Surviving NJ

I was going through my feed reader today, catching up on some blogs that I'm subscribed to, and came across a post on 1938Media.com. That got me heading over to Man and Wife, which is over at ManAndWife.tv.

I've just been loving watching the episodes and Scoop (Isaac) and Shanda are just too cute together and so much fun to watch. For those of you interested, they discuss adult topics, and there is harsh adult language, so if that offends you don't head over there. On the other hand, if you could use a giggle, and like when people keep it real, this is something you'll want to check out. Again...the language, don't say I didn't give you the ole head's up. I'd be sure there are no kids around. There isn't nudity, but the language is VERY adult!

Now that I got nothing accomplished today, I guess I'll be working extra tomorrow! I had a blast watching a bunch of the episodes though. LOL It's not your average "talk" show! 

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No big smile in this week's portrait, but it's okay, I wasn't in a bad mood. I do this Self-Portrait Sunday series on one of my other blogs, but realized I just had that big Flashback Friday thing, and well....here I am today, since you saw me over the years.

This is me. No I don't tan evenly, and my hair is lighter and golder in person, but otherwise, it's as good as it gets! LOL

Have a great day, we have some plans to head out shortly.  

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I'm finally losing some weight, and I'm documenting the changes so I can post them on my fridge, and watch as my size goes down.

This is at a party at Joe Pop's down in LBI. We had a big ole party all weekend and it was a blast!

You can see my weight here. I remember seeing this picture when it came in, and was horrified, because it showed. I didn't pose in a way that "hid" it, ya know? Anyway, this is my hair when I dabbled with some red colors. I've been a blonde 99% of my life, so this was a little different.

That's my flashback for now. I'll dig up some pics on the computer another day.

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Next we have a picture from Senior Week in Wildwood. I hooked back up with my high school sweetheart, trampling the heart of my current boyfriend. Ah, yes, teenage love. I turned 18 this week. I had just got caught out in the rain. Normally I straightened my hair!

Here's one that same week, before the rain! Remember Polaroid cameras?

Here's my Jeep that I loved. This was the first year Jeeps had regular car dashboards. It had a grey interior.

Lastly, here's my Halloween costume while dining with my parents...of course at the party with friends, the jacket came off, fishnets went on in place of the pants and heels! LOL Oh, I thought I was rocking.

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If you read my post a few days back, you'll see I'm just getting into this VoIP technology again. The funny thing is, eons ago, I used to do NetMeeting often, and programs like ICU. So I did the technology connection thing, but the simple basic phone call, like Skype I just started playing with again. We're looking forward to our cable provider to offer us this type of phone service, but for now, because we're in a little town, we're usually last to see those newer services.

What if you're a business? Think about all the money you can save and the simplicity of using VOip for your business needs. XPander Communications takes that technology and helps your business implement it with hosted PBX small business VoIP phone systems. Imagine a business that has offices in different parts of the country. With XPander Communication services, you can actually all be on the same line of extensions and share the same phone systems. That unifies your numbers and capabilities, and makes things easier. Imagine how much more cost efficient that is for a business! That's some cool stuff, eh? If you'd like to learn more about XPander Communications and their servicse, head on over to XPanderCommunications.com.

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I'm having a hard time focusing this morning. I should be working on a couple of projects and I'm stalling. I'll get to them, they'll get done...don't worry. Even if I'm stalling, I'm one of those people that will make sure what needs to be done is done before I call it a day...even if it takes me all night! LOL

Anyway, I've decided in my distraction to do a flash back Friday this week. I've got some pictures coming up shortly to share with you. I've got the first group of 5 coming soon enough. You can see me 20 some years ago! These are all pics from about 16-19! It's fun seeing how I've changed, though not so fun seeing the weight I've gained now! LOL 

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I grew up using a gas grill, but after someone close to me got hurt badly by a malfunction, I said I would go back to using a charcoal grill. I love gas grills, so I mourned the loss of easy ignition. A simple turn of the knob, a flick of a flame and there was my lit fire.

My husband has been doing most of the cooking on our charcoal grill, but tonight, I made an attempt at lighting a fire, while he was still at work. Yes, it seemed simple enough, stack the little coal brickettes, put the little gel pack in and light it....mmmm, hmmm....and then there's me.

I didn't stack them in a little pyramid enough, they were too spread out. I got about 3 bricks with a little gray ash. Hmmph. Be that way...I stomped in to get the stupid lighter again. I go to move something, and brilliant woman that I am, assume the black brick is not hot...WRONG, burnt my finger. :( You're kidding me right? I've been cooking on a grill since I was about 12 years old...yes, a gas grill. It's not the cooking process, it's the darn lighting process. I messed up.

I finally got it going, but not before my foolish pride was stomped on by ole Mr. Charcoal. I hung my head in shame....beaten by some little chunks of coal. It took me awhile, but I got it going, and the barbecue chicken was heavenly. :) Tada...I'm a a survivor. Did you expect anything less?  

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I'm making a tape today. I used to make tons and tons of mixed tapes. Now I burn CD's. My mom was looking for a particular song, because someone has a cassette deck in their car still. I said no problem, and dug out an old cassette and made her a copy of the CD she wanted the song from.

I actually just tossed out about 100 cassettes while doing my cleaning last week. I pulled out a bunch for her to give to the friend who still has cassettes for their car. It was a weird feeling to throw them away, but now I have hundreds of CDs. What's next? 

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Would you recognize depression in your teenagers today, or would you think it's "just a phase"? The stress that meets teenagers today can be intense. Let's face it, things have changed. I went through some similar things, but today the demand to keep up is intense, and gets expensive and time consuming. What about if your kid changed schools? Both of my sons are were in public school for the first time in years, and both had to make all new friends last year. There were ups and downs, but overall, it was easier for one of my sons to adjust than the other. It's a difficult thing to see our kids struggle, and not be sure what the answer is, since you can't be there with them in school.

There's a new program called "Kick Out Stress" that deals with depression, anxiety and stress in teens. It's a hard time to go through, and sometimes something like low self-esteem can cause them so much turmoil. This program works at improving teen self esteem.

For a limited time, you can get the "Kick Out Stress" program at a deeply discounted price. It normally sells for close to $150. Right now, it's available for under $90. Dont' let anymore time pass, without knowing answers, help your child move forward and put these issues behind them. This post was brought to you by KickOutStress.com. 

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My son has been asking about Disney over and over. I keep telling him we're probably going to make it back next year, but not this year. Smiling...it's hard to keep a secret, but we're going this year in November. I'm not telling him until it's a little closer. I've had to bite my tongue multiple times this week alone, because it's come up at least on three separate occassions. I told him to stop asking, because it probably won't be until next year. (snickers)

Man, oh man....I am not a good secret keeper about this kind of stuff when I'm excited. I haven't booked it yet, but I'll be doing it soon. I know that, and usually I share all the details...but not this time. I'm still at the point of choosing the private rental house with the pool in the back, or the on-site hotel. They'll both be awesome, but I'm just undecided at this moment. Either way, shhhh, he doesn't know. 

(picture from DisneyClips.com) 

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I just saw the cutest gift basket idea! I was sorting through the gift baskets over at GourmetGiftBaskets.com, and their Torn Ranch Rose selection is adorable! I wanted to send an "I'm thinking of you" to someone, and sorting through the choices, this one stood out! I love different ideas, and honestly prefer getting gift baskets to flowers myself. I love flowers, but honestly, a little variety goes a long way. I like how you can send just the right basket to someone, to really reflect their taste!

They have a charcoal connoisseur basket that woul be perfect for my brother-in-law. Seriously, there are so many great selections, I'm going to bookmark and save it, because this holiday, I'm going to go shopping online. I'm talking easy, huge selection, and no busy store hassle to deal with. I know, brilliant on my part, and my husband is going to love me for it! They have everything from italian food gift baskets to Blood Mary Breakfast baskets! If you're looking for a creative gift idea, stop by GourmetGiftBaskets.com.

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It looks like I'll be taking on another book project. A friend has asked to work with me, and co-author a book. I sat and thought about it for awhile, and it's a book that has real possibilities. I'm going to talk with my friend in more detail next week.

New projects excite me, and I love the getting started phase. I also love when I get towards the end, because you know it's getting close to completion. It's the middle part where you really have to push yourself.

I've worked with this person before on a different type of project and we work well together, so it should be a good experience. I'll tell you more when we're a bit more into the project.  

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A beautiful picture along the way. Who says I don't stop and smell the flowers. I not only stop and smell the flowers, I stop and take pictures of them! ;)

On the bottom flowre on the right, if you look closely, is a bee. I was going to just zoom in and show you that shot, but I prefer the crisp yellow of the grouping.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:55 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (4)

Have you seen some of the vending machines they have these days? They are so much cooler now! They have this one multivend rack that has a tattoo and sticker machine on the top, and bubblegum machines on the bottom. Where were my temporary tattoos? Don't you see, it was inevitable I'd end up with real tattoos, because there were no temporary ones for me when I was younger!

My son is just getting past the point of asking me for change, but when he sees the super balls, suddenly he's younger again, "Mom, do you have change?"

If you're looking to get into vending, and in the UK, then you'll want to check out Multivend.co.uk, where you can see the multivend system, the Tomy system, and the Superette vending machines.  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:47 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

I've just done my first call with Skype! I actually downloaded the program about 2 months ago, but I never actually used it! It was so easy to use, and was a snap to hear and talk with my headset. I've actually done NetMeeting, and other things like ICU before so it wasn't a total stretch. It was just the fact that I've had this program here, and didn't use it until today! I talked to somebody across the globe, how cool is that?

 Skype me, baby!

 I'm actually quite excited because I'd like to find a way to cut down on my montly phone bill, and that was the entire reason I downloaded Skype. I just had to actually turn it on and use it! Consider it done.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 07:58 PM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (1)

I've been around dogs my entire life. To me a house isn't a home without a canine friend! We currently have two dogs living with us, and they are family. Growing up, one of my favorite books to read was a little dog breed book. This little blue book got so much use over the years, the binding was worn! It turns out that book came in handy, because years later, whenever we're watching dog shows I can quickly identify almost every breed within seconds. My husband and I love Animal Planet and always love to watch the different dog shows. His cousin's wife handles dogs in some of the shows!

One thing you always notice if you're a dog lover is the beautiful coats on the show dogs. The grooming on these dogs are exquisite. I love when my dogs are freshly groomed, and brushed out.  One of my dogs literally sheds in clumps! She's a beast when it comes to shedding, where my beagle is just a standard shedder.

If you're looking for grooming products and show quality products, you can find all the top brand name products at ShowDogStore.com like NaturVet, Pure-Paw, Bio-Groom and  Resco Leads. They have a huge assortment of products to choose from including rakes, dog grooming clippers, combs, dryers, collars, grooming products to treats! DogShowStore.com is your one stop shop for all your dog grooming needs! This post has been brought to you by DogShowStore.com.

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I've got my headset and mic, and now I've got to dabble and play with Audacity. I've got it on my system, along with LAME to be able to export MP3's. I feel like I'm behind the game when it comes to these things.

I'm going to attempt to do a few clips on one of my blogs. I've looked at things like podcasting on BlogTalkRadio, TalkShoe, GabCast and the sort, and I just can't decide how I want to do this. It would be easy to just call in on the telephone, talk and post it to my blog, but what have I learned?

I decided that while I could do it the easy way, I would get more out of the experience if I did it, edited it, and uploaded it myself. I'm one of those people who love to put a puzzle together. The outcome doesn't excite me as much as building the puzzle and making sure the pieces fit. I love to learn, so it will be a good experience.

I'm also one who gets frustrated easily when I have trouble teaching myself if it doesn't go smoothy! If I end up throwing my headset across the room, I'll be calling in on my phone through one of the other services! LOL  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:39 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (2)

Have you ever thought about getting into the vending business? We saw a show on the Food Network awhile back about the old vending lunch cafes. My husband and I thought it would be fun to open an open all day place with all vending machines! We were going to call it "The Lunchbox", but then we got distracted with other things. It was a fun idea we had though. Ironically, my sister got involved in vending as a side venture, completely unrelated. I'd love to have one of those routes that hit all the malls and big busy stores!

If you're ever thought about getting into the vending business, then you'll want to check out BizBuySell.com where you can find bulk vending machine information, and look into starting your own business. You can check out vendstar machines, and start your way to financial independence!

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:33 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

I've been tagged by Sandy at Rep on the Run! Duck, or it may hit you next...Actually, this is a fun one. You can only use one word to answer the question.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse

2. Relationship? Happy.

3. Your hair? Windblown.

4. Work? Creative.

5. Your sister? Bonded.

6. Your favorite thing? Life.

7. Your dream last night? Quiet.

8. Your favorite drink? Diet.

9. Your dream car? Tahoe.

10. The room you’re in? Living.

11. Your shoes? Socks.

12. Your fears? Weight.

13. What do you want to be in 10 years? 50.

14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Family.

15. What are you not good at? Patience.

16. Muffin? Blueberry.

17. One of your wish list items? Security.

18. Where you grew up? Bucks

19. Last thing you did? Transformers

20. What are you wearing? Jammies.

21. What aren’t you wearing? Shoes.

22. Your pet? Three.

23. Your computer? Busy.

24. Your life? Rewarding.

25. Your mood? Content.

26. Missing? Dad.

27. What are you thinking about right now? Work.

28. Your car? Pontiac.

29. Your kitchen? Refreshed.

30. Your summer? Peaceful.

31. Your favorite color? Yellow.

32. Last time you laughed? Today.

33. Last time you cried? Movie.

34. School? Graduated.

35. Love? Husband.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 07:05 PM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

I wrote a post the other day about Breast Cancer and useful sites. I got a comment about a video that's available at NationalBreastCancer.org, and I'm scanning through it....GREAT STUFF. This is a video more women should know about, and I didnt' want it overlooked in comment people may not notice, so I wanted to give it it's own post.

The BREAST CANCER VIDEO is here. 

Make sure you take a moment and bokomark this video, and then send the link to all the women you know! 

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A mom and two babies have been wandering around. I happened to look out my window and was able to grab my camera in time to catch one of the babies as he was about to take off! Isn't he/she adorable? They don't keep their spots too long, so you can tell he/she's young! 

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We did a little rearranging. The shelf and second desk were in the dining room. We changed things up a bit so I'd have more space. I'm still in the process of cleaning and moving stuff, so it's not done yet. This is what it was....

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:06 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (2)

Earlier I was talking about wedding pictures, and things...I snapped a picture of these pictures from 1985. Yes, even I was affflicted with big hair disease. Next to my friends, I was tame, and this was only for the prom. I usually threw a baseball hat on so my hair wouldn't be to fluffy...but my sister hairsprayed me up, and it was going nowhere!  

Here I am, 20 years later, and about a zillion pounds heavier...but alas, it's me. :)

I'm a simple kind of girl, and big hair isn't working for me these days! LOL 

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:33 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (2)

This is what's above the waterfall at Clinton. It looks like glass, and I love the reflection of the trees in it. As I said in a previous post, it's rare we walk the street on a nice sunny day, my husband prefers it in the rain! LOL I grabbed these pictures while I could.

I never used to take my camera with me when I did these things, but now that I blog, I take more pictures than I used to. Are you the same? Do you find blogging has you taking more pictures?  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:23 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

Some friends and I were just talking about how we've changed over the years, and the looking at my wedding pictures between my first and second wedding, very weird to see how much I've changed. Of course I was 22 the first time I married, and 36 the second time so time had passed. I have a friend who is looking to get married in a few months, and she's been looking at destination weddings. She is torn between Florida and the islands. The thing is, no matter where she chooses she'll have a great time. She should check out SuperClubs.com where they have all inclusive resorts, and adult only resorts which can be very romantic. At SuperClubs.com they have a large selection of resorts to choose from and everything you could want!

When I got married the second time, we did it at a large beach house, and I loved that it was non-traditional. It was more relaxed, and I think everyone enjoyed it more. If you're looking for a destination wedding, check out SuperClubs.com. Can you say fabulous?  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:16 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

One of two farm stands...This one is is between Califon and Long Valley, the other is up in Oldwick. Mmm, fresh corn, cantaloupe and other good stuff! Do you have a favorite farm stand? 

The other place I like to get corn is on Rt 31 across from Sweet Valley Farms. They pull up a small dump truck full of corn, tip it up and sell fruit and corn at a small roadside table and stand. We've been getting it there for years as well...good stuff.

Sometimes in summer, if we've had a late lunch, we'll just have some corn on the cob for dinner!  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:08 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

Breast Cancer runs in my family, so I'm always cutting out clips of information to save or jotting down news. Here are some sites you may find helpful:

Cancer.org (The American Cancer Society)

YougSurvival.org (Young Survival Coalition)

Cancer.med.upenn.edu (Oncolink)

CancerCare.org (AvonCares Program)

bcrfCure.org (Breast Cancer Research Foundation) 

y-me.org (Y-ME National Breast Cancer Org.)

LookGoodFeelBetter.org (Look Good, Feel Better) 

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:03 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (2)

I've been walking a lot lately, and while I'm going about the neighborhood, I'm really taking notice of how people are decorating their front yards. We keep our yard clean and neat, and probably very understated. While I've been happy with it being this way, it lacks a little something extra. Some of the flowers I see or rock walls are just stunning. I'm not exactly sure what I'd like to do different, but maybe we could replace the bench on our porch with teak furniture and dress it up a little bit. Right now, it's almost like a traditional park bench, so the classic wood styling would give it a more stylish feel.

I was over at TeakWoodPatioFurniture.com, and saw they have a classic teak bench. I prefer clean lines, though the Banana Bench is really cool looking! I'll have to see what my husband thinks. I love the the selections they have there, and it's beautiful furniture. If you're looking for teak furniture, you should check them out at TeakWoodPatioFurniture.com. I'm not inot the plastic furniture look, so this would be ideal.

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This little alcove sets off a bit, and offers another little area off the main area in Clinton. It one block down farther than the bridge I just posted, and before the post office. It's the little charming areas like this, that make this special. All the times I've been there, I never thought to take pictures before to share them....go figure!  

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Yes, there are actually hanging plants and baskets on the little bridge in Clinton. It's a town that takes pride in being a lovely little Main Street worth visiting.  The shock value for me was to visit it on a sunny day, because you see for some reason, my husband always has the bright idea to go when it's raining. He's a romantic at heart, what can I say. Me, I'm thinking boy my hair is going to look funky after walking in the rain...Anyway, I wanted to share a little more. I took a couple of pictures that day, so I could post them here. It's such a lovely little area.

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I was playing a little progressive slots, a little video poker, and a little old fashion slots. I was digging the Hot Shot, and sat on these for awhile at the casino. One of the things that we do, since I don't go very often, maybe 2 or 3 times a year, is I stay up really late. Normally, I'm in bed by around 11pm, but down Atlantic City, I was eating dinner at 10pm, and stayed up until after 4am. I love how the casino floor gets really quiet.

Hmmm, maybe I should deserted! Quiet wasn't quite right at around 3am when a man went flying by screaming at somebody he was going to mess him up. A little action found it's way to the floor, and then within 5 minutes, the few people who were still up went back to what they were doing.

I generally wake up between 7 to 8am, but yesterday slept in until 12 noon. I had a great time, relaxed and found myself eating breakfast at 2pm! I was happily back no schedule last night though, and things are back to normal. I won some, I lost some, and did the same a few more times, win/lose, win/lose/win. :)  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 03:55 PM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (1)

I was writing an article for my business blog earlier today and it got me thinking about something that I learned while helping someone open their business. Did you know that there's a higher fee to accept American Express cards, then say a MasterCard or Visa? A lot of times, the fee that's you pay to process cards is part of the process of choosing what a business will accept. When it comes down to it a business has to be willing to accept credit cards, if they want to be successful. Too many people shop with credit cards these days to overlook this.

Did you know that people spend more money on a shopping trip if they are using a credit card, then if they were going to pay cash? The business I was at sold more retail through credit card shopping transactions, and sold higher priced gift certificates when people paid via credit.

When a business accepts credit cards, they have to go through a company to help with the processing. Sure, you can do it the old fashioned way and take an imprint, but nothing is more of a turn off than an outdated system. Today, you can swipe the card through a processor, get your approval and have it all handled for you. You simply pay a fee for the use of the machine, or buy one outright, and then let them handle the details. It makes your job easier, and you'll get immediate denials or approvals, which quite frankly makes good business sense.  Accept credit card transactions, and you're business will make more.

First Data Independent Sales is one of the companies you can go through if you're looking for a company that accepts credit cards. They have a lot of different types of credit card machines to choose from. Each business needs something different, so let them help you decide what is best for your business. They also can help you with internet transactions, so if you're one of the new e-commerce businesses, this is a company you can turn to for help in processing credit cards. Remember, people spend more when they can make purchases with credit cards. It's just good business sense. They have a quick approval process and can get you set up in as little as two days.  Card service sales offer free reprogramming, free software and other services.

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Today is the 17th Great American Ducky Race, and this piece takes place in Clinton, NJ. We've been buying ducks each year, and a neat little trivia tid bit, is my second date with my husband we happened to stumble upon the race. It was the race day, and we were game!

It's all about raising money and awareness for cancer.  The money goes to the American Cancer Society. Each duck costs $5.00 and they are all release beyond the waterfall. It's fun to watch all the ducks coming over the water and splashing! There are prizes for the first 5 placers, and the last duck to cross the finish line on the other side of the bridge. (I'm standing on the bridge taking the picture)

Our ducks are numbered in the 700's, so you get the idea, there is a sea of yellow rubber ducks going over the little waterfall! It's great fun to see, while helping a great cause.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 08:58 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (4)

I almost forgot to tell you, there's an awesome new NJ blog to add to your bookmarks! It's called Our Monmouth Blog and highlights NJ activities, as well as pertinent information about being noticed like articles about SEO. It's a new blog, so check it out, and you'll see they are on the path to excellence!

Bookmark OurMonmouthBlog.com today!  

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 08:47 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

I've been cleaning out my "office space" (aka/spare piece of living room) this week and sorting through papers and thing I've tucked aside. I'm looking at getting a new desk for my living room. I think I posted a picture of my desk before on here, but let me dig it up again...one minute...okay, here it is, and well, as you can see, it's not really set up for someone who works from home! It's more of a playful area, which is what it started out to be. One desk for me, one desk for my son, and stacks of stuff. I'm ready for a more grown-up work area, and once I get everything cleaned out, I'm getting a nice big desk, and getting better organized.

I was over at BestPricedFurniture.com and saw some of their Bush furniture, and they have some great desks there.  I know I want one with a hutch, but I want a wider desk base as well. The problem comes in that I want it wider, but I want to have room for my son's desk as well. We like that they are side-by-side. It's just time to make a difference, and I'm ready. I'm really loving a few of the choices they have there, I'm just not ready yet! Time to finish getting cleaned up and organized.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 08:42 PM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (1)

I took this picture one day, it's part of a Main Street and this is town hall. See, New Jersey offers all different sized towns like most states, some are big, and some are small like this one. I thought it made a nice picture. Driving across the country, visiting different people along the way, you find the same things in different sizes and places. There's always a McDonald's or familiar hotel at the end of the highway exit ramp, and there's always at least one strip that offers the shopping and car dealers. It's the in between stuff that makes it charming.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 06:52 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

Yesterday I was playing with numbers. I'm still tweaking things around before booking our trip to Disney in November. I do that though, always relooking at numbers, moving the date by one or two days and seeing what changes in cost via hotel, transportation and such. When it comes to tickets, just playing with the different options available on the "Magic Your Way" ticket at Disney, you can really add or subtract to the final cost. Add parkhopper, and it jumps, take it off, and down it comes. Add the water parks and Disney Quest, and see how much it goes up. Get a 6 day ticket, and compare the difference with the 5 day or 7 day ticket. I know it sounds funny, but I usually end up getting great deals, that's how I go often. I compare pricing.

So far, I haven't found anyone with better discounted rates than OrlandoFunTickets.com. When I compared Disney's price for Walt Disney World Ticket's to their tickets, OrlandoFunTickets.com were cheaper! They offer a discounted rate of up to $10 a ticket. They do have shipping, but when it's said and done, if you're buying tickets for 4 people, that's a savings of $30 bucks. On top of that, if you're buying your tickets to Sea World and Universal as well, you're savings will continue to climb. Buy them all together and you'll only pay that one shipping fee. This post was brought to you by OrlandoFunTickets.com.

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 06:43 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

Last night I went to see Harry Potter, and one of the things that really stood out to me is how much the previews have changed at a movie. Now they show you commercials for television shows, for laundry detergent, as well as movies. We saw an ad for All laundry detergent, one for Snuggle fabric softener, and one for Shark Week on Discovery. Coming July 29th...(i think), the deadliest shark attack ever.........the announcer says. Am I watching TV or at a movie theater?

My two tickets, one for myself and my son set us back $19.00...yup, they are up to $9.50 a piece. We usually do a matinee, but even they went up as well. Amazing! 

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 08:51 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy | Comments (3)

Yes folks, I have the ultimate sleeping machine. You thought my dogs slept a lot, well, the cat puts the dog's sleeping record to shame. He is...the Ultimate Sleeping Machine! 

Posted by Deb of Surviving NJ blog at 09:47 AM | Permalink| Disclosure Policy

Have you ever taken an online class? I'm not talking about college courses for a degree, but a class to learn something new or fun? I've taken a class or two through Ba