Shopping at Home

Shopping can be so fun when you are in your slippers. The thought of going out to a mall on a day like today (temps hovering around 12 below zero), is not my idea of a good time. Work was cancelled due to the severe weather, so I will take this opportunity to do some online shopping. Shopping over the internet has become some much easier with many tools for searching you are bound to find just what you are looking for. I am able to search the entire internet for the items I want, and the results don't come back with just the paid advertisers. The search results are all sites where that particular item is available that is Wiki for you.

Today I am searching for a drum set. We have all sorts of musical instruments here ranging from an accordian to a zither, but we don't have drums. I have wanted a drum set with hi hat cymbals for a long time, and I am not taking about the kind to play on the Wii (though I would like that too). The problem was that I did not know what kind of drums I needed, so I turned to ShopWiki for their explaination on what sort of drums I would need, and how to choose the correct set for my skill level, which is by the way noivce. I used the clickable words in the drum article to find drums by playing style, jazz. I really liked the Mapex M Birch 5-Piece Jazz Drum Set. The birch wood gives a great sound, and I love the color of this one. I think I would want my drums to look great as well as sound great. If they are going to be in my house, they should be a fashion piece too. They showed other styles like rock, fushion, and standard. I was so wrapped up in this site one click led to another. The information regarding drums is vast. They have other instruments too, such as trombones, trumpets, and triangles. I think this might be a good present for my other half when we move! That gives me several months to choose what kind of drum kit we want. One thing I did decide on already is, the must have item when purchasing a drum kit that people other than yourself might play, the drum silencers! They will keep everyone in the household happy.

As Nature Intended

Eating foods that are good for you, is as easy as a quick salad. As I was searching the internet for some healthy foods, I ran across this webpage PhytoLife. The page introduces a new buzz word for healthy foods, phytonutrients. Maybe this will become one of the "IT" words of 2009. What they are referring to is plants as food, and they are naturally good for you. We may know this already, but this site presents it in a new way that was very interesting. They have many articles about healthy food, and the article on wine pairing is a must read. Ever wonder what wine you should drink with your rutabagas?


You may know that I like to cook, from previous entries, I find most of my recipes online. It is just easy to search and find an abundance of recipes. On PhytoLife, they have a recipe section, that has a few really interesting dishes. I can't wait to try the Ruby Reds, Feta and Watermelon. The recipe sounds intriguing with some great flavors and phytonutrients to keep you eating healthy. Eating healthy while running around can be hard, but armed with knowledge, it becomes so much easier. I am bookmarking PhytoLife so that I can follow the news on eating fresh, as nature intended.
Thanks PhytoLife

Coldest Temps in over 10 years

At least it is pretty outside with snow everywhere. As of yesterday we had about 6-8 inches on the ground. Over night it snowed and it is currently snowing. We went outside to shovel again this morning, the air was still, and quiet. When it snows I love to go outside and listen to the silence. It is the kind of silence that only happens when it snows. That is of course before every fires up the snow blowers. Even though we have lived here for 10 years we don't have a snow blower, we prefer the quiet shovel. Once the snow stops for the day the weather station has forecasted sub zero temps to follow, with a wind chill advisory slated at -30 degrees! The weekend shows a promising forecast of around 24. The snowshoes are calling, and I hope that we can get out and play.



For all of you out there that live in cold climates, stay warm and enjoy the snow.

Do you need Credit repair?

In these hard economic times, the credit cards seem to get a little more use than usual. It is easy to "just put it on the credit card" and worry about that next month. It is not a good habit to get into I am sure of that. I have often wondered about those websites that claim to improve credit scores, or repair credit. It can't hurt to read and get information if you think you might be on a sinking ship in regards to credit cards, and credit scores. I found this site recently to repair credit, it looked to have a ton of info on the subject.

I find it helpful just to read the testimonials, that way I will be motivated to stay out of credit card debt and try and keep my credit score clean. This company also seems to help you with a credit dispute too, which can be a pain to deal with. Over the holidays someone stole our credit card number, and purchased a computer over the internet. I was quick enough and fortunate enough to catch it quickly before any items were shipped, so it did not make it to the dispute stage. It is scary to think it is just that easy.


Be safe when it comes to your money and credit scores, get help if you need it. This post brought to you by http://www.repairyourbadcredit.com/

Post Holiday Sale

Now that things are back to the regular routine, I want to clear the Holiday bags from the shop.
That calls for a sale. This sale is for the Holiday Section in my Etsy shop. The deep discounts apply to those fantastic reusable bags with the holiday themes. The Sale price for the bags are $10 that is a savings of $5 dollars a bag! It is a good time to stock up on reusable gift bags for next year. These handmade shopping bags are perfect for the grocery store. Check out the discounted bags in the Holiday Section. Get them while they last! Once you finish the transaction wait for the updated invoice to pay.
Happy Shopping!

New Quilt Project

I purchased a jelly roll by Moda the blossom pack. I just love the fabric. I did not know what I was going to do with it, but I had to have it...and it was on sale. After a few weeks of just looking at it sitting on my table, I came up with a plan. With a few days off, I was able to bring it all together. Here is the first glimpse of the quilt top.

I have to back and quilt it still, but not bad progress for a few days. I still have more than half of the jelly roll to use for another project. I can't wait to get more of these, when they are on sale of course!

Squirrel House Revisited

After several years I think 3 now, we finally have some residents to our squirrel house. The house has seen better days. This is it in all its original glory. The porch railing has fallen down, and the wood started to separate in some areas. But these two fat happy squirrels now call it home.
One of my new fuzzy friends was gathering leaves and stashing them inside the box shaped house. I was so excited. The pictures are not great, but they will do for now! The last few days here have been great for wildlife viewing. With our unseasonable 60 degree day we were able to get outside and enjoy it!

Coated in ice

Ice everywhere. It coated the roads, the bushes and trees. The tree limbs are heavy under the weight of the ice, as I was writing this a huge limb broke loose and hit the ground with a thud. The noise was so loud that the dog started barking she though someone was on the back porch. The weather was so horrible that the schools were closed. So far we are lucky and still have our power, but others are not so lucky. If you thought Chicago winters could not get any worse, just add the 20 below zero windchill that is to follow this storm. Chicago winters are long and cold, and the temperature swings are outrageous, so if todays weather is not to your liking, there is always tomorrow!
Thankfully, I will be going to warmer weather this afternoon, as long as the flights are not cancelled.
Merry Christmas to all!
Stay warm.

Snow Therapy

Even though I am not a fan of the cold, I really do enjoy the snow. It is really the only thing I do like about winter in the Midwest. Yesterday at work we took the kids outside for recesses we all needed to get out and get some fresh air. In the play yard the snow was fresh untouched perfect for making snowballs. The kids all under the age of 5 were ready to go. They ran through the back door straight for the snow. It was my watch in the yard, and it was fun. They were throwing snowballs mostly at me, and they wanted me to throw snowballs at them! There was no whining, not a single tattle tail, and no fighting, it was just plain fun. For those 45 minutes we did not have a care in the world except making snowballs. It was snow therapy! I felt refreshed after that play time. I recommend it for anyone feeling a little cabin fever this winter. Get out there with the kids, once you start running around, you will be warm, and they will too!

Need Space?

I am running out of space on my hard drive for the thousands of photos that are stored waiting to be printed, or not. I was searching for a new external hard drive when I came across this great giveaway. Mudpies and Mary Jane is giving away a great external hard drive for either a Macintosh, or a PC. Check out their blog for a chance to win a fantastic storage solution. Mudpies and Mary Jane's contest is running until the 8th so get over there quickly, before time runs out!