Just alittle ticked off!

How is it that the rent can be raised but they are so slow about making repairs around here? I am just slightly ticked off but what can you do........Move?

That would be so nice but I hate to go through the process so we will see what happens. I am just so tired right now and I feel like a chicken with their head cut off......Please settle down a little bit honey........................

Esme Kennedy Murdered

Oh my goodness! This is so sad! I pray for this family because some monster was out on the street and snatched their 13 year old angel off her trail while jogging. He was a registered sex offender but my goodness, he had assaulted, raped and burned another little girl. There are also 3 unsolved murders that he may have committed because of the nature of the killings. He was on the street! Kicked out of the halfway house because of fighting? Give me a break! The police are not notified until the next day of his status! My prayers go out to this family as we search for answers. Let's make sure this does not happen again.....

A weekend to remember!

Well, I am finally going! The hotel room is booked for two nights and reservations for a weekend to remember through family life are on their way too! Just in case you are not familar with this, basically a weekend marriage retreat. Whether your marriage needs revamping, it may be broken or on the verge of divorce, this is the place to be. I plan to be in touch and let you know how it was.

Money saving ideas

There are many simple ways to save money around your home. And some even help you save the environment, too. Here are some of our favorites:

	Replacing an old dryer with a new, energy-saving model equipped with a moisture sensor can save you cash, up to 15% per load.
	Use warm or cold water instead of hot when washing your clothes.
	Turn the thermostat on your water heater down a few degrees, and add some insulation to the tank itself, to help it retain its heat. Insulating the tank costs about $20 and can save you $25 a year.
	When the fireplace is not in use, don't forget to close the flue damper. Chimneys are designed to let smoke escape, which means heated or conditioned air escapes, too.
	Use linear fluorescent and energy-efficient fluorescent compact lamps. They last many times longer than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs and use much less energy.
	Use solar pathway lights outside your home to eliminate the use of electricity for exterior lights.
	If purchasing a new refrigerator, consider one with the freezer on the top—they're more efficient
	Cut out expensive directory assistance calls by using 1-800-free-411. This new service is made possible by thousands of national and local businesses whose brief audio advertisements are played to callers who request businesses in their yellow pages category.
	Clean inexpensively, and with common household products. For kitchen counters, add four tablespoons of baking soda to one quart of warm water. It cleans and deodorizes. Add equal parts sudsy ammonia and water for another all-around cleaner. Use vinegar (white or apple cider) mixed with water to remove soap and hard-water buildup.

Obama -- Cass Sunstein

As political observers sift through Barack Obama's statements, his nominations and even his verbal ellipses for clues on how he may govern as president, I wonder if perhaps one of his lesser-noticed picks might better tell the tale: his choice of Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein as administrator of OIRA.

What is OIRA? The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, within the Office of Management and Budget, is an influential but little-known agency that essentially manages federal rule-making and its implementation.

It is the traffic cop for federal regulations, making sure agencies aren't in conflict and are in line with the president's policies.

It is difficult to overstate OIRA's importance; if you can set the rules, it doesn't much matter who passes the laws.

Sunstein, formerly of the University of Chicago, is a prolific author and blogger who has specialized in the wonkish area of regulatory policy. One of America's most Web-savvy legal minds, he has left a long virtual-paper trail in cyberspace.

By any reasonable measure, Sunstein is liberal politically, and he is a long-time Obama supporter. But he also has a strong reputation for being "open-minded - someone who isn't dogmatic or intolerant and who gets along well with people of different ideological stripes," writes University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds in Forbes magazine.

Sunstein's more conservative colleagues seem pleased by his nomination. Perhaps that's in part because he's willing to at least ask the uncomfortable questions a liberal isn't "supposed" to ask. A recent law journal article by Sunstein, for example, posed the question, "Is OSHA Unconstitutional?" (Possibly, he concludes, with caveats.)

It's a good bet that Obama is counting on Sunstein to shake up the regulatory process - applying his zest for rigorous cost-benefit analysis and behavioral law - and to defy some expectations.

If that's the type of person Obama wants in such a nuts-and-bolts position, we're in for a very interesting and potentially surprising ride.

Settlement offers free cosmetics

Dads looking for an early Mother's Day gift, women who want free cosmetics and plenty of others will be headed Tuesday to local Saks, Dillard's and Macy's stores for free cosmetics.

The giveaway lasts for a week.

It came about as part of a $175 million settlement of legal claims that major department store chains unfairly conspired to set cosmetics prices.

No wrongdoing was admitted by the department stores.

Bloomingdale's and Macy's stores are expected to distribute over 4 million items, said Jim Sluzewski, spokesman for Cincinnati-based Macy's Inc.

Depending on the store, products from Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancôme, Clarins, Guerlain, Givenchy, Chanel, Boucheron, Coty, Calvin Klein, L'Oréal and Christian Dior will be distributed in the giveaway. Fourteen department store companies will participate in the program.

"Customers will be able to get the product of their choice as long as supplies of that product last," Sluzewski said.

But don't expect top-of-the-line perfumes. Many of the items available will be body lotions, shower gels, night creams and mascara.

"There might be lines" of customers, said Marla Shaven, public relations manager at Macy's. "We can't say for sure."

To get the free cosmetics, consumers must have made a purchase between 1994 to 2003 and sign a registry acknowledging that purchase. No other proof of purchase is required.

Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers are scheduled to perform in a concert honoring military families on the eve of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced the talent lineup Tuesday for the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" event। The concert to be held at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington will air Monday night on the Disney Channel.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host the concert with their families.

In a separate event, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and others will perform at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on Tuesday night after Obama has been sworn in as president.