Solitude.

Canning 2013

I hope to show our jars from our canning event tonight. We did 6-8 large jars and probably 8-10 pints of pickled beans. These beans we grow in our own garden, and there are hot peppers from our garden in the jars as well.

Do you grow veggies?

Do you do any canning?

White Wines

Just so you know, white wines are not created equal. Take, for instance, Turning Leaf's 'Crisp White' wine. I bought it because I was looking for a new white wine and I knew from previous purchases that Turning Leaf wines were superb.

'Crisp White' is crisp, yes, but it's also somewhat sparkling or lightly carbonated - something I did not expect from a white wine. The aroma, when I took a sniff from the newly-opened bottle, was slightly sweet. Groan! I don't like sweet wine! Imagine my surprise when, after sipping from my glass, I found it to be very crisp and not sweet at all! Sure, there's a hint of sparkle or carbonation, but it's a welcome surprise!

Kudos to Turning Leaf for their imagination and ability to create new things which keep consumers coming back for more!

Freebie Finds

Do you like to get free samples in the mail? It seems ages since the day of companies sending things without us having to ask for them. Nowadays, we get to scour the net in search of these gems. I love a good freebie just like the next person, and you may as well. I'll post things I find that I hope you'll enjoy, and remember, these aren't being sent by me, personally, so don't complain if you request something and it doesn't come. ;-)

Bio-35 Nutritional Supplement

Brew Over Ice Snapple K-Cup Pack - You need to say that you own a Keurig in order to get this.

Oh, Happy Mail Day!

What to my wondering eyes did appear but a happy brown box on my doorstep. I thought to myself, "I didn't order anything, did I?" Then I remembered I'd ordered a FREE Kindle Fire with the points I'd earned from scanning my purchases for National Consumer Panel these last eight years. May as well get something for all that trouble! Actually, scanning isn't that bad - it's just time consuming. If you're interested in earning reward points for scanning (they send you a scanner for free along with instructions), go here: and sign up. The information that you scan is transmitted weekly via phone line. We don't have a traditional land line but instead have VOIP, so I had to replace my original scanner with an Internet-based one. It's still easy to use.

Well, I've gotten completely off topic! The Kindle Fire is very cool! I already have a Kindle 3G Wi-Fi model but after viewing the NCP rewards catalog, I decided the best thing (for me) was the Kindle Fire. I cannot wait to play with it! It has apps and Internet which I am not used to, except if you count my smartphone which has those as well. I am eager to see if I can purchase magazine subscriptions (my husband will love not having more paper coming into the house) as well as books from eHarlequin (which are not available for non-app Kindles). I will have fun playing with this thing!

It's gotta be a sign

After perusing the online work-at-home job listings this morning, I found the same ad I'd seen a couple weeks ago for a Verifications Researcher. Is this a sign? Should I type up a resume, pronto? How does one type one up pronto in the first place? I haven't made a resume in over 14 years! The job would be part-time (20 hours a week) and it is something I do have some experience in, so maybe I should pursue it. My fear would be not having the time but perhaps I should just give it a whirl and see how it goes.

Money money money

First of all, my sincere apologies for not posting since February. EEK! To glom it all together, since then, I have been to Vancouver, Washington and Disneyland. I have applied for college. I have cooked and baked myself into oblivion. I have planted a garden that is overflowing with green beans and zucchini. I've had houseguests, illnesses, stress, and then the real kicker - lack of funds. So comes the topic for today: Money.

Back in February, I came upon a blog of a woman who was a stay-at-home mom but the thing that I liked about her blog was that she offered suggestions for work-at-home opportunities and other ways to get extra cash, online. From her site, I clicked on a link for Fusion Cash and signed up (love this, they do actually send checks [and PayPal and Direct Deposit, if you prefer that]) and I also reinstated my account with Clix Sense (which I'd abandoned a few years earlier for no apparent reason, probably due to lack of time). Anyway, since my husband is a starving student (heck, we are all starving for funds in this house), I decided to click away on Clix Sense and found an ad for this thing called Instant Payday Network. Sounds great, right? Apparently all I needed to do was to sign up on a couple sites that then request me to refer people and voila' - instant money! I backed out of the screen when it wanted a bunch of info (what do they really need all that for anyway???) that I wasn't willing to give to a site that I knew nothing about.

Off to RatRaceRebellion.com to look for more at-home jobs. Like I really need MORE to do in my spare time? What's the name of this blog, anyway??? There was a job that I really wanted to do but it was for 20 hours a week and I really don't have that extra time right now. I tend to bite off more than I can chew. I don't know why that is.

Anyway, this post is more of a rambling mess than anything. Sorry! I just felt like talking about this whole work-at-home or earn-money-online thing. If anyone who reads this is curious about Fusion Cash, I have a referral link (by no means am I making you sign up for anything!!) which you can click on to go learn more. That link is

And also, with Clix Sense, my link is

Hello!

Say 'hello' to February! Where is this year going, already? Time does fly.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I've just been really busy. Work and things, you know how it is, right?

Today I have the issue of a teenage son who just wants to sit in his room. The floor needs vacuuming, and that's his job, but he sits in his room. Can I just sit around and not work? Would I still get paid? No. I'd get fired. It'll be interesting when the time comes for him to get a job! He actually did apply for a dishwashing position at a local restaurant (a week ago) but hasn't heard anything yet. In fact, he's supposed to call today and ask about it. Has he done that? No. I was going to take him up there later, on my way to picking up my other son, so he could speak with the manager. Why are teens so LAZY?????