In My Bag

If you could get away right now, to a place of your choosing, with no regards to schedules, kids, families, work or money, where would you go? San Diego? Paris? A tiny, nearly unknown Hawaiian island?

At this moment, I would love to go to Pittsburgh. London, England and the country of Scotland are my “ultimate” destinations, but the stress factor associated with getting passports and booking flight tickets and having to get on a plane (have I mentioned my fear of heights?) and navigate my way around a foreign country is a little much for me right now. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, does not require passports or new currencies. Pittsburgh is within driving distance, though the trip is about five hours each way. And I know Pittsburgh. Dan and I have a lot of great memories associated with Pittsburgh. I can’t wait to go back! Dan and I are planning a tentative weekend trip there in January or early February. I really hope it works out!

So how many people have had New York rhinoplasty? Is the sudden abundance of rhinoplasty procedures a New York thing, or is it happening in many other places? Are people really that unsatisfied with their noses? (Sorry, I realize that my blog entry title was referring to one question, and I just threw three at you)

I like my nose. Granted, there’s times when I feel that it really betrays the fact that I am part Polish (my father’s father is Polish, my grandfather’s mother is Polish), and Dan sometimes teases me about my nose showing the Polish in me, but overall I do like my nose. And the few times I get rather disgruntled with it are not numerous enough or important enough to warrant surgery!

Of course, there are people out that there do have really bad noses, due to genetics or possibly an accident or injury. For these cases, I can definitely see that rhinoplasty is a good thing to consider!

I was recently turned on to Casto Creations, a website that sells handcrafted jewelry. Their showcase of handcrafted artisan jewelry is a beautiful variety of elegant jewelry in a variety of stles, with a variety of gemstones, glass and precious metal. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and even jewelry that would be appropriate for a wedding.

I had the opportunity to try out and enjoy a pair of spaceship earrings. These earrings are crafted by hand using fine silver circles, freshwater pearls (shiny, shimmery green disc shaped pearls found in fresh water) and delicate French style hooks.

I have to tell you, these earrings are gorgeous! They’re definitely a lot different than any other pair of earrings I have ever owned. They’re very well crafted, put together securely, and you can tell that the materials are of excellent quality.

Until now, all of my earrings came from a store or jewelry shop. But now that I have been turned onto these unique earrings, and all of the other unique styles of jewelry that Casto Creations has to offer, all of which are decently priced, I may start shopping online!

Last week I received a Senseo coffee pod system, including the machine, coffee pods (a bag of medium roast), and even a nifty storage container for those coffee pods. Between family things and getting geared up for the holidays, I didn’t get a chance to do more than look at the machine until last week.
Then, on Thanksgiving, knowing my grandfather would be coming over for dinner, and knowing how much he loves coffee, I decided to let Dan work on making mashed potatoes (from real potatoes; none of that instant crap for us!) while I set up the coffee pod system.

Suffice it to say that the coffee pod system was a hit with my family. My husband, mother, grandfather and twelve year old brother polished off almost the entire bag of medium roast coffee pods (there are eighteen in a bag!) between the time before dinner was ready, during dinner, and after dinner, when we all enjoyed pumpkin pie and donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts (yes, Dunkin’ Donuts is open on Thanksgiving!).

I like the coffee pod system because it’s compact, and it fits well into any kitchen. I also like it because it is a single serve machine, which means that there isn’t any excess or waste to take care of later! My Senseo happens to be black, but I know that they also come in blue, red and silver. The machine itself is very easy to use. Simply add the required amount of water to the reservoir in the back, put in the number of pods you use for a cup of coffee, put your coffee cup at the dispensing station, and press the button and the coffee brews itself. It only takes a few minutes for a cup of coffee to be ready, and the machine isn’t very noisy at all. Clean up is a breeze, since there’s nothing really to clean but the mug itself!

I would recommend the Senseo coffee pod system to anyone who enjoys coffee (or cappuccino or espresso or tea), and anyone who is looking for a fast, convenient, hassle-free way of brewing and enjoying a hot, fresh and delicious cup of it. ♥

Does the Senseo coffee pod system interest you? If so, head over to Share Senseo and fill out a quick survey. Selected survey participants will qualify for a FREE Senseo coffee pod system - the same system and “accessories” (a pack of coffee pods and a storage canister), as well as five $20 coupons to share with family and friends friends - that I have! The only requirement on your part is to pay the $15 S&H. Not bad for a system that is valued around $70!

Someday, my husband and I want to buy land. We have every intention of looking at land for sale, buying land, and then building our own home on it. We’ll probably stay in the general area that we are now. Why do we want to buy land and build a house? Well, we’re not content to live in this house for the rest of our live. It’s nice enough, and in the same area we want to live in, but the house itself is a little small for our liking.

While some people may find success with the use of diet pills or a diet patch, in conjunction with watching what they eat and exercising regularly, I am throwing my hands up in defeat. I have been working on weight loss since my daughter was born (three years ago!), and have not managed to lose much of anything. Instead, I am stuck in the same ten to fifteen pound range. So, I am looking into the lap band surgery. And by “looking into”, I mean that I have called my insurance company to verify what is covered and what I need to do, and I have an appointment set up for December 12th. I can’t wait!!!

I love the bank we have our checking account at. Last month we had an issue with fraudulent charges done via ACH (automatic clearing house), charges that resulted in over $800 in NSF fees. I called the bank in a panic, and the guy calmed me down and credited everything back, right there over the phone! The credit showed up that night. Then, I was able to close that particular checking account, hassle free, and open up a new one. Since then, we’d have no problems, and hopefully it stays that way! *crosses fingers*