Charter's Laptop Giveaway

Living in MN there aren't very many options for cable services. Luckily Charter is such a great cable provider. But they don't just do cable, they also provide customers with internet and telephone services too. Not only do they provide their customers with great customer service, but they also have very knowledgeable service technicians. With service like that it's an easy choice on who to choose as my provider. Lately they have been doing even more for their customers. With Charter Laptop-a-Day Giveaway. Starting Sept. 1 Charter will be announcing the first winner of a brand new HP Compaq Presario C770US Notebook. This computer is loaded with an Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor, and a 15.4" WXGA Screen Moniter, it also has
2GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive, plus a DVD Burner perfect for home movies, a Built in Wi-Fi and Ethernet allowing you to get on the Internet anywhere wireless signals are available, and finally a NEOtec Laptop Backpack to help you carry this wonderful computer with you everywhere you go. They will then continue to give one of these computers for the next 30 days following Sept. 1. Just another reason it pays to be a Charter customer.

Teething Baby

Lately Kaelyn has been showing signs of teething again. This typically can go on for a couple of weeks and I feel so bad for her. She handles it really well, but from time to time gets sad and I can tell that she is in pain. Teething is so hard because there's only so much a parent can do to help them to feel better. I'm glad she doesn't let it get her too down though...that would be really tough. Hopefully they'll pop through soon...then she'll have some relief at least.

New Vanity

As many people know by now, Scott has decided to take another job position. We are very excited about it!! With this new job now comes a big decision down the road...whether or not we will decide to move. It's not something that's required of us, but at some point it would probably make more sense to move a little bit closer to his place of work. In thinking along those lines, we began talking about some of the things that would help us sell our home faster when the time comes if this is what we decide to do. Although there are some smaller fixes, one big one is the basement bathroom. We recently finished our basement and it looks incredible! But now there's an unfinished bathroom down there that really needs some work. I think with a new vanity in there even it would make a huge difference! Bathrooms with updates like this seem to sell a home faster than those that don't have these changes. Knowing this, we began searching the web last night just for fun to see what is out there for single sink bathroom vanities and double sink bathroom vanities. To our surprise it took no time at all to find a wonderful site with everything we were lookign for.

PremiereVanities.com is the site we stumbled upon, and might I add...that we're so happy we did!! Not only do they offer over 150 different options for discount bathroom vanities that we can choose from, but they also are known as the largest online vanity store today!! That's pretty impressive and definitely caught our attention. If you're looking to update your bathroom, either for yourself or to help you sell your home faster, this is definitely a site you will want to consider when looking for that new vanity. It has everything you would want at prices you will love! If you get a moment head over there and check it out for yourself!

The Rain Helped!

In the past week I began wondering when we would get some rain again. My flowers weren't looking so good after the cold nights we've been having, so I was hoping some rain would help perk them up again. Over the past couple of days we've gotten quite a bit of rain and it seems to be helping my plants some. Hopefully in a couple of days, with some sunshine and TLC, I will see even more growth. I think the rain is done for now, which is fine....we got plenty!

Personal Injury Lawyer

Have you or someone you know ever needed payment for injuries that you've suffered in car accidents, motorcycle accidents or something else but didn't know where to turn? If so, you may want to check out Demerath Law Office for a free consultation with a Nebraska Truck Accident Lawyer! With their 35 years of experience in personal injury litigation, Larry R Demerath, an Omaha personal injury lawyer can help you prove damages claims. If you'd like to learn more, you can check out their site today for a wealth of helpful information. Check it out and see what you think.

Halloween

This time of year some people start thinking about Halloween as the next "holiday". We don't really get into Halloween much, but may take Kaelyn trick or treating once she's a bit older. As a child I always enjoyed that, and I'm sure she will too. I found a site that actually offers Halloween invitations recently. Some people must really go all out, having parties and everything. That's not really for me, but for some it must be a lot of fun!

Short Trip

Scott and I have had a lot on our plate lately and really would like to just plan a weekend away with Kaelyn. We've been so busy with the basement remodel and other things, that we think it would be fun to just take a short vacation as a family. We're hoping to do that sometime soon. Just for fun I'm gonna check out hotel deals and see what options there might be out ther.e I'm looking forward to a relaxing trip with my hubby and daughter.

Fun Sunday

I'm really looking forward to this Sunday. My parents, and my grandparents are coming up to visit. They are going to come to church with us, and then we will go out to eat and come back to the house to celebrate Scott's birthday. It will be fun to have them all here. Kaelyn always enjoys having them all around as well. I'm looking forward to it and hope that the time does not go too quickly!

Collision Repair Experts

Have you ever wanted information on auto body repair? I know I have. It would have been helpful to have the Collision Repair Experts website handy, that's for sure. This is a site I recently came across and I am so happy I did. If you'd like to learn more about auto body and auto body repair...head over to their site today for more information. It's very user friendly and easy to navigate so you'll have no problem finding whatever it is you're looking for.

An Exploring Baby

Anyone who has ever met Kaelyn, knows that she is a very busy little girl! :) She's very curious and loves to check out everything. We have many different toys and things for her to explore with because she is so much into discovery right now. I think it's great, and it's so fun to watch as she learns new things. One of her newest toys is a little riding/walker toy. With Kaelyn becoming more and more mobile, we thought this would be a fun thing to try. Turns out....she loves it! It's the first thing she'll go to play with in the morning. We have to help her on it, but she can get off of it on her own and with ease.

Book Review Giveaway

Do you enjoy books? If so, you may be interested in the Wanderingeducators.com weekly book review giveaway. This week the book is the Travel Book: A Journey through every country in the world, by Lonely Planet. If this Travel Guide Book is something you'd be interested in try to get for free, head over to their site before Aug 25, 2008 to register and comment. Two commenters are then randomly drawn to win the book awarded. Head over there today and see what you think. It's really a neat opportunity.

9 Month Baby Pictures

When Kaelyn was born Scott and I decided that we'd like to try and get her pictures taken at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months the first year because we knew she'd change so much. We really liked the pictures taken at 3 months and 6 months, however we felt like the photographers could have tried harder to get Kaelyn to look at the camera and to get her to smile. Scott and I felt like we were doing much of that part of things. Her 9 month pictures were completely different though. We had a wonderful photographer who worked so hard! She was so good with Kaelyn and got many smiles out of her. Amazingly, Kaelyn hardly moved at all. She sat there and looked at the camera. We're really excited to see how all the pictures turned out...as we get them in next week. Hopefully her 12 month pics go just as well.

Our Finished Basement

A while back I posted pictures of our basement as we were in the process of remodeling (if you're interested in checking them out again check out the post) Now, I am happy to say, that other than adding some things on the wall in the playroom....we are finished!! :) It's the best feeling to have accomplished our goal of remodeling the basement. We now have a great living area, a playroom and an extra bedroom. Last weekend we went shopping with my parents and found some fun things to put on the walls. Here are some pictures of the finished product.....

The Family Room






The Playroom






The Bedroom

August Weather

I don't know about your weather, but here where we live it sure doesn't feel like August. Most times August is one of the hottest months of the year, but this year it's feeling cooler than any other month we've had this summer. At night it's getting down into the 50's which is just unheard of. That's the kind of weather that we see in October and November. Hopefully it's not an indication that winter is coming early?! Our winter's are already long enough. Maybe it's just a phase and soon it will warm up even more. Thankfully the days have still been quite nice.

Blaze MP

My husband is the type of person that is really into music and cell phones. And now that most cell phones can play music or be used as an MP3 player, many people are looking for software that can help them with music conversion. Well I have found software that will not only to music conversion, such as going from MP3 to WMA format, but is also DVD software. This software can help with video editing, color enhancements and much more. I can't wait to use it!

Watching The Olympics

Have you been watching the Olympics lately? We try and watch it every night, and boy is it fun! My favorite things are probably the gymnastics events as well as the swimming. It's really fun to watch the US play and most times win. It seems that there is more controversy though, surrounding this years Olympics. It seems every day I read something new that people are having a problem with. Most recently they said that they were questioning a Chinese girls age....they said she's 13 which is much too young for the Olympics.

Get Your Personal Training Certification Online

Are you someone who enjoys staying in shape and being healthy? If so, you may have considered a career in personal training before?!? I know people in this profession and they absolutely love it! It's a great way to stay in shape themselves, as well as help others become and stay more healthy. It's actually very rewarding and something many people are looking into nowadays. Is this something you'd like to do? If it is, your first thought might be..."but I don't have time to go back to school....I have a job or children, etc." Well...you should know that there are other options with people just like you in mind!! Now the ISSA offers a home/online study program where you can take courses from the comfort of your own home for personal training!! Over the past 20 years the International Sports Sciences Association has helped almost 100,000 professionals. I thought that was very impressive, which actually got me more interested in learning more about them. Some names you may recognize as alumni are Clark Bartram, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Jackie Warner, Monica Brant, John DeFendis, and Adela Garcia!!

How would you like to get your certification right from home? I know that I would....and figured there are many others who would as well! What a convenient and easy way to do what you would love as a career! If you're interested in learning more about this wonderful opportunity, you should definitely check out the ISSA website to learn more about the ISSA Personal Training Certifications! It's very user-friendly and easy to navigate. You'll find easy to use tabs and a wealth of information for any questions or concerns you might have. Take a moment and head over there today! You won't be sorry you did.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

It's a bit of a gloomy day today. We woke up this morning and found that it was raining out. I suppose it's a good thing since it hasn't rained much lately, but it makes it difficult for Kaelyn and I to spend any time outdoors. Hopefully by this afternoon it will have cleared up so we can take a walk to the park or something. It's always nice to get out now and then. Otherwise we're just stuck in the house all day.

Weightloss Options

Do you ever feel like every where you turn there are ads and products for weight loss?? It seems like every time I watch television, or turn the corner in the store....there is a new product being advertised. I like that there are options for people to lose weight or burn fat, but it seems like there are so many different products to choose from...how does one keep them all straight??! For instance, I just learned of Hydroxycut hardcore. This sounds similar to other products I've heard of...so without reading reviews by others who have tried it, I'm sure it's really hard to know whether it works or not.

Orlando Vacation

A vacation sure sounds good right now. Scott and I were talking about how great it would be to get away for a little while. We haven't really done anything like that for quite some time, and it would be fun to take kaelyn somewhere. One place we won't go until she's a bit older, but have talked about a lot is Disney World. It's such a magical vacation for little kids and one I definitely want to make sure we go to. It's nice because today there are so many ways to find affordable ways to take vacations like this. Orlandofuntickets.com is a great resource for those like us, looking to travel and find discounts when possible. They offer discount Disney tickets, as well as tickets to orlando theme parks, dinner shows and attractions. It's definitely a resource we'll be using once we plan this vacation of our dreams!! If you're headed down south, check out this site before you travel!! You won't be sorry you did!

Feeling Rested...Finally!

I rarely get the chance to take a break during the day. However, today I was feeling completely exhausted...so while Kaelyn too her nap, I took a nap. Boy do I feel better. It's amazing how a quick cat nap can really revive you and get you ready to face the day. I've been staying up way too late with all the work we've been doing and really need to try and get more sleep the rest of the week. We are always so busy, but it's important to just take a moment and rest. I'm glad I did today. I feel great and my headache is gone! YEAH!!

Just Between Friends Consignment Sale

I just received an e-mail reminding me that there is a big consignment sale about an hour from where I live in just over a month! I'm SO excited! My family and I went up there last Spring and found so many great things for Kaelyn and my nephew!! We're planning on going up again next month to find more great deals. It's a consignment sale geared towards moms and babies. They have everything a mom could ever want...and at amazing prices! You can get an entire, huge bag full of clothes for about 50 dollars. I think that's pretty amazing!! Just Between Friends is the name of the sale...you'll have to check it out if you get the chance.

CSN

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy shopping online. I also like watching the shopping channels on the television as well. Have you ever heard of the Cable Shopping Network. This is one that I think is especially great, as you can buy things online or off the television. It's always so fun to watch, as the hosts are extremely personable. I also enjoy seeing all the neat collectibles that they have to offer...like the president dollars. They have hundreds of thousands of customers already who really enjoy shopping from them. I thought I'd pass on their name in case you've never checked them out before. Check it out and see what they can offer you!

Time For A Walk

Today is such a beautiful day!! I have so much to get done, but I think I might still take Kaelyn on a walk today. She loves her stroller and we both like getting outdoors some. Somedays it's just not nice enough, or it's too hot to get out...but today seems absolutely perfect. In fact, there's actually a very nice breeze out, so I've opened a couple of our windows to let in some of the fresh air. Hopefully when Kaelyn wakes up the weather will still be this nice so we can go.

Baby Dr Visits

I always look forward to Kaelyn's doctor appointments. I like seeing how much she's grown and changed since the last appointment. Tomorrow she has her 9 month appointment. I have a feeling she's grown a lot since 6 months. I know she's gained weight and has gotten much taller. She's also doing a lot more things as well. It will be fun for her doctor to see how much she has changed as well!!

Las Vegas Vacation

Las Vegas is definitely a place I would like to visit again one day! I went there when I was younger, but I hardly remember it it's been so long ago. It would be fun to go just for a short time...maybe a long weekend vacation or something?!? I had a little time yesterday, so I began looking up information on Las Vegas Hotels and Las Vegas Shows. I thought it would be fun to get some information together in case we ever decide to go. I was happy I did, because I came across a great site, BestofVegas.com. It really has everything that I would need and more!

This site offers information on clubs, tours, attractions, shows and more....and all for the very best prices! They truly do offer the Best of Vegas!! If you're looking into Las Vegas vacationslike me...you should definitely check them out. It's quite interesting to learn all that Las Vegas has to offer. Even more than what I thought it did.

Watching Nature

This year we've had a white squirrel that visits quite often. I haven't seen him in quite some time, but it seems that when he does come around...all of the gray squirrels are following. It's fun to sit in our porch and watch them all play. They actually play much more than I thought squirrels did. It's neat to see them chasing each other up the trees and across the yard. I also enjoy watching the rabbits this time of year. They find our yard because of all the apples on the ground. It's good food for them....at least someone enjoys eating them. Before we get to them, they've almost all fallen to the ground.

Yard Work

Scott has been dreading this time of year, because this is when many of our apples on the apple tree fall to the ground. It makes for a lot of work when it comes to mowing and picking them all up. Unfortunately many of them fall in our neighbors yard as well. Last summer Scott purchased a big tub especially for the purpose of putting apples in that he's picked up so that he can take them to work. I guess part of having a house is dealing with the lawn and all the work that comes with it. He doesn't complain too much...he's been waiting years to have a yard of his own.

Radiator Troubles?

Have you ever had problems with your auto Radiator or cooling components and don't know where to turn? If so, you definitely won't have to worry the next time this happens...as Outlawradiators.com is here to help!! They are the leading online source for radiators and cooling components. They offer the best quality and the lowest prices possible. Two things that definitely caught my attention when I was learning more about them! They are delivered in a timely manner so to keep the customers in mind. They want to give you a perfect experience working with them and have been successful in doing so with so many other customers. Check their site out for more information.

Practice Makes Perfect

Scott is still busy working on getting the trim done in our basement. I have been trying to help him where I can...but he's doing a lot of the labor work. He's doing such a nice job! He's never really done trim before, but you'd never guess....his work is turning out absolutely perfect!! I'm so proud of all the work he's done. He's had some help from my dad which is nice too! Without him we would not even be close to finished like we are now. I think Scott learned a great deal from the things my Dad helped him with which is nice. I guess practice makes perfect. :)

Used Baby Clothes

Scott has a sister who has three kids. They're not planning on having anymore...so she was kind enough to send us lots of little girls clothes that our niece used. There is so much and Kaelyn will be able to use a lot of it! For as fast as kids grow out of their clothes at this age...it's nice to get so many to use from someone who has a daughter. She took really good care of them too...so they're like new. Kaelyn has a great start on clothes that she needs for winter now, that's for sure!

Regency Beauty Schools

Living here in the midwest I've definitely heard of the Regency Beauty Institute many times. They continue to expand which is why I hear about them more and more. For anyone not familiar with this school....they are more than 50 years old, starting out in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Regency is the fastest growing beauty school in the country!! They have nearly 30 campuses across the US and continue to grow as mentioned before!! What I like most about this school, is that it seems to bring more to the education of cosmetology than other schools I've heard of. They want to make the student's experience hands on and memorable. If you're interested in going to a beauty school...check out beauty schools in minnesota first!

Baby Teeth

Lately I've been noticing that Kaelyn's sleeping patterns are changing some. This seems to happen when she's teething and going through a growth spurt. I think she's going through both. I'm not sure which teeth are coming in this time though?? I usually can't tell until the teeth are almost pushed through. Kaelyn has four teeth so far...so it could be on the bottom or the top...I guess we'll see?!? It's always a guessing game....all babies are different when it comes to teeth order.

9 Month Old Baby

Kaelyn turned 9 months old on the first of August and I can't believe she's already that old!! Before we know it she will be one years old! WOW! I'm looking forward to her 9 month doctor appointment this Friday to see how much she's grown since her 6 month appointment. She's growing like crazy and learning to do so many new things!! It will also be fun to go get her 9 month pics too!! It's so fun to watch all the changes. That's a great thing about being a stay at home mom. I couldn't imagine other people seeing all of those firsts.

Beach Store

Have you ever been to the beach, wishing that you had the proper gear? I know I have. Especially when it comes to chairs. Usually we end up laying on our towels, which is no fun with all the sand and such that is around and getting kicked up on you with all the people walking by. That's why I wanted to pass a really great site, BeachStore.com on to any beach lover like myself. They carry the best Beach Chair, beach umbrellas, bags, towels and more for your beach experience. You'll definitely have to check them out as their services are fast and reliable. You'll be impressed with their large variety of products as well. I know I was.

Baby Talk

The most fun thing with Kaelyn lately is hearing her say new things. At the end of July she started saying Dada a lot more...and more specifically to Scott. She had been saying Dada for quite some time....but it didn't seem specific to him...she would just randomly say it. Now however it's when she sees him which is really cute to hear. This weekend when my brother was here with his kitty....she absolutely loved her!! You could here her trying to say "kitty, kitty, kitty" which is what we were saying to Mylie to get her to come to us. Finally...today I heard her say "uh oh". She accidentally dropped her sippy cup on the floor and I heard her say it. It was adorable. It goes to show that they hear everything we say and take it all in.

Packages In The Mail

I was pretty excited to get the mail today. I had two packages that I was anxiously awaiting. One was the toy box that we ordered for Kaelyn. We got it off ebay at an outstanding price and I'm so happy that it's finally here. We're going to put it in her new playroom and now have a place for all of her toys!! YEAH!!

The second package contained three pictures that I ordered for our new guest bedroom in the basement. They are canvas prints and are even nicer in person than I had expected them to be. These too were purchased new off ebay! I'm so excited to have received them. I haven't gotten them up on the walls yet, but I know when I do that it will look great!

Allegro Medical

Have you ever heard of Allegro Medical before? They were founded in 1996, and have since become one of the largest and most advanced independent online retailers of life enhancing products...serving more than 1 million customers!! They offer exercise and fitness equipment, nutritional dietary supplements, maternity/baby supplies and outdoor gear. The variety of products they offer make them a good choice for many, many people. I found that their site offers 55000 products under 50 different categories. This makes it easy to shop and find exactly what you're looking for! Whether it's catheters, shower chair or something else...they have it all accessible at the click of a button! So what are you waiting for? Head over to AllegroMedical.com and check it out for yourself.

Strange Stormy Weather

The weather here has been a bit strange lately. A few times in the past week, I'll wake up and find that the sun is shining bright. Then, out of no where the clouds roll in and all gets dark. The thunder starts to roar and the rain begins to pour. The storms only last a short time, but the strong winds and hard rain have been causing some damage around our area. Thankfully we have not had any damage, but I feel for the people who have. Hopefully the odd weather has passed and we can enjoy more peaceful and warm days.

Being a Home Owner

Owning a home is wonderful...but it also means the work is endless! Whether it be repairs, remodeling, yard work, cleaning, or something else....the to do list is always a mile long. Once we feel like we're getting to the bottom of the list, more things are added. Oh well...I guess that's the way it goes when you have your own home. It's definitely worth it! We SO enjoy having our own place and putting our money into something that we can call our own. It's fun to watch a house transform into a home...somewhere that our family can enjoy spending time together for many years!

Destination Weddings

Planning a wedding is a unique experience for each person. Some people prefer a more traditional wedding ceremony, while others want to get married on the beach or someone far from home. It actually seems like more and more people are doing this. In fact, Scott has a cousin planning to get married at a romantic destination this winter. If you're someone looking into planning a wedding and honeymoon vacation somewhere tropical...you may want to look into the Riviera Maya....one of the most romantic destinations in the world!! How great would it be to get married in an oceanfront gazebo, barefoot in the sand with the one you love?!? What a unique opportunity. If this sounds like something you would be interested in...learn more on their site today!

House Work

With all the work we've been doing in our basement...it got me thinking about the rest of the house and all the work that we've done. Aside from smaller things like painting and changing light fixtures, we've also done a ton in the basement as well as some minor changes in the kitchen. We got a new kitchen sink...and we got new doors in our living room. I remember when we were looking for kitchen sinks, we began to realize how much more we'd like to do in our kitchen over the years. That will definitely be fun to do and it makes me so happy that we bought a house with potential to do things that we want.

Researching Diet Pills

Along with exercise and a healthy diet, some people want to do even more to help them lose weight. There are so many options out there that aren't surgical, including diet pills. I have never tried them, but from what I hear in the Leptovox reviews that I've read recently...they are quite effective when taken correctly. It's good to know that there are options out there if I ever wanted to try them. Have you ever had any luck with the diet pills that you've tried? I haven't done a lot of research for the different brands, but before trying any I would definitely want to research them further and read more reviews.

Weekend With Family

Our weekend has been a lot of fun so far! Yesterday we had my parents here, as well as my brother...and when we're all together it's such a nice time. It seems that we are always busy doing something, but it's still fun to see everyone and spend time together! My brother and dad were helping Scott with some things that still need to be done in our basement, while my mom and I worked on decorating, supper and taking care of Kaelyn. It was a nice day and it's too bad the weekend is already coing to an end.