The Husband Wants a New Outdoor BBQ

Speaking of new patio furniture, the one thing my husband wants more than anything is a new Gas Grill for the back yard. I want to spend the extra money to build a nice cubby for it with flagstone or tile so we can really tie it into the patio and back yard as a whole. He just wants one. A Big, Shiny, Pretty one that sparkles in the sun. And if it has lights, even better! We saw one at the local hardware shop that had these really nifty blue lights behind the knobs that illuminated the whole front giving it a real out-of-this-world alien look and feel. The husband fell in love.

Boys.

Anyway, I understand his want/need for a new grill. We’ve had this one since the early 2000s and it has seen its better day. It has traveled from Utah to Arizona and lived outside in extreme cold as well as extreme heat. I remember way, way, way back when we first met and all he had was a picnic grill. How the times (and expectations) have changed! Now that we are older, wiser, better at cooking and of course, make more money, I will admit that even I want a new grill. And I want a nice one. I want the side burner and the rotisserie cooker also. If it has the infrared radiant heat also I think I would be secretly happy while the husband bragged about it. I hear the infrared cooks so evenly. I want a grill that’s going to last a few good years, like the last one did. And I might buy the husband one for my graduation.

www.cymaxstores.com

Help Our Troops Until They Can All Come Home

Taste of Home will donate 10¢ to the USO for each unique visit to tasteofhome.com/flagcake from May 26, 2011 to July 4, 2011, up to $100,000.

Photo from Taste of Home

Because of you, Taste of Home is donating 10¢ to the USO. Every dime raised allows a service member to call home free for 2 minutes. Want to do more? Share this recipe with your friends and family.

Summer Time Means New Patio Furniture. Right?

Here we are in the final stretch of June and we finally hit 100° in the scorching desert.  This Wednesday is supposed to be 111°.  Yay.  On one hand that means the summer will not seem to last so long; on the other hand, now that it’s hot, it’s just going to get hotter.  My kids will now spend every waking moment in the pool (as long as there is an adult present – please never leave your kids alone near water). What that means for me is that I need new patio furniture so I’ll be looking at new Patio Sets.  Mine is about seven years old and while still in decent shape, the cushions aren’t as cushiony as they used to be. The furniture I have now has a glass table and four chairs, we well as two lounge chairs with foot stools and a small glass table that goes between.   I’ve been looking at some new sets that have a tile table top and come with a shade umbrella. Those are appealing.

Also appealing are some of the new Wrought Iron Patio Chairs that are really stylish and nice.  Some have cushions and some have a mesh type backing that allows the breeze through. I think those are calling to me. The upside to thick cushions is comfort while the down side is that there is no breeze or air flow so they can be rather hot to sit in for any length of time. The mesh chairs seem to offer the best of both worlds with both comfort and airflow.

Hmm. I think I just made up my mind.

www.cymaxstores.com

Social Media's Impact on Me

Thank you to BING Social Search for sponsoring my post about social media. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I was asked how has social media changed your life in significant ways? I had to really stop and think about it for a minute because really, social media (Twitter and Facebook) is such a part of my life (and probably yours too) that I don’t stop to think about its impact. Like driving a car, it’s just something I do everyday, almost automatically, taking for granted that the car is there and I have fuel to get from point A to point B. Social media is kinda like that. It’s the vehicle I use to keep in touch with contacts, friends and family. It is the medium most used when I want to schedule something with a large group of people and it is the place I go when I’m bored and want to catch up on trends, topics and dare I say it, family drama. I get to be a voyeur and watch the drama unfold, without actually having to participate and let me tell you, with three sisters, three brothers and 29 cousins, there’s always something going on!

Social media has also offered me an opportunity that I may not have had otherwise. I have business opportunities that I might not have had absent social media. Also, I’ll admit it, I’m a homebody. I would rather be at home with my kids and dogs that out doing something social every weekend (don’t get me wrong, I like to go out too, but if I had my choice between staying in and watching a movie or going out to a networking event, I’d probably choose the movie). Social media allows me to interact daily with family in other states; I get to network with people and companies who are not local; I can engage people with different view points and ideas. I don’t feel like I’m out of the loop or disconnected and when there is an event that I cannot make it to, I still feel like I’m included when I read people’s status and whatnot. I am currently a member of a facebook group specific to those of us entering our first year of law school. The information 2nd and 3rd year students have provided has been invaluable and interacting between people is much easier on social networks than in good old fashioned email.

In all, I believe that social media has impacted my life in a significantly positive manner and if the internet died tomorrow, I wouldn’t be the only one having mild panic attacks and anxiety at how in the world I would stay connected and where I would get my information!

Wordless Wednesday

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