It’s amazing how many business transactions we can carry on in the privacy of our own homes, wearing our pajamas if we want to.  We can complete banking and credit card transactions, shop online and buy just about any type of merchandise, and in some places order groceries and have them delivered.  People can buy stock from companies such as Transworld Futures, an online futures broker.   Most people probably didn’t realize twenty years ago what all we would be able to do on the computer in the future.  I know I didn’t!

Father’s Day is nearly here!  Still looking for a Father’s Day gift for that special person?  Here are some gift ideas:

• Gift card to his favorite store along with a small gift of his favorite candy or nuts (put gift card and candy in a nice looking gift bag)
• Tickets to his favorite sporting event
  
• His favorite cologne
• Something that he would never buy for himself but would really like to have

You need to know what he likes and doesn’t like. For example, tactical gear is something my husband would not want. Choose a gift that suits his personality and taste!

Do any of you play golf? A friend of mine plays golf every once in a while, though she’s not an avid golfer like her husband. The only golf I’ve ever played was miniature golf, and it’s been a long time since I’ve played that. Leslie, if you’re reading this, do you know anything about Cleveland golf clubs? If I were to play golf…real golf…for the first time, what kind of golf club would I start out with? Maybe some of my readers know. If you do, please let me know because I haven’t the slightest idea!

I just read that Old Navy stores’ sales have been down and are responsible for pulling down the overall sales for the three Gap stores: Gap, Old Navy, & Banana Republic. Soon, Old Navy stores may turn into Gap stores. I don’t want Old Navy to go away! We’ve been shopping there for over a decade. It’s a great place to get baby clothes for Baby J, too!

If you’re looking for something unique and trendy for baby gifts,then check out Polkadot Patch Baby Boutique. They have fun and funky styles as well as colorful designer styles that are unique. If you’re looking for something with that handmade look, they have unusual handcrafted gifts as well. And they offer the largest selection of colorful unisex baby clothes online which is great if you need a gift and don’t know if the baby is going to be a girl or boy.

I think pregnant women look so cute. Our daughter had some darling maternity clothes, and she just looked precious in them. Of course, she’s precious anyway! There are so many cute maternity clothes available nowadays, and just because someone is pregnant doesn’t mean they can’t be trendy. If you’re looking for some cute and trendy maternity clothes, then I recommend checking out Kiki’s Fashions Maternity.  They’re having a 20% off sale through Feb. 11 on maternity clothes plus they have free shipping on orders over $75.  They really do have cute clothes, and their prices are great.

Here is a picture of my new microwave bacon cooker that I wrote about last week. It really is the best way to cook bacon in the microwave that I have found.

After cooking in the microwave, the pieces of bacon are ready to eat as shown in the second picture.

Now here’s the really neat thing…all the grease collected in the bottom of the cooker. I cooked three batches of bacon, six pieces in each batch. Each time I removed the cooked bacon, I poured the grease into a Pyrex cup. The last picture shows how much grease I collected after cooking 18 pieces of bacon.

I was surprised at how much grease cooked out of the bacon. I was so used to using paper towels when I cooked it, that I forgot how much grease is actually in bacon.

If you’re planning on getting one of these, I would recommend getting two if you cook a lot of bacon. That way you can be filling one with bacon while one is cooking.

I have a new microwave bacon cooker that is so cool. It’s a new invention that cooks the bacon in an enclosed pitcher-like container. In fact, it’s the only totally enclosed microwave bacon cooker on the market. The neat thing about it is that I don’t have to use any paper plates or paper towels to cook the bacon. I used to have to use so many every time because I didn’t want any of the grease to be left on the bacon. Well, now with my new bacon cooker, all I have to do is hang the bacon on a vertical rack inside the container and cook in the microwave. The bacon cooks evenly and just the way we like it with all the grease collected nicely down in the bottom of the container away from the bacon. When I finish cooking the bacon, I simply put the three pieces of the container in the dishwasher for an easy clean-up. The only problem is that the bacon is so delicious that it is almost completely eaten up by family members, including myself, before I finish cooking the rest of the breakfast.

Make sure you get pork bacon. I made the mistake of getting turkey bacon the first time I tried it which didn’t work well. Somehow I overlooked that part on the instruction sheet. When I used pork bacon, it worked perfectly which is what the instructions said to use. Also, I took pictures with my new camera to show you, but I haven’t figured out how to transfer the pictures to my post. This next week our daughter is supposed to teach me how to do it. I want you to see for yourself how this bacon cooker is so clean and easy to use. Look for another post next week with the pictures.

I just saw the cutest canvas tote on clearance for $9.49 at The Bargain Queen’s site. It would be perfect for spring which will be here before we know it. I use totes a lot, especially when we’re traveling. I have one tote that I bought in Hawaii which is one of my favorites. Our daughter gave me a black one a while back that has places to insert pictures. It will perfect to put pictures of family and especially Baby J. What grandma doesn’t like to show pictures of her grandbaby? I’m sure it will be one of my favorite totes, too, if not my very favorite!

“The Party Starts Here.com!” has just about every kind of invitation you can think of, including your traditional kid’s party invitations as well as holiday invitations, first communion invitations, open house invitations, wedding invitations, and even pet party invitations. They also have photo cards, graduation announcements, thank you cards, and birth announcements.   They have cards for all occasions and also offer exclusive designs and custom designs.