The Fun Of E-Bay Without Spending Money

I've been having some fun with this site for the past couple weeks.  Its called Listia and its like a combination of E-Bay and Freecycle. It's an auction site that uses credits to bid for things other people are looking to get rid of.  

 There are plenty of things to do to get free credits from watching videos, doing surveys and of course posting auctions of things that have been cluttering up your home but are in good shape and would be a shame to throw away.  Then you turn around and bid for things you want  Everything from gardening supplies and video games to clothes and sporting goods.  So far I've won three times 

This adorable green pot that I"m going to use to repot my orchid.

Stationary items that I gave to my daughter to send letters to her friends.

Vintage Jewelry (shhhh they are going to be a stocking stuffer for Christmas!)

and this collectors Christmas Carols book.  

They were all free ...even shipping and handling though you have to watch some ask for shipping costs some don't so look what your getting into before you bid.  Want to give it a try just click here:

LISTIA

Quick Pad Thai

I don't share recipes very often though I really should the right recipes can help you save a ton of money.  For instance the Hubby and I like to eat exotic fare Chinese, Thai, Indian, Greek .... so many choices so little belly space lol.  Eating out costs a fortune so when I come across a quick easy recipe for a favorite food I give it a try.  I found this recipe in a free calendar I got a the local home and garden show put out by the Iowa State University with recipes for healthy homemade meals.  This is also a great recipe if you have leftover chicken!

Quick Pad Thai:

6 oz Whole wheat thin spaghetti
2 tbls Vegetable oil, divided
24 oz Frozen vegetable mix (I used stir fry mix)
3 tbls light soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbls Sugar
1/2 lbs boneless Chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain in colander and toss with 1 tbls oil.
2.  Defrost veg in microwave for 5 min and drain well.
3. Combine soy sauce, water, peanut butter, and sugar in a small bowl.  Stir until smooth and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbls oil in large skillet over med high heat.  Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink.
5. Crack eggs into a small bowl and beat.  Add to pan with chicken and scramble until firm.  Add veg and spaghetti to the pan with chicken and heat through.
6. Add soy sauce mixture and stir to coat veg and spaghetti.
7. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle peanuts over the top.

This was so tasty that even my super picky son cleaned his plate!!!

Enjoy!

Natures Bug Control Has Paid Me A Visit

I just cleared out the weeds and planted yesterday but already one of Mother Natures insect control squad has paid me a visit!

Female Cardinal

Female Cardinal

Sorry the pictures are so grainy I took it through the screen in the window.  She would have flown away if I tried going to to take the picture.  

She is a Female Cardinal and she loves to eat bugs so I"m very happy to see her visiting my garden.

One Step At a Time

I've been working on the back yard a little at a time.  I start in the morning when it is still cool outside and work till I get too hot.  First I had to clean up all the garbage left around the back yard by the former owners.

You cant see it well and your probably thankful for that but this is a half a bag of rotting larvae infested bird seed left out in the back yard near the house.  Great way to attract rodents and bugs to your house don't ya think?

After getting rid of the garbage it was time to get rid of the weeds ...as you can see some of them were higher then the fence.  I actually had to stop after the first couple of minutes to hunt down which box had the leather work gloves.   There were weeds with stickers on them growing everywhere.

 Now I have a small garden started.  I picked up some seedlings from the local garden shop since I haven't gardened here in Florida I figured it was a great way to see what is growing right now!  I have tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peas and the pepper plants you see there were already growing so I just left them to keep going.

The black drip hose was already there and once I figured out how to hook it up I put it into use.  I also found several spray nozzles and a sprinkler in the mass of weeds.  Nothing like some free lawn care supplies.

Now I don't really want the garden up next to the house but since the space is already here and I don't have any where else prepared I figured it was a good start.  I'll have some nice fresh veggies while I set up a more permanent home.

Starting to Green Our New House

When I started this blog I mentioned how when I had a house of my own I would work on making it a greener home.  Using less resources seems rather important as humanity continues to grow in numbers.  We have over 7 billion people on this plant and unless there is a terrible plague or a giant meteor takes us out we will continue to grow with the same limited resources as always.  Every time we work on using less we help to relieve the burden we are placing on the planet.  It's the choices we regular everyday people make ever day that will help solve our problems.

Since the best place to start is in your own home that is where I"m starting too.  There was this cool feature in our home and one I hadn't considered but now want in all the bathrooms:  

Its a timer for the exhaust fan.  Think of how often you flip this thing on and forget to flip it back off.  I know it happens all to often in our house.  Exhausts fans are great for getting rid of stinky smells or all the humidity from your shower but they also suck out your air conditioning and heating.  Having a time is a great way to make sure you only use it as long as its needed and no worries about forgetting to turn it off!

Our first personal upgrade was going to be the insulation in the attic.  It needs to be thicker for maximum benefits but the hubby is still trying to figure out the best way to get it all done.  In the mean time the toilet in our bathroom had developed a leak at the bottom and needed replacing anyway (it was rather worn out).  So we got this one:  

two stage flush

As you can see it has two buttons on top.  The smaller one is for number 1 and the larger one is for number 2.  A great design to help save water and one we will be placing in all our bathrooms when the time comes!

Insert Favorite Swear Word Here " !@#$%$"

I was bringing in the garbage can from the curb and I felt something on my hand.  There was on little ant walking on the side of my hand.  I brushed it off and it started itching!  Next day the side of my hand hurt like hell and I had these six nasty little bumps.  This was .... My first Fire Ant Encounter!!!   After I found the first one I did notice there were about 100 on the lid of the trash can!  Nasty little buggers I'm glad I only ran into one!  

Fire Ant Bites

Where To Start

Well here it is my new back yard.  It's pretty much a blank slate but there are a few trees we are looking at getting rid of.  They seem to be dropping branches like crazy and are rather close to the house so for hurricane sake they have to go.  

Thinking of putting in a good size dog run on this side of the yard to help keep their mess in one area.

Tons of room but what to put where?

The last residents had a bit of a garden here mostly hot peppers.  This has got to move I don't want the food stuff growing so close to the house there are plenty of critters living around here and I don't want to draw them toward the house.

I can't decide what I want to do with all this space.  I know I want a dog run and a garden but that leaves me plenty of room.  I think I want some kind of patio near the door to help keep the sand out of the house and some grass but then what and where do I start?  If you know anyone who might have a suggestion send them my way will you?

No Luck Like Dumb Luck!!!

I was doing a little cleaning up of some of the potted plants the former owners left behind when they moved.  Silly me just grabbing leafs and yanking them off.  The hubby yells LOOK OUT!  as a big wasp flies by my head.  There must be a wasps nest over there .... 

I looked at the leaves in my hands and this is what I found right next to my hand.

I took this later after the wasps had left!

It was just dumb luck I didn't grab the sucker and get stung!

A Little Every Day

I have so much to do right now it makes my brains spin in a whirlpool of get it done.  The Yard is a giant mess of weeds, leaves that weren't raked last year, sticks sticks everywhere and more weeds.  I have tons of boxes to unpack and need to find a new job.  Some times it just makes me tired to think about!

I'm trying to get myself into a schedule (at least until I start work) starting with yard work first thing in the morning.  The heat and humidity during the day makes working all day in the yard out of the question ... at least until I get more use to it.  Yesterday I gathered up some of the yard debris to start up my compost bin it didn't take long but boy did I work up a quick sweat. There are so many leaves on the ground that I may have to set up a bigger compost bin.  There is no way my little tumble bin will handle it.  I started on this pile here

 It may not look like it but the leaves have been left there so long it was actually composting in place.  You can tell this is composting because every where else in the yard is all sand but here it looks like top soil.

Look at that rich earth under the leaves

I gathered up some of the already composted leaves as well as the stuff on top to give my bin a good head start.  I think I'll start in the tumble bin add plenty of good kitchen scraps to get a nice hot start. Then set up a second bin and dump the tumbled compost into the second bin to finish and start with more of the leaves from around the yard.  If I clean up one section of the yard every morning I should have it cleaned up in no time with out over doing it and wanting to quit.  

After that I have to figure out how I want to configure my back yard to meet all my needs.  I was hoping to catch a few episodes of Yard Crashers on HGTV (yes we have cable back the hubby insisted) but it turns out that the show has moved to the DIY channel which is part of the "sports and information" package and I'm not paying for a bunch of sports channels that I will never watch for the one show I would watch.  I won't be watching HDTV anymore either its no longer a home and garden channel now its all about buying and selling houses ... they need to change their name to the Real Estate channel.  Lucky for me their website still has plenty of good ideas so I guess I'll go take a look there.

Turkey Creek

We went to check out the local hiking trail here in Niceville called Turkey Creek.

Its a nice little hike with some swimming areas set up.  Its 3/4 of a mile one way so 11/2 miles round trip.  There were some canoes in the river we are not sure where they put in ...there is a place at the end of the trail but they didn't go by us on the way in so there must be another place outside the trail. Here are some pics of some of the wild life.  We went rather late in the day so there wasn't a lot but the snake we saw would make me think twice about swimming there.

Cotton Mouth ??? Maybe not sure

can you see the frog?

this isn't the best picture of the spiders that were all along the trail I'll have to try again next time

Turtles ... its weird we only saw them on one part of the trail the whole area was covered in water

Frog on a lily pad ...talk about cliche lol 

We Are Here

I got lots of updates for you but for now ...We have made it to Florida and obviously now have internet.  We are livablely unpacked but still have tons to go.  The dogs are enjoying their new backyard but I don't think the neighbors are enjoying the games of chase the squirrels the dogs have been playing.  We are keeping that game between 10 am and 5 pm  so at least we will hopefully not be keeping anyone awake.  We are not leaving them out all day but when they have to go do their duty before or after that we bring them right back inside to keep them from getting started.  The kids are not to happy since they have already started school but they are also excited about meeting new people so it balances out.  We went to our first Niceville High School Football game... these are really big deal down here the place was packed!  I'm still picking a spot to put my veggie garden and I've been talking to some of the locals about growing here.  The winter is suppose to be really good for cool weather veggies I can't wait.  I'll be sharing pics soon as I find my camera.

Thank You Tilly

Check out what came in the mail yesterday.  Tilly's Nest was having a contest and I won ... I"m so excited!

Now I can't wait to plant my garden when I get to Florida so I can try these goodies out.  They are a non-toxic and lasts all season long.  Both products are made of copper ... the slug shield wraps around individual plants to keep the slimy little buggers from climbing up and the slug shield goes around the edge of your plant bed or the edge or your raise beds, plant stands or anything else you might have your plants growing on.

I love visiting Tilly she has such cool ideas and some beautiful chickens ... its where I go to get my chicken fix since I can't have any of my own.  If you haven't stopped by you should go have a look around http://www.tillysnest.com/

And Thanks Tilly I can't wait to try out my new slug shields have a wonderful day!

Chipolte Just Became My Favorite Restaurants

Chipolte has become the first restaurant to label GMO food and not only that they plan to eliminate it where ever possible.. Check out the article on ENN (Environmental News Network)


Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability News: Chipotle Makes History by Becoming First Fast Food Chain to Tag GMOs


Hopefully this will encourage others to follow their lead.  I know there are lots of people who want to have more control over what goes into their bodies and the creators of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) want to keep us in the DARK.  I'm sorry but if their product was truly safe they wouldn't feel the need to hide it from everyone.

As more and more people develop illness and new allergies ....continue to grow ... you have to start looking around and wonder why.  Tobacco companies hid for years the research that said smoking made you very very sick so they could make a profit.  Who in their right minds would think that someone who actually HIDES their food so you don't know if your eating it or not wouldn't do the same damn thing!



Ok if you've been over to Cats and Dogs Turtles and Frogs this may look familiar it's because I accidently posted it there.  Thank you McGuffy for leaving a comment!

Happy Father's Day

To All The Father's Out There

I Hope Your Day is Spend

With The Ones You Love

And To All The Father's Who Can't Be With The Ones They Love

Thank You For Keeping Us Free

Get the Job Done and

Come Home Safe and Sound

Happy Fathers Day

Still Eating Rice

Well its been a crazy week...Trying to get everything sorted and gotten rid of.  We have moved so many times and never really sorted though all this stuff.  So it has built up over the years....Not quite to the point where I would have to have to call in Extreme Hoarders to help me clear everything out but enough that I"m tried of looking at it.  So I have been spending a lot of time sorting things into three piles.

Keep Donate and Trash. 

Its been working rather well for the most part though I have to admit sometimes I feel overwhelmed!  

I've have also been trying to get through the food stuff we have so we don't have to waste gas shipping it ...seems kind of silly to do that don't you think?  Anyway as you know I've been serving up rice by the tons  some recipes go over well some don't.  Tried it for Breakfast one day.  I cooked it up with cinnamon some maple syrup and raisins..   Didn't go over well with the kids and I have to admit something was missing... guess I'll figure that out later when I have more time lol.  Here are a couple of recipes that were a hit though ..Enjoy!

This first and second one I got out of The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery.. I love this set of books ...sometimes I just flip through them looking for interesting things to make.  I like it better then surfing the web because its easier to find new things you've never thought to look for!  Its rather hard to surf for something new when you don't know what your looking for  lol.  

Old Time Rice Pudding

1/2 c Uncooked Rice 

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 quarts milk

3/4 c raisins

Preheat oven to 325 Mix rice, sugar salt and nutmeg in a shallow 2/12 quart baking dish.  Add 2 quarts milk.  It suggests adding the 2nd quart after placing the dish in the oven to prevent spilling.  Bake for 2/12 hours stirring twice during first hour.  Stir the brown crust into pudding several times during the remainder of baking.  Add raisins 30 minutes before pudding is done.  Then allow crust to form again.  Serve with cream if desired.  

I took the left overs and placed it in small storage dishes so the kids could take it for lunch.

Baked Rice and Cheese

1 c uncooked rice

1 small onion minced

6 Tbls butter

3 Tbls flour

1tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp powdered mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire

2 c milk

1/2 lbs sharp cheddar cheese

3 Tbls fine dry bread crumbs

Cook and drain rice.  cook onion for 5 min in 4 Tbls butter.  Blend in flour and seasonings.  Gradually add milk and cook,  stirring constantly, until thickened.  Dice half of cheese and add to mixture, stirring until blended.  Slice remaining cheese.  Put half or rice in shallow 1/12 quart baking dish.  cover with layer of sliced cheese.  Pour half of hot mixture over top.  Repeat.  Sprinkle crumbs on top and dot with remaining butter.  Bake in oven that has been preheated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

This last one comes from http://allears.net

When we went to Disney we had lunch at Boma an all you can eat buffet that serves food from African.  Our one rule is that when we go to one of these restaurants you have to try something new.  Otherwise my extremely picky son would only eat the chicken nuggets, hotdogs and Pizza.  These place are too darn expensive to just eating that stuff.  Well At Boma my son took it to heart and tried EVERY single dish they had....   can you say in Shock ... Yep my super picky son tried every meat veggie and side dish they had ... not to mention dessert (like I was worried about him trying dessert).  Well his favorite dish there was the Koconut Rice and when I got home I started searching for the recipe..Imagine my delight when I found  All Ears with Tons of great Disney Recipes including Boma's Koconut Rice.  Well here it is and if you love Disney then you will want to check out all the other terrific recipes at Allears.net

Kokonut Rice
Boma
Animal Kingdom Lodge

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice (may substitute with jasmine or long grain rice)
2 tablespoons Canola or Vegetable Oil
½ teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/3 cup Spanish or Red Onion, small diced
1 cup Water
1 can Unsweetened Coconut Milk (shake can well as the milk separates)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Pinch White Pepper (optional)
¼ cup Grated Carrots
¼ cup Grated Sweetened Coconut
1 tablespoon Cilantro, finely chopped (may substitute with parsley) 

Method of Preparation:

1. Place oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté garlic and onions for one minute.

2. Add rice and stir until rice is coated with oil. Add water and stir well. Bring to a boil.

3. Add coconut milk, stir, and cover. Lower heat to a simmer. Let cook for 15 minutes undisturbed.

4. Remove lid and add reminder of ingredients except for the cilantro. Fluff and mix with a fork quickly. If rice looks too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

5. Replace lid and let simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and let set for five minutes. Fluff rice gently, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

10 Ways to Starve a Multi-National GMO Conglomerate

We have been hearing a lot about GMO (genetically modified organism) in our food lately and I for one would like to know which food have it and which don't.  If it is really as safe as they claim then why are they so worried about consumers finding out which foods they are hiding it in?  Well dollars speak louder then words and I for one do not want to spend any more money on mutant foods.. I found a nice article on ways to keep my cash out of the hands of those who mutate our food and I'm all for speaking with my wallet to those Dr. Frankensteins that continue to destroy the good food Mother Nature graced us with.  Here a link for those who would like to speak with their wallets too. 


10 Ways to Starve a Multi-National GMO Conglomerate | REALfarmacy.com | Healthy News and Information

Thirty Days Of Rice

Part of getting ready to move is cleaning out the pantry.  As I was sorting through it I found we have a ton of rice.  Well I don't feel like moving it so its time to scour my tons of cookbooks and the internet to come up with a large variety of ways to consume this copious amount of rice.

Last night I paired Rice pancakes with Corn Beef and Sweet potatoes.  All stuff from the freezer and cupboard that has to be emptied.  I got my first recipe from allrecipes.com.  I really like this recipe because it was simple and versatile.  Change the spices or add some leftover meat and you have a completely different flavor.

Here is the recipe for the Rice Pancakes.
RICE PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup uncooked white rice

1 1/3 cups water

2 eggs

2 teaspoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes

2 teaspoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow rice to cool.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked rice, salt, pepper, and chives or onions, if desired.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Using a 1/2 cup measure, spoon pancake shaped scoops of rice mixture into hot skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Even my super pick son liked them.

Silly Sunday

Well it's a misty rainy day here in Long Island so here is a little rain humor to lighten the day.


One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?" The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear," she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room." A long silence was broken at last by a shaken little voice saying, "The big sissy.

For more laughs go check out Silly Sunday over at Comedy Plus: http://comedyplus.blogspot.com/2013/05/silly-sunday-81.html

  Happy Sunday!

We Are Under Contract

We we've done it!!!  We have a house under contract!  It's got 4 bedrooms and a hugh back yard.  You can't see it but the dogs are celebrating ! My tummy is all in knots and I still have so much to do.

More stuff to sort through and get rid of, call the home inspectors, call the termite inspectors and the electrical inspectors since they are finishing up changing out the wiring.

My head is swirling with so much to do I don't even know where to start lol.

When I get there I will have so much more to do before the kids start up school.  Its exciting and scary all at the same time!  Kind of like a really good roller coaster!

Happy Mothers Day

Wordless Wednesdays ... RoadRunner

For more Wordless Wednesday check out:  http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/

Feeling a little Melancholy Today

I'm having a blue day today.  It happens to me once in a while.... when my head fills with too much to think about and I have more to get done then I have time for.  What I would really like to do is crawl back under the covers and hide ...but... I can't!

Sometimes it helps to think about good things, or step outside and enjoy a few minutes of sunshine but today is a little cloudy and my brain is too busy thinking of all the stuff I need to do.  So today I'm going to share some of the stuff running around in my head and maybe it will help clear things up for me.  I hope you don't mind a little sharing therapy.  If you do well come back tomorrow and I'll post something more cheerful ... I promise!

Now here is just a few things cluttering my usual cheerful mood:

Have to call the bank today and ask questions about the mortgage we are getting ...man I hate talking on the phone I so prefer face to face.
I can't garden this year these seed catalogs are making me depressed.
I have way too much SHIT to go through.. how the hell did we accumulate so much stuff!
I really need to get rid of some of my kitchen gadgets ..I never use them and they are taking up too much space...but which to pick...humm
How can I convince the kids to give up the stuff they don't play with anymore.   Moving is dramatic enough I don't want them to feel like they are losing their stuff just cause we are moving but they really do need to get rid of stuff.
I have so many great ideas of stuff I would love to do but the ideas far exceed my income.  Do I share my ideas and hope that someone will be able to use them or would that just make me feel bad because that's what I wanted to do?

Wow I feel better already!  I think I"m ready to call the bank!  Thanks for listening oh and if you have any suggestions for the things on that list feel free to leave a comment.  Have a great Monday!

Silly Sunday

Here's a Silly Song About Silly Snakes For Silly Sunday. I first found it on Discovery Kids but couldn't find a way to share it from there then I found it on Youtube but there is a little tiny bit cut off at the end. I should end ...He's such a Silly Snake. Anyway here ya go for Silly Sunday:



For More Silliness check out More Silly Sunday http://comedyplus.blogspot.com79.htm

Wordless Wednesday... Today's Task

For other Wordless Wednesday pics :  http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/

Silly Sunday

Ok today I'm playing along with Silly Sunday. I won a bottle of Champagne with this joke.. Enjoy 

 A little old man and a little old lady sat on their front porch rocking away their golden years. 

 Suddenly the little old lady got up, walked over and smacked the little old man in the head then sat down again. 

 The little old man asked "What was that for?" 

The little old lady said .."that was for Forty Years of BAD sex!"

 The little old man thought about that for a little while then got up walked over and smacked the little old lady in the head and sat down. 

 The little old lady asked " What was THAT for?" 

 The little old man said "That's for knowing the Difference!" 

 For more fun check out the rest of the posts on Silly Sundays at Comedy Plus.

http://comedyplus.blogspot.com/

A Touch of Spring

Spring is in the air and everything is in Bloom.