My Best Diary

Laser Spine Surgery

2012-02-22T16:50:00.007-05:00

My hubby has been having a lot of back pain lately and he is thinking that he might end up having to have surgery on it. He has been taking heavy duty pain killers for almost a year now and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

He doesn't like the idea of having surgery on his back because he has heard from many people that regular surgery doesn't solve the problem in many cases and can sometimes even make it worse. He has recently heard of a new procedure called laser spine surgery which is minimally invasive and hopefully a better alternative than conventional spine surgery.

Went to

2012-02-08T09:11:00.002-05:00

Content by Mac Kline

I went to www.tvbydirect.com at the request of my husband to get some additional sports channels for him. He’s all about watching football with the guys and he wanted to make sure he had the good channels lined up before the Super Bowl because he’s a huge Giants fan for whatever reason. I’ve never actually been that into Pro football but I know that once I get him started or deny him he’ll never want to let me watch my girly shows. I think it’s crucial for me to allow him to be who he is without interfering because that’s the way you build trust – if he knows I trust him not to let me down then I feel good about where we are as a couple – there’s something to be said for that kind of relationship. Who would have thought we’d still be together after all this time? Now I know we were truly meant to be together forever and that’s a really comforting feeling to have inside.

Leveling Devices

2012-02-07T13:14:00.004-05:00

Before my hubby retired, he had a contract engineering business. His business consisted mainly of designing and building special machines for several different companies. Many of his designs consisted of stand alone type machinery that was mounted on tables or legs that required leveling feet to make sure that they would sit firmly and evenly on uneven concrete shop floors. Reid Supply company has a multitude of all sorts of these types of products that can be used for all kinds of machine mounting applications.

Pool Covers

2012-01-31T12:48:00.002-05:00

A house with a swimming pool is my ideal home. As much as I would like to get a pool for our home, it is probably not a good idea because we live in northern Minnesota and the summer season here is sometimes very short. Instead of building an above the ground swimming pool here, my hubby and I are planning on buying a winter home in the Philippines. We have already found a house that we both like. The house is a mini resort type. It has a swimming pool so we need a Pool Cover for safety. Next to the pool there is an outdoor bar, a car port and two fish pools. We are planning to take a trip to the Philippines sometime this year and will take a look at the house.

Valentine’s Day Eyeglasses at Zenni

2012-01-27T14:12:00.007-05:00

I will be buying new prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses soon. My prescription eyeglasses that I bought more than six years ago are now falling apart and need to be replaced. I have been a regular customer of Zenni Optical for several years now because they offer high quality prescription eyeglasses for a fraction of the price that I paid at a nearby store. I was browsing through a wide selection of Valentine’s Day glasses at Zenni and the picture above is my favorite. Purple is my hubby's and I favorite color. That frame is also the new eyeglass fashion trend.

Zenni Optical is the #1 online eyeglasses store offering high quality prescription eyeglasses starting at $6.95. I have poor vision and without prescription eyeglasses I can't see things clearly. I feel like they are now a necessity for me. If you are shopping for a perfect Valentine's Day gift for your loved one, Zenni Optical provides gorgeous glasses for Valentine’s Day. Give your lover a new vision in 2012. Fashionable and useful! For someone like me, who is visually challenged, prescription eyeglasses are a perfect Valentine's Day present. Check out Zenni for their Valentine's Day special styles.

Trade Show Display Products

2012-01-25T15:09:00.003-05:00

There are many ways to promote and advertise your products and services. One of which that can be a very effective tool for getting the word out about your business to a precisely targeted audience is trade show display. Trade show flooring comes in a variety of styles and shapes. Logo canopy usually uses as the mainstay of presenters at all types of fairs & festivals and anything in between.

The logo mats can also be used to promote your products and services. All types of businesses and organizations use logo floor mats as entry mats with their respective company’s logo or a pertinent message printed on them. Professionally manufactured exhibit booths can help attract customers. My hubby and I will be needing some of these trade show display products when one of his projects gets on the market.

Present Ideas

2012-01-21T13:42:00.006-05:00

I can't remember that I ever received push presents from godmother. When I was a kid, occasionally I received Christmas gifts from my godfather but not from my godmother. In the village where I grew up, giving presents are not common because most people that live there are poor. Back then, we hardly able to feed ourselves, how much more giving gifts but despite of our financial instability, we were happy with what we got.

Yard Sign Products

2012-01-21T13:39:00.002-05:00

The presidential election is coming this Fall. Even though it is still quite a long way off, I have already seen many campaign yard signs in the neighborhood. Actually we have one on the driveway. Speaking of yard signs, at Signs Super Cheap you can buy high-end quality screen printed signs and banners. They provide yard sign products at the lowest rates available. Whether you need a birthday lawn sign or a real estate yard sign, Signs Super Cheap is just a click away. Feel free to check them out online.

Thyroid Doctor in Austin Area

2012-01-21T13:37:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a Thyroid doctor austin area, check out Austin Wellness Clinic. They treat individual's thyroid problem based on the symptoms and the test results. They don't do standardization treatment between patients. Their treatment plans based on the level of your thyroid problems. That is one of the reasons why many people choose Austin Wellness Clinic to be their first choice in treating thyroid imbalance in the Austin, Texas area.

Elegant Lighting

2012-01-20T19:42:00.005-05:00

Someday I would really like to have a nice house with fine furnishings. Since I moved here to Minnesota, we have been living in my hubby's house that he bought in 1998 as a kind of fixer upper. He has been working on it over the years but it will probably never be the kind of place that I would like to have someday.

Recently, we have been thinking about buying a second house in the Philippines and maybe moving there permanently. If we do that, I will finally have a chance to furnish our new house in the style that I really like.

I was looking at the LampClick website to get some ideas of what kind of lighting I might like to have in a new home and I ran across this collection of tiffany lighting that is a most elegant and historical style. Louis Comfort Tiffany was an artist and craftsman that started making stained and cut glass lighting fixtures in the late 1800s that became very popular. The dale tiffany lighting company also makes the same kind of lighting fixtures and although Dale shares the last name of Tiffany is no relation to the original. Another manufacturer of very elegant and attractive lighting fixtures is Currey & Company who also makes distinctive classic styles of lighting fixtures and furniture. I find them all very attractive.

Bathroom Light Fixtures

2012-01-19T17:47:00.006-05:00

In these tough economic times, I want to save money in any way I possibly can. That includes choosing energy efficient bathroom light fixtures. We live up north and the winter season is when we consume the most energy. Heating the house here is the biggest expense but electrical usage increases also due to the long nights and use of electric space heaters. I know a few tips on how to save energy. Both my hubby and I are already practicing them at home. We always turn off the lights when nobody is in the room and unplug home appliances because some of them use electricity even when they are not in use.

My hubby recently replaced the ceiling light both in our kitchen and bathroom areas. He changed them to florescent light fixtures that save energy compared to the incandescent type. We bought them at a nearby store. We haven't tried shopping for lighting fixtures online yet. We usually buy home improvement products at the nearby home improvement stores. We don't have the need to shop for new florescent light bulbs because my hubby bought a bunch of them in bulk. Yes, we stock up on things when they are on sale. We use florescent light fixtures for our kitchen, bathroom and living room areas.

Welding Supplies

2012-01-17T14:14:00.003-05:00

My hubby bought an acetylene welder and a small arc welder many years ago for his engineering business but they really weren't good for welding aluminum. He had to take his heavy duty aluminum welding jobs to the local machine shop where they use a millermatic mig welder. He has thought about getting his own mig welder but hasn't really had a big enough job to justify it yet.

Walgreens - Express Scripts Parted Ways

2012-01-15T21:50:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Like everything else, many prescription medications have gotten very expensive these days. Fortunately for me, I don’t have the need for any prescription drug right now but many people out there are really struggling and quite a few who have been getting their prescription drugs from Walgreens will now have to deal with a new problem.

As of January 1, 2012, Walgreens and Express Scripts, their pharmacy network provider, have parted ways. That means that people who use the Express Scripts network will no longer have access to Walgreens pharmaceuticals. They may have to drive further or deal with limited hours to get their medications.

Walgreens and Express Scripts were unable to reach an agreement for a new contract to continue participation as a network provider. That means, all Walgreens pharmacies and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area are no longer included in the Express Scripts pharmacy network.

I commend Walgreens for taking the unprecedented step of offering a special discount on annual membership for the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens to those who have been affected like Tricare, the health prescription drug program for the US military. Individuals can join this special promotion for only $5 or $10 a year for a family membership and receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications. You will get discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies as well. You will also receive bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services. You can support Walgreens by following Walgreens on Twitter and by subscribing to Walgreens on Facebook.

Nicest Man

2012-01-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

Guest post written by my buddy Royce Heath

My father is the nicest man in the world and it kills me that he’s become less mobile in the last few years. He’s a hearty guy but his health is starting to slip so I’m trying to figure out now if I need to hire a home healthcare worker to come and see him once a week or even more often than that. He can get around for the most part with his walker but I just worry he may fall or something like that. Anyway, he loves to catch up with me and I don’t always have talking availability so I got him Hughes Satellite Internet for his house and a new laptop with extra large buttons. He loves it! It took him a while to learn the ropes but now he’s emailing me all day long at work and he even looks at my sister’s mommy blog which is just the cutest thing. I feel better when I hear from him because I know he’s safe and happy and I’m glad he’s still around.

Holiday Themed Zenni Optical Frames are Coming to Town!

2011-12-25T11:20:00.010-05:00

This is the time of year when I always miss my family and friends most where I grew up in my native country, the Philippines. It seemed like it was one big festival starting before Christmas and continuing on through the New Year. Although I have been back to visit several times since I got here in 2006, I have never had a chance to go back and celebrate the Christmas holidays with my family. It is beginning to look like that may be possible next year.

If my hubby's health continues to improve, we will be making another trip over there this spring to pursue some business interests and possible relocate to the Philippines on a part time basis. If that works out, we will probably spend next Christmas there and I am already getting excited about the prospects.

Over the last few years, we usually just send money as a Christmas present back to my family because buying here and shipping it all the way over there is very expensive. If we are able to spend next Christmas there, I would really like to get regular presents for them during the coming season. I already know what I would like to get for my parents. They both need prescription eyeglasses and the quality and costs of eyeglasses there does not match what I can get them here from Zenni.

With Zenni's online frame fit feature, I can get them sized up when we are there this spring and then buy the glasses for them here and take them over with us for their Christmas presents next year. Not only will I be able to get them something that I know that they really need, I can save money to buy many other things at the same time. I am already looking forward to next year's Christmas at home in the Philippines.

Floor Tiles

2011-12-19T23:09:00.000-05:00

My basement definitely needs a renovation. We will probably work on it after we finish the living room, kitchen and bathroom makeovers. We haven’t bought basement floor tiles yet because we have a long to go before we get to that area. We have other things of higher priorities, besides we need to save up money first to pay for the carpenter. My hubby is not in a good enough shape to do any physical labor himself at this time, otherwise he would do it all because he is talented handyman.

Cigars

2011-12-19T23:04:00.001-05:00

I am aware that my brother in-law used to smoke cigars but I don’t know if he still does because he has been trying to quit smoking for quite a while. I don’t know what particular brand of cigars he smoked but since he likes the premium kind, he probably has tried smoking montecristo cigars. I have never tried smoking a cigar so I don’t know much about them but I can tell you where you can shop for them at discount prices.

Online Bingo Games

2011-12-13T13:32:00.015-05:00

When I was a kid in the Philippines, I never got to play any card games or board games because my father was a preacher and he thought that those kinds of things would lead to gambling and worse. Gambling is a big problem in the Philippines for young men, especially when most don't have much money to support their families anyway. I, personally, never found gambling very interesting until I got here to the US and saw the big fancy casinos. My hubby and I went to have dinner at a restaurant in one of them once but we did not play any of the games. I was tempted to play some of the games but don't know much about them so I probably would not do very well. I would probably just lose a lot of money before I figured out how to do it. My hubby says that if I am interested I should probably start out with simple games like Bingo or Slots and then work up from there. I found a site that offers free online bingo games to anyone who wants to try them out. I guess I will give it a try and see how I do.

Maybe then I could start playing with real money to try to win the cash jackpot. That sounds like a lot of fun, especially if I could actually win. There are other online games that are also available where you can win cash and prizes but those seem to be a lot more complicated than Bingo. Bingo is fun and easy and not very complicated like poker or some of the other games that require figuring out strategies or probabilities. Slots are OK but I think the growing excitement of closing in on a winning Bingo card would probably be a lot more fun.

Carpet Cleaners

2011-12-10T18:05:00.005-05:00

The carpet in our living room needs a thorough cleaning but my hubby says that it is not worth the trouble. The carpet is old and dirty and it needs to be replaced. We are going to replace it with a completely different kind of flooring. We are planning on replacing it with hard wood and put in an area carpet. One of our three bedrooms is already set up that way and we will probably do the same with the other two rooms.

If you live in the Austin area and need carpet cleaning services, you can hire The Steam Team. It is one of the best carpet cleaners Austin, Texas. The Steam Team offers a variety of cleaning services. Whether you need a water restoration service, wool area rug cleaning or commercial tile cleaning in the Austin area, you can click or call The Steam Team at http://www.thesteamteam.com. There you can also find some professional carpet cleaning tips if you wish to do the cleaning yourself.

Learn How to Trade Stocks

2011-12-10T18:00:00.007-05:00

My hubby prefers that I work out of our home. We live in northern Minnesota and he is worried about me driving back and worth to work, especially during the winter season. We are thirty miles from town and he thinks that working out of our home also saves us traveling time, gas money and wear & tear on our car.

I have already found a good way to make money out of my home but I am still looking for other alternatives. I am interested in getting into stock trading online but I don’t know much about it. I need to learn how to trade stock first. My hubby said that I could start by keeping track of what is going on in the financial world. By keeping up with the latest financial news, I can get good ideas about what kind of stocks would be a good investment. That’s what he started to do many years ago and now he has been able to grow his retirement fund tremendously.

Firstrade is a place where brokerage products and services are offered. Like any other kind of trading, online trading has an inherent risk, but staying well informed of market fundamentals minimizes it. Firstrade is an online broker that allows customers to trade stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs and fixed incomes at competitive costs. If you have good sources of information about what is going on in the trading world, you can make a lot of money doing it. Feel free to follow the linked website to start trading.

My hubby says that precious metals stocks are an area where he thinks a lot of money will be made in the not too distant future. If I do decide to start buying and selling that kind of stock I will need to find a good online broker.

Seinfeld

2011-12-07T23:24:00.000-05:00

I appreciate the guest post, Isaias Valenzuela

So I know I talk a lot about sitcoms in my writing but I think it is because those are the kinds of shows that I am normally drawn to. I have noticed that Seinfeld comes on Direct TV Tampa pretty much at the same time that I get home from work every day. So if I come in and turn on the TV it is usually already on the channel that has Seinfeld on it. I kind of like how neurotic all the characters on this show are. Elaine is crazy in her own way. She is crazy about every guy she ever dates and is able to pick at least one strange flaw in each guy. Jerry is maybe the most normal one on the whole show but his startlingly white tennis shoes throw me off. I’m not sure how I feel about those as a fashion statement. Kramer is of course the absolute most crazy on the show and even comes up with his own holiday Festivus which is a holiday “for the rest of us” as he says.

Jewelry Making Tools

2011-12-05T17:20:00.003-05:00

I already told my hubby what I want for Christmas. I told him that I wanted gold jewelry but then I realized that I probably won’t get it because the price of gold is so high right now. Instead of buying ready-made jewelry, I will probably just think about making my own. I will just have to find a place to buy jewelry supplies where I can get all of the things that I need.

Refinancing Our Home

2011-12-04T21:18:00.003-05:00

My hubby and I have been wanting to refinance our house to take advantage of the best mortgage rates in years and to put my name on the home mortgage papers. My hubby has been wanting to get my name on the home loan papers in case something should happen to him. We first got serious about refinancing last fall but missed a window of really low rates back then. The rates have come back down and are even lower now than last fall.

We went in and had a meeting with our banker a couple of months ago to make sure that we would be able to take advantage of the low rates at that time. Our credit ratings were excellent so we would be able to get the best rate available. Before we got the rate locked in, we were considering whether we should take the 15 year or 30 year home mortgage. Thanks to a mortgage calculator that I found online we were able to calculate the monthly payments for each of the mortgage terms at the varying rates. That helped us decide which term we would go with. We decided to go with a 30 year because we found out that we could get a really low monthly payment.

My hubby and I have our savings and checking accounts and home and business loans all at one bank. When I first got here to the US, I found my hubby’s finances so complicated that it gave me a headache to even think about it. When I grew up in the Philippines, my family never had enough money to bother to get a bank account so I did not know much about banking, especially online banking. Once I began to understand the system, I felt more at ease with our finances. The integrated online banking services make our life really simple, easy and worry free, especially when paying bills.

Online banking services may not be available at your local banks. If you can’t find a bank near you that offers great services and convenient online banking, check out the online banking services at Aurora Bank FSB. They offer a wide range of banking, lending and investment products and services to meet your personal, business or commercial requirements. They service both residential and commercial real estate loans and provide business process solutions to banks, loan servicing companies and investors.

Furniture & Home Furnishings

2011-12-04T19:33:00.002-05:00

I am thinking about buying new rolling dining chairs. The ones that we currently have are falling apart. Many of the wheels have broken off. I am always looking for a big furniture sale in the nearby town. So far I haven’t yet found a set of chairs in my price range. I probably should probably consider shopping for furniture online. I haven’t thought about it until just recently.

The website, Become, has a wide variety of products for sale, especially when it comes to furniture and home furnishings. They have canvas flags at really good prices. You can also find a wide selection of chandelier bases for your dining area. It is very tempting to buy a new chandelier for our dining room but if I do I will probably get in big trouble with my hubby because the one that we have is still working perfectly fine. I like this Williamsburg Chandelier.

Dishwasher

2011-11-23T18:22:00.002-05:00

I am looking forward to using my new dishwasher. That will definitely help me save time washing the dishes manually and finally I will be able to color my fingernails. My hubby and I bought that dishwasher at a nearby store when there was a big sale going on. It was not a bosch dishwasher but it is OK as long as it will do a good job of washing the dishes.