Archive for December 18th, 2007

New (Old Fashioned) Bikes

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

I wish I had a bike. I used to have one that was 3 speeds, but the chain kept falling off. Then I used my brother’s bike (a 10 speed) but I had to keep it in the same gear all the time or it would go into super hard mode and I couldn’t pedal. Then that one got stolen and he got another 10 speed but once again the chain kept falling off. What frustration! My sister had a bike that she loved. Just one speed and everyone in the family wanted a seat like hers. She could actually sit on it for long rides and not walk away saddle sore like I used to with my ‘banana seat’ bike. Guess what kind of bike she had – a beach cruiser. Cruiser bikes have been around a long time and have a retro feel to them but recently I’ve seen them tricked out and being used by the most unlikely of people. Apparently, if you can’t take your Harley where you want to go, a beach cruiser built like one is perfectly a acceptable substitute. These bikes are also affordable. Where some bikes with shocks and 24 speeds can cost hundreds of dollars, you can get a beach cruiser for less than $100. Add some decals to personalize it. Add a basket and make it your new way of getting groceries from the store. You get exercise and, with the price of gas, save a couple dollars each time you go to the store. You can get yours in either a men’s or a women’s style and there are tons of colors to choose from. I know these are traditionally used on the boardwalk, but we never had that around here so I don’t know much about that. I can tell you that when riding across a dirt lot, that seat is your best friend.


Pepperoni and Tomato

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Have you ever gotten a craving for something?  I had a craving for pepperoni and tomatoes together a while back and pizza wasn’t going to cut the mustard.  I went online to see if I could find something that sounded tasty and found this recipe.  My kids don’t like it so now we call it Mom’s Favorite Salad.  I highly recommend trying it.

Combine for salad:    1 bag cooked penne pasta
                                    2 med tomatoes (diced)
                                    1 bell pepper (sliced)
                                    2 sticks of pepperoni (sliced thick and halved)
                                    1 bunch green onions (sliced)

Combine for dressing: ½ cup olive oil
                                    ½ cup red wine vinegar
                                    1 tsp sugar
                                    ½ tsp salt
                                    1 tsp basil
                                    2 tsp minced garlic
                                    ¼ tsp pepper

Pour the dressing over the mixed up salad and turn to coat.  Serve immediately or chill.

In my case it serves just one, but others could probably stretch it to serve 6 or8.

International Calling

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

I know that when my husband called home from Kentucky a couple months ago it cost $30 and I’ve always assumed that international calling rates had to be super expensive. I found out that actually you can call internationally at a reasonable cost if you plan ahead and really find out what your options are. And it helps to have a cell phone.

For my next (and first) trip to Mexico (see video below) I am definitely going to make sure that everybody that calls me is using MobileTalk by Packet8. It’s a super cheap way to make international calls from the United States on your cell phone. Everyone I know has a cell phone if not two, so when I want to talk to them from vacation in Mexico, I’ll have them give me a call at the hotel.

I know a lot of people now that don’t even have a land line. Their only phone service is their cell phone. They carry it everywhere they go so that plan works for them. Most of them have great plans for calling nationwide long distance for free. Now there’s also a plan to extend the great rates of a cell phone to international calls.

And if you like my video you can vote for it at http://bix.yahoo.com/contest/33995. Vote early and often! Wink!

Christmas Shopping Complete

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

I DID IT!  I finally finished shopping for Christmas and I’ve got a week to spare.  I might actually finish wrapping before Christmas Eve (I dare not hope).  I covered the folks, the kids, the husband and the various Christmas drawings; had time to pick up something for the adopt-a-family and the kid’s teacher; shopped early for the nephews and the new nie—— wait.

Woops – I missed someone.   Oh well, I’ve still got time.