*C.L. Beck, author*: May 2012

How to Pack for a Trip to Hot Climates ... by C.L. Beck

St. George, Utah! Warm sunshine; cool, night breezes; frogs chirping. No, wait. Not frogs, it's the desert. Rattlesnakes rattling!

And traffic signs, street signs and road signs, every where. Coming from a small town like we do, when you come to an intersection you lean out the window and holler, "Honk, honk. Hey, get out of the way, I'm coming through!"

Okay, not really. We just roar on through and assume everyone will scatter.

At any rate, on to more interesting things--namely, how to pack for a trip to hot climates. Yes, since some of you are fashionistas and fashionistos who may make a trip to Death Valley soon, I'm certain you'll want to know how I packed for the excursion.

Or not.

But, it seems you're going to hear about it anyway, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the flight.

It gets seriously hot down there in the blazing desert. Did I also mention blistering? Melt-your-shoes-to-the-sidewalk hot, so I made a list to pack the following;

10 bottles of sunblock
1 slightly skimpy, made-for-a-much-skinnier-me swimming suit (purchased in 1965)
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of long pants, for those cool desert evenings
3 light and breezy shirts
Short pajamas
Underthings (to put it delicately)
Extra shoes to replace the ones that melt to the sidewalk

In retrospect, I would suggest you take less clothes, plus fifty-eight more bottles of sunblock . And if you're over forty, leave the skimpy swimsuit behind. In my case, my body sneaked outside without me and buried the swimsuit in the backyard before I had a chance to even leave home.

Regardless of all that, the clothes that people wore there were verrrrry interesting. Maybe it would be better to say, "The clothes people didn't wear!"

If you're into clothes--which I hope you are or it means you're sitting around nekked as a jaybird--here's my parting thought on the clothing worn in hot climates. Fifty years ago, the fashion phrase, "Halfway to the knees" meant from the ground up.

Now, it's from the shoulders down.

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"How to Pack for a Trip to Hot Climates" © C.L. (Cindy Lynn) Beck
Tags: St. George, desert, fashion, vacation

2 Box Cheerios Giveaway Winners ... by C.L. Beck

It's time to announce the winners of the 2 Box Cheerios Giveaway. According to the random generator at Random.org, the winners are ...

Anash

and

Oz Girl

Congrats to both of you, and enjoy your Cheerios. Winners have 72 hours after their names are posted to claim their prize. After that, another winner is selected or prize is donated to charity.

(Thanks for entering! Disclosure: Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. However, my opinions of the event, of the companies involved, or the quality of the products mentioned are my own. If for some reason there is no winner, or I can not get in contact with the winner, I will redraw or give the prize to charity, at MyBlogSpark's and my discretion. For more disclosure information, please read the full disclosure page.)

There Ought to be Street Signs ... by C.L. Beck

Image © Cindy Beck

Spiders! Aaaaccckkk!

However, it's not me that hates them. After all, what entomologist (insect-ologist) worth her salt would hate spiders? Since I was an entomologist in a previous life, that means I am not allowed to dislike the nasty-wasty buggers.

Yeah, I know. Technically speaking a spider is not an insect. It has too many hairy legs, creepy pincers, venomous bites, and some eat their mates. It's my opinion that where spiders live, there should be street signs reading, "Creepy Crawly Alley," traffic signs that say "Do Not Stop for Arachnids," plus road signs that announce "Drive Really Fast to Squash Spiders."

Yup, maybe I don't hate them, but I only like them from a distance. A looooooong distance. However, I'm a gal so I'm allowed to feel that way.

Guys are not.

Being a guy dog, Corky Porky Pie does well at spiders. He loves them. Especially as a snack before lunchtime or to chase around the legs of the table for fun.

My husband, on the other hand, is a-feared ... er ... I mean, leery of them. Which is why we had the following discussion.

"Would you go in the basement and get some spaghetti sauce for me?" I asked Russ, assuming the answer was yes.

"Nope." He flicked through the TV channels, probably looking for some tough, macho show like Ultimate Cage Fighting--with the Possibility of Death--for Your Pleasure and Supreme Mental Health.

I tilted my head. "Why not?"

"Because there are lions and tigers and bears ... oh, my! ... down there. But most of all, there are spiders." He shuddered.

If you've ever seen a guy shudder over a bug, it's not a pretty sight. Especially when it's a weight-lifting, ex-cop who should not be a-feared of anything.

"Oh come on, I've been down there and never once seen a spider." It was only a small exaggeration. I'd actually seen a creepy-crawly the day before, but it was a tiny one, not very hairy, and definitely not eating its mate so it hardly counted as a spider.

"Besides," I said, as an afterthought, "you can't be afraid of going down there because that's where we have all our important stuff stored."

Russ stopped clicking the remote. I knew I'd touched a nerve. Probably the only one he has left in his old age. But no, not a nerve about spiders--the fact that there was no room in the basement because of all the vastly important items we'd stored. It was all part of my plan. A distraction to the spider issue.

"We have far too much junk in there." Russ pointed the remote at me as if to vanquish the boxes in the basement. Or else vanquish me. I'm not sure which. He continued, "None of it is important and we're running out of room. I can't even walk around without tripping ... we need to rent a self-storage unit."

"Oh, yeah? Where? Do you see any storage places in this neighborhood?"

He scrunched his eyebrows together for a second, thinking that over. "I don't care if we have to rent a storage unit in Timbuktu, I'm not going in there until you move some of those boxes out."

I smiled sweetly. "You are so right; we need to get a storage unit. I'll take care of that, first thing after you go get the spaghetti sauce."

He strutted victoriously to the basement to get the sauce. I didn't tell him he'd forgotten about the spiders. I also didn't tell him that big, hairy spiders love to live in self-storage units--especially ones located on a street without a street sign named, "Creepy Crawly Alley."

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Author's Note: If you enjoyed this practically true article--well, written with a little artistic license--sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the right. That way you won't miss out on future fun.

"There Ought to be Street Signs" © C.L. (Cindy Lynn) Beck
Tags: spiders, road signs, street signs, traffic signs

(Disclosure: This is a paid article sponsored by SafetySign.com. For more disclosure information, please read the full disclosure page.)

"Million Dollar Diva" Review ... by C.L. Beck

Everyone would like to be a million dollar diva, right? Well, everyone except for men, who don't want to be divas but would like to be million dollar divos.

Divos? No, that doesn't sound right. What do you call a male diva?

Oh, I know. "Senator."

Anyway, so everyone wants to have millions, and this is the book that tells how. No magical mystery tour to it, just good economic principles that work when applied.

How do I know? Because I've used a few of them in my own life (for example, "pay yourself") and have seen results. However, since I'm only a $2 diva, I obviously didn't know most of the tricks. Until now.

What I found exciting about Million Dollar Diva is that it gave me new concepts to consider and ways to come out ahead in this horrid, no-good, bad economy. Tristi has written the book as a clear, easy-to-understand dialogue, as if the reader were a fly on the ... oh, uggg. Flies are so gross.

Let's rephrase that. She's written it as if the reader were a butterfly on the wall, listening to financial advisers tell her how to change her life in order to have the money that she needs.

Wait. Make that not only the money to meet needs, but her wants as well. In typical Tristi Pinkston fashion, she does it with humor. And Tristi is so confident that these methods work that she's charting her progress out at the Million Dollar Diva Blog.

My vote on the book? A million times, yes! Million Dollar Diva is for anyone interested in changing their financial lives for the better, and I liked it so much that I finished it quickly.

But, here's another awesome thing. There's a great way to start saving money right now! (Cindy says, as she smiles for the TV camera and uses a ShamWow to polish her copy of the book.)

All kidding aside, I really do think this is cool. Until Jun 15, 2012, you can head over to MillionDollarDiva.com, where--if you pay $5.95 for shipping and handling--you get the book for free.

Now, that's a smokin' deal--the kind that interests millionaires!

(The book is no longer free after June 15, but you can still order it from Amazon.)

Blurb from the Back Cover

In this book, you'll discover:

The 5-step, simple, safe, and predictable process to change living paycheck-to-paycheck to enjoying wealth and security.

How to give yourself a $400 per month raise without asking the boss or working a minute of overtime.

"Spend Like a Diva." How to have anything you want - nice vacations, eating out, trips to the mall. It's all part of the plan!

The secret formula of how to completely eliminate your debt in 1/3 the time and save tens of thousands on interest costs in the process. You'll see why all the TV gurus are wrong!

5 Million-Dollar-Diva investing strategies that will grow your money safely and predictably every year, without the guesswork.

Plus! Discover the key to stop fighting and quarreling with your spouse about money forever!

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Author's Note: If you enjoyed this humorous article, sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the top right. That way you won't miss out on future fun.

Million Dollar Diva Review © C.L. (Cindy Lynn) Beck
Tags: million dollar diva, wealth, money

(Disclosure: The opinions expressed in this blog article are my own. Outside of receiving a free copy of the book in order to review it, I received no paid compensation for this article. For more disclosure information, please read the full disclosure page.)

2 Box Cheerios Giveaway ... by C.L. Beck

Cheerios. Ya gotta love 'em! Especially when you're sitting in church and wishing a bug would fly up someone's nose to create a little excitement. Then, you look at the bench in front of you and there's a little girl with Cheerios stuck on every fingertip for fun.

Awww, cute. And laughable.

Aside from the cute factor ... most of us grew up eating Cheerios and loving them. Except maybe for those macho men who insisted on chicken embryos for breakfast. (Ewwww!.) My favorite way to eat Cheerios is layered in a parfait glass with vanilla yogurt, fresh bananas, strawberries, and pecans. Oh, yum! But, aside from the yummy Cheerios crunch and taste, now there's another reason to eat Cheerios.

The new, 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes ... which makes them easier to store and easier to pour. No odd sizes to try to stack, just two nifty boxes held together by small strips of adhesive that are easily separated when you want to use the boxes. Not to mention something else. According to General Mills ... "by reducing the amount of air in each individual bag, these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging While each box contains more cereal, packaging material has been reduced by over 200,000 lbs, saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks off the road, decreasing CO2 emissions." (For more info, see video clip at the end of this article.)

New and improved 2 box Cheerios are now available on the shelves of Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide.

Cheerios Website: http://bit.ly/Club2Boxes
Cheerios on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Cheerios

So, now that I've convinced you ... let's have a giveaway!

Two (2) lucky readers will each win a prize pack that includes two of the 2 box Cheerios. That means two people will win 4 boxes of Cheerios each.

Mandatory: Comment on this post any time until 11:59p, MT, May 17, 2012. You might tell how the new 2 box Cheerios packaging could benefit you and your family, or comment on why you love Cheerios.
Optional for an easy, second entry: Anytime on May 18 leave a comment to the effect that you hope you're the lucky winner.

Winners will be announced at this blog during the week of May 21 and are selected via the random generator at Random.org. Winners have 72 hours after their names are posted to claim their prize. After that, another winner is selected or prize is donated to charity.

(Thanks for entering! Disclosure: Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. However, my opinions of the event, of the companies involved, or the quality of the products mentioned are my own. If for some reason there is no winner, or I can not get in contact with the winner, I will redraw or give the prize to charity, at MyBlogSpark's and my discretion. For more disclosure information, please read the full disclosure page.)

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Author's Note: If you enjoyed this contest, sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the top right. That way you won't miss out on future contests and humor articles.

"2 Box Cheerios Giveaway" © C.L. (Cindy Lynn) Beck
Tags: Cheerios, General Mills, 2 box Cheerios Giveaway

You Won't Want to Miss the "Million Dollar Diva" Review

By C.L. Beck

Photo © Tristi Pinkston

Author, editor, and person extraordinaire, Tristi Pie Pinkston, recently asked if I'd be interested in doing a book review on her latest creation, Million Dollar Diva. I agreed for two reasons.

1. Corky Porky Pie, our dog, adores anyone with "Pie" in their name. Hmm, or maybe it's any thing with "pie" in its name? Apple pie, berry pie, peach pie? Well, no matter because Tristi's middle name isn't really "Pie" but it is her cute nickname, and hence, Corky Porky Pie and I agreed to a review.

However, as you'll see by reason #2, we didn't decide solely based on food.

2. Tristi Pinkston is an excellent writer. Really, seriously, good. And although I don't do reviews much anymore because I don't have time--too many church duties, writing duties, doggie dooties (pewie!)--well, you catch my drift. Too much going on and no time to read. However, knowing that any book Tristi wrote would not waste my teensy amount of personal time, I agreed to helping her. And looked forward to diving into the diva book.

3. Any book with a title like Million Dollar Diva--major emphasis on "million dollar," and partial emphasis on "diva"--catches my attention instantly. I would love to be a million dollar diva! Heck, I'd settle for being a half-million dollar, not so diva-ish, diva.

Oh, I gave three reasons instead of two? Well, consider the last one a freebie. Which might be why I'm only a $2 diva. Too many freebies.

At any rate, hang onto your hats because very soon (May 7), I'll post the review. You won't want to miss it!

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Author's Note: If you enjoyed this light and airy article, sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar on the right. That way you won't miss out on future fun.

"You Won't Want to Miss the 'Million Dollar Diva Review'" © C.L. (Cindy Lynn) Beck
Tags: Million Dollar Diva, Tristi Pinkston, Corky Porky Pie