Hammocks and The Bahamas

My first cruise vacation was when I was around 10 years old. Two of my Aunts worked for a cruise line called The Big Red Boat (it is no longer in business). Since we lived by Cape Canaveral, it wasn’t much of an expense to go with their discount (I really do miss that).

The cruise was fun, from what I can remember.

We went in to Nassau, which then was really much more chaotic. The ladies that practically attack you after you step off the boat to braid you hair (oh how they wanted to braid mine because it was really long then too), the Straw Market was much more unorganized (the people were still very friendly though), oh and the taxis drove like getaway cars (not sure if they still do). Needless to say, kids under a certain age (and teenagers) were never to step off the boat without adults at this port.

My favorite stop was Key Island I think it was called. It was the cruise’s island (I think) so we could wander around it pretty much okay. One of the biggest memories of it though were all the hammocks tied up against palm trees. I’d never been on one before, so I just had to try it out – and I loved it! The ocean breeze, white sand, palm trees and a fresh white rope hammock. Ah, if only I had been 11 years older I could’ve had a nice umbrella drink to go with that. I’ll try that the next time I go on a cruise, whenever that is.

I played in the water too since it was crystal clear and I saw no sharks or weird fish that would sting or bite me. I probably got a pretty bad sunburn from the trip, but I don’t remember that if I did.

My Mom and Aunts loved the hammock chairs too. They read their books and magazines in there while watching us play in the water and build white sandcastles. My cousin and I would sit in them too, but kids can only stay still for so long in a place like that ya know?

I’ve never actually had a hammock to myself though at home. I’m not sure why, since I really do enjoy them. It is something I will definitely look into purchasing though this summer. I'm not sure where I'd hang it or if I should just get one with a stand though. Outdoor hammocks have really come a long way in style and comfort, so it will surely be hard to pick one – but I’m up for the task!

Do you have any favorite memories from a cruise or vacation? Love hammocks too? I’d love to hear about it!


* This is a sponsored post from OUTDORA.

Photo Tag!

I haven’t been tagged with a meme or anything for awhile, so I was really excited when Brenda (an awesome woman who you should all go check out) tagged me with a photo tag!

Here are the rules:
1. Open your 1st Photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo and the story behind it.
4. Tag 5 or more people.



Wow. This was taken when I was in New Orleans, LA last year for my birthday. I had an amazing time and took MANY pictures. This was one that didn’t end up making it on the Blog and I took it just for fun and while I was probably typing up either a Blog post or writing up one of the reviews I did on Associated Content while also probably drinking a Heinekin (my favorite type of beer) and joking about our local vampire hotel next door to our own hotel.

I really can’t wait to go back to New Orleans. This time I will be prepared with better shoes though, my feet hurt just thinking about it. Those streets are not good for walking, even with semi-comfortable sneakers. I don’t know how the girls in heels did it. They must have been drunk.

I’m Tagging…
1. Wendy – Wendy, you take some beautiful pictures and are awesome so I think you will enjoy this one!
2. TeeTee – You are a fun spirit that also loves photography, so hope to see you participate too.
3. Andhari – You are my long-lost Indonesian twin and have such a fun life and you also love sharing pictures, so I hope you participate too!
4. Carina – I love reading about all of your adventures and opinions on things and really hope you do this tag too!
5. Nickie - One of my best blog friends! I am guessing your picture will involve your car or Florida?
6. Shareen - Another one of my favorite international bloggers. I hope you do this one too!
7. Melanie - You are very cool and I think it’d be interesting to see what picture pops up for you!
8. Everyone I’m too lazy/tired to list that is reading this too that wants to participate. I never know who wants to do these things, so if you see this and want to do it too, go ahead!

The Last Song Giveaway – Winner!

The giveaway for The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks is now officially over. I used randomizer.org to come up with one winner randomly – and the winner is… Kathy!

Congratulations, I hope you enjoy the book. I will contact you right now to get your contact information to send this great book to you.

LSD not LCD!

No, I haven’t taken any LSD if that is what you’re thinking.

However – getting up at 5AM when I am really not a morning person to go take a Psychology exam at 7AM is not fun. Add in the fact I only got a few hours of sleep and well it feels like everything I studied for the past week is jumbled up in my brain.

Some parts of the test were about drugs. I know plenty about drugs. I have a Criminal Justice B.S. and minor in Sociology. I’ve taken 3 courses about drugs at UCF. Anyways…

I think I put LCD instead of LSD on the exam this morning. Stupid mistake if I did and now I’m worrying about it. I mean, that was one section I knew from long-term memory! I really needed to get those questions right ya know?

Hopefully the score will be up soon so I can stop worrying about it. I really shouldn’t be worrying too much though even if I didn’t get an A on this one, I still scored 102, 108 on the previous 2 tests, so I’m good. I just hate not doing well on something I know.

Tomorrow I have an exam in Biology which I’m just not getting. Hopefully I can pull a B, but probably more like a C at this rate. Ugh!

Alexander Skarsgard was in Zoolander!

Zoolander is one of my favorite movies of all time.

I love it. I’ve seen it probably more times than Twilight (yeah, I know...). My ex-bestfriend and ex-roommate and I used to go to the movie theater in our apartment complex and watch it at least every other week, if not once a week. It was a great comedic relief to college and boys.

I remember thinking that blond model was pretty hot, but never really looking into it further – until I was watching it last night and guess who I notice it is?!?



ALEXANDER SKARSGARD!

Yes, yes it is. He was Meekus!

Watch this scene from Zoolander if you don’t remember...



He wasn’t in the movie for very long, he dies in a freak gas explosion at the gas station after drinking orange mocha frappachinos. So sad.

He doesn’t really die though because we all know he comes back to life as Eric Northman on True Blood! Yeah, okay I had to throw that in there… he is so much hotter as a vampire.

Ah, I can’t wait for the next season of True Blood to see (much more of) Alexander Skarsgard. Love saying his name too. So sexy.

Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter to win The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks book I have going on until March 29, 2010!



Good Luck!

Planting with Greenhouses

A few years ago, if you remember, I started planting flowers and tomato plants from seeds. Some of them did really well, and well some didn’t. I used empty egg cartons and other random things and planted the seeds, kept the watered and placed them in the windowsill in rooms with good light around the house.

This year though, I bought a little mobile garden greenhouse that you can start indoors. We even bought grow lights for them.



The seeds we bought are heritage seeds and some old flower seeds as well. Most of them though are vegetables we’re trying to grow and a couple flowers too.

Vegetables: tomato, broccoli, peppers, lettuce, celery, onion, cucumber, okra and basil (not a veggie but w/e)

Flowers: sweet williams, zinnias, sweet peas, and daisies

What I really want one day is to have a big hobby greenhouse that I can setup outside to use year round. I think they are just great and perfect for places where you can’t otherwise have flowers or grow vegetables or fruit year round. Ah.. one day.

For now though, I’m trying to make do with what I’ve got. I think the setup we have now is a good start for the garden we’re trying to get setup for this year. If all goes well, we will have many homegrown vegetables and probably save money on some groceries too. Always a bonus!

The greenhouse accessories that will really be helpful with this though is the grow light and the use of my old aquarium. Without that we wouldn’t really be able to start as many indoors as we are now (too many other stationary plants are in front of windows right now that get the best sun).

I’ll post more once more activity is happening in the garden – but as a sneak peak, I did 12+ hours of yard work last week trying to get the yard back in shape! Talk about being sore for days afterward though… ugh I still feel it.



* This is a sponsored post by OUTDORA.

Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Earth Day is coming up soon, and we should all really be more eco-friendly year-round anyways. So, when I heard about a new Energy saving website from Microst-Hohm, I had to check it out.

I signed up for a FREE account and got started analyzing how energy efficient my home really is. After filling out the basic information (like how old my home is, how old the heater and A/C is), I then had to enter the electric provider we have to estimate energy costs. Well, the one we use wasn’t listed or partnered with them, so I had to enter it manually. Rather annoying, but after getting the last statement it wasn’t that hard to do myself.

After that was finished, I looked at the recommendations listed for our home to save money with our home energy. I was a bit disappointed to see that we’re already doing most of those recommendations. The only ones that I really haven’t done is seal up our windows and doors (which we will be doing soon hopefully) and replace our windows (which we also want to look into doing soon). For the beginner at energy savings though, they do offer very good ideas like replacing your lightbulbs to the CFL or LED ones.

One of the biggest energy wasters is home appliances. I try to get one with the Energy Star seal on it or ones I know won’t be wasting a ton of electricity in use or even when turned off (yes, they still use electricity when off too). The only problem with this is that big appliances are expensive and people really can’t afford to just go out and buy a new one to save energy until their old one breaks. If you do get a new one and your old one works, don’t just toss it in a landfill though – donate it or even sell it. You aren’t helping the environment if you just put perfectly good items into landfills.

Overall I found this website to be quite user-friendly and helpful to those wishing to be more Green and Eco-Friendly. For more info with them and tutorials, check out their YouTube Channel.



* This is a paid post to help make your home more energy efficient by using Microsoft-hohm.com. All opinions expressed are my own and I wasn’t paid to write about it positively.

The Sims 3: High End Loft Stuff

The Sims likes to keep your Sims happy and you from getting bored from the same old things that come with the game (and expansion packs). So, while waiting for a new expansion pack to come out, they often release “stuff packs.”

The first stuff pack for The Sims 3 is High End Loft Stuff and is as you would expect, very modern and “high end.” With this upgrade, you can transform your Sims homes into sleek, edgy apartments and homes. Furnishings are all quite sleek and modern too. The new fashion is modern and sophisticated as well.


Features
• Add high-end furnishings to your Sims bedroom, entertainment room, office and patio.
• Transform your Sims’ homes into cutting-edge spaces with contemporary sofas, sleek coffee tables, and eclectic art.
• Give your Sims coveted electronics including high-tech, ultra-slim TVs, video game systems, stereos, and more.
• Upgrade your Sims’ wardrobes with fashion-forward apparel, tailored suits, and sophisticated outerwear.
• Plus Bonus Anniversary Items! This special 10th Anniversary pack also includes three well-loved items from The Sims and The Sims 2 games: the heart-shaped vibrating bed, the electric guitar, and the aquarium.

My favorite item included in this stuff pack is the large fish aquarium. I was really missing have a fish tank in my home (the little goldfish one wasn’t cutting it), so I was really excited to see this in my Sim’s home. I could even stock it with fish (and even an alligator) that my Sim caught herself. Yeah, pretty cool.

I also really like the new high-tech TV, game system and stereo too. I’m more about fashion though, and really like one of the outfits offered and edited it myself (first one I really wanted to submit to the exchange). Which, you can see here if you like.



One of my favorite new aspects to The Sims 3 is that you can use their Exchange. Which allows users like you and me to upload and download edited items into your game. If you don’t have the style you are downloading in your game already though, it won’t work so you still have to purchase it before the download will work.

Aside from The Exchange offered with The Sims 3, they do have many new sets and items you can purchase singularly from their Store which you can download right into your game. Items from the “stuff packs” and expansions are NOT in the Store, so you will have to purchase those the normal way.

I actually did give in and purchase their fairy and gothic sets from the Store. I’m a sucker for fairies and vampires. Speaking of, I hope they let us be vampires in The Sims 3 one day.

You can go to my studio and checkout and download (please rate up too) clothing, patterns and even me as a Sim. As of right now, my items have been downloaded over 1,000 times. Pretty cool. Kinda weird too though thinking that I’m in people’s games I don’t know. I wonder what they have my Sim do?

If you play The Sims 3 too, go to my page and add me as a friend. I’d love to see what you’ve created as well!


System Requirements:
Requires The Sims 3 or The Sims 3 Collector’s Edition for PC/Mac to play.


* Thank you to the publisher of The Sims 3: High End Loft Stuff, Electronic Arts and Gamers Gate for providing me a digital copy of The Sims 3: High End Loft Stuff and allowing me to review the game.

Funny Period Commercial

Have you seen this funny commercial yet about periods? If not, check it out and laugh long and hard with me…



Oh yes, I actually took the time to watch this commercial one day. I usually fast-forward through commercials – who watches live TV anymore?

I laughed hysterically. I mean, it is so true. Who really feels like running on the beach, dancing in a circle and wearing WHITE spandex when it is that time of the month? Definitely NOT me!

Also, mentioning the blue liquid used in the commercials for pads – LMAO! Yes, we have blue blood people! What? Your blood isn’t blue too? Hmm.

The commercial is an ad for U By Kotex, which after going there I found you can get free samples of their product. Score!


* Disclaimer – I am in no way affiliated with U By Kotex, I just liked their commercial and am hooking you up with free samples.