My Decorating Style

So apparently no one can figure out my decorating style, not even me. I just took a couple of tests online that were supposed to reveal to me the name of my decorating style. So far the results are ....

• French Country
  • Which I really don't care for
• Traditional
  • I can see this
• Modern Contemporary
  • Well, I suppose, but just a little. I wouldn't say I would want it to be my main theme.

So I guess I will just have to keep looking. Maybe it would be better to find inspirational pictures... but that is what I was looking for and having trouble finding when I started taking these quizzes. I was trying to find a way to narrow down my search results. Well, I guess it's just back to the old drawing board for me.

Africa Hot

I don't know how hot it is in Africa right now, but I am way too hot to look it up. It's been triple digits for 3 days in a row... or has it been 4? My sanity fails me.

Alright Eastcoasters, Mid-USers, Southerners, New Englanders, and Rest-of-America-ers... I know you have been having a heat wave for like 3 months. I feel bad for you, I have since the start of it... But I am simply not used to this.

No matter how hot it gets this week you won't hear me saying that I miss the rain! I do not miss the rain. I'm happy it's Summer. I have been waiting for this Summer since the first rain drop fell in November. I am enjoying it thoroughly and I can guarantee that I have made the most out of every sunny minute of it, but DANG it if isn't HOT outside!

Topping off the reasons to feel sorry for myself is the fact that the air conditioner is broken at work and we can't get anyone to come fix it because no one wants to take on a commercial account. Seems silly to me, but maybe they are just too much work. I don't know a lot about the HVAC world... I know nothing about the HVAC world, actually.

Things are supposed to cool down a little this weekend and we are going to relax at Timothy Lake with the family. Ah, the old watering hole... except it's not old to me because I've never been there, but I was trying to tie it in with the Africa thing...

Disney Flight Booked!

There are tiny little bubbles of joy bursting their happy juice all over the inside of my heart right now because I just booked the flight to Disneyland! In a few hours I will be booking the hotel and the park passes! I am SO EXCITED!

It feels like a magical rainbow colored unicorn is dancing in my brain. I am so happy that his is really happening. I am taking my son to Disneyland for his 5th birthday! Just like I promised him on the day he was born. He will turn 5 years old to the second while we are sitting in Medieval Times. This is going to be the best Vacation ever!

If you're wondering about all of my research and frugality, yes it was there and has been for the last 5 years. I booked a flight with Delta which was not only nonstop, but super cheap. I used Orbitz.com, but I didn't see much of a price difference from website to website. I checked Orbitz, Travelocity, Cheap-O air, and the Delta website. I ended up going with Orbitz because I like their mobile app. It has saved me several times in the past when gates have been changed last minute by sending me text message alerts.

The travel plans were booked using Small World Vacations as I have mentioned in other posts about Disney.

College Football Tickets

It's only been about a year since I started following college football. College sports never really interested me before, but as my knowledge for the NFL grew and I became more aware of the intricacies of the pro sport, I was more interested in up and coming young talent.

One thing about College Football is that the players and the fans are so passionate and that makes it more fun, I think. You never see a kicker doing as much in the NFL as you do in College football. The young men playing are spry and quick, there is a lot of fast action. I'm learning to appreciate that more, but I still love the hard hits of the NFL as well.

You may also be starting to follow College sports or College football as well and wondering where you can get tickets to watch your favorite teams play. You can check out central florida golden knights football tickets, unlv rebels football tickets,ucla bruins football tickets.

Me? Well I'm a New Orleans Saints fan, so naturally I would prefer to see LSU play... Hey, it's not selling out because my pro team isn't going to win a thing this year! Still, gotta love 'em though... WHO DAT!

Make Money Fast on your Smart Phone

It's no secret that I use my blog to make a little cash on the side. I get paid for some of the blogs I write; it's true. To try to keep a little integrity on my blog, I always mention if the post is sponsored or not. This one is not.

For the past few months I have been using an iPhone app to make a little cash. I was first attracted to it because it is made by one of the companies that already pays me for blogging. This app is called WeReward.

I have made $78.00 so far on WeReward and I'd make a lot more if I remembered to use it. All you do is take a picture of which business you are at. Today I went to Starbucks and snapped a shot of my coffee. I made 50 cents. Later, I went to McDonald's for lunch. A quick picture of my fries were worth another 50 cents. After work I went with my sister to the grocery store and took a picture of her with her purchase. Another 50 cents. That evening my dad took us all out for dinner and I checked in at the restaurant for 10 cents.

what I like about WeReward is that you don't have to spend money to make money. Like as the restaurant all I had to do was check in, and it's like that with a lot of places. You just check in and you earn money. The business gets the free advertising on your Facebook or Twitter and you get money. Not gift cards - real money. They deposit it into your Paypal account.

I suggest that if you have a smart phone you check out WeReward.

Disney Discounts

I have searched the internet for months looking for the best deals on Disney Vacations. I have tried piecing them together myself and I have tried doing the all-inclusive trips offered by several online travel agencies. I have looked through airlines and discount programs hunting for the best deal. I have found it.

Seriously, save yourself the trouble and go to MouseSavers.com. There you will find countless tips. Not only can this site help you save money on your Disney Vacation, but it will also help you get the most out of it.

The fist time I went to Disneyland I totally skipped the DisneyVillage... not because I didn't want to go, but because I didn't even know it existed! I was so upset when I learned about it after I got home! Now I've read all about it on MouseSavers and I am really excited to go!

Most recently on MouseSavers.com I found a link to Small World Vacations which specializes in vacation packages to Disneyland. I filled out some information online and a few days later I was emailed by a travel agent who got me a seriously screamin' deal on hotel and Disneyland passes. All I have to do is find my own air fair, but that's easy since I live pretty close to California.

Use my habit of over researching to your benefit and use MouseSavers.com.

Famous Footwear Coupon

This post brought to you by Famous Footwear. All opinions are 100% mine.

I shop at Famous Footwear.  I started shopping there because my brother was an assistant manager there.  Then, even after he left, I kept shopping there because they have great deals and name brand shoes!  This isn't one of those places where they sell "Nickie" or "Robeck".  We are talking Nike, Reebok, Puma, DC; the list goes on!

When my brother worked for them several years ago, i signed up for the rewards card and I still use it!  You can earn up to $100 a year in store credit!  You get a point for every single dollar you spend, wether it's online or in the store. There are also discounts and other offers - and it's free to sign up. 

The reason I keep going back to Famous Footwear is because it is so easy to shop there, and I can earn points on my rewards card.  The stores are easy to shop - they aren't overwhelming like a lot of shoe stores.  The online store has a great layout and you can shop by style or brand. 

What could possibly sweeten this deal? 

BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon (CLICK TO PRINT YOURS NOW!)

Boom.

A special back-to-school coupon that not only combines BOGO (possibly the best sale ever) with an additional 15% off.  It's so easy to do, you just click the link above and print out the coupon. There are Famous Footwear locations all over so you are probably going to be back to school shopping near one which will streamline your errands.  But wait!  There's more... if you are a rewards card member like me you get 20% off instead... Ah, membership has it's privilages. Better hurry because the coupon is only good until 8/18/2012. 

 

Office Plant Update

Well, unfortunately my orchid isn't doing so well...

My African Violet, on the other hand, is an EXPLOSION OF AWESOMENESS! Just look at all of those happy little flowers. Ohmigosh! I am so in love with this little plant. My mom is the one who really got it going and kept it happy and blooming, so I think all of the credit really goes to her, but I am the lucky one who gets to enjoy the blooms.

Since I don't have a garden this year, I am really happy that I am able to have my desk plants to keep things cheery around here.

Ink Pen Refills - I Use 'Em

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I'm not sure if a lot of people do this, but I refill my ink pens instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. I'm not sure that it makes a difference for the environment. It doesn't make a huge difference in my finances. I'm not really sure why I do it. It's not like I'm making a statement or I really believe in it. I just do.

It might be because when I find a pen I like, I tend to hold on to it. Maybe it is because of my affinity for office supplies. Maybe it's because I like the challenge of actually being able to use all of the ink from a pen before it breaks or I lose it. Maybe it's just because I'm weird.

See how the pink pen is very nearly out of ink? I'm prepared with a refill. I'm not a serial ink pen refiller. These are the only types of pens I refill, and I've been refilling the same ones for years. Both the pink pen and the blue pen are from 2004. The pink one is a Pentel and the blue one is a Dr. Grip. I don't even think they make the blue one anymore. I haven't seen it around lately anyway... you know what else?

I liked it so much that I bought the matching mechanical pencil, which I also keep refilling, but I don't think that's as uncommon.

I'm Happy with My Kia Soul

While I was car shopping and reading car reviews, I noticed that they were all written by people who had just recently bought their car. I saw a lot of reviews that read, I've had this car for 2 weeks / 1 month / 3 days and I just love it! Well, pardon me, but I am looking for something with a little more insight. I want to know what it's like when the honeymoon is over. Maybe even after you've made a payment or two.

Here is my 2 month review on my Kia Soul... The gas mileage is awesome, but I'm not saving any money! The reason is that I keep driving to the beach and the mountains and going on tons of adventures hundreds of miles away because the gas mileage is so good! Plus, the car is really roomy and comfortable so I am always the one who ends up driving. I'm gonna start making my passengers chip in for gas now that I think about it!

The built in bluetooth is still as awesome as ever. Sometimes my phone goes black and unresponsive when it's connected and I have to do a soft reset. I wish it had A2DP technology, or that it worked with my voice activation on my phone. I still keep my Jabra Cruiser in the car because it's easier to use with the iPod function on my iPhone4. I understand the point behind making the iPhone / car connection slightly less functional is so that Kia can sell a $40 cable to make the dash control the iPod/iPhone - but I still want voice activation... is that so much to ask for?

The handling is ... well, it's okay. The traction control feature is totally necessary. I feel it kick on even when I am doing something simple like turning on a gravel road or taking a freeway on ramp.

I had read a few articles about the paint chipping. My paint has chipped, but to be fair, I work in an industrial area and drive on gravel roads a lot. I also take a lot of road trips to out of the way places that require dirt and gravel encounters as well. It's hard for me to say whether or not the average person would experience paint chipping, but I'm not surprised that it happened to me.

So that's my 2 month review. I plan on writing another one in a month or two as well, but by that time the 2012 Kia Soul might just be obsolete.

Just a Touch of the Sugar

I have recently learned that I have what we called in the South, "just a touch of the sugar." That means that I don't actually have "The Sugar" yet. So for you Yankees, by whom I am now surrounded, that means that I don't quite have diabetes yet, but I have pre-diabetes.

A touch of sugar might be a sweet sounding way of saying it, but everyone in the South knows that The Sugar isn't sweet at all. The Sugar killed my Paw Paw, and many people in the South suffer from Diabetes. I don't have any statistics, but you don't need statistics to see why. Cooking with lard, battering and deep-frying anything you can get your hands on, overly hot weather makes it hard to get outside and be active, and many more things contribute to Southerners being plagued by diabetes.

Lucky for me, this was caught early. I now have a chance to turn things around. I have an appointment with my Primary Care doctor today to discuss some things and I am being referred to a nutritionist so that I can get even more information about how I can make myself healthy and avoid this totally avoidable disease.