Author Archives: blogqueendiane

Cell Phone Luddite: An Occasional TracFone User Explains Why She Doesn’t Want a Smart Phone

Posted on June 13, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Nearly everyone in the civilized world aged 12 and above has a high-tech smart phone these days. (Government programs give away better phones than I have to low-income people.) But I’m not a convert yet, and I’ll tell you why: … Continue reading →

Posted in life, saving money, smart phones, TracFone | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

First 30 Days of Lifestyle Blogging

Posted on June 12, 2014 by blogqueendiane

Wow — I’ve written and published one Thoughts, Tips and Tales blog post a day for the first 30 days in a row! And managed to get 1,165 hits (not too bad for a first stab at a personal blog … Continue reading →

Posted in accomplishments, blogging, fun, gratitude, work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Can’t Cure a Magazine Junkie

Posted on June 11, 2014 by blogqueendiane

I’ve had a wicked addiction to magazines since first grade. It started with Highlights for Children in elementary school, and progressed to Tiger Beat (ooh, those cuteĀ long-haired musician boys), Young Miss, TeenĀ and Seventeen (oh so cool). The old favorites that … Continue reading →

Posted in favorites, fun, life, magazines, memories | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Zumba is Exhilarating!

Posted on June 10, 2014 by blogqueendiane

If you haven’t tried a Zumba class, you should! It’s so enjoyable, you’ll forget you’re exercising. I’m not much of a dancer, and the only dance I ever learned was the cha cha in junior high. Luckily, many of the … Continue reading →

Posted in favorites, fitness, fun, health, life, Zumba | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Confessions of an Adult Learning to Swim

Posted on June 9, 2014 by blogqueendiane

I had a rather depressing milestone birthday this year and around the same time, a friend asked if I’d like to participate in a women’s empowerment mini-triathlon in September with her. It sounded like an intriguing idea – just what … Continue reading →

Posted in accomplishments, childhood, fitness, goals, health, life, swimming lessons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 45 Comments

What Makes Summer Sweet?

Posted on June 8, 2014 by blogqueendiane

1) The smell of freshly mown grass 2) Wearing pink shoes 3) Legs looking tan and healthy (done instantly with skin bronzer) 4) Colorful flower gardens 5) Walks on the beach 6) Wearing skirts and going barelegged (that cool air … Continue reading →

Posted in gratitude, life, miscellaneous, summer | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Truth is Stranger than Fiction (People Do the Weirdest Things!)

Posted on June 7, 2014 by blogqueendiane

One of my joys in life is readingĀ and hearing true stories about strange things people do. These aren’t the everyday accounts about people who makes the news for winning a flapjack-eating contest or committing a minor crime. I love the … Continue reading →

Posted in bizarre news, favorites, fun, life, miscellaneous, weird stories | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Decorating Your Home with Extremely Low Cost Framed Prints – Part #2

Posted on June 6, 2014 by blogqueendiane

To expand on my previous blog post about tips for large framed prints, it’s also easy to decorate inexpensively with collections of small framed prints if you buy beautiful greeting cards or post cards and encase them in frames from … Continue reading →

Posted in bargains, decorating, framed prints, home decorating, household, prints, saving money, wall art, wall decor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

How to Decorate Your Home with Extremely Low-Cost Framed Prints

Posted on June 5, 2014 by blogqueendiane

The cheapest way to hang nice-looking framed prints in your home is to buy them at a yard sale or thrift store. I was able to get the three prints in my living room, which have similar frames (gold wood) … Continue reading →

Posted in bargains, framed prints, pictures on the wall, prints, problemsolvers, save money on framed prints, saving money, wall art, wall decor, yard sale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Why I ā™„ Yard Sales

Posted on June 4, 2014 by blogqueendiane

I started going to yard sales many years ago, before Hurricane Hugo blew through South Carolina. For years afterwards, very few people had yard sales because many families lost everything or had extensive water and wind damage to attics and … Continue reading →

Posted in bargains, favorites, fun, life, problemsolvers, saving money, yard sale | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments