We purchased our home about six years ago.  It was a housing contractor's spec home so it did not have the highest quality of features nor did we get to pick any items.  We are happy with that decision but now that we have saved up some money, we are starting to make some of the changes that we have come to desire over the years.  One thing that we have been wanting for awhil...

Each year, my family rents a house at the beach.  Traveling to the beach with two teenage/adult children in tow means bringing a LOT of STUFF!  Several years ago, we purchased a rooftop carrier to help with packing.  The first was an old, hard sided carrier that was heavy and hard to use.  Two years ago, we purchased the Axius Rooftop Cargo Carrier.  This unit is softsi...

I received L'Oreal Revitalift as a Bzz Agent campaign. The set included a day lotion (SPF 15) and a night cream. The bottles are beautiful and the pump dispenses the exact amount of lotion needed for one application.Unfortunately, I tend to have rather sensitive skin. I tried both the day and night cream about 5 times (not all consecutively). I really wanted to like this product and to have...

I have been using Prell shampoo for over 20 years.  I have tried many other products, especially if I have a great coupon for something, but I always go back to Prell.  I visit a mid to high end hair salon to have my hair done.  I have been seeing the same stylist for just about 20 years.  When I first started going to her, she tried to sell me some high end shampoos - some ...

I am a coffee drinker.  What I mean by "coffee drinker" is that I drink A LOT of coffee!!!  Most days I drink 10 cups out of a 12 cup coffee maker.  I know all about the dangers of drinking too much caffine but what the experts DON'T tell you is how much danger my co-workers would be in if I DON'T drink that much caffine!  I've pretty much come to ...

My son has been wearing Aeropostale jeans (and ONLY Aeropostale jeans) for about 5 years now.  He won't even consider another brand.  He knows that we need to wait until the semi-annual Friends and Family sale to be able to afford these jeans so when they have these sales, we usually stock up.  We just purchased 2 pair for "Back to School."My son is 18 now and tends...

I have been a member of St. Joseph's Federal Credit Union for about sixteen years.  This credit union is open to any member of about 6 local churches.  Over the years, the credit union has immensely expanded their services.  In fact, they are currently building a new facility next to the one that they are outgrowing!I like being a member of this credit union for many reasons....

A couple weeks ago, Hubby and I cleaned the windows in the back of our house. I had about 1 1/2 bottles of the Windex cleaner that attaches to the hose that you can spray off the windows. We cleaned about 9 windows and the screens but ran out of solution before I finished the screens. It did an "okay" job. It was acceptable as I didn't want to tip each one in from the inside and d...

With the economy and our household budget becoming so tight, I have been doing a lot of coupon clipping lately.  I have been trying to wean myself off of some of my favorite products and conditioning myself to use what I can get cheap and on sale.  Herbal Essences' Drama Clean shampoo was a pleasant surprise.  I thought that nothing could compare to my favorite - Prell - but ...

I don't wear a suit for work so I really don't have much experience with them but last summer, I had an opportunity to interview for a new position in higher education and thought it would be appropriate to wear a suit.  Unfortunately, the only one that was in my closet was something out of the 80's with huge sholder pads and I really didn't think that would leave the impre...

Each year I travel to Columbus for a State Conference at the Columbus Convention Center.  About four years ago, the Drury Hotel was built and joined to the convention center.  A group of us started staying there the first year that it opened and fell in love.  Each room is clean and spacious with a microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot.  Free WiFi is also included in each ...

Several years ago our family got our first dog.  He's a lab/border collie mix and needs a lot of exercise.  About that same time, I started taking my health much more seriously so I started dieting and I need a lot of exercise too!  I took up walking because there are no gym fees to pay, class times to schedule and it's easy and cheap - except for the shoes!  I start...

Last summer, as part of my job, I purchased 30 of these computers to equip an elementary school computer lab.  This model of computer is not "top of the line" but they have served our students extremely well during this school year.  These computers are used each day - ALL day - by approximately 400 students in grades two, three and four.  The computers have withstood t...

I first tried Sirius Satellite Radio about 3 years ago.  I became interested in it shortly after I purchased a new car in 2005 but of course, at that time, it was rare for cars to come equiped with a receiver so I purchased an after market car kit and rigged it into my car.  It actually works out quite nice as I took the ashtray out and it fits perfectly in that spot!  My fi...

I had several coupons and offers to acquire some Glade Wisp Flameless Candles for almost next to nothing.  Today, as I was getting ready to visit a friend in the hospital, I was going through a closet to put some lotion, lip balm and body spray in a bag.  I came across my Glade Wisp Flameless Candles.  I know how much I enjoy the one I use in my bathroom so I thought - this might...

A couple of months ago, my credit union began offering a free online bill paying service.  At first, I was a bit skeptical.  I'm still getting used to doing so many financial transactions onlne but I've been a member of this credit union for about 15 years and trust them so I figured I'd give it a try.  I was shocked at how easy it was to set up my "payees" ...

The Glade Sense and Spray was incredibly easy to set up. I had it ready to go in about three minutes. I have a sort of large master bath room where the main area is two sinks and a jetted tub. There is a separate room with a commode and shower and another separate walk-in closet. I put the Sense and Spay between the sinks and tubs on top of a cupboard. I love the fragrance but it sprays really ...

We have had an interactive video conferencing unit at our school for about 8 years.  The first system was a Vtel and over the years it slowly but surely became less reliable.  This year we changed to a Polycomm unit.  I am in charge of facilitating distance learning with our students so I love the reliability of this new unit.  I also love the new "push to talk" mi...

Cornhole is still considered somewhat of a regional game but the craze is spreading quickly!  The rules and play is so easy that every age and every gender can play together.  That's one of the features that makes it such a fantastic summer party game!  The game consists of two boards, with a hole in each, that are placed 30 feet apart.  Each team of two people alternate...

I have a theory about life.  A girl can never have too many purses or too many shoes!  But, I used to buy really cheap purses and they would only last for a month at the most.  They would get dirty and were unable to be cleaned or they would fall apart.  A couple of years ago, I started investing in some better quality handbags.  Last summer, I purchased a leather Doone...