Kroger May 9, 2008

Design a Kroger Reusable Shopping Bag Contest

I would appreciate it to no end if you would take a moment ~ every day if possible ~ to vote for my Kroger bag design. I’m always behind the times lately and can hardly ever ~ if ever ~ find time to blog. This contest started on April 11 … it’s taken me nearly a month to get on the bandwagon!

We grocery shop exclusively at Kroger, so any of these prizes would mean the world to us:

First Prize: $500 Kroger gift card
Finalist Prizes (4) : $250 Kroger gift card
Runner-Up Prizes (5) : $100 Kroger gift card

Voting ends on May 23rd. !

So a Blonde Walks Into a Review May 2, 2008

So a Blonde Walks Into a Review: Pizza Hut Tuscani Pastas Giveaway

One lucky winner will get a Pizza Hut Tuscani Pasta dinner for four (including 5 breadsticks) delivered to their door!

Simply leave a comment at So a Blonde Walks Into a Review to be entered. Contest open to U.S residents only. Deadline to enter is 11:59 on Thursday, May 8.

Tricked-Out Mouse February 15, 2008

Tricked-Out Mouse

 

This is “Pinky” ~ my tricked-out mouse

Talking Stain February 6, 2008

Tide to Go - Mytalkingstain.com

See me star as the Talking Stain. Click here.

If the link above doesn’t work, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://www.mytalkingstain.com/?mid=25637658

Pour Another Cup January 28, 2008

If you just can’t get going in the morning without that cuppa joe, don’t worry. That coffee you crave is packed with more than just caffeine. It’s actually good for you. In fact, recent studies gathered by the National Coffee Association from the research arms of universities, such as the Harvard School of Public Health and the Department of Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden, suggest that coffee can combat or stave off a number of ailments, include type II diabetes and Parkinson’s. So, here’s to your health–and the health benefits of coffee.

Coffee Fast Facts:
Mega Boost: Coffee contains more powerful antioxidants than green tea and red wine.
Quick Step: Coffee increases stamina and can reduce muscle pain during exercise.
Write On: Coffee can improve your handwriting and help you write more quickly.
Think Big: Coffee has been shown to improve memory.

SOURCE: National Coffee Association, coffeescience.org

Source: Thrivent, Winter 2008

Early to Bed January 17, 2008

… early to rise. The early bird catches the worm! I’m not sure how the saying goes, but it’s something like that ~ and it’s true.

It was refreshing to finally go to bed at a decent hour and wake up early ~ 6 a.m. I hope I can get back to a normal schedule. It seems I get so much more done during the day than at night ~ mail for instance ~ instead of just dragging around all day.

It’s 31° , snowing lightly, but not too cold. I’m wearing a sweatshirt and hot indoors. I’m thinking I might have to go change into a cooler t-shirt today.

I’m looking forward to seeing what this day brings

Winzy’s Last Leg January 16, 2008

… for me anyways. After much thought (well, not today, of course), I’ve decided to hang it up with Winzy, unless I win something besides points before the end of the month. I’ll try to hang in through January and see what happens.

I started earning Winzy points on June 3, 2006 ~ not actively at first. My highest point month was 235,314 and my lowest 398 Winzy points entered into the monthly sweepstakes. It doesn’t take alot of effort, but what it does take just doesn’t even seem worth it anymore. I’ve only won three prizes ~a total of $20 in Amazon gift certificates~ since starting.

There was a time that Online-Sweepstakes let us use Winzy buttons in our signatures ~and they were really adding up~, but that time has regretfully ~unfortunately~ passed. I was a bit disappointed and angry about it for a time. Every view of every post counted and I tried to make relevant posts. There are always those who ruin things for everyone though … posting blather to earn points.

I feel very lucky to have 18 friends signed up and I hate letting them down. On the other hand, I’m tired of going through the hassle of trying to earn a few piddly points … the maximum searches per day; promoting Winzy through email, blog, forums, and MySpace. It’s not amounting to much anymore ~ I’m at just over 10,000 points today.

I think after all, that the amount of time spent with Winzy ~no matter how small~ will be better spent elsewhere. I believe other Winzy folks are starting to feel the same way.

The big question is whether I want to switch to a top-notch search engine ~ or look for another reward system. Blingo has never been much better for me than Winzy

Another Sleepless Night January 16, 2008

It happened again … I couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night. It was so cold overnight ~ 10° or less, and I just couldn’t fall asleep ~ so I stayed awake. I’ll be paying for it all day today Well, what’s left of the day. I finally dragged myself to bed around 9 a.m. ~ woke around 11:30 a.m. when Scott called, and fell back asleep until almost 1:30 p.m. I hate when I lose half a day. Probably by the time midnight comes around I’ll be wide awake.

I really, really hate cold weather. Sometimes I just can’t get warm. I drank hot tea and coffee … the caffeine doesn’t help, but warmed me up a teeny, tiny bit. Thank goodness for one hot fresh cup at a time pod makers, like my Senseo

I think it might also be my unconscious state keeping me up .. the stress of thinking about too many things. My mind almost always seems to be whirling with a million ~sometimes unrelated~ thoughts, and I can’t keep up with them all. Things to do, things I need to record and complete ~ instead of just thinking about them.

Got some things done, but really too tired to do them … reworked and posted wins spreadsheets for 2005, 2006, finally 2007, and even 2008. Now I’ll work backwards on 2004 and before.

Here it is after 3 p.m. and I’m still waking up ~ starting my second cup of coffee. I can hardly think, much less concentrate on anything. I’m even forgetful while I’m writing. I’m glad we’re having something simple and effortless for dinner tonight ~ “big” salads with bacon bits, crispy chicken, diced ham, cheese, and croutons.

Time Flies January 12, 2008

It’s not just a saying ~ it’s really true. It’s been an exceptionally busy week here, but I’d be hard put to track all the hours.

I finally entered a few sweepstakes this morning before they expire. It’s evident I haven’t been entering many this week. My total count has dropped from an average of 2,500-3,000 (listings, not entries) to less than 1,500 I’ll have to get on the bandwagon soon if I want to win anything. I’ve also been bad about even marking off entries on an easy-to-use daily sweepstakes checklist I created.

I wanted to close out the year organized for a fresh start, but that didn’t happen. I’m still trying to “get things done” so everything else just falls into place. So I can have a simple schedule, follow it, and be happy I’m always coming up with new “projects” though and they all seem to take an inordinate amount of time

This week I spent alot of time updating spreadsheets for wins in 2005 and 2006. I’ve posted them, but I’ve already got a few ideas to make them a little bit better and will post more updates sometime soon. I’ve almost completed my spreadsheet for 2007 wins and I’ve started 2008. When those are done I’ll go even further back … I’ve actually got a huge stack of papers for really old wins LOL.

I spent most of another day looking around at graphics … one of my favorite things to do. And I dwindled the HUGE piles of paperwork and things scattered on two downstairs desks. Hopefully I can sit down and work on mail soon. That’s something else I’d like to get in the habit of doing regularly instead of letting it pile up.

I created a couple of playlists at Project Playlist. Eventually, I hope to replace most or all of my hard drive tunes with streaming music. Hard drive space isn’t at a premium ~ I just prefer to do everything online that I can.

The last couple of days have been spent tweaking my computer … cleaning things up, reorganizing, finding better ways to do things.

This weekend I’ve got to make myself sit down and clip a ton of coupons. Most of the ones in my extra-large coupon organizer have probably expired. Our newspaper subscription expired at the end of the year and we probably won’t renew it. Scott’s parents pass along coupon inserts from the Sunday paper and just between the two of us, we really don’t use much more. So many of them already go to waste and I can find valuable printable coupons online.

Gotta squeeze some dishwasher and laundry time in too.

I’ve neglected MySpace this week and hope to return to it soon. … ONE DAY, I hope to digitize many years worth of photos!

Hope everyone has a good ~winning~ weekend!

♥ Amazon ♥ January 11, 2008

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again ~ ♥ Amazon ♥ . I was doing some last-minute shopping at the Friday Sale and noticed that two sets of sheets I bought earlier this month cost significantly less. Hmmm … after searching help I found that Amazon has a Post-Order Price Guarantee! I’ve been shopping there a long time and I never knew this, but don’t think I’ve ever had occasion to.

Amazon.com’s prices for released items will change from time to time based on a variety of factors. If Amazon.com’s price for an already-released item decreases within 30 days after we ship the item to you, we’ll be glad to refund the difference in price if you contact us. Please click one of the buttons on the right, and be sure to have your order number handy so we can assist you.

I love the instant call-backs! Talking with customer service is never a hassle. My order problems are always quickly and easily resolved. Tonight I received a credit card refund for the difference in the sheets. I also got a total refund for my previous cereal purchase!! I wasn’t going to mention it, but I saw the cereal was on sale again tonight. The price was a bit higher, but the 20.5 ounces size was the same ~ and this time the photo even shows 20.5 ounces:

All it took was a simple phone call and a few minutes of my time. After such a pleasant experience I decided to go ahead and order the three items in my shopping cart. I paid only $3.97 after applying a free $25 gift certificate (from a rewards program) and free Super Saver Shipping for 180s Women’s Black Puffy Quilt Ear Warmer, No Nonsense Women’s Red Long Sleeve Top and Snowflake Long Pant Sleepwear Set, and Pike Street 135-Gram Snowflakes Printed Flannel Full Sheet Set!!

On December 28, 2007 I wrote I LOVE Amazon.com!

UPS delivered the cereal I ordered one week ago within the past hour. The boxes I received were 15 ounces instead of the large 20.5 ounce boxes I was so excited about getting for a great deal. I checked my order online and because the cereal is an unreturnable item, I contacted Amazon.com for a callback. I was immediately connected to a customer service representative from Estara Inc. … I believe they are contracted by Amazon.com for return issues.

I am tickled pink with the prompt and very satisfactory resolution of my order issue My order will be replaced with the correct item ~ and I get to keep the 8 15 ounce boxes. Free cereal! I love Post Honey Bunches of Oats that these are compared to. We won’t have to buy cereal for a long, long time

When I take a closer look at the photo though ~ it does show the 15 ounce box. I hope Amazon.com doesn’t make too many of these mistakes ~ it must be costly! Fast and free shipping too!!

Sweet Home Farm French Vanilla Granola with Almonds, 20.5 Ounce Boxes (Pack of
List Price: $27.56
Price: $12.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save: $15.56 (56%)

Product Features
* Case of eight 20.5-ounce cartons of cereal (total of 164 ounces)
* Flakes and oat clusters with almonds
* 100% natural