Sunday, February 20, 2011

Random happenings over the weekend...

I think I am the only one that has had a new computer in a box for about 4 years lol... I wanted to wait until my other one with Windows XP kicked the bucket (which the monitor has been doing intermittently for the past several weeks) since I heard bad things about Windows Vista, which my "new" computer currently has.

But today, I got adventurous and installed and set up the new PC within the past hour-and now have the daunting task of transferring over photos and music and all that good stuff :) And I am currently drooling over the NEXT computer I want to get, a touch screen All in One lol.

This new PC has huge screen, and I am very happy with not having to squint as I stare at the monitor this evening. It has been a very long day (actually I have been shopping until I drop all weekend) and I got a GREAT deal on Birkenstock clogs... a local salvage store got in 11,000 of these puppies last week and distributed them to their stores state wide. $100 clogs going for $19.99 had me in a tizzy, and I scooped up 6 pair (3 for me, and 3 for my 9 yr old) and am currently in Birki's heaven.

So as I get used to this PC, and add pics and music and all that-it will be a bit of a challenge since I am basically PC illiterate, but I will survive! No work for me tomorrow, so going to do more housecleaning, have the grandson for a bit, and go for yet another follow up at the dentist. (yes, MORE tooth problems!) School vacation is this week too, so Deja will be heading to childcare to have fun with her friends while mommy works and daddy sleeps. (daddy works nights) Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Waiting for a Prize that Never Comes...

Ok, besides blogging... I love to enter blog giveaways. That being said, I will admit I have won my fair share. While the majority of these prizes come without a hitch-there are always a few that just never arrive.

Some are sponsored by smaller companies, some by larger, more well known companies. And some are even giveaways sponsored by the blogger themselves... I often do this myself. (and I am the first to admit, I am notorious for being late getting the stuff out BUT I also like to let my winners know it is coming-and if they don't receive their prize, whether sponsored by myself or by a company...I really want to know!)

That is just me, though. I figure, free is free and I guess I should be fortunate for all that I HAVE won. I usually don't contact the bloggers, because I know that they can harass the heck out of the sponsor and if the sponsor doesn't want to send it out...they won't. Of course, things can happen in transit-or could have been dropped off at the wrong address and my neighbors now have a nice gift for themselves. To be sure this wouldn't happen, I have gotten myself a postal mail box at the local UPS Store about 3 months ago. (it also hides those gifts from prying eyes!)

I can remember one poor blogger I probably made feel guilty-I'd won her first giveaway on her review blog. A $50 GC to an Etsy store that had headbands and beautiful hair candy. The sponsor contacted me, and I thought all was well-told her what I wanted and told her the date I needed it. She had several MONTHS to get it to me, as I told her to go ahead and do her paying orders first. When the time came closer to have my daughter's party last year in Central America, and emails went unanswered to the vendor-the blogger contacted her and she was told she'd had some personal issues and wasn't sure if she was going to continue selling. Well, um, she could have contacted ME to let me know this way before I had counted on her to get me my daughter's hairpiece. I would have understood even, and made other arrangements. This blogger felt so bad she actually went above and beyond and sent my daughter a little something, even though I told her that it was fine.

Since then, I really don't bother anyone. If the prizes don't come, oh well. You win some, you lose some. But I will say being a consumer I find that companies or vendors that don't follow through really don't make me happy :( I am just curious about what the rest of you do... or what you don't do. And any ideas that you have as bloggers, sponsors, vendors or giveaway enthusiasts.

Father Daughter Dance February 12th 2011



I can tell already that my daughter is going to cost me big bucks. For the past several years, she's been going to the father daughter dance every February with daddy. And before she goes, she heads to the salon for a new 'do and some nail polish...

In a few years, it will be Homecoming, Sadie Hawkins, and Proms... guess I had better get used to it now, lol. (and start saving money too!)

Thought I would share a few pics with all my readers-and if you have little girls, be forewarned! lol (little boys can be pretty expensive too, with tux rentals, a limo etc...)

I've been so busy lately, not doing much of anything here except work and then coming home to more work! (and seeing the dentist on a regular basis as well, we've got another date tomorrow-not fun!) Today was warm and the snow was melting... that sun was so warm it was nice to get out at lunchtime and get a taste of what it will be like in a few short months. Enjoy the rest of the week, and if you have a long weekend (like I do!) make the best of it!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Slip Slidin' Away...



Lately, I feel as though I have seen more of my dentist than my husband. Yes, another emergency trip to the dentist this past Thursday after a piece of food got into Extraction #3 and it started healing over... causing my jaw to get infected.

According to what my dentist mentioned today, I was not far away from being in BIG TROUBLE. Not a good sign. However, after a trip to the local emergency room and IV antibiotics coursing through my veins, along with some antibiotic pills and a few Vicodin mixed in for good measure, all seems to be well.

So I am alive, and sitting here checking out other blogs when the house shook. Even the cats ran for cover. (underneath MY chair of course) My initial thought was that the furnace blew up. But considering I just paid a fortune for a way overdue cleaning and service plan I knew that wasn't the issue. My next concern was that the roof caved in upstairs. My roof is saltbox style, and metal, so with these warmer temperatures these past few days things have been warming up and moving. And sliding...

I quickly ran to the back porch and noticed that the huge icicles had fallen off the porch and that a HUGE ice piece had also come down. Last night, it was sliding off but seemed to stop mid way, the photo above will show you just how darn thick that ice was... now it's off, and I can walk around the kitchen without worrying that the roof is going to come down on me. (hubby had tried to get it off, but due to the extreme cold, it was frozen solid-and anything sharp on a metal roof is not a good thing)

Also, for your viewing pleasure check out the snow we had last week :) I can't even imagine what Spring rains and snow melt is going to do in the Northeast, but I am predicting lots of flooding :(

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

49

Timestamp: 2011-02-03 02:20:24 UTC

and that means that The Crave to Save is our winner! Congrats! I will be contacting you via email in a few :)

hoping to have more giveaways lined up soon, work has been busy and I've been dealing with some minor health issues so bear with me! Wishing you all a winning week and hoping that this snow and cold goes away soon, it has been a terrible winter here in the Northeast and many other spots all over the country.

EdenFantasys Winner!

Random.org has selected BuzzVibe as the winner, lucky comment #17!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

17

Timestamp: 2011-02-03 02:10:14 UTC

congrats! off to email you in a few :)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

More Tooth Troubles!

Sorry I have been nonexistent as far as posting goes the last few weeks. Between work being crazy and family life, I have had yet another tooth removed due to a raging infection in my mouth...

This one, a lower molar right behind the one that was previously removed at the beginning of the month. That makes THREE teeth out in the the month of January alone-clearly my 2011 is NOT off to a good start!

Strange thing is, I've always practiced good oral health. Sure, I had cavities as a kid and had all my fillings done, but recent dental visits didn't show any major concerns. With my private dental insurance through work, I made sure that myself and other family members went to the twice yearly cleanings and got any work done that was needed as early as possible.

A couple years back, my regular dentist retired and I went to a new dentist. While there, they noticed a small cavity but after taking extensive xrays (which he overcharged for of course!) there was no mention of anything else going on. Then I got a cleaning from a woman who was brutal. It was the initial cleaning with this dentist, and this woman was evaluating my gums while telling me that my previous dentist had done a shitty job with my teeth. It felt like she was literally pulling my gums away from my teeth and going way down deep into the pockets to do her evaluations and boy, did I bleed!

Hubby had the same thing done, and for months afterward we felt that our teeth did not feel "clean", like food seemed to stick to them more easily and that they had a film on them which wouldn't come off even with persistent brushing. I thought it was just me, but when I mentioned it he was surprised because he was feeling the same thing.

We ended up going to Guatemala in the summer of 2010 and one of my teeth fractured, badly, while there. I managed to get a repair done, and was really nervous about heading back to this dentist. Even more so after hearing stories from other people I know about their own treatment. After the temporary repair fell out a few months later, I was due for a cleaning with the dentist. I was hesitant, but went in. The girl who did my teeth was nice, and did another temporary repair for me-and she wasn't as brutal as the first woman either. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong with my teeth after my first visit and this extensive cleaning and poking. I began to wonder if her prodding around in those pockets under my gums actually caused bacteria to form and mess my teeth up. The area she said was the worst was the area in the bottom molar region, where the fracture occurred and where I have now had not one, but THREE extractions in a month.

I ended up switching my family to a new dentist, but because the old dentist had overcharged, I had to wait for new xrays as my insurance would not pay for them. I had planned on going in when my tax refund came in this year and getting those xrays done and switching over to the new dentist, which my husband and daughter seemed to like. Unfortunately, my first visit with him was for two emergency extractions-one for the fractured tooth from this past summer and another one on the other side which was giving me the most horrific pain I have ever been in. (other than labor of course) Both were infected, and needed to come out. I had a leg infection as well, and we both think that the infection may have been caused by these tooth issues.

So out they came. I was fine on the left side (where the fractured tooth had come out) but still pretty tender on the other side where the infected tooth had been. A post op follow up and another round of antibiotics made me feel better a week later, but last week it started getting tender again on the bottom right side. Soon, I began to feel a bubble on my gums and swelling around the tooth directly behind the one that had been extracted 2 weeks earlier. NOT good.

Before it got really bad, (it had woken me up a couple times this past Sunday)I made the call to the dentist and he advised me to come in right away. Sure enough, another emergency extraction was in the works. Pulling infected teeth is no fun, for anyone involved. The dentist gave me the max amount of numbing agent and pulled quickly, with little pain. Today my gum is highly swollen and very ugly looking, even in the area of my previous extraction. I hope that the swelling will go down in the near future and that this infection will stop, and that my remaining teeth will stay in my head for some time to come.

I've been a bit under the weather with all these antibiotics, and just feeling completely blah after having so much done to my teeth these past few weeks. And of course, I am wondering if perhaps that deep cleaning was the cause of all this. Or maybe just my age, getting older is no picnic in the park either. Thanks to all of you who are still following and bearing with me! :)