I am not usually big on posting about blogging contests. Most of of the blogging contests I have seen want you to review a blog that may not be very good, for a prize that is just so-so. Then there is all the linking and stumbling and favoriting. It all really gets to be too much.

But there is always the exception to the rule. Ashley Morgan’s UpstartBlogger is having a contest and the prize is pretty sweet. A brand new Apple MacBook Air. The new laptop that is crazy thin. From the commercials I have seen, the Air looks like it might just be cool enough and thin enough to make up for it being an Apple! I certainly wouldn’t mind having one.

And then the blog itself is an exception to the rule. The theme is light and clean and loads fast. It is practically free of ads. (Something I have been thinking about for my own site!)And the content is worth sticking around for. Even though I have been blogging for over a year now I found myself enjoying Ashley’s post on 25 Steps to Launching Your Blog and Making $100+ A Month in 30 Days. While the post is definitely geared to rank beginners, I found some useful information relating to WordPress Plugins. He also has a post on SQL Backup Strategies that I am going to read when I am done here!

The contest ends Feb. 29, 2008 so if you want to enter you are going to have to be quick. Even if you are too late for the contest Upstart Blogger is worth a look.

Today I am pleased to bring you a sponsored post about a company that I have been using for years! Most of my family lives out of town, and I find a great way to send them gifts is through 1800Flowers. I like to shop from home and the gifts are delivered right to the recipient’s door. What is nice about 1800Flowers is that despite the name, you can purchase more than just flowers. They have thousands of gifts in addition to flowers, including teddy bears, food baskets, spa sets and chocolates. All of high quality and sure to delight. I know my Mom looks forward to her valentines day gifts from 1800Flowers.

Today while looking at the site and searching for valentines day gifts I found their Valentine’s Gift Bundles. In this section alone I had over 100 great gift choices ranging in price from $19.99 for a cute stuffed dog with chocolates, to $1,000 for Love’s Lavish Luxuries. You know, men like to receive valentines day gifts, but they can be difficult to shop for. At 1800Flowers I found lots of choices, from a spa set for men, to a floral arrangement in a beer mug.

If you would like the convenience of shopping from home for valentines day gifts that your loved ones will adore, head on over to 1800Flowers.

Today I am sitting inside, watching the snow fall. We don’t usually get much snow, so a foot of snow is quite a treat. The snow is falling in big fat flakes, and outside, everything is covered in icy white cold. But inside I am nice and warm. Staying warm on cold days like today can get expensive. One of my favorite ways to save money on winter heating bills is by using “zone heating”. With zone heating, instead of heating the whole house, you only heat the rooms you will be using. So during the day we heat the living room and kitchen. In the evening we heat the bedrooms. That way we are not spending money on heating rooms that no one is using.

For effective zone heating we make good use of room heaters. A good source for attractive room heaters is Desatch.com. They have a large supply of vent free, gas propane heaters. The room heaters come in a variety of styles, including wall mount, freestanding, stove, and fireplace models. You can find room heaters that run on natural gas, propane, and even electricity.  My favorites are the fireplace heaters.  You can have the warmth of a wood fireplace, with clean and safe propane or  natural gas.

The snow is still falling. Time for a cup of cocoa, a good book, and a nice warm fire!

Do you know what an industrial engineer is, or what they do? I didn’t until today. Industrial Engineers work to make businesses more efficient.They will look at how something is made and find ways to make production more efficient. An industrial engineer might also work to figure out a way to shorten a line at an amusement park or how to make a more efficient automobile. An industrial engineer can also be known as an operations manager or a systems engineer.

If I were looking at a new career these days I might consider becoming an industrial engineer. It sounds like it could be a very interesting job! I like the idea of looking at systems and companies and finding ways to make them work better. A bachelors degree is required to become an industrial engineer and one place I would consider for my education would be Kettering University.

Kettering University has an innovative Co-op program in industrial engineering. Kettering places students with companies right from the start, giving the student valuable real world experience to go along with their classroom education. Beginning as freshman, the students rotate between school and their co-op job and gain practical experience.

Another good reason to choose Kettering would be that US News and World Report has ranked Kettering University as “the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering” in its annual “America’s Best Colleges Guide for 2008″.

But, for the time being I am going to have to stay a mom and a blogger. As interesting as Kettering’s engineering co-op programs sound, I’m not ready to go back to school just yet. Plus I think my husband would miss me!

Like most people I like to save money, and I probably spend too much time searching the web for discounts and coupons. I was happy to hear about WebbyPlanet. WebbyPlanet is an e-commerce search site where you can look for coupons and discounts all in one place. One of the things I like about WebbyPlanet is you can search for a store, and a page will come up listing all the coupons and discounts available for that store. That is how I found this dell coupon. The site is updated daily, and you can subscribe to the newsletter to keep updated on all the latest discounts.