I HATE SEARS

2009-05-19T11:58:00.001-04:00

Stress Free Zones.

For Stress-Free zones, I just leave the building! It is actually the building and customers that is cause me stress.

Round 6, Health & Wellness

2009-05-19T11:41:00.002-04:00

Round 6 – Stress Therapy

I really am enjoying this challenge! Thanks to everyone helping me. J

The 2 choices I made were easy for me.

I printed out Yoga exercises that I can do at my desk. Some are hard, but I like the ones for my neck and shoulders. I am even doing those at home because they make me feel so much better!

Aromatherapy has always been helpful to me. I like to burn candles at home, and I choose sents that are relaxings. I like lavender, vanilla, and sandlewood when I come home from work. On the weekends when I need some help with housecleaning and doing chores, I use Lemon and Oranges. I also use perfume to help me with my days. Clinque Happy is definitely a mood lifter for me. I also use bath & body work body lotions to make me feel better about myself.

Round 5, Health & Wellness Challenge

2009-05-11T15:38:00.000-04:00

For This Challenge, I could perform all the activities.

The ones I want to write about are here.

Change my home situation. I need to do something in the house every day. I find that I try to do everything all at once, and this is just not possible. I am trying to do a little bit at a time, and not create more stress for myself. Also, not being such a perfectionist. I need to relax more, and not be so critical of myself, - living as myself. Hope this makes sense.

I made a vow to walk my treadmill 30 minutes a day. Spark People has given me some wonderful tools for me to keep track of my progress.

15 Small things that give me pleasure:

Well, I could only think of 6. LOL.
I need to get out more.

1. Pray
2. Read
3. Snuggling with Allie & Rusty
4. Eating a salad with Dinner.
5. Clean Sheets
6. Playing my Internet Games.

I'll add more to my list if I can think of them.

I am greatful each morning & night for my Faith. My Living God is taking care of me and blessing us. My Home, My Health.

Trying to get out of my rut by doing some nice things every once in awhile for myself! Or with Allie. I need more fun.

I want to try Yoga, and have looked at the stretching exercies that are listed on Spark People.
I also want to try the Walking Meditation that I just learned about.

Round 4 - Stress

2009-05-01T15:15:00.003-04:00

Take action now to reduce and manage your stress. Stabilize the amount of changes in your life and avoid unnecessary stress. Evaluate how you communicate, manage your commitments, and prioritize your time. Make stress-reducing lifestyle choices a priority: seek therapy or exercise.

I took the test for my stress level - As the notice says, I have a high stress level.

I will try to walk as much as I can. I am also trying to change my lifestyle a little bit at a time. My work at home helps me. If I try to do at least one chore or little responsibility a day, I feel like I am accomplishing something.

2009-05-01T15:08:00.001-04:00

I just finished the round 3 for the first section.

I read the article on Caffeine. Although, I still need to drink decafe.

I also went to the nutrition data.com. I calculated the bmi & daily needs calendar for my body. That was very interesting, because I am very interested in vitamins and taking the correct amount. I will compare the amount on the page I printed out to the amount on my vitamin bottles

2009-05-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Round 1:

I am trying not to eat after 8pm. This is hard for me on Monday’s since I work to 9PM. I am trying to eat a small snack on Monday’s instead

Of a big meal! No more hot dogs or sandwiches. I’ll try for a small soup or toast.

I’ve also made a new breakfast for myself: I remember cottage cheese being a protein. In shopping, I buy the small snack size cottage cheese

Containers. I put the cottage cheese on toast or ½ of English muffin. On top of the cottage cheese I put a small drop of sugar free strawberry jelly.

This tastes really good!

I got the idea from the cottage cheese doublers that I sometimes bought in the supermarket. J

I also will watch the viedo “Super Size Me” this weekend. I’ve heard a lot about this video.

2009-05-01T14:55:00.000-04:00

Round 2:

Activity 1

Trying new Garden Veggie Burgers. They are delicious. I’ve had them a few times because Allison, My daughter, wants to be more vegetarian.

The BOCA brand is very good. Amy’s brand of Vegetable Lasagna is delicious.

Also Trying new wheat breaded chicken nuggets. Also delicious. Less fat and more fiber!

Activity 4

Healthy snack food:

Instead of eating cookies, I’ve been buying Carnation Instant Breakfast, sugar free. I will mix this with milk if I am hungry, and It works great.

It fill me up and I’m not hungry any more.

Activity 7

I Need to Drink more water! I hardly drink any. I think it will help me with my headaches. I heard if a person is dehydrated, headaches will result.

Also, you wash your body out.

Thanks.

CONSUMER BEWARE: Do Not Go To Sears Stores.

2008-08-06T07:35:00.002-04:00

I called Sears for service on my air conditioner. I also called another company who responded faster than Sears. When Sears got to my home, they saw the other company truck. I opened my home to the service man (and also sales representative who tagged along) to come in and give me an estimate. The salesman was so upset he walked away not letting the service rep. look at my a/c.

Consequestnly, I am being billed 170.13 for their time to come out to my home and do nothing. I have argued and asked for help from ALL the Sears departments, but they are useless. I was treated like a criminal, called a liar, and I was put into collections without having a bill or invoice to pay. Some nice company. I thought Sears was a good company, but NO LONGER. It\'s a good thing I work in a community center, so I can discourage anyone to use Sears.

In the long run, it was a good thing I bought from the other company, 1 Hours Heating and Air Conditioning. This company even g
ave us free use of 2 window units for us to use until they could install my new air conditioning. I will NEVER go into another Sears store as long as I live. This may also include KMart since they are affliated with Sears.
Damage Resulting = My excellent credit rating may have been damaged due to this poorly run company. Now that I have complaints about Sears, I have learned all these little rules that they have, which I was never told in advance.

I will do all that I can to spread the word of this horrible, horrible company.

Wrapping Up

2008-05-15T15:53:00.006-04:00

I really enjoyed this whole Challenge. I will be sad not to have new things to blog about. Even though I was frustrated with some things we learned, all in all, I was happy to learn about new things. I hope that we will have new challenges. I'm looking forward to Web 3.0. Thank you for this challenge. It was a pleasant diversion from work! It really brought us together as a team!

Flickr was a great experience for me. I have a digital camera, but had no idea how to use it or what to do with my pictures. I showed my daughter, and she took over my account right away! Now all her friends are looking at her photos and they are having fun. Before she just used her My Space. As an aside note: she showed me her My Space album. This is one more thing we can share as a family! :)

Library Thing was one of the best things of the challenge for me. I think I am a highly organized person, and making a list of my favorite books was on my "to do" list for my old age. I have over 200 books on my list now! I did have to join the site as I have too many books for the free site. It's ok. I only have to pay once.

I loved YouTube. I was already a YouTube addict. I really enjoyed seeing what other people liked and posted on their blogs. You can really learn alot of your co-workers by seeing what they YouTube about!

Also, I will love NJ Listen, and ebooks. My new mp3 player will allow me to listen to books on tape in a new way. I am still using my cd player at home. How old fashioned am I?

I think the thing I least liked was del.icio.us. I may like it in the future. I may have to work with it more.

Thanks again for the challenge. :)

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:-j-fRjGCGhdP7M:http://stampinmama.typepad.com/stampin

Playing in the Sandbox

2008-05-15T15:37:00.012-04:00

Hi. I did like the sandbox. It was fun. It was like writing graffiti on a blank wall. Or writing on a chalkbox. I liked reading what everyone else wrote. I also added my name to the link list. I had to try this twice because I was not bringing down the html box. I also learned to cancel the history of my edits. (This makes it look as if I only posted once!)

NJ Listen - ebook (part 2)

2008-05-13T15:26:00.009-04:00

Yay! I was able to listen to the first section of Pride and Prejudice from NJ Listen. Freda was so kind to bring in her laptop to work on this project. We spent 1 hour downloading the updates and exploring windows media player. It was a good feeling to get this thing to work. We were so happy when the author's voice came over the speakers! Thank you Freda for taking so much time out of your busy day to work on this!

NJ Listen Library

2008-05-10T12:26:00.005-04:00

I think I will use this all the time with my new MP3 Player! It was easy to use. I found a book that I wanted to listen to. Artemis Fowl. I tried to download, but since I was not using the pc plus, I could not listen to it. That's ok. I will try it at home. I was also suprised to find out that my library card could not be used because I have reached the limit of my check-outs! That's a cool feature. I needed to look up my daughter's library card number to check-out the book. NJ Listen says I have 10 days with my item. I can't wait. :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl Series, Book 1
by Eoin Colfer Checked out on:
Expires on: May 10, 2008
May 20, 2008
OverDrive Audio Book (91939 kb)
Click here to download the software needed to use this OverDrive Audio Book title.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Odeo Podcast

2008-05-10T10:19:00.009-04:00

I liked this site better than ipodcast. I found what I wanted very easily. I was also able to obtain the code without adding any other software to my computer.
I will definately go back to this site. I like the look of the player and also the site categories.

This part of the challenge was fun and I may use this on my MP3 player. Thanks!

2008-05-07T12:43:00.004-04:00

Podcasts.

I was interested in this podcast:

Religious Podcasts.

*After picking the podcasts that I was interested in, I had some technical difficulity. It seems that the computers need a plug and play audio. I'll have to try this at home. Our pc's from work do not let me listen to what I would like.

2008-05-07T10:32:00.004-04:00

Zeldagreat free widgetsWidgetbox

To play this classic game, please use the ARROW keys.

I'm YouTube Crazy.

2008-05-05T22:45:00.005-04:00

I really enjoyed this part of the blog. I go to YouTube at least once a day.

The reason I put the wind chimes in a seperate entry is because I did not want it to get lost in a playlist. The visitors to this blog may not see it after Linkin Park. I know that alot of people do not like to listen to that kind of music. So, I made 2 choices for people to listen to! I hope you don't mind. :)

Wind Chimes from YouTube

2008-05-05T22:42:00.002-04:00

In The End by Linkin Park

2008-05-05T20:13:00.004-04:00

I love this song. Some of the words have true meaning to me.
In The End lyrics

(It starts with)
One thing / I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind / I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It’s so unreal
Didn’t look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on / but didn’t even know
Wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
One thing / I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind / I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I’m surprised it got so (far)
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter

YouTube Classic

2008-05-05T20:00:00.012-04:00

One of the classic YouTubes!

The Pink Towel. Hope you like it.

Sponge Bob Soulja Boy!

web awards 2.0 widgets & pandora

2008-05-01T16:27:00.004-04:00

I really liked Pandora. I love music and I am always looking for new groups/bands to listen to. As soon as I put a category "suave" in, I had many choices and lots of new artists. The sound was clear and I think I will use this at home. I am always on youtube, and have at least 200 songs in my playlist. I hope this will help me find new materials.

If you know of any other sites like this, please let me know. :)

On Web 2.0 awards: I looked up widgets. I could not find any that I liked to put on my blog. I love those little things. I think they make the blogs look cool. :)

google docs and zoho

2008-04-30T16:46:00.005-04:00

I did like zoho. I found I probably could use the organizer on that site. I had a little trouble with google docs as I needed to wait for a new version of adobe to download to use it. I thought I was having trouble with the site, but after about 20minutes I was able to get into google docs. I'm glad I was using a staff computer because I don't want to junk up my home pc too much. lol. :)

All in all, I think I will use the purchased software that comes with my pc. I don't like putting all my work information on a public forum. It would be good in a group project, such as my daughters earth day reports and notes.

Thing 9 "finding feeds". Discovery exercise

2008-04-30T14:49:00.006-04:00

Well, I hope I have this right this time. I did like bloglines. It was easy to find the feeds I was interested in.
The most easiest for me was to look at a web site and add the orange block Rss box. It automatically added this block to my blog, or I had to cut and paste the link code to my blog. In other instances, I had to add my blog address to the rss box. Both steps were very simple. Technorati was not to my liking. It took up too much of my time. I subscribed to 10 or more feeds in my bloglines. I also subscribed on my own to people, pogo, and entertainment weekly. If I find a website that I like, I will click on the orange box. Topixnet was a hugh site. It seemed a little overwhelming. I also looked at syndic8.com. I did not like the look of this site at all. I did not want to waste my time here at work looking through this site. Some sites have good eye appeal. This one did not.

thing 9

2008-04-23T16:57:00.004-04:00

I thought I had posted about thing 9 already, when I wrote about technoroti, but since I got an email saying I needed to blog more about this, I will.
If you look at the bottom of this blog, I have subscribed to People weekly, Pogo.com, and Entertainment weekly. I hope I have fulfilled my requirement for this thing.

Blogline account. #8

2008-04-23T16:34:00.004-04:00

I liked bloglines. I don't think I will use this on a daily basis for myself. I subscribed to: My MeeVee Today, Stargate Sg1, Stargate Atlantis, USA Today, SF in the news, Prophecy News Watch, Prophecy News, End Times Prophecy, In Jesus, SF weekly, abut Sci-Fi, and youtube top viewed. I hope I have enough to qualify for the MP3 player. I might go back to see what is updated on these blogs, but for now I have most of the information bookmarked as favorites on my aol account. Thanks for showing me a new way to see all my favorites. For some reason, I do not like the format of a newsfeed.

Wiki

2008-04-22T19:25:00.003-04:00

I've worked with wiki before. I like it up to a point. I don't like the fact that anyone can edit or change info. My daughter is not allowed to use Wiki's in any report or paperwork in school. As in obtaining any information, you should always check your sources and double check the information.

Library 2.0

2008-04-17T11:16:00.003-04:00

Well, This section was a little hard for me. I guess I am all blogged out! :)
My mind kept wandering. I really can't give a good answer on this now.

I can see one future of the library, I am observing the library as just being a community center. More and more I see people who are underprivileged and using our free services. Most people are buying their books these days. There is so much information to people on their own. The library has become a place for entertainment only. The serious minded student does not come here for information. I have experienced this myself because many of the classics are not on the shelves. The classics can be found on the ebooks and net library, but who needs to come to the library for that?

Technorati

2008-04-15T13:48:00.004-04:00

Went to Technorati today. Again, I'm not sure I will use this after the challenge. I don't have much time on the computer, so I don't think I will search other blogs. If I am looking for information, I will use the official sites.

Del.icio.us

2008-04-15T10:48:00.004-04:00

I looked around at this site, and found it a little confusing. It made a little more sense to me when I registered for my own account. I really don't think I will use this very much. There is alot to look through, and I don't think It will be a time saver for me. If I were in a group or a college learning environment, it would be helpful for all of us to be on the same page. I will still keep my account on delicious, but I will probably not use it.

I really like LibraryThing and Spout.com

2008-04-15T07:26:00.007-04:00

I started to make a list of my books last week. I liked this site so much that I paid a lifetime membership to it! It as really helped me to organize my books that I love. I don't want to forget the authors or titles, so this is a great site.

In doing this, I thought there might be a site to do this for dvd's and movies. I found one called Spout.com This site does for movies, what LibraryThing does for books!

I like blogger again!

2008-04-09T09:41:00.003-04:00

Yay! Blogger fixed my problem. :)

Having alot of trouble with blogger.

2008-04-09T00:10:00.003-04:00

I am trying to edit the cute little sun in my header. I added a gif from my photobucket account. As you can see, this was not a good idea. (look what happened). So, I have been trying to remove the image. In looking all through the help menu's I find that this problem is a know bug/issue. So far all the tips I've tried do not help.

World Cat

2008-04-08T22:54:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure I'm ever going to use this site. Working in a library, I want access to the books I can get right now. I do see the wisdom of searching for this to help patrons locate the ILL lending library. With so many ILL's being sent to our Library, it may help to receive the book much quicker.

Net Library

2008-04-08T22:41:00.003-04:00

I have used NetLibrary only very briefly. I had an account from many years ago when this technology was first presented. I was suprised to find my account still active!
I searched "The Lost Books of the Bible". Quite a few choices came up for me to read. I liked this service, but I still would rather sit with a book and read comfortably.

Comments about Technology

2008-04-08T12:48:00.004-04:00

I am enjoying my technology lessons through this challenge. I think about how we have become so reliant on the machines. Our world is so complex now with this sharing of information. I am only middle age, but I have seen so many changes in my world alone. Image what our oldest generation must think about all of this!

My Strength and Weakness - 71/2 comments.

2008-04-07T17:56:00.004-04:00

I know I have alot of strengths. I have been through so much in my life that it would impossible for me not to grow. Watching my soulmate and husband suffer from cancer, and lose the battle, was the most dark difficult valley I had ever been through. I am honest and I have learned to put others before myself. I also think I have learned the secret as to why I am here on this earth. That is a big strength for me. It is good to go through life with meaning and understanding. My mind is clear and focused now and I know that whatever my future holds, I WILL be taken care of. I am not afraid anymore.

My weakness is that I suffer from "what if's" I know I can't go back and change the past. I go on about how I could have done things differently. I am always blaming myself for not being able to heal Richard, or have God heal him from my prayers. So I look at each situation and try to learn from it. So maybe this is a strength too. I am trying not to focus on any weakness, because dwelling about the things lacking is not good for the soul.

2008-04-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

This is Jackson Library's favorite spot! :)

Need a Stress Buster? Play Poppit!

2008-03-27T20:37:00.001-04:00

Comments on Flickr and Photobucket.

2008-03-25T20:43:00.004-04:00

I really liked working with Photobucket. I found the pictures and instructions very easy to use. Flickr was a little bit difficult for me. There was alot of software incompatibility, at least for me! But I did enjoy the challenge. Thanks to everyone who helped me and kept me sane. :)

2008-03-17T23:23:00.002-04:00

From Photobucket.

Starlight by Muse

2008-03-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

2008-03-11T12:55:00.001-04:00

I will use this blog to help with the Jackson Sunshine Club.

I will also use this blog to help me organize the books I am reading, and the movies I want to watch. This is serious business! I have so many interests and so many lists of books, movies, videos, and series.