You see, my husband is a professional rower and therefore he is training constantly year round.  He is no spring chicken by any means, and he has found that health supplements (such as the human growth hormone) have allowed him to perform as he did years ago, even though he is older now.  It seems to work for him and I don’t mind buying for him now since we had a talk a few months ago.

I confronted him just a couple months ago when I watched a program on television that highlighted the side effects of HGH and I was really worried for him.  He was patient enough to explain to me why he took it and showed me some sites online that explained what the risks were and how it was a very safe supplement to take.

Anyway, after putting my mind at ease, I trust that my husband knows what he is doing.  That is why I don’t mind doing these shopping trips for him – it is my way to help him out with his training.

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I’m trying to figure out what to get for the puppy to take to the party. I’ve discovered that there are actually a lot of cool gifts for pets. I’ve narrowed down my choices to these few:

• Puppy body spray. It sounds ridiculous, I know. However, it seems like a great way to keep the dog smelling fresh which will benefit everyone at the party!
• Puppy treats. There are so many fun gourmet treats that they sell at pet stores these days. There is even a puppy bakery in my town!
• Puppy toys. I know, the dog has so many toys already that this seems senseless. I’m sure it could always use one more though.
• Puppy gift basket. Pet gift baskets offer the perfect opportunity to put a bunch of smaller gifts together to make one big gift.

What do you think I should go with for this puppy? What would you choose as a great gift for a pet lover?

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When I was pregnant, I was able to get most of my maternity clothes at local stores.  I bought clothes mostly for work like a maternity skirt and maternity trousers because these would get the most use.  I wore a lot of my husband’s clothing around the house so that I could be comfortable and relaxed.  I loved the clothes that I got overall.  I think that if they are of good quality and are of classic styling that they could last for subsequent pregnancies.  Like any clothing, investing in quality, well-styled clothes is important.  Not only can clothes like these take you from season to season, but as I mentioned before from pregnancy to pregnancy.

Technorati Tags: maternity clothes, maternity skirt, maternity trousers, Pregnancy maternity clothes

Here are some of the things to look for if you want good cat toys:

• Rattles. Cats love anything that makes noise when they play with it. You should look for cat toys that rattle.
• Wiggles. Cats also love any toy that they can chase after. Toys that wiggle on their own are great because the cat can spend hours chasing after the part that’s moving. Many interactive mouse cat toys are made with this feature.
• Catnip. Great cat toys often have catnip in them. There’s a reason; cats are obsessed with this stuff!
• Enriching. Toys that stimulate your cat are best for their ongoing development. Look for cfa cat toys which are designed to be enriching in this manner.

These are the main things that you want to look for when you first start buying cat toys. However, it’s probably going to take some trial and error to figure out which toys your cat loves and which ones he’s not a fan of. Ultimately, you want to go with what your cat enjoys most!

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Maybe their shopping cart template was messed up.  Or maybe Amazon, itself, was just screwed up.  But it was so strange to write to my friend in Ventura to say, “Hey, Devin will get hers with gift wrap and a card, but Jack won’t so can you just wrap his for me and buy a card?”  Normally, Amazon does pretty well, but this just seemed to be some fluke or something.

Can anyone think of why something like this would happen?  The boxed birds were of just a normal size, a regular square box.  Should I have logged in again and just ordered Jack’s bird separately?  But I was trying to avoid paying extra shipping charges!  Can anyone tell me how to circumvent this glitch if it ever happens again?

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I looked around at some of the stores but without going to a professional framing store, and spending a lot of money, it’s difficult to find a really nice diploma frame.  I decided to take my search on-line and it took me approximately ten minutes to find the exact frame we wanted.  I was not only able to get a beautiful frame with a stylish finish.  I also had the schools name embossed on the matting.  It was exactly what we were looking for. 

I don’t even have to worry about sending it out since I arranged for it to be sent directly to her.  I cannot wait for her to receive it because I know she will be so appreciative.  I think our gift will definitely demonstrate how we feel about her achievement.

Technorati Tags: college diploma frame, diploma frame, masters degree

I’m particularly interested in learning more about doll photography, as that gives me a way to “play” with my dolls and actually enjoy them hands-on.  In particular, I’m interested in learning to stage photographs using dolls, following the examples of other group members.

For instance, many of the members make Halloween costumes for their dolls and then photograph them in various scenes wearing their costumes.  The most popular are witch cotumes, but I’ve also seen some great miniature replicas of popular women’s Halloween costumes.  And then of course there are some modern dolls that are sold with Halloween costumes (or that Halloween costumes are sold for), such as the immense popularity of dolls wearing Dorothy costumes — even McDonalds has had a few as Happy Meal toys.

I also like the idea of buying or dressing dolls to represent important moments in real life.  I had a replica of my wedding gown made for my favorite 1950s fashion doll to wear, and took photographs of the doll in poses similar to pictures of me at the wedding.  Eventually I’ll find a groom, and maybe even stage wedding photographs using the dolls.

Here’s one of the photos I’ve done with my wedding doll.  Can you see why I’m so intrigued by the possibilities of doll photography?

My 1920s wedding dress, and the replica made for my Madame Alexander Elise doll

Technorati Tags: doll photography, Dorothy costumes, women's Halloween costumes, Yahoo! groups

What do YOU save money on online?

The Internet is a great place to get certain things online for cheaper prices than you would at brick-and-mortar stores.  Often the Internet is seen as a way to get even new items at cut rate prices.  Stores such as Amazon.com and Half.com, that offer discounted prices and show you how much you’ve saved, and websites such as Craigslist and eBay, where a vast market drives prices down, have taught people that on the Internet, it is possible to get something for “virtually” nothing — pun intended.

Here are a few of the many things you can find cheaply online.

1. Cell phones and accessories.  You can find unlocked cell phones for great prices on places like eBay, and cellular phone accessories such as Bluetooth adaptors at any number of retailers online.  These things tend to be ridiculously cheap online — though you do have to watch for ridiculously inflated shipping on sites like eBay, where sellers try to make up the money they are losing by overcharging for shipping.
2. Other electronics.  You can find all kinds of electronics for good prices online, from 2 way radios to Blu-ray discs and players.
3. Collectibles.  An avid doll collector, I can tell you firsthand that there are tons of collectibles at great prices online — way more selection and way better prices than you ever would have found prior to the Internet, I might add.
4. Books.  Whether you are looking for a good novel to read for pleasure, or textbooks for your classes, the Internet is full of websites where you can buy cheap used and new books.

This short list only scratches the surface of the things you can find for cheap prices online.  What are you looking for that you would like to save money on?

Technorati Tags: 2 way radios, Blu-ray, Bluetooth adaptors, cellular phone accessories, collectibles

Oddly enough, things went much smoother than I had anticipated.  They came to a compromise on almost everything.  The only thing they really fought over were the wedding invitations.  They argued for about a day until I pointed out that this was the one thing that they didn’t have to have matching.  As long as they had the same time, place and date the rest could be as individual as they wanted.   They both opted for a flower design with one going for tiger lily wedding invitations and the other choosing frangipani wedding invitations. 

Their big day went as smoothly as any wedding day and both were very happy with how things turned out.  I received an engraved whistle for any future refereeing that I might have to do.

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When allowing your dog the freedom to roam in and out of the house, keep in mind that you should protect your dog from the dangers of leaving your yard. Discount wireless dog fences by Petsafe give your dog the freedom to enjoy the outdoors and gives you peace of mind because you know the dog will stay within the boundaries you have set.  A Petsafe electric dog fence is an affordable alternative to regular fencing and keeps your dog safe from the dangers of wandering into the street. These great products from Petsafe provide both freedom and safety for your dog.

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