So I ordered MORE stuff from ebay. I can’t help it. I find deals there. I am once again left FUMING as I paid for a product 10 days ago and got an email LATE last night that said it was “shipping” on 3/15/10. Yes, that was yesterday… 10 days after I paid. I know the shipping label was printed and it wasn’t shipped until today, possibly later. Why? Because no post office is open at 10pm and second, printing the label generates that email, however they can hold it however long before shipping. SERIOUSLY people. Are you kidding me? When you have a “note” on your auction stating if I don’t pay within 3 days you will report me, but you can wait 11 days to ship. I’m discusted. And from this point on I do not care if they leave relalitory feedback I am leaving NEGATIVE feedback for these sellers. I’ve had it.

I worked the lunch hour at school today. I feel like I need some hospital disinfectant after this visit there though! Seriously, there are so many running noses and coughing kids. I know it’s to be expected with the weather and all, but DANG, the last thing *I* want is to be sick. I am SO glad the weather is warming up though and that SPRING is finally here. It’s been in the 60’s the last 2 days and SUPER nice. I’ve had the windows open and the dog outside all day enjoying the sun. I’ve also gotten to take walks the last few days which has been a VERY nice change from walking INSIDE because of the weather!!

Not much of an update today, but I will try to post more later. Have a GREAT day everyone!

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now, but I just decided I should write it once and for all and link it to twitter. There is some talk tonight about Quick Trimon Twitter with a few different people and I wanted to put this out there. Like many I was SPARKED by the commercials and constant tweets from Khloe and Kim Kardashian raving about the product. I went to Wal-mart and spent $30.00 on the product. It’s a good chunk of change. I do not get paid to promote this product so I have NOTHING to lose in writing my review. I am sad to report after the first box, 2 weeks, I bought the second box and was 1/2 way through that. So a total of 3 weeks, sticking to it to a TEA. Not cheating ONCE. I lost NOTHING. Not a 1/2 pound. I ate the meals and snacks that are directly listed in the box as meal plans. I took the pills as directed. I drank MORE then the minimum amount of water they recommend. I also have a FULL gym in my basement, and worked out 4 times a week at MINIMUM. I never lost any “inches” either for those of you thinking that I may have lost weight, but gained muscle. I took inch measurements as well to see. I am not thrilled with this product or the $60.00 I spent. You should be aware that many things don’t work for many people and things that are celebrity endorsed are even HARDER to judge. Why? Well they have people making them meals and have an exercise routine that is like NO other because they have personal trainers. YOU have to decide if the diet will work for you. My advise, save your money. It’s an over hyped MEAL plan which is not logical unless you have a personal chef and personal trainer counting every moment of exercise and every SINGLE calorie.

Discouraged I finally decided to give in to my husband and try what “he” suggested. He’d started his diet weeks before me and was at his goal at 7 weeks. *sigh* I know since women don’t lose the same, it wasn’t going to be that easy for me. Or was it? I could have been using the wrong product and routine? My husband ordered me Hydroxycut Extreme by Muscle Tech. Hesitate to give it a try, especially after the Quick Trim experience, I finally did. I also adjusted my diet… and let me tell you THIS meal plan is SO easy… Here’s what I have:

Breakfast:
1 Zone Protein Bar (which I’m keeping it real… they taste like CANDY BARS)
(You can do 1 cup of egg beaters – even the southern style or western instead of the protein bar, but I hate eggs)
1 – 8oz glass low fat chocolate milk

Snack:
15 peanuts (any kind of nuts and salted, roasted, whatever works)
1/2 cup cottage cheese

Lunch:
Chicken patty (unbreaded – you can have the grocery store make ground chicken and then form into patties, or some stores sell them like that, mine does)
Medium size lettuce salad with any other green veggies on it (green pepper, cucumber, broccoli, etc) with Salad Spritzer
*sometimes I cut my chicken and put it on the salad, sometimes I eat it cut up. You can use Mrs. Dash to season*

Snack:
2 cups Green veggies (usually broccoli and cucumbers for me)
15 peanuts (any kind of nuts and salted, roasted, whatever works)

Dinner:
6 oz chicken breast (I buy them pre-marinated)
2 cups green veggies or a lettuce salad (as above)

Snack:
1 Zone Protein Bar (which again, taste like a TREAT)
1 – 8oz glass low fat chocolate milk

Now I feel like I am eating WAY too much, however, I feel better and after adjusting, it works out good. I am also either walking my dog for 30 minutes or on my elliptical machine for 20 minutes (more intense work so less time) every other day… and because my tummy is my trouble area, sit ups EVERY day on an exercise ball.

After a complete FIVE days, and the last 2 I haven’t done ANY exercise because I am still nursing a leg after surgery 2 weeks ago, so I am taking my exercising as my body is allowing without pain… I have lost a COMPLETE FIVE pounds. I say complete because it is 5-7 pounds depending on when I weigh, and according the the scale at my DR’s office last week and this week it is 5 pounds, with clothes, shoes, etc. But it is a FOR SURE 5 pounds.  I feel better and have a lot of energy. Because of the “fast” result of this I am eager to keep going and try harder. I see it’s working and I am happy about that. I am not with a personal trainer, I don’t have a chef! I am a busy stay at home mom of 2 active kids, a husband that works and works out, and an active puppy. I am not a celebrity, I am not famous, but this is what MY experience was. I am not being paid to talk positive or negative about ANY product and I do not submit my reviews to the company in hopes of obtaining anything FREE. I am simply here to state MY opinion and experience. I have nothing to hide and nothing to lose (or gain).

Please just be aware of your product. Just because some “fad” diet works for one it doesn’t work for everyone. And remember the FACTS when you see something celebrity endorsed. The FACTS they WON’T tell you!!

On that note, I am off to look up some auto insurance quotes. I do need to find something cheaper. We are paying FAR to much for ONE vehicle! A friend of ours, her father sold me my FIRST insurance policy at 16 years old. I was not paying then for liability what I am paying NOW, married, for full coverage. And I was 16, a brand new driver! As with anything, I will always shop around, State Farm, you won’t have my business anymore… Raise my rates for no reason and I will say “bye-bye”! Have a wonderful night bloggers… and Buyer BEWARE!!

I am seriously annoyed as I look at my eBay history. When I win an auction I always pay within 2 hours. I usually pay RIGHT away, but there have been times, I’ve won things and was gone, so I waited till I was home  to get on PayPal and pay. I realize not everyone is like this, and that is fine, however, if I pay SHIP MY ITEM!!! I seem to wait forever for my packages. When they arrive I notice one of two things. Either the seller waited almost a week AFTER I paid to ship or they ship Media Mail. For those of you not aware, Media Mail according to the United States Postal Service is: Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. The maximum weight for Media Mail is 70 lbs. Sometimes it’s BOTH! When I order a wall decor, candle, cell phone accessories, pet toys and accessories these are NOT Media Mail. I am down right annoyed. I am annoyed so much that the last 2 “power sellers” that did this to me, I turned them in to the Post Office locally. I am sick of being charged $10 to ship and they use Media Mail (illegally) and it costs them $1.00. Not to mention Media Mail is a low VERY LOW priority on the mail scale. Media Mail can take up to 15 days to deliver!! So now they waited 5-7 days after I pay and are using a 15 day mailing service. All for the convient over charged shipping rate of $10.00. Now I don’t mind when sellers up the shipping $1-$2 to cover the listing fees. I get it. Hell, they can profit $6 on the shipping, and use priority mail flat rate envelopes for less then $4… I wouldn’t even complain!! Profit if you will, but at least use Priority Mail and ship TIMELY!!!

Then there is feedback. Let me tell you how much THIS annoys me. After I get my item, they conviently time it about 2 weeks after they mail, they email me and ask me to leave feedback. However, they haven’t left feedback for me. Why? Well because then if I leave neutral or negative feedback explaining how they SUCKED AT SHIPPING they will retaliate instead of being honest and saying “fastest payer ever”. So I’ve resorted to emailing THOSE people back and saying “Sorry, I do not leave feedback in cases where it hasn’t been left for me when I am the buyer. Thank you.” I never hear from them again!! Why would they leave feedback KNOWING they SUCKED and I am going to be honest!!

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met some AMAZING sellers on eBay. Ones that I continue to buy from, but there are always bad apples that ruin it for everyone. *sigh* It’s not like I am looking to buy property, cars, or Outer Banks beach rentals… this seriously is not rocket science. Can someone please explain to me what people are thinking? I’ve sold on eBay and I strive to ship the SAME DAY they pay and ONLY use Priority Mail. I just don’t understand!!

Yesterday was my appointment in Madison with the specialist. It went “okay”. Of course there was a lot of “could be’s” and no real answer. The doctor does believe that he has narrowed it down though. I have to go back in a few weeks for a muscle biopsy. THIS will confirm things. So for right now I am content. The doctor was very nice and spent 45 minutes talking with us about the diseases, options, etc. It was a relief to some degree. The experience at the UW Hospital was like nothing I’d ever seen before. If you ever want to feel like a number, there is the place to go!! Sheesh! They have valet parking at the front door, which we had to wait almost 20 minutes to park. You walk in and through some huge revolving glass doors. Then about 30 feet ahead is a desk. There is a girl that hands out tickets for parking, so you don’t have to pay. She was backed so far up too because she was having problems with the machine and then the receipt printer quit. No wonder they say be there 20 minutes before the appointment!! GRR!! Once we made it past her it was up to 4th floor, on the H elevators. YYeses they have that many elevators that they are the alphabet! Upon hitting 4th floor there was a registration desk, yet another line… I get through this line, and they send me down the hall around the loop, take a left and another left…. blah blah… Well We arrive at yet ANOTHER desk! I officially check in there, and get seated. It’s now 10:50am. My appointment time. We entered the parking lot at 9:55am. We wait in the waiting room until 11:10pm and get called back. At 11:30 the doctor walks in. I was upset because it took forever, but then when the doctor arrived and came in, he was really nice and took 45 minutes with us so I was happy with that. It was a long drive there and back though. 3 hours each way. Not looking forward to that again.

Yesterday I also starting scrapbooking again! I digital scrapped for a long long time. I haven’t done any layouts since February 8, 2009. That is exactly ONE year because yesterday I did my FIRST layout of 2010. I am raising in the Amazing Digi Scrap Race. I have the same partner in crime as I had last year… My dear friend Blythe Evans. She’s an amazing scrapbooker and friend. I totally love racing with her and even talking to her everyday. The first layout of the race we had to scrap our partner. There were some other details, like we had to lift a page of theirs, and tell about them, etc. This was a simple page for both of us because we know each other well. Here’s my page:

You can see it here at DST with the credits. I am looking forward to scrapping again and also to this race. I love the challenges!!