Whoa, what happened to the summer of 2016? It seems as though we were just getting ready for Memorial Day and then the 4th of July and now on Monday it will be Labor Day.
What happened to the summer of 2016?
Do you remember when it felt like summer lasted a lot longer than 93 days? Now it seems like winter lasts longer than 180 days! I have a Yard Sale scheduled for Saturday but because I was so busy during the season this is the only one I have planned. Perhaps I will have an opportunity to de-clutter more of the house including my closets to have another one in the fall.
Anywho, today’s outfit is actually a throwback from two summers ago. The Tie Dye top and Canvas Sneakers was created specifically to wear to A Radiant Orchid Summer Party, which wasa blogger event sponsored by Rit Dye. If you don’t remember the event or didn’t have an opportunity to see the post – click here to revisit it or see it for the first time.
I bought several bottles of fabric dye afterwards but never had an opportunity to create any other outfits. I am, however, thinking about refashioning these white jeans with a bottle of black dye to wear in the winter so you may be seeing them again in a different color.
Now that summer is fading into the background, I hope to accomplish a few more outdoor activities. How about you, were there any summer activities that you planned but never got around to doing?
Did the summer fly by or was it just me?
Mark your calendar because there is one reason to look forward to the fall and that is my new AAU Talk Radio Program: “Social Media Sunday with the Delaware Blogger”
Tune in Sundays beginning September 11th at 6:00 p.m.
Come back on Friday for the last Crock Pot meal of the summer or could it be the first Crock Pot meal of the fall – you be the judge!
Thank you Drive Shop and Hyundai for giving me an opportunity to test drive this 2017 Elantra Limited.
You may recall last month hubby and I attended the Wilmington High School Class of 1974 White Party and you may also remember seeing these pictures either on my Facebook page or from this previous post.
However, what you did not see, was the “Chariot” in which we rode in to attend this gala. It was late in the evening so I didn’t take any pictures but as you can see, it was a beautiful 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited. Sunday evening we decided to drive down to Silver Lake in Middletown to watch the sun set.
I have always loved the smooth ride of a Hyundai and the color Phantom Black reminded me of my own 2005 Hyundai Sonata which I still miss to this day.
However, back then these new vehicles didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles which now come as standard features. There were many features that I simply loved and very few which I didn’t like but below is a list of my top five favorites.
Toni’s Top 5 Favs
Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System
Duel Automatic Temperature Control
Proximity Key with Push Button Start and Hands-free Smart Trunk
Power Driver’s Seat with Lumbar Support
Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross-traffic Alert
However, there were two features that I think needed to be included :
Power outlets/USB Charger should be standard the rear seat console
Passenger Seat should be power controlled
Otherwise, with the 32 MPG fuel economy it is definitely great vehicle for my daily commute as well as for tooling around town. The standard and added features on this model was listed at a total MSRP of $27,710.00.
Both hubby and I enjoyed driving the all new Hyundai 2017 Elantra Limited around town and into the city of Wilmington.
Also, as an “old married couple” who recently celebrated their 26th Wedding Anniversary, we also liked just sitting inside, listening to Jazz with the sunroof open watching the sun set over Silver Lake. #boomers
Take a look at this video, then leave a comment as to which which feature you liked best.
Save money by shopping Dollar General for Back to School & Dorm supplies
On Friday, Malik will be leaving to begin his 3rd year at Bowie State University, so last Saturday he and I did his annual “Back to the Dorm” shopping.
I can still remember his first year at college and how we practically broke the bank buying supplies that he really didn’t need nor want and wasted a lot of money.
Last year we made sure to only purchase items that he absolutely needed or items that we didn’t already have in the linen closet. No more new sheets and towels because we had plenty at home, “strip the bed not your savings”!
Dorm life is not for living in the lap of luxury, therefore, it is not necessary to purchase new dorm sheets, towels and pillow cases every year!
He didn’t need pillows but does need a rug
Our first stop was to Dollar General where he was able to purchase most if not all of his dorm supplies. Dollar General has a large selection of name brand items including Tide, Gain, Dove, Brut and Hanes all at everyday low prices.
Malik worked hard during the summer at Amazon so he understands the value of a dollar, therefore, he was very conscience about his purchases and only put in the cart what he absolutely needed.
However, he couldn’t pass up the automotive supplies even though his car will remain parked at home.
Dollar General carries a large selection of cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, toiletries, storage containers, small appliances, clothing, beverages and snacks.
If you have a son or daughter entering college and have received a list of must needed items, make sure to scrub that list to ensure your student will actually use the items.
Not everyone drinks coffee so pass up on that appliance!
You can save even more money by shopping at a local Dollar General to purchase the most needed items.
Dollar General accepts manufacturer’s’ coupons and they also have online digital coupons, just text JOIN to 34898 to sign up.
Whether you have a college bound student or one that will be entering elementary or high school I am sure Dollar General will have many of the supplies on their list.
Start the year off right by saving on school and dorm supplies at Dollar General.
Tip – purchase Detergent Pods as they are easier to transport to the dorm’s laundry room as opposed to large bottles of detergent and fabric softeners.
DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored post – just a tip from a money saving mother #msm
Last Wednesday, I along with several other women traveled to Lewes Beach to attend a SWOT Analysis Workshop presented by the Women’s Business Center of Wilmington.
Yes, you read that correctly, the SWOT Workshop was held on the beach, in the sand and by the water – it was WONDERFUL!!!
Women in Business presented SWOT Analysis on the Beach
Fortunately, the excessive heat wave had broken and we were treated to nice breezes with temps hovering around 91 but the sand was HOT.
Having lived in Delaware more than half my life, this was actually the first time that I had ever gone to Lewes Beach and it was a nice spot, especially for this type of meeting.
Jessica Gibson, Program Director of the Women’s Business Center has such a fun and engaging personality that it was easy for all of us to quickly connect even though there were some vastly different business niches.
Our businesses ranged from Archaeology to Zumba Instruction, from Social Media to Vegan Smoothies, yet, we all found commonalities within the SWOT analysis.
Ivan Thomas, owner and operator of DeTV was on hand to photograph and video some of the session which also included aerial Drone photography.
Jessica created her first Facebook Livestream video as we took a break to cool off in the water, which wasn’t “Caribbean Blue” but it was refreshing never-the-less.
If you are a small business owner then you should have a Business Plan but a SWOT Analysis is much different. SWOT is the acronym for identifying and assessing your STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS.
Not only were the businesses varied, but the locations from which some of the ladies traveled was just as diverse. I believe the longest distance which was driven was from the DC area. Actually, she was from Bowie, Maryland, which of course is where our son Malik will be returning to college next week.
This was the first WBC networking event held on the beach, but I doubt it will be the last. Just like Jessica we all loved being by the sea and under the sun for a perfect day out of the office but still getting work done!
The next big WBC event will be held on September 29th in Wilmington, and although it won’t be on the beach, it is definitely going to be filled with smiling faces and lots of fun.
Head over to their website and sign up for “Saddle Up for Business and Connect with Cocktails” , get your cowboy gear and we’ll see you there!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links of which if you click and take action, I will get a percentage of the sale – or at least enough for a cup of coffee!
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BTSwithHP #CollectiveBias
Malik, our youngest son will be returning to Bowie State University in a few short weeks to begin his Junior year. This summer he purchased a vehicle which hubby and I helped with, so now our money is funny. Because of this, a new laptop, which he needs was not going to be on the list of back to school college supplies.
Our son began his college career on a “conditional” basis due to low grades in high school, but he worked hard and finished his 2nd year with a 3.00 GPA. Therefore, he is deserving of a new computer and fortunately we found one that he loves and also fit into our budget.
The HP Notebook 15-ay039wm is lightweight at only 4.73 pounds and sized right so it will be easy for him to carry it across campus to class and back to his dorm room or library. With up to a 6 hour battery life it’s also perfect for taking notes in lecture halls, writing reports, and printing class assignments. The DTS Studio Sound will enhance his listening experience for music, watching videos and of course playing games during his down time.
When I received the HP Notebook 15-ay03wm which is also sold new at Walmart, he was super excited and couldn’t wait to take it to his bedroom to check out all the features.
If like us, you also have a son or daughter then you know that they can set up a new computer quick, fast and in a hurry, so I just let him handle that.
He wanted to review the dates and times of dorm check-in so that he could decide on when it would be best to submit his 2-week notice at work.
He also needed to check the dates of the Fall football games as well as his new schedule so that he could mentally prepare for the new semester.
Whether your son or daughter will be an incoming Freshmen or a returning student, Colleges and Universities want to ensure that they are all well prepared. Therefore, it is very important for the students and parents to check the website for important dates and activities a few weeks before the semester begins and definitely before they leave home.
The HP Notebook is empowered to do more with dependable performance. It has the latest Intel processor with plenty of hard drive space, which means he can multitask and store a lot more on it.
The vibrant display and crisp HD screen really makes photos, videos, and web pages pop with awesome detail. The HP Notebook 15-ay039wm has measurable quality with outstanding performance backed by over 200 tests and best of all it’s operating system is Windows 10 Home and it comes with one year of free cloud storage!
Unfortunately, my current laptop is also on it’s last legs and needs to be replaced so I took advantage of Malik being at work to use it to write a few blog posts.
I really loved the high quality HD display and advanced HDD Storage.
The HP Notebook 15-ay03wm can be purchased at your local Walmart at a price that is right for most budgets. You can tackle all your daily tasks with an affordable laptop that comes packed with the features you need.
If you like your HP computer as much as Malik and I do, head over to Walmart and let them know!
I would also like to share these 10 tips for college freshmen leaving home for the first time from an article at USA Today.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND… DON’T BE QUICK TO JUDGE
DON’T OVERPACK
ATTEND WELCOME EVENTS
GO TO THE INVOLVEMENT FAIR
LET YOUR PARENTS HELP YOU
DON’T FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM
CALL HOME
WORK HARD
GPA ISN’T EVERYTHING
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
I wish you all a very successful school year! Be Safe!!!
A few weeks ago hubby and I went to Wally World –aka- Walmart to pick up a few groceries but of course, we each stopped in the clothing section first and yes, we both put something in the cart other than milk, bread, and eggs. Hubby found a few shirts for Tayair to wear to work and I found a few skirts and tops for me to wear to work!
I normally wear dresses to work but their Faded Glory skirts are 95% cotton making them great for the end of the season, perfect to wear on the hottest dog days of summer.
They were also only $6.88, so together with the top the entire outfit was less than $10 and you know that made it perfect for my wallet!
The long necklace was purchased from Avon and it comes with matching earrings which I didn’t wear, instead am wearing a pair of small gold hoops.
The clutch was purchased last season from Kohl’s and was a good way to break up the blue. The bracelet is from Old Navy and if I am not mistaken the watch was also purchased from Avon.
Gotta love these denim wedge sandals which I think worked well with this casual outfit from Walmart. As a matter of fact, I was going to wear this outfit on our tour of The White House but instead wore the dress.
What do you think would wearing Walmart to The White House be appropriate?
In a few week’s Malik’s bags will be packed as he prepares for his return trip back to Bowie State Universityto begin his Junior year. While he was home we had a chance to talk about a lot of things including his father’s health and how to remain safe on campus and on the road.
This summer he again worked at Amazon and was able to make and save money for those “extradentials” . As parents of young adults it is very important to discuss their finances before they head back to campus.
You may remember that I previously posted this article by Michelle Singletary which helps parents “have the financial talk” with their students, but I wanted to repost it as a reminder.
In a week or two, thousands of young adults will be heading to college for the first time and they’ll be faced with a lot of financial choices. I wonder how prepared they will be. It’s not enough to hope they will be ready to handle their money. As the good book says, “faith without works is dead.” Good money managers aren’t born; they’re trained.
So, as your college freshman is packing up, there’s one piece of luggage that needs to have all the right stuff: the financial suitcase. Here’s what should be inside:
• The right debit card. Before heading off to school, make sure your child has a debit card that will work well at his or her college location. That might mean opening an account with a different bank or credit union that has ATMs on or near campus to avoid an out-of-network fee. Double-check that you can easily and quickly transfer money into the account without incurring fees. For this reason, you may also want to get an account at the same financial institution.
• Mobile bank alerts. If your freshman hasn’t done this already, he or she should set up alerts connected to the debit card. Alerts can be customized to report deposits, withdrawals and bill-due dates. Cardholders can also be notified when the account balance is getting low, which in turn will help avoid overdraft charges and other fees. Just be mindful of alerts received as text messages, which may incur fees from a mobile provider.
• Box of envelopes: Budgeting may not be easy at first. If you know your child is challenged in this department, try the envelope money-management system. Envelopes should be labeled the following way for the four major spending categories: eating out, clothes, entertainment and transportation. Every week, two weeks or month, depending on how your child receives income or spending money, put budgeted cash for each category into the envelopes. When the money is gone from one, there’s no more spending on that category.
• Commitment to save and not just spend. Yes, even students on a tight budget should save. If your student is getting a stipend or spending money from you or a job, encourage him or her to start the habit of saving something — anything — from the funds they receive not allocated for tuition, room, board and books. Suggest a “Life Happens” fund, which is different from an emergency fund. Money in this account can be used for pizza, parties, clothes, spring-break trips, concerts, etc. But when the money is taken out, your student should have a plan to replenish it.
Here are some things that students should not take to college
• Credit card: I know you’ve heard that it’s important for your child to establish credit. But it’s not time for that yet. As your student gets closer to graduation and needs to build credit to get an apartment or car loan, he or she can open a credit card account. But for now, as a freshman, consider credit an unnecessary luxury. Besides, debit cards with either the MasterCard or Visa logo can be used for almost any purchase. My daughter is a junior in college and she hasn’t had a need for a credit card.
• Expectation to spend excess student-loan money: Talk to your child about not accepting a student-loan refund, which is money in excess of the cost of attendance. If there is money left over, he or she may get a refund check. This is not free money. It’s a loan with interest that must be paid back.
• Entitlement mentality: Leave at home the attitude of having to experience everything. Going on that spring-break trip may not be feasible, especially if your child has student loans.
As your freshman is going over the checklist of things for college, make sure his or her financial suitcase is stuffed with tools and strategies that will help to avoid any money missteps.
Order your Hutson ID Visor today!
Have you had “the financial talk” with your college student?
The summer is flying by too quickly, and I have been trying to wear as many pairs of my sandals as possible before it’s time to cover up my tootsies.
With this outfit, which is a dress from Ross Dress for Less and purse from Avon I have chosen a pair of yellow flats also from Avon and a mustard color wedge again from Ross Dress for Less.
I find wedge sandals to be very comfortable but flat sandals are always better for driving. The yellow bracelet is from Old Navyand to it I added a few miscellaneous bangles.
The necklace was purchased from an online jewelry store. I am not sure where I purchased the ring but most likely it was from Burlington Coat Factory.
So have you taken a vacation yet? Hubby and I have decided to wait until the fall and then take a mini vacation to a Caribbean Island for a little rest and relaxation before the new year.
Malik, our youngest son will be returning to Bowie State University in a few weeks. He has been working two jobs this summer so that he can return back to campus with extra funds to handle his “extradentials” – which is definitely a load off of our plates.
Okay, so which pairs of sandals would you have chosen to wear with this dress?
I hope you have a Happy Hump Day and will enjoy the rest of the week!
Thank you Drive Shop USA and Kia for giving me an opportunity to review the 2017 Sportage SX FWD.
A few weeks before the sweltering summer heat hit the Delaware Valley, hubby and I spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon walking through Battery Park in Old New Castle. If you remember this post, I stated that I wanted to return to the park with my husband as it had such a nice walking trail.
Also, if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen the pictures we took at the 1/4 mile marker. Hubby is still working on getting his energy level back up after those 6 months of chemo for small intestinal cancer.
The day started out being very beautiful however, we got some well needed rain towards the end of our walk, so we left earlier than we wanted. Both of our sons are working this summer so it was nice spending some quality time alone as an “old married couple”.
We both loved the 2017 Kia Sportage as it was a smooth ride with comfortable leather front seats and best of all, it was equipped with a Dual-Zone Auto Climate controls. I don’t know how it is in your house, but in ours, my husband and I often disagree on the temperature so we are in constant duel over the controls. Although the seats were leather, it wasn’t an uncomfortable sitting situation if you know what I mean!
The 2017 Kia Sportage comes with many standard features including Dual Front Airbags, Front Seat Mounted Airbags, and side Curtain Airbags which are great safety features. All of the other features on this model were standard and a few of them are listed below. The MSRP of this vehicle is $33,395.00 and the fuel economy is listed as 23 MPG, 21 city, 26 highway which makes it a negative for me.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
4.2” Color Infotainment Center LCD with Navigation
Sirius/XM Satellite Radio w/free 3-mo subscription
Leather Seat Trim
Push button start with Smart Key
Rear Camera Display
Blind Spot Detection
Lane Departure Warning
Front/Rear Parking Assist System
10 year/100,000 mile limited Powertrain warranty
5 year/60,000 mile roadside assistance
The fuel economy may be a negative on this vehicle, but here are my Top Five Favs:
Smart Hands-Free Power Liftgate and large storage capacity
Adjustable lumbar seat support controls
Power Folding Heated Side View Mirrors with LED Turn Signals
Lighted Door Handle
Panoramic Sunroof
The 2017 Kia Sportage did have a jerky acceleration on the back roads however, was smooth as silk on the highway at higher speeds. Also, as you can see the rear seat comfort is one of concern especially for adults as there isn’t much leg room in the back.
Overall, I would say that this is a great vehicle for someone who unlike me doesn’t have a 100 mile daily commute as the fuel economy is low, however, the seat controls with lumbar support made the commute a lot less uncomfortable.
The color of this 2017 Kia Sportage is Burnished Copper and it was so gorgeous, it actually complimented my maxi dress – what do you think?
The Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure warnings are also great features for long distance travel and the rear trunk is a definitely a great size for loading it with shopping bags, luggage or dorm room supplies when taking a kid back to college which is what we will be doing in a few weeks – where did the summer go??
Check out the following YouTube video to get a better view of the inside and outside of the 2017 Kia Sportage then leave a comment below as to which feature you liked best.
Hello friends and happy Hump Day Wednesday. This week’s Fashion after Fifty OOTD is another closet staple and my version of “Boho Chic”
These palazzo pants were purchased several years ago from TJMaxx and they were an extra, extra large, but because I loved them so much, I bought them anyway and tacked them on the sides.
As some of you know, we, the boomers of the 60s weren’t overly concerned with “what went with what or what didn’t go” with a certain style, which is why I mixed the accessories in this outfit.
Mixing silver, gold, resin, and brass bracelets, rings and necklaces made this such a fun and funky way to dress up a plain white tank top from Walmart.
The sandals also have Goldtone rhinestones in them so once again the mixing and maxing of accessories added to the fun of this Boho Chic yet casual Friday outfit.
I can’t remember where I purchased the leather purse but it must have been an an Afrocentric Boutique as evidenced by the continent of Africa emblem.
Everything old is new again which is why this like the tie dye maxi dress from last week’s post will remain in my closet for several more years. This is another classic outfit that will never go out of style.
Do you have a favorite “throw back” or classic closet staple?
