Every year around this time, I get an email from a good friend of mine. For at least the past three years my friend, her brother, and her brother’s girlfriend have formed their own team for Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure 5K. While it would be nice to say they are doing it only for the cause, they run this 5K together for my friend’s mother whose life was taken from having breast cancer.

Every year the three of them have fundraisers. When I lived next door to my friend’s brother and his girlfriend I was also able to help in their fundraising events. We baked almost every weekend for bake sales. They host events, raffles, and parties to raise money for the Race for the Cure. Every year, for months, they work so hard to raise as much money as they can for the cause. And in the months they are not hosting events they are planning for the next year. It’s a big deal for them – it makes them feel like they are fighting when their mother could not. Every year I donate to their team; and when I lived closer, I participated in their events.

This year I will have to do things a little differently now that we are no longer neighbors. I will donate money to their team, because it is as important to them this year as any other year. This year I will also be walking in the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure with a group of co-workers. To me, it’s nice to know that the people I work with take this cause as much to heart as I do…as much as my friend and her brother.

You see on television commercials for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day, which is a 60 mile walk or run over a total of three days. I have also seen commercials for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which is a 39 mile walk over a period of two days. These walks, whether 3 miles, 40 miles, or 60 miles are a lot of work, and the people who are involved are extremely dedicated. Not everyone can walk in these events, but we can all pitch in.

Let your friends and family know that you are supporting the cause with a Breast Cancer Support Doormat. Let everyone who comes to your house be reminded to do something. If you can’t walk, donate to your friends and family who can (every dollar counts, no donation is ever too small…ever!). If your friends are hosting events, go…go to support them, but also they are usually a lot of fun. See if you can help at their bake sales, or if you are able, donate something they can raffle off at one of their events.

What will you do?

A few years ago a friend of mine and I decided one of the worst things someone could say to you is, “You look terrible,” especially if you were feeling pretty great. Then we decided that it was even more insulting for someone to say, “You look tired.” It was our conclusion that when someone said “You look tired,” what they were actually saying was “You look terrible,” without having to say those words. So, anytime someone might say to either one of us “You look tired,” we would thank them for letting us know how horrible we looked that day – no one looks “beautiful” if it looks like their eyes can barely stay open with huge dark bags underneath.

The other day at work I met up with a friend to take a walk outside. I wasn’t feeling all that great, I was actually very tired, I had thrown my hair up in a ponytail because the office was hot, and I had no make-up on. I had spoken to this friend before I met up with her, and she knew all of these things. When I got down to the lobby she was already waiting for me. We said hello, and she said “Wow, you look really tired.” While I am instantly insulted by this comment, I always laugh because I think back to when I came to the conclusion of the extent of this insult. Naturally, after she said that, I replied with “Thanks. While I knew I didn’t look my best today, and I am not dressed to the nines, I am glad you noticed too.” We laughed about it, because it is funny…and it’s funny because it is true. My favorite is when someone tells me I look tired, and I actually had gotten a great night of sleep and feeling full of energy and life.

Regardless of what people think, sometimes we really do look tired because we really are tired. There are plenty of things we can do and I am sure we know all of them including don’t eat dinner too late at night, relax before bed, don’t watch television in bed, change your sheets regularly, flip your mattress, and read before bedtime. But what about the days and/or weeks that we are just over-stressed, have too much to do, cannot fall asleep before 1am and have to be up by 5:45am to take care of things before work? We can do the best we can to brighten our skin by using natural exfoliating products like the Dead Sea Bath Salts. Also at night while we are in bed, try using a pillow that provides better support for your body like the Side Sleeper Pro.

Whatever you do or need, the next time someone tells you “You look tired,” laugh at it! Whether you are actually tired and overworked, or if you’re feeling just fine, one day that person will look tired too!

As spring draws nearer to us, we will all be spending more time outside in our yards. This also means backyard pests will be spending time in our yards too. The As Seen on TV item, the Solar Pest Repeller should help leave your yard to you and your invited guests.

The weatherproof Solar Pest Repeller works during the day and the night. Use the Solar Pest Repeller to keep away all pests from your yard including skunks, deer, raccoons, squirrels, stray cats and dogs, and rodents. The Solar Pest Repeller is also convenient to use. It can be mounted onto a fence or pole, or if preferred, the Solar Pest Repeller can also be staked in the yard.

So now, you can enjoy your back yard and all of the joys it provides to you and your guests without having to worry about extra animals and rodents that shouldn’t be there by using the Solar Pest Repeller to help.

I decided this past weekend that I needed to get away; not vacation get away, but relaxing, no-expense get away. It’s one of those very strange things about not living with mom and dad – you work and save up to move out to be independent, then you move three states away, and you don’t really get homesick, but you miss the comfort of mom and dad. When you move out on your own, there are things you just don’t realize beforehand – like the fact that you have to take care of yourself, for yourself at all times. No one is home to cook dinner for or with you, cleaning is either on you or a maid (if you can afford one), you have to run all of your errands yourself – no one does those things for you because everyone else is doing those same things for themselves. So, I took off on Friday night to go spend some quality time Friday night through Saturday night with my mom and dad.

Sometimes, I just need to get away and…shop! I know everyone has their favorite shopping friends, but mine is my mom. Since I don’t live 30 minutes or less away from her anymore, our weekly shopping trips have turned into sporadic shopping trips (sad!). So after breakfast with both of my parents, my dad took my car over to his friend and the two of them did manly things with my car (like check the brakes – better safe than sorry), and mom and I hit the mall. Credit cards and coupons were burning through our wallets – I do not remember the last time we went shopping together. Do not worry, I definitely still enjoy my shoe collection growing, and we absolutely went to DSW (two of them). After shopping I have a tradition: lug in all of the bags and boxes; take everything out; and show my dad my purchases, and yes, he loves every moment of it.

What do a mom and dad need most after their daughter was home for a full 17 hours? They need to take her out to their favorite restaurant (this is true…I would have been happy with hoagies and french fries) for an absolutely amazingly perfect meal for three. No meal is ever complete without leftovers to go. And no matter how much I insist, my parents packed the delicious leftover food up into the cooler, put it in my car, and I was off on my three hour drive back home – my stomach full of great food, and my car full of new clothes and shoes!

How was your weekend? I hope it was perfect! Have a super Monday!

It’s close to the end of March, and as far as I am concerned that means it is spring, and soon enough the weather will catch up to my thought process (is anyone else ready for 70 degrees?). Since my mind is wishing for spring, I am looking for springtime things – flowers, bright clothes, flip flops, and cheerful house décor. The new Dahlias Coir Doormat is just the kind of décor I am talking about.

In the winter we put out more functional doormats that we do not care as much about because they only get ruined with all of the snow and mud we tread on them. The Dahlias Coir Doormat is bright and cheerful. People will feel welcomed into your home as they approach the doorstep when they see the Dahlias Coir Doormat. Don’t worry though, even though people will be stepping on your Dahlias Coir Doormat, the hand stenciling will not fade away.

So brighten up and get ready for spring mentally. Physically, get your house ready and put out the Dahlias Coir Doormat. It really might cheer you up after the winter comes to an end.

The most popular event going on right now is March Madness; NCAA basketball in its prime. Everyone gets involved in March Madness: sports fans, people who don’t care about sports, people who went to a basketball college, people who didn’t go to a basketball college, people who didn’t go to college, old, young, boy, girl…everyone is involved. People like to watch, people like to participate in watching even if they don’t care who wins, people join brackets and bets, people watch all day and night on the weekends, and if your team is playing during the work day you stream the game while at work (don’t be ashamed if you’re guilty of this…believe me when I tell you, you’re not the only one).

Who is your team? Who did you pick to win? Did you join a bracket? Did you join more than one bracket? Do you even care about who wins? If you don’t care who wins, are you participating in the festivities anyway? Where I live, it is just about impossible not to be involved no matter how much you don’t care. In fact, I took a walk last week during lunch with a co-worker, and we passed by college cheerleaders in the street cheering for Pitt. Honestly, I don’t really care. I think college basketball is so much fun, as I went to a basketball college, and so naturally I am routing for my college to win (for those of you wondering, it’s George Mason University), but I did not enter into a bracket this year, so I am not paying as much attention as I could to the whole NCAA March Madness Tournament.

If you are into this year’s college basketball March Madness, what are you doing to participate? Are you participating like me – meaning you’re watching because it’s fun and exciting? Did you throw any kind of March Madness party in support of your college team? And what about if you filled out a bracket (or if you’re anything like some of my friends, four brackets) did you pick your college to win out of loyalty, or did you pick a team that actually has a better chance of winning? If you’re a true fan, like for North Carolina, do you have an inflatable mascot? I love this stuff, and I love even more how all people play games together even if they have no idea what’s going on. Some people fill out brackets and which team will win based on statistics, and others (people like me) might fill them out based on the color of the jerseys. Either way, I think March Madness is fun. Tell me what you are doing for the NCAA tournament.

Girls, I feel your pain. Waking up in the morning, going to the gym, taking a shower, getting dressed, blow-drying your hair, getting lunch together, getting the kids together, putting on make-up, and getting out the door in time is tough – it’s a fact. How great would it be to cut out that whole “putting on make-up step” from your routine? Try the 28 Day Mascara and that could be a reality.

In reality, as long as we get on some mascara and lip gloss and out the door, we feel pretty good. So, check out the 28 Day Mascara. The 28 Day Mascara is easy to apply and you only have to put it on every 28 days. Simply apply the 28 Day Mascara at the beginning of the month, and you can cut out taking the time in the morning to put on make-up (lip gloss can be applied as you’re heading out the door, or just before you walk into the office).

So ladies, don’t worry anymore about needing that extra time in the morning to apply mascara. The 28 Day Mascara will take care of that for you. Now, you can spend an extra few minutes relaxing in the shower, or picking out the perfect outfit…make-up is now taken care of for you for a full 4 weeks with the 28 Day Mascara.

Over this past weekend I was thinking about what I could write to you about this coming week. Sometimes I watch and/or read the news and come up with fun topics. Other times, I use my life and what I am doing as a topic of interest. This weekend I was asking around to see if anyone I came in contact with if they recently heard anything new or interesting I could share with you. The best response that came to me was not all that great; however, it did give me an idea of what I could talk to you about.

The best response was “Tell your readers to tickle their girlfriends at least once a day – it is very therapeutic.” As a girl who is very ticklish, I assure you, this is not therapeutic for the person being tickled, but maybe it is for the tickler. Several years ago I watched a clip on the news saying that people laugh when they are tickled, but not because it is funny. It is some sort of reaction that we cannot control. I try to use this as my means of getting out of tickled, but it never seems to stop people from doing it – maybe it is therapeutic – who knows. Either way, this had me thinking of “What is therapeutic for people after a long week of work, family, housekeeping, and stress?”

For me, I have several therapeutic plans of action. Sometimes working out, sometimes drinking with friends, sometimes girls night in, sometimes junk food, sometimes sleeping, sometimes talking on the phone to the best therapists (friends are great people to have!), sometimes walking around the city, sometimes shopping, sometimes cooking…the options, for me, are endless and dependent on my mood. When the best therapy is a massage or taking a nice warm bubble bath, you might also want to consider the magnetic therapy pad. This pad relieves pain and improves circulation. Whatever your method of therapy might be, I highly encourage making sure you take time for yourself – however you choose.

In our very busy lives, in which we are constantly on the move, we need to have our own “therapeutic” solutions. It allows us to take a minute and recover from everything else going on, and the busy life around us. What do you do to relax?

Good morning and happy Monday friends! I hope your weekend was fun, eventful, productive and/or relaxing. Mine was definitely a little bit of everything. I was supposed to have a girls night in on Friday night with a friend of mine after a very long and stressful week – but we got roped into going out, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Saturday was spent running minimal errands and hanging out outside in my friend’s backyard because it was way too nice outside to stay in. Sunday was relaxing, and it was on Sunday that my story of the weekend comes in.

Sunday, after spending the majority of the morning and early afternoon lying around, watching DVDs of old television shows and drinking coffee, I decided it was time to go outside into the world of sunlight. At least once a week I try to meet up with one friend of mine. We literally go to the same restaurant every time we go out. It’s always delicious, and we are always happy afterwards. Plus, they have an amazing rooftop to eat on that makes any meal taste better in the sun. When she called me and asked me to lunch I was still in my pajamas, so I suggested late lunch/early dinner – perfect! I met her half way to the restaurant, and we walked together. We got our table, our chips and salsa, and drinks. The food was amazing, as always, but it was the party to my left (her right) that was the story I would like to share.

Do you ever listen in on conversations happening around you at restaurants? Have you ever been in the situation which hearing the conversation next to you wasn’t even an option because they were so loud you couldn’t even concentrate on your own? That was our experience today. Two girls from a table across the room walked over the table of four men right next to us. After hearing their whole conversation, we were able to conclude that these girls did not know these men. They were very loud, and people were actually leaving the restaurant because they were so loud (have you ever had that happen to you?). My friend and I, however, were not ready to leave as much as we wished this table would take it down a few levels to their inside voices (regardless of the fact we were on the roof). Meanwhile, their conversation became our entertainment. The men were trying to guess one of the women’s ages since they were talking about her birthday coming up. The only comment my friend and I could hear very clearly was from one of the men; he said “I’m going to say you’re 28 but I actually think you’re thirty.” That comment he made not only made us laugh, but it made the party of four sitting behind them laugh, and the party of two sitting next to us. Instantly, I knew this was a story I had to share. I didn’t get a good look at the woman, who was obviously young, but my first thought (after I laughed so hard I cried) was “This girl, obviously needs some collagen wrinkle filler if a guy is saying to her out loud that she looks older than her actual age.”

I hope you all enjoy this scene as much as we did, and I hope if brightens up your Monday as much as a Monday can become. How was your weekend? Did you over-hear any interesting conversations? Please, share your stories with me.

What is your plan for this weekend? Do you plan to work in your garden or your yard? It is springtime, so what better way to spend the beautiful days than making your garden as pretty as possible? Try adding a little something extra to your garden with the Picket Fence Edging.

Give your garden the accent and attention it deserves with this white picket fence edging. The picket fence edging sets your garden, flower beds, walkways, and shrubbery apart from everything else. The white picket fence edging will create clean lines, curves, and the separation of your lawn you are looking for, without having to do too much work to get it done. Don’t worry about the rain in April, the picket fence edging is weather-resistant, and will stay looking nice all season!

Go ahead – plant those gorgeous flowers! Get excited for spring, and use the white picket fence edging to make your garden look better than ever this year!