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Intel Acer Iconia W3 8.1″ Tablet #Giveaway : (Ends 10/21)

My friend Colleen from Shibley Smiles is hosting a giveaway for an Intel Acer Iconia W3 8.1″ Tablet! Check out this great geek gadget:

The Acer Iconia W3 Series puts desktop PC productivity in a tablet, so you can work on the go more conveniently than ever. At 8.1″, it is compact enough to hold in one hand, yet sports a screen big enough for comfortable viewing. Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 and sporting 8-hours of battery life, this tablet keeps you in touch and productive while traveling, at work or play. Rounding out this premium mobile-productivity package are Windows 8 and a robust Intel processor.

You have until October 21 to enter this giveaway. You could be the winner, but only if you enter! What are you waiting for? What would you do with it if you won?

Entry -Form

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Where Do You Dream Of Going?

Karen · 1 Comment

I know this has been asked probably a million times before, but if you had the money to go anywhere in the world you wanted to go, either to live forever or to visit, where would it be? Would you stay where you are now? Is where you are now your idea of the perfect place to be? If you chose to move to another country, what things would you check into before you left?

If you had asked me this question twenty years ago, my answer may have been the Grand Canyon. I would have chosen to visit, because I have always thought the Grand Canyon was beautiful. I still do, but now that I have spent five seasons working and living there, I would choose a different place now if I was asked that question. If I were to move to Australia, for example, I would try to find out about their ecomomy, their national parks and their healthcare to start with. I would also check to see if they have any system like Social Security.

Australia has always been a place I have wanted to see. Besides that, I love the accent when people from Australia have when they speak. The pictures I have seen of various places in Australia seem wondrous to me, especially the waterfalls and the canyons. The many of the canyons remind of the ones in the western United States.

The currency exchange rate is not bad, at $1.07 US Dollars to $1.00 Australian dollar. While my money would a little bit farther there it’s not that much better. IN Australia, they have what is called Superannuation. which is sort of like a social security here. The problem with Superannuation is that if you move from one place to another, change jobs, or change your name, part of your Superannuation may be lost. That is not the case with social security here in the US. I find that to be very strange, but I guess with any country the laws and customs are different. At least they do have a website to help with finding lost Superannuation.

What would your destination be?

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Some Things I Miss About Living In Texas

Karen · Leave a Comment

Back in 2002 thru 2005, Fabgrandpa and I lived in south Texas. We were managers of a large winter Texan RV resort. I miss living and working there because there was so much to do.

Of course, as the office manager, I had to work a forty hour week, which I don’t miss much, but oh, after work there were so many activities scheduled. All of our guests who stayed through the winter had to have a pocket calendar to keep track of all the things they had signed up for.

In addition to a nine hole golf course, there was shuffleboard, tennis, a bicycle club, a jogging club, and water aerobics. If you wanted a less energetic hobby, there was woodworking, ceramics, watercolor and oil painting classes, a sewing room and a quilting club. You could take round dancing and square dancing lessons, and attend one of three dances held weekly in the ballroom. On every Saturday night, you could play bingo.Now, if I want to play, I have to Click for Gala Bingo.

I think of all the things I miss the most it would be the mid-night swimming pool meet ups. Anyone who was awake at midnight could come and join in a lively discussion of the day and swim under the stars. Even in January and February, it was fun to do. If you lived in a resort that offered all of that, which one would you like the most?

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Noori Dresses For Your Flower Girl or Little Princess

Karen · 5 Comments

I received a dress from Noori Dresses in order to write this post.

One thing I love about being a grandmother, is that I get to spoil the grandchildren, and one of the ways I can do that is by giving them things that are fun and frilly. Yes, the parents buy the everyday clothing for the kids, but if they want something like a Princess Dress to play dress up in, that is where I come in. Noori Dresses sells beautiful dresses for special occasions to fit girls from sizes newborn to 18 plus.

noori flower girl dresses — Amelia loves her Princess Dress!

When Amelia asked for a princess dress for her birthday, Noori had just the one! This Pink Organza Sleeveless Flower Girl Dress is pink and frilly and just what any princess would want to wear for any occasion, from a birthday party to a make believe tea party. With a price of less than $45, it is something a grandma can afford to buy.

Of course, these dresses are meant to be for special occasions like parties, weddings, first communion, and other formal events. With over 2000 dresses to choose from I am sure you can find just the right one for your special little girl! Right now they are having a huge sale with up to 80% off, and get free shipping on orders over $99. Go take a look now!

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Shop Zulilly For Loloi Rugs and Get Up Tp 65% Off!

Karen · Leave a Comment

Starting today Zulilly is having a 65% off Loloi Rugs Sale! I would love to have one of the Rust and Ivory Indoor/Outdoor Rugs for my living room!

zulilly loloi rug sale — 7″10″ X 10″9″ would make my living room so cozy!

Can you just imagine a living room with that rug? I also love this Paradise Is Where You Make It wall art. I’m not sure if it would go with that rug or not, but I love the thought it expresses.

And look at this wall art I found in the Backyard Oasis: wire sculpture of a sunflower. I like the rustic feel of it, and who says it has to go outside?

Or, what about some throw pillows? I think a couple of these would look good on my chocolate brown sofa:

So, I might have eclectic tastes in decorating, but I can find it all at Zulilly.

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New Meds Are Kicking My Butt

Karen · 13 Comments

I really meant to write more last week. I had penciled in on my calendar “write blog posts” . But then, I went to my mental health appointment, and they changed my meds. The change from Celexa to Cymbalta for depression is supposed to help me feel better in the long run, but for over a week now, all I have done is sleep. In the bed, in the recliner, in the car, in the chair in Mama’s room at the rehab center. Yesterday was the first day that I felt awake, but today the drowsiness is back. If this doesn’t change soon, I’m going to ask them to change me again to something else.

My daily routine. I have to take all those.

Just in case you are new, I have been in pain 24/7 since my surgery in May of 2012. I had some intestinal issues, which led to surgery to remove a blockage, which led to an intestinal rupture, which led to peritonitis, which led to major complications and five surgeries. In the end, I lost some of my abdominal muscle and went home after 34 days in the hospital with a colostomy. The colostomy works fine and does not give me any trouble. Except that I do not want to be this woman with a pouch hanging off of my abdomen.

The pain is from the loss of muscle from my abdomen. I have nothing to support my gut, so that it feels like it is falling out all the time, most likely because it is. I can not do many things I did before the surgery, 15 months later. I have been told by three doctors that I need to have two more surgeries to repair the damage done from the first round of surgeries, but because I do not have health insurance, and these two surgeries are “elective” no doctor will do them. So, I wait. For what, I don’t know.

At first I was waiting for the Affordable Health Care Act to kick in in January 2014, but then I found out that the state of Georgia has opted out of the program.

Via: The Advisory Board Company

I thought that meant that there would be no option for me to get a low cost insurance policy from a state pool. But I have since learned that what it means is that if were living under the federal poverty level I would not be eligible for medicaid.

I WILL, however, be able to get a subsidized policy under the AHCA. After spending a little over two hours searching the internet I finally found the Healthcare.gov website. It has a ton of information about the Affordable Health Care Act, how it will affect you as an individual, which states have a their own health insurance pools, and more. There is even a calculator, created by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, that will show you your approximate costs for health insurance under the Affordable Health Care Act based on your particular circumstances.

I used the calculator to find out that my health insurance premium will be approximately $80 a month, with no more than $2250 out of pocket deductibles per year. I hope that is right, because I have not been able to afford health care insurance since 2000, when my coverage under COBRA expired. I hope that the Affordable Health Care Act will make it possible for me to get the surgery I need to repair the damage to my abdomen that happened last year. I want to be free of pain, and the depression it brings.

I want to live a normal life, and be back to my normal self. If I have to wait until January 1, 2014 for that to happen, that is just a little while longer. It’s unfortunate that I have many friends and family members who are of the opinion that this will be the end of America as we know it. I am ready for the change, ready to be a happy healthy person again. Sorry this turned into a rant.

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Zombies For Your Halloween Yard Decorations

Karen · Leave a Comment

OMG! I just had to share these cool Zombie yard decorations I found at Amazon.com! Can you imagine the look on the faces of trick or treaters when they see these?

These cool zombie arm stakes would scare the heebie jeebies out of me! Zombie Arm Stakes at Amazon.com for only $9.85

Of course, if you’re going to plant the stakes in your yard, you’ll have to also get a sign warning of the Zombie Outbreak!

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