A Good Night's Sleep

Getting a good night's sleep is very important to how I feel for the whole day. To me the most important thing that contributes to a good sleep is the mattress.

I never knew how good a mattress could feel until I slept on a foam mattress. Sleeping on memory foam mattresses is like sleeping on a cloud. When I sleep on one I don't wake up with a sore hip or back or shoulder like I often do on a regular mattress.

Classic Sleep Products makes affordable memory foam mattresses that are great quality, the same high quality as sold in some high end retail stores. Check out the luxury and comfort for yourself.

It's Over

It's Sunday evening and the long holiday weekend is drawing to a close. I had my last turkey sandwich today and my husband put up the Christmas lights so I feel like the tradition is complete. The holiday season is now in full swing and we are headed full steam towards Christmas. I hope your holiday was as enjoyable as mine was and that your holiday season is everything that you want it to be.

Buying Used

My husband and I have joined the ranks of those who believe in buying used cars. We have been able to get exactly what we want in a car and save thousands while doing it simply by purchasing it used.

With the way the economy is, people still need to buy cars but more and more are choosing to look at pre-owned ones. Drive Time has started a new website devoted to making it easier to find used cars in the Phoenix area. They also specialize in helping people with credit problems get a car. Having a car is such a necessity it's good to know that places like Drive Time can help you buy one.

Dark Chocolate Gifts

What could be a better gift than chocolate? Nothing as far as I am concerned. It is appropriate for any occasion whether it be a birthday, anniversary or holiday. Give the gift of chocolate for the holidays and you can be sure that it will not be returned or regifted. It will probably be consumed as soon as it is opened.

I am particularly fond of dark chocolate. Luckily, it is considered to be the healthiest form of chocolate. The darker it is the more health benefits it possesses. To make it even better, buy it from Intentional Chocolate and it will be infused with good intentions by advanced meditators. They even have meditators who have studied with the Dalai Lama.

The company has returned to the ancient belief that food nourishes both the body and spirit. They believe that the intentions of those preparing the food can have an impact on the persons consuming it. Intentional Chocolate's goal is to bring a better quality of life to its customers. This philosophy is also reflected in the way that they conduct business.

Be sure to check them out when you are doing your holiday shopping. And if you give me a box of Chocolate Truffles of Love from Intentional Chocolate and I will be your friend forever.

Did You Shop?

It is the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday to many. Did you spend the day shopping? The local news showed film of people who started camping out in front of some stores at midnight Wednesday. That is way more dedication that I am willing to invest for a bargain! I prefer to spend my Thanksgiving day at home eating turkey and enjoying the day. Heck, I didn't even go out today. Shopping in a crowd is not my thing, I prefer to shop online in my pajamas.

Safety First

I think one of the first things new parents do when their child starts to crawl is invest in baby gates and child safety locks. The amount of dangers inherent in a typical home is staggering. Fortunately there is a lot of help available on the internet on sites like the KidSafe Blog to help parents find the dangers lurking in their house.

There are many manufacturers of quality baby proofing items. You could spends hours traveling from store to store to find them or you can go visit a site like KidSafe that has everything in one place for you. However you go about it, educate yourself on the dangers and the wide variety of products that can help you avert a disaster.

Shopping for my Dogs

I don't have children but I do have dogs. As far as I'm concerned they are my babies. Especially my new little princess, Bella. I love shopping for them and buying them special things like new pet beds to pamper them. I like to browse sites like Pet Bed Warehouse to check out the new offerings. They have a great selection and the prices are very reasonable. Zack loves a bed with sides so that he can rest his head and Bella is a cuddler while Lola likes a flat bed. They have pet beds to please all of them. Check them out of you are shopping for beds.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that you enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving today. We are having a quiet one at home which is exactly the way we like it. I have everything lined up to prepare all of our favorite goodies. The dogs will enjoy their portion of the turkey as well. Have fun and don't eat too much, you've got to be ready to shop tomorrow!

Time to Shop

It's Thanksgiving week and it is time to get serious about holiday shopping. If you are like me you not only need to buy Christmas gifts, you need to buy a party dress or two for yourself. My current favorite shopping spot on the web is ShopWikki.com. They not only pull in selections for every retailer, not just the ones who pay to be promoted, they have some great style guides. I can keep on top of what's in fashion this winter without having to hit the stores in person. I can check out the trends in everything from women's suites and work clothes to women's casual styles just by visiting the site.

So Many Good Speakers

I have been hearing so many good things about various conferences from my twitter friends lately that I have the bug to attend one. You can get a lot from the internet but there is nothing like attending a conference with good motivational speakers and hearing them in person.

There are a lot of celebrity speakers on the circuit now and I would love the opportunity to hear a few of them. Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal are just a couple of the ones that I think would be awesome speakers.

Maybe if I start attending some conferences I can get some speaking tips to use when I have to make a presentation. Does that sound like a good enough excuse to convince my husband I need to go?

Almost Thanksgiving

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is this week. I am totally unprepared. I'll be lucky to find a turkey less than 15 pounds anywhere, the small ones go first. It is only going to be the two of us, which is fine with me, but we still both expect a traditional meal. At least we have dogs to help us with the turkey. It will be Bella's first taste of turkey, I'm sure she'll love it. She had her first bite of steak tonight, it was love at first bite.

Sauna Bliss

For my friends shopping for Saunas this Christmas, be sure to check out Central North Saunas. If you are unfamiliar with infrared saunas you are missing a real treat. Be sure to give one a try.

Vacation Rentals Like Second Home

Vacationing here on the emerald coast of Florida is very popular, especially for people from the southeast. What many people who are new to the area find surprising is that there are not many hotels. Most vacationers here stay in vacation rental homes.

If you're coming to the Destin area you can choose from rental homes on the gulf or go for one on a golf course if that's your game. You can tailor your stay to focus on exactly what you enjoy doing.

When we lived in south Florida, Naples was our favorite beach getaway. We had a couple of rental condos that we always stayed at. They felt like a second home.

Puppy Love

Bella, a 9 week old Bichon Frise joined our family this weekend. She weighs 3 1/2 pounds, so much smaller than I'm used to. She is so cute I can't seem to keep my eyes off of her. Her big brother and sister aren't quiet sure what to make of her yet but they're coming around. She's a little ball of lightening streaking around the house and fun to watch. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about her.

It's Diesel for My Guy

I just found out that Diesel makes underwear. I love their clothes, jeans and even their accessories so I shouldn't be surprised that I like the underwear that they came out with.

They make lines for both men and women but it's the men's line that caught my eye for my holiday shopping list. I saw some awesome boxers and tees that I can't wait to buy for my husband. They are going to make perfect stocking stuffers for Christmas.

The women's underwear looks great. I love all of the colors and prints. After I finish my Christmas shopping I plan on checking some out for myself.

Christmas Gifts for All

I mentioned earlier that I have started my Christmas shopping in earnest. I am not a last minute type of person when it comes to shopping for the holidays. I like to know that everything is covered.

I found a fun site called EverythingButFlowers that is solving one of my problems. I have relatives in Australia now and I don't want them to have to pay the fees involved if I ship Christmas Gifts directly to them. I can order from this company and the problem is solved. They have a wide variety of gifts and I'm sure that I will be able to find the perfect thing.

Got the Puppy Fever

I have the bug to get a new puppy. Amazingly enough my husband has agreed. This time I want a small one that I can actually hold. The two I have now are each 100 pounds so they aren't exactly lap dogs. My only conflict is what to adopt. My first choice would be a Bichon but I also would like to adopt a rescue. Maybe I can find a rescue Bichon that needs a new home.

Vacation Rental Planning

Before I moved to Florida I was not aware of what a good deal a vacation rental could be. When I used to plan a vacation I immediately thought of staying at a hotel. Once I moved to south Florida, I started noticing all of the Ft. Lauderdale vacation rental condos and houses available.

That made me curious and I set out to learn about rentals and all of the advantages to them. Instead of just having one room you can have a whole house or apartment with all of the amenities and comforts of home. It gives you room for the family to spread out and not be underneath each others feet. It is more private. There is also the advantage of being able to save money by preparing some of your own meals. In my opinion vacationing in a rental lends itself to a more relaxing get away.

Now that I have moved to the panhandle I have noticed that they are the primary venue for vacationing in the area. A Destin area vacation rental is how most people spend their time here. If you are looking for a vacation spot, there are some great deals available now. Come on down.

And It Begins

I officially started my holiday shopping today. I'm getting a late start this year but I will get it all done.

I found out that my niece loves Down East Clothes so I went to the site to check it out. They have some very pretty styles available. I don't know how I have missed noticing them before this. The best part is that they have clothing for everyone, not just teens. You can find designs for men, maternity, women and plus sizes. They supply things from modest clothing to more trendy designs. I think I may be tempted to do a little shopping for my own holiday wardrobe while I'm there.

Lucky Again

It was a real surprise to find out that a hurricane was threatening the gulf coast over the weekend. Fortunately, we were lucky and weather conditions worked in our favor to downgrade the storm. All we received were lots of rain and some gusty winds. We get fairly complacent here once October is over. I guess this was a little wake up call.

A Cool Breeze

I love this time of year when the weather cools off a little. My favorite thing is to open the windows and turn on the ceiling fans. The house smells and feels so much better with all of the fresh air.

I need a new fixture for the eating area in the kitchen and I am thinking about a ceiling fan instead of just a light fixture. I don't know why I didn't install a fan to begin with when we first moved in, I guess I was not thinking beyond what was already installed there.

I have seen some very pretty Casablanca fans on the Hansen Wholesale Ceiling Fans site. The problem is going to be deciding which one I want since there are so many to choose from. I love shopping in the internet, it makes things so easy, there's no driving all over town to find a good selection.

How Did We Do Without It?

How did we ever get anything done before we had computers? If you needed to hire a new lawn service or get the carpets cleaned the only place you had to look was the yellow pages.

Say you were out of town in Atlanta, GA and wanted to find a restaurant. All you could do was read the ads in the phone book. That seems so archaic now that I am used to the internet.

There are sites like JustClickLocal.com that can offer you all kinds of information on local businesses from Buffalo, NY to St. Louis, MO. You can go online and have as much information on a service as the locals do.

Finally Home

I am home and hopefully I have put Memphis behind me for the last time. The estate sale is lined up for the first weekend in December. The real estate person is read to go as soon as the house is cleaned out. There shouldn't be any need for me to return for either the estate sale or the sale of the house. After spending six weeks there I can truthfully say I will not miss anything about it. I am glad to be home!