Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Last minute gift


I was looking for a fast gift for my boyfriend just something a little extra to add into the mix. I racked my brain on what I could get and at the last minute that means battling stores. The traffic and crowds have been so bad lately I can not even imagine what they look like inside. So I thought of the things he likes to do: music, sports, and Internet Slots. So I got to thinking how easy would it be to get him a credit for his favorite online gaming? It would be a great gift that would allow him to have some fun gambling and would get me another gift for his stocking. He is definitely going to be pleased with it and surprised. Boyfriends do not expect their girlfriends to get them something related to online gaming.

He can also get a Blackjack Download on the website to try something new. I love blackjack the rules are easy and it is a lot of fun. Very fast paced game and easy to get into. My boyfriend is trying to teach me poker but I have a hard time remembering what comes before what. So blackjack is definitely more my game. I figure by giving the gift of online gambling he can use it when he gets bored to keep him entertained. I am really excited for Christmas this year it should be a great year.

Poker Flash is my boyfriends favorite online gambling. I am trying to learn all of the high hands. He used to do gambling in a friends house for chips only but now he can do it from the comfort of his home. He loves it! This year i think he will have fun from the comfort of his big, squishy office chair honing in on his poker skills all thanks to my gift!

Career change


I have been looking into changing careers. There is always such a demand for the medical field. I am looking at starting schooling so i can join the field. I think I would enjoy working with people and a steady fast paced career. I have a cousin in the home health care field. She has convinced me to give it a shot I also like the fact you can wear scrubs. They are comfortable and even come in a lot of styles now. The old school nursing uniforms were not as comfortable but they were cute I have to say. At least they make comfortable shoes today that can be worn. The thought of walking around in heels all day up and down the hospital halls brings a cringe to my face!

I signed up for a nursing class at the local college and am really excited. I feel like I am finally making my way somewhere in the world. I was doing little jobs here and there but not really a career. This will be a complete change of pace. I am a little nervous but I do know that in the end it will all be worth it. Steady work in a field that is always needed. I guess nursing will now be a family tradition! I have to say we do not have any male nurses in the family though just girls. You will all see my walking the halls in my green scrubs soon enough with a smile on my face knowing I am headed into a good direction!

Striped Christmas cookies


Guest post written by Annie Sloop

Instead of making things like pies for our big Christmas meals, I've always liked making a bunch of different kinds of Christmas cookies. I've actually found that I can do that in less time than when I make a cake or something. Plus, cookies are so much easier to send home with people at the end of the get-together anyway.

I plan on doing the same thing this year and I've already been looking for a bunch of new recipes to make for the Christmas cookies this year. As I was doing that I came across the website Clearwireinternet.com and after I read through it I ordered one of the home packages from it.

One new recipe that I'm going to make is striped Christmas cookies. They looked really different and would add in some real variety to the cookie selection. I think I'm also going to include a some gingerbread men cookies, homemade oreos, pumpkin whoopee pies and some traditional Christmas sugar cookies that I'm letting the kids decorate with icing and candy.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Cleaning for holiday company

Why is it at Christmas time pets decide to make the most mess? They seem to have a radar that people will be coming to visit you and you want your house to look the best. I am always looking for an affordable carpet cleaning austin area. This keeps my carpets looking so much nicer. With all the rain and icky weather the dogs keep bringing in horrible foot prints. It is so nasty to see these brown feet on my nice light colored carpeting. Having the carpets cleaned is not as bad as it seems. Just pick up the small thing and they will move the furniture to and fro as they clean. I always heard it was good to get berber carpet. But you do need berber rug cleaning austin area as well to keep the dingy look away. I do not think there is a good carpet for dogs!

While i had a company out I decided it was also time to get the air ducts cleaned. You would not think how gross they get as no one is up there. It seems mold and dust love to hang out in those ducts which makes me none to happy with the allergies I suffer. I learned about the air duct cleaning process austin style so I knew what I was in for. Since I had the air ducts cleaned my allergies are bugging me less and the house has a fresher scent. I am very pleased with the process and would definitely stick with the recommended maintenance for it.

Misfits concert


This past week I was blessed to go see The Misfits a punk band at a medium sized venue in the city. It was a cold night and no one wanted to wait in line for the box office it was so annoying. Without the use of some crowd control devices it would have been sheer chaos. On top of that lets imagine a bunch of punk rock, spike wearing kids pushing their way through the crowd. If you know anything about punk music you will know that past of the attraction is not caring. In other words this was not the kinda crowd that required a velvet rope. The people were really interesting to see all of the mohawks and the colored hair. As we filed into the venue there were also alot of barricades to keep people away from the stage.

I was lucky enough to have all access passes so I could interview the misfits for a local magazine. I was let behind the stanchions and lead back to an elevator to go upstairs to see the Misfits in person. They were very well spoken and still kicked ass despite being around for 33 years. I had a great time and really enjoyed the show. I got some great shots of Jerry Only on stage and loved the fact the music sounded the same live as on the album! All three of the band really played their instruments hard and brought it to the crowd. At the end of the show I meandered back out into the freezing streets but warm and fuzzy inside thanks to being able to meet one of my favorite bands!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Christmas list for dad



My dad always asks me what I would like for Christmas every year like clockwork. This year I have had a difficult time coming up with an answer to that question. It is not that I do not want anything but do I need something. Electronics are always popular but it is very difficult to find something you need and soon your house becomes filled with all of these gizmos you do not know what to do with. Recently i had a purse that bit the dust after many years of servitude so I decided that would be an amazing and practical gift.

I have taste that is very different compared to most people. They might want a Gucci or Prado bag I personally go for something with a little bit of individuality. I adore the designer Betsey Johnson. She is quirky and flirty but also practical. The purses are young at heart and go with alot of today's styles and fashions. Her small exotica design purse is just adorable and would make a lovely addition to any Christmas party ensemble.


Guess
is another brand of purses I tend to navigate to. I love the stylish runway quality looks that they bring to the masses. I currently have a Guess purse that is adorable and very army chic. I have used it for the past 6 months and it is very well made. The new cougar hobo style Guess purse really tickles my fancy.

My Christmas list to my dad will definitely contain some hand bags from both of these designers!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Family bonding over gingerbread houses


Guest post written by Loretta Pines

When my daughter is home from college, she likes to sleep in late. But I also like to try and do fun activities with her like going shopping and things like that so that we can bond and get more quality time together when we can. She feels the same way I think and always tries to make sure that she doesn't have to study when she comes home on the weekends.

For when she came home for Thanksgiving, I wanted to do something fun and Christmas-y, so I went looking online with our CLEAR INTERNET for some inspiration. There were all kinds of things that I found, but I wasn't really into making any ornaments together because we already have so many that we can't even fit all of them on our tree!

The idea that I decided on was to make a gingerbread house together. I suggested us making two, and her take one of them back to her dorm room, but I don't think that she really had the room for that. So we just stuck to the one big gingerbread house to keep at home.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Festive centerpiece for year-round


Guest post written by Annie Wagoner

I'm a big believer in that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to get the most payoff for it. So when it comes to doing crafts, I try to put together things that I really need or am going to be able to use for a long time. When I do Christmas crafts though, I like that I can use them again and again year after year. Or, I at least make them that way so that I can.

I decided that I would make a table centerpiece for my dining room that would fit in for the holidays, but that I could maybe leave up year-round, just because I'm lazy. So I went online to try and find some ideas for it, when I came across these satellite internet offers and chose to click here and order one of them.

I found a candle centerpiece idea that I thought would be perfect for what I was looking for. I just bought several different candles of varying heights and colors, including gold, silver and white and just arranged them all neat looking in the center of my table.