Kindle Fire

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I did it. I finally broke down and bought an e-reader. After much deliberation I decided on the Kindle Fire. I read many reviews, talked to many friends, and overall the Kindle seemed like the best fit for me. And I love it!! It works great for me. I have read books 2 and 3 of the Shades of Grey series. And I've downloaded some other books to it as well. Two observations...I have a Barnes and Noble membership card to get the discount which I can't use to by ebooks for the Kindle and it didn't work so well in the bright sun but I think that is a setting adjustment that I need to figure out. If you're considering getting an eReader but have been debating I highly recommend getting one. I look forward to traveling with it because then I just take one thing instead of multiple books and magazines.

Nook vs Kindle

So I'm a reader...I have a ton of books. My husband hates my book collection because they take up space. I've cleaned out the one time reading books but still I have a collection. So my husband is encouraging me to get a digital reader. But now I'm confused. I don't know if I want to go with the nook or the kindle. I've heard good things about both. I liked the color aspect of the nook but now the kindle has color too. I've been told for straight reading that the kindle is really better. I'm thinking of adding this to my Christmas list.

For those of you who have them what are your likes and dislikes?

I Will Thrive - Deployment Stories

Hamilton Beach Programmable Crock Pot - Picture from Target

Cooking Deployment Style

I admit I was quite spoiled before J left. If I planned the menus, did the grocery shopping and had the recipe easily accessible he would cook dinner when he got home since he got home earlier than I did. It was so nice to get home and not have to worry about starting dinner at 6:30 PM. So when he left I tried to stick to the menu planning and it worked at first but I admit by the time I get home at 6:30-6:45 PM I really don't feel like doing a lot of cooking. So I started going out to eat...this is not good for my budget or my waistline. So as part of my First Place 4 Health weight loss I decided to get back to menu planning. And I decided the crock pot would be my friend. That is until my crock pot went on the fritz and started burning things.

So Monday night I went to Target and bought the Hamilton Beach Programmable Crock Pot with thermometer
and Tuesday I tried out my first recipe in it. Fix It and Forget It's Sweet and Sour Chicken. So I put everything in the pot and set the program to cook for 6 1/2 hours on low and then go to warm. It worked beautifully. I came home to an almost completely cooked dinner. I had to add some cornstarch per the recipe and cook some rice. Thanks to Trader Joe's frozen brown rice that took 3 minutes. It was great!!

Bead Giveaway

I promise before I go to bed tonight the bead giveaway will be up. I'm having some issues with my camera....

Trends I don't get...and a few I do

Trends I don't get...

Twilight - I have not read a single book or seen a single movie in the Twilight series. It is nothing against them I just haven't been drawn in. I have friends who love it. I read blog posts counting down the minutes. I see the debates between Jacob and Edward. But for me I haven't felt drawn to it. Which is odd because I like vampire and werewolf legends. So for those who are into it tell me why.

Survivor - I tried watching it one season and didn't see the draw to it. But maybe it is because of the drama that is involved at the camps and I'm not a drama person. I do watch other reality tv just not Survivor. For those who watch it faithfully what draws you in?

Twitter - I have an account because I briefly thought about tweeting but I never got into it. I have friends who love it and think it is great. For those who use it what am I missing?

No Carb Diets - I understand that lots of processed carbs are bad for you. However there are good carbs and anything in moderation is ok. And even good things in excess are bad. I know too many people who lose weight and gain weight and lose weight on these diets. Anyone had success with  no carb diet?

Trends I get...

DVR - I will tell you this little machine is a life saver in our house. We only have one TV but now it doesn't matter. We just record one show and watch another no big deal.

Facebook - to a certain degree...I like to see what my friends are up to but I due not like the personal life overload that can occur on Facebook. Information on Facebook should be kind of like public displays of affection...keep it clean and keep it appropriate.

Blogging - well duh...

So what about you what are some trends you get and/or some you don't?

Are we too exposed?

Facebook, Twitter, My Space, My Yahoo, Blogs, Dating Sites, Photo sharing sites, work websites, etc. our information is everywhere. We share updates, photos, bios, and stories with the world on the world wide web but has this left us and our information vulnerable. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter updates I can tell you who's on vacation, who's husband is out of town, who's out of their house running errands, how many children someone has, and in some cases a vague idea of where someone lives without a lot of effort.

Now I am not paranoid about being out on the internet...I met my husband through Yahoo Personals, I blog regularly, I use Shutterfly to print my photos, I design and am mentioned on my work website, I have a rarely used Facebook account, and an even less used My Space account. I've avoided Twitter for the most part...I signed up to follow someone and decided it would drive me nuts so I quit. I admit though, that I'm cautious about what I put out there. I don't mention my husband's name on my blog. Although I'm not sure why other than his privacy. I put pictures of us out on my blog and my Facebook site (particularly pics of my puppies). But I admit I don't put a lot of details about us on my Facebook site. And I edit what I put out on my blog so it is personal and yet not detailed.

But you do hear of online stalking, false profiles on dating sites, and other scams. So the question arises have we made ourselves too vulnerable with online information? Once we put it online it is permanent we can't take it back and it is open to everyone who wants to see it.

So what do you think do the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to an online presence?     

Changing Blog Sites...

As you know I currently use Blogger for my blog but I've heard some good things about Wordpress so I'm thinking of moving over there because they have some features I really like. But I also know that Blogger has more features than I'm using. So I'm debating do I stay with the familiar and make it do what I want...or do I go over to Wordpress and learn a new way. Also I'd have to transfer all my content over there.

One thing I really like with Wordpress is that they have an email space in the comment section. I would like to respond to comments by email and currently I don't have that ability.

Thoughts?

Paper vs. email

We are a very technology based society to the point that we often cast off age old customs in favor of ease.

When it came time to print my wedding invitations my husband and I picked very different invitations but they fit us to a tee. But for RSVP instead of a traditional response card I chose to have people call me or email me to RSVP for a few reasons...a) it is more environmental, b) I am not a fan response cards because I'm horrible about returning them. I will tell you that I did receive some grief from older family members but everyone else loved it. Would I do it that way again...yes for a second wedding like ours probably not for a first wedding. We also had a wedding website to give everyone information about the wedding, about us, about VA, etc. People liked that too. Some people suggested I send an email invite. I couldn't do that...I didn't need formal but I couldn't go that relaxed.

My sister-in-law is getting married and the woman in charge of her shower asked about sending evites instead of mailing. I've been to many showers that used evites and I think it is fine. Although she made a good point...it is nice to get a note, a card, or an invite in the mail. But in my house it is also possible for it to get eaten by a dog or lost on my kitchen counter for a day or two.

My Granny sent us a card for every holiday from St. Patrick's Day to Christmas and I admit I still think of her when I'm in Hallmark looking at cards. And I loved getting the paper card in the mail...it wouldn't have been the same to get an email.

So how about you...you ok with an email or do you want a written invite?

Technology

Nilsa over at SoMi Speaks discussed technology vs paper in her life which has inspired me to discuss it here.

I love technology.

Phones:
I have a Blackberry Storm. I like it but recently had some issues that left me without it and I survived. My husband I stayed at a camp ground without connection and it was great. I like the convenience of it but it is not a life line for me.
 
Music:
I have an iPod. It is an older one (the first year they made black) and it does what I need it to do. It keeps me entertained at the gym and my wonderful husband has made it so I can easily play it through my radio in my car.

Computers:
We have a desktop and a laptop. Although my personal laptop has died. I use the laptop a lot. And I'm on computers all day at work.   

Online:
I blog. I read blogs. I am on Facebook but I don't do up to the minute updates. I don't grasp the need for Twitter but I don't judge. I use Snapfish for my photos and I love it.

Calendar:
Although my calendar is on my Blackberry I still maintain a paper calendar because I like seeing the whole big picture without scrolling and searching.

Books:
I know that there are a number of electronic devices to read books from but I myself still like the feel of the paper in my hands. And although I read blogs online reading long articles or books online kills me.  

Now what I love is watching people when technology goes astray. When Twitter had some troubles a while back I thought friends were going to snap. They couldn't Tweet for about an hour and to them it seemed like forever. When my husband and I were at the above mentioned camp ground people were standing everywhere trying to get a signal on their cell phones. And at work if our internet goes down for a few minutes you can hear grumbles up and down the hall. I'm all for letting technology make lives easier but I think we have to be careful not to allow it to become an addiction.