I was standing outside on the back patio the other day and noticed this on the wall. Today, I saw many more of these little guys around the bushes in the front yard. I’m always so happy to see them, they’re just so much fun to watch!

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We had eaten dinner out on Sunday and I had a very simple grilled chicken sandwich.  Around midnight, I was sick to my stomach, unable to sleep.  I took antacids and eventually fell back asleep sitting up in bed with a cold cloth on my forehead.  I was miserable.

Got my daughter off to school in the morning and worked a short 3 1/2  hour shift for work.  Days like that I’m so thankful I work from home!

Got off work and spent the entire rest of the day laying on the couch or in the bathroom.  I never even had the stamina to take a shower, and I really didn’t care!

So glad I felt better today. 

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Did you know that the month of May is National Mobility Awareness Month?

The whole purpose of National Mobility Awareness Month is to increase awareness of the fact that in the United States and Canada, over 18  million people have mobility issues, many are veterans.  In fact, in the U.S. alone, people with disabilities make up the 2nd largest minority; that’s a staggering fact!

NMEDA, The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, is sponsor of National Mobility Awareness Month, wants to hear stories of local heroes.  These stories can be about anyone, a family member, a friend, a co-worker, anyone who is dealing with mobility challenges.  Submitted stories will be showcased by both local and national media and may be voted on by friends, family and peers.  Winners will receive one of 3 custom wheelchair accessible vehicles.

There are many manufacturers, dealers and other professionals who are dedicated to improving the lives of those suffering from mobility issues.  Other sponsors include BraunAbility, Bruno Independent Living Aids, VMI//Vantage Mobility International, Toyota, Chrysler and SanTan Honda Superstore (Chandler, AZ).

Please submit a story of someone you know who deserves the opportunity to win and live an active, mobile lifestyle!

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Spring is my favorite time of year and one of the biggest reasons is that I truly enjoy seeing all the flowers in bloom.  When we lived in the Chicago area I had planted bulbs outside and every spring, sometimes while there was still snow on the ground, I would see those flowers pushing their way up out of the ground.  It was always a sign of hope for me after what always seemed long a very long, cold winter.

I don’t have bulbs planted in the ground here in Texas, I just haven’t gotten around to planting them.  That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them though.  In fact, because tulips are my all time favorite flower, I’ve opted to have  potted bulbs in containers that I can have indoors this year.  I can choose to transfer the bulbs outdoors later, or I might decide to continue cultivating them in pots.  It gets so hot here and we are under watering restrictions so I’m not currently allowed to run our automatic sprinkler system.  Keeping the pots indoors helps me remember to keep them watered, thus I get to enjoy the flowers!

I also enjoy giving potted bulbs as gifts, particularly at the holidays.  I gave my mom a potted amaryllis years ago and she still has it!  I am amazed every year when it blooms, it seriously is the gift that has kept on giving.

Bulbs are so easy to take care of, once they’re in soil, you just have to remember to water once in a while (by biggest challenge!) and before you know it, you’ll have beautiful flowers for your viewing pleasure.  You can purchase bulbs anywhere from home improvement stores to grocery stores to flower shops.  Of course, my favorites are the ones that come from Skagit Valley in Washington State.  If you ever get the opportunity to visit, the Tulip Festival there takes place every spring with acres upon acres of blooming bulbs.  It is a beautiful sight to see, especially with Mt. Baker in the background.

Remember, Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  You can give potted bulbs as a gift your mom will enjoy for years!

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If you are a homeowner, you know that there are times when things can feel overwhelming.  I myself am experiencing this feeling right now because we have a roof leak cause by hail damage to our roof and I am freaking out over the potential repair costs if our insurance isn’t convinced to foot the bill.  I will find out their decision hopefully on Monday, but in the mean time, I want to tell you about the connection between Pfister and Rebuilding Together.

Rebuilding Together is a non-profit organization started over 30 years ago helping low-income homeowners who are in need of major home repairs or modifications.  Pfister is a company in the business of plumbing for almost 100 years who has teamed up with Rebuilding Together to help donate $20,000 worth of Pfister faucets to homes in need all across America.

What does this have to do with you & me?  Well, as freaked out as I am about the potential cost of my roof repair, imagine how I would feel if I had lost my job, or for some other reason, couldn’t afford to pay my deductible.  The weight of that could force me to leave the leak unrepaired which could lead to even bigger problems down the road.  This is what is happening to many home owners across our country.

We can help low income homeowners by visiting and “Liking” the Pfister Facebook page or, if you don’t have Facebook, simply visit the Friends of Pfister campaign site and “opt in” to receive their newsletter.  Doing ei
ther one of these actions will result in $1 being donated to the cause.  It sure doesn’t get any easier than that!  So do one, or both, just do it!

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The weather has definitely changed and Spring has certainly arrived here in North Texas.  In fact, is was so nice out the other day that when I got off work I headed out into the front yard and planted  flowers along our front walk.  Now that’s something I hadn’t done in a couple of years!

While I haven’t actually planted anything in the last couple of years, one thing I vividly remembered was how terrible our soil is.  Seriously, it’s like someone laid down a layer of thick nasty clay and though plants & flowers should be able to grow in it.  Well, I can tell you for sure that nothing willingly grows in this ground!  So, while I was shopping for my flowers, I picked up a bag of Expand ‘n Gro™ planting mix.

Expand ‘n Gro™ is a combination of Miracle-Gro® plant food and coconut coir fiber.  Coconut coir fiber comes from the husk of the coconut so it’s all natural and work wonders to improve the density of our thick clay soil, making it lighter and easier for plant roots to get the air & water they need for healthy growth.  Combine that with Miracle-Gro® plant food and it’s going to give me beautiful healthy flowers that will create a beautiful front walkway, an area that has been so boring because I can’t get anything to grow there!

The facts, Expand ‘n Gro™ will give you up to 3 times the amount of flowers or vegetables that you would get if just planting in your native soil.  It will keep the soil healthy for several years, not just one planting season.  The plant food will feed your plants for up to 6 months and the all natural fibers from the coconut will help retain up to 50% more water than a basic planting soil.  So, less watering, less feeding, and healthy soil now & in the future.  This could possibly be the best thing since the invention of the shovel!

Watch the video for more information and be sure to visit the Expand ‘n Gro™ website for a chance to receive a free sample. 

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I just graduated college and landed this awesome job in Virginia. I was stoked to live on my own for the first time, but my mom was worried for me. I am her baby boy and she has a hard time letting go sometimes; she still carries pictures of me when I was little, in her purse. I told her I would be fine, and after she saw that I was living in a pretty nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors on both sides, I think she felt a little better. I am learning to do a lot of things on my own, though. I called and set up my cable, had my utilities turned on and got a landline installed. My mom told me to look into Wildblue Satellite Internetin Stafford because that is who they use so that made my internet decision easy. Since my phone and internet are set up, my mom is confident that we can stay in touch. Now if I could just get her off my back about getting a security alarm and that I need to come spend my weekends with them, then all would be good.

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I do believe Spring has sprung here in Dallas! U actually snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago, the tree is now almost done blooming and has leaves once again covering its branches. I am very thankful that winter was short and that we are now getting some very much needed rain. At least, we are forecasted to receive rain over the next day or so!

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Imagine how happy I was to discover clipix which allows me to not only save links to websites, but also organize them in such a way that it’s so easy for me to go back to exactly the page I want, without hunting through a bunch of links in a bookmark list.  It does this my letting me put pages on “clipboards”, and it’s so easy to use.

To use clipix simply drag the “clip” button to your tool bar.  That’s it.  Now, whenever you’re surfing the web and you run across any web page that you think you might want to check out again later, click “clip” and a small box will open.  Choose the clipboard you want to put the new page on or create a new one, choose your privacy settings and click Done.  Yep, you’re Done!  You’ve now got  the page stored on an easy to see clipboard with easy one click access to get back to the website you want to re-visit.

Here is a screenshot of the very first clipboard I created after I registered with clipix.

I  love it because I create clipboards for all of my favorite things, softball, quilting, shopping, etc!  No matter what I’m doing online, I can have a clipboard for it.  Plus, I can share clipboards with family, that comes in handy when we try to plan a family get together.  Or, I can create a Syncboard that allows other family member to clip to it with web pages they’ve found.  This is such an easy way for us to share information with each other.

I can even add the iPhone app to my phone so Clipix is with me all the time, even when I’m sitting out at the ball fields for hours on end like I did over the last 3 days!  Honestly, I do recommend clipix to anyone who feels overwhelmed with all the information available on the web.  If you don’t believe me when I say how easy it is to use, just watch this and I think you will agree with me!

Promoted Post

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As I’ve mentioned on this blog numerous times, I have high cholesterol.  I manage my cholesterol through diet and prescription medication.  One of the items in my refrigerator that I probably use more than any other ingredient, is butter.  I have sticks of real butter for use in some recipes, but for the most part, I use butter that comes in a tub.  In other words, it’s not exactly real butter.  But, that’s okay, because it tastes like butter and it’s way lower in fat and all the things that can cause my cholesterol levels to go up.  I started out using a certain brand of tub butter, but recently switched to I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread.  Even my husband noticed the difference and we really like the taste!

Imagine my surprise when I learned about the Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE, presented by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! inviting movie fans to watch the live stream on Facebook, February 26 from 3-4pm (PST).  Celebrities will be dishing about the red carpet fashions plus there will be a culinary expert dishing real yummy foods along with recipes so we can make them at home too.

Speaking of recipes, here’s one I enjoy making because it tastes good and is super quick & easy.

First, cut chicken breasts into cubes.  Do the same thing with veggies like yellow squash, zucchini and bell peppers (use red, green & yellow).  Spray all of the ingredients with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” cooking spray, making everything good and wet.  Toss everything with rosemary and lemon zest.  Put it all onto skewers and pop into the broiler.  Cook until the chicken is cooked through, turning at least once.  After removing from the broiler, spray again lightly with the cooking spray and sprinkle with lemon juice.

I like to serve my kabobs with brown or dirty rice and a side salad.  This is a quick, tasty and low fat meal.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter is giving me a coupon for a FREE tub of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spread and I’m passing that coupon along to one lucky reader.  To win, leave a comment on this post telling me why you will be watching the Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE, presented by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!

All comments must be posted by midnight February 26 (CST) and only 1 comment per person please.  Also, you must have a mailing address in the U.S.A.  Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner!

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