Wanting to block the sun from coming through your windows and find that the mini-blinds aren’t getting the job done? Well, I had posted about using aluminum foil on windows. While it works well, it’s not an option for some people because of where they live. We have it on our back windows where we have no neighbors, so no one sees it.

While cleaning up the other day, my husband found a movie poster that I just can’t bear to part with but have no place to hang up. It has Kevin Sorbo on it (hubba hubba!) from the movie Kull the Conqueror. My husband found a spot for it in the bedroom no less! Just take a look:

He hung it in the window. Surprisingly it does help to filter the light coming in. Now I get to look at Kevin Sorbo everyday and have a cooler bedroom. What more could a girl ask for?

Country living is great but services really do lack. We really have only one option for broadband and that’s satellite Internet. It’s OK but definitely not the same experience as DSL or cable. It is much better than dial-up!

I keep hoping that one day we’ll have DSL or cable out this way but nothing so far. I remember from class that for DSL you had to be located within 3 miles of the switch. Not sure if that is still the case today with such advancements in technology.

It’s been a trying week with our satellite Internet as we can’t download but so much within 24 hour period. It just really stinks especially during E3 week - a video game summit held in Los Angeles each year. I’ve been covering it from home for my 451 Press blog - WiiRally.com. Between downloading screenshots, videos, and other assets, I exceeded our allotment so therefore the fair use clause of our contract was enabled for 24 hours. Basically you are back to dial-up speed. That makes it nearly impossible to get much work done.

We are back to normal, so I have a lot of catching up to do this weekend as I’ve been neglecting my other blogs trying to stay on top of E3. Next week should be calmer - oh wait, there is another gaming conference next weekend but it won’t be on the scale as this one, though.

For us to go anywhere, we have to plan and then do some more planning. When we first got married we had looked into some different Vegas vacations ideas. 13 years later, we have yet to make it to Vegas. So if we plan to ever make it to Vegas or anywhere, then we need to plan ahead.

The first step will be is to decide when we want to go. Next will be to find out just how much it will cost us. Third we’ll have to figure out how long it will take us to save the money. It’s fun to plan vacations and even more fun to actually take the trips. The better plan we have, the more likely we are to actually go on vacation. A lot of times we won’t have the money or something comes up. Although I hate to plan, for vacations I gladly do it.

Our next game console will be an Xbox 360 mainly because of Rock Band 2. My nephew recently got a playstation 3 that really makes my husband want one. Of course, he also wants the 360, so we’ll have to do one at a time.

There’s more out for the 360 that we want to play right now. I’m looking forward to playing Rock Band 2 and having the option for downloadable songs. We really enjoy playing video games. In fact we might play as much as we watch TV. Our Nintendo Wii is great but games definitely have a party feel to it, which I love those types of games. But sometimes it’s nice to play other games as well.

Rock Band 2 is set to be released in September, so that is when we will need to buy our Xbox 360.

We are planning a Labor Day weekend getaway. Our plans keep changing, so we are hoping to soon book a hotel and make an itinerary of things to do. My frugal side is feeling a little “sticker shock” from some of the prices for one night at a hotel, which is why we hope to find some good travel deals. From Hilton Head rentals to hotel rentals, staying at a nice place can come at a price but using a coupon will help us save some money.

I’ve begun to clip grocery coupons. I’m by no means an expert and save less than $5 for all my clipping effort. But that is just over the price of a tank of gas, so every little bit helps.

So, with a tighter economy and higher prices, it seems any time you can use a coupon is a good deal.

It always seems Christmas sneaks up on me before I am ready, so this year I’ve decided to do some pre-planning in July. I’ll just start out by making a list of everyone I need to buy for and then deciding on a budget.

The hardest part of our Christmas budget is that I usually go over. But if I start thinking about it now, then I will have time to formulate a plan to stay within budget as I get sidetracked when I start to shop off my Christmas list.

For some one my list it will be easy to buy for like my pregnant niece could use some maternity clothes. Others, however, will be more difficult. But still thinking about it a little now will hopefully save us money in the long run and finally be totally prepared for December.

This week has been sort of a blur but that’s expected after a long holiday weekend. Monday seemed very painful while Tuesday seemed productive. Wednesday was gone before I knew it. And here it is Thursday.

I have been using my neti-pot and SinuCleanse a lot this week as my sinuses have been really bothering me. The SinuCleanse does help to relieve the pressure and let me breathe again. Still, it’s aggravating to have sinus/head issues in July. It just seems wrong.

So I haven’t felt much like blogging or doing anything the past few days. Hopefully Friday will be better. This weekend we are going canoing. I have never been and neither has my husband. It should be quite the experience. I just hate that I don’t have a waterproof case for my camera. We will probably buy a disposable waterproof one but I’m spoiled to digital. I just don’t think it’ll be as fun to take pictures with it or that they will turn out to be anything we will like.

I did edit a little video to put up on the blog but have yet to successfully upload it to You Tube. Maybe tonight will be the night. Don’t get too excited. It’s just me and the girl demonstrating how to stuff a plush animal that I got from Stuff N Snuggle(I joined the company as a rep last month).

So here is hoping that I will wake up Friday feeling fit as a fiddle and ready to tackle the world again. Stranger things have happened I think.

Most mornings we eat breakfast on the run. I’m usually rushing to work, so I grab either a sausage biscuit or something even more unhealthy on the way to work. Since I eat on the run, I was thrilled to be asked to try the new Kraft Bagel-fuls.

The Bagel-fuls are bagels with the cream cheese already inside. The shape of it makes it a perfect grab and go breakfast. They come in five varieties: original, strawberry, cinnamon, whole grain, and chive. Each bagel-ful has less than 200 calories, too. You can either toast them, microwave them, or enjoy them straight from the refrigerator.

I tried the original and cinnamon flavors and have to say that both were delicious. The Bagel-ful is filling and satisfying. It also takes a few minutes to eat, which is great since I love to eat. I like foods that last and these Bagel-fuls really do.

The Bagel-fuls are not only really good but lower in calories than a lot of other fast breakfast items. Sometimes I have a raging sweet tooth in the mornings which I think the cream cheese should satisfy nicely. It’s great to have found a fast breakfast food that is filling and yet not too high in calories. Now I just have to remember to look for Bagel-fuls in the frozen food section and not with the other bagels.

A cup of bleach in the laundry can really help to get out odors and stains in clothing. After using bleach in the laundry, the house always smells so clean.  In newer washing machines, it’s easy to add bleach to the laundry because there is a special place to pour it. It is then added at the right time during the wash.

If you don’t have a ‘bleach only’ location in your washing machine, then you need to add the bleach to your laundry a little later in the washing cycle. After adding your clothes and detergent, start the cycle. Wait until all the water is in the washing machine. Then add the bleach to the laundry. That’s the way my mom always does it.  With new washers, it is easy to add bleach but with older ones you still have to wait and add it at the right time.

It’s been almost one week since I started a new diet. So far it’s going well I think. I haven’t yet taken any diet pills and hope to lose weight by eating less. But at this point I’m not ruling any option out.

I’ve decided to give Weight Watchers a try. It’s been an interesting week getting used to the point system. It’s almost like a game to try to come in at or below the number of allotted points. This week I’m over 9 points including my extra splurge points. Next week will hopefully be better now that I’ve had a little time to adjust to doing points for a week.

I will once again be buying frozen foods to get used to eating less. This worked fairly well this past week and was awesome not having to cook. My kitchen never looked so clean for so long! But after next week I will begin to wean off the frozen foods and cook more.

It’s definitely been a learning experience this week. I haven’t went hungry and do feel I’ve lost a little bit although I hate to get on the scale just to realize that isn’t the case. Maybe next week I will weigh and see some lower numbers.