The Great Debate: Satellite v. Cable

I am moving in 2 weeks, and I am trying to get all of my ducks in a row. Shopping for cable and satellite is not nearly as easy as I though it would be. There are a lot of deals out right now, but it is really hard to cypher the differences between the two.

I really need yall's advice on this one. Cable seems to be the more expensive option, but I know that it is more reliable than the dish. But I can get more channels from satellite and free equipment. Also, you have to keep in mind that I have to get my internet from Comcast anyways, but the bundle package didn't look like it was really going to save me anything except the hassle of paying 2 separate bills. MORE CHANNELS, MOVIES and VALUE!

• Local channels included at no extra charge*
• 200 channels
  
• One FREE advanced receiver upgrade — HD, DVR or HD DVR — after
  instant online rebate
• 65 music channels included
• No equipment to buy or startup costs
• $39.99 for one full year and the regular price of $60.99/month
• A DVR service fee ($6.00/month) is automatically applied to your bill when you upgrade to a DVR receiver.

With Digital Preferred you’ll get more than 100 digital channels. But you’ll also get access to the amazing On Demand library, which includes thousands of movies, kids’ shows, network favorites, music videos and more that are ready to watch when you are.

Get Digital Preferred with On Demand for only $44.99 a month for 6 months for new subscribers! Promotional Rate is $44.99/month for 6 month(s) for eligible customers, ongoing price is $67.90/month. I can't find how much extra DVR service is or whether you have to buy the box!

Have any of you had good or bad experiences with either of these companies?? I think I am leaning towards getting satellite because of the difference in the number of channels (plus I get HBO and a few other movie channels for free over 3 months). Plus, they are very upfront with you on the pricing, unlike Comcast whose website is a nightmare to figure information out.

Potted Plant Arrangement

My grandmother did this arrangement for our Easter celebration. This arrangement gave a very grand appearance to the center of the buffet table for a fraction of what cut flowers would have cost. The cool thing about using potted plants, instead of fresh cut, is that it can be less expensive and they last much longer. She got this wire flower tower from a local interior design shop, but you can find them at gardening centers as well.

One of the tips that she said is to include plenty of greenery. This gives the arrangement a fresh, spring look. My favorite were the bright green baby ferns that are on the 2nd and 4th layers.

Also, in order to cover up the pots, you can use spanish moss, or any other kind of moss, around the outer edges of the wire rack.

Another idea that I heard recently for bridal showers...

They arranged a large pot with potted plants in the center of the table, which was later given to the couple to plant at their new home. Smaller arrangement were put into terracotta pots and disperse throughout the house. These were the guest's party favor at the end of the day! Another way that you can use potted plants as a less expensive option for entertaining!

My Near Death Experience

... and what you can learn from it!

Sometimes I like to post about happenings in my life, and I feel like I have to tell you all about my near death experience this weekend. This story should prove to you why it is CRUCIAL to have your tires checked often. I used to think that it wasn't that important; but after this experience, I will not be going out on the road without double checking them.

My friend and I were on our way back to school from Easter break. It was getting to be late at night (10ish) and she was too tired to drive so I took over the wheel. Her car drives very differently from mine and vibrates constantly. She assured me that this was normal, but I knew that it shouldn't be. I lost control of the vehicle at 70 mph and swerved off the side of the highway. Thinking that we had just had a flat tire, I look out on my side to notice that the bumper is hanging on the ground!! Here is what we found...


Yes, at first we thought that someone had swerved into us and hit the bumper... but that was not the case. After calling a guy friend that was only 10 miles ahead of us (THANK THE LORD!), he turned around to come to our aid. We were able to make it off the side of the highway and to a gas station were we could better evaluate the situation.


The conclusion was made that our accident had been cause by improper tire care. The entire tread to the back tire is sitting on the highway somewhere in Nashville right now! I am sure you are wondering how we limped back to school?! Well... we had a full spare, so we changed that. Then we needed to address the bumper issue. Duct tape is one of the single best inventions. Check out our body work... and the tape even blends in with the paint color! ha!


Now for the moral of the story. Here is an article that I found from Popular Mechanics on the top 5 reasons that your tires could fail. Please make sure to have your tires maintained and properly inflated so that you don't have to almost loose a bumper (or something worse!).

As the old TV commercial says, there's a lot riding on your tires. Indeed, tires could well be the most important system on your vehicle, given that they affect every performance parameter from handling and acceleration to braking and ride comfort. So it's no surprise that maintenance on your tires should command as much respect, if not more, than on all the other parts and systems of your car. Trouble is, most drivers just don't think about the condition of their tires. As I've mentioned before in discussing the whole Barack Obama tire inflation thing, a Department of Transportation study dating back to 2001 features some pretty eye-popping numbers: 60 to 80 percent of cars on the road are running tires underinflated by as much as 10 percent, 20 to 50 percent of them are driving with tires down in pressure by as much as 20 percent, and 10 to 30 percent of these cars have tires with pressure as low as 30 percent of the recommended pressure. Underinflation is just one reason a tire can fail. Here are four more. —Mike Allen

1. They're Old

Check the tire sidewall for the manufacturer's date code. It will be in the form of a four-digit number, stating the month and year the tire was produced. Unfortunately, there's no equivalent to an expiration date. And it's not a good idea to install tires on your vehicle that have been sitting on a warehouse shelf for many years. A decent rule of thumb is not to purchase tires more than five years old. And five years in service on your vehicle is plenty, totaling 10 years. Your mileage may vary.

2. They're Underinflated

Tires that have too little pressure in them run hot—much hotter than properly inflated ones. The pressure in the tire keeps the tread and sidewalls from flexing. Friction from this flexing generates heat, and that degrades the rubber and the fabric construction of the tire. And don't be fooled by the appearance of the tires. It's impossible to see if your tires are underinflated without using a tire pressure gauge. The proper pressures are printed on a sticker on the driver's door frame or inside the glovebox. They are also in the owner's manual.

3. They're Overinflated

The tire inflation pressures printed on the tire sidewall are the tire manufacturer's maximum permitted pressure, not necessarily what the vehicle manufacturer recommends. Overinflated tires will have poor grip, and the tread will wear prematurely in the center.

4. They're Deteriorated

Ozone, road chemicals and ultraviolet light degrade the rubber. But this is probably more of a problem for RV and trailer tires mounted on vehicles that are stored outside in the sun, especially in the Southwest. Tire covers will keep the UV rays at bay longer. Avoid ozone damage by not storing unused tires near any ozone sources like electrical equipment or motors, pool chemicals or the like—especially indoors. Tire sidewall rubber is permeated with oils that are designed to leach out slowly and protect the rubber. Detergents or aftermarket protectants will remove these oils prematurely. A certain amount of weather-checking (alligator-like cracks in the sidewalls) is normal. If the cracks are down to the fabric sidewall plies, it's time to retire that tire.

5. They're Damaged

Any foreign object that penetrates the tire far enough to cause a leak is sufficient reason to require the tire to be removed from the rim and inspected by a tire technician for damage to the inside of the carcass. An externally applied plug or worm should be considered a temporary repair. A proper repair involves patching the tire from the inside with a plug that not only holds air but prevents water from infiltrating into the carcass's belt plies. Water in this part of the tire will make it weaker. It's not really possible to repair a tire sidewall.

Tote Bag Coolers

I just ran across these coolers from Land's End! Who doesn't love a good tote bag?! And the combination with the insulation will make these perfect for tailgating in the fall and beach week in the summer. I think I am going to start out with the pink in the medium size and get it monogrammed with navy on the pocket. Don't forget to check out the lunch tote too!

Tote Cooler in Green

Tote Cooler in Pink

Mini Lunch Tote

My Preppy Easter Egg Tree!!

Here are the pictures yall have been waiting for! I could not have been happier with the way that it turned out. I do admit that it does look a little different from Martha's tree, but it has a fun college spin on the traditional. Anyone recognize that tree?! Yes, I recycled my Christmas tree! This project was so much fun, and I think that even little children could have fun with it. Not only was it simple to make, but the result really brightens up any Spring home!


I found these little chicks at the checkout at Michael's yesterday (for around a dollar), and I just could resist. They are nestled throughout the tree an just give it a little bit of whimsy. These are the best upclose picture of the actual finished eggs. You can see that the holes don't even show at all (yes, the perfectionist in me was worried about that)!


Of course, I had to finish it off with a big hot pink bow! Although... the craft store kind of ripped me off. I got home and the ribbon had been cut about a yard from the end and stapled back together?! No clue what happened there but the bow turned out to be fine with only 2 yards.


Here are my ribbon choices. Originally, I was just going to do pink and green; but I decided that it would look really cute with all of the spring colors. I would make sure to use at least 5 different ribbon choices so that it adds enough variety to your tree. Also, the yellow ribbon (50 cent kind from the craft store) you will probably need more than one spool. To make the tie you just loop the ribbon around 4 of your fingers and tie a knot. Then tie a little bow. I cut the ends of the ribbon on a diagonal to add a little visual interest. You will hot glue the bow to the egg and then hang by the loop. To attach the ribbon around your egg, I just used hot glue on both ends and made sure that the ribbon was tight and straight around the egg.


This was the first batch of blown eggs (notice the ones missing?! they went to chocolate chip cookies!). I had to go back to the grocery when I realized that this many eggs would only decorate one side of my tree! Just make that you make the top hole fairly small and that the bottom hole punch allows all the "guts" of the egg to come out. Also, I used a paper clip to break the shell, and it worked just fine.

Ghost of Girlfriends Past

Anyone that loves Matthew McConaughey should be looking forward to a new movie where he is co-starring with Jennifer Garner. Here is the trailer... it looks like it is going to be a good one!

Decorating Easter Eggs

Since, I am not quite finished with my Egg Tree, I thought I would share some ways that you can decorate your own Easter eggs. I was amazed at how many fun things that I found at the craft store to decorate eggs. It's not just about the dye anymore! All kinds of things can be used to jazz up your eggs!

Here are some ideas that I found from one of my favorite sites... All Recipes!

Flower Vase Egg

Use a blown egg; dye desired shade. Gently expand opening at the top of the egg; glue a small flat rock to the bottom as a base. Hide glue seam with ribbon or beaded chain. Use hot glue to affix silk flower into eggshell--flower should just peeking out the top of the egg.

Dot Egg

As simple as it gets: pick your dot color and place tiny dot stickers on a white or dyed egg.

Flower Power Egg

Dye egg. Use glue gun to attach flower sequins in a matching color (red on red, blue on blue).

Royal Egg

Dye egg. With glue gun, attach large and small necklace fasteners to add a royal touch.

Charm Egg

Dye egg desired shade; glue ribbon around its middle. Insert small tag or charm in blow hole and affix with hot glue gun. (The charm in this egg says, "Thank You!")

Disco Egg

Dye and dry a blown egg. Dilute craft glue with an equal amount of water and paint on egg. Roll in superfine glitter and let dry.

Chick Egg

Broken eggshell? Don't throw it away: dye the entire shell. With a hot glue gun, affix fuzzy chick figurine inside.

Word Egg

Die-cut stickers come in many different word themes. Mix and match words and themes to cover a plain egg.

Bedazzled Egg

Beads aren't just for clothes anymore! Dye egg in a bright color; glue faceted bedazzle beads in rows on half of the egg.

Bumpy Egg

Using a hot glue gun, place glue dots all over egg. Let dry, then dye.