Time Anyone?

My Hubs has a broken watchband, one of the links got caught on something and is twisted. I gave this watch to him on our first wedding anniversary so, of course (!) it means a lot to him. Anyway, I was browsing the internet yesterday just looking around to see what the choices might be before we take it in to the jeweler to have it replaced. I ran across a website called Best Of Time. Beautiful watches at really great prices. Apparently this site sells new and pre-owned watches at a substantial savings over the manufacturer's suggested retail prices. The discounts are approximately one third off!

I forgot to even look at the men's watches because this gem caught my eye. Isn't this a great looking watch? Granted, I'm probably not going to get it unless I have an unprecedented spike in my earnings but I really like it.

If you are in the market for a fabulous gift for a loved one or for a special occassion (perhaps a wedding anniversary) this site might be just what you need.

Help A Collision

Oh, my beautiful car! Can you believe what someone did to my car? This was not a happy discovery. This happened while I was at work one day and I discovered it when I was leaving to go home. I just stared at it in disbelief while my stomach was feeling very tight. It sure didn't look like that when I went in that morning, well, ok, besides the dirt.

Well, I just want to get it fixed, back to new again and forget all about this. Someone recommended that I try the Collision Repair Experts. A large network of auto body specialist. They publish feedback and testimonials so you can feel comfortable that you are getting professionals doing the work in a timely and competent fashion.

Scented

I love this scent. I've been wearing it for years and it suits me perfectly I think. I'm one of those people who feels naked if I walk out of the house without a spritz or two. I don't remember how I first discovered Navy but I know it's been at least 15 years ago now.
Over the years my husband has given me other, far more expensive perfumes and I use them on occassion. Over the past few years he has finally recognized what makes me happy. For christmas he gives me 5-6 bottles of Navy tied up in a bow.
It's a very light scent, never over powering and you really can't complain about the price. Perfect for me. I'm not very fancy or fussy.

DIY Car Repair

Normally this is not something I would have any interest in writing about but as you all may know, I am currently unemployed. This certainly makes you aware (worry) of possible auto repair costs.

My hubs is relatively handy (he's not Mr. Goodwrench) but very short on time, he puts in a crazy number of hours at work each week. He is also very frugal so he always tries to do auto repairs himself, if possible. I used to argue that taking the cars to our mechanic was more sensible since it always seems to take about 5 times longer than his estimated time of completion by the time he goes to buy the parts (then return the wrong ones).

He recently discovered a website that makes this process just that much easier and worthwhile, carpartswarehouse.com. The site is very user friendly and if you have any questions there is a toll free support line to smooth the way. Oh, they also offer FREE SHIPPING on any orders over $50.

Ok, very easy, real live support, big cost and time savings. No downside that I can see.

Happy Sunday

Yesterday we went to the wedding of longtime friend of our family, one of our daughter's best friends. She and my daughter decided they really needed to wear falsh eyelashes. I guess they were going for that sultry look, or they were bored the other day and went shopping. The only time I have ever attempted falsh eyelashes was for halloween one year, great party, eyelashes not so great.






These they didn't go for...



Eeeeeekkkkk!






Oh yes, this is what they were going for....

However...

Vibram Five Fingers!

Have you seen these? Heard of them? I just read something about these shoes (?) earlier today. Seriously? I can't even stop laughing. People are wearing these goofy things? Please tell me it isn't so! I used to think Crocs were pretty silly, and I still think they are not that great looking but they are easy to slip on when you run out in the garden.

I have a daughter (who shall remain nameless) who used to love those toe socks, you know they looked like something The Cat In The Hat would wear. But she was 12 years old at the time. I don't know if she still likes them. Maybe she will be buying a pair of these now.

I just have to wonder if people are buying them? I guess they are, just no one in my circle. The price you ask? I wondered too....basic, womens...$75.00. Boot style, mens...$90.00. But they come in lots of great styles and colors!

Hmmmm...remember when we all had to have Earth Shoes? Yeah, me too.

911

This has been a really crazy few days, as you know if you have been keeping up with my posts. I had surgery on Tuesday, got laid off on Friday, no fun. Saturday the hubster and I , along with Buggy, went to watch my neice play softball. It was a perfectly beautiful day, sunny and breezy. We got to the softball field around 2:00, watched the team win 10-1, woo hoo! My parents were there along with my sisters and husbands so it was a very pleasant, social afternoon. My Dad was very quiet during the game but we were all chatty so no one really noticed. The next game had just started and Mom asked Dad a question but he was not responding properly. Didn't seem to be aware of what was going on. We got the game stopped, got him across the field to the parking lot (he rides a scooter) but when we got to the car he was unable to lift himself off of the scooter.

We called 911 for an ambulance and he was taken to the nearest hospital. He had a temperature of 103.2 when we arrived at the hospital. They thought at first that it was heat stroke but ruled that out when ice packs did not bring the temperature down. Did a CT scan checking for stroke, all clear. After many hours and tests they discovered he has a severe UTI. He is still in the hospital but much better and he should be going home tomorrow. Yeah!

During all of the hub bub at the field and in the parking lot, Buggy was sitting in the back of the van keeping Mom's little dog occupied. She was in the center of all the action and listening to all that was said. Well, as it turns out she and I took that time to have a 911 learning experience. I asked her if she understood what was going on and I explained what she was unclear on, I also fully explained about calling 911, how to do it and when to do it. Now that everything is ok, I can say that it was a good learning opportunity for Buggy, and who knows but that next time it might be her that has to make the call.

Unemployment

Well, I had no intention of blogging about this subject this week but I am sorely in need of friendship and support and good thoughts so I am reaching out. I had some minor surgery on Tuesday, hernia repair, not terrible but uncomfortable. I have been at home since then recuperating. Just an hour ago my boss showed up at my front door with flowers. I didn't really want to answer the door because I'm not looking too stunning right now but I let him in anyway. We went to the kitchen and I thanked him for stopping and offered coffe. He declined the coffee and said he stopped in because he needed to talk to me. The first thing that came into my head was that he didn't believe I really had surgery (the man is uber paranoid).

Then out came the real reason for the visit....He fired me! Yes you heard right! The company I worked for is a landscape company and not doing well in this down economy so his plan is to have his wife work another day or so a week and to hire his daughter at a cheap hourly rate.

I didn't say a lot immediately, I was absorbing all of it. Then Mr. boss says "this is really hard for me, do you want to kick me out of your house?" What???? Because this is all about him as we all know! I told him yes, get the ....out of my house. Then I had to add that I am the one that just lost my job and my income! He admitted that was true and added that it was still really hard for him.

He then asked me for several favors, a list of duties, reminders, blah, blah. I didn't commit to anything.

Sighhhh!

Back To School

Wow, I know it seems the kids were just in school last week. Believe it or not though, the time is crawling closer. Buggy is starting Kindergarten next month! We are taking her shopping tomorrow for her new uniforms, not as exciting as new jeans and hoodies I know. We might have time to get school shoes as well, but if not, we can wait another couple of weeks. You know the shoes go really quickly.

The uniform list specifies 'tan suede bucks' only. For a five year old girl? Hmmmm. I really want to get her a pair of saddle oxfords, too cute.

Anyway, the fun stuff is yet to come. Remember the excitment of choosing notebooks, lunchboxes and a new backpack? Nothing quite like it. What do your kids want this year in school supplies?

Buggy has been reading this book and getting herself prepared.

Anime Convention

Just yesterday I heard that there is an Anime Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. This is not something I really 'get', however, after reading Bee's post regarding the Final Fantasy concert and realizing that she was disappointed that no one was in costume (all for the blog material folks) I thought we might coax a little trip downtown out of her so that she might share some of the gems that will likely be arriving!

Is Anime more comic book or movie genre? Not sure myself but I bet those costumes will be fabulous fodder for the blogs!

Smoking Ban

Have you heard this? Someone has decided to introduce legislation to ban smoking in the military. Now, (sigh) I understand that smoking is very unhealthy and awful and evil for I AM A SMOKER. Yes, my secret is out, please don't hate me. I don't disagree with the bans on smoking in public buildings, restaurants, etc. But really, is this a little far reaching? Come on, you have to agree with me that there appear to be some power hungry zealots out there. I mean (step up on to the soapbox) our folks in the military, God Bless you every one, are adults, with the power to make decisions (as we every day folks are incapable of doing, speaking of silly legislation) it's what they have learned to do and what we expect of them.

So load 'em up boys, we're headed onto the battlefield, I'm going to have to check your packs for cigarettes, can't have any of those you know, they aren't good for you!

Please, I beg you, share your opinion on this with all of us.

Maryland Science Center

We had a visit to the Maryland Science Center over the July 4th weekend. If you have never been there, the Science Center is in Baltimore City at the Inner Harbor. Great Spot to spend a weekend, there is so much to see and do for families. It's a great tourist spot and there were lots of people there the day we went. The weather was beautiful and it was a great day to be outside walking around.

There is a dinosaur exhibit featured now and we needed to go and see it. My grandaughter, Buggy is totally immersed in the subject of dinosaurs at the age of 5. We took her to visit the Smithsonian Museum Of Natural History back in January and she loved it. This new exhibit is called "Chinosaurs" ..... dinosaurs found in China. So it was something new for us. Of course the Science Center is so much fun for kids because everywhere you turn there are hands on exhibits. We were able to 'dig ' for dinosaur bones like a real paleontologist would with soft paint brushes to clear away the sand and, of course, we had to wear goggles as well. They had a large sand pit and rubber dinosaur feet where the kids could create footprints. At the Chinosaur exhibit entrance they had some full sized animated dinosaur models that were really exciting.

There is so much more to do and learn though, we spent about five hours inside the Science Center that day, including grabbing some lunch in the cafe. Buggy got to lay on a real bed of nails, of course she made Grandmom try it first, she's no fool. We visited the Davis Planetarium, which we enjoyed but it didn't really grab Buggy for more than 10 minutes. As we left the building that afternoon they had an area out front for kids to make giant bubbles!

We walked along the harbor watching people and eating ice cream. Stopped to watch a street performer doing juggling and unicycle riding. Buggy volunteered to be in the show so that was fun . Great Day and a great spot to visit.
Any other great spots to visit in this area?

Feeling Used

Are you an Amazon user? I am and I like it a lot. I order frequently; books, movies, gift items of all sorts. Never had a problem. Actually I still haven't had a problem with Amazon at all. The problem is with one of the sellers.

Several weeks ago my grandaughter, Buggy, received a summer reading list from school. Yep, just like most every one of your kids. There were 15 books on the list which is rather a lot of books to buy at once. I told my daughter that I would get them. I logged onto Amazon to check for used books as this would save a good deal of money and I like saving money. I found 13 out of 15 books listed as 'Used, Good'. I have bought used books before and have always been very satisfied. They have always been in like new condition and that's really what I expect. You're not getting them free.

Two days ago I finally received the last 3 books that I was waiting for. When I saw the condition of one of these books, they all came from different sellers, I thought someone had made a mistake! This book looks like it has been in a toy box for several years. Very torn up all around the edges, scribbles on several pages, it's a mess. I'm certain the pictures don't tell the whole story.

I started to leave negative feedback but thought better of it and decided to email first and give them a chance to fix this problem. That was 48 hours ago and I haven't heard a word. I'm pretty surprised that I didn't hear anything at all I guess I shouldn't be. I went back tonight and did leave feedback and I decided to warn any other buyers out there....buyers beware!

As I said, I have bought used books many times and have been very happy until this purchase. I will however, make sure that I check feedback on every seller that I consider buying from. Even if the price is only $5.00.

Would that make you angry or what???

My Mother In Law

If you live near Baltimore or have visited for any extended time you will understand when I say that my mother in law, and her twin sister, are a couple of Baltimore Hons! Google the term, I'm sure you'll get a hit. I just googled Baltimore Hon and I have this example for you...got it? My in laws live in the Brewers Hill area of the city in a row home with a stained glass transom and a marble stoop out front. The row homes in this area are fairly deep and quite narrow (12 feet wide).

My hubby and I stopped in for a visit on Sunday. His mother recently fell out of bed and cracked a couple of ribs so we wanted to see how she is doing. You walk in to their house and you are in the living room, the dining room is behind that and then the kitchen is on the back end. There is also a basement and second floor bedrooms. My in laws are "of an age" which is the age whereby the tv needs to be on around the clock and the volume on high! Doesn't change just because people come calling. There we were along with Mom, Dad, and Aunt. Uncle was hiding in the basement watching golf. At this point there is a twin bed squeezed into the living room as mil can not navigate the steep stairs for awhile.

My in laws enjoy Atlantic City, often enough that they are comped nicely when they go. They have a favorite spot and have become friendly with the casino's host, Mike. Well Mike has begun performing at the casino and was kind enough to send a DVD of the show. Yep, we were lucky enough to be treated to the show on the new DVD Player. Let me say it was simply endless (that should be in CAPS!) No one was allowed to talk and the lights were all turned down, ambiance? A little Vegas? 30 minutes into the show I grabbed my phone and began frantically texting....everyone! Only time EVER that I couldn't find anyone available for a little distraction. Ok, I've heard worse in bars during karaoke but omg my ears were oozing blood at the end of an hour and a half of the supreme lounge lizard. Mom and Auntie were simply glowing!

I'm getting my halo for that little visit. Hey, great way to punish the kids! Let me know and I'll send you a copy.

Inexplicable

I'm not a big TV watcher, nothing against it, no moral statements here. Having read some of the posts on http://readthebee.blogspot.com/ , (check it out, way too funny) I believe I am in the minority and pitifully out of the loop. Well, I have been watching some TV this evening which I don't normally do on Saturday and I've seen several commercials for (I guess) a new series on TLC. The series is titled "I didn't know I was pregnant." Huh? Maybe the Bee will check this one out and give us her take on it. I probably won't watch the show as I'll forget to tune in but I believe I would like to know what's up with that. In fact, I am inviting the bee to do a guest post right here on cuteasabuggy as soon as the series airs! What do you say bee?

Happy 4th of July!

Celebrate the day July 4, 2009!