New additions

I work with a lady and her daughter just had a new baby. So we were talking today and they are all excited about the new addition to their family. The baby was just a couple of weeks early and so some of the things they needed to do and have ready they were caught being in a state of not ready. One of the things they did not have were birth announcements so now they are scurrying around to find the perfect ones to send out to all their friends and family.

The new baby is a little girl so I am expecting to get a very special announcement. It was something we were talking about today and she showed me a picture of the new addition she had on her telephone. I suggested using a picture of the baby on the birth announcement making it very special and something that friends and family would definitely want to keep for a keepsake.
I actually envy my friend and her family. My grandchildren are getting older and I remember when they were born and how excited we were at the new arrival in the family. I can remember smooching and loving on the babies. Now my grandchildren wind up saying "Nannie" with a grimace if I want a hug or a kiss or any show of love. They are at the ages where it is not cool to show the affection for an adult especially to their grandmother.

I must confess that from time to time I do sneak up behind one of my grandchildren and put a big hug on them and give them a kiss on their cheek. I drives them wild but it is my job to drive them wild and keep them on their toes. Tough job but somebody has to do it. So it might as well be me as anyone else.

PROJECT RUNWAY FINALE

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

I can’t wait until the “Project Runway” season finale tonight that I will be watching on CLEARTVbundle. Project Runway is my all time favorite show and this past season has been the “All-Star” edition. I just can’t wait to see how things turn out. The cool thing about the “All-Star” edition is that it is people from previous seasons that were asked to leave and didn’t win. They were all really talented though. When they were invited back, they knew the drill and had been cultivating their skills for quite some time. The challenges were more difficult and the drama was bigger than previous seasons. It just always amazes me how talented some of the people on the show are. I have always wanted to learn how to sew, but have never had the time or a teacher to do so. The contestants on “Project Runway” can usually just sew something without any thought of a pattern. They are able to design and fit garments in one day. Each person has their own unique style and calling card. I think that the finale is going to be awesome tonight!

Easy Wardrobe

When we lived in Haiti as missionaries the easiest decision I had was what to wear on my daily basis I wore scrub sets. I had multiple sets and I would just open the closet and grab the first pair I put my hands on and that is what I would go with. No deciding what matched what I only bought sets so didn't have to try to match a top with a pant just grab and go. That was my motto.

I wish I had found this site called http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/ before we went there it would have really made my life so much simpler. I had to go to several shops to find all the sets I wanted to take with me. Because I wanted enough scrub sets to last me for three weeks at a time. You never knew in Haiti when you would have the time to do laundry so I did not need to be worried every week about getting my scrubs washed. So to have found everything I needed from one place and to have that place on the internet would have been great to say the least.

I know now what I will do the next time I need to purchase several or even one pair of scrubs. I will get the job done via the internet.

Get down to business

My daughters are wanting to start their very own catering business. I really think that they can make a go of it. They are both very good cooks and can actually make anything they want to when they put their minds to it. Yesterday they threw a birthday party for my three grandchildren and made some very unusual items. They made smores on a stick and they made cake pops which I have to say were my favorite. I have eaten quite a few of them.

They have to get their business plan all put together and figure out all of the processes that they need to take in order to launch their catering business. One of they things they need to accomplish, once they have other things in order is to advertise. I really believe that a advertising agency has come such a long way from what it used to be of simply TV or the newspaper. Now I really think that advertising on the internet is the way to go. I don't know of many people who do not access the internet on a daily basis. I know I am one who is on the internet daily but do not watch TV on a daily basis and I can't tell you the last time I actually read a newspaper.

So even though they are not actually ready at this moment to actually advertise their dream business they are in the process of searching out the best Advertising Agency to do the job for them when the time comes. I have to say I envy them of the excitement they are feeling and who knows they just might let me do something in the business. But my luck it will only be to wash up the dirty dishes.

So Scary

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy

Buying my first home was terrifying because I never imagined I’d be single at 30 and having to invest in my own place. I think in the back of my mind I knew I’d be married by now and find a place that worked for me with my husband but that’s just not how things worked out so it was my dad who came in at closing to help me with everything. I’m really glad I did it since it was such a great financial move but I can’t say I don’t get lonely here sometimes. I went to http://www.Securitychoice.com and got an alarm since I’m here by myself a lot and I’ve even been considering getting a cat but the last thing I want is to be the crazy cat lady all of a sudden! I don’t even have a boyfriend so there’s no hope that I’ll get married anytime soon so I think this was the right move. I thought my life would look different at this age but I guess you do what you can!

Needing a plan

We have decided that we want to purchase a home. It doesn't have to be a brand new home, as a matter of fact I would prefer not to own a brand new home. I am wanting a home that has any and all construction problems worked out before I move into it.

I am thinking that one of the first things I need to do is to obtain our credit score, so we are able to see just where we stand in that area. I have no idea at all what ours is and know that will be the first thing that a bank or lending agency will look at. This way if there are any issues there we will be able to see just what the are and if there are any errors on it we can get them corrected ahead of time.

I think I am going to start with getting a free credit score to use as our base and then work from there. If need be then after we get things going we will be able to move on from there.

I have to say I am getting very excited about the whole process of finding a home, getting the financing for the home and then finally being able to move into a home and be able to say it is ours.

What to wear

When we used to live and work in Haiti as Missionaries the problem of what to wear on a daily basis that was comfortable, practical and did not offend anyone took me a while to achieve. I finally discovered that wearing scrubs on a daily basis solved all the issues.

Then my next problem was Where to buy cheap scrubs. I have to say trying to come up with at least 10 pairs at one time was a bit of an issue. But I managed to accomplish it and have to say I was extremely happy with my results.

I wore my scrubs every day except to church on Sunday morning. I even wore them most days when going into Port-Au-Prince to run errands. So I have to say in the end problem solved with great success

Pain in the neck

I guess I can tell I am getting older. I have some aches and pains that I never used to have. I have actually given some thought to checking into getting some information on one of the TENS Units you hear about. These units are I guess actually Ultrasound Units for Pain Relief and also for those people who need rehabilitation. I have been having a lot of pain in my right shoulder to be exact. There are days I could just cry the pain is so severe when I move my arm certain ways.

I don't know if something like one of the Muscle Stimulators would help me. But I am really going to have to give pain relief some serious thought. I have heard there is something called a LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Units and Muscle Stimulator which from what I undertand is a combination of a unit that helps you benefit from The Tens Pain Relief and also the Muscle Stimulator so that you can at the same time increase your muscle tone and also accomplish muscle pain rehabilitation.

I have discovered LGMedSupply, Online and am seriously checking them out. They seem to have all of the items in-stock and ready for shipping. I am interested also that I can get a lot of additional information from them at their online customer blog. Hopefully I will find the help for my constant shoulder pain I am experiencing.

Personal Finance New Years Resolution

Guest post written by Brittany Reems

I guess that it's never really too early to start saving up and getting your personal finances in order, but my boyfriend was really surprised when I started worrying about my longtime finances. We just graduated from college less than a year ago and he said he hasn't ever even thought about that stuff before. But I want to be proactive about this stuff, so I made a New Year's resolution for 2011 to start saving a reasonable amount of money and figure out ways to invest and increase my money.

I wanted to do my homework before I tried to make an appointment with a financial advisor, I went online with my Clear wireless internet to try and get a grasp of some stuff that I could do with my savings that I have now. I don't have a great deal because I haven't been working for long, but I also haven't had a family to take care of so I guess that I've taken in more savings than others.

During my research for my personal finance resolution I found some information abotu CDs and am thinking about putting some of my savings in one of those.

An Unforgettable Trip

Guest post written by Bradley Swann

My family and I are starting off the New Year right this time around. Before winter rolled in, I got a number off the HOME PRO IMPROVEMENTwebsite and I had a great deal of work done. From the kitchen to the siding, I made sure that the house was going to look great for 2011. I want my family and me to have a fresh start and really feel proud of where we live. My wife has talked about wanting to have more company over, and I know that the kids want a nice place to show off when they have their high school friends over. It was a bit of an investment to get the place looking like it does, but I think it was a good move. We had a nice Christmas and New Years in our revamped house, and I know that we are going to have a lot of great memories here.

Now that the house is back in shape, I am going to start putting some money away for a great family vacation. The kids are going to college next year, and I want to ensure that we get an unforgettable trip.

It's Not News Year's Eve Without DIck Clark

This guest post from Hong Alexander

My family cannot go any New Year's Eve without watching “Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve”. Recently hosted by Ryan Seacrest, this show is our tradition! I do not remember any New Year's Eve in my lifetime that I did not sit with my family and watch the ball drop along side of Dick Clark and company.

One of the reasons my family enjoys watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve on our satellite TV from http://www.direc4u.com/direct-tv-hd.html is because it's a party feel and puts us all in a great mood. There are always great celebrity guests and music which is always unique every year. We love when they are live in Time Square and do interviews with just the average person attending New Years in New York City, or show a surprise New Year's Eve proposal. Everyone is always so excited it puts me in a great mood too and makes getting to midnight more exciting.

We also enjoy when they cut back to Los Angeles and show the party people their dancing and enjoying the celebration. It's always fun to see what other people are doing to celebrate New Year's Eve. This show will remain a tradition for years to come in our family!

News Year's Eve down to the details

Guest post written by Marie Collins

I like to plan ahead if I can. I'm pretty organized that way, but because of that it's kind of upsetting when things don't go as I planned them. That happened last New Year's Eve when I went to a party, only to get in a fender bender on the way there. I was fine, but it really put a damper on my night and I wasn't feeling like celebrating at all after that. Not this year though.

My best friend is having a New Year's Eve party this year and I'm helping her plan a lot of the stuff. I'll also be there to help her set up and then get ready at her place. So I have to be even more organized this year. I was e-mailing her a few days ago to finalize some stuff and when I was doing that I came across some clearwire prices that looked really good, so I'm going to sign up for one of those internet packages.

I have this perfect New Year's Eve dress that's black lace that I'm going to change into after we're through setting up the party that IÕm really excited to wear.

Single File Please

My husband and I were are I guess still are Missionaries to Haiti. We have worked there for many years now. We have done a lot of work there holding Medical Clinics for the poor Haitian People. I guess the biggest problem we have run into is crowd control. I can't say that I blame the people, some of them have never seen a medical person let alone a doctor in their lives. So to have a doctor, nurse or even someone with an aspirin, bandage or anything that would relieve their suffering for a moment is swarmed.

My husband being a big sized man was always placed to help control the situation. Bless his heart he could have really used some assistance with this job. I used to kid him him and tell him he needed a long velvet rope so that he could try to keep the people in a line. When you tell the people to form a line it must lose something in the translation because all they do is form a eager mob and just about run over you. He could have used something like stanchions but to be honest with you I actually think you could not even hold back sick hurting people with concrete barricades.

Don't get me wrong I do not blame them at all. If I or my family was sick and hurting I would do what ever it took to try to make them stop hurting or get them well. Many of these poor people walk for hours when they hear news of a clinic and then stand in the hot sun for several more hours to try to get the help they need. They only thing that is difficult again is getting them to form a single file line. When you say line up they all get up and crowd in together into a large mass of hurting people.

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Guest post written by Katrina Carlson

I think that everything's a little better with chocolate. Well, almost everything except bacon. i wasn't a fan of the chocolate covered bacon that I tried at the fair. However, I think that you can't go wrong with chocolate cookies, so I decided that instead of fixing the same old boring sugar cookies that people consider the classic Christmas cookies, I would make some kind of chocolate cookie.

I went online to try and find some recipes for good and chocolate-y cookies to make for the holidays when I ran across this website Direct tv internet bundle deals and read through it some. After a little bit of consideration, I decided to sign up for the internet service.

I found all kinds of recipes for chocolate Christmas cookies, but I wanted to make sure to find one that has some other flavor in it that will taste Christmas-y like cinnamon or something along those lines.

Let the games begin

My grandchildren are really big into playing all sorts of games. They have their DS's and they of course have a ton of Wi games. But the also love to play games online. I know that their Mom really keeps tabs on what they are doing when they are online which I believe every parent should if they are responsible parents. I know that they have talked about wanting to play a couple of games they have found out there and so good ole Mom is going to check them out first.

One of the games they are interested is boxhead 2. So she will be playing that and I think another one is called age of war. I have always tried to tell my daughter that she is a block head but I think boxhead is something much different. But needless to say she will be playing a couple of new online games before she turns the kids loose on them by themselves.

I have tried to tell her that she needs to get into blogging for money, but as of yet she has not tried that, I may get her to try it someday who knows. But first things first she has to get busy playing those online games for her kids.

Need new shoes

I am on the search for a really comfortable great looking pair of shoes. I am very picky when it comes to the shoes I wear. I will not buy something just because it is on sale or because it is the latest fad. I want shoes that are comfortable and good looking plus I do have to admit the price does come into play when I am searching for the perfect shoes.

I have worn cheap shoes in the past and have finally come to the decision that my father was right. If you buy something cheap you get something cheap. Now that doesn't mean I have to pay a years wages for shoes it just means I look long and hard for the right shoes at the right price.

What I am one the search right now is for a really great comfortable pair of tennis shoes. I want something that will last and feel good when I am wearing them. I have given up on the age of the fashion look of shoes and have decided that comfort is the best thing to look for when looking for new shoes. So let the search begin. I will not stop until I find the perfect looking, fitting and priced pair of shoes. I know you are out there so look out shoes her I come.

Is Spiderman Special?

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

I grew up watching all the superhero movies. I watched Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. Wait - does Batman qualify as a superhero? I'm not even sure. I guess what I meant to say is that I grew up watching movies where men dressed up in tight outfits and still managed to look cool saving the day. How they pulled that off, I have no idea. I guess this is just one of the many miracles Hollywood is capable of. Growing up, my favorite hero was Superman. This is also why I had no interest in watching Spiderman. I felt that it was a form of betrayal. But sometimes boredom can lead to betrayal, which is what happened to me last week.

It began as an innocent Friday night. It was a long work week and I just wanted to relax and unwind. Then I turned on my DirectTV satellite packages and found the title 'Spiderman.' I debated for a few moments, sighed, and decided to give it a go. I was nervous because I didn't want to be a traitor. I guess I can't disrespect Benedict Arnold anymore. After watching Spiderman, I realized that Superman was great for its time, but Spiderman was special. I can't believe I just said Spiderman was special. I don't even know how they did it. The movie was so predictable yet still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. What a ride. Well done, Spiderman. Well done.

Wish Lish

I have to say that there are several things I have always wanted some of which I have had and I have to say some of which I have never had and still hope to obtain sometime in my lifetime. One thing I would really like to have would be an adirondack chair. I actually think they are awesome to say the least. I have sat in one from time to time but never actually owned one so that is on my wish list. We have patio furniture but just the basic table and four chairs. I want something that I can just sit back in and actually relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Then another think I would really love to have in the kitchen would be a stainless steel kitchen sink with a butcher block countertop. It is not like we don't already have the stainless steel sinks but we do not have the butcher block counter top. My former brother in law created one for my mother in the kitchen in her house when he did a remodel job for her and I really like it a lot.

There are other things that some day down the road I would like to have but it I wish for everything at once then what will I have to look forward for the days and years to come?

What to wear

When we moved to Haiti as Missionaries I was very happy to discover that the missionaries we were going to be working and living with would allow me to wear scrubs during the week and not have to wear a dress or skirt all of the time. It was so much more comfortable working all day long wearing pants and not a skirt.

I do have to say one of my qualifications for my scrubs was that they all had to be cotton scrubs. If you have never been to the Nation of Haiti let me tell you it is hot there all year round. Their winter is still hotter than a Florida summer. My next qualification was I needed to find discounted scrubs. I purchased about 20 pairs of scrubs so that I would have plenty in case I was not able to do laundry as frequently as here in the US. Which was a very good thing since I had to do our laundry by hand and then hang it on a line to dry. Everything smelled very good and fresh but it was a chore to say the least.

I actually enjoyed wearing my scrubs everyday. They were cooler and more comfortable than wearing skirts or dresses and much more modest when you were working in a hot warehouse sorting medicines or working in a clinic out under the hot Haiti sun.

Stormy Weather

We have some very good missionary friends of ours who when they are not living in Haiti have a home in Texas. They were very happy this last Hurricane season that they did not have any storms go through Texas. To say they have had their share of big storms there would be putting it mildly to say the least. In past years they have had so much home flood damage they could have just about turned their home into an above ground swimming pool. Donna called me after one of their many storms to ask me if I knew how to fix water damaged wood? I was sorry to say I did not have any knowledge of what to do. I am very thankful that I have never had to deal with these issues. We live in Florida and have had our share of Hurricanes but thank God have never had any major damage such as what they have been through with their home. Fortunately for Eldon and Donna they had good insurance coverage on their home and were able to file an insurance claim for water damage and have always been able to get their home back in as good as new condition. But I would have to think that it would take a toll on you emotionally and physically going through the process time and time again.

All I can do for them is during the hurricane season is pray that the storms just stay out to sea or even better yet that they don't ever form. I have always had a problem with prying that the storms go another direction because I would never wish a hurricane on my worst enemy. Having gone through three hurricanes ourselves in one season. We had no damage to our home but the emotional strain was rough to say the least.