At the Fence

Hey neighbors!! Here is a post for those people today who do everything electronically.  Do you still write and send birthday cards, party invites (think graduation, baby shower, etc.), and thank you notes?  If you prefer to do everything from your computer, then Paperless Post may be the very thing you need to sign up for.  I had the opportunity to try them out, and although I dd not have an event going on, or a lot of cards to send out, I still went in and designed and sent a Paperless Post so I could see how it worked. I created a card for my daughter who lives in GA and sent it to her.  It was very easy to do and is not much different than creating for a group of people, because you do not add emails until the end. Once you have your account created you simply choose the event you are looking for, Graduation, Birthday, Wedding, Parties, Professional,  or Greeting.  They do also have the ability for you to design flyers now.  Paperless Post runs based on coins you purchase

Hey neighbors!! Last night for dinner, Mercy and I prepared Chicken with White Queso.  I'm going to tell you about it here, but it was delicious!! Leftovers are on the menu for lunch!!  We did make extra Queso to have with our chips, so you can cut down on the amount of Queso if you like. Ingredients 2 lbs chicken breast strips 2 cans Rotel Tomatoes 1 Package Velveeta Queso Blanco Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Salt Free First we sprayed the glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  We placed the chicken in the large glass baking dish. Adding a little Mrs. Dash and set the timer for 45 minutes.  About 10 minutes before the chicken was done cooking, we took a sauce pan and added one can of Rotel.  We cut the Velveeta Queso Blanco in to chunks and over a medium/low heat, slowly melted the cheese in with the tomatoes.  We added 1/2 of another can of Rotel and ended up adding about 3/4 of the Velveeta. The chicken was done, so we removed it from the oven, d

 You know those moments where you just think, “Wow, is this really happening?!” Well, this was one of those moments for me.  Just a couple weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with entertainer Deana Martin.  Now, for those of you who don't know, she is an extremely talented singer/actress/author...and if you're wondering about the name yes, she is Dean Martin's daughter.    I am so thrilled to finally be sharing this with you all, so let’s get started! Mercy:  Can you share a little bit about yourself? Deana:  I'm a singer, actress, and a writer, and a very proud daughter of Dean Martin the entertainer.  I am a mother and a grandmother. A pilot. I love entertaining and singing; that’s my passion! I have always loved singing and dancing. It kind of runs in the family. We're all a little bit funny, we're hams. That’s about it. Mercy:  Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Deana:  I think aside from my dad, Frank Sinatra was a huge influenc

Hey neighbors!! Great to see you all today! Just wondering how many of you have ever experienced debt and what you have done to get out of debt?  Or perhaps you are still in the midst of playing catch up to try and get out of debt.  I am going to share 5 Financial Errors many people fall into. Savings Most people do not save for their financial future.  I know, before you say it, you are going to tell me you can not afford to save.  That is what most people think.  You would be amazed though to see how easy it is to put just $10 a week into savings.  Doesn't sound like much, but at the end of the year, you will have $520 in your account that is normally not there.  And it is so easy to save $10 a week, just by cutting back on snacks, the extra meal out, saving your daily change, etc.  Just implement a couple of these and you should be able to save $10 a week.  Skip that extra Latte or Espresso. Plan Ahead Now, planning ahead does not just include saving as seen above, i

 Friends! I'm so excited to be sharing this interview with you all today.  About a month or so ago I stumbled upon a book called "Paper Hearts". The author of this fabulous book was, as I'm sure you guessed, Courtney Walsh.  Since then I've had the opportunity to read more of her work and let me tell you, she is an amazingly talented author who has written brilliantly heartfelt books.  Since I could go on and on about her talent forever 😉.  Let's get started with the interview, shall we? Mercy:  Can you share a little bit about yourself?  Courtney:  I'm one of those authors who has a day job, but I'm also really fortunate because I'm  equally as passionate about that job as I am about writing. My husband and I own a performing arts studio/youth theatre in Rockford, Illinois. We spend most of our days working with amazing kids and their equally as amazing parents. :) I have three kids--Sophia (18), Ethan (15) and Sam (11) and one crazy Bernedoodle

Hey neighbors!! I know some of you are already experiencing summer weather with temperatures soaring and beautiful sun shining days.  We unfortunately are encountering rainy days with the temperature going up and down.  Some days we are in short sleeves, others we are grabbing sweaters and light weight jackets.  Now, that being said, we are working on our backyard on the good days, removing limbs, fixing the fence, and cleaning the grill.  We plan on having several outdoor fun days once our weather realizes we are supposed to be heading toward summer. Check out this really unique TV I want to share with all my neighbors. It is the  SunBrite| Veranda Series Outdoor 4K UHD TVs with HDR .  I am amazed!! This television is weatherproof and designed for full shade outdoor areas, like covered patios and decks, or screened in porches.  Imagine having a birthday party and allowing the children to watch their favorite movie or cartoon outside.  Or maybe a group of you will get togeth

Hey neighbors! I was given the opportunity to work with Book Brush !! This site is amazing!!  You can easily create all kinds of ads and images for all your different social media.  It is designed for authors to be able to create high quality images without any hassle.  Don't know how to use Photoshop?  Book Brush makes designing fun and simple. My husband has written a couple of books that he self-published.  Recently he made them available on Amazon as e-books.  I took a few minutes on Book Brush and was able to throw together a couple of images for him to use.  I have by no means exhausted or even attempted all the possibilities on Book Brush. The really great news is, Book Brush works for non-authors as well.  Bloggers can create super images for reviews and/or giveaways.  Book Brush offers the correct size ads for all your social media sites.  You can also make 3-D ads, as well as videos. Book Brush offers templates to make your designing easier.  They have over 1 mill

Hey neighbors!! We received another Gramma in a Box ! It is always fun to open the box and see what Terry came up with this time.  I have to admit, I really love the colors and sprinkles in this box!!  We made Pretzel Butterflies, Butterfly Bark, and of course some wonderful Spring Cookies!! As always the Gramma in a Box comes with everything you need to create three special treats.  All I needed to add was a small microwave safe bowl (to use in your microwave) and a spoon.  Gramma provides everything else you need in the box.  All the ingredients and she even includes the wax paper to create your treats on.  Each box comes with 4 cards.  The first tells you a little about the month's theme, the projects you will create and it gives you the deadline to sign up for the next month's box.  The back of that card tells you what you will find inside and the other supplies you might need. The next 3 cards are the individual projects.  Each one tells you what yo

Hey All!! Are you in debt?  Having trouble paying bills or getting your finances under control?  Maybe this post can help. Admit It The first thing you need to do to get out of debt, is to realize you are in debt.  Too often we try to fool ourselves and think we are just a little behind.  To think we just need one more pay day and we will get caught up.  Sometimes this is true, many times we are just trying to convince ourselves that we really aren't in trouble.  Our finances are not that bad. Take Stock Once you realize you are in debt and have a financial struggle going on, the best thing you can do is sit down with pen and paper and write down every bill you have.  Record every payment that must be made. List them by priority.  Make sure you pay the most important bills first.  Once you have this completed, try to budget how you can pay off some of those debts.  Perhaps you could take a local course on finances . Contact Reach out to ever company you owe money

Hey neighbors!! Anyone interested in scoring a coupon on Milani Cosmetics for Walgreens?  Just look below to find a coupon you can use to purchase your favorite item at your local Walgreens!   Start thinking about a Mother's Day gift you could maybe purchase with the coupon. Personally I love Rose Oil face sprays, so I am sure I would love the Milani Prep & Brighten Rose Face Oil.  What's something you would like?  Or maybe your mom would like! Take a minute to download your coupon, and then head to your local Walmart store.  Thanks for stopping by today!! See you all soon!