Probably not New Jersey bound

My nieces' birthday is tomorrow. I thought her party was planned for this Saturday. Unfortunately I got my days screwed up and her party was actually last Saturday so I missed it. That was the main reason for me to drive to New Jersey. Yes she's only turning 2 but I still wanted to be there.

Right now I'm totally exhausted. I have a lot on my mind and it seems like nothing is going right. One of my coworkers even remarked that I looked stressed, which I am. So I think I'm just going to use the next couple of days to rest and get myself together.

I still have some vacation time left later on this summer so I might drive down then. But tomorrow is definitely a no go.

A fancy little birdhouse for our garden

Guest post written by Roberta Tiemann

When I like to do something, I like to make sure that the result of it is perfect. You can call me a perfectionist, for sure. So I'm that way with craft and household projects. I felt like taking on a new project myself and decided that it would be a great idea to try and make a fancy little birdhouse that I would be proud of for years. Not a standard little cheap one.

Like with any project I take on, I like to do a fair share of research on the best way to approach it, so that's what I did with this one too. When I was researching how to make a high-quality birdhouse, I saw the site www.debtsettlementfamily.com/ and after I looked through it a little bit I decided to use it to help settle our family's debt. We've had it for a while and don't want to be haunted by it for any longer than necessary at this point.

I found this really awesome fancy birdhouse example and I can't wait to try and make it for our home. I can't wait to make it and put my own little twist on it.

Living Together

Thanks to Roman May

I love living together more than I ever thought possible but to be honest, it’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I can’t imagine why people act like this is the easiest thing in the world but to be honest, it’s nearly broken us up a few times! I love my boyfriend to death but he’s got some really annoying habits I just can’t seem to break him of and geez if I can’t get past them all. We get into little arguments about the stupidest things like the Alarm System and the dog’s walking schedule and all kinds of things like that. I know it’s dumb but sometimes it’s just really tough getting rid of all the things you pick up living alone for so long and we’re just having a hard time getting adjusted to each other. There’s nothing like being able to adapt to living with another person successfully and we’re going to get to that point one of these days, I just know it!

My hair needs help

I generally only get my hair done once or twice a year. By the time I get around to getting it done, my hair is extremely damaged. I've thought about going to a beauty school to get my hair done. Columbia beauty school would be an excellent place to go. Their students study and learn how to style hair. While there are campuses in South Carolina, Arizona and Colorado, there are none here in Pennsylvania. I could go to Ohio since a few of there campuses are only an hour away.

The reason I would consider a beauty school is because as part of their training, each student provides discounted salon services to the general public. These services are high quality and are provided under expert faculty supervision. So I wouldn't have to worry about a hatchet job since my hair is fairly long and really easy to cut.

I may just have to take a ride this weekend and get my hair done right.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 260T Harbison Boulevard – Columbia, SC 29212

Lawsuits are not always about money

Right now there is a Topamax lawsuit going on. Most people assume that people sue for the money. Often times it's not about the money but to compel people to do the right thing when they other wise wouldn't do so.

Topamax is used as both an anti-convulsant for children and adults to battle the effects of epileptic seizures while also being prescribed as a migraine relief. But there's a bad side effect to using the product. It causes a cleft lip or a cleft palate. It can take the form of a small notched lip or be so severe that it runs from the roof of your mouth all the way up to your nose.

The attorney's below can help you and your child with your product liability claim. Contact them today.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

I'm sitting here pretending to work

I've been away from work for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it was because of a death in the family and not for anything fun. Today is my first day back at work and I haven't done any work all day. For the next day and a half, I'll just be here getting used to being back at work, answering coworkers questions about why I was off, and taking care of personal stuff that needs to get done.

Maybe by Wednesday I'll be ready to start actually working and stop wasting time. If not, then I'm totally fine with waiting until Thursday. With deadlines looming early next week, I can't afford to wait much longer than that.

I'm looking for a second job

I really need some extra cash right now. My utility bills are slowly creeping upward while my paycheck is staying the same. I'm almost to the point where I spending the money that supposed to go into savings which is not a good thing.

There are several jobs that I would like to do that I think I would be good at. I just got my hair cut and that made me think about going to Cosmetology school in Colorado or at least a school here locally. Regency has over 30 campuses in 9 states which is great considering they started with only 2 locations in Minnesota back in 1992. The people that graduate from their program are sought after and they have a placement program which would work for me.

I'm sure there are a ton of local salons that would be happy to have a person dedicated to working every Saturday. It's something for me to seriously consider.

Weddings are expensive

One of my coworkers has a sister that's getting married in June. I think she should wait since she's only 18 but that's another story. Anyway, her family is spending a ton of money on her big day. I've suggested that they use wedding flowers from fiftyflowers.com. They use Ecuadorian long stem roses, which are known for the large heads and come in a variety of beautiful colors. I'm sure they'll have the colors that will go with her color scheme, which is some variety of pink.

They also ship overnight express from their grower farms. I'm sure she'll be happy with whatever she gets.

My skin is acting up

I have acne like a teenager. It's pretty annoying especially when you consider how old I am. I'm really too old for this. I plan on going to see a dermatologist. Someone like Dr. Martin Sands who specializes in researching cutting-edge technologies and then putting them into practice. He's not a fly-by night doctor either, he's been practicing since 1976.

Besides I would rather go to a real doctor and get looked at than buy some generic product from tv that may or may not work.

Entering local sweepstakes

I've been entering like crazy. I'm getting mad because I haven't won and the cost of stamps are killing me. I try to enter at least once or twice for each drawing but that's still more money than I want to spend.

I also just checked a second chance drawing by our state lottery. The same person won the top prize twice! I bet she owns a store or something and got the tickets free. I'm pretty sure she didn't buy that many instant tickets.

Then again I may just be jealous!

Show off your political pride

How are you showing off your political pride? With a t-shirt, button or how about a good old bumper sticker. You can get Gigantic "See-Thru" Obama Stickers if that's your candidate of choice. The stickers are one-way see through. So from the inside of the car, they're invisible. But they show up loud and clear on the outside of the vehicle.

Show off your political pride today!

I thought he said "Where's my sign?"

I knew it was crazy. I'm standing in line buying alcohol for the family reunion so I'm thinking that I have no need for a sign.

But that's not what he said. He was using one of the oldest pick-up lines in the world. He literally asked "What's my sign?". I looked at him in shock really. I just couldn't believe anyone would ask such a stupid question and really expect a serious answer. That line wasn't even good in the 70's let alone today. So what did I do? I tossed my hair that looked like it had was a Extreme Style by VO5 and told him that my sign was "stop". Then I just walked away doing my best switch and shimmy with my best "I'm all that" attitude.

If you go online, you can play a game called the Ultimate Flirting Championship. This guy could not have played the game because he had the worse lines. If he had played, I'm sure his approach would have been much smoother. They have some great lines on that site. So guys, please check it out and play the game before you start trying to use corny lines on a woman.

Maybe it was the fact that I was buying alcohol that made him use those lines. Maybe he thought I was already drunk and he could pick me up. I don't know but he was the ultimate in lame!

I need to get this post out of the way

This is my 666th post. Yuck! I just want to hurry up and get it out of the way. I'm not really superstitious but I don't like this number by any means either. So this is just a quick little post to get it out of the way.

This post is over and so is this ungodly number.

Date night

I was sitting here watching tv and I saw the advertisement for a new movie that's coming out. It made me realize that I haven't been to a movie in while. We usually go out during the day to eat and go shopping. But we haven't had a real date in quite some time. You know the whole dress up and go out thing.

I think it's time for that again.

Did you try to win that IPOD?

In my last post, I talked about a survey to win a IPOD. You answer the survey questions and get entered into a random drawing? When you're eligible for things like this do you enter? I usually do. I've won some good things from surveys and sweepstakes.

I used to enter a lot more often but now I just enter things online. I love to win too! I just wish I did it more often.

You can help stop Columbia's Expansion Project

At first I was wondering what all the fuss was about. I mean schools expand all of the time. But this is a bit different. Columbia University wants to expand into the West Harlem. The area is not only on a fault line, but it's also a flood zone. Now if that doesn't sound like a disaster waiting to happen, I don't know what does. Over 30% of the expanded area will be for a bio hazardous laboratory. One natural disaster and just think of all of the chemicals that will flow into the Hudson River.

There is a petition in NY state court to Stop Columbia's Expansion Project. We all have to become vigilant when it comes to these stories. I live near several large universities with huge research departments. I shudder to think what would happen if they tried to do something like that here. This is one precedent that should not be set.

Keeping your privacy on the internet

It's really easy to forget to keep all of your information private on the internet. If you search for my name, a few things pop up. My full name isn't really that common, so when you see the name it's probably me. I had to go into certain places and make my information private. I don't want anyone from my job looking me up and getting into my personal business.

I know they will look because I would look for them.

My Entrecard has moved

If you're one of my EntreCard friends...Thank you for dropping on my blog. I've removed the widget and put it on my other blog Sabrina's Money Madness. Please update your bookmarks and be sure to check out my other blog.

Should I get a safe deposit box?

I don't know if I should or not. I work for a bank so my box would be free. I'm planning on moving in 18 months so I don't know if I should even bother with it. I have one of those fire-proof strong boxes at home where I keep my papers at. The only papers I'm really worried about are my birth certificate, social security card and my passport.

I also have a few paper savings bonds that I could put in the box. I'll sit down and make a decision about it this weekend.

Childcare issues

Some of my coworkers have childcare issues and are considering getting a nanny. That's not something that Americans typically think of but my coworker is originally from Europe and that's normal to them. In America we think that's only something for rich people to do. But you can get a person from AuPairCare that works for a set number of hours per week. They're trained in massage and therapy techniques. They can also teach your child sign language.

I think one of the most important things that the children are exposed to is new languages and cultures during their most informative years. It's important because people that know 2 or more languages are a valuable resource in the workplace. They are usually more in demand and command a higher salary.

If I thought I could afford it, I would definitely consider an au-pair for my future teacher.