Archive for the year 2007
The Greatest Idea!
Posted on August 14, 2007 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink, Life, Sponsored Post, Wishlist.
I was looking through the internet today for ideas to use on my upcoming remodel. I came a cross a site that specializes in Stainless Steel Cabinets and workbenches as well as flooring and other garage products. I thought to myself that would be a really cool kitchen. Imagine it, you have all the latest stainless appliances with these high grade stainless cabinets and butcher block counter tops, or even stainless counter tops. I think you could even do a really nice beige marble with a nice white oak trim that would make the stainless pop. Now imagine the floor being either a white oak wood laminate floor or you could use the rubber flooring that the company sells. you would be able to drop anything on the floor and it would clean right up. and if you damage a rubber square then you simply remove it and replace it. Its brilliant. I will have to run this by my wife and see if she likes the idea!
No Comments
Rebuilding your Credit
Posted on August 14, 2007 by Ching under Family, Life, Sponsored Post.
After I wrote that article yesterday I got to thinking and realized that I had more to say on the subject, especially on the topic of debt and getting out from under it. Lets say for example that you have paid off everything. Your credit cards are all gone and you have told yourself that you will never get another credit card again. This is a mistake. Its not the credit cards that were the problem, it was your self control. Now that you have paid off all your debt and you see the error of your ways and how bad it can get then hopefully you have learned your lesson and you now have better self control. So, you will need at least one credit card in your possession to rebuild your credit and keep a good standing with the companies that track your credit record for things like mortgages and auto loans. Its important to not only have that credit card but to use it from time to time to make purchases. If you just had a few credit cards and you don’t want to take out a loan to pay off everything or you don’t want to use a consolidation company because it might ruin your credit record then you can find a company that will allow you to do balance transfers of your other credit cards. This will bring all the little balances under one payment and one interest rate. This will allow you to pay off the amount quicker and not get nickeled and dimed to death. These are all smart ways to rebuild your credit and keep from getting into trouble.Be sure that you do your research, compare credit cards to insure that you are getting the best intrest rates, options available and freedome of use that you desire. Take it from someone that used to have 12 credit cards and was over 30k in debt. I am now debt free and have one credit card that I use to make small purchases. I also make sure to check my credit record every year to insure that everything is good and I have no outstanding debt that I am not aware of (this would usually indicate fraud). Also, when you get to the point that you have the single credit card and you are making the small purchases, you need to make sure that you are paying off the card as soon as (or even before if you can) get the bill. this way you are not paying those outrageous interest payments. Just some helpful advise from someone thats been there.
No Comments
Get your Loan On
Posted on August 13, 2007 by Ching under Family, Life, Sponsored Post.
I was looking through the internet the other day and came across several companies that offered some sort of financial debt consolidation for individuals that had High credit card bills, too many credit cards, payday loans or just wanted to consolidate several other loans in order to make one payment instead of several. I thought to myself where was this when my wife and I were in need of consolidation. We went through a company that took our credit cards and canceled all of them and negotiated new percentages with the companies. It was set up so that we could never use those cards again until the program was over. However, this puts a black mark on your credit record. If we had been given the opportunity to consolidate the loans instead then we could have not only got out of debt but improved our credit rating as well, instead of hurting it. What sparked the search in the first place is that we are currently working on a remodel of the house and thought that instead of doing it one room at a time we would take out one of those second home Mortgage Loans and just hire someone to do the remodel. This would improve or credit and get the house done in half the time. My wife and I anxiously want to get into a newer home and we know that we can not do so until we get our current house into better shape. I have also thought about seeing if I can refinance our home and trying to get a little more money there as well. It works out the same with the overall objective to get our home remodeled so that we can sell it. I haven’t decided just yet what to do and I am not afraid to take out a loan because in the end, I will get a better value out of my home when I sell it and I can turn that value around and pay off the loan, its a win win situation. So stay tuned and see what happens. I am sure that we will have before and after pictures of the whole event, those of you that know us know that my wife is a photo junkie.
1 Comment
Starlite Drive-In
Posted on August 12, 2007 by Ching under Life.
You all know that the Jamaica trip was actually are anniversary celebration this year. Since we celebrated it early, we really didn’t plan anything big for the day of our actual anniversary. We even decided to forgo gifts for each other because the trip is supposed to be it. That’s why I was surprised when I got these..
I hadn’t received flowers from him in years! Seriously. When they say that you don’t get flowers after so many years of marriage, they’re usually implying that the guy has become less thoughtful or less caring. That is not the case with Brian. I know that he cares, it’s just we decided long ago that flowers were impractical. I’m not sure what got into to Brian that made him feel so frivolous on Friday, but there it is.. My beautiful bouquet.
He really shouldn’t have because flowers are expensive, but it was a very sweet and thoughtful gesture. I decided I shouldn’t give him grief about the cost. Although, he was disappointed that they got the type of flower wrong. He asked for stargazers (my favorite) and just got regular white lilies instead.
Friday night is poker night so that’s where we were the other night. Then on Saturday we attended the MKMVPA cook out after the monthly club meeting. It was kind of embarrassing, actually, because Brian and I arrived at the tail end of the meeting. I think everyone knew we were just there for the cook out. LOL. We are horrible as club members.
Anyway, we couldn’t let the weekend pass without doing anything during our actual anniversary weekend. So we decided to just go to the drive-in on Saturday night. It actually worked out perfectly because I’ve never ever been. At least now I can say I’ve been to the drive-in before my 30th birthday. 🙂
We actually had a pretty good setup. We inflated the air mattress in the bed of Brian’s truck, took our back rest pillows, several blankets, a cooler full of Pepsi, snacks, a boombox, reading material, and bug repellent. We figured if we are staying to watch three movies, we might as well be comfortable.
Here are some of the photos we took..
The weather last night was actually perfect. It wasn’t too hot. It cooled down considerably later in the evening, but it didn’t get too cold that we needed to bundle up. In fact, we didn’t even need our blankets. It’s better to be prepared, though, so we brought them anyway just in case. With the weather in Wichita as unpredictable as it is, you never know.
Brian and I were really well prepared for my first drive-in experience. I think we actually might have been too prepared, if there is such a thing. I think we’ve found a new way to watch movies. Brian is kind of fed up with the incompetence of Warren Theater employees and their lack of decent customer service so the drive-in is actually a nice substitute. We can create our very own comfortable space, enjoy our snacks, and not have to worry about being disappointed about bad service because we pretty much just fend for ourselves. I mean, where else can you go to watch three newly released movies for a measly eight bucks? Plus, kids get in for a dollar (or free if they’re under seven years old). It’s a bargain!
- Here are some tips to make your drive-in experience wonderful and satisfying:
- Get there early to get a good spot.
I am anal about being right in the middle of any movie theater so at the drive-in I wanted to make sure that we were in perfect alignment with the center of the screen. You don’t want to be all the way at the front or all the way at the back. So try to get there early to get a good spot. Also, you won’t have to rush setting up your area (cleaning your windshield, setting up lawn chairs or blankets, that sort of thing).
You probably don’t want to get there too early, though. That’s what happened to us. We got there way too early (we were actually the first car there; we might as well have plastered “drive-in movie virgins” to our windshield) so we had to wait a long time before we could actually get in. I didn’t mind, though, because I was at the front of the line. I like being first.
- Bring something to do.
Lucky for us, we brought stuff to do. We brought a magazine and a couple of books. We even brought our travel game set. You can read or play games while waiting in line. If you get there early, as in our previous advice, you still have to wait a while for the movie to start so it can be boring if you don’t bring anything to do while you wait. After we got set up, we still had plenty of time to kill. We didn’t end up using our game, but I did get some reading done.
- Plan your setup.
Plan your setup carefully in advance. You want to be comfortable otherwise you won’t enjoy the movie.
If you are watching from inside the car, make sure your windshield is clean. You can bring something to clean it with or you can buy the stuff they sell at the concession stand (it’s less than a dollar).
We didn’t need windshiled cleaner, though, because we watched the movie from the truck bed. With the air mattress and back rest pillows, our space was comfortable enough to sleep in.
If you plan to sit outside the car to watch the movie, make sure you have enough lawn chairs for everyone. Don’t take over the next space. The drive-in management doesn’t like that.
- Bring a blanket.
It might get cold later in the evening. In our case, we didn’t need it because the weather was just right. However, it’s better to be prepared.
- Don’t forget bug repellent.
You can bring bug spray but you can also light up a bug repellent candle for a more romantic ambience. If you’re on a date, I would suggest going with the candle. 😉
We didn’t have bug spray, but when we stopped by Brian’s parents’ house to inflate our air mattress (his dad has an air compressor so it was faster to inflate it there rather than using the pump that came with the bed) he gave us this terra cotta pot bug repellent kit. You light up the bug repellent coil and you put it in the pot. The incense repels bugs. I believe they are fairly inexpensive. Ours came with four coils and we only used two so we can use the other two coils next time. From then on you can just get coil refills.
- Bring headphones or a boombox.
This is particularly useful if you are watching the movie outside the vehicle. The spreakers provide may not be enough. We brought a boombox but, at even at max volume, it could have been louder. It may be sufficient for most, though. Brian and I are thinking of experimenting and bringing a headphone splitter and separate headphones next time to see if the sound quality improves.
Anyway, I recommend bringing a boombox so you don’t have to leave the car on. I know you can turn the car on accessory mode so you can run your radio without leaving the car running, but you have to do it in a specific way. If you do it wrong, you end up draining your car battery and when it’s time to leave you can’t. If you do decide to forgo the boombox and use your car radio, make sure you have your car emergency kit complete with jumper cables with you. You may not need it, but like blankets it’s good to have just in case.
- Bring lots of soda and snacks.
You won’t be able to sit through three movies and not have the munchies. Take advantage of the time they allow in between movies to hit the concession stand and stock up. If you don’t want to make the trek, then bring your own stuff. Although, it’s a good idea to support the concession stand to keep the drive-in in business.
It’s a good idea to bring a cooler because the concession stand usually closes at the tail end of the second movie. If you don’t have anything and have munchies later on then you’ll be out of luck. You won’t run into this problem if you bring your own stuff.
We hope you find these tips useful. If you have others that you’d like to share, please feel free to post them in the comments.
P.S. Mom and dad, you guys want to go to the drive in one night with the kiddos? Jenni? Jen? Anyone? It is super fun. Way better than going to the regular theater!
4 Comments
Vacation Home Rentals
Posted on August 10, 2007 by Ching under Flickr, Sponsored Post, Travel.
While vacationing at an all-inclusive resort offers many benefits such as endless amounts of food, bottomless drinks, and maid service, it doesn’t really offer a lot of privacy. Granted, most resorts offer some romantic places for couples to enjoy. At COR for instance, they had several private jacuzzis hidden in the garden path. They are covered by lush vegetation so that does afford you some privacy. However, there’s nothing to keep other people from ignoring the occupied sign. The only place truly private is your room.
For couples who want more privacy, renting a guest house, villa, or vacation home might be a better option. Then you have the entire property to yourself. When we went on the glass-bottom boat tour, we actually saw several of these properties along the coast. The tour guide calls them guest houses. There was also one right next to COR. They are all beautiful. Some have their own swimming pools and jacuzzis. Some have gazebos. And all of them have ocean access.
Our room was on the far end of the resort building so we could see the pool area of the guest house next door from our balcony. At first we thought that the area was part of the resort and we were trying to figure out how to get there. But the next day we noticed there were some kids swimming in the pool. That’s when we realized it was a totally separate property.
The one pictured above is farther down the coast. It is probably my favorite out of all the ones we saw during our trip. Our tour guide said it is owned by an American. Most of these properties are available for rent. You can even find information about them online.
I think vacation homes are a brilliant idea. It’s even better if you are going as a group. Most homes will accommodate several people, which is great because then you can split the rental cost several ways. This is probably the way to go if you are looking for a great family vacation at minimal cost.
I’ll probably pitch this idea to mom and dad. You know I’ve never been to Disney and they’ve got great vacation rentals in the Disney area. These Disney vacation rentals are packed with great features and amenities. The best thing is you pick the property that suits your needs. I think it would be great for all of us, including the kiddos, to go on vacation together.
From browsing the different properties around the Disney area, I found this one. Check out the pictures. It is a beautiful property with lots to offer. Mom and dad, are you reading this? You guys want to go to Disney?
1 Comment
