Today is my birthday!

What did I do exciting? I cleaned my refrigerator. Hey, that is exciting. Now I have a nice, clean fridge. I did go to lunch with my mom, my sister-in-law and my niece. Later, my son and I went to a game night at my church. My 88 year old mom made me a birthday cake to take. She hasn't realized people are supposed to be taking care of her!!!! Anyway, I know my birthday doesn't sound very exciting--but I'm happy to be alive and healthy with a family to love and who loves me. (I actually celebrated my birthday last weekend when my 2 other kids came down for the weekend.)

Nothing Like After Thanksgiving Specials

It's getting closer. It won't be long. It will be here before you know it. What? No, not Christmas. I'm talking about the 2007 Thanksgiving specials. Thanksgiving is just a month away! So that means the busiest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving, is too! Do you really want to go stand in a bunch of lines? Do you really want to waste gallons of gas going from store to store? Do you really want to risk your life on the roads with a bunch of shopping frenzied people? I used to think all of that was sort of fun. That is until I found out about the fun of shopping online getting the same items that would be sold out by the time I could get to the store. Besides that, how do you get to 5 or 6 different stores at the same time? The only way you can do that is by going to the stores online! Wouldn't you love to be able to find some IKEA specials without having to fight the crowds? If this sounds good to you, make sure you check out the www.black-friday.net website soon and sign up for e-mail alerts so that Black Friday ads can be sent to you.

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Fires in California

I get tired of people blaming God for things like the fires in California. Well, God did create the earth. But, where we live on this earth is our choice. If we live in an area prone to fires--then be prepared to fight fires! If we live in an area prone to hurricanes--be prepared to board up and deal with wind damage. If we live in an area prone to flooding--be prepared to sandbag and move to higher ground. The earth was here first--we should not blame God for our decision to live where we are living!

I do pray for all the people who are dealing with such terrible losses--especially those who have lost loved ones. I can't imagine what they are going through at this time. I've dealt with hurricanes before--but at least you can prepare for those. Fires can come suddenly and destroy everything in their path.

Mortgages

It is now a buyer's market--too bad for me! I was going to try to sell my house this summer, but the amount of houses not selling around me made me change my mind. I'll just have to wait until the market goes back up again. Instead, I have decided to take out a remortgage on my house in order to consolidate some of my outstanding credit card debt. At least that the fact that mortgage rates have gone down is good for me. I feel that remortgages are much better than too much credit card debt. One main reason is you only have to worry about one bill instead of several. Another reason is, the credit card usually starts out with great rates, but then all of a sudden, Wham! The rate goes up to a ridiculous amount! At least with a remortgage, you always know what your payment will be. If you are in the market for a mortgage, you should check out www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk. They know all about mortgages and have the expertise to help you.

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Invasion of my space!

Yesterday when my son came home from school, he found that the doggie door we have on our back porch going into the house was bent and out of the track. He, then, went to his room and found that his Nintendo DS and some nice cologne was missing. He called me to let me know. When I got home I checked out my room. I could tell whoever came in went through one of my drawers that has jewelry in it. Everything was disturbed, but I thought nothing was missing. Since I thought it was just my son's stuff missing I thought it could have been one of my son's friends, so I didn't call the police. But later on we started thinking that the guy who was pressure cleaning my neighbor's sidewalk and fence seemed very suspicious. He kept watching us when we came to and from our house, etc. Anyway, I realized this morning that one of my necklaces was gone. Then, this evening, I found that a second necklace was missing. It is such a strange feeling to think someone has been going through my things. I know one thing for sure, the doggie door is history!

Gustafson Orthopaedics

If you are looking for an experienced and skilled Loma Linda orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Allen Gustafson is the board-certified orthopaedic surgeon you could be looking for. He is the founder and director of Gustafson Orthopaedics and a renowned expert in joint replacement and reconstruction. Along with Dr. Gustafson, Gustafson Orthopaedics has a dedicated staff who will provide the evaluation, treatment, education and recovery assistance that you may need. Check out the website, www.gustafsonortho.com, to find out more information and for answers to questions you may have.

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23 kids isn't so bad!

Well, I made it through 2 days of school with 6 new students. It really hasn't been so bad. The biggest obstacle is the fact that teachers teach differently. Even if you are in the same grade level, how you teach can be totally different from each other. So, I've had to help get the new students used to the way I teach and used to what I expect. Having 23 students is not that bad. I think about the days I used to sub--there could be up to 35 kids in a classroom! I don't know how teachers did it back then. One thing that was different, however, is the requirements for teachers. Back then, the FCATs were not as important as they are today. I'd rather have FCATs as we do today than to have 35 students!

Great Coupons at EDealFinder.com

I just found out about a coupon site, EDealFinder.com, that has fantastic coupons for different online sites. With the holidays just around the corner, now is the time to start shopping for those perfect gifts if you haven't started already. At EDealFinder.com, there are so many different types of coupons, you should be able to find something for everyone on your list. One of my favorite stores to shop at is Kohls, so I am happy that EDealFinder.com offers Kohls coupons. Right now the coupon being offered is 15% off an order. Why wouldn't I want to take advantage of such a great Kohls discount? Overstock coupons, ProFlowers coupons, Dell coupons and ShopNBC are just a few more places that have great coupon deals at EDealFinder.com. Check it out today so you can start saving!

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Whatever happened to the customer is always right?

Take a look at the copy of an Office Depot item ticket shown above. Right under where it says "Office Depot Take One" it states "Take this ticket to the cashier to purchase this item." I may be dumb--but it would seem to me that if I took that ticket to the cashier, I would be able to purchase the item. Do you get another message?

Well, anyway, I took the ticket to the cashier to purchase the item. A stock person came back and told me they do not have any in stock and I'd have to go to another store. I told him, and the woman manager standing next to him, that they should remove the tickets if the item is not available. The manager proceeded to start an argument with me stating that is not the purpose of those tickets. The tickets are to give the shopper information about the item. I asked her, "Then, why does it state that to purchase the item, take the ticket to the cashier?" She kept on stating the same thing over and over and over again--"That is not the purpose of the ticket." I decided that was a ridiculous argument. So, I left, bought a scanner at Target!

What do you think?

Score Reading Tutors

Do you have a child between the age of 4 and 14? Have you been searching for a qualified reading tutor to help you child? There are many so-called tutors out there. But, not all tutors are qualified. Score Reading Tutors are qualified. Score is part of the Kaplan educational family which has been around a long time. At Score, they want the child to love learning so they take an active, hands-on approach to learning. Let me tell you, I have looked at many sites to find a tutoring program for my child. Score looks like a program that would be good for anyone. Whether you want someone to help you child get a good start with reading, to help your child in school or to help prepare your child for standardized testing, Score would be a great choice.

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Well, it's official--23 kids on Monday!

I have mixed feelings right now. I have been having a real good year at my new school. I only had 17 students. Even though I was in a real small room, my students and I got used to it. We were lucky enough to have the best temperature in the building. If everyone else was cold or hot, we were just right. Plus I got everything placed just where I want it. Starting Monday, however, things will be different. I will have 6 more students. But, I got to move to a bigger room--with a nice big window. I just spent this afternoon moving most of my stuff to the room. I hope it will all turn out good. I'm sure the kids will be okay--I just hope the parents will be okay.

Love that Coupon Chief!

Here it is already the middle of October! Only 2 months until the big day. You know which one I'm talking about, right? Christmas. Have I done any shopping yet? No--of course not. But I'm going to get started real soon. I know one thing for sure, when I get started, before I purchase anything on-line, I will first check out Coupon Chief in order to get some coupon codes for some of my favorite stores. My daughter and I love Kohls. Right now Coupon Chief is offering a 15% off coupon for Kohls, with no minimum! Now that's a good code. I know of several people who would love something from Hickory Farms. Coupon Chief has several coupon codes such as free shipping and even one for up to 25% off. I know that is much better than going to the Hickory Farms kiosk in the mall. Kohls and Hickory Farms are only a couple of the great places for which you can get fabulous codes. If you have never checked out Coupon Chief, you need to do it today. Shopping will never be the same!

Will this project ever end?

My mom and I own the house I'm living in. We were considering selling it last summer, but the slow housing market made a change of plans. In June, before we had changed our mind, we started trying to get it fixed up. We had the flat roof over the den fixed, several rooms have been painted, carpeting has been installed in three rooms, the main bathroom was renovated plus many smaller projects completed. However, it just seems that there is always so much more to do. We had a garage sale over the summer to try to get rid of a lot of "junk" so that we could get more organized. But, I still have too much junk! Also, there are still more rooms to paint and another bathroom to renovate. It all takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Hopefully, by the time the housing market starts going back up the house will not be already needing all the same stuff done all over again!

Innovative Tutors at Score Educational

If you are looking for an Innovative Tutor for your child, you should check and see if there is a Score Educational Center near you. They provide services for students from grades pre-K through the 10th grade. I recently started researching tutoring services on the internet and I found reviews from parents stating that Score helped to give their children self-confidence. To me, if you can build up a child's confidence at school, they will definitely improve their work habits and their grades.

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An apartment would be nice!

Some times I get so tired of living in a house with so many things to keep up with--all the time! It never lets up. If something gets fixed, something else breaks. If I didn't have a zoo, my 2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 rabbit, 1 turtle and 3 millipedes, I think I might enjoy living in an apartment. If the stove breaks down, which it did recently, I'd call the super. If the washing machine stops working, which it did recently, I'd call the super. If the air conditioning system needs cleaning, which it did recently, I'd call the super. Yes, I like the freedom of being able to do what I want at my house, but the freedom from problems and extra bills seems nice, too.

iConnectHere

iConnectHere, a division of deltathree, is an Internet Phone service provider that has been in operation for over 10 years. They have award winning products such as Internet Phone to Phone, PC to Phone, and Virtual Calling Cards which can be purchased from their website. With all the plans, you will have low rates and an easy to use service. Right now they are offering a $30 bonus for all new signups and the service would include call waiting, caller I.D., call forwarding, emergency 911 and over 25 other features. You should check it out today.

From 17 to 23 Students

When I first started substitute teaching about 12 years ago, I would go into a 4th grade class and there could be 32-34 students in the class. Now, with the class size amendment voted for by Florida voters a few years ago, the amount allowed in each class has gone down immensely. I think the 4th grade is supposed to have an average of 22 students. I've been a full time teacher for a while now and I have always been blessed with 24 or less students. This year I've been especially blessed--I only have 17 students. But, now I fear that is coming to an end soon. One of the teachers is going on leave starting this Friday and the substitute teacher that was lined up backed out yesterday. What makes matters worse, we can't find someone interested who is also qualified for the position. So now it looks like that teacher's students are going to be split among the other 4th grade teachers which includes me. What a disappointment! I have gotten so used to those 17 kids. Grading papers, doing projects and doing outdoor activities is so much easier with just 17 students. I've gotten spoiled.

emortgage from Encomia

Everyone is so busy these days. So it is great that so many different kinds of services are offered on-line. One of the best on-line services that I have found is emortgage . Businesses that offer the service of applying for mortgage loans on-line have such of advantage over companies that don't. For one thing, the closing process is so much faster than the conventional way. It also saves money for many people involved. If you are a business that handles mortgages, you should check out www.encomia.com and see how emortgages can help you.

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EasyApplianceParts.com

This is not a sponsored post. I just decided to write a review about a great place to get appliance parts. I needed a baking element for my oven. I searched the internet and came up with several places to order parts on-line. For some reason, EasyApplianceParts.com impressed me over the others. I do know the price for the element was lower there than some. I decided to place the order--it was on a Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning, I received an e-mail stating the order had been shipped. On Tuesday evening, UPS came to my door--it was the element! I have never had something shipped so quickly. I definitely will use them again when I have any appliance needs.

Storage Bins

I know, lately, I have been talking a lot about GarageGuy.com. But I'm so impressed by all the things they have to offer to help people like me to get more organized. I just linked on the storage bins page. Unbelievable! They have welded and shelving style bins that come in a variety of colors. These storage bins would be great for anyone, especially for someone who runs a business out of their home. If you are wanting to organize your garage, take a look at GarageGuy.com.

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My second cousin's husband's brother's son's daughter!

If you can figure out that lineage, then you can figure out my connection to Britney Spears. I used to think it was sort of fun to be able to say I was "related" to Britney. Now, I'm not quite so sure. Even though I'm not really related through blood, my family and I felt we had some kind of connection to her. My mom even has a picture from her with "To Aunt Helen" penned on it. She used to have it on the fridge. Now I'm not sure where it is. I just hope Britney can get her act together before it is too late. And, I hope kids can learn from her that money and fame are not everything!

Diamond Plate Garage Cabinets

I just found out about some cabinets for the garage called diamond plate cabinets. They are absolutely beautiful. In fact, they look so nice, you would hardly know you are in a garage. They can make your garage, workroom or another room in your house look amazing. What makes them even better than just the way they look is the fact that will never rust or corrode. In addition, there are several optional add-ons that can be included with the cabinets such as lighting, peg boards, worktops and more. Getting the cabinets is so easy. Just order them on-line, then, when they arrive, unpack them and just push them in to place. Nothing could be easier!

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Rain, rain go away!

I hate to complain, but I hope we have at least a couple of days of sunshine down here in "sunny" South Florida. For the past week, it has rained every day. It did let up today but not until after it was time to take my students out to recess. So once again, they did not get to go outside to run some of their energy off. After working hard all morning, my students need a break in the fresh air. But I feel like I should not be wishing for sunshine when Florida still needs lots of rain to fill up Lake Okeechobee. You see, we went through a drought in the spring and part of the summer and the lake has not yet been replenished. If it doesn't now, during the so-called rainy season (which is almost over), we are going to have a really bad year next year. We will already be starting in the negative. So, okay, rain, rain don't go away!