Happy Holidays!

DIY Project

Sixty-five percent of our flooring is covered with carpet. People may not notice but there are spots of stains caused by milk spills and colored ink markers. This is not new when you have a toddler at home. I tried some stain remover chemicals but still portion of it shows. All I know in cleaning carpet is vacuuming but this won’t help in getting rid of the nasty stains. I think I may need to attend carpet cleaning training in austin to get my desired neatness. I also heard of steam carpet cleaning machine, austin that can be rented but I’m not sure yet if it will cost me big money and one more thing, I’m not patient in reading instruction manuals. I’m hoping that you may suggest something for this “do it yourself carpet cleaning” project of mine.

The Joy of the Internet

Guest post written by Ben Farley

It's amazing the kinds of things you can find online. It's funny, just the other day I think I ended up going to every site imaginable. I started out at www.homeproimprovement.com because I wanted to do a bit of electronic window-shopping for a new rennovation project my husband and I have going on at the house, and from there I ended up finding my favorite clothing store online (which just happened to be having a huge holiday sale) so I bought a few things there. Then, I thought--hey, I'm sure a ton of other sites have sales going on just for the holiday! I mean Black Friday is over and everything, but this is still crunch time for most retailers. So then I got to perusing and ended up finding almost all of my Christmas presents for the family online! I saved sooo much money, too, with all the free shipping offers and coupons.

Quite frankly, I'm just amazed that it's only early December and I already have the majority of my shopping done. It keeps getting better!

Comfortable and Cheap

Now that my wife is on her 6th months, her nursing scrubs are becoming uncomfortable on her since the baby is getting bigger as expected . Though, we easily found new under garments for her that will suit on pregnant women but finding scrubs that can make her move freely is hard. I don't know where to buy cheap scrubs since we prefer those because she will just use them for not more than 3 months. Her other uniforms are still good but you'll never know, once you've started shopping you'll always find something even better. Anyways, the more important thing for now is to get the ones that will make her comfortable because as I believe, a happy mommy is a happy baby.

Going Black Friday Shopping With My Husband

The Author of this post is Jefferson Maldonado

Usually my husband hates shopping but there is one particular day of the year even he will get up bright and early, sometimes in the middle of the night, load up in the car with me and hit up all the stores and that is on Black Friday.

We started going shopping together on Black Friday a few years ago when I begged him to go with me promising him lunch at his favorite restaurant as a bit of a bribe. Ever since then he has become hooked. We each have our own favorite stores that we like to check out. I prefer stores like Target, Sears, JC Penney's or Walmart while he likes stores such as Best Buy or Game Stop. While our tastes in shopping may be different it has become a fun tradition we really enjoy doing together.

This year we plan on starting out really early. We plan to get up at 3 a.m., set our home security alarm (Home Alarm Systems pricing), and then hit all our favorite stores. We get to shop for kids this year too since his sister moved to town with her three kids so we plan to see what sort of deals ToysRUs has as well. It will be fun getting to shop for kids for once!

I joked with my husband on Thanksgiving that maybe in a few years we will be shopping for our own kids on Black Friday. He just smiled.

The Basketball Game That Never Happened

Thanks for the post from Kirk Wood

I had an interesting experience the other night. The night began like any other night prior playing in my basketball league. I ate dinner at home, set my home security alarm from www.securitychoice.com/home-security-and-safety-facts.html, got in my car and listened to music, and arrived at the gym expecting to play a great game. But that night was different. The other team didn’t show up. At first, the guys on our team were not happy about this. But we came up with a solution, which was to play 31. This is a longer version of 21. It’s every man for themselves. Each basket counts as two points and three-pointers are obviously three points. Once you make a basket, you shoot three foul shots. If you make all three foul shots, you have the ball again. You have to end exactly on 31. Otherwise, you go back to 15. And to make it even more interesting, we made it so that you had to hit a three-pointer at the end. Otherwise, you went back to 15. The game was a lot of fun. Dare I say it, but it was even more fun than playing in a league game. At an extremely high risk of sounding corny and cliché, we had lemons and turned it into lemonade. That is how the saying goes, right? Regardless of how the saying goes, it was pretty cool to turn a negative into a positive. Uh-oh … is that another cliché?

My Best Friend, Sandy

Guest post from: Bruno Smith
During the course of my life, it has always been rather hard to make a friend, never mind a best friend. However, I did manage to find someone that fits that mold a great number of years ago.

We met when I was in high school and she was in middle school. She was the sister of somebody I knew at school, and for some reason we hit it off better than I did with her older sister. At first, she was a little slow to consider me somebody she wanted to talk to all the time; in fact, she was actually a little hostile, and gave me a few choice words whenever she saw me. Eventually, however, you were unable to tell that there had ever been any tension between us.

We have a lot in common. We enjoy going to local renaissance festivals and wearing costumes for the occasion - it actually makes things more fun when you feel like you are truly a part of that world. We like to go shopping, or even spend an evening at home, watching movies. I do not know what I would do if she was no longer in my life.

Before I make the hour or so long drive to visit her these days, I always make sure to set the home security alarm (ADT home security offers). We do not get to see each other as much as we used to, but I like to think that we will always be close.

Young Men's Soccer In Seattle

Author: Jonathan Suarez

An ambitious MBA by day and a rough and tumble soccer player by night, I am very glad I made the choice to move to Seattle from the South for several reasons. The reason that comes through, time and time again, is the vast array of opportunity here for men's pickup soccer and organized soccer. I mainly participate in one league, though I have popped in and out of an ongoing league at the University of Washington. The league I have spent many an evening in is designed for "Young Professionals". The league is gender mixed and sometimes features former Division I stars who have either had an injury or have elected to pursue other professions. Needless to say the competition has been very high. I decided to invest the majority of my liquid assets in a business venture that is starting to turn a profit, therefore I live in a rougher part of Seattle than I'd like to. I always set my ADT home security alarm before I go every evening to soccer. The best part about Seattle has been the social connections that I have made through "Young Professionals" soccer. In fact, the business venture is one I came upon through a match a little over a year ago. It has come to my awareness that the leagues for older adults and for young children are booming and that there are several semi-professional teams in the surrounding region. If you're looking for some great soccer, come to rainy Seattle!

Picking Up an Old Hobby

Guest post written by Hank Livingston

The other day I treated myself to a visit at the local Guitar Center in town. From the moment I walked in, I was like a kid in a candy store. I noticed many young kids trying out a variety of electric guitars and banging out rough melodies that rattled my Miracle Ear hearing aids. They reminded me of when I was their age and how I would go try out some of the instruments that I couldn’t have played back at home. My recent visit reminded me of when I was their skill level and learning about the world of music.

When I come to Guitar Center, I also check out the acoustic guitar room and play the twelve string guitars. I always loved the full and rich sounds that they produce, and I always enjoy getting my hand on one. After my visit, I determined that I wanted to pick up music again. Throughout my life, an instrument has always given me joy, and now that I’m retired, I want to spend more of my time recreating that joy.

Watch the ship carefully... You'll hear the people screaming if you turn your speaker's volume up. Look how the ship vanished.

New House, New Furniture

Thanks for the post, Lucius Gaines

There is about two more weeks until our house is finished being built. That means it's time for furniture shopping! My husband and I try to do the inexpensive, good quality search at Walmart and Sears, but we can never find anything. So we usually end up heading over to Nebraska Furniture Mart for all our furniture. We really like their huge selection and endless brand names. And best of all, it's modestly priced. When we bought our daughter's nursery furniture, we only spent about $1300 for her crib, armoire and dresser. We liked Baby's R Us' selection, but they were so overpriced it hurt our eyeballs to look at the tags.

Clearly, I'm pretty excited about going furniture shopping. I think we're going to be buying a new dining room set, bedroom furniture for the master bedroom, and a sectional couch for the living room. I've seen some sectionals that are like a recliner and massage chair in one. I can only imagine coming home from shopping, sitting on my vibrating, massaging recliner chair and watching some satalite tv.

Anyway, I think I already know which dining room table I want. I'm not sure of the brand, but I've seen it around Nebraska Furniture Mart before. It's all black, except the centerpiece of the table is cracked glass. It looks awesome. And very, very modern. Which is what I think we're going for in the new house.

The Gift

Ten more days before my wife’s birthday. I don’t know what to give her. Lately, I’m seeing her spending a lot of time giving herself some beauty treats like putting lotion, fixing her nails, doing her eyebrows and more. Though some of it is really included on her regular hygienic routine but I still appreciate it, I know she always wanted to look good in my eyes. Well, she’ll always be the most beautiful woman for me even if she’s just in her simple looks.

This made me think of giving her some makeup products like lipstick or lipgloss to enhance the softness and appeal of her luscious lips. I don’t have any idea of what shade she wanted and I don’t want to ask her. I want it to be a surprise. I asked some of my lady friends and one of them suggested for me to try getting a lip lacquer instead. Waaahh..!! I didn’t know that even just a simple lipstick will be so complicated when you open it up with ladies. I’m still thinking of my other options. Do you have any suggestions?

To tile or Not to Tile

Whenever we go to our local hardware stores, we always see to it that we visit and check the tiles section. We have plan of putting backsplash in our kitchen counters to add color and character. As of now, we still don’t see in stores the one we really like. We’re looking for tiles that are contemporary in its styles and designs to match our appliances and furniture. We resorted on searching for it online and we found the one that we really liked, see the picture below:


This is so cool! We’re excited to see it in our own kitchen. The online store also gave other varieties to choose from, so personalizing our house is very possible. Glass is what we preferred but we are also open for other options as long as it will look extraordinary. Once we’re finish in our kitchen, our next project will be the bathrooms, we have 5 full baths in the house so I believe we need to work hard first to earn the right budget for all 5. Our bathroom tiles are kind of traditional though it’s an upgrade but still didn’t qualify our taste. I’ve seen bathrooms made of subway tiles and they’re really great! Very modern and sophisticated. I always see home improvement expensive but still worthy especially when you take pride of the house you’re starting to build as your home.

Down in the Pumpkin Patch

Guest post written by Alex Leider

My wife and I had the best time last weekend. We're trying to get into the spirit of the season, what's with it getting colder and the leaves turning and all. Well, we were just sitting around though last Saturday when we saw a commercial come up for a new pumpkin patch in our area. We decided on a whim to check it out so we could get a few pumpkins for the house, a few for carving, and one for cooking! (Edna makes the best pumpkin pies.)

We got to chatting with the guy that worked there, he had a really interesting story. Apparently, he'd inherited the patch through his family, and was running it for the time being. He looked so familiar, almost like someone I'd gone to school with in the past. I wish I had gotten his name! All I remember is that he was wearing Miracle-Ear hearing aids at the time. Oh well. It sure was a great day at the patch, though.

Getting Good Deal in Car Insurance

Time is so fast. I can still remember 6 months ago I sent my payment to my car insurance company and now I received my renewal package. Though they gave me lesser premium for the next term I still want to shop for better deals. There’s a lot to choose from. This time I prefer local insurance company. I asked my friends of their insurance, went online and called some agents to compare and get the best buy.

I gave the same coverage I wanted but still they offered different premiums. Some are really expensive maybe because of the integrity they already established in their names, but some which are not well known are good enough for me. I got my car insurance from the latter group, I’m really looking for a cheap one but with good standing from their claimants. I think that’s more important; easy transaction, same coverage and reasonable price. One of our friends referred this one and told us about his good customer service experience in processing his claims. I believe it's because of being not a well known insurance company, they only have fewer clients and this means more time and attention will be provided for me in times of claims. Still, I’m praying never to have a chance of getting any claims from them.

I want The Office to be MY office!

Written by my friend Lino Brown

My favorite comedy on TV right now is The Office. Michael, as the clueless branch manager, is the pivotal character in the show. His antics and carefree management style often create total chaos within the branch. I also would not be able to live without Jim and Pam streaming through my satellite I ordered at www.direct.TV every Thursday. After years of watching them struggle to come together as a couple, my patience has finally paid off, they just got married and had a baby. Of course the Angela and Dwight story line has been a constant source of humor over the last few seasons. This past year the show took a twist with the disbanding of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and the takeover of a printer company owned by a southern woman with a large personality and she is played by none other than the talented actress Kathy Bates. I am sad to hear that Michael's character will be done on the show at the end of the Spring season due to Steve Carell leaving the show. I truly hope that the remaining characters will be able to carry the show and fill the large void that will certainly remain after his departure.

Bridezillas

The Author of this post is Velma Baird

One of biggest guilty pleasures on television is the show Bridezillas. I could have never imagined that there were women who actually behaved like this when planning their wedding. At times I have almost felt guilty watching the show and laughing at the craziness that they exhibit, but I always continue to watch. Each bride comes with her own set of drama and issues. Each season seems to bring with it louder, angrier and bossier brides than the season before. Between the meltdowns, fights and evil glares that these brides provide, I cant ever look away from the screen.

My satellite tv from direc4u.com is often tuned into Bridezillas, especially on days when I can just sit around and watch tv for hours. Luckily, the show is often broadcast as a marathon and I can truly spend my day watching women overreact and lash out at everyone around them. It is always interesting to see how bridesmaids, family members and especially grooms handle difficult brides. One of the most shocking episodes I ever watched centered on a bride who left her groom by himself at rehearsal over his mother being ten minutes late. In the end, almost every wedding ends with the bride and groom spending a great evening at their reception and still somehow having friends around to celebrate with.

Am I the Only One Who Still Goes to the Movies?

Thanks to Erasmo Cortez

I remember when I was a little kid every time I went to the movie theater there was always a line, my Mom and I would have to almost fight for seats that didn't make our neck hurt or require up to climb over eight people's laps in order to go the bathroom and sometimes (God forbid) the movie would even be sold out! These things never happen to me anymore. Now, I have to sneak snack in my purse in order not to pay $20 for a small box of candy, set my Adt security company home alarm before I leave the house, to ensure I can actually enjoy the movie without worrying the entire time and when I get there, nine out of ten times it just end's up being me and my boyfriend in the theater, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if we want to smooch or any of that without offending anyone. To be honest with you though, this really takes away from the whole experience for me! Before it was an adventure, now I feel like I might as well wait for the rental. This deters me from going to the movies at much as I once did, so now I only go to see the movies I cannot wait for instead of just going for something to do on weekends.

Modern Technology makes life easier

Wouldn't be cool if you can access your home computer from your office computer or vice versa? Or say as far as from one country to another country. People may don’t know but it’s possible. The convenience of file access, troubleshooting and configurations of computers and software from one place to another is actually happening. Remote Management or Access is what you can best describe it. This is with the help of Remote PC Access Software and of course, internet connection. Security will not even be an issue since these kinds of software provide up to 256-bit encryption making your computer files safe and only accessible to the one authorized to work with it, like your technician or co-worker. Can you imagine how much it will save time, energy and effort for both you and the other people involved in your business? Even technicians love it! They can still brainstorm and troubleshoot together in the convenience of their own different locations to work on one remote computer with the help of some collaborative tools that comes with the software. New technology rocks! You better update yourself for what new today maybe obsolete by tomorrow. That’s how fast it is!

This is the job for cook top cleaner

Our home improvement project – kitchen segment doesn’t end with nice furniture and accessories but also the sleekness of the appliances. Being organized and clean are all it takes to make the kitchen look gorgeous and elegant. My rule of thumb when it comes to kitchen, “where you get it, there you’ll return it”. It really helps a lot and it makes cleaning easier. Every time I cook and had our meals, I always make sure that everything will be cleaned up asap, from the counters and tables to the pots, pans, dishes and ranges. The thing that encourages me a lot to do this task fast is by thinking that someone might give us a surprise visit any minute and I don’t want to be apologetic by the messy scene in our house. Cleaning agents are my partner in doing this seemingly never ending chore in the kitchen. For the toughest grease on my cook top range, I use my trusted cook top cleaner. It doesn’t just cut the grease and make it clean but also polishes the surface for a shiny finish. If yours are glass or ceramic, you better find the one that has protection feature. I can say that the cook top range is one of my biggest challenges in the kitchen especially when I forget to clean it right after I used it. But no worries because my cook top cleaner will surely do its job. A little wipe here, a little sweep there and voila! our kitchen will look like unused and fresh again, ready for all family and friends to come and visit.

Online conversations with old friends

Guest post written by RJ Benson

Since most of us retired and we had a lot more time to spend on the Internet, a bunch of me and my high school friends will chat online. A lot of times we’ll just e-mail each other but a few of us have started using Skype to call and video chat each other. It’s a lot of fun and the easiest option because we live in different cities across the country.

One time I was Skypeing with one of my friends she mentioned that she had just gone to miracle ear Charlotte and got fitted with some hearing aids. I told her that I thought that sounded like a good idea and had been considering booking an appointment to do the same thing at miracle ear HOUSTON. That inspired me to get off my tail and actually do it, so I did.

About a week later I talked to another one of our friends who was on the football team with me and he said that he had just bought a hearing aid in PA where he lives.

I thought that it was funny that even though we live separately now, we still have the same mindset and are going through a lot of the same things.

Home improvement

We've been trying to furnish our house but due to limited budget, it will be a neverending project for us. We need to prioritize other important things that's why all other furnitures are in our pending list... sigh.. Here are some of the pictures.. We're still planning to add more wall arts, change some accessories, lamps, rug for the dinette set, maybe a palm tree too, backsplash, and a curio.. you may not be familiar with a curio just find it from the pics below.. You may click on each pic for a larger view. And once it is in the larger view, another click to zoom it for a full screen view.

BEFORE



AFTER


BEFORE

AFTER






BEFORE


AFTER


CURIO - hoping to be added soon right beside the pantry cabinet... again this is our first choice but if not available will get a different one and hopefully with a lesser price.

What is pick up artist?

– This is an individual who has skills in meeting, attracting or seducing women. A person who can help men improve their romantic abilities with women using self-help and an understanding of social psychology. Whoa! I think men with problems in getting even just a single date should definitely need the help of the pick up artist. I believe these people exactly knew even the right and best way of how to text a girl because seriously, some men are being dumped just because of a dumb text. Women are not just into men’s looks but they also see if men are into books. I mean, man.. I.Q. and sense of humor, sometimes that's all it takes.

One wrong move, one shameful night.

Sell Your House

Just three steps in getting help to sell your house:

1> click this link
2> enter your zip code
3> submit

The Wedding Planner is my favorite chick flick

Post contributed by Toni Jensen

My boyfriend bought me some DVD's for my birthday and I noticed one of them was the Wedding Planner. I always wanted to see this movie and never made time.

I made some popcorn for us as he popped it into the DVD player so we could watch this chick flick on satellite tv! It was so funny and romantic at the same time. It was about a lonely wedding planner, played by Jennifer Lopez, that unknowingly falls for her client's fiance, played by Matthew Mcconnaughey. It got even funnier when Jennifer's self proclaimed fiance comes into the picture! He was a cutie! Midway through the movie, Jennifer decides that they should be professional about everything and she assured him she was only around to plan the wedding for him and his fiancee and nothing more would ever happen.

There were some definite funny moments in this movie and in the end, he decided he didn't want to marry his fiance. She didn't want to marry him either! He went looking for Jennifer before she went and married the self proclaimed fiance because he realized he loved her. He finds her where they first realized they had feelings for each other and you know the rest. I really love this film. My boyfriend said it's one of the funnier chick flicks he has seen on free satellite tv in California in awhile too. I recommend you see it at least once!

My heart’s in Philly

Guest post written by Rick Stalls

They say people will move mountains for love. Well, I just moved all my stuff, which still happens to be quite a big step.

My girlfriend’s job moved her from our Philly home to rural West Virginia. It sounded like a nightmare at first, but once I went with her to the town to look around it seemed really nice and decided that I would move with her, after all.

Before the move, I used my wildblue in PA to remind all of the editors at the publications to which I regularly contribute as a freelance writer that I was moving but would still be available for remote work. I write a lot about the local music scene but there are also musicians in West Virginia too that I’ve been writing about since the move.

When we moved out here we settled on using satelite internet West VA, which has been great for keeping up with my editors and getting feedback from them about my new subjects.

This sure isn’t Philly, but I can get used to the nonexistent traffic here.

Finding the Love From the Gloves

I’ve been trying to salvage the green in the front yard. Weeds and dried grass are noticeable. I tried using fertilizers, weed killers and grass seeds. I also set the water sprinklers to be on twice a day considering how hot it is during mid day. I bought a lot of things from the hardware store that will make everybody think I’m genuinely serious of what I’m doing. There, I got hedge scissors, water hose, a couple of trowels, pairs of gloves, boots, grass trimmer, blower, lawn mower and fertilizer spreader. I’m not good in gardening and all these equipments seems new to me. I know it because when I use each one of them, it is either I made an operation mistake or used it in its not supposed function.

The worse are getting my hands pricked and feeling the weeds sap when I pulled and wrestle with those annoying weeds. I realized right there and then why the gloves I bought were on sale. That clearly explains its unbelievable price. Why did I fall on that again? I hate it when I thought that I got a good bargain and saved money then little I know that it comes with a big compromise – the quality. What a waste! Now I need to get a new one but this time I’ve learned my lesson, no more cheap gloves but instead a real work gloves. I wonder if electrical gloves will work better in gardening. I may have more funny stories to tell in this experience. I’ll give you updates of what this green project of mine will look like soon.

A Day Out at the Hotel Chelsea NYC

Thanks to Erasmo Cortez

Me and my friend went to Manhattan for the first time since moving to New York state and found it very easy to get around on the famous subway system, saving a mint on taxi fares. We spent the whole day whisking about looking at places and things to explore that you rarely find on a scheduled tour. We left about 9 AM, packed up the cameras, and set the home alarm system for the day. I also recently put up an adt sign in front of the house so that people are warned about our security system.
I must say the trip we made to the Hotel Chelsea was our favorite hot spot of the day. You can take a tour of the hotel for $40 that comes with a guide to tell about all the unbelievable stories that happened in this eerie place. Room 100, where Sid Vicious allegedly stabbed his girlfriend, is no longer there fully in tack. However, the bathroom is still in place and we went to the sink where Nancy Spungon died beneath. The tour also includes the chance to meet some of the writers who are currently living in the Hotel Chelsea, and most of them loved to come out and talk to us and answer questions.

There are loads of places to eat near the Hotel Chelsea, but I recommend you walk about a mile down 8th Street to the New Yorker Hotel (Turn right on 8th and 23rd). The hotel's Tick Tock Diner is a cool 1950's style joint with good food, fair prices, and the subway is nearby to get out of town.

There are Plenty More Fish in the Sea

In the group of men, whenever there’s someone being dumped by a girl, you will hear this saying as a console for his broken heart, “There's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it” or in more simple words, “there are plenty more fish in the sea”. I’m lucky that I never heard my friends saying this on me. To others, this is very hard to understand and oftentimes I will give a tease instead of explanation, “Are seas so deep for you to grasp?” Now, you can take this literally without getting any more confusion, and that is through the site, “Sea of Love”. It best describes the word ‘sea’ in that traditional saying. This is very applicable not only to those who are rejected by some girls but to every person who are still searching for their perfect partner.


I saw how cool the format used. Sea of Love is like a very nice getaway from the burning heat of the sun. I really like the theme. All graphics and terms used are related to things you can see under the sea. So if you’re ready to dive in and swim, this is for you. Time to fish that perfect match you’ve been longing for. Patience in this kind of fishing is not necessary. Good Luck!

What's in the car?

When I was a kid, I saw one of my brother’s posters in his room, it was a picture of a car with label “Porsche”. I thought it wasn’t real because it has an unusual look of a car for me but I definitely admired it and said to myself, I will get one someday. Seeing the video below made me think that I fast outgrew that dream. There are a lot of models that came out that I missed. But man, I think it will only live in a dream because the latest that they introduced for 2010 doesn’t fit anywhere in my budget. To give you an idea the porsche panamera price ranges from about $90,000 to $135,000. But who knows? I’m still young and if other people can afford it, why can’t I? But I won’t force myself if it’s not really meant for me. Anyways there are also other cars that can definitely go by my standards. Actually, there’s one which I believe a little cheaper than Porsche but also with unique design and features. Check this out – the Fisker Karma. I believe they are designed in California and rumors say that it will be build in Finland. Another great competition for Porsche. The Fisker Karma price is around $80,000 and up but I’m not really sure though. Just make sure to hold your chin up while looking at the pictures.

F I S K E R K A R M A (below)

Some people are just lucky, they don’t even need to earn just to get a car. I’ve seen this happened from one of the singing competitions here in US when the final 2 contestants both got brand new Ford Fiesta. What a gift! They got it all, the talent, fame and now cars. I think that the runner up of that competition is still a winner partying with her new Fiesta.

For now, I have to be reasonable and need to wake up from my Porsche dream. I have to face the reality that as of the moment the only tangible are among the non-luxury sedans. To give you an example, mitsubishi evolution price for 2010 models is from $27,190 - $40,990. Now, that is reachable for me. They offered sports sedans that racers will love. Whatever car you have, make the most out of it anyways the real function of it is the one that really matters – as transportation.

Curb Appeal

We always focus beautifying the inside of the house that we sometimes neglect the very first thing people will see and notice – our front yard. Having seen some of our neighbor’s neglected front yard made us think of another home improvement project, and that is to create a very enticing curb appeal. Aside from plants and grasses, we’re thinking of replacing the light fixtures and adding new mail box. This will make a big difference since our neighbors almost use same style of residential mail boxes
.


Getting new planters, shutters and nice shade of paints are all in the list. Window box planters can also make uncover our windows emptiness. I’m trying to search more curbside décor in the net and I know most of them offer both mailboxes and décor which will make it easier for us. Check these styles I got from the net and tell me what you think.

Kitchen Mix & Match

Designing a house is not our domain. We always look at magazines, TV shows and internet for tips and ideas. We started experimenting in our kitchen to see if it will work but still it didn’t satisfy us getting the appeal we really wanted it to have. So we’re on trial and error game again. There’s one spot in the kitchen that is an empty space that I don’t know how to fill in. Till we thought of an idea that a wine rack or bar can definitely make that spot functional. We searched the net and found few that can be in our list. One is from jk adams. We like their Hanging Wooden Slat Stemware Racks that will look good for our set of wine glasses.


Some accessories will also make the kitchen inviting and I’m thinking of getting one from jk adams spice rack collection. I like the touch of wood with the sense of having an organization for our spices’ small bottles. Its style works for me, saving more space in our counter.


If you also check jk adams cutting boards, you may think of using it as a décor instead of its original function since they have details that will really make you feel not using the top side of it but instead its bottom. It will be good to hang it in the counter. It’s really enjoyable to give your own touch in your kitchen, makes it more personal and with your very own taste and likes.

Dneero is back!

It's been so long before I get a new conversation, but now it's back with the new cool homepage. check it out!

No Pain, No Gain.

People are so busy that they don’t give much time for their personal lives. There are lots of websites offering people matching compatibilities to find an individual a perfect partner. Could you believe that? Everything can be ordered from the internet nowadays! I’m not against with it but my point is everyone can tell good things about themselves in their profiles. It’s easy to create a good image by just a click of a button. I’m still in favor of knowing the person naturally and with much awareness of her family background, of her roots. I know that some of you out there will react and say that using these matching websites will be the first step to know one person, but in my defense, different kinds of people are out there, good or bad, descent or psychos. It’s all up to you people if you want to try the risk. But for sure, if you, and I’m hoping not, for a thousand chances, matched to a psycho, that psycho knows how to do his thing. I’m thinking that in your very first date, you might regret it for life or even worse might worth your life. Like the ones I watched from movies, scary isn’t it?



I’m not good in giving advices but there are also lots of resources you can find in the internet. Some that tells on how to meet women or men in traditional and nicer ways. You can dig into other people’s own opinions. There are some professionals, like a pickup artist who are really experienced in this kind of dating thing that can really help you to do your first step. It’s all up to your judgment if their techniques or strategies work for you. All I can say is this: Good luck! Be careful in choosing the right person for you. If you can spend a lot of time in studying and structuring the right profession for yourself, find much and more time and effort in looking for the right person because that person will be your lifetime partner that will help you build both of your dreams and your own family. Do your research, make your pros and cons chart and consider your friends' or family's guts. Love is not everything, it’s just one ingredient in a relationship. If ever you find that perfect match, never let go of it for you know that you really worked hard to build a good foundation for it and confident that nothing can easily destroy and break it. As they say, No pain, no gain. No guts, no glory.

First Time Visit to the Dentist

I had to show him lots of video of kids going to the dentist the night before his appointment to prepare him and get acquainted with the dental clinic, dentist, procedure and instruments.. hoping to get a happy visit for the very first time. It was a success..



I don't care whether the hygieneist and the dentist were not comfortable in me videotaping them, I just told them that this is an important event to my son's life for this is one of his first time experiences that needs to be documented. They even have a sign saying that 3 years old patients should not be accompanied inside the procedure room.. just pretended that I wasn't able to read it, .. hehe.. Clarence did a great job in his teeth x-ray, he cooperated in all 6 x-ray done in his mouth. He finds it fun seeing pictures of his teeth xray in the monitor. I'm proud of him, unfortunately I wasn't able to taped it because he had to sit on my lap. He really loves the dental clinic, he told me that he wants to go back there.

Cars, cars and more cars

My brother always say that having a pickup truck may be necessary if you own a house because most of the time you’ll find it useful in furnishing your house. I found out that it is true. Sometimes you’ll think of a home improvement project that will require you buying big stuffs that won’t definitely fit in an ordinary 4 -door vehicle. And the fact that you have to consider the store’s delivery and shipping charges, I’d certainly agree with him. I saw a lot of homeowners that owns a truck as their secondary vehicle and this always make me think of what my brother told me about it. Some people chose to get a stylish car like jaguar xj –one of my favorites just to show off instead of getting a truck. I can't blame them jaguar is a real head turner, I, myself can't help stop looking at it when I spotted one on the road. But what people don’t know is that most truck manufacturers nowadays don’t want to be left behind in terms of style. Some are so neat that people would also desire in owning one. Like the gmc sierra especially when you get the one in black, I totally love it, functional and yet stylish too. King of the road is one thing I can think of when riding in these kinds.



I teased my brother, what the heck I need a truck for when you already have one that I can borrow. He just laughed and said, “it’s good thing that you’re younger than me”. He has two vehicles, one truck and one luxury car which cost him a lot of money in the maintenance and fuel. He’s thinking to trade in the luxury car because he finds the truck more useful than it. I showed him two choices which I know both economical and efficient in terms of price and performance. One is the subaru impreza and the other is nissan cube. He said that he’ll consider reviewing their ratings and specifications first and look for a dealer when he’s ready. Well, I hope he can make up his mind as soon as possible because possessing a luxury car is really expensive. For now, I have to borrow his truck first since I’m still in the process of furnishing our newly purchased house. I’ll just help him back in other ways I know. For I go with the saying, blood is thicker than water. That’s what brothers are for, right big bro? I love you bro!

Real Estate Stimulus - It’s still not too late

When we’re in Maryland friends kept on urging us to buy a house to avail of the first time homebuyer tax credit which is part of the Real Estate Stimulus package. We stick to our principle that we’ll not get a house unless we really like the location. We wanted to settle in a place where we know we could stay forever and raise our kids in the best environment we envisioned. We let that opportunity goes until we decided to move in California where we really look forward to live, close to my brother and not much of snow. So blessed, we really felt like we did the right decision when we heard that the first time homebuyer tax credit has been extended. We knew from the very start that it’s the perfect time to buy a house since the price went really down due to economic condition. We also wanted to have our own house instead of renting, at least now we know that every penny we’re spending for our shelter goes to our own property and not to any apartment owner. We can do whatever we like in our house without thinking of disturbing other people like what we experienced in our previous apartments. Who knew that we can have the best of both worlds by just sticking to our principle. We got the escrow closed before 2009 ends and now we’re enjoying the home that we meticulously chose for our family and also waiting for the federal tax credit of $8000 for being a first time homebuyer and the real plus is the fact that we really loved the location.



I learned from this video that not only us, the buyers, benefited from this purchase but the economy as well, how cool is that! That’s really something, a real win-win solution for both the government and its people. We were able to help without even knowing it. Good news to those first time homebuyer couple who filed jointly in their income tax who have large annual income because the income limit has increased from $150,000 to $225,000 if they purchase their home after November 6, 2009. You will know more from this video.



Always follow your guts!

Car is a necessity not a luxury

Since we moved here I didn’t get a chance to check on my car’s condition, I felt guilty knowing how helpful she is to us and yet I’m not giving some of my time and care she deserves. One time when I was driving home, I saw the maintenance minder popped up in my dashboard. So unexpected that really concerned me a lot. Then I recalled the last time I brought her to the dealer for maintenance has been a while. Good thing that one of our friends knows how to fix it. I found out that the oil went down to 15% and I needed to do oil change immediately. We went to buy oil and filter and proceed in getting it done before it leads to a more major problem. We drained it and I got to see that the oil was already dark, like black. We used one quart of oil just to clean and wash away the old dark oil from my tank, I don’t care if I used the whole quart, my objective is to see my oil back to its clear color, which is closely yellow like the cooking oil. I don’t want to end up giving my car a tune up, you know. This one is my treat for her.






I have a Honda Civic 2008 and I love it. I also like old car models like Acura Integra but I’m afraid that it could cost me much in repairs and maintenance since it’s old. Vintage cars are also head turners nowadays but it’s also kind of pricey in terms of updating and finding its obsolete parts. Oh well, whatever car you have if you don’t appreciate what she can do for you and your family, Pretty sure that she will be taken for granted and before you knew it, you might ended up paying so much for the repair or even worse you might get into a serious accident that you might regret at the end. Win-win solution should always be considered, your car helps you, you give the credit back by maintaining it right. For me, car is as important as food I take each day, without it I'm like lifeless (if that's even a term).