I Love Shopping for Babies

I think the best part of a friend or someone in the family having a baby is getting to shop for them. Well, maybe next to holding them and smelling that sweet baby smell. But I do really like shopping for them.

My niece's baby has a birthday coming up and I am having fun shopping for her. I already have my eye on the new jellycat "Who's on the Farm" soft book. Books are one of my favorite things to give. I also saw a toddler hoodie by Barefoot Dreams that is going to be adorable on her. It looks very warm and snuggly. Of course, she needs something to go with it so I've spotted an Appaman skirt that is perfect. I can't wait to dress her up in everything.

A Different Kind of Shopping

We all know that I am known for shopping. Whenever a friend or family needs something a little beyond the ordinary they usually ask me to help them shop for it. My assignment right now is helping a friend find algebra help for her daughter. Specifically she needs algebra 2 help.

There are great tutoring sites online now to help with math answers and math problems. You no longer are stuck with trying to find a local tutor and trying to work on their schedule. You can find help at sites like TutorVista that are available 24 hours a day.

She and her daughter went online and checked out information on help with algebra word problems and math word problems and she liked what she saw. If you need help with algebra or any math for K-12 or college tutoring be sure to check out online tutors.

We Survived, On to the Next

We survived the Christmas holiday with only a few minor skirmishes among all the dogs and none among the people. If you knew my husband's family, you would know that that is a big accomplishment. LOL His kids really know how to push each others buttons when they want to. You would think that would not be an issue now that they are grown but I think it got worse as they grew older, not better.

We are planning a quiet New Year's celebration at home, just the two of us. Well, the two of us and our three dogs. And that is exactly the way we like it. Happy New Year.

Moving into the 21st Century

I know that I have said before than I live in a small town. Living in a small town means that the local services are not the same as they are in large cities. I used to take things like waste management services being provided as an ignored part of everyday life.

After moving here I quickly learned that services are not automatically available. Let's just say that the waste management provided here was sketchy. Fortunately we are moving into the twenty first century and the county has contracted for a provider who is going to offer all of the services that I have been hoping for.

I can't wait to tell my cousin who lives down under now. He is in the industry and knows all about facilities management Sydney. He loves nothing better than to kid me about living in the sticks. Now I can tell him we have big city services.

A Golden Holiday

I already have my Christmas present from my parents. When I was at their home helping them move they gave me a gold Canadian maple leaf coin.

They have always hedged their investments in the stock market by owning gold coins. It is the one form of investment that is totally portable and gladly accepted all over the world. Besides being a solid investment, gold coins make beautiful jewelry as well. My mother has always worn a gold Krugerrand set as a pendant. I have already had my gold coin set as a pendant as well. What could be better than an investment that you can wear?

This Friday

Christmas is this Friday. THIS Friday. As usual I am not as prepared and I had hoped to be. I guess that I have come to accept the last minute preparations as part of the fun of the holiday. What would Christmas be without a furious bout of baking and wrapping at the last minute??

I hope your holiday is all that you hope it will be. Merry Christmas.

Math Help

How do you feel about math? If you're like me, it's not your best friend. It was my least favorite subject when I was in school.

I wish that we had had the online math help that is available today. If I could have accessed the online math tutoring from TutorVista I might not have struggled as much with the required math courses in college. The have math help for k-12 and can help your kids get ready for back to school or help your college student keep up. Back in my day finding a local tutor to meet with could be difficult. Now you can work with an online math tutor from anywhere, not just local ones.

If cost is an issue, there is excellent free online math tutoring help available. If your child needs it, don't hesitate to access the free online math help. It can make their life so much easier.

Family Far Away

I spoke to my cousin in California last night. It's a shame we are on opposite sides of the country, we are so much alike we seem to do and like the same things.

For example, we both drive and love our Ford SUV's. Mine is an Expedition and her's is a Ford Explorer. No one would think that two girly girls spend their time talking about their trucks but we do. Right now she is looking for a good local Los Angeles auto repair shop to do some work. She was told that she needs to replace the head gasket but she wants a second opinion. See there, I'll bet you never thought you would hear me discussing head gaskets!

Christmas Baking

I am dedicating today to my Christmas baking. I don't bake much during the year but there are some things that everyone here things we can't live without during the holidays. Me included. LOL
Actually, I think it is kind of fun to pull out all of the stuff and spend the day mixing, baking and smelling good things in the air. Right now there is pumpkin bread baking and the smell is divine. This afternoon I will move on to baking the requisite 2 batches of chocolate chip cookies for hubby to call his own. Merry Christmas!

Investing in the New Year

Something about the end of the year and the beginning of a new one always gets me thinking about investing. Maybe it is thinking about the upcoming ordeal of doing my taxes.

I used to be intimidated by stock trading and depended on a traditional broker for everything. After the financial meltdown of the past couple of years I decided that I would rather take it into my own hands and use online trading for my investments. At least this way I feel like I have more control and know more about what is going on. Dealing with an online broker can be very easy and I have come to enjoy handling things this way.

Finished Yet?

I am seriously close to finishing my shopping for the holidays. I have to admit I snagged some good buys and cool gadgets. My family is pretty geeky so everyone wants gadgets.

If you are still shopping I have some suggestions for you. I think the best gift this year is a mini laptop. I think they are so cool. I've had one for about a year and I carry it with me everywhere. The other thing I can't live without is my iPod nano 16gb . If any of the men in your life are directionally challenged check out the Garmin nuvi. If anybody likes to take photos the Nikon D90 is an awesome choice. Not to forget the tv fans, you can buy a Sony lcd television for the big guy or a portable tv for your teen.

Speaking of tv's, I'm hoping that there is a Sony flat panel under the tree for me. Santa, are you listening.

Finishing Up

I usually avoid Christmas shopping on weekends but I broke my rule today and went shopping. Surprisingly it was not very crowded. The weather was cold and rainy and I think it scared all of the cold blooded Floridians into staying at home. I am happy to say that I made a huge dent in my list and I am closing in on being able to say I'm finished.

Translation Is Now Easy

The world has gotten smaller with the internet. Now people who never thought that they would need a translation service find that the do need one. Even with just a few simple blogs I have found myself looking to get things translated on occasion.

Sometimes you need something as simple as a brand translation or a name translation. It has been hard to find a service that is willing to do a job that small. Now there is one who will. Translia is an online service that can provide quick translations for jobs of a few words up to huge jobs consisting of millions of words. They have a large network of native speaking individuals who can provide services in any major language.

Solid Investing

I have said some things here lately about investing and trying to decide which way to go. I don't think that I have mentioned that I am looking at investing in gold.

Gold is the one solid investment that you can hold in your hand and take with you where ever you go. It is happily traded anywhere in the world. With today's market price you can carry a 1 ounce gold American eagle in your pocket and have approximately $1200 with you. Try carrying that amount in paper money in your pocket.

The advantage to investing in gold is that it does not depend on the strength of the economy of the country that issues it. Gold is good anywhere and there is one price for it all over the world.

19 Days

I just realized that there are only 19 days left until Christmas. How can it be that soon? I don't have nearly enough done for the holiday to be that close. The shopping is going to have to go into overdrive this week. I have been busy writing but I guess I need to put it aside and pay attention or this is going to be a sad Christmas.

Mailbox Envy

We have new neighbors down the block little. They just finished building a new house. It's pretty but what caught my eye was their mailbox. It made mine look shabby so I went on an online quest looking for interesting ones.

I found ecco mailboxes and I think I am in love. They don't look like your run of the mill ones. The ecco e4 mailbox line has a nickel plated box that I would love to have.

If they were allowed here I would have an ecco wall mount mailbox. They have a line that is stainless steel with leather inserts. It is so cool looking. The ecco e6 mailbox line is Victorian inspired, I can picture one on a cute little Victorian cottage. For a bigger house I would want a ecco e8 mailbox. They are pillar boxes and very beautiful. There are so many choices it's too bad I can only have one box.

Memories

I grew up in a house full of clocks and grandfather clocks. My father collected them. It is funny how the noise of the ticking and chiming sounds so loud to outsiders but to the people living in the house the sound is barely noticeable. I would often look at a clock to check the time and see that it had chimed the hour only minutes before without my noticing.

I was reading a blog about grandfather clocks and learned that they are sometimes called floor clocks. I had never heard that term even though I grew up with them around, but it makes sense. After all, that is where they sit.

I would love to add a grandfather clock to our home. The sound of ticking and the chiming are very comforting and homey to me. It makes a house feel lived in. If I could buy any clock that I wanted I think it would be the Bulova San Carlos. It has a casual, mission style feel to it that would fit into my home with ease. There is an empty spot in the family room where it would fit perfectly. Maybe I should ask Santa to bring us one this year.

Cold Enough

We got up to a heavy frost and 35 degrees this morning. The high yesterday was 42. I live in Florida for goodness sakes! As far as I'm concerned this is cold enough. If it starts snowing I am going to move further south. I swore I would never live in south Florida again but this weather may change my mind.

Taking Control

I keep seeing a lot of advertisements for online trading and it is very attractive to me. I like the idea of taking control of our investments and not relying on a broker to do everything. In the past we pretty much did whatever our broker recommended as far as stock trading and did not do any research on our own. After the market performance of the recent past I think we can do a better job of looking our for ourselves.

We would not only be more in control of our investments with an online broker but I understand that the fees are less as well. The fees from a traditional brokerage house can really eat into your funds after a while. Definitely something to think about.

A Complete Renovation

The little cottage directly behind my house has new owners and they are doing a complete renovation. It is so exciting to watch it become the cute little coastal cottage that it always had the potential to be. They are adding all of the right touches from window boxes to shingle siding.

The garden window boxes are going in on every window and they add so much charm to the little house. I just wish that it was summer so that I could see them brimming with flowers. She told me she wants the window flower boxes on the sunny side to be filled with lavender lantana. It is going to be beautiful against the yellow paint.

Watching for the Delivery Truck

I am anxiously waiting for the sound of the delivery truck pulling up outside of my house. I ordered a new Coach tote and I can't wait to see it. It's a signature denim tote and I got it for a steal. :) Since I practically live in jeans in the winter it is going to be a fabulous addition to my purse wardrobe...if it ever gets here!

Furniture Envy

I am back from a morning of furniture shopping with my best friend. They recently moved from an apartment into a house and she had lots of rooms to fill. After helping her with her interior design choices and seeing some exciting furniture designs my house is looking pretty shabby to me right now.

We visited several furniture stores for ideas and to get a sense of scale. Now she is going to spend some time online furniture shopping for the best deal. I can't wait to see how it is all going to look. Maybe once my husband sees it he will let me do a little furniture shopping of my own.