Just Simply Holly

I’ve thought long and hard today about whether or not I actually wanted to blog about this. After a while I honestly had to ask myself why I was even questioning blogging about it.

On this, the eve of the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I want to take the time to not only remember where I was then, but also talk about how thankful I am to be an American.

I remember exactly where I was the morning of the attacks. My husband and I had decided to take the kids to school that morning and after we left their school we decided to stop at a nearby coffee shop for a cup of coffee and some breakfast. I chose coffee and a bagel with cream cheese, he had a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich.

As we were sitting there talking over our breakfast, one of the people from back in the kitchen came out and turned the radio up pretty loud. Everyone was looking around, wondering why in the heck she had done that, we were all totally oblivious about the fact that at that precise moment, our lives would change forever. We all just assumed there had been a terrible accident. Granted, it didn’t happen in our town, but it did happen in our country and one thing that is very prevalent in this area is the pride we have for this country! My husband and I finished up our breakfast and headed out to come home. At this point in time, only one plane had crashed into one tower, so we didn’t know what exactly had happened. On our way home we stopped at a garage sale that was being held in an old church. We asked the lady running it if she had heard the news that was all over the radio and she said she hadn’t because she didn’t have a radio, she did however have an old black and white TV that she’d turn on to watch the news or weather, so she quickly turned it on.

At the exact moment the picture finally came clear, the second plane hit the second tower. I looked at my husband and he looked at me and we both realized, at that moment, that what was going on was no accident. He left and quickly got home so that we could turn the TV on and find out what was going on. By the time we got home it was announced that a third plane had crashed into the Pentagon Building and they were calling a complete halt to ALL air traffic across the US. It wasn’t long before they came across the TV and said that they were in communication with every plane in the air, except one. That one ended up being the plane that crashed in an empty field in Pennsylvania because of several passengers who fought the terrorists that had hijacked the plane.

I spent the rest of the morning staring at my TV in total disbelief. I could not fathom the fact that thousands of innocent people were dying at the hands of people who had attacked American on its own soil! I cried for the innocent lives that had been lost and I cried over the innocence that was lost that would never return for many. I worried about my own children, tucked away in their school, learning about the history of our country, not realizing that history was happening right before our very eyes, history that would rock this country to its very core and take away a sense of safety that we all had taken for granted.

I’ll NEVER forget where I was or what I was doing the moment I first found out, I’ll also never forget the effect of something that didn’t personally touch my life had on my life. I’ve always been proud to be an American, but that pride is stronger today because of 9/11! The current campaign for President has left me wondering what direction our country is taking. It’s left me with moments filled with pride in my country, but it’s also left me with moments filled with shame and sadness! It’s time for the nominee’s to stop focusing on what they think of each other and start focusing on what they CAN do to make this country and better place to live. They need to stop filling our ear with lies and promises that they know they cannot fulfill and start filling them with what their plans are to make the economy in our country stronger, make our dependence on foreign oil a LOT less dependent, and what they are going to do to make sure that people in this country have decent and affordable health care! They need to tell us that they’re going to stop bailing out countries that don’t like us in the first place and start bailing out the small businesses in this country ran by men and women who are doing nothing more than living the American Dream! A dream that I’m afraid is slowly fading away.

With that I will simply say GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Alan Jackson-Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning

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With the reality of knowing that tomorrow could very well be our last Labor Day cookout/family reunion at moms house, I wish I had been able to invest in a nice camcorder this year! The last camcorder we owned was back in the mid 90’s and I swear to you it had to have weighed 50 pounds…LOL!

But that’s what’s so fantastic about technology! Today’s camcorders not only weigh less, they also don’t record to over sized VCR tapes. Now you can use a camcorder to record to DVD’s, which are so much lighter and easier to keep on hand! I LOVE the amazing features that this nifty Hitachi offers! Not only does it record to multiple DVD formats, it also has a 30x optical zoom, it weighs less than 1 pound, and it offers a nice sized 2.7 inch LCD screen for viewing what you are recording!

Another thing that makes this handy little camcorder even better is the fact that it is one of the items offered at a fantastic sale price in this weeks Weekly Deals on Buy.com. What, you ask, is their fantastic price for this? You can pick it up this week for just $277.37, which includes shipping!

So whether you’re in the market for a new camcorder, or maybe a Samsung mini bluetooth headset, or even an HP laptop be sure to check out the great prices on this weeks Weekly Deals at Buy.com!

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You know, there is one thing I won’t have to worry about in case the house does sell soon! It’s only been 11 months since we moved here and the one thing that we didn’t do after we unpacked was throw out the moving boxes that we used.

Usually after we move the boxes we’ve used either end up getting thrown away or they’ve fallen apart. There have even been a few times where we never even unpacked them. I’m not sure why, but this move was different. Rather than throwing the boxes away we actually broke them down and put them up in the attic for storage. And for the first time in a long time, we’ve actually unpacked every box we brought here. Well, there is still one left in the front closet, but it’s filled with papers and different odds and ends that we just don’t know what do to with.

It would figure though, we’re finally pretty much settled in here and really love living her. I’m REALLY hoping that the landlord and Realtor are right when they said that they don’t expect it to sell soon, because I dread the thought of having to pack things up any time soon!

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Does anyone honestly thing Britney Spears is a changed woman? All of the latest tabloids and news stories are talking about how she’s lost weight and is putting the focus on taking care of herself and being the best mom she can be. Some stories credit the change in Brittney to her little sister becoming a mother, saying that it’s helped her to realize how much she needed to change and put her focus on the important things. Other stories talk about how the thought of actually losing her boys finally set in and made her realize they way she was living her life was wrong.

I, however, think it will only be a matter of time before the Britney that we’ve all gotten used to returns. I don’t think her days of partying are over for good. I think we’ll eventually see her back on the front of all the tabloids and magazines wearing her bustiers and short skirts again. But I also hope that I’m wrong! It would be nice if we continued to see this “new and improved” Britney! I think she’ll find that if she keeps her life on track that she’ll eventually be able to revive her stardom as well as her career. Once she does that, we’ll know for sure whether or not she really has changed her life for good!

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And yes, before you say ANYTHING, I know, I’m not a person to use the word delightful….LOL! But you know, there’s no better word to describe how picture perfect the weather has been today! I was a bit worried that it was going to get warm and muggy today because we had one heck of a storm come through last night! But thankfully, that didn’t happen! It’s been sunny with a nice breeze all day, and temps have only been in the mid to upper 70’s, all of which are my idea of perfect weather!

It’s also been a lazy, kind of laid back day. It started out by my sleeping until 9:00 AM, which I never do…LOL. The only bad thing about sleeping that late is that I didn’t get to see one of my all time favorite local news anchors for her last broadcast this morning. It may be a good thing though, I’d probably have cried like a baby…LOL!

I was able to watch some of the Olympics while waking up! I tell you, it’s becoming more and more like an addiction watching them, and I’m going to be in REALLY bad shape when they’re over….LOL! And if there isn’t any TV coverage I can catch video recaps and news stories online. But I’m kind of freaked out over the fact that the Official website for the Olympics seems to be having some major problems because I can’t get any of the schedule pages to load, or if they do load they only load partially and VERY slowly!

My hubby is helping a friend out right now and the kids and I are just kind of chilling out. I’ve got a little more laundry to do today and I still have to figure out what I’m making for dinner tonight. Anyone have any suggestions?

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***IMPORTANT UPDATE***
I just got off the phone with a very nice young man from The Jarden Corporation named Jason, who has visited and read this blog post. He apologized several times for the way we were treated and spoken to on the phone by their customer solutions center and is sending us a replacement coffee maker via overnight shipping, if it is available on our area. He is also going to send a label that will allow me to send the three non working coffee makers back to them so that they can check them out and see what’s going on with them. He and I went over the photos of the coffee makers that I posted here and spoke in depth about what all went wrong with them. After speaking with Jason I feel a little more assured that this is a company that stands behind their products and the consumers who purchase and use them. I do still understand the position that was taken initially by the customer solutions center because sadly this world does have many people who are out there to scam and/or take advantage of people and companies. Unfortunately it is people like that who ruin things for people like myself who simply receive faulty products. But I’d like to send a HUGE thank you out to Jason for his kindness and understanding!
***END IMPORTANT UPDATE***

To Whom It May Concern:

This is the tale of four coffee makers

Above you will see a picture of THREE Mr. Coffee coffee makers, none of which work right. The fourth one isn’t there because we cut the cord and threw it away, as you requested. Back in March I wrote a glowing report about your company/products because I was thrilled about the fact that you stood behind your products and the customers that used/purchased them. If you’d like to read that post, it can be found HERE. You see, we had purchased a new Mr. Coffee coffee maker in the fall of 2007. We LOVED this coffee maker because it gave us the ability to set it up at night and wake up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee rather than having to fumble around in the morning with filters and coffee when we weren’t quite awake.

But for some reason, I’m thinking the way the coffee maker was made/set up, the steam that is released during the brewing process started go up into the digital/illuminated clock face and eventually it became impossible to read the clock, making it impossible set it, or set up the auto brew time. My husband contacted you regarding this and you immediately sent out a replacement coffee maker, although a completely different model number, which is pictured in the photo below.

Although this coffee maker was a different model number, it was the same style as our original one, and within a few weeks we encountered the same exact problem with the digital/illuminated clock. Once again, we picked up the phone and called you and once again you sent us out a replacement coffee maker, which was another model number, but this time it was also a completely different style, so we hoped that our problems were over. Please see the photo of this replacement below

While this coffee maker did not give us the same problems, after just a few weeks of use this coffee maker simply stopped working. Once again, we got on the telephone and called you, and once again you sent out a replacement coffee maker, this time basically the same one, just in a different color. Please see the photo of this one below.

It has now been less than one month since the third replacement arrived at our home and this one has proven to be the worst one of them all! For some reason or another, after less than 5 minutes brewing time, this coffee maker completely stops brewing after brewing just a few cups of coffee. Although I don’t have video showing this, here are two pictures showing a partial pot of coffee after three tries.

We’ve dealt with this for three days now and finally called the Jarden Consumer Solutions customer service to talk to someone about this problem. While I will be the first to TOTALLY agree that you have been more than gracious in replacing the unworking coffee makers, I’m a bit blown away by the response that we received today. We were asked to take it to a local repair shop that you work with to have it looked at/fixed at no charge to us, which is wonderful. But we were told by both the repair shop as well as your customer service representative that neither of you will provide any type of “loaner”, which means that my husband, who gets up between 3:00 and 4:00 AM for work and requires coffee is left with two choices. We can either purchase another coffee maker, or we can go out every time we want a cup of coffee and purchase it.

While I’m completely in agreement that this coffee maker, as well as the other 2 non working ones I still have, NEED to be looked at to find out what is wrong, your stance on what I will have to do if I want coffee during the week or so that this machine is being looked at puts me into a precarious situation. I will purchase a new coffee maker for my home, but I can 100% ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, GUARANTEE IT WILL NOT BE A MR. COFFEE COFFEE MAKER!!!!

I will also take all three of these machines to the local fix it shop, which by the way is nearly a 45 minute drive away, so that they can prove that they do not work correctly! But after having Mr. Coffee coffee makers in my home, NON STOP, for almost 17 years, I will never own or purchase or even take one as a gift again! Yes, I am being a bit extreme here! But my family is under EXTREME financial distress right now and purchasing a new coffee maker is not something that was in our budget. And I’m sorry, ask ANYONE that drinks coffee daily, going without coffee for a week or more is NOT something that either I, or my husband, can do! It’s like trying to take dope away from a dope fiend!

So thank you for bursting my bubble about your company standing behind it’s products and adding an extra an unneeded expense to my family’s budget!

********UPDATE********
To add insult to injury, my husband just got off the phone with a “manager” name Patty from Jarden Customer Solutions. We’re now being treated VERY rudely and disrespecfully because THEIR customer service representatives never handled any of this correctly from the start. As you can see from the photos above, all three coffee makers still have their electrical cords attached. Apparently it is their “policy” for customers to cut the plug and three inches of the cord off and mail it back to them when a replacement is sent, which we would have GLADLY done. But we were NEVER, NOT ONCE, asked or told to do this. And as you can also see from the photos above, I do still have all three coffee makers! So basically, we’re being accused of trying to scam this company. So Mr. Coffee, Jarden Customer Solutions AND Jarden Corporation, you will get your cords, but as I stated above, I WILL do anything and everything within my power to make sure that my family, friends and anyone that reads my blog avoids purchasing ALL products made by your company! It’s not my fault your customer service associates are inept! And by the way, I DO NOT WANT a replacement this time, so don’t even think about sending it because I will REFUSE delivery!

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I have a question for all of my readers that have ever listed a house for sale. I’ve never had to go through what I’m going through today (i.e. a Realtor coming to look at the house to list it), so what all do I need to do? Since we had less than 24 hours notice that the landlord was bringing the Realtor in, it’s not possible for me to get the house 100% clean. The house isn’t “dirty”, so to say, it’s just cluttered, especially the kids rooms.

I also have to worry about the dogs while the Realtor is here. They’re not dogs that bite, they just like to jump and greet people that come in the house. We’ve got a couple of different options to help with dealing with the dogs while they’re here. The first is to put them, with one of the kids, in one of the bedrooms. But that also creates a situation where we’ll need to move them with the Realtor in the house. Another option, since it’s not hot and sunny, is to take the dogs out and put them in the van, also with one of the kids staying there with them. I think that’s probably the option that I’ll end up going with.

Anyway, I need to get the kids up so that they can get their rooms picked up and their beds made. I also have to get the dishes in the dish drainer put away, the floors swept and mopped and pick up any other stuff that’s sitting around that shouldn’t be. Is there anything else that you know of that I really need to do? It would be nice if we had a Blueair air purifier, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about someone walking in the house and dealing with the variety of “smells” in the air…LOL! Between the coffee, the smoking and the dogs, if I don’t spray some air freshener or keep some candles lit, it’s not always the most pleasant smell around here…LOL. UGH, this is frustrating! One of my friends told me not to do anything in order to make the house less appealing, which will make it harder to sell, but I don’t want to do that to our landlord, he’s been fantastic to us! OK, getting busy now!

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If you’re a pet owner, this is a post you’re going to want to read! No, I’m not talking about anything bad, nor am I even going to attempt to push my minimal amount of pet knowledge on you. What I am going to do, however, is tell you about a FANTASTIC website for people who are looking for all types of information about pets, and a way to connect with other pet owners in your area!

The name of the website is ZooToo.com and their site is a vast source of information where you can not only find information to help you choose the right pet, you can also do things like find answers to questions you may have about your own pets or even post your own questions! It’s the newest way for pet lovers to meet, learn more about their own pets and even help others when they have a question about their pets! It’s an online social network for pet lovers from across the country to get together and share their love of pets, whether you own a dog, a cat, a fish, a reptile or any other type of pet!

Besides being a great resource for pet lovers ZooToo.com also works with animal shelters and rescues by donating food and supplies through their members. When you join their site you have the option of choosing your local shelter and rescue service and by participating on the website, you’ll earn points that will go towards donations to the shelters and rescue services you choose to support. And the best part is that it doesn’t cost you anything, they benefit and YOU benefit as well because of all of the great things you can do at the website as well as all of the valuable information you can find and share!

So go check them out! And while you’re there, head over to their Most Photogenic Pet Contest and vote for Sage! Here’s the picture of her that I entered!

Isn’t she ADORABLE in this picture?

THE Social Network for pet lovers!

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I’ll admit it, I LOVE to cook and bake! It’s something I’ve done for years and something that I completely enjoy, and something that I feel is very therapeutic! As I’m sure you already know, Sassy and I have a fairly new blog called Food, Fun and Family that we post recipes and stuff on. The recipes that we post are ones that we use ourselves, ones that are simple and usually really inexpensive!

I was TOTALLY excited to find a new website with recipes for me to start scoping out! The site is so well laid out and easy to follow, with some really fantastic features! The ones that I’m going to be using the most is their enhanced recipe search which allows you to search for recipes using ingredients you have on hand, the type of dish you want to make (i.e. main course, desert, drinks, etc) and even if you have dietary restrictions like low fat, gluten free or even meatless for people like me! The other feature that I like, which does require you to actually sign up for an account at the site is the ability to save recipes that I like to my own recipe file for quick access when I need them in the futures! (No worries though, it’s TOTALLY free and very easy to sign up for!!)

So what are you waiting for? Get over there and check the site out and find some new and fantastic recipes to feed your family!

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I spent a good part of today digging through everyone’s closets trying to find some decent looking clothes for Del’s funeral tomorrow. It’s actually not as bad as that sounds, really! It’s not something that we have to get really dressed up for, jeans and casual clothing are perfectly fine, which is a good thing, especially when it comes to my hubby!

I have a nice pair of black dress pants I’m going to wear, I’m just not certain yet what shirt I’m going to wear with them. I’ve got tons and tons of T shirts and sweaters, neither of which will work for tomorrow. It’s going to be too chilly to wear just a T shirt, but too warm for a sweater, so I have to get that figured out. I also have to dig through the box and bag from my desk. When I changed the family room around the other day, I packed up the stuff from my desk and the table next to it and in one of them is my jewelry box. I want to find my gold chain and earrings so that I can at least look a little decent tomorrow. Makeup is obviously out of the question because in my lifetime I have yet to find a mascara that doesn’t give me raccoon eyes when I cry…LOL!

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