Do you watch movies on your computer as a family? We have and let me tell you, it’s very tight cramming four bodies around one computer monitor. We’ve been contemplating attaching our laptops to our TVs so we can stream movies and TV shows. And until I heard about the Lenovo Enhanced Multimedia Remote, I never thought about how we would control the videos. One of us would have to keep getting up and down to pause or switch between movies. I’m glad someone solved that problem before it became a problem for our household. And they made the handheld multimedia remote small enough to keep in the laptop case so even if we’re traveling we could have a remote for laptop movie nights.

So what is the Lenovo Enhanced Multimedia Remote and what makes it enhanced?

As you saw in the video – you did watch it, right? – the original design was good but left room for improvements to make it great. The backlight makes it so much easier to use when you have movie night with the lights off. But the best improvement is the case not showing fingerprints as easily as the original version. Plus, I love that the USB tucks right between the batteries so it won’t be floating around to get lost.

Do you have an Xbox, PlayStation 3 or Wii? This remote can control these devices as well. That might just be another pro for upgrading our PlayStation the next time it dies.

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Welcome to Way Back Wednesday where we’ll be sharing classics books, movies, memories, and commercials that all fall in the public domain.

And you’re invited to link your own Way Back Wednesday post each week in the comments.

The Rules:
There are no rules. We’d love if you link back to Way Back Wednesday and follow us to find out what classic we share each week. And of course, it would be fantastic if you visit others who share their own classic. That’s it.

Banners can be found here.

We’ll be posting holiday themed books and movies for the next few weeks starting with Christmas. And don’t forget to enter our current giveaways while you’re here.

Book: Mamma’s stories about birds
Book: Marigold garden

Movie: To The Last Man starring Shirley Temple

You might also like:

• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 1
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 1

30 pounds of yellow onions (Early bird special)

12 pounds of tomatoes

Plus 1 bunch of bananas (Thursday Produce Day), 4 pounds of oranges, 12 avocados (Thursday Produce Day), 2 pounds of jalapenos, 3 pounds of carrots, and 2 bunches of cilantro.

This all started out because the onions were part of the early bird special at 11 cents a pound at Pro’s Ranch Markets. That is the cheapest we have ever seen onions in the store so we jumped at a chance to stock up.

The first thing we did was make a huge batch of salsa then the following night we used our food processor to chop up all remaining onions (we used a couple in the salsa) and put them into snack size zip top baggies for storing in the freezer.

And the best part, we only spent about $15 for all of it.

What is the best deal on produce you’ve found lately?

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Welcome to Way Back Wednesday where we’ll be sharing classics books, movies, memories, and commercials that all fall in the public domain.

And you’re invited to link your own Way Back Wednesday post each week in the comments.

The Rules:
There are no rules. We’d love if you link back to Way Back Wednesday and follow us to find out what classic we share each week. And of course, it would be fantastic if you visit others who share their own classic. That’s it.

Banners can be found here.

We’ll be posting holiday themed books and movies for the next few weeks starting with Christmas. And don’t forget to enter our current giveaways while you’re here.

Book: Disorderly girl
Book: Edwin the young rabbit fancier
Book: Effie and her strange acquaintances

Movie: Poor Little Rich Girl starring Shirley Temple

You might also like:

• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 1
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 1

Normally I’d provide the author’s description of the book except in this case, the author reveals a major piece of the last book. And in order to understand this book, you need to know that piece. But knowing that piece will take away from discovering that through reading the books.

Two weeks. Two weeks, and I could be dead.

“I can’t,” I told Abe, my voice breaking. “I’m not. .. meant to die that way.”

“Oh?” He arched an eyebrow. “You know how you’re supposed to die?”

“In battle.” One tear managed to escape, and I hastily wiped it away. I’d always lived my life with a tough image. I didn’t want that shattering, not now when it mattered most of all. “In fighting. Defending those I love. Not. .. not through some planned execution.”

“This is a fight of sorts,” he mused. “Just not a physical one. Two weeks is still two weeks. Is it bad? Yes. But it’s better than one week. And nothing’s impossible. Maybe new evidence will turn up. You simply have to wait and see.”

“I hate waiting. This room. .. it’s so small. I can’t breathe. It’ll kill me before any executioner does.”

“I highly doubt it.” Abe’s expression was still cool, with no sign of sympathy. Tough love. “You’ve fearlessly fought groups of Strigoi, yet you can’t handle a small room?”

“It’s more than that! Now I have to wait each day in this hole, knowing there’s a clock ticking down to my death and almost no way to stop it.”

“Sometimes the greatest tests of our strength are situations that don’t seem so obviously dangerous. Sometimes surviving is the hardest thing of all.”

Read chapter 1 in full.

I was sad to finish the series. Not because the story had a bad ending or didn’t tie up most loose ends but simply because the series was over. However, it does leave the option of revisiting the series in say 10 years to catch up with the characters.

I am thrilled that I was given the opportunity to read this series as I have found a new author for our bookcases. The ones that I look to for inspiration when selecting new books series. They join other fantastic authors like R.L. Stine, Dan Brown, Christopher Pike, Christopher Paolini, and Lisa Cottrell-Bentley.

This is the sixth and final book in the Vampire Academy series which we’ll be reviewing this month. Read all of the reviews here.

Don’t Fret! Richelle Mead has a spinoff book series that follows Sydney, Jill (Jailbait), Adrian, and Eddie on their own adventures. I have received a copy of the first book, Bloodlines, and it’s on my to read list. The second book in the Bloodlines series, The Golden Lily, is due out in June so pre-order your copy today!

Pick up your copy of Last Sacrifice from your local library, request it on Paperback Swap, or buy a copy on Amazon. You can also get a signed copy of Richelle Mead books by following the directions on her website.

You might also like:

• Book: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (Book 5 of 6)
• Book: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (Book 4 of 6)
• Book: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (Book 3 of 6)
• Book: Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Book 2 of 6)
• Book: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Book 1 of 6)

Battle Royal (Participants JTG, Skip “Ryback” Sheffield, Epico, Primo, Drew McIntyre, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, David Otunga, Mason Ryan, R-Truth and Alex Riley)
Battle Royal Winner vs. Cody Rhodes (Intercontinental Championship match)
Jack Swagger vs. R Truth
Kelly Kelly and Eve vs Beth Phoenix and Natalya Hart (special guest referrer Brie Bella)
Ted DiBiase Jr. vs. Wade Barrett
Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan (Heavyweight Championship match)
John Cena vs. Kane
CM Punk vs. The Miz (WWE Championship match)

The battle royal was finished fairly quick.  Sheamus came out the victor after eliminating David Otunga.

Shortly after Sheamus was announced as the winner Cody Rhodes music hit and he came out to start the Intercontinental Championship match.

Sheamus was disqualified for not releasing Cody when Cody was caught in the ropes.

Jack Swagger came out with Vickie Guerrero.  They challenged anyone to come out and fight Swagger.  R-Truth came out and ended up being Swagger but Otunga came ringside to declare it a non sanctioned match and that Swagger was still champion.

The next match was a divas bout with special referee Brie Bella between Beth Phoenix and Natalya against Kelly Kelly and Eve.  This was a quick match and Kelly Kelly pinned Natalya for the win.

Wade Barrett came out on how he destroyed Randy Orton in December and he has been out of action since.  Ted DiBiase came out and just stood at the ramp when Randy Orton’s music hit.  Barrett. Kofi, Primo, Epico, JTG and Santino came down to the ring to try to separate Orton and Barrett.  Everyone received a RKO except Santino.

Big Show took on Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Big Show won via disqualification but the title belt can only transfer upon a pin fall or submission so Daniel Bryan retains the World Heavyweight Championship.

Kane and Cena were up next.  This was a decent match surprisingly.  Kane dominated the entire match and ended up being disqualified when Kane hit Cena with a steel chair.  The crowd was into this match and was pretty evenly split with two chants.  “Let’s Go Cena” and “Cena Sucks”.  Kane almost left the stage area but returned to beat on Cena some more when Cena hit him with the Attitude Adjustment.  Kane carried Cena well throughout the match.

The main event was next between The Miz and CM Punk.  The crowd was really for Punk on this one.  Even Little T who used to be a Miz fan turned against him and was for Punk.  Punk hit Miz with the GTS for the pinfall.  Punk stayed ringside signing autographs for over 20 minutes after the show.

Tim was the cameraman, as usual, for the family. You can see more of our photos over on our Google+ page. Why not +1 our page while your over there?

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• Guess Where We Are?
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• Thanks Penguin Group!

Here are a few hints.

Leave a comment and tell us where you think we are?

You might also like:

• We Bought Over 60 Pounds of Produce
• Puppies, Kids, and Snow Days
• 5 Areas Of Your Life That Can Benefit From Vinegar
• Thanks Penguin Group!
• As Excited As A WWE Fan Can Be

Normally I’d provide the author’s description of the book except in this case, the author reveals a major piece of the last book. And in order to understand this book, you need to know that piece. But knowing that piece will take away from discovering that through reading the books. So I will only provide a portion of the author’s description:

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong…

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he’s out there, somewhere.

Ahead of us, the roar of a crowd grew loud. One of the school’s many sports fields had been transformed into an arena on par with something from Roman gladiatorial days. The bleachers had been built up, expanded from simple wooden seats to luxuriously cushioned benches with awnings to shade the Moroi from the sun. Banners surrounded the field, their bright colors visible from here as they whipped in the wind. I couldn’t see them yet, but I knew there would be some type of barracks built near the stadium’s entrance where novices waited, nerves on edge. The field itself would have turned into an obstacle course of dangerous tests. And from the sound of those deafening cheers, plenty were already there to witness this event.

“I’m not giving up hope,” Lissa said. Through the bond, I knew she meant it. It was one of the wonderful things about her–a steadfast faith and optimism that weathered the most terrible ordeals. It was a sharp contrast to my recent cynicism.

“And I’ve got something that might help you out today.”

She came to a stop and reached into her jeans pocket, producing a small silver ring scattered with tiny stones that looked like peridots. I didn’t need any bond to understand what she was offering.

“Oh, Liss…I don’t know. I don’t want any, um, unfair advantage.”

Lissa rolled her eyes. “That’s not the problem, and you know it. This one’s fine, I swear.”

The ring she offered me was a charm, infused with the rare type of magic she wielded. All Moroi had control of one of five elements: earth, air, water, fire, or spirit. Spirit was the rarest– so rare, it had been forgotten over the centuries. Then Lissa and a few others had recently surfaced with it. Unlike the other elements, which were more physical in nature, spirit was tied into the mind and all sorts of psychic phenomena. No one fully understood it.

Making charms with spirit was something Lissa had only recently begun to experiment with–and she wasn’t very good at it. Her best spirit ability was healing, so she kept trying to make healing charms. The last one had been a bracelet that singed my arm.

“This one works. Only a little, but it’ll help keep the darkness away during the trial.”

She spoke lightly, but we both knew the seriousness of her words. With all of spirit’s gifts came a cost: a darkness that showed itself now as anger and confusion, and eventually led to insanity. Darkness that sometimes bled over into me through our bond. Lissa and I had been told that with charms and her healing, we could fight it off. That was also something we had yet to master.

I gave her a faint smile, moved by her concern, and accepted the ring. It didn’t scald my hand, which I took as a promising sign. It was tiny and only fit on my pinky. I felt nothing whatsoever as it slid on. Sometimes that happened with healing charms. Or it could mean the ring was completely ineffectual. Either way, no harm done.

“Thanks,” I said. I felt delight sweep through her, and we continued walking.

I held my hand out before me, admiring the way the green stones glittered. Jewelry wasn’t a great idea in the kind of physical ordeals I’d be facing, but I would have gloves on to cover it.

“Hard to believe that after this, we’ll be done here and out in the real world,” I mused aloud, not really considering my words.

Read chapter 1 in full.

As expected, this book is on par with the rest of the series and brings closure to certain things while opening new problems for Rose and Lissa to face together.

Due to the series’ complexity, I thought I’d take a moment and list a few negatives I have discovered after reading 2/3 of the series.

Repetitive – I lost count at how many times I’ve read descriptions and differences between Moroi, Strigoi, and Dhampirs. And how spirit is a recent discovery with little understanding. And rehashes of things that happened in previous books. The upside to the repetitive nature is that you could read the first book and then many months later pick up the second book without having to recall minor details of who’s who and whether they are Moroi, Strigoi, or dhampir.

This is the fifth book in the Vampire Academy series which we’ll be reviewing this month. Read all of the reviews here.

Pick up your copy of Spirit Bound from your local library, request it on Paperback Swap, or buy a copy on Amazon. You can also get a signed copy of Richelle Mead books by following the directions on her website.

You might also like:

• Book: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Book 6 of 6)
• Book: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (Book 4 of 6)
• Book: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (Book 3 of 6)
• Book: Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Book 2 of 6)
• Book: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Book 1 of 6)

Please take the time to tell Congress not to censor the internet and harm the US economy.

Vote For The Net

Google

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Welcome to Way Back Wednesday where we’ll be sharing classics books, movies, memories, and commercials that all fall in the public domain.

And you’re invited to link your own Way Back Wednesday post each week in the comments.

The Rules:
There are no rules. We’d love if you link back to Way Back Wednesday and follow us to find out what classic we share each week. And of course, it would be fantastic if you visit others who share their own classic. That’s it.

Banners can be found here.

We’ll be posting holiday themed books and movies for the next few weeks starting with Christmas. And don’t forget to enter our current giveaways while you’re here.

Book: A Child’s Dream of a Star
Book: A Child’s Garden of Verses

Movie: Parden My Pups starring Shirley Temple

You might also like:

• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 1

Normally I’d provide the author’s description of the book except in this case, the author reveals a major piece of the last book. And in order to understand this book, you need to know that piece. But knowing that piece will take away from discovering that through reading the books. So all I will say is that this book takes Rose on her own adventure to keep a promise that she made in the first few books hence the title, Blood Promise.

My pursuer took a few more steps, and that’s when I made my move. I leapt out, fists ready. “Okay,” I exclaimed. “I only wanted to ask a few questions, so just back off or else—”

I froze. The guardian from the club wasn’t standing there.

A human was.

A girl, no older than me. She was about my height, with cropped dark blond hair and a navy blue trench coat that looked expensive. Underneath it, I could see nice dress pants and leather boots that looked as pricey as the coat. More startling still was that I recognized her. I’d seen her twice at the Nightingale, talking to the Moroi men. I’d assumed she was just another of the women they liked to flirt with and had promptly dismissed her. After all, what use was a human to me?

Her face was partly covered in shadow, but even in poor lighting, I could make out her annoyed expression. That wasn’t quite what I’d expected. “It’s you, isn’t it?” she asked. Cue more shock. Her English was as American as my own. “You’re the one who’s been leaving the string of Strigoi bodies around the city. I saw you back in the club tonight and knew it had to be you.”

“I . . .” No other words formed on my lips. I had no idea how to respond. A human talking casually about Strigoi? It was unheard of. This was almost more astonishing than actually running into a Strigoi out here. I’d never experienced anything like this in my life. She didn’t seem to care about my stupefied state.

“Look, you can’t just do that, okay? Do you know what a pain in the ass it is for me to deal with? This internship is bad enough without you making a mess of it. The police found the body you left in the park, you know. You cannot even imagine how many strings I had to pull to cover that up.”

“Who . . . who are you?” I asked at last. It was true. I had left a body in the park, but seriously, what was I supposed to do? Drag him back to my hotel and tell the bellhop my friend had too much to drink?

“Sydney,” the girl said wearily. “My name’s Sydney. I’m the Alchemist assigned here.”

“The what?”

She sighed loudly, and I was pretty sure she rolled her eyes. “Of course. That explains everything.”

“No, not really,” I said, finally regaining my composure. “In fact, I think you’re the one who has a lot of explaining to do.”

“And attitude too. Are you some kind of test they sent here for me? Oh, man. That’s it.”

I was getting angry now. I didn’t like being chastised. I certainly didn’t like being chastised by a human who made it sound like me killing Strigoi was a bad thing.

“Look, I don’t know who you are or how you know about any of this, but I’m not going to stand here and—”

Nausea rolled over me and I tensed, my hand immediately going for the silver stake I kept in my coat pocket. Sydney still wore that annoyed expression, but it was mingled with confusion now at the abrupt change in my posture. She was observant, I’d give her that.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You’re going to have another body to deal with,” I said, just as the Strigoi attacked her.

Read chapter 1 in full.

A lot of new characters are introduced in this book including another spirit user like Lissa, a shadow kissed guardian like Rose, and a handful of Dimitri’s family members.

With all of the plot twists and turns in the first three books, it’s no surprise that this book will also have it’s own twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. I found myself wanting to pick this book up and just keep reading.

If you haven’t picked up copies of the series, you’re missing out and the next big thing. I could easily see this series winning over the millions of Twilight and Harry Potter fans now that their beloved series have ended and they need a new obsession.

This is the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series which we’ll be reviewing this month. Read all of the reviews here.

Pick up your copy of Blood Promise from your local library, request it on Paperback Swap, or buy a copy on Amazon. You can also get a signed copy of Richelle Mead books by following the directions on her website.

You might also like:

• Book: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Book 6 of 6)
• Book: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (Book 5 of 6)
• Book: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (Book 3 of 6)
• Book: Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Book 2 of 6)
• Book: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Book 1 of 6)

For the past year, Walgreens and Express Scripts have been under negotiations for a new contract for Walgreens to continue as part of Express Scripts pharmacy provider network. Those negotiations were unsuccessful, and the contract expired on Dec. 31. As a result, Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network as of Jan. 1, 2012. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.

What does that mean for Walgreens prescription users?

Only patients with certain prescription insurance plans managed by Express Scripts are impacted. If you have coverage through Tricare, the military provider, you will most likely be impacted. It is best to check with your local Walgreens pharmacist to find out for sure if you’re impacted.

If I am impacted, what do I need to do?

To continuing having Walgreens fill your prescriptions, you may benefit from the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. And to help minimize disruption to Walgreens customers, an individual can join during a special January promotion for only $5, or $10 for a family membership, and receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications. More than 400 generics are available with a three-month supply for less than $1 a week. Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family.

Walgreens Site
Walgreens on Twitter
Walgreens on Facebook
 

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That’s not too bad in most cases but what happens when I only need a portion of the recipe? Usually I make the recipe and then try to work the extra into the menu but with Google, I can easily divide up a recipe into a smaller portions so I can waste less especially if it’s a new recipe that makes enough to feed our family twice.

If the recipe calls for one cup of an ingredient and makes 12 servings, I can use a half cup to make 6 servings but what if i want to make 8 servings?

Does your brain hurt yet? Didn’t realize that math truly would pop up in your daily life, now did you?

Enter this in Google and see what it tells you:

1 cup / 12 * 8 = ? cups
0.666666667 US cups – That’s 2/3 cup

What if i wanted to make 20 servings?

1 cup / 12 * 20 = ? cups
1.66666667 US cups – 1 2/3 cups

Let’s break down the Google search terms:
1 cup – the amount the original recipe needs
/ – divided by
12 – the number of servings in the original recipe
* – times (multiply)
20 – the number of servings I want to make
= – equals
? – the number I don’t know
cups – the unit of measurement I want used for the answer

So not only can I figure out how many cups I’ll need to cut or increase a recipe, if the answer got to small I could convert to a smaller unit – say tablespoons or teaspoons.

For example – What if I wanted to make just one serving of this recipe? Oh that’s simple – 1/12 of a cup. Now where did I put that 1/12 cup container? What, you don’t have a 1/12 cup container? I guess we’d better put it in something you do have.

1/12 cup = ? tsp
4 US teaspoons

That’s better.

You can convert between many different units of measurement of height, weight, and volume – just to name a few.

How many centimeters in an inch? 2.54 centimeters
How many milliliters in a cup? 236.588237 milliliters
How many cups in a gallon? 16 cups
Liters in a gallon? 3.78541178 liters
Inches in a foot? 12 inches
Centimeters in a foot? 30.48 centimeters
Grams in an ounce? 28.3495231 grams

Oh the possibilities are endless.

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They also announced the first LTE cities to receive the 4g upgrades. They will be Denver, Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and parts of Chicago. An additional 10 markets per month will be added once the initial roll-out is successful.

We will be upgrading our phones within the next couple of months. It looks like we will take the Nexus for us and the Viper will be a good economy phone for our parents.

I have a few droid apps I have been wanting to add to my outdated HTC Hero but it just doesn’t have the processor or memory support for them so this will be a nice upgrade. Both of our parents currently only have feature phones too so it is time they go to a smartphone and the Viper seems like a good starter smartphone.

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Welcome to Way Back Wednesday where we’ll be sharing classics books, movies, memories, and commercials that all fall in the public domain.

And you’re invited to link your own Way Back Wednesday post each week in the comments.

The Rules:
There are no rules. We’d love if you link back to Way Back Wednesday and follow us to find out what classic we share each week. And of course, it would be fantastic if you visit others who share their own classic. That’s it.

Banners can be found here.

We’ll be posting holiday themed books and movies for the next few weeks starting with Christmas. And don’t forget to enter our current giveaways while you’re here.

Book: Yule-tide Stories

Movie: Managed Money starring Shirley Temple

You might also like:

• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 3
• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – More Shirley Temple Part 1
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 2
• Way Back Wednesday – Winter Holidays Part 1