Kindle Fire

Last year I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and lately I have been using it like crazy. With only two months left in the semester I've been finishing up a lot of my course work and have had some extra time on my hands. I've always loved reading and love that I can have new books at my fingertips.

You can look at all of the technical stuff about the Kindle Fire and the new Fire HD on Amazon, but these are my personal reasons for why a Kindle is great for a college student. 

• It's easier to carry around campus than a laptop, or multiple books. I still take my class notes by hand so I hate lugging around my heavy laptop just to use during a class or lunch break. The Kindle easily fits in my backpack and I don't have to wait for it to load every time I turn it on.
• Books on a college student's budget. Even though I love reading, I can't afford to buy a new book every week. The library at my school is an academic library so their "pleasure reading" section is limited. With my Kindle I can borrow books, get free books, and I always take advantage of the 100 books for under $3.99 that Amazon has each month. Plus, Amazon gift cards also make a great gift for book buying. 
• Textbooks. I have bought one of my books for school on the Kindle and loved that I didn't have to carry around another book and I could still highlight and take notes like I would with a regular book. Also, I loved being able to search for key words during a class discussion or when working on an assignment. 
• Easy to use. I have a basic knowledge of how to use computers but I am definitely not an expert. The Kindle is super easy to use and I've never had any problems trying to figure out how something works. For example, the Kindle Fire is integrated with Amazon so that all of your book, video, or app purchases are directly linked to your Kindle. You don't have to worry about downloading anything.
• Unlimited cloud storage. Don't worry about  running out of memory or space on your Kindle. All of your purchases are available and stored automatically.

Why did I choose a Kindle over an Ipad? The main reasons were cost and simplicity. I already have a laptop and I like to take my class notes by hand so I don't need the extra features of an Ipad. The Kindle has internet access, the ability to watch videos and download apps, as well as books. That was really all I needed and it comes at an affordable price.

I haven't had any problems with my Kindle Fire so far and I love using it. I think it would make a great gift for any college student that likes to read. I also looked a long time for a Kindle cover that I liked and I chose this one from Vera Bradley:

It would make a great gift as well. Like I said, these are just my personal reasons for why the Kindle is so great. Definitely check out Amazon's website to look at all of the features and check out the new Kindle Fire HD!



Fundraising Raffle Baskets

My apartment is currently being taken over by raffle baskets! I am in an organization called Norse Leadership Society and this week we are selling raffle tickets to raise money for care packages for our military.

Everyone got donations and I put them together into baskets. We are selling tickets for $1 or 6 tickets for $5. People can buy tickets for three days and then we are having the drawing at our trivia night event. This is a great way to fund raise for your organization or philanthropy.

Here are some basket ideas that we are using:

 

Men's Basket: Bottle opener, body wash, shampoo, movie, shooter set, coozies, croakies, golf balls, and snacks

 

Women's Basket: hair products, scent set, movie, manicure set, lotion, id holder, loofah, picture frame, journal, notecards, picture album, make-up bag, etc.

 

Dorm Basket: Blanket, dish rags and towels, school supplies, bathroom set, air freshener, snacks

 

Chocolate and Coffee Lovers: Variety of chocolates including Esther Price box, Lindt truffles, and Godiva, coffee mug, Starbuck's instant coffee, coffee creamer, Starbuck's gift card

 

School Spirit Starter Kit: banner, pom-poms, car decal, lanyard, Tervis tumbler, traveling mug, folder

 

We also have a carpet cleaning gift certificate and a  "Night Out" basket with zoo tickets and gift certificates to the movies and various restaurants.

To make the baskets look really nice I got cellophane and ribbon from the dollar store to dress them up.

Hope you enjoy these ideas!

 

 

 

 





Having a Great Boss

This summer I had the pleasure of working with some really great staff at NKU in the New Student and Parent Programs Office. I have truly found that the people in this office genuinely care about NKU and its students. Working for them has helped me grow as a person since they are not only great bosses, but also great mentors.

I wanted to show my appreciation for all of their hard work. Here is a gift that you can adapt to use for your boss or a co-worker that you appreciate.

Supplies:

Container: tumbler, coffee mug, desk organizer

Various Office Supplies: I went with pens and post it notes. Other ideas: rubber band ball, paper clips, binder clips, labels, etc.

Candy:It's a bonus if you know their favorite type

A handwritten note of thanks

Notecards

I made this note cards and wrote a personal message on each one to stick in the cups. I trimmed two different colors of card stock to the sizes I wanted. Using a circle punch, I cut the apples out from a piece of patterned paper. I then inked around the edges of the smaller card stock and the circle before putting it all together.

This gift is super simple, useful, and a great way to show your appreciation for someone you work with. Give this gift just because, or adapt it for a special occasion like a promotion, beginning of the school year for a teacher, or welcoming someone new to your office.