learning that there's a whole lot I don't know about what my pets need to eat to be healthy.  Be sure to check it out if you've got pets; there's a lot of information there.
 
If you have a dog (or dogs) you can register for the Hill’s Healthy Mobility Challenge.  Feed your dog the Hill's Science Diet^® Healthy Mobility^™ dog food for 30 days and track your dog's progress over those 30 days to see if/how it actually works.  At the end of 30 days you'll be able to see the results.  You're also encouraged to come back and share the results with othere dog lovers.
 
Just for registering you'll get $30 in Hill's Healthy Mobility Coupon offers and an automatic entry in the Healthy Mobility Challenge sweepstakes! 30 Winners will receive FREE PET FOOD for a year!  How awesome would that be?
 
Be sure to check out  Hill's Pet Nutrition on Facebook too.  You can share pictures of your pets, interact with other pet lovers, and even have the opportunity to win prizes or get additional savings on Hill's Pet Nutrition  products.
 

How to Keep Yourself Busy During College

As a mother of a college student, I often find myself with a lot of spare time. Even teenagers need to be taken care of and with my nights free to pursue whatever I want for the first time in 18 years it was difficult to fill it. I turned to the Internet to start reading blogs and websites and came across a lot of information about photography. I decided to read more into until one day I purchased a smartphone and began my new adventure.

Because of sophisticated smartphones, I never had to purchase a fancy digital camera. This is very convenient because I can multitask on one device. While I am outside snapping pics, I can send them straight to my son through text message or email. The cameras on these phones are almost as good, if not better than most of the devices you find in the digital camera section of photography stores.

Social media websites allow for easy storage of all of your pictures. You can find apps for social media websites through the Android Market and Apple's App Store and send your pictures directly to your computer in order to share them online. My photography became so popular with certain users that I was able to sell my pictures in custom prints. After I started this venture I was able to purchase certain equipment like software, lighting effects, and backgrounds with one of the best small business credit cards I could find.

I never realized how important image editing software was until I started snapping pictures. “Lite” versions of Photoshop are available for purchase both online and through retail stores. This powerful software allows you to manipulate things like red eye, bad lighting, and other undesirables out of your photographs. Because they are not as expensive as the fully loaded graphic designer version, they are much more affordable. They are also very intuitive and easy to use because all of the features I need are listed in plain sight.

College is not just a new time of the year for students. It is also an important life changing event for parents who have never been away from their kids. If you begin to research hobbies on the Internet and get immersed in something new, you can start a business of your own and be a little surprised when your kids come back home from breaks.

New to satellite

I appreciate the guest post, Jamie Guy

I usually do not pay attention to flyers we get in the mail because we get so many. I often throw them away before even looking at them. However, one pamphlet caught my eye because we are unhappy with our cable TV company and the pamphlet was advertising Cooper Satellite Tv deals. I immediately called my husband and told him that I think we should switch to satellite TV. We have been unhappy with our cable company for so many reasons. Whenever we have any kind of issue, the company has terrible customer service. They never show up when they say they are going to and often ask us to reschedule our service appointment. We are also not satisfied with the channel package that we have. We considered adding more channels, but the next larger package is entirely too expensive for our budget. It’s not that we need 600 channels, but there are a few channels that I am interested in having that I have watched at my sister’s house and would like to add to our package. I hope we will be happy with our satellite TV.

When is a Warranty not a Warranty?

When you get it with MSi - that's when!

One of the reasons Jeffrey decided to buy the computer he did was that it came with a 3 year warranty from MSI.  It also had a really good sound card and other things he needs for running sound and doing the things he needs to do.  Everything was fine until the latch that held his battery cover on broke - and then it didn't hold the battery in like it was supposed to.  So he called customer service to see if he could get it fixed.  First of all, they made him pay to send it in.  Then, after they had received the computer, they called several times telling him how much it was going to cost to get it fixed.  Ummm... warranty!?

After much discussion, he got them to agree to fix the problem at no charge, which they should have just done in the first place since the computer was under warranty.  But when he got it back, took it out of the box and turned it on, there was a crackle in the speakers that had not been there before.  He called MSI and reported the problem and finally got them to agree to pay to have it sent back to them so they could fix the problem.  Guess what?  They couldn't find the problem.  They couldn't even tell there was a problem.  So they sent it back without fixing it.  The crackle in the speakers?  Jeffrey booted the computer up, I bent down and heard the crackle they couldn't find within about 10 seconds!  Yep, their tech department over there at MSi is great!  Maybe they could fix a problem if only they could or would admit there actually is one.  Maybe.

So, the crackle didn't get fixed, and now the computer won't recognize any external sound things like headphones, microphones or speakers - so the crackle was probably the beginning of problems with the sound card.  I wonder if they'll actually fix it?

In the meantime, Jeffrey is having some other problems with the computer so he thought the easiest thing might be to wipe it clean and start all over.  The only problem - he can't re-install the operating stystem (Windows Vista) because it was stored/hidden on the hard drive.  But the hard drive was set up really strangely - partitioned into a C and a D drive, but the C drive where everything is usually installed was really, really small, and he was running out of room to install programs.  So he called MSi, talked to a tech, and was told how to remove the D partition so that he would just have one big hard drive.  The tech said that wouldn't hurt a thing.  Not a thing until he wants to re-install the operating system, because removing the partition wiped that out.  And, yes, he could get a disc from the people at MSi to re-install, but they expect him to pay $25 to get it plus shipping.   I can understand a nominal fee to cover the cost of the disc and the shipping, but that's just ridiculous.  He paid for the operating system when he bought the computer.  It already belongs to him.  And it's their tech's fault for telling him he could remove the partition without hurting anything.

The guy said he could send the operating system disc out at no charge, if it was within the first year.   Was there something special about this 3-year warranty that made it only nominally useful in the first year and then completely worthless for the remaining two years?  All I can say is that if you're thinking about buying a computer from MSi, don't count on decent customer service or for them to honor your warranty.  From what I can tell, they're incompetent crooks, who aren't willing to stand behind their product or take responsibility for their actions, and they definitely won't be getting any holiday invitations from this household!

*I linked to them multiple times with do follow links, hoping they'll notice and maybe be a bit ashamed.