reviews

Amazon has a bargain on thumbtacks.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

I’m getting ready to hang a large corkboard so my son and I can put up pictures, and work on projects, and I just found an absolute steal on thumbtacks. I am also looking for something to use for hanging up some lighter blankets and a couple wall hangings. I knew that I would be able to find something on Amazon.

As long as you’re not worried about the color, Amazon currently has a 400 count of yellow thumbtacks for under $6. You can find the deal here. Not sure how long this will be in place, but it is definitely worth it if you find yourself hanging up a bunch of stuff.

Local Review: Mornin’ Glory Coffee

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

If you are a food and coffee lover, you have to read this review.

Delivery is starting back up.

In the small town of Webster City, Iowa, you will find a gem of a coffee house: Mornin’ Glory Coffee. I discovered this small shop back in June when I switched clinic locations, and it has quickly become my favorite place to stop when I’m hungry or looking for a caffeine buzz.

They’ve got the menu posted on the wall, and it is clear that their specialty is coffee, that does not mean that their food is substandard. There are always protein bars and sweet treats like cinnamon twists and rolls near the register. When you visit for the first time, it is required that you try one of the local favorites. If it is breakfast time, the recommended item is the Hatch.

Breakfast is served until 2pm!

One of the half or whole sandwiches will hit the spot if you’re stopping for lunch. They come either cold or toasted and are tagged with chips or a really excellent soup. I recommend the roast beef because it comes with this horseradish mayo paired with aroma tomatoes and provolone cheese nestled on rye bread. A genuinely scrumptious item that never loses its appeal.

I always get the toasted roast beef sandwich for lunch.

The prices at Mornin’ Glory are reasonable, given every restaurant’s hit due to recent inflation. They certainly stand up well compared to the costs of the nearby Scooters. They have a variety of special flavors that will suit any mood and season. You’ll never find the atmosphere of this coffee shop in some franchise stop. They decorate for the seasons, they’ve got a beautifully decorated interior, and their fluorescent open sign is a welcomed sight to all. The employees working there are always cheerful, even when they are busy. It is nice to be able to stop in and chat with someone for a few minutes before heading off to work. It can be a quiet place at times, but it can also be full of people having quiet conversations or listening to music on their earbuds.

Large enough for a crowd, small enough to still feel intimate.

This desk is essential for small spaces.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

About a month ago, I bought a desk for my apartment because I was tired of using a cardboard box (literally) as a computer stand.” I wanted to get a desk that was small enough to not take up a ton of room, but I also needed something that could hold more than just a laptop.

This desk can hold a 17″ screen laptop with room to spare.

This desk fits in my bedroom without making the space feel cramped, and I even have enough room that I was able to purchase a computer chair to go with it. I also wanted something that would give me the option to stand up if I wanted to. One of the local ads around here talks about how “sitting is the new standing,” so I thought it best that I make an effort at being a little bit healthier. I stand just under 5’7, and this desk is perfect for me. It has wheels that you can lock in place, and it is super easy to adjust the desk’s height. I also love how easy it was to put the thing together. I’m not much for construction, no matter how small the task, but I was able to put this together in under an hour, and I didn’t need any help other than the instructions that came in the box. This desk has a handy shelf underneath the main table, and it’s wide enough to hold books, headphones, etc.

The shelf is more than capable of holding multiple items.

I’m so glad that I went with this desk over the other advertised ones. It doesn’t tip towards me, but I’m not looking to use this for drawing or for using a tablet. If I owned a clinic for nearly any specialty, I would use multiple desks just like this one.

Kindle is great for an avid reader.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

The older I get, the harder it is for me to find time to sit down and read a physical book. I don’t know if it’s because I feel like I have so many other things I need to be doing, but it had really started to bother me. I love to read. Reading was my main hobby behind watching baseball and playing softball as a kid. I have always loved to get lost in a story, and a good fiction book always left me wanting a sequel. When I was growing up, the Harry Potter series was being released, and I always had to have the book the second it was on the shelves. I was inspired to start writing because of some of my novels as a child.

I bought a membership to Kindle and initially didn’t use it very much. Now though, I love to open the app and scroll through the endless number of books at my disposal. You can find literally any genre you’re interested in. If you’re not looking to invest in a membership, the prices for books on Kindle are very reasonable. Almost every title you find has a deal applied, so you’re never paying the total cost, and frequently there is the added perk of being able to get the audible version at another heavy discount.

I have been on a non-fiction kick the last few years, and it is always interesting to dive into memoirs or other recountings of current events. Recently I decided to travel back in time and give the federalist papers another try. I highly suggest anyone wanting to better understand the founding of this country <a href="http://<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=joredd311-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B075173F15&asins=B075173F15&linkId=e923534a08aa197730f28af910d59d8a&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff"> reads this book.

Coursera: what is it? Is it worthwhile?

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

I’ve always had a slight interest in bookkeeping, and since I’m looking to one day have my own business, I got the idea to take a course that would teach me more about the subject. After researching, I noticed many different websites recommending the course offered by intuit. With tax season quickly approaching, I thought now would be a great time to dive into the topic. I went to sign up, and it offered me the chance to sign up with Coursera. I decided to try it, although the stiff price of $40 a month made me almost reconsider.

I’m one week into the class, and I really do like it, even if I still feel like the subject isn’t for me. I know that I will never do someone else’s bookwork, but I also realize that I will need to do mine because there is no way I will make enough, in the beginning, to pay someone else to do it. The sections are broken up into small chunks, making them easier to digest. I also like the discussion portion because tons of people seem to be taking the course simultaneously that I am. I don’t typically see anyone replying to others, but people’s responses to the initial question are fun to read. I look forward to getting deeper into the details. As with all topics, once you get past the surface information, you begin to get into the fascinating

information.

Coursera is impressive because it has so many different classes that you can take. While I went there looking for the bookkeeping course, I found a ton of other avenues to investigate. I just enrolled in a class called “Inspiring and Motivating Individuals,” offered through the University of Michigan. All these courses are self-study and, while you’re encouraged to set a weekly goal for completion, you can always change your plans to fit your schedule.

For $40 a month, you get access to many top-notch courses offered by some of the elite universities in the county. Most of these courses are a part of some certificate that you can eventually obtain. I love the access to learning, and I love that all these different courses are available without going to a single one of these schools.

I will definitely be checking in periodically with updates to this product because it seems to have a lot of promise, and I want to share that with everyone.

If you’re interested in checking something out, use this link: here.