Stacey McGregor

Weddings are stressful. The litany of decisions that have to be made leading up to the big day is seemingly endless. What font to use on the invites? What colour dress is the bride going to wear: white, almost white, somewhat white, kinda white, not super white but can pass as white, red? What about catering and decorations? Chocolate cake or vanilla cupcakes? What about flowers? The list goes on. And to add even more stress, whether you’re the bride, the groom, or in the bridal party, you’re going to be photographed more in the span of a few hours than ever before, so you know you’re going to want to look your best. That’s where juicing comes in.

So, you’ve just purchased a brand spanking new, top of the line 65” 3D HDTV. You can’t contain your excitement. All you want is to get this new addition to your family out of the box and plugged into the wall so you can get started on your House of Cards marathon. I don’t blame you. In fact, I’m a little jealous. Now comes the question – to mount or not to mount? The ideal situation is to mount your TV on the wall above a TV stand that holds all your home entertainment components, but you can also go the TV-stand-only route. Here are the pros of mounting your TV on the wall, and some mount and TV stand options.

Every year an organization called Harris Interactive measures and rates the reputations of 100 of the world’s most visible companies. In the 2015 report, Sony was ranked as #13, which is pretty impressive considering how many big brands there are out there these days. So it makes sense that if you are looking at setting up a new home theatre system that you put Sony products at the top of your list. Here are two options for you to consider – one for bigger budgets and one for more modest budgets.

When I think of a “robot” two things happen. First, I picture the iconic droid C-3PO from the Star Wars movie franchise. Second, I involuntarily start to sing the 1980’s Styx classic Mr. Roboto … Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto, Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto. But a robot isn’t necessarily a shiny golden humanoid or the subject of an annoyingly catchy song … Secret, secret, I’ve got a secret. In fact, according to Webster’s dictionary, a “robot” is “a device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks” or “a mechanism guided by automatic controls.” So by those definitions, it’s clear that we are truly surrounded by robots. Don’t believe me? Here are some fun and some functional items that are robots by definition. You might even have one of these at home already!

When I was in Grade 3 my mom enrolled me in Ukrainian Cross Stitch lessons. I had always been a creative child, but cross-stitch took my abstract painting and Play-Doh-ing to a whole new level. There’s something inspiring about being able to look at a pile of “stuff” and see something beautiful. It’s almost like being a MacGyver of sorts. Some might see a twig and a glue stick. I see a beautiful centerpiece. The thing is, to craft like a pro you don’t just need the desire to do so, but you need the right tools and an organized space.

Today, not only does technology make household appliances a whole heck of a lot quieter than they used to be, but it makes life a whole heck of a lot easier as well. All you need to do is look at Samsung’s range of appliances to see how.

Let’s be honest. Wires suck. They’re ugly, intrusive, binding, and seemingly everywhere you look. We’re right smack dab in the middle of an era where we all have so many personal electronic devices and gadgets that it seems as though every electric outlet in our homes needs an adapter to accommodate many more inputs than the two for which it was designed. That’s why I was happy to review the new Polk Omni S2 Wireless Speaker. I’ve been looking for a new wireless speaker for my home office for some time now … and the Polk Omni was given the honour of being my first guinea pig.

I’m by no financial expert, but I have two things going for me that have made me somewhat of a pro in the “know where your money is going” category. First, I work for a large financial institution and part of my gig is to understand what we all “should” be doing with our finances. Second, my financial history is very similar to the Titanic—an epic fail—so I have had to make changes in my life to avoid future “icebergs.” So with that said, here are some tools, tips, and tricks to help you know where your money is going and be a financial rock star in 2015 and beyond.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine exercising without music. Not only does it motivate me to work harder—especially when certain pop anthems from more than a decade ago come on (like Toxic by Britney Spears … don’t judge me)—but music helps to pass the time and gives me something to concentrate on other than how sweaty I am and how smelly the guy is on the treadmill next to me. I’ll suggest a couple great headphones that can help keep fitness fun for you, and for the people around you.

One morning last week, I woke up with such a terrible pain in my neck and shoulder that I thought I had been stabbed in my sleep. As soon as I realized that I watch far too many crime dramas on TV, I managed to wrench myself out of bed and get ready for the day ahead. Considering the fact that I had done nothing even remotely strenuous the day before, I figured there could only be one culprit responsible for my agony—my pillow. My pancake flat, ancient, misshapen pillow that I love ever so much. But as it turns out, buying a new pillow isn’t as easy as you’d think! There are a tone of options out there. Armed with my newfound knowledge, I thought I’d share with you the 411 on pillows.