My Opinion Counts

Do you have trouble falling asleep? I recently read a magazine article with good tips on how to fall asleep easier.

First of all, you should have a regular bedtime. Your body needs to know it is time to go to bed and go to sleep. When you go to bed at different times each night, your body never adjusts.

Sunlight is the best time clock used to regulate your sleep patterns. Sunlight has a large effect on your body’s internal clock. Did you know that your internal clock is also known as circadian rhythms? The trick is to soak up as much sunlight as possible between the hours of 6 and 8 am. The suns rays will cause your body to suppress production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Melatonin is what makes you feel sleepy. By the way, the article recommends a light box that simulates sunlight if you can’t get out into the sun.

Don’t exercise too close to bedtime. Allow a few hours to come between exercise time and bedtime so your body can wind down.

It might help to have dimmer lights that you can use to make your rooms more serene and calmer close to bedtime.

I have been hearing about Etsy for awhile now and have not checked into it. Are any of you selling things with Etsy? Do you have to pay out some of your profit to Etsy? Do they offer credit card processing? I am curious as to how it works and if it is worth opening an Etsy shop. I need your input before I spend a great amount of time working on setting up an Etsy shop for my bags. For those of you who don’t regularly read my blog, I make purses similar to Vera Bradley style bags.

I have been looking around at other merchant account shops and see that some offer credit card processing on their sites. OnlineChecks has been the only one that offers the most from their merchant service that allows your site to accept credit cards. There are no fees. It is hard to believe because some places say there are no fees but when you get involved with them, you find out differently. There are no contracts that lock you in. That is important because when you try something new, you never know if it will be a success or not. With OnlineChecks you receive a free credit card machine. If you have checked into other services, you have found that you usually have to rent those machines. So, if you are interested in accepting credit cards at your business and if you want a free merchant account that really is free, check with OnlineChecks.

For this weeks Tackle It Tuesday, I have decided I will cook something yummy for dinner. Hubby already has plans to grill out some pork steak and so I am going to make scalloped corn to go along with it. We will have a yummy salad with tomatoes our neighbor brought over from her garden.

Here is my recipe for Scalloped Corn

2 eggs beaten
1 can whole kernel corn using liquid (I like to use white corn)
1 can cream style corn
1 package jiffy style corn muffin mix
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup sour cream

Mix all and bake in a 9×13 baking dish. 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

It is really sad that the Olympics are over. We enjoyed sitting down each evening to see how the games were going. Did you hear that Misty May-Treanor will be on this season’s Dancing With the Stars show? She will be competing against Toni Braxton and Susan Lucci to name just a few of the contestants. This is going to be a fun season.

The sad thing about the Olympics not being aired is that now we get to hear about the election. The democratic convention is this week. The republican convention is next week. Ugh. If it makes a difference in the lives of Americans, it will be worth all the hype. Something has to be done about all the people losing their homes to foreclosure. There is help available at debt consolidation live chat through Netdebt.com. It is very private so you don’t have to worry about any embarrassment when describing your situation.

So, let’s get the conventions over with and get to the fall television line-up. I am ready to get settled in.

I don’t know about you but I do not like to be taken advantage of by the cosmetic industry. I went to the department store where I buy my foundation and got the same stuff I have purchased for years. I paid with my debit card so I didn’t notice the price I was charged. When I got home and went to put the amount into my check register, I was shocked. That little, itty bitty bottle of foundation was over $30.00. Now, I am willing to pay extra for a special pair of shoes or a fancy purse but this was makeup! I took that bottle back to the store and got my money back. My sister helped me pick out a makeup from the cosmetic department at our local grocery store. I like my new makeup.

I discovered a fantastic mascara. Volume Exact mascara by Cover Girl is wonderful. It goes on just thick enough to make my lashes look good without any clumps of mascara caking up. I found it on sale and bought three tubes. Woo hoo for me!

Do you have any favorites in your make up routine?