Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

October 15, 2010

Movie List

Filed under: Favorite 15,Life,Things I Love — gardener @ 10:44 am

My friend Camille tagged me on Facebook to create a list of 15 movies that I love. It’s supposed to be things that pop into your head, not something that you think long and hard about-  In fact, it’s not supposed to take more than 15 minutes to complete.

I’m planning on sharing this on Facebook, but I thought it would be fun to share here in case someone wants to join and share their own Top 15 movies.    Mine are below- in no particular order.

My Favorite 15- (Movies)

  1. The Wizard of Oz
  2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
  3. The Other Sister
  4. Dangerous Minds
  5. The Blindside
  6. Schindlers List
  7. Titanic
  8. Legends of the Fall
  9. Remember the Titans
  10. Steel Magnolias
  11. Pretty Woman
  12. Avatar
  13. Grease
  14. ET
  15. It’s a Wonderful Life

There you have it- the 15 movies right off the top of my head that I love.   I’d love to hear your favorites.

October 14, 2010

Don’t Doubt Me

Filed under: Life,Things I Love — gardener @ 4:29 am

A little earlier my iPhone rang and I could tell by the ringtone that it was Marcel calling. He was at work, so I knew that he was either having a break and was bored, or that he actually had something to tell me. As it turned out- he had some news and the conversation went a little like this:

Marcel: Hey guess what? I’ve got some good news.

Me: Really? Do tell. (I figured I already knew, and as it turned out, I was right.)

Marcel: Remember me telling you I had to go to a meeting this morning?

Me: Yes, I remember.

Marcel: Well, that meeting was canceled, but as I was walking out the door, my boss asked me to wait because he said he had something for me. So, I waited and he came back and handed me an envelope.

Me: (Laughing) Hmmm, and I wonder what was inside that envelope.

Marcel: There was a letter inside. (nothing like him taking his time to get to the point- even though I already knew what it was.)

Me: Really? Hmmmm, and what did the letter say? (I was playing along since he was taking his sweet time.)

Marcel: Well the letter was from my boss that I was getting a raise.

Me: Well imagine that- Repeat after me- “From now on I will listen to Lori when she tells me something instead of being pessimistic.” I’m very happy for you sweetie, but I must say it- “I told you so.”

Marcel: (He repeated what I said) I guess I should have been more positive and patient instead of being so stressed about it.

Me: I believe you are correct. I think we should go to dinner to celebrate.

Marcel: Ok, sounds good.

At that point there was a little more chatter and we hung up the phone. Months ago, Marcel’s boss said that he was putting him in for a raise, but that the one guy higher up had to approve it. It has probably been about two months, and I suggested to Marcel when he started complaining that he hadn’t heard anything that he contact his boss and find out the status. He was very negative and said that he wasn’t going to get the raise because he’d recently switched to another department and that there was no way they were going to give him the raise if the possibility existed that he wouldn’t be going back to his old department. I did not agree. He was frustrated that things didn’t happen in ‘his’ time frame, but I assured him that he wasn’t the only person on their mind and if he was concerned about when he was going to hear something, that he should contact them. He said no… and he was certain that he wasn’t getting the raise, while I’ve said all along that he would.

He found out today that I was right. I teased him and told him that one day he’d learn not to doubt me. haha.. I am very happy for him though, plus the up side is that I don’t have to cook tonight.

October 9, 2010

Keeping Positive

Filed under: In the Neighborhood,Life,Things I Love — gardener @ 8:47 am

One of my friends was laid off from the company she worked for earlier this year, and because she lives in a pretty remote area, she’s been unable to find any local jobs. She commuted about an hour each way for her last job and she was ready to do the same thing again. She was turned down for a job that would have required she travel 1 1/2 hours each way daily, plus they felt she was over-qualified. I told her I was sure that something would come along- and wouldn’t you know that yesterday she got a call and was hired not a half hour from her home. She starts next week. I hope this job is everything she’s ever wanted and then some. I’m VERY excited for her and can’t wait to hear all about her first day. She kept a positive attitude the entire time she was job hunting and I’m sure that contributed to her finding exactly what she was looking for.

October 3, 2010

Lovin’ Those Stripes

Filed under: Shop til ya Drop,Things I Love — gardener @ 11:06 am

I have been admiring this sweater for quite some time online but was hesitant to order it because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it once I did.   I also hate the idea of paying full price for something, especially if I know the chance exists that I can get it for a better price, so I waited.

I was also hesitant about ordering it because horizontal stripes are known to make you look larger and if there is anything I don’t want to look- it’s larger.    I went back and forth on that idea for a while, or at least until I got an email on Thursday that they were on sale.   I ended up ordering this sweater, plus another one with the only difference being that it was blue and white striped.     In addition to the sale price, I also received an additional 25% off.   It was a deal I couldn’t pass up.   

I really hope they fit and look great on me- but if not, I know I can always return them to the store I ordered them from.  The great thing is that I can actually return them to the store as opposed to sending them back via the mail.   I’m assuming that isn’t going to have to happen though.

October 1, 2010

Back to Basics

Filed under: Holidays,Shop til ya Drop,Things I Love — gardener @ 8:45 am

I was thinking not too long ago about how I used to send cards for everything. I think that I got out of the habit and switched to only sending birthday and Christmas cards when e-cards became so much easier, but I’ve started thinking that maybe it’s time to get back to basics and start sending cards more often. I used to send halloween cards every year to my family and a few close friends, and I think it would be fun to start doing it again. I know I don’t have to do it on the scale that I do when it’s Christmas, but a card every now and then to people that I care about is a great thing.

After all, I know how much I love seeing mail in the box that isn’t a bill, so why wouldn’t everyone else? I think as this year winds down I’m going to start making a list of things that I’d like to change and begin the process now so that when the first of the year comes, it will come easy. I see a lot of things that aren’t working the way I’d like them to in my life, and I know that it means it’s time for change. After all, the only person who can create change in my life- is me.

September 24, 2010

Shopping Deals

Filed under: Holidays,Shop til ya Drop,Techy,Things I Love — gardener @ 11:06 am

I am one of those people who love knowing I’m getting a great deal and when I do, I find myself wanting to share it with everyone I know.   In the past two weeks I’ve found some deals on top of deals and thought I’d share with y’all how I happened to do that.  It’s a simple thing and it ended up saving me quite a bit of cash.

I’m not sure how many of you shop online, but it seems that more of us are doing it than ever- especially when more often than not we can get the same or even better deals online and don’t have to leave the comforts of home.   What I’ve learned is that there are some ways that you can save even more money at your favorite retailers simply by following a few simple steps.

  •  Sign up for online newsletters.    What I do is use one specific email address for things that I sign up for and that saves the newsletters from coming into my regular email accounts.    The reason why you want to sign up for the newsletters is for several reasons.   Many sites offer a first purchase discount (of up to 15% from what I’ve found) just for signing up for their newsletter.  Plus you also get an insider view on sales, plus often there are special discounts and offers that only those signed up for the newsletters receive.   Trust me, it can be worth the little extra email in your box.
  • Watch for Free Shipping offers.   Many websites offer free shipping with a minium purchase, while others have free shipping specials from time to time.  There are even a few that I shop at regularly that offer free shipping regardless of your purchase total.   Make use of that whenever you can and trust me- those savings add up.    I’ve skipped ordering from some stores in the past because I felt as though their shipping rates were just too high.  
  • Add items to your shopping cart and leave them.   I know- this sounds a little crazy, but I actually did this not too long ago on a website on a handbag I wanted.  It was on sale, and yet even at the sale price, I wasn’t sure I wanted to order it.  I forgot about it, and a week later they sent me an email offering me an additional 25% off my purchase.   Needless to say, I didn’t think twice and cashed in on that sale, plus got free shipping.   I’m not going to say it will work everytime, but some places monitor your cart.  Again, I think you may need to be signed up for emails on the site to get these kind of deals.
  • Never buy anything without looking for coupon codes first.    There are coupon codes out there that you may not realize.   Within the last two weeks I was about to buy some clothing on a website.  The items were on sale and then I received an additional 25% off the sale price (and free shipping) because I was signed up for the newsletter.    Then I did a quick search for coupon codes and found one for an additional 25% off that worked with the current offer.   I ended up saving yet another 25% off of the already low sale prices.    I ended up with 3 sweaters that were regularly $40.00 each for less than $7.00 each and again, free shipping.     The same thing was with a jacket at the same company-  I had it in my cart- had completely forgotten about it and decided since it was red and on sale it would be great for Christmas.   I paid $22.00 for an $80.00 jacket.        
  • I also had the same thing with some cards that I ordered online.  I wanted them to be shipped to the person, and again, I looked for a coupon code and saved 25% off each card and the mailing of the card was free.   

All it takes is a little smart shopping and you can literally save hundreds in no time.  If you need any more information- please feel free to email me.

September 16, 2010

Breakfast of Champions

Filed under: Food,Health/ Fitness,Home,photography,Things I Love — gardener @ 4:48 am

In case you ever wondered what my breakfast looks like each morning-    I know that it definitely doesn’t look very appetizing, but I can assure you that it is.  In addition, it’s also healthy.  You may be asking yourself what it is, and in case you’re stopping by this little spot for the first time and don’t know about my love affair with this product- I’ll tell you what it is- steel-cut oats.   These little gems aren’t to be confused with regular oats, which taste different.  In fact, I only like rolled oats in cookies and muffins, but steel-cut is a horse of an entirely different color.

This is how I eat them every morning-   With a little cinnamon, a little fat-free milk and the white stuff on top is a French Vanilla Splenda stick.   Generally the package says they are for coffee, but one little stick is perfect for oats.     MMMmm MmmmM goodness.

What do you eat for breakfast?  Do you tend to eat the same thing daily or do you switch it up to have a little variety?

September 15, 2010

Favorite Places

Filed under: In the Neighborhood,Things I Love — gardener @ 11:12 am

This is one of my favorite places in the world-  The beach.   I took this with my phone this past Sunday when we were at the beach with friends.   The weather was perfect, and I could have stayed there all day.

September 10, 2010

Making a List

Filed under: Holidays,Shop til ya Drop,Things I Love — gardener @ 4:45 pm

I was on the phone with my brother last night while he was on his way home from work and one of us brought up the subject of Christmas. We haven’t spent the holidays together in two years and this year Marcel and I will spend two glorious months at home with my parents. He’s saved his vacation days all year so that it would be possible, and I can’t wait. Once we started talking about Christmas, the conversation turned to gift giving. I will be the first to admit that when we are home for the holidays, I tend to go a little overboard with the gift giving and Matt (my brother) said that one of his friends had just been given a really cool money clip with his initials and that he really liked it. I listened to him talk about it, and I made a mental note to check out engravable gifts to see if I could possibly get the money clip and add it to my brothers gift list for this upcoming Christmas.

I really love giving people things that I know they’ll like and even though gift cards can be nice from time to time, I have to say that I’d much rather give something a little more personal and I’ve seen personalized gifts that covers just about everything. My brother is also a huge fan of golf, so I’m seriously considering finding him something golf related that is personalized just for him. I know he’s going to love it and I’m going to love being home with everyone for the holidays.

September 6, 2010

New Artforms

Filed under: Life,photography,Techy,Things I Love — gardener @ 8:06 am

I’ll admit that it doesn’t take much to entertain me, which is probably why I am loving this new iPhone application that I downloaded called Percolator.   You run a regular picture through the application and it creates this whimisical piece of ‘circle art’.   I actually love it, and Marcel says he can’t tell what they are and thinks it’s silly.

It’s different, and since I dare to be different, I like it.   In case you were unsure as to what this is- it’s three sunflowers that I had in my archive from a few weeks ago.  I’ve taken some other old images and ‘transformed’ them, but I’ll probably share those in some of my other spaces.

Hope everyone is having a happy, safe Labor Day and is doing as little Labor as possible.

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