Why you should have GPS Navigation on your Boat

Mariners have navigated the waterways of the world for centuries without the use of GPS navigation. However, since its invention, GPS navigation systems have made boating much safer and more efficient. Here are some valid reasons to have a GPS on your boat, whether you're strictly a pleasure-cruiser, a fisherman, or boating is your livelihood.

1. GPS navigation is safer. When you have a GPS aboard your boat, you can mark important locations (waypoints) and navigate back to them no matter where you are. This comes in handy on lakes like Lake Michigan where fog and poor weather roll in quickly and visibility is poor. On larger bodies of water where it's easy to get turned around, GPS can safely guide you in the right direction, even if you get lost.

2. It's easy for others to find you in an emergency. Since GPS uses orbiting satellites to pinpoint your location in latitude and longitude, should you get stranded on the lake or ocean, you are able to convey your exact location within just a few feet so rescue can find you easily. This is an invaluable feature should your boat experience engine failure or you begin taking on water and need help quickly.

3.  GPS can act as a security device. Theft is a problem in marinas where boats stay in the water for months at a time. If your boat is equipped with a GPS navigation system, it might have a feature that allows you to track its whereabouts and alert you via text or phone call if the boat moves from its dock without your knowledge. Just like a home security system, this feature must be armed and disarmed each time you leave the boat or return for a trip out of the harbor.

While boaters have safely navigated bodies of water without GPS in the past, there's no denying it has become a very important tool today. There are several different models to choose from including handheld, portable devices and permanent, hard-installed versions, so there's something for every boater's needs.

DIY Jewelry

It's been a while, but I've been busy.

.....busy making DIY jewelry!

I am hooked. I can't stop making it. I have way too much, but I don't care. It's like.....like Christmas each time I make a new piece. It's safe to say all the women in my family are getting my homemade jewelry for their birthdays and Christmas this year. Who knows? Maybe the men will, too. I don't care if they don't like it. If I give it away, I can make more!

MUAHAHAHAHA........

Seriously, though. Isn't this gorgeous?

It's my favorite. It reminds me of those candy necklaces I used to wear as a kid. I had a permanent colored ring around my neck one summer from those things; man I loved them so! 

So, I'll be making my own rendition of these necklaces soon. I have to pick up some clay and figure out where to hide my beads until they dry, but once I finish the necklace, I'll post pictures. I'm so excited! 

Ensuing Insanity - My New Home on Facebook

I am always up for a laugh. If someone can make me laugh til I pee my pants, we'll be friends for life. I spend a great deal of time scouring the web (mostly Facebook) looking for funny things. Just recently, I came across a page that makes me laugh with every post. It's called Ensuing Insanity. The page is new, only been around since March 15th, but I can tell it's going to be a hoot. I talked with the owner and said I would spread the word because it's no secret the world needs to laugh more.

So, if you're in the mood to laugh, and even if you're not (you will after visiting this page), head on over to https://www.facebook.com/EnsuingInsanity and "like" the page. This is going to be one heck of a good time!

Shopping for Baby Gifts - Again?

OK, I am 41 years old. I'm telling you this because it gives you an idea of the age group most of my friends are in, and even though they say a lady never reveals her true age, I'm probably not that much of a lady.

But, anyway.....

I just received news that my best friend of twenty-something years is having another baby. Say what?

Alright, so they (she and her husband) only have one child. He's seven or eight at this point (that's terrible that I don't actually know!) and they've struggled for years to have another one. She's only a year younger than me, and I distinctly remember her telling me several months ago that if it didn't happen by XYZ date, they were going to quit trying.

Apparently, they didn't quit and lo and behold, she's pregnant - at the ripe old age of 40. Will she name me godmother again? Will I be picked to babysit again because I work from home and obviously have nothing better to do? Will I have to go shopping for baby gifts again? I wonder if she still has that beautiful, soft blue blanket I gave her for the first child?

All kidding and selfishness aside, I AM happy for them. They have struggled and met with disappointment so much in their quest to have a family. It's good that things finally went their way for a change. Of course, I did offer to give her one of my children to ease her pain over the years, but for some reason, she turned me down.

Health Insurance - What a Joke!

Ugh...before I start, let me warn you. This is going to be a rant, so if you're having a particularly bad day, or just don't want to hear my bitching, click away. Don't read this post because I may or may not say some things that offend or otherwise create controversy. If controversial subject matter excites you, read on.

Over the weekend, I went to Walmart to pick up Rebecca's meds. Of course, I waited until she was almost out and needed them - OK, she had two day's worth left, but that's beside the point. When I got to the pharmacy, they informed me that my insurance cards had expired (I knew this, but hadn't received new cards yet) and that if I wanted the pills, I had to pay almost $400!

Um...no thank you. I told them I'd call the insurance company and come back.

So, I came home, and tried calling. Of course, because it was Saturday, they were closed. I waited until this morning to call them back.

So, I'm on the phone with a very nice lady from the insurance company, who by the way was SUPER helpful (you don't get that very often anymore!), and we get it all worked out. She gets me the information I need, so I call Walmart to give it to them.

Well, if it isn't bad enough that our insurance premiums went WAY up as of February 1st, now, our co-pays for prescriptions have gone way up, too. We are paying over $100 more a month for health insurance, and Rebecca's meds (she's on four!) are more expensive, too.

Granted, I'm not paying the $400 originally quoted to me without insurance, but still. All together, her pills will cost at least $200 for a month; and that's WITH insurance! I say "at least" because I really have no idea what the other two will cost.

I guess I'm just frustrated because the price of everything just keeps going up and up, but nobody's making any more money to compensate. I don't claim to understand health insurance, politics or algebra, but the part I do understand is that my wallet is getting thinner and thinner, and God forbid anyone should get seriously ill or have an accident: you might as well just kiss your hiney goodbye. Someone's screwing the middle-class, and it's not even fun.

I LOVE Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner!

I am not a sun worshipper, by any means. Even in the summer, I tend to stray away from the sun because I don't like how dry my skin gets, but I do like the color my skin turns with a tan. I've used self tanners over the years, but have never really found one that gave me the same "natural-looking" tan the sun gives, so usually I just do without......until now!

Living in Wisconsin isn't kind to the skin, especially in the winter. The air is dry and cold, and the sun hardly ever shines. My skin is a pasty white that borders on florescent at this point, so I decided to try another self tanner. Instead of heading out to Walmart (like I usually do), I went online. I found an awesome tanner from the makers of Jane Iredale by the name of Tantasia that's absolutely wonderful! Not only does it give my skin a natural-looking tan, it makes it soft, too! I've had people ask me if I go tanning. HA!

It's kind of funny because if anyone knows me at all, they know I despise tanning. It's a waste of time in my book, so this is perfect. Takes me literally two minutes to apply and after a few applications, I've got a tan people who use tanning beds pay out the nose for.

I even found a video that shows how to apply Tantasia.

Giveaway Time!

It's Child Authors & Illustrators Week, and in honor of this prestigious event, my client Sparrow Early Learning Academy is hosting a contest. One random winner will receive their pick from the children's book collection here.

All you have to do to enter is have your child (aged 2-6 years) draw a picture and tell you about it. Write a simple sentence underneath and submit the artwork via private message to the Sparrow Early Learning Academy's Facebook page. Once you've done that, make your entry into the drawing by visiting https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparrow-Early-Learning-Academy/231290256907823?sk=app_228910107186452.

That's it. The drawings will be displayed on SELA's Facebook page throughout the entire week and the winner will be chosen on February 9, 2013.

Custom Martin Guitar with beautiful Purple Heart Inlay Design

In this day and age, you don't hear too many stories of inspiration. People just aren't as nice as they used to be, and it saddens me. That's why, when I read this story about a blinded naval officer receiving a custom made Martin guitar from the friends and comrades he's entertained for years with his guitar playing, I knew I just had to share.

Navy Lt. Brad Snyder was blinded back in September 2011 when he inadvertently stepped on a bomb while serving in Afghanistan. Before that, he used to entertain his fellow troops around the fire by playing a guitar and teaching them songs. I would imagine his guitar playing had a lot to do with many of those men and women's sanity during that time. After being injured, they wanted to repay him for his kindness and raised over $2,000 and had a guitar custom made for him.

The really cool thing about this guitar is that the Purple Heart he received for his bravery in the military was used to make the guitar special. Using inlay design, the Purple Heart is prominently displayed on the headstock of the guitar. It's absolutely beautiful and in my mind, perfect for this young man who almost gave his life for our country.

If you'd like to read the whole story, you can do so here.

Things are Definitely Back to Normal

January has been a stressful month here in the Live, Laugh, Blog household. Sickness raged on for most of the month, passing through each member of the family until finally, today, everyone returned to work and school and I got a peaceful day to myself.

Well, peaceful isn't quite the right word. Sure, the kids finally all went back to school and work. Mike returned to work as well, but peaceful? No, the dogs made sure of that.

Every few minutes, and I'm not making this up, the dogs have barked. Sometimes just one, and sometimes all four. They've barked at nothing; they've barked at the mailman. They've barked at the shadows cast by the trees as they blow in the wind. They've woofed. They've yipped. They've full-on snarled and I even heard a small howl out of the little chihuahua's mouth.

I've found myself yelling at them, "Shut up! Just shut up!" I've tried to reason with them, "Please be quiet. Can't you see mommy is working?" I've even tried bribing them with treats. The little ungrateful things ate the treats and then ran to the door to see who or what they could bark at next.

My head is pounding and I can't wait for the kids to get home. I think the dogs have gotten so used to the constant noise and chaos of everyone being home for so long that the silence has them confused. They can hear everything and everything makes them bark.

I need to go downstairs to the basement to start the dryer for another load of laundry. I'm afraid to because I know the turning of the drum is a definite "bark" signal.

Stranger Kidnappings Thwarted

I just have to say, I am constantly amazed by the stupidity and utter brazenness of many of the people in our society. I just read a story where two would-be kidnappers, on opposite sides of the country, in the same week, tried to kidnap toddlers right out from under their mothers' noses.

Seriously. Who does that?

I mean, I know kidnappings happen, but these took place with the mothers of the children RIGHT THERE! In one of the instances, the kidnapper tried taking the child right out of her mother's arms. It's insane the lengths these pedophiles go to to nab little kids. Is anyone safe anywhere anymore?

If you want to read the full story, you can do so here.