Nice, but expensive

One of the things that I don’t enjoy about shopping with Chuck is that he likes to window shop a lot more than I enjoy it. I prefer to prepare a list of what I need to buy, go to the store, get in, grab what I need to get, pay for it, and get out again. I don’t enjoy lingering and longing for things that I can’t have. The last time I went shopping with Chuck, he told me that he only needed to buy some new guitar picks, but he ended up spending over an hour “window shopping” at the store, checking out the new shipment of high end acoustic guitars. Yes, they are very nice, but they are also very expensive, and I’d rather not waste my time pining over things that I can’t afford to buy!

The dreaded grocery store

Once again, it’s time to make a weekly trip to the local grocery store. I hate to shop, let alone grocery shop. Prices have gone sky high and there seems no end in sight. One can of veggies that went for .49 are now doubled…and that is the store brand or generic. I’m armed with my list, pen and grocery money, but it took me all of last night to figure out what I am going to make for a week’s work of dinners, plus what to buy for the extras that we need. It’s all starting to bum me out a bit, to be honest.

Skin Care

Sometimes my friends and family tell me that they think I am crazy. Over the years I have tried several different Natural and Organic Skin Care and Makeup products, and when they come in a pretty jar, when the jar is empty, I wash and save the jar. (Yes, I am a packrat, but not a hoarder – yet! I actually DO throw some things away, and donate other things to charity organizations like GoodWill and local thrift stores like hospital auxiliary thrift stores!) I have a nice collection of pretty jars.

These jars don’t sit empty forever, though. I like to buy hand and body lotions that come in a pump-style plastic bottle. I like keeping them on the counter-tops beside the bathroom lavatory and the kitchen sink, and pump some lotion on my hands (and rub the lotion on my throat, neck and elbows) after I wash my hands. The lotions that I use are so thick that once the level of the lotion gets too low to pump out, turning the bottle upside down to drain into another bottle does not work.

Rather than throwing out the remaining lotion (there is often more than 1/3 cup of lotion left!) I will take a very sharp kitchen knife and cut the plastic bottle open. Then I use a spatula to scoop out the remaining lotion and deposit it into one of the pretty, empty jars that I had saved. Then I will use that lotion from the jars until that runs out before putting a fresh plastic pump bottle on the counter-top! I like how this saves money and reduces waste of product!

Portable battery chargers

My son was taking photos with my camera and even though I had bought really good battery’s they kept dying on him. He told me that I should get a portable USB charger battery. It made sense to me. With all the new items we have in the house and in the vehicles, getting one of the chargers would help a lot and cut down on the cost of having to keep buying batteries. I can’t believe the price of good batteries now and I really can’t afford to keep buying them. My camera was a major big deal to me, and I could not understand why the batteries kept being literally sucked dry.

I think my son’s suggestion is a good one, so I’m going to check it out. Certainly it will be less expensive than having to shell out money for all kinds of batteries like I have been doing. These would even help with cell phones dying and my laptop computer running out of power also. They work with MP3 players, iPods and other electronic items that the kids have. It gets to be an expensive pain, every time I have to run out to the store or shell out money for new batteries. So, I’m going to look into my son’s suggestion.

New boat

After searching for two years we have found the new boat that we want to buy; it is a twenty foot cabin cruiser with sleeping berths for four, so we can go on weekend trips on the boat and not have to worry about a place for everyone to sleep. We have it out of the water right now getting it checked over and if everything is as good as it seems we will pay for it and get her back in the water next weekend. I can not wait we have wanted a big enough boat to go out for two or three days at a time and get out of our hot house! We have got it now and I am very happy about this purchase, and can not wait to get it in the water!

Deep cleaning at a reasonable price

When my daughter and her boyfriend moved to a new home they had purchased, they discovered that the carpets had been soiled deeply by the people who had moved their belongings into the home, and yet they couldn’t prove that the moving company had messed up the carpets, so they couldn’t be reimbursed for the cleaning of the floors. My daughter got online and found http://www.thesteamteam.com which is a site of professionals that cleans everything from dirt to smoke damage and a whole bunch in between.

My daughter’s boyfriend was a bit skeptical about having more people come in to do things, but the steam team are reputable and they have a long list of satisfied customers to vouch for them. And they were reasonably priced.

I must say, that my daughter is very happy with the service provided. She called to tell me how clean her carpets were and that they looked brand new. Then she posted pictures to me of her laying on the floor in the middle of an empty room, and she said she didn’t want anyone walking on her nice new clean carpet! Of course she was joking, but the rugs and carpet does look nice and the “kids” are happy with it, so I am too! Now they have to learn to take their shoes off at the door!

Checking out Reality in Miami

My daughter and her boyfriend as I have blogged about is looking for a home of their own instead of living with the boyfriend’s family. they decided to check out a real estate agency’s in the Miami area. LuisInglesias Real Estate Miami is one of the agency’s that they are looking into. When my daughter called, she sounded so well informed about the places they will be looking at, and I think to myself that I am seeing a side of my daughter that I have never seen before. She has been well informed and I know she is determined to find exactly the right place for the two of them to live.

When she called, she told me that she and her boyfriend were quite informed of the Real Estate Agency, which made me feel ever so much better, and it’s showing the business side of her, that I actually have not ever heard of seen before. My daughter is bound and determined to get a place and she trusts that the agency they have picked will help with that.

I can’t wait to see the photos of places that they are checking into. Also, if one trusts the professionals it helps a great deal in finding just the right place to call home at a price they can afford.

Designing an Adiamor ring

When my husband and I got married, I only had a plain gold band. At the time, even though we had the funds, I figured that I didn’t need an engagement ring. As the years went by, I have lost my wedding band at least four or more times, only to  find it again in places that are so odd. Lately I’ve been kicking around the idea of finally getting a diamond ring that my husband and I can design together, and have found I really would like to design an Adiamor ring.

Getting help from a professional for picking out a diamond is the first step to the design. Myself nor my husband have any experience in the diamond industry and I would know the difference between a real one or a fake one. This is where the help comes in. Plus I figure I’ll learn some great tips in case I want another ring in the future.

I think I have some settings in mind. But the folks at Adiamor seem very professional in a friendly way, and while surfing the net for ideas to design my ring, that is the reason I was drawn to this site. Even the site is layman friendly and easy to comprehend. I just may get my ring for our 25th anniversary that with help, my husband and I have designed! Jewelry

My poor dog

Texas my cocker had surgery today. He had to be neutered and also had a big infected mass cell that was also infected. He had a big bump near the top of his tail on his hind quarters. Because of his general blood work and testing, he was in the normal range as far as health goes. In fact the vet said that he was in great health, so she didn’t think the mass cell was cancer.

To send the mass away to have tested would cost so very much money that we knew we couldn’t afford. And the vet told us that if we found anymore lumps to bring him in right away, but she also said by the look of the mass that it didn’t look like cancer. I pray it isn’t and doesn’t spread.

The stitches are bothering the poor little guy and I can tell he of course hurts because he keeps growling at me when I try to look at the wounds to make sure they aren’t or don’t get infected. He’ll have to go back to the vets and keep on his medication for ten to fourteen days, and then he gets his stitches out.

Using Susan Rindley to find a home in Ft. Lauderdale

My cousin recently moved to Florida and has been staying with a friend until she finds a house of her own. When I talked to her, she said that she was thinking about using Susan Rindley to find her the home of her dreams in Ft. Lauderdale. Ms. Rindley is the real estate agent that came highly recommended by the friend my cousin is staying with right now, and apparently the lady knows her business when it comes to houses. She deals in the more pricy homes, which is fine by my cousin as she got a HUGH settlement and wants to live in Florida for the rest of her life.  I don’t blame her.

When I asked my cousin if there were any more recommendations from anyone who had used this agent, she told me about the testimonials on the site that she looked at and that was all she needed to do is read them. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and also knows a bit about real estate herself so I’m sure that she didn’t go into this blind, so to speak.

Once my obligations are finished here, I also plan on moving South and Florida is my first choice. My youngest daughter lives there and my oldest daughter wants to move there eventually. I had lived on the gulf side and really enjoyed everything about it. As soon as my cousin finds her new house she said she wanted me to come and stay for awhile and I do believe I’m going to take her up on it. I would have loved going house hunting with her, but I’m sure once she finds the perfect house I’ll be getting loads of videos and pictures!