Independence Day or July the 4th is this coming Saturday. Many people, including me will be getting a head start on the weekend on Friday. I’m looking forward to the long weekend. Of course my family and I will be going to our cabin and cruising on the boat.  We bought a bunch of stuff for the boat (swim ladder,12 volt  coffee pot, generator, fans, etc.) and will be getting them all installed this weekend. Maybe we’ll do fireworks on Saturday night. I noticed last week that the fireworks vendors have started to sell them.

If your plans for this weekend involve throwing a 4th of July barbeque, you can find free printable party invitations here: http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/4th-of-july-free-printable-invitations.html. 

Don’t forget to give your loved ones a free printable 4th of July Greeting Card from here: http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/printable-4th-of-july-greetings-cards.html.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Well my ads are now showing. I have two complaints: the ads that are displayed are not  targeted.  No one is interested in clicking on any of the ads because they are not targeted. I have made about $1.86 for 12,965 impressions since I started using Adbrite last week. See some of the ads I’ve been getting:

Sometimes I’ll look and see a Network Solutions ad, which I don’t mind, but the problem is the ad would be in both ad blocks. I decided to remove my second image and text ad zone and fill it in with Commission Junction until I can have the text only ad zone set up.  That way I won’t get the same ads. The text only ad zone is set up now but there are text ads for schools, credit cards and some type of people finder.

There doesn’t seem to be many advertisers for my niche but I’m going to give it a little bit longer.

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

We have been looking for a boat for a long time and finally have bought one. It is a 2001 Crownline 242CR.

Here are some pictures:

This boat has everything that we wanted. My husband had to drive 700+ miles to bring it back to Memphis, Tennessee. The boat has been unused for a while so we (my husband) have to get everything back up to 100%. There are some minor things that need to be fixed like a leak in the sink and we also want to install a marine air conditioner. It get soo hot! I’m looking for a Krusin Kool portable air conditioner. It looks like they don’t make them anymore so I’m looking to buy a used one. It’s shaped like a briefcase and it can be placed in the cabin.

Owning a boat is so much fun. We went fishing like 3 times already. It’s so cool to just walk up to the dock and get in the boat and cruise. I caught a bass fish yesterday. Here’s a pic:

Of course I didn’t reel him in because I was scared to touch him. That’s what husbands are for Here’s a picture that can be used as wallpaper of where I caught my fish:

[download Sardis Lake wall paper] Right click and save to your computer.

Initially we thought we’d keep the boat at our cabin but the boat is too big for that. Wouldn’t fit through the driveway. I think we’ll clear out some trees at the cabin so that we can store the boat there next year.

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Here’s an update on my computer problems. For those that don’t know I got a virus in January that crippled my computer. I bought a new Dell computer with Windows Vista and kept getting the blue screen about every 5 or so minutes. It turns out there was some problem with the ATI graphics card and Windows Vista. Neither company has a fix for the problem. I don’t understand why it is ethical for Dell to sell a computer with products that are not compatible with one another. I read several stories of other people who have had the same problem with the ATI graphics card and Vista:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/256484-33-4800-series-drivers-blue-screen
http://www.analysisuk.ws/blog/index.php?/archives/41-Vista-64-Blue-Screen-Hell.html

I couldn’t take loosing my work every 5 minutes, so I wound up formatting the computer that had the virus and reinstalling all of the software. I like XP much better anyway.

Now my issue is that my computer won’t read any SD card. I put the sd card in the slot and nothing happens. I checked out Microsoft Support Knowledgebase and saw that they had a hot fix for the problem although there is no way to actually download the fix. I contacted Microsoft support thinking they would give me the fix or tell me where to download it from, instead they told me to contact Gateway. See the email from Microsoft:

———————————————————————————-

Windows XP Media Center Edition is only distributed as an OEM version. This means it comes pre-installed with computers. I recommend contacting your computer manufacturer for further assistance. They will be in a better position to assist you with the issue you are experiencing.

…You can also contact Microsoft Support Professionals, who are specialized to handle these issues, on a Pay-Per-Incident basis by calling (800) 936-5700. They are available from 5 A.M to 9 P.M Monday to Friday and from 6 A.M to 3 P.M on Saturday and Sunday.

———————————————————————————-

In other words I’ll have to pay Microsoft for the hot fix. Before I do that I decided to contact Gateway and they basically blew me off. Here’s the response that they sent me:

———————————————————————————-

Thank you for contacting Gateway. I would be happy to assist you with the SD card issue.

However with the serial number CCH6691001736 we can’t pull up the system details.

> So kindly fax the proof of purchase details to 254-298-4231.

> The proof of purchase details should include the following details

-Name

-Phone number

-Address

-Serial number

-A short statement that the fax is for proof of purchase.

-All information should be typed or written in black or blue ink.

If there any changes in the details, it will take 48-hrs to update with our database.

So, wait for the required time.

After that, we will support.

After faxing the POP you may contact our Level 2 support within 48 hours.

For that, you may contact our voice support whom are available 5 AM to 12 midnight PT seven days a week and they will escalate you to the Level 2 support.

Voice Technical Support   : 1-800-846-2000*

Long-distance charge may apply, depending on your calling area.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://support.gateway.com/

Thank you for contacting Gateway,

Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support
———————————————————————————-

That’s ridiculous! How am I going to have a great day after that email? I purchased the Gateway GM5088 Windows Media Center computer in 2005 or 2006 from Best Buy and have no idea of where the receipt is. They didn’t bother to keep any records of the sale so now I’m made to feel like I “stole” the computer and given 0 help. Wonderful! I gotta say I’m not surprised! All the big companies want to do is pass the buck! Customer service is virtually non-existant!

Obviously I have to solve this problem myself. I tried to use an old sd card reader that I had but it didn’t work either. I’m going to buy a new card reader and maybe it will. If not, I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this problem yet. I’ve had to use another computer to transfer pictures from my digital camera’s sd card to a flash drive and then to my main computer. It’s a real pain in the butt! Enough of my ranting  I guess

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

I’ve been hearing about Adbrite for a few years and decided to give them a try.  Adbrite can help publishers such as myself generate revenue for their website. A plus is that Adbrite also allows publishers to sell their own ad inventory on their website and set the prices.

I recently put the Adbrite code on a few of my websites pages (and deleted Adsense as they are not compatible).  Apparently I signed up in 2008 (don’t remember) but never added the code to my website.  I am now waiting for the ads to appear in the 3 zones that I selected. I chose one 728×90 ad block at the top of all of my web template preview pages and a 300×250 ad block at the top left of the template preview pages and template search engine page. I am anxious to see how relevant the ads are and how much the payouts are.

While I am waiting for the ads to appear, the ad blocks are blank and read “Advertise on this site”. Yes, I make $0 money while the zones are not showing ads. I read that it could take up to 24 hours for the ads to appear.

I thought it would be less but It doesn’t look like it.  I’m not happy that it takes so long to see what the ads will be but will remain open minded. I hope that I set up the zones correctly and added enough keywords. I won’t know anything for sure until the ads Network appear. Hopefully by Saturday there will be ads in the zones.

If you want to join Adbrite with me here’s the join button:

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Fathers Day is coming up this weekend, June 21, 2009. If you’d like to show your love and affection to your father for the awesome job that he does, why not download a free printable greeting card. There are 16 Fathers Day Greeting Cards to Choose from so I know you’ll find one that you like.

[download free printable Fathers Day greeting cards]

The greeting cards are quarter fold greetings, meaning you fold an 8 1/2 sheet of paper in half and then fold it in half again to create a single greeting card. The inside of the card is blank and you can write a few words to thank your dad for all he does.

If you want to say happy Fathers day to your Grandpa, pick up a free greeting card here.

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

The long Memorial Day weekend is coming up. If you are having a backyard bbq this weekend and need an easy way to invite friends and family over for your party, you’re in luck! We have a couple of free Memorial Day party invitations that you can download for free from our website. The Memorial Day party invitations have barbeque and grilling scenes on them. To use them simply print them out and fold them up. Download the free party invitations here:

http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/free-printables/printable-memorial-day-bbq-party-invitations.html

If you want to send a loved one a Memorial Day greeting card we have those as well. You can download them here:

http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/printable-memorial-day-greetings-cards.html

Don’t forget to make an envelope for your party invitation or greeting card using our printable envelope guide. I’ve received lots of emails from my site visitors saying they love the envelope and would love to hear your feedback as well.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Mother’s Day is tomorrow, May 10, 2009. For those of you who have let time get away from you, you can download and print out free printable mothers day greeting cards to give to your mother. A bouquet of pretty flowers and words from your heart will mean more to her than anything else. It will also let mom know that she is special to you. Kids love printable projects like this which they can create greeting cards themselves.

There are 20 different printable greeting cards to choose from. The Mother’s Day Greeting Cards have graphics that display all kinds of flowers and floral arrangements that moms like such as: roses, sunflowers, cala lilys, azaleas and more.

To make your own printable greeting cards all you need is the Adobe PDF Reader software (FREE), your home printer and your Creativity! The inside of each of the Mother’s Day greeting cards is left blank so that you can add your own customized message.  Kids can add stickers or whatever else they think they’re mom will love.

[ Download Printable Mother’s Day Greeting Cards ]

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Cinco De Mayo or the 5th of May is a fun celebration of Mexican heritage and pride through out the United States. How to celebrate? If you aren’t throwing a party, be tropical, lie on the beach, have a frozen margarita, or go eat some Taco Bell!

If you’d like to wish that someone have a happy Cinco De Mayo you’ll find a bunch of printable greeting cards here:

http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/printable-cinco-de-mayo-greetings-cards.html

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com

Everybody is talking about the Swine Flu. Twitter is abuzz about it. Swine Flu does not come from eating pork but it’s a highly contagious disease which can kill the young, old and sickly. The symptoms of swine flu are similar to your typical flu, fever, cough, headache and muscle aches. This strain also causes vomiting and diarrhea.

I didn’t think it was a big matter of concern because there have been no reported cases in Memphis, Tennessee or the state of Tennessee for that matter. My son told me that some kids came to school with masks on their face. I have heard that some child in a Collierville private school may have the H1N1 flu virus. They tested him at St.Jude and have sent the tests to the Centers for Disease Control. So this is very close to home. The health officials are saying they don’t want you to be fearful but they want you to take steps not to catch it. Wash your hands a lot and use hand sanitizer.

The TMZ website had a few commercials (made in the 70’s) that talk about the Swine Flu. If it really spreads like that we all should be wearing masks. BTW, I’ve heard you can’t find any of those surgical masks in the stores so I bought some off of eBay. Thank goodness for eBay:)

Some blogger says he made $2,750 in two days with a blog post about the flu. Wow, check it out here:
http://foolblogger.com/swine-flu-effect-on-my-earnings/.

Enjoy!

Gina

Content © 2009 Hoover Web Design http://www.hooverwebdesign.com