Angie Rambles

Kelly over at Spark Plugging WAHM 2.0 has a fun Meme going on and you could win a prize! I love working from home for many reasons but the two main reasons are that I enjoy the flexibility and the online friend connections I have made over the years. I am grateful that hubby is so supportive of my many work at home endeavors over the years. For quite a few years, I did direct sales and that took me out of the home to do home parties which were ultimately not my cup of tea but still a good money maker. I gave that up to focus on Internet/Affiliate marketing and am still trying to find my way and figure out what I want to be when I grow up LOL I truly am grateful for the opportunity to work at home. It's been neat reading everyone's reasons for why they love working from home and I hope you'll participate too. I would like to tag Lauren , Anita , and Val to play too.

It's time for Aloha Friday . Come join the fun. Head on over to Kailani's blog and answer her question too and learn more about Aloha Friday. My question for today is: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend? My favorite thing to do on the weekend is workout at the gym with hubby. We go on both Saturday & Sunday. I look forward to Saturday the most because it's "Smoothie Saturday" and we treat ourselves to a yummy smoothie. They have a variety of choices at the smoothie bar but I have to get my Peanut Butter smoothie every week. Hubby usually gets something different every week but his favorite smoothie has to have real cherries in it.

Do you have a Senseo Coffee Pod System? If not, I highly recommend that you purchase one for your home or office. I have had my Senseo since before Christmas last year and use it on a regular basis. I absolutely love coffee and this fun machine lets me make a quick and tasty treat any time of the day. In fact, I just picked up some more of the French Vanilla today and made a mix of that and the decaf Senseo. It was yummy! I have tried a variety of the blends they offer so if you have any questions, let me know. I was very lucky to be offered the chance to sign up for and accepted in to the Share Senseo program . You might want to check it out for yourself. If you are not interested in the program but would like to purchase a Senseo at one of your local retailers, I have 5 coupons for $20 OFF a Senseo Coffee Pod System. If you want to grab one of my coupons, reply to this post with your email address and I will contact you for your mailing address to send out the coupon this we...

I hosted a Thirty-One gifts online party in April and it was a blast. I wanted to come back and post a review of the products and company. The party went very well and I earned products and bought products too. I found Jane, my Thirty-One gifts consultant via My WAHM Space and found the products so interesting I asked if I could host an online party. She had never done an online party so it was a first for her and she enjoyed it. Thirty-One has gifts perfect for any occasion. Items from purses, beach tote bags, suitcases, stationary plus more with the option to have the items personalized. Kev and I ordered some gifts and they were a big hit. I didn't take pictures of those but I do have photos of a few of my items. I love them! They are much better in person than in the catalog. The only minor negative thing is the processing and shipping time. It was a few weeks before my guests and I got our orders but I can understand since everything is personalized. One of my fri...

5 Minutes for Mom is looking to hire an independent contractor to work on their e-commerce stores. If you think you might fit the bill, head on over and read all about it. These ladies sound like a fun bunch so I'm sure you would be in great hands and have a blast too. You can find all the info about this position here Just helping to spread the word and I will also have a chance to win an Amazon gift certificate *wink*

Have you heard of The Body Bakery ? If not, you really should check it out. This company is owned by Lia Schmoldt who I met at the gym. She has a lot of cool products to offer, with scents to die for...Yummy! The Body Bakery has been featured in a variety of magazines and everything is made at the time of your order so you will not get products that have been sitting on a shelf. My first order was for a variety of items and I was happy with every one of them. The SOAP CAKE in the Dreamsicle scent has a nice light scent and is perfect for our guest bathroom. The peach color stands out and I like how the soap suds up nicely. I bought two of the COOKIE SHEETS . One in Watermelon scent for hubby's Jeep and the other in Vanilla Bean scent for my car. Both scents are nice. You can use this product on your bed sheets and in your car. I was most excited to order the Body & Hair Spritzer in Coconut Ice and the Body & Hair Icing in Pineapple Crush. I wanted something to ...

This is my first Friday Feast . I found it while blog hopping over at the Mommy Fest blog party and thought it would be fun. So here we go.... Appetizer What is the nearest big city to your home? Chicago Soup On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? 8- I don't like to keep secrets so I try really hard not to ever be put in a position to have to keep them. Salad Describe your hair (color, texture, length). Red, OK Strawberry Blonde, a mix of curl and straight and the length is now above my shoulders. I like it short and my hair stylist loves me because every time I go in, I have a picture of a new haircut that I want and she has a blast with that. Main Course What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow? Most times I am courteous but I get so frustrated with the people who drive under the speed limit however I rarely do anything about it, I'm pretty patient. Life is really too short to be in a rush. Dessert When was...

I just heard about this contest and have spent the last few minutes voting for my favorite Google Doodle. Find out more on the Doodle 4 Google page . I had a hard time choosing but my votes have been placed. Check out the cool prizes too. Can't wait to see who wins next week. How fun!

This is my first year participating in Mommy Fest so I'm pretty excited to see what Marie has up her sleeves. I think it will be great to meet new people through Marie's 1st Mommy Fest blog party . I'm Angie (36), a step mom of two grown kids, 26 and 24. Hubby and I live in IL with our zoo, a turtle, cat, Basset Hound and Blue & Gold Macaw. They are a big part of our lives. You can meet them here Taz, the turtle Pebbles, the cat Caleb, the Basset Hound Bam Bam, the Blue & Gold Macaw I enjoy working from home and having been doing so since June 2001. I was in direct sales for quite a few years but left the home party scene to focus on Internet/Affiliate Marketing. I have quite a few websites and I am just now figuring out what I might want to be when I grow up LOL. My main focus right now is my weight loss and fitness website and healthy lifestyle blog . I have been featured on a few podcasts and Internet Radio shows and will be posting those on my blog and w...

Kevin & Angie's Tasty Sweet Potato Fries You will need one medium to large sweet potato, peeled. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut sweet potato into 1/4 inch thick slices. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with fat free olive oil spray. Arrange sweet potato slices on the cookie sheet and then spray the top of the sweet potatoes. Now you can sprinkle with sea salt or your choice of seasoning. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. No turning required. If you prefer crispier 'fries', bake a bit longer. I don't have nutrition facts on this but it should be simple enough for you to calculate. I love these sweet potato fries.

1) I'm a 36 year old step mom of two, 26 (girl) and 24 (boy). 2) I'm an only child. 3) Hubby and I love to travel. Our favorite vacation spots are Jamaica and Disney World. 4) My favorite foods are sushi and spaghetti. 5) I'm a Reality TV junkie. Some of my favorite shows are Big Brother, Survivor and Amazing Race. I also enjoy CSI and Numbers.

It's been a while since I have participated in Aloha Friday . This is only my 2nd time playing so here we go. Hope you'll join in. Head on over to Kailani's blog and answer her question too and learn more about Aloha Friday. My question is: In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, what is your favorite flower? My favorite flower is a purple rose. I really like any type of purple flower but roses are my favorite.

It was a long weekend and I wish we could start it all over again. Saturday morning, like normal, I was up early with our Basset Hound, Caleb (for those of you who don't know, Caleb has been having some health issues over the past few years and has gotten agressive at times) and I had just let him in from outside. He had a sick tummy a few times this week and when I went to let him in, before his normal breakfast routine, I leaned over him (I should have known better), went to wipe under is mouth and my hand was on his head and all of a sudden he got upset and a bit agressive with me and we collided, his face to mine. I was lucky. He got me right below my left eyebrow and right under my eye. I was yelling, crying or whatever it was more from the sight of the blood (there really wasn't that much but it was all over my hands and face LOL). Hubby came upstairs to help me get Caleb outside, we cleaned it up (I almost blacked out, what a weird feeling) and waited until we coul...

Mommy Fest 2008 starts May 12th. This interactive online convention for mom's is run by a very special lady, Marie Ynami . Marie has a lot of fun things to offer for this event like a blog party, contests and giveaways, exhibitors and much more. You won't want to miss this great event. Check everything out today so you are ready when all the fun starts. And just in case you aren't familiar with Marie, she also owns a wonderful website called Mommy Community . She has interviewed me in the past for her podcast where we talked about weight loss & fitness. I hope you'll stop by her websites and let her know that I sent you. Enjoy!

April 28th Questions: 1. You have just been introduced to Oprah. What one thing do you want to talk to her about? I would like to talk to Oprah about weight loss/fitness. It would be interesting to share my story and hear about hers as well. 2. What is the most fun you’ve had so far in 2008? Be specific, tell us all about it. The most fun I have had so far in 2008 would probably be joining a fitness center. Hubby and I joined in Feb. and it's been a great experience so far. I really enjoy being able to use the various machines but I absolutely love the classes that are offered. My favorite is Turbo Kick and I do that 3x a week and I have also taken a Zumba class and hubby and I just recently started going to Spin class every Saturday . 3. Do spelling and grammar mistakes in newspapers and magazines upset you at all? What about spelling and grammar mistakes on blogs? Do you stop reading if there are too many mistakes? Or do you just ignore them? What about your own writing/b...

Come join us this Friday, April 25th for a fun Thirty-One Gifts online party at 8:30 PM Eastern. The party is listed on the calendar at Mom Chats Once you click on the party link, you can set up a reminder, just click on the link next to the clock and you're all set. Do you have a hard time finding monogrammed items in your children's, friend's and family names or even your own name? If so, you have come to the right place. You can get free personalization on a variety of items from Thirty-One Gifts. Don't miss the Beach totes, purses, storage totes, lunch totes, suitcases, duffel bags, adult/child aprons, stationary, organizers, wristlets, backpacks and more. These items will make the perfect gift for any occasion. Affordable and unique! Check out the Spring catalog at http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/images/2008SpringCatalog.pdf You can also take a stroll through Jane's Thirty-One Gifts website April's monthly special is the new hanging cosmetic organizer for...

It's time for me to put together yet another order for my favorite candle shop, Apple Blossom Candles . I'm anxious to try some new scents in the Spring and Summer line but also from the main scent list too. Here are some of my favorite scents: Hot Buttered Rum Lemongrass Island Lime Oceanside White Linen Of course there are many more that I like but those are my Top 5. Apple Blossom Candles has a great April special. The fragrance spotlight for April is Morning Rain and you can SAVE 15% on products in that scent. Everything from car freshners, votives, melts, tea lights and candles too. Be sure to check out the candle accessories and enter the monthly contest while you're there. My favorite products they offer are the melts, tea lights and car freshners. Happy Friday!

Tishia is playing a fun little game on her blog so I thought I would play along. Does Your Name Fit You? A Easy to fall in love with N Has gorgeous eyes G Loves to be loved I Loves to laugh and smile E Can kick your butt (I know Tishia got this somewhere but I just had to change the mis-spellings LOL) A: Easy to fall in love with B: Just acts like themselves C: good person D: Is very sexual E: Can kick your butt F: Loves people G: Loves to be loved H: Fricken hot I: Loves to laugh and smile J: Is really sweet K: Crazy L: Really good kisser M: Hotttttttttt N: Has gorgeous eyes O: Has a nice butt P: Popular with all types of people Q: An animal lover R: Has one of the best personalities ever S: Makes people laugh T: Makes dating fun! U: Has a Smile to die for V : freakin hot hardly ever unhappy W: Very broad minded X: Never let people tell you what to do Y: Just awesome Z: Loved by everyone I would also say that it fits me pretty well. You would have to ask Kev about my eyes L...

Yep, today is my birthday, April Fool's Day. Kev and I celebrated both of our birthday's this past Sunday. We went to one of our favorite restaurants called The Key Wester . It takes us over an hour to get there so we don't go often but it's a nice treat. If you are ever in the Naperville, IL area you should stop in for lunch or dinner. We love it because of the Caribbean theme. You know we have to get our fix while we wait for our Jamaican vacation to come in Dec. I exercised a lot today. Went to the gym and used the elliptical, did a Turbo Kick class and came home to walk 4 miles and did some ab work on the stability ball. I am exhausted now! I am craving sushi but since I already had my b-day dinner, I think we'll just stay in tonight. I found out about a sushi buffet not to far from here and wanted to go there at first but The Key Wester won out. I think the sushi buffet will be good for Mother's Day *wink* So far my mom and dad and my stepson have...

Today I met up with Lauren Haugh, an online friend who I met at Mommy's Helper Online Community quite a few years ago. Lauren and I live about an hour or two away from each other so we met 1/2 way and enjoyed a yummy lunch at Bahama Breeze . Lauren is the owner of Scrappin WAHM , Mom's Online Retreat and a few other great websites. We had a really good time and are already talking about meeting up again soon most likely with our hubby's the next time. I have met quite a few online friends over the years and it's so much fun to get together and talk business, family, etc. Thanks Lauren for a great day!