Fingerprint Friday: Our Puppy

By MAD21

Several years back, my hubby and I realized our lives were lacking something. This was before we had, or were ready to have, children. We had both had dogs around most of our lives, and we missed having one of our own. Our friends knew we were looking for a lab-mix puppy, so the hunt was on...

We got the call in January of 2003. A friend's cousin's dog had just had puppies on Christmas morning. NINE of them. NINE beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retriever (mom-pure bread)/Lab mix (dad-mutt) black puppies. We were so excited. We drove a few days later to go and see them, and fell in loooove. A few of them already had homes to go to, which helped to narrow down which one we would choose. The really cool thing is that during this process, a friend of ours, plus the family of one of my students decided they wanted one, too. We chose the little girl who was all black except for some white down her chin and neck, and a cool mark on the bottom of her neck/chest that looked like a wishbone. We named her Bailey, after George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life since she was born on Christmas.

Click to read more ...

More Debit, Less Credit (Finally!)

By MAD21

The Washington Post wrote an interesting article this week called, "For Gun-Shy Consumers, Debit is Replacing Credit." It's about how more and more people are using their debit cards instead of credit cards.

"The recession has cooled the American ardor for living on credit. After years of saying "Charge it," consumers are more often paying with their debit cards instead.

Worry about jobs, fear of fluctuating interest rates on credit cards and wariness about spending too much are contributing to the change."

Do you think people are finally learning the importance of living within their means? I sure hope so. There will be some industries that will hurt because of this, but honestly, we have too much 'stuff' out there to buy anyway and waaaay to many credit companies who are sucking our money away.

This is the first article I seen written about how "the system" is finally feeling the effects of people who are beginning to spend more wisely because of the state of the economy in the last few years. I hope it's a new trend.

Clean Your Cleaning Items To Help Keep Sickness Away

By MAD21

Lifehacker posted a good article with a few tips on keeping your house clean to try and stave off all the fall/winter sicknesses looming around us.

I never really thought much about cleaning the items I use to... clean.

Of course, all I can think of at this point is the episode of Friends where Monica has a vacuum to clean her vacuum...

A Moment That Could Change Your Life... And Someone Else's

By MAD21

Please take 15 minutes out of your day to watch this video. This is just one moment out of the Catalyst 2009 Conference for Compassion International. If you ever wondered if sponsoring children ever really makes a difference, listen to Jimmy Wambua's testimony. A man who was sponsored for 19 years by man named Mark.

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Seriously. As much as those of you who are reading this post struggle to make ends meet for your families, you are far better off than millions of people around the world. Consider the fact that you probably have a roof over your head, clothes to wear, food to eat, a computer to work on, and you've had an education. You have choices.

Click to read more ...

YOB: #7. Go To An Ice Hockey Game

By Lara

I have wanted to see a hockey game in person for years. I love hockey. You have to respect a sport where it is totally legal to body slam your opponent into a Plexiglas wall at 50 mph. I am also a fan of cold temperatures and attractive men. So sue me.

I was excited that Beth was willing to go to a hockey game with me. I was thinking we could see a Flyers game since Beth lives just outside of Philadelphia. It turns out that Flyers tickets are expensive... and people buy them quickly. Therefore, we looked into some other options. Hershey Pennsylvania has a minor league hockey team called the Bears. Their tickets were less expensive. I'm glad that I got them early, though. We went to a sold out game.

Click to read more ...