Yes, it sure is pretty. I promptly used it to purchase another prepaid phone card, $20 for 700 minutes at Costco.

I found some phone cards that were even cheaper online, but I had never heard of the company (Nobel, I think it was) and when I asked the rep with an accent where he was from, he told me "Romania." Well, it immediately reminded me of that TV commercial for some phone service where the customer service reps are from...Romania. So I felt nervous and later found Costco did still carry the Verizon calling cards I've used before, but you just have to buy them online.

Now I will religiously carry this baby with me wherever I go. The rep on the phone said I only needed to spend $500 in 3 months to earn $200 back, not the $3,000 it indicates online. What's up with that? I guess I'll find out once I earn the points.

Once I earn my $200 bonus, I may just keep the card, not cancel it. Although you only earn the 5% on their designated categories, which change each quarter, AND you have to remember to "enroll" each quarter to get the 5%. Seems like a pain. And this quarter, it looks like they're pushing vacation charges cus their categories are gas, hotels and airlines. I can use it for gas, but that's about it. I'll only get 1% on all other charges. I guess it's ok, cus i really only got the card for the bonus.

I'm feeling motivated by people here like Lucky Robin who is so on top of her bills and money flow. So I hereby pledge to use my $200 bonus in this way:
1. $100 toward my depleted money market
2. $100 toward a mortgage prepayment

I think I'd like to treat my tax refund next year in the same manner.

So my current credit score is 778. It was updated about a week ago on Credit Karma. I'll keep checking there to wait and see how acquisition of this new card has or hasn't affected my score. I'm curious it it will do nothing at all, or perhaps bump it up a bit, because I've always been just a little credit light. In other words, not as many cards as the average person.

Today was the rare day when I didn't create a list of things to do. Still, I got some stuff done. I made good progress scraping off a 12" wide wall border in my spare bedroom. It was placed at about eye level, or a little higher, and now that it's off, the room seems so much more spacious. I think that wall border really served to stop your eye at that height and broke up the room, making it seem smaller. Once I'm finished with the wall border, I'll continue with the painting, using my totally free paint.

I also began the process of cutting back a large spirea before I dig it out. I divided another spirea and planted two more plants about 6 years ago, and now I regret it. One, because they are a pain to mow around, 2. Because they only look nice in spring in bloom and 3. Because black locust and trumpet vine was growing inside it and it was impossible for me to cut or dig them out, so I'm getting ride of all of it and will just plant grass there.

I'll continue working on it tomorrow. They're each about four feet wide and three feet high. With lots of branches.

I started watching a cable TV show on Hulu called I Survived. Ever catch it? I had to stop watching it after about 3 episodes and delete it from my queue because it was just too upsetting. It's about people who survived awful, life-threatening things, like an airplane crash, rape and bear attack. Told by the people themselves. Just too upsetting.

I read part of the Sunday paper that I get today and picked many more tomatoes today. I have enough to freeze a second batch for winter soups. Will do that tomorrow too.