Never Miss An Important Occasion Again

You know that JMark Afghans offers a variety of original, hand-crocheted afghans, placemats, hats, scarves, and shawls. But, did you know that we offer a free reminder service?

That's right! You'll never have to worry about missing a birthday or anniversary again. And it couldn't be easier. Simply use our Reminder Form to list any occasion that you need to remember. Then, sit back and we'll take it from there. You'll receive regular reminders and, if you like, we'll even help with gift ideas.

We protect your privacy by coding the events on our calendar with your initials and zip code. Even JMark Afghans won't ask for any identifying information. No one, but you, will know these are your occasions.

Why miss another event? Let us help!



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God Bless!

Jules

Las Vegas Vacations

Our neighbor, the one who helped us replace the drivers on the laptop, is heading back East. On the way, okay sorta on the way, he's wandering through Vegas. Turn a little money into a little more money. Braver than I, I can tell you that.

Although I am a confirmed non-gambler, I love the idea of Las Vegas vacations. There are so many more things to do, besides gambling.

My mom used to go to Vegas, with a friend of hers, every year or two. She played the slots - a bit. But mostly she went to the shows and enjoyed the buffets. I could do that!

Happily - Vegas has something for everyone.



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Jules

Dance to Charge Your Cellphone

Mobile phone battery dead? Try dancing.

This concept is just so much fun! It's a bit like those flashlights that you shake to charge - a system of weights and magnets provide an electric current. But this one is separate from the unit you're trying to charge.

Think about it! You're dancing around at a concert anyway - why not create a charge for your cellphone? That way you can sneak pictures, without completely killing the phone. (Okay - check the rules at the venue before you sneak any pix.)

Or, you're on vacation, running around Vegas or Rome or the Grand Canyon. Shouldn't all of that movement do more than give you blisters on your feet?! Of course it should!

I think this a tremendous idea! Let me know what you think - Would you buy it?!



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Jules

Indoor Lighting

Yes, I'm shopping for lighting again. Specifically - bathroom lighting - because I'm tired of spending 20 minutes on my makeup and, when I walk out of the apartment, looking like a clown. Actually, a really scary clown.

I have had a tough time finding indoor lighting that I like, that I can afford, and that effectively lights up the area where it's installed. Today, I found a couple of really nice options.

The one I liked the best is shaped like an elongated capsule, and takes a bulb in each end. But the whole length is frosted glass, to spread the light for the full 18 1/2".

Maybe I can find what I want!



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Jules

Kroger Ground Beef Recall

Here's a story that, somehow, I missed this week.

Kroger has announced a voluntary ground beef recall after several people in Michigan and Ohio became ill and more than half of them reported purchasing ground beef at Kroger. Ohio Departments of Health and Agriculture said a sample of raw ground beef was found to contain E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, a particularly toxic strain that caused outbreaks in Ohio and Michigan.

The sell-by dates on the contaminated ground beef are between May 21 and June 8. If you live in either of these states, check your freezers for ground beef products with those sell-by dates. Stores are, obviously, accepting returns for a full refund or product replacement.



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Jules

Air Tools

Okay, I'll admit it - I love home improvement shows. HGTV is one of my favorite channels. All those power tools? Makes me think of Tim Taylor!

What I didn't realize was that all of these great tools also exist as air tools. Oh, of course I've heard of air hammers and ratchets. But, did you know that you can get air saws, screwdrivers, and sanders? I didn't.

Since I don't have much upper-body strength, having the right tool to do the work is critical. These are cool!



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Jules

George Carlin, We'll Miss You!

An amazing and fascinating mind, George Carlin will be sorely missed by those of us who prefer our comedy intellectual and honest.

This video ~ "Life is Worth Losing" ~ is from August 2006. Contains Explicit Language



Please visit georgecarlin.com for more of George, by George himself.



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Jules

New Zazzle Products

After some time away, I have designed a couple of new items on Zazzle that I wanted to share ~

       
They share the same original airbrush picture, created last night, and a quote that I find to be very true.

"When before the beauty of a sunset or of a mountain you pause and exclaim, 'Ah,' you are participating in divinity."

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Jules

Contaminated Tomatoes

Have you ever seen Threshold?

THRESHOLD is a suspenseful drama about a team of experts who are assembled when the U.S. Navy makes a chilling discovery: an extra terrestrial craft has landed in the mid-Atlantic ocean. Together, they decipher the intention of the craft, the fate of the ship's crew and begin preparations for the possibility of a crisis situation--an alien invasion.

We're watching an interesting episode right now, where the aliens are using tomatoes to 'turn' humans. Mark and I immediately made a humorous connection between the story that the Feds put out on the TV show with the latest reports of contaminated tomatoes in the 'real world'.

I'm just sayin' . . .



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Jules

Auto Air Conditioning

Every year, about this time, we remember that the truck's air conditioning doesn't work. Of course, we know it's broken for the whole year. It's simply much, much more noticeable from June to October.

Just for grins, I thought I'd see what auto air conditioning parts and repairs are running these days. (Our unit has a leak, so it really needs to be replaced.) Oddly enough, it's not quite as bad as I expected.

That may have more to do with the place I found on the Internet, rather than an industry price reduction. Either way, it looks pretty good to me.



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Jules

Python in Toilet

I was reading this news story and just couldn't believe my eyes!

Imagine lifting the toilet seat and having a nearly 6' long snake staring up at you. Well, apparently, that's what residents of a high-rise apartment building in Darwin, Australia were experiencing. The man who captured the python felt that the runaway pet had been wandering through the building's sewer system. Judging by the reported smell, he must have been right.

My question is: How, exactly, does one pull a 1.8 meter snake out of the toilet?



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Jules

Computer Memory

In the interest of my sanity, of which I have precious little, I have been doing some computer parts shopping. Rather than looking for a complete desktop system, it occured to me that we could simply replace the broken parts, find a monitor, and upgrade the memory for less than a brand new unit. Especially when most of the ones I've found are waaaay more than we really need.

Well, I've learned why I don't build computers for a living. Just looking at all of the computer memory options made my head spin. About the most I remember from the good-ol'-days, when I worked on my 386, is that the faster the CPU, the better the power system needs to be. (A couple of burned out units taught me that one - fast!)

I think I'll go back to pricing full systems and leave the rebuilding to those with better skills.



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Jules

Corporate Performance Management

In the world of corporate performance management, there are a lot of companies offering solutions.

For those who are looking for true innovation, do what RTI did and go to PROPHIX. The winner of the 2007 Innovative Solution Award for Corporate Performance Management offers groundbreaking and quantifiable value to their clients. From reporting and budgeting to analysis and forecasting to business process and sales performance management, find the solutions that allow your company to function as a collaborative entity.

With user-friendly services, training, and support, it couldn't be easier to engage your personnel in key business processes.


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God Bless!

Jules

Utah Fossil Find

Although I'm not a big science buff, I am a sucker for archaeology and paleontology. Learning how people and animals lived, thousands or even millions of years ago is absolutely fascinating.

Just look at the latest Utah find. It contains a combination of dinosaurs, petrified trees, animal burrows, and freshwater clams that is incredibly well-preserved. Sounds almost like a display at a museum of natural history.

Found in the channel of an ancient river and dating to the late Jurassic, this is going to give scientists something to think about and study for years to come.



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Jules

KVM Switch

I just read about an interesting item that helps people access more than one CPU from a single keyboard and monitor, or access a single CPU from multiple locations. It's called a KVM switch. (Amazing what you can find, wandering the 'Net.)

Obviously, an IT professional wouldn't be as wowed as I was, but I still think it's a pretty cool concept. Imagine being able to access information from two or more computers, without needing two or more keyboards and two or more monitors.

That would certainly make a lot of the things I do on the computer much simpler.



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God Bless!

Jules

Happy Father's Day!

To all of the great Dads, Step-Dads, and Grand-Dads:


Father's Day Glitter Graphics




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Jules

New York City Travel

After traveling to Colorado for the wedding, I find that I'd like to do more. It would be wonderful for Mark and I to get away, by ourselves, for a while. After reading about all of the great shows on Broadway, New York City travel became my first choice in vacations.

Admittedly, I was worried about the cost - especially for airfare - from AZ to NY. It was amazing to find that 4 nights (plus airfare) is really quite affordable. And the fact that we can take off anytime we like, means we can take advantage of a lot of great last minute deals.

Or we can book weeks in advance. It's good to be flexible!



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Jules

Mortgage Lenders

Before the wedding - which (again) was absolutely beautiful - we had been working on getting approved for a mortgage. This place is just too small and too expensive.

Now that all of the trip excitement is over, I thought it might be time to do a little more research. The industry is in such a state that finding reliable, honest mortgage lenders has become a challenge. Naturally, as first-time buyers, we don't want to get in over our heads.

There are a lot of places, with a lot of information. It's difficult to know where to turn. Although, I do like the sites that offer different mortgage calculators and explain the terms in detail.

Time to pull out the journal and start taking notes. Who knows? By the time I'm old enough to retire I might actually understand all of this.


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Jules

Bad News / Good News

When I crashed the laptop, I managed to lose all of the pictures I'd taken at my daughter's wedding. Luckily, I'd sent my aunt a few pictures, so I was able to recover those photos.

      

      

Unfortunately, you can't tell from these pictures just how breath-taking the location was. Up in the foothills, at a country club with amazing views, it was just incredible.

Just as soon as I do some work with the pictures from my cellphone, I'll happily post more.



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God Bless!

Jules

The Best Buy

Everyone knows that I love to shop and that I love to shop for bargains. Looking for the best buy is always an interesting process.

I just love sites that offer weekly specials, above and beyond great prices. (Of course, they have to have great prices to begin with.) Then, it's just a matter of looking for what I need today.

Lately, I've been on a hunt for a decent desktop computer system. Since we don't need the latest and greatest system, it's actually a little more difficult to find the right computer. Many places put older systems on sale, as the new ones hit the market. But by and large, even these are more computer than we need.

At least, with the laptop working again, there's a little less pressure to get-a-computer-NOW.



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Jules

Phentermine

I certainly wish that I had found this site a few weeks ago.

ConsumerPriceWatch.net has done all of the research and taken the guesswork out of choosing an effective diet pill. To start, they ranked the 200 top-selling diet products, based on a strict 12-point rating system that includes value, ingredient quality, safety, and weight-loss potential. If that weren't enough, they then scoured the web for the best available prices.

Take, for example, Phentermine. Until I found this site, I didn't know that it really isn't all that good at helping you lose weight, which would have been enough to know. ConsumerPriceWatch.net didn't stop there. They listed 10 products that work better.

If you're in the market for unbiased, clear-cut information about weight-loss products, this is the place to start.



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God Bless!

Jules

Auto Insurance Quote

Unless you've been, as they say, living under a rock lately, you know that the economy is in bad shape. This means that as the cost of everything goes up and income doesn't, those of us who aren't Bill Gates need to find a way to cut our expenses. One great way is to take another look at insurance premiums.

The simplest place to start is with an auto insurance quote. Over time, if you maintain a good driving record and don't let coverage lapse, it's possible for premiums to go down. (Ours have several times.) If you bundle renter's or homeowner's coverage with auto coverage, usually the rates are reduced for each package. (Ours immediately dropped when we added the renter's policy.)

Not all coverage is created equal. It doesn't hurt to check out other companies and see if you can benefit from changing insurers.

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Jules

Laptop

It has been a stressful time around here lately - to say the least. It started with a break in the cord on the desktop monitor, progressed to the desktop CPU, and culminated in my crashing the laptop. Because of the business, we cannot be withtout a computer.

As much as I love shopping, looking for another laptop has been an adventure. There are zillions of sites with millions of deals. Since we don't need the latest and greatest system, it's actually a little more difficult to find the right computer.

Luckily, we had the software that came with the desktop. Our neighbor was kind enough to go online and download the drivers we needed, so - as you can see - we are back in business. Now, we just have a dead desktop to replace.

Maybe I can talk Mark into that one!?



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God Bless!

Jules

Travelling

Well, I made it home in one piece! It's amazing how, the closer we got to Phoenix, the slower the bus seemed to move. I guess I was exhausted and ready to be home.

I didn't sleep at all on the way out. Every stop, I was worried about missing a connection, so I filled myself with coffee and smoked very quickly, when I had a chance. (If you've ever wondered just how poorly smokers are viewed, try travelling by bus and see where the ashtrays are hidden.)

The wedding was beautiful; my daughter, absolutely gorgeous. (I'll share some pictures, just as soon as I get them off the camera and sorted out.) It was great to see family again, and make some new friends.

More news to follow. For now, I have unpacking and laundry awaiting.



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God Bless!

Jules