Calling In The Steam Team

I mentioned the other day that I know a bunch of people who are either planning to move or have just moved recently. So it's funny to me that the craziest home story that I've heard this week came from a friend of mine who hasn't moved in a few years. What she does have is a couple of kids and a couple of dogs, all rambunctious, which is definitely a recipe for wackiness.

This week's story was about how you should not attempt to relax with a glass of red wine in your beige-carpeted living room at the end of a long day, because Kid A and Dog B will come wildly chasing each other into the room, and they will not be satisfied with just knocking over one glass. No, they'll take out both glasses and the bottle too.

Of course, this is nothing new for my friend - by now she knows all there is to know about carpet cleaning in Austin. She's got http://www.thesteamteam.com/ bookmarked in her laptop and their number ready to go in her phone. She likes them because they offer every carpet cleaning service that she could ever need, as well as pet odor treatments (did I mention she has two dogs?), upholstery cleaning (did I mention she has two rambunctious kids), and green cleaning services so that she can keep the chemicals to a minimum around her wacky and wonderful family. Personally, I like them because of their name. They sound like superheroes. Put the Steam Team signal in sky today!

Getting Medicare

I was visiting my cousin the other day, and while I was there we ended up spending awhile helping my aunt figure out a problem that she was having with her Medicare application. Later, we were talking about how complicated some of this stuff can be to figure out, what with all of the different parts and letters and rules and so on, especially for our older relatives who aren't necessarily so computer savvy and don't know what resources might be available to them.

Out of curiosity I did a little research, and I found this really helpful site for people who want to get Medicare. It lays out the differences between the Part A, Part B, and so on, and explains who is eligible for Medicare and how and when to sign up. There's also a separate section with information about the online application for Medicare, which is extra helpful for that less computer savvy set that I mentioned. You can even submit your information and get a phone call from a representative from the site who can walk you through all of your options. I think it's always good to know about resources like that are out there, because you never know when it might come in handy to help someone out.

Shopping for Scrubs

A friend of mine recently got a job at a doctor's office. It's her first job in the medical field, so she's excited but also a little nervous. One of the things that she has to do is buy herself some scrubs to wear to work, and since she knows that I've had to wear scrubs at a couple of previous jobs, she asked me for advice.

Scrubs don't have to be very expensive - there's nothing wrong with buying cheap scrubs as long as they're good quality. You want a pair that's comfortable and that fits properly. Most scrub bottoms come with a drawstring waist, but if they're really too big the drawstring won't help. Nothing is worse than having to constantly pull up your pants while you're trying to look professional and treat patients. Darker colors are always more slimming and flattering. However, if you're very fair you'll look totally washed out if you go with scrubs that are too dark. You don't want to look sicker than your patients!

I sent this link to my friend, because this site a great place to start for anyone who is in the market for some scrubs:

http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/

They have so many colors to choose from, and everything is really affordable, so you really can't go wrong. Happy scrubs shopping!

Setting Up House

It seems like a lot of people that I know are moving this spring and summer, whether it's across town or across the country. Relatives, friends, friends of friends, people I meet in the grocery store...okay, just kidding about that last one, but it does seem to be going around.

I was talking to one friend who moved from California to Arizona, and she was joking about how when you move the to do list of things to take care of is seemingly endless. While she was on the phone with me she was also searching home security Nogales because getting an alarm system for her new house was one of those "oops, we forgot about this" things that popped up when they arrived, and she wanted to find a good deal with a reputable company that could come and do the installation as soon as possible.

One thing she luckily hadn't forgotten was to contact Direct TV before she left, so she would have her TV situation sorted out as soon as she arrived. It's funny how you can remember television but forget home security. Priorites, right? At least they'll have plenty of great channels to choose from while they're up late listening for burglars tonight.

Printer Shopping

My old printer finally bit the dust, so I've started shopping around for a new one. There are so many different printers out there these days, I kinda don't know where to begin.

I found this site that sells all kinds of Brother printers, and I've had good luck with Brother products in the past so I figure this is a good place to start. They've got tons of printers to choose from, including a bunch of multifunction options. My office space is pretty small, so if I can't find a printer/copier/scanner that does all three things well, I'm always happy to save the space.

One thing this site has that's really helpful is a find and compare function that lets you choose several printers and compare their features and benefits. This makes it so much easier to make a decision about which printer is best for me. And if I manage to get a good deal, I can save a little money. And by save it of course I mean spend it on cute office supplies. It's a win-win situation.

Getting off the Ground

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

One of the things that took us so long to settle when we were getting ready to open our kitchen supply store was the aspect of credit card processing. Deciding on a processor was actually a really big decision since it's a service that costs money, and we didn't want to choose incorrectly and end up losing out. Thankfully, my brother is a business consultant and helped us look over all the options in our area and decide on the best plan. Another factor that kept us from opening on time was the growing list of construction issues in our old warehouse where we were to open the store. I don't know what we would have done without our contractor, Ryan, but he certainly saved our life on more than one occasion. Now that were open, all the hassles seem like so long ago, but I can't forget how much work went into getting this place off the ground. It sure makes me appreciate each day that runs smoothly in this store of ours!

It's Pizza Night!

This post brought to you by FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm on my own tonight, which means peace and quiet and no need to cook dinner for anyone else.  Of course this means only one thing - pizza night!  And I don't even have to deal with getting it delivered because I picked up some of those new FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ pizzas the last time I was at the supermarket. 

I had seen a commercial for theses pizzas and thought they looked good, so I checked them out in the store.  I really like thin crust pizza so their Thin & Crispy style appealed to me right away, and they have yummy sounding flavors like Rustic Pepperoni Pomodoro, Tuscan Farmhouse, and Hawaiian Style.  (There are eight flavors to choose from.)  Nobody else in my family likes Hawaiian style pizza, but I love it, so I think that's going to be my pick tonight.

I've always thought that Freschetta made some of the best quality frozen pizzas, so I'm sure I'll enjoy the Simply...Inspired pizzas too.  One of the new things they did that I like is the FRESCH-TASTE SEAL™ Packing - it's designed to help lock in the flavors and freshness of the ingredients while also using less packaging material.  I'm all for something that can make my food taste better and be more eco-friendly at the same time.

If you're a fellow Freschetta fan (see what I did there?), you can follow @FreschettaSI on Twitter and Like www.facebook.com/FreschettaSimplyInspired on Facebook.  They have weekly giveaways on their Facebook page as well as a chance to get a coupon for $2 off so that you can try the Simply...Inspired pizzas for yourself. Enjoy your pizza night!