My husband and I disagree over gift cards, gift baskets, and the like. He feels they’re impersonal, and show that no thought or effort was put into the choice of gift. I disagree. I personally feel that gift baskets are a great way to say, “I wanted to get you something special, but I didn’t want to be too specific, so here, I got you this, I hope you’ll like it”. For picky people, or for those people you just don’t know that well, gift baskets are definitely the way to go. I have personally used them as gifts for friends, family and acquaintances, and will continue to happily use them as a great gift choice!
Come on. Can you honestly say that you wouldn’t like receiving that? 1800baskets.com has that and many other gift baskets available on their website, so go check them out!
Last week, when I was watching my husband curse and sweat as he wrestled the alternator from my car (seriously, who designs these things? Packing an object that is 8″ x 8″ x 6″ in a space that is accessible only by a 5″ x 5″ x 4″ opening isn’t exactly the smartest idea!), I joked that I should find a mechanic to be my sugar daddy. Seriously, if you own a car, then you know that Dallas auto repair is expensive as hell to deal with. It seems like even the simplest of repairs can wind up running into a bit of money, especially if you don’t have the proper tools. Oil change? I hope you have an oil filter and that your pan is in decent condition. Brake job? Better check the rotors while you’re at it, and pray that they’re doing all right.
Can you tell I’m just a little bitter over the money we’ve had to shell out this year? In 2010 alone we’ve forked out over $1500 in car maintenance, inspections, and repairs. Kill me now, please. And you know, it’s times like these I wish I had a Chevy Silverado or another American-made car. Imports are expensive when it comes to parts and repairs!
I drive a 2002 Kia Spectra. I’m its third owner; my husband and I bought it from my brother-in-law in December of 2005. At that time it had approximately 78,000 miles on it. Nearly five years later, I’ve only put on another 32,000 miles, and until recently didn’t have to deal with any kind of repairs. There was a minor check engine light issue, but that was resolved with a replacement o2 sensor. Also, I inherited that issue (along with cupping tires, which was also fixed by replacing all four tires) when I bought the car.
This year, however, my car has decided to toy with me. In January, my windshield began flapping at the corners. I seriously had to duct tape the damn thing down until I was able to get it into an auto shop. Redneck solution, I know, but it did the job. The windshield was replaced for $250.
In February, my brakes started squealing, so Dan replaced them. Cost? $60.
In April it was inspection time, which turned up a few minor lighting issues and the need for new rear rotors and brake pads. The cost? $500 (that amount also included the inspection, an oil change, and tire rotation). Ouch. Irony? I was watching a commercial about San Diego auto repair when the dealership rep broke the bad news to me.
Then June rolled around, and my car rolled over 110,000 miles. Right after it hit 110,000 miles the alternator belt went, which took out the 3.5 year old battery. We replaced the belt ($20 for the belt and $40 to pay my neighbor’s brother to replace it), and then replaced the dead battery ($80). The dying alternator, which we didn’t know was dying until after the fact, killed that new battery. It cost $250 for a new alternator and a mechanic’s manual, and then several hours of my time in order to get the dead battery replaced with a new one.
Moral of the story? Car repairs suck. It doesn’t matter if you own a fancy import, a Ford F-150, or an economic car like my Spectra. Car repairs will come up, and they will be expensive.
Now I’m hoping that I won’t have any issues to deal with for a while!
I have loved all-natural fruit smoothies ever since I had the opportunity to try a small sample of one at a mall several years ago. Unfortunately, having gastric bypass surgery has made me permanently intolerant of more than 10-15g of sugar in a single sitting (I can handle 15-20 if I go slow), so smoothies are one of those foods I thought I’d pretty much write off forever.
Then again, maybe not. Jamba Juice recently introduced three of their most popular flavors in an at-home smoothie kit that requires nothing more than a blender and 8 oz. of apple juice to put together. Each Jamba All Natural Smoothies kit contains enough frozen chunks of fruit and non-fat yogurt to combine with 8 oz. of apple juice to make two 8 oz. smoothies. Each smoothie contains nothing but all natural fruit and non-fat yogurt, as well as a full serving of fruit and a full daily serving of Vitamin C. Additionally, Jamba’s All Natural Smoothies are free of artificial colors, flavors, additives, and preservatives. Best of all, the sugar content is fairly low. When combined with 8 oz. of low sugar apple juice, each 8 oz. smoothie contains no more than 15g of sugar.
As promised, the smoothie kit was easy to work with. All I needed was my blender and 8 oz. of apple juice and I was good to go. The smoothies whipped up smoothly (no pun intended) in less than a minute, and then they were ready to be enjoyed. And enjoyed them we did. Jamba’s smoothies were a huge hit with all four of us — myself, my husband, and our two children. They’re definitely a delightful summer treat that I will keep in the freezer so we can enjoy them at a moment’s notice!
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