save with this idea

with spring on it's way and summer right on it's tail, the electric bill will soon be showing the effects of the s/c running again.  I live in FL so it's been running here for weeks.  but here's an idea to save a little electricity and money as well.

clean your filter!  no, I don't mean change it like you're supposed to.  I mean clean it.  I don't currently have one of the reusable ones for my a/c.  we keep saying we'll get one but yeah, it doesn't happen.  anyways, we use those regular, cheap a/c filters.  they claim they last 30 days.  pppffftttt!  yeah, right!  maybe in some house up north in the middle of a city.  not in a mobile home in FL on a dirt road with poultry and a pine farm next door.  so, once or twice a week, I vacuum that little baby off.  yes, really.  I get the filter out and vacuum it off.  it extends the life of the filter to the actual 30 days it claims and it saves electricity cause the a/c doesn't have to work so hard to pull the air!  when you're saving electricity, you're saving money (and the planet).

here's a random picture of one of my hens.  she likes the mimosa.  I guess it offers pretty good cover from the hawks.  she is one of the many reasons I have so much dust!

popularity pays!

we all know that I like to make money while being online, right?  well, I have decided to share a bit about one of those sites that brings in extra money for me.  that site is Calyp. 
now to explain the blog title.  they used to pay you per click on your ads.  due to abusive practices, they have changed it to now they pay you to endorse the ads.  how much you get paid depends on your "reach" or how popular you are.  wow, I think I just lost an IQ point there and went back to high school.  anyways, that's how they pay you.  if you have less than 500 friends/followers/connections then you get a piddly 20cents per share.  if you have 501 to 2000 then you get 40cents.  next level is 80cents and then there's another level where you get $2 per share!  you get paid once a month on a visa card, around the middle of the month.
you may be asking if it's worth it.  well, I tend to think it is.  I am in the second tier right now where I make 40cents per share.  since I can share 4 ads per day, I can conceivably make about $48 a month for just a few minutes a day.  that is not too bad!  I am pretty close to the third tier.  yep, you just did the math right.  I could make around $96 a month.  this of course depends on ads being available each day.  some days you may not have four new ads to post, so of course there's no money that day or only money for the new ones you post.
now for the realistic cons of the site.  the customer service is pretty lacking.  also they apparently have a rather pathetic knowledge of a calendar.  cause they will tell you that the card load date is the 10th.  that's not the day it's actually loaded onto your card, it's several days later.  but all that aside, I still recommend it for a pretty little chunk of money each month for very little work.
if you don't have the reach, why not get the reach?  get yourself a twitter account and get yourself some followers.  it's easy as pie!  need some help?  just ask and I will do what I can to help you out.  don't miss out on this easy money just for endorsing products.

Baby Shower Celebration Swaddle Designs Giveaway

I am joining in with Tots and Me to celebrate the birth of her baby boy.  Her baby shower celebration has been extended into April due to unforeseen circumstances. The review that follows is written by Tots and Me

A few weeks ago I shared a little bit about Swaddle Designs

We were sent an Angry Birds Body Suit and a Angry Birds Marquisette Blanket to try out. I have to tell you I was a little leery at first with it being Angry Birds. I had hardly ever heard of them. I was not sure if this was a show or a video game or what. And the name doesn't sound very babyish. (What can I say, I don't pay attention to popular culture, never have).  Little did I know that, 

"Angry Birds by Rovio is a phenomenally popular game.  Angry Birds is the

fastest growing brand in the world with over 600 million downloads.  Little

boys and girls, teens, men, women, grandmas and grandpas - all love playing

Angry Birds.  The game is entertaining to people of all ages, genders and

geographies, and is fun for family members to play together during snuggle

time"

After receiving the blanket and bodysuit I decided the Angry Birds were quite cute and suddenly my hubby was obsessed with the game on his phone. 

The blanket has become one of my favorites to wrap baby Harold up in. I have to say I have another Swaddle Designs receiving blanket. Right about the same time I was contacted with an affirmative from Swaddle Designs to help sponsor my Baby Shower Celebration, I also won an Ultimate Receiving Blanket. While I like the Ultimate Receiving Blanket I still struggle to swaddle with the material of this blanket being thicker. It is a lovely blanket and I use it for multiple things. However, the marquisette blanket is a thinner material and easier for me to swaddle with. Here is a description from their site:

" SwaddleDesigns Marquisette Swaddling Blanket is made from premium cotton in a lightweight open weave design. Marquisette is similar to gauze, however marquisette has a softer hand because of the finer threads and higher thread count. SwaddleDesigns offers the finest, highest quality lightweight swaddling cloths on the market."

I love the large size of these blankets. At first I struggled with them being so big. But after some practice, using the instructions sewn onto the blanket, I have been able to swaddle the baby successfully. 

Ta-da:

Sometimes he will calm down as soon as he realizes he is being wrapped up. 

The only problem I am having now is that he prefers his arms out.

By the way, the rolled up blanket that is helping to prop him up is an Ultimate Receiving Blanket. I have to practice some more with the thicker material to get it to swaddle nicely. But it makes a nice support or regular blanket. Plus I am sure it would make a great cover up for nursing or maybe a floor blanket for play when he gets older. 

The quality of both is remarkable, very highly recommended.

You may have noticed in the above pictures that he is wearing his Angry Birds bodysuit. I just love it. Swaddle Designs carries both long sleeve and short sleeve body suits. They sent us a short sleeve one to review. Which is perfect seeing as the weather is getting warmer. In the picture below it was a chillier day and he was wearing a long sleeve onesie underneath it. 

The quality of the body suit is wonderful. It is made of soft 100% cotton knit and has just the right amount of stretch to it. The neck opening expands perfectly, no snaps to worry about there. Speaking of snaps, the ones in the crotch area are great. Having had many baby outfits over the years, I have had snaps that are too hard to open, some that are too hard to close, some that are both. I also have dealt with snaps that won't stay closed. These snaps stay closed wonderfully and they are not too hard to snap or undo. Just right.

Once again, very highly recommended.

Okay, so I have to share two more pictures. I have tried the body suit with two different outfits and would love to know which you think is cuter. This will be in the Rafflecopter for some easy extra entries.

A) Over the top of a long sleeve onesie with red pants.

B) No extra onesie with denim pants.

The one concern I did have with the body suit is that the red rim cuff is a little tighter than some of the other body suits we have and it was a bit of a struggle to get the long sleeves pulled through without bunching up.  Other than that, the bodysuit is perfect.

You can purchase your own Angry Birds Bodysuits and marquisette receiving blankets, as well as many other designs from Swaddle Design.  The body suits come with your choice of bird in a small image or large image (as shown above).  The blankets come with your choice of bird or with the multi bird print (as shown above). Personally I like the multi-bird print. They also carry Ultimate Receiving Blankets, Swaddle Duos, Baby Lovies, Baby Burpies, zzZipMe Sacks and plush toys in the Angry Birds Collection. 

Don't forget to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

To help celebrate Baby Harold's birth, Swaddle Designs is offering one lucky reader their choice of Angry Bird body suit (in your choice of bird and size) or an Angry Birds Marquisette Receiving Blanket.

 Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. I have to mention that I know I do not usually have so many entries on my Rafflecopter forms. However, these wonderful ladies are helping to share my Baby Shower Celebration and I offered them a spot or two on said form. Remember, you don't have to fill in every entry (there are only 2 mandatory entries) but each entry you complete increases your chances for winning and I would love for you to follow these great ladies who are helping me.

Disclosure: I received  an Angry Birds Bodysuit and Marqisette Blanket for free as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and will be good for my readers.

baby shower celebration giveaway!

I am joining in with Tots and Me to celebrate the birth of her baby boy. Her Baby Shower Celebration has been extended into April due to unforeseen circumstances. The review that follows is written by Tots and Me.

A few weeks ago I shared a little bit about Picky Sticky

These milestone monthly onesie stickers are great! I have so far used 3 of the stickers. The pack I chose had a "0" month for newborn, and while I didn't get to use it on the day of baby Harold's birth (because I hadn't received them yet) I used them as soon as I could. 

Don't you just love the cute little dinosaur.

Each month the dinosaur is different.

These hand designed stickers are super cute and so easy to use. They come packaged in a cellophane package and each month's sticker is on it's own backing. 

They come off very easily and are a cinch to apply to your baby's onesie. As they are transparent you can choose whatever color plain onesie you think will complement your design. When you are done taking your pictures the sticker comes off easily and can even be reused. I decided to put mine on a sheet of computer paper onto which I will then write any special memories as they happen in the coming month. I plan to keep the papers in baby Harold's baby book. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with to reuse your stickers. (It is almost Earth Day after all). There are so many designs to choose from. Check out the Picky Sticky site. There are choices for boys and girls and even neutral stickers for those who prefer NOT to know the gender of their baby beforehand. In addition there are First Milestone Stickers and Belly Stickers for pregnant mommies. I think these would make a wonderful baby shower gifts and right now they are on sale (the sets that are usually $19.95 are currently $12.95).  They also offer free shipping for orders over $20.00 Don't forget to check Picky Sticky out on Facebook and on their blog. Of course, as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration you have a chance to win a set of your very own Picky Sticky Monthly Milestone Onesie Stickers. Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. I have to mention that I know I do not usually have so many entries on my Rafflecopter forms. However, these wonderful ladies are helping to share my Baby Shower Celebration and I offered them a spot or two on said form. Remember, you don't have to fill in every entry (there are only 2 mandatory entries) but each entry you complete increases your chances for winning and I would love for you to follow these great ladies who are helping me. Disclosure: I received  a set of Picky Sticker Monthly Stickers for free as a part of my Baby Shower Celebration. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and will be good for my readers.

dangerous foot fashion mistake

did you know that not only is wearing socks with your knock-off crocs a fashion don't, it's also a safety hazard? well, it is!

yep, that is me in my knock-off crocs and socks. that's how I do yard work. the shoes are cheap and light. the socks keep my feet from getting filthy, well mostly. they're also my husbands so too big for me. I LOVE them!!! anyways, about them being a safety hazard... 

we had a small fire in the yard. the poultry yard to be exact. grass was pretty dry. okay, we're talking drought conditions and it was really overgrown. not good at all! so, it caught fire just out of reach of the hose. so me being the brave one that I am decided to help stomp out the parts that were heading into the pasture. yes, I did this while wearing my ever so fashionable knock-off crocs and socks! so, there I am stomping out little fires with my oversized foam shoes on. 

it was going great! the flames were being smothered! I was doing a great job! then my foot got to feeling hot. so I started to use the other foot. what a stroke of pure genius! yes, the other foot! so there I go again, stomping out the little fires. they're all dying beneath my feet. it's awesome. I'm saving the pasture! I'm saving the cow farm behind us! I'm saving the pine farm next door! I am woman hear me ROAR! 

oh wait, now that foot is getting hot. ouch, real hot! I pull my foot out of the shoe. wow, my sock is singed. I check the other foot. yup, that one is singed too. yeah, you know those holes in the sides of the shoes. the flames, angry at me for stomping on them decided to climb in and burn my feet! can you believe that? totally rude. burned my feet. and of course cause I am just that cool, it was in fact both feet. but at least I had my socks on so it was only the fuzz from the socks that got burned. but yeah, learn from me... it's a fashion don't and also a safety hazard! those holes mean fire can crawl right on in there and bite ya!

it's Raining CASH!!!! giveaway :-)

  Welcome to the $550 It's Raining Cash Giveaway hosted by Giveaway Promote.   We've joined a fantastic group of bloggers to give away $550 in cash via PayPal to one lucky person. Just complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.   Bloggers, join us in an upcoming giveaway event! Sign up and we'll keep you posted about future group events, like this one, hosted by Giveaway Promote. If you'd also like to hear about all other events currently open for blogger sign-ups, subscribe to Giveaway Promote's weekly group giveaway events and hops newsletter.  

This giveaway is open worldwide. It will end at 11:59pm EST on April 29th, 2012.

smells like a BBQ

it smells like a BBQ in here thanks to some wildfires.

this is the view from the front of my house.  that road is a mile long almost exactly.  usually I can see most of the way down it.  today I can barely see the crossroad one block up.

this is the view from the back of my house.  our property goes to the other side of those big trees.  of course these pictures don't really do it justice.

this morning would have been perfect for open windows.  it was cool with a light breeze.  it was that breeze that blew all this smoke in though.  I can't wait til the fire is out.

my random thoughts on the hunger games trilogy

yes, I am sure you've seen many reviews on this trilogy.  but I'm throwing my pennies into the mix.

pros - it was really well written.  the characters were well developed and it was easy to relate to most of them.  most of the time it was a real page turner and hard to put down.

cons - the ending was really a let down.  in my humble opinion it was as if they were just tired of writing the books and quickly ended it with a minimum of fuss and resolution.  yes, the two that I was pulling for did end up together but it was just so sudden an end.

would I recommend the books?  sure.  they were a good read.  I had all three done in less than two weeks.  I can generally read a book in less than two days but things have been nuts here with spring cleaning and a sickness that is moving in cycles through the house.  I did enjoy the books and may one day read them again.  I'm not convinced I will see the movies for them though.  I am often very let down when books go big screen. 


so there are my pennies.  one of them is shiny and the other a little tarnished but they're mine and I am tossing them in the barrel!




I started reading Stealing Jenny last night...  I'll let ya know what happens.  as in if I finish it or it goes to unfinished bookland like Mayhem did (I started it but stopped probably 1/3 of the way through due to being irked that none of it made sense to me).

Passover Rhapsody

to you and yours....  have a great weekend!

the book samaritan

 have you ever heard of the book samaritan?  if you're a homeschooling family, you can't afford not to have heard of them!  they are a group that gives out free homeschooling books and supplies to families that need some help.  most home school families are one income families and can use a little help in getting all the books needed to school their child or children. 

this picture shows most of what I was sent last year for my three older children (the toddler is not old enough for this yet).  do you see those Bob books!?!  yeah, all those were just given to us!  it's been such a huge blessing to us the past couple years.  we do buy items ourselves so it's not like they're covering everything for us.  this shipment was in response to me asking for mainly math and reading materials.  we don't live terribly close to a library so I prefer to own lots of books for the children.  I could not believe how much we got. 

if you're a homeschooling family with things you no longer need, you can donate them to the book samaritan as well.  that is how they have this much to give out to families who are struggling.  I have a box ready to go out to them myself when I can afford the shipping.  even with media mail shipping it still costs and honestly, money is tight!  but I plan to have it sent out by summer so it can be sent out to families for the next school year.

so, seriously, check them out.  the website is being redone right now but still, what they do is so awesome!

trying to read a series

as has been stated many times in my life, I am not normal.  I finally decided to tackle reading the hunger games books.  not because I want to see the movie but because I had a bunch of friends say how awesome it is.  well, it took me several chapters into the first book to get hooked.  now I am at part II of book two.  I have hit a point where in all honesty I could walk away from it.  I will finish it just out of my need to finish things (unless they are horrid).  I mean I even finished reading a stupid book I got for free off amazon for my kindle.  it has nearly 5 stars but was dumb in my opinion.  it lacked any real endings!  but finish it I did!  so I will endure to the end of the hunger games.

oh on a totally off note - I left my first book review on amazon!  wanna check it out?  it's here :-)