Life in Paradise Blog

Thanksgiving 2011

sstokes9 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:19:57 +0000

This time of year our thoughts naturally turn to our family and friends. It is also a time to think about all that we have to be thankful for. Here is my list in no particular order:

I am thankful for my wonderful kids who always brighten my day

I am thankful for my pets who bring me joy

I am thankful for a loving husband

I am thankful for the friends in my life

I am thankful for computers and the internet as it allows us to stay connected with family and friends and find information on just about anything.

I am thankful for sunny days as the

Sending Cards and Gifts just got easier

sstokes9 — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:25:00 +0000

If you haven’t heard of SendOutCards then we need to talk.

If you have heard of SendOutCards, we still need to talk, but you also need to know there has been a big change in the retail packages as of Monday night. The company just changed their retail option with everyone getting full access to the bells and whistles. There used to be retail packages starting at $49 to $199 with different levels of access to the SendOutCards system, which could be confusing. Many people liked the idea but claimed lack of funds to sign up with one of the packages.

SendOutCards’ two fold mission is to 1) help people act on their promptings and 2) provide a vehicle to financial freedom. So in line with that mission, SendOutCards decided to make some changes and lower the cost of getting started with SendOutCards and allow millions of people to use SendOutCards. Now there is no reason why anyone wouldn’t want to use SendOutCards to act on their promptings and send those they care about a card. It has also made it easier to become an Entreprenuer and get on the road to financial freedom. We make a living through giving. It doesn’t get any better than this.

There is a subscription rate as low as $9.80 a month which allows you to send cards using the lowest retail price of 49 cents a point. For the subscription rate you get 20 points to use per month. Each type of card has different point values, such as a postcard cost 1 point, a two-fold card is 2 points, a three panel card is 3 points and then if you want to add some picture(s) to any of these cards it cost you an additional point.

Customers can also just use the system without a monthly subscription and the price they pay per point depends on the amount of points they buy. The more they buy at one time the lower the cost. The best value on the retail option is for the subscription as it allows the customer to always pay the lowest retail price of 49 cents per point.

Using SendOutCards allows you to truly personalize your cards and make it a card that your recipient will want to hang on to for years to come. Once you create your card, all you have to do is click the Send button and then SendOutCards prints the card, addresses the envelope, stuffs the envelope, puts a real stamp on it and mails a REAL card to your recipient. You can even add a gift to be sent along with your card.

For $99 you can add your own handwriting font (4 signatures) that you can use in SendOutCards. It also comes with an installer file so you can use your handwriting font on any computer.

Send a couple free cards on me to try out the system. http://www.sendoutcards.com/jsentertainment

New Year, New Goals

sstokes9 — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:11:13 +0000

Well it’s a new year, 2011. It is a good thing set your goals for the year. It is a chance for a fresh start. So my goals for this year are to share SendOutCards to at least 3 people a week. Ideally I would like to share it with two people a day but since I’m setting a goal I’m going to go with 3 people a week.

SendOutCards is a great company and it is a great opportunity to change your life. The only way to be successful in SendOutCards is share the business on a daily and weekly basis. Not everyone will be interested but how will you know if they would be interested if you don’t tell them about it. The service is much needed by every business owner and anyone who sends cards and gifts. It’s a way to make this world a better place to be by acting on our promptings and keeping in touch with people we care about. It is also a great way to grow your business by staying in touch with your client base and potential customers.

So I’m looking to move my business forward and change my situation and start living my dreams. 2011 is going to be a great year. I can feel it.

Venue booked for Sharon’s Shower

sstokes9 — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:34:31 +0000

Who would have thought that it would be so difficult to find a venue that would both be nice visually and price wise would be in our budget to hold a bridal shower. Over the past few months we have been visiting many locations to check them out for possibilities and one after another just wasn’t right. We are not picky but we did have some criteria in our heads that we were looking for. First off we didn’t want any stairs as we do have some relatives that have difficulties on the stairs. We also didn’t want to be cramped or have the room be all sectioned off. And lastly the price had to be within reason. After much searching we decided on The Gazebo located in Warren. Funny note here this is where I had my shower when Sharon’s dad and I were getting married. I have also DJ’d a few weddings there so I knew that it was a nice place.

Yesterday, Leslie and I went to The Gazebo and they showed us around. There were a couple of events going on (two bridal showers and a baby shower) so we were able to see what the room would look like set up. There are two rooms that are available for the March 13th date and depending on how many people are coming to the shower will determine which room we get. It won’t matter which room as they are both very nice.

We are very excited to have the venue booked for the shower and now we get to get down to the fun part of planning of the actual shower and getting all those details done.

Check out The Gazebo: http://thegazebobanquetcenter.com/

The countdown begins….174 days till the shower…….236 days till the Wedding

Now if only I could find a dress for the wedding….that’s the next adventure.

Bridesmaid Dresses

sstokes9 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:37 +0000

Back in August all the Bridesmaids got together and went to David’s Bridal. They had a fun time trying on dresses and have decided on a cute dress in the color of candy pink. All the bridesmaids will be ordering their dresses by October. Things are rolling right along and coming into place. Bride’s dress – check, Bridesmaid’s dresses — check, hall — check, officiant — check, photographer — check, MOB dress — still looking.

The guys have it so easy. All they have to do is pick out the style of tux and get measured and they are all set.

It’s going to be a beautiful wedding.

Mother of the Bride Dress Shopping

sstokes9 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:23:20 +0000

There has been a flurry of activity regarding the wedding and last month we took a day to go MOB (Mother of the Bride) dress shopping. It amazes me how many ugly dresses there are out there. I can’t imagine anyone wearing most of the dresses I tried on. I found a few that would be good to attend a wedding but not special enough to be the MOB dress. Many of them were just god awful and no one would good in them. The search continues as our all day shopping trip did not produce the dress. We had lots of laughs at how some of the dresses looked and tried to find the most hideous dress we could find when we weren’t having much luck with a good dress.

My goal is to find a dress before Christmas so that means scheduling another shopping trip. Another fun day ahead. The search continues.

Wedding news!

sstokes9 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:59:57 +0000

Sharon and Jon’s wedding is less than a year away. There is so much to do. One of the fun things and exciting things is for Sharon to pick out her dress. We have been having fun going to different bridal shops for her to try on dresses. She has found her dress and on Monday, June 14 she will be ordering her dress. Amazingly the dress will take 5 to 6 months to come in but when it does come in it should fit her perfectly. All she will need to have done is hemming and the bustle.

She is going to be a beautiful bride!

Quicksand

sstokes9 — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:24:01 +0000

Do you ever feel like you are in quicksand. No matter which way you turn you just sink lower and lower. All your efforts seem futile. That’s how we feel these days. No matter how hard we work or how hard we try at every turn something is going wrong. Transmissions in cars, check engine light, struts, hot tub breaks down, taxes and bills, bills, bills that just won’t stop.

We don’t ask for much. We don’t need an extravagant lifestyle. We just want to be able to pay our bills, buy groceries and be able to have a little fun. We looking forward to brighter days and easier times. They are just around the corner and if we can only tread just a little longer we will make it around the bend.

Kirby makes a dash for it

sstokes9 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:52:03 +0000

It had been a nice day on Monday. The sun was shining and things were going pretty well. I worked till 4pm and then went to the grocery store. When I got home I thought I would just let the dogs outside while I brought in the groceries. Dexter and Andre were let out the door and Kirby was put on the lead in the front yard. The next thing I know there is the lead but no Kirby.

I start to look around in disbelief but then I heard the horn of the truck coming down our street. There was Kirby in the middle of the road right in front of the truck. I called to him to come but he took one look at me and went around the truck and bolted for the other side of the street.

DAMN!

I headed on over in that direction but quickly lost site of the little mutt. Then as I’m looking for Kirby I realize that I have a little friend with me as I walk down the street. It’s Andre coming along. I don’t think so! I told Andre to go home. He obeyed with a sad look in his eyes but it was for his own safety. I looked and looked and couldn’t find Kirby. My calling him in a friendly voice did not make him come out of hiding.

So I got in the car and started driving around and was so worried that I would find him flattened on the road as the traffic on Tienken was very busy. It was rush hour. My heart sunk as I turned onto Tienken, hoping and praying not to find him on the road or on the side of the road injured or worse. I didn’t see him so I turned on the next street looking for him. He was no where to be seen.

I went a little farther into the sub stopping people to see if they had seen him. No one had. So I started on my way back home. While talking to Don and letting him know that Kirby was on the loose and I didn’t know where he was I hear the familar sound of Kirby attacking. He was going after the Schneider’s dog who was in their yard. I jumped out of the car and tried to get Kirby to come to me. He would start and then run the other way. I tried to get him to jump in the car but he wasn’t interested. He just wanted to attack the Schneider’s poodle. So Mrs. Schneider and I tried to get him and then I decided to see if he would come in the house. So I opened up their door and said “Kirby want to come in?”. He followed me into the house. Mrs. Schneider and I were able to catch him. What an adventure.

Top priority is to teach Kirby the “Come” command. He has had way too many close calls and this one was the worse.

Kitchen Painting almost complete

sstokes9 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:40:35 +0000

The painting of the kitchen from blue to green went very well. Margo and Sean were a huge help and the three of us worked well together. We only got a little paint on each of us, the floor, the counters, etc. The color looks great. It is much brighter. All that is left is to do some touch up painting. When the tape was peeled some of the paint came off revealing blue.

The next project is to find the right curtains. The plan is to go to Ikea and look at curtains. Have to see when we can get it arranged.

After all the painting was done, we hopped in the hot tub. It was nice to relax for a little while.