Zuzu's Thoughts

Saving for Retirement

2011-03-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

This story is very depressing to me. My husband and I have saved diligently for retirement so we won't be in this position. I know sometimes life throws some bad things peoples' way, but I'm doing all I can to make sure we can weather the storms.

http://finance.yahoo.com/retirement/article/112417/homeowner-no-savings-some-options

Anyone else out there feel good about their retirement savings?

Peace out,

Zuzu

Yard Work

2011-03-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm starting on the front flower bed. I have to do it in phases due to my Fibromyalgia. I get very sore from doing all the bending, weeding, spreading, planting, so I have to do a little at a time.

When we first moved into this house, I had to get a LOT of grass out of the bed. That took quite a bit of time. About 3 weeks ago, I seriously pruned the 4 Knockout rose bushes. I've never had rose bushes before and I'm not sure how long these are going to remain! I will see how they look. The main reason is those DANG thorns. I'd rather have "user friendly" plants to deal with.

Last weekend I removed 1 dead shrub and 2 "climbing" shrubs that I just didn't like.

Today I spread out 4 big bags of manure/mulch and worked that into the soil. My project this week is to get 3 new shrubs that match the ones in the bed right now and plant those.

About mid-April, I will plant the flowers and put cover mulch on top and I will be DONE ! ! !

I like the fact that this house only has the front flower bed. In our old house, we put them on ALL sides of the house. Add to that, most were shrubs that had to be trimmed. Somehow my husband and I fell into the routine that since he mowed, my job was to take care of the flower beds. So that was a HUGE pain for me. That's why I like this new house and it's single, reasonably-sized flower bed!!

Peace out,

Zuzu

S P R I N G ! ! !

2011-03-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

While Fall is my favorite season, there is nothing like beautiful, warm weather after Winter. Especially a bad one like we just went through. Time for some yard work.

Peace out,

Zuzu

Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy President's Day

2011-02-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, at least I can say "Happy Saint Patrick's Day" and not be late!! And I didn't mention MLK Day because is it really proper to say "Happy" for that? Not too sure about that.

I don't do New Year's resolutions because I know I won't keep them, but maybe I will attempt to update this blog more often.

Anyway, Happy 2011.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2011.

Peace On Earth,

Zuzu

Yes, I'm alive!

2010-11-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

I never professed to be a blogger and my long absence is proof. I do have an excuse. I've been busy househunting and moving.

We were in our old house 20 years so it's been quite a shock to my system. I am very much a creature of habit and I've been totally thrown off balance with the move! I'm working diligently on developing my new routines so I'll feel more settled.

We love the much needed larger space. I can't say we'll stay here 20 years but it's a great house and we love it.

Peace out,

Zuzu

R.I.P. Sweet Jasmine

2010-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our 17 year old cat, Jasmine, died on Wednesday. She lived a good, long life and we will miss her.

Zuzu

I have no shame

2010-07-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

I love pens. That is not a secret. I also like getting things free. Who doesn't? Now if I can get free pens - what could be better?

I saw this guy on another blog got some free Pilot pens. I can't remember exactly what he did to get them. I LOVE Pilot pens. I mean LOVE them. They are my favorites. So I went to their website and told them so.

Lo and behold! In today's mail I got 4 new pens! I'm so happy. I got 2 Pilot Precise V5 - one blue and one pink. Pink is my new favorite ink to write with so I was thrilled. I also got a Pilot Precise V5 RT (retractable) in green! What a score. And I got a blue Pilot VBall RT. This is karma because someone at work borrowed one of these from me and lost it. LOST IT?!?!? Who loses pens? (Well, I guess normal people might lose them.) :o) Anyway, I didn't even get mad at her or anything and here I am, a few months later, with a free replacement.

Life is good.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

My Gel Pens

2010-07-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is my CUTE new pen case. I got some items from Burt's Bees and this was included so I thought it would make a good pen holder.

Here is what it looks like with all my pens in it. I think I have room for more!! I don't keep my fountain pens in here.

Crazy, huh? I love them all. Beautiful colors. I often get compliments on my colorful letters to my pen pals. At the bottom of the photo are my Pilot Varsity fountain pens. I tend to keep these with my gel pens so they weren't in the fountain pen photo.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

My Fountain Pens

2010-07-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here are my wonderful fountain pens.

Left to right: My beloved Pelikan 400 Souveran. Definitely my most expensive pen and probably the only high-dollar pen I will buy. (Although I did get a great deal on it new off EBay.) It is a Fine nib and writes very smoothly. It's inked with Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue.

Next come my 4 Lamys. The Lime Green Safari is a Fine nib and inked with a Lamy Turquoise cartridge. The clear Vista is a Fine nib and inked with a Lamy Purple cartridge. The Red Safari is an Extra Fine nib and inked with J. Herbin Bleu Myosotis. The Yellow Safari is an Extra Fine nib and inked with Noodler's Black. MIA is my Ice Blue Lamy Al-Star. It has a Medium nib which I find to be too wide so I don't use it anymore.

Next are 2 Sailor Ink Bar pens. One Black ink and the other Blue. I like the way they write but they are thin and I'm not real crazy about writing with thin fountain pens.

And lastly my 2 Pilot Preppy pens in Green and Pink - both with Fine nibs. So cheap and so much fun!

I do have converters for the 2 pens with cartridges and am thinking of trying some new ink colors. Definitely once I've used up all the cartridges I will get a couple of new bottle inks. The choices are so overwhelming but one I've had my eye on for quite a while is Diabolo Menthe by J. Herbin which is kind of a light turquoise-y color. I'm also looking at 2 "purples" - Tanzanite by Private Reserve and Violette Pensee by J. Herbin.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Thank Goodness for 4-Day Weekends!!!!!!

2010-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a hectic week so I'm so looking forward to being off work until Tuesday. I need some extra sleep!!

Happy 234th America.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Calling Joni B. concerning the Gratitude Journal

2010-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Joni, I must confess that didn't last long for me. I'm just looking back and revisiting that "resolution." I've gotten very lax in my journaling in general. I just haven't made it a habit or priority. Anyway, I'm 'fessing up to it! How is your journaling going?

Envelopes #3

2010-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is one I put in the mail today to my pen pal "phonelady." I hope this doesn't spoil it for her. I love this paper.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Waz Up?

2010-06-14T17:28:00.001-07:00

I'd say I was a very bad blogger IF I considered myself a blogger. But I don't. Life has just been cruising along. The weather has turned 180 degrees from my last post! No, it's not 180 degrees but can sometimes feel that way. I think we hit 97 today. Not saying I love it that hot, but I'll take 97 over 30 any day of the week.

I've made quite a few cute envelopes out of some scrapbooking paper. If I was a good blogger, I'd take photos and post them. If you want to see one, you may have to write me a letter and I'll mail you one - along with a letter, of course.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

ENOUGH ALREADY

2010-02-20T12:13:00.001-08:00

Snow, cold, winter. I've had enough.

That is all.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

My Sharpie Pens

2010-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take a photo of the 3 types of Sharpie pens I have. I mean, you have to have 1 of everything, right? The top and bottom ones are blue ink and the middle, retractable one, is black ink. For the top pen, when the cap is removed, there is a nice rubber grip which I like. I'd have to say my one complaint with the "original" Sharpie pen on the bottom is the lack of a comfortable grip. The place where I grip the pen is where the cap meets the pen body so there is a hard, sharp ridge which isn't comfortable when writing for an extended length of time.

I guess you'd consider these pens "felt tip" pens. I like to use them periodically because they have such a different feel when I write compared to gel and fountain pens. That is what is so great about having so many types and colors of pens. You can pick just the right (write?) one for your mood.

Peace out,

Zuzu

365 Day Challenge for 2010

2009-12-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

Joni has put out a challenge to keep a Gratitude Journal and write in it every night.

http://daydreamerswelcome.blogspot.com/2009/12/365-day-challenge-for-2010.html

I'm going to make an attempt to do this because I have a lot to be thankful for. Anyone else in?

Peace Out,

Zuzu

How I Spent My Winter Vacation

2009-12-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is a site you can go to to do searches instead of places like Google. You can earn "swagbucks" that can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise, etc. I've just started doing it so I don't know all the ins and outs.

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/ZuzusPetals

or click here

I guess if I wrote an essay about how I spent my vacation, this would be part of it!!! I've been learning how to get really great deals using coupons - mainly at CVS and Walgreens. I've also been earning Swagbucks. These are things I usually have trouble fitting in while working full time. Now that I've keyed in on some sites to help me figure it all out, I can reap the rewards! It's been a fun week and I still have a few more days until I go back to work.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Shop at Home offers rebates for shopping on-line

2009-12-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

I've been doing Ebates for quite a while now. I just discovered "Shop at Home . com" which seems to offer the same or greater discounts. Also, you get your rebate after $20 instead of having to wait quarterly. So if you shop on line much, you may want to join. It's free and you get $5 just for signing up. So do I if you follow the link!!

http://discounts.shopathome.com/?IAFCG=Oc2B4kVxMgGJsWo7JG+/Iw==

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Defensive Driving

2009-12-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

We are in a "defensive driving on-line course" frenzy around here. That's because I found out we could save close to $300 every 6 months by taking this. When there are 5 drivers with 1 male (18) and 2 females (18 & 23), there is much room for discounts. I just hope the 2 18-year-olds keep up their grades for the "good student" discount.

My husband and I used to always keep up with taking DD since it's good for 3 years but we fell out of the habit. My kids weren't real thrilled but, since I currently pay for their insurance, they acquiesced - albeit reluctantly.

So, for $100 ($20 each), we can save upwards of $1700 over the next 3 years. That's a pretty good investment!

Peace Out,

Zuzu

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ! ! ! !

2009-11-25T19:41:00.001-08:00

Long time, no post. I guess I don't think my life is that interesting! :o)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Christmas card obsession

2009-10-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Surely I'm not the only paper/pen lover who is also obsessed with Christmas cards. This is an especially great time of the year to combine 2 of my loves - cards and penguins. I must have enough penguin Christmas cards to last 3-4 Christmases. And I use around 3 boxes a year. I have had to put some "dampers" on my card obsession. I now only buy 1 box of cute penguin cards instead of 2 or 3 of the same kind. And I won't buy them just because they have penguins. I don't like "goofy" or "cheap" looking penguins/cards. Can't tell you what that means but I know it if I see it!!

I did buy 1 box at Barnes and Noble the other day. I also passed up 2 different kinds at Target that I decided I could live without. I'm trying to avoid going over to Papyrus because there is at least 1 kind I don't have, and they are having a sale this weekend, but I'm trying to be good.

I do have some non-penguin cards that I send out to people who don't know of my love of penguins, but I've, for the most part, quit buying those and am using up my stock pile. I will still, occasionally, buy non-pengiun cards if they are really cute. Especially really cute Santa or snowman cards.

Anyway, this is one of the best times of the year for us card/paper/pen obsessed people.

Now I need to go get a packs of Halloween and Thanksgiving cards to send out!

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Link to a great stationery give away!

2009-10-18T17:16:00.001-07:00

Melissa at We Love Snail Mail is having a stationery give away. Check it out!

http://welovesnailmail.webs.com/apps/blog/show/1958614-it-feels-so-good-to-be-back

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Any "House" watchers?

2009-10-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just watched this week's episode and it's on my mind. I think I like what is happening so far this season. I like that House is struggling to connect with the human race. And I like that, in his own "House way," he doesn't want everyone to know he's acting more human. Just liking this season so far.

Peace Out,

Zuzu

The TUL .5 needle point pen - ROCKS ! ! !

2009-09-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

This article by The Pen Addict turned me on to this fantastic pen. http://www.penaddict.com/2009/05/review-tul-needle-point-05mm-gel.html

There isn't an Office Max really close to me but I found out where the closest one was and, several months ago, I made a point to get by there and try these. They had 3 things that intrigued me. 1. Needle point 2. .5 tip 3. Gel ink I'll even add #4 - Blue ink as I prefer blue to black.

The Pen Addict's only complaint is the grip. I agree it's a bit "slick" but I can live with it. I can't even tell you how smoothly this pen writes - you have to try it for yourself. I'm sure if you like .7 tips, that pen is a smooth or even smoother as wider tips seem to be. I prefer the .5.

He updated his review with a .7: http://www.penaddict.com/2009/09/review-tul-07mm-retractable-gel-blue.html

Great pen!!

Peace Out,

Zuzu

AK is OK

2009-09-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

Alaska was very nice & we had a great time.

Above is Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. It was fascinating. It moves about 5 feet a day. The slow-moving ice makes this cracking sound just like thunder. Definitely the highlight of the trip for me.

And then there was majestic Denali aka Mt. McKinley. We were so fortunate that we had 2 days in a row of absolutely clear skies. Very unheard of. I found out that the vertical rise of Denali - actual mountain height - is actually higher than Mt. Everest but is at a lower elevation and, hence, "shorter." We were in Denali National Park for a little over 1 day and saw some wildlife. Moose, grizzly bears, Dall sheep, caribou, red fox and ground squirrels.

All in all a very wonderful vacation.

Peace out, Zuzu

M. I. A.

2009-08-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been very remiss in posting. My dh and I are leaving on an Alaskan vacation Wed. and I've got a lot to do.

I'm nervous entrusting the running of the household and care of the pets to my 3 kids. They are "adults" but . . .

I just want to come home after 6 days to a standing house and pets who have not starved!!!

Peace Out,

Zuzu

Give away at the Pen Addict

2009-08-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Pen Addict is having a Pentel give away!!

http://www.penaddict.com/2009/08/giveaway-lots-and-lots-of-pentel-pens.html

Peace Out, Zuzu

Make Your Own Moleskine Planner!

2009-08-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am extremely picky about the calendar I carry around in my purse. I used to always buy the Mary Engelbreit purse calendars. I love the drawings but the day squares were just too small for me.

Next I tried the Moleskine Weekly Planner. I used this for 2 years but just never felt comfortable with it. It had plenty of room but the view was only 1 week at a time. I much prefer seeing the whole month at a glance.

So, Moleskine came out with a Monthly Planner and I tried that for part of this year. The squares were, once again, too small. And something I just could NOT get over was they began the week on Monday instead of Sunday. I kept getting my days mixed up and it was not working for me.

Then I hit upon a brilliant (I think) idea! I had some lined Moleskine Cahier's. I decided to make my own planner. I used the "large" rather than the pocket size so the squares were much bigger and better suited to what I wanted. I drew month grids out and skipped a page between each month as Moleskine paper can be thin and I didn't want any bleed through showing. That also allows for some notes in-between each month if you desire.

Here is the finished product:

I was able to get about 1-1/2 years in one cahier so this one goes from June 2009 through December 2010. In the future, I'm not sure if I'll keep each one to 1 year or continue with the 18 months.

This can be done with any note book so you are free to choose the size. If you're picky like me, the sky's the limit as to how you create and organize your own planner.

Peace Out, Zuzu

Pilot Vpens - Disposable fun!!!

2009-08-12T12:41:00.001-07:00

Here is the disposable pen most people would be familiar with - the Pilot Vpen. Pilot makes the Vpen and the Varsity. I have both and, as best as I can tell, the Vpen has a fine nib and the Varsity has a medium nib. These pens are great for anyone wanting to experiment with a fountain pen without putting too much money into it. They run about $3 each. I see the Varsity in places like Staples but not the Vpen. I purchased mine at Jet Pens.

I, of course, had to get one of each color! For me, the red and pink seemed to get very scratchy when I had been writing for a while. The others don't have that problem - so maybe it's the ink.

For purple ink lovers, the Varisty comes in purple while the Vpen comes in red. If you love pens of all kinds, it's worth it to try these out.

Peace Out, Zuzu

Anyone for a Disposable Fountain Pen?

2009-08-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

I read about the Sailor Ink Bar over at The Pen Addict. Loving fountain pens and the way they write, I thought I needed to try these out. Of course, I went to Jet Pens to make my purchase.

Below is a photo. I put a Sharpie Pen along side so you can see the width of these pens are about the same - maybe a tiny bit thinner.

It's thinner than the other regular and disposable fountain pens I have but not so thin that's it's difficult to write with. I also like that it is a fine nib. I have both the blue and black.

I think these are okay to write with for a change of pace but not my disposable pen of choice. I will write about that one next time!

Peace Out, Zuzu

So You Think You Can Dance?

2009-08-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Go Janine! Yes, I'm for Janine. I started out thinking Kayla was the best dancer, and she probably still is. But Janine has grown on me and I really like her dancing and personality. I'm leaving it up to my daughter to vote, vote, vote.

I got 2 letters today from my first 2 new pen pals! How exciting.

Peace Out, Zuzu

Creative Outlet

2009-08-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm getting into pen palling again. I started writing letters when I was in grade school. As I got older, I'd send off for pen pals and acquired quite a few names. It was huge before the Internet! I've recently stumbled onto some sites and blogs (some are listed to the right) of like-minded people. This website: http://welovesnailmail.webs.com/ is one I recently joined. I think it will be an interesting journey getting back into letter writing at my "advanced" age. :o) And I've been looking for a creative outlet. I'm sure some people think it's strange that I love using stickers and multiple pen colors when I write notes and/or letters. It's nice to be understood in my obsession.

Peace Out, Zuzu

Ooh La La! J. Herbin's Bleu Myosotis!

2009-08-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Karen and everyone at Exaclair for offering free ink samples of various J. Herbin reds and blues in honor of Bastille Day. I received mine and couldn't wait to try it out. I inked up my Lamy AL Star with the medium nib. I usually use F or EF but I wanted to really see how this ink would look.

I tried the ink out on several types of paper.

Doane

Moleskine Volant

Exacompta Note Card

White Lines and Rhodia pads

I like blue ink and really like this color. It's a nice, medium blue. Looking at the color chart, I was afraid it might be light or washed out looking but it isn't. It reminds me of denium. I plan to put this into one of my Lamy Safaris with a thinner nib and use it as an everyday ink.

The extremely cute Rhodia pad (2" x 2.9") is compliments of Exaclair and came along with the ink. Other J. Herbin inks can be viewed here: http://www.jherbin.com/fountain_pen_inks.shtml I've had my eye on the Diabolo Menthe and the Vert Reseda so one of those may be my next ink purchase.

Peace Out, Zuzu

Crash & Burn

2009-08-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow I deleted my old blog. I was trying to switch out the email addresses and goofed big time. Oh well, I'm going to attempt to recreate the ink review I did.

Peace Out, Zuzu