Hitting Bottom

During the holiday season depression tends to get the best of people. Suicide rates increase along with drug and alcohol abuse. It's a really sad time and when New Year's rolls around it doesn't always get better. For many people New Year's is a way of renewal but for the already depressed it can just be a reminder that so much more bad is waiting for them through another long year. If only they could get some addiction treatment and support that they need.

I know that many people that need drug treatment end up having some sort of dual diagnosis combining their addiction to a mental illness. That's pretty stereotypical as far as alcohol and drugs but can also be said for eating disorders an sex addiction. Sex addiction seems to be taboo to talk about still but with more and more celebrates coming out and saying they have it or know of someone with it I'm confident that they too will get the support they need. Everyone deserves the chance to change and better themselves and from my own experience, it is never too late to do it.

The Real Christmas

I had read this story a couple of days ago and thought that it was pretty cool. On Christmas day a young lady in Lima, Peru gave birth to a son. Not so abnormal right? Well, her name is Virgin Mary! How cool is that? Yup, Virgen Maria gave birth to a 7.7lb son that she named, what else, Jesus. If that doesn't sound like a Christmas miricle I don't know what does. LOL

I am certainly not a religious person AT ALL but was really moved by this. I was raised as a Catholic until I ended up raising myself. I never understood what it was all about but knew that it was not for me. I am not against organized religion but feel that you don't need to "belong" to any group at all to be a better person or of all things, closer to God. We each have our own spirituality and I think that we each need to find our own. Just because our family belongs or believes in something, that doesn't dictate the rest of our lives. I personally chose not to baptize our children with some grunts from DH. I think that if they want to belong to something later in life that they should develop their own selves first and be able to make a choice based on that. We aren't cookie cutters and won't always agree with everything, so why do it just to fit a mold?

Credit Free

You know, I'd LOVE to get rid of my credit cards and all of my ridiculous debt that I've accrued. It's really a retarded system if you ask me. Why is it that our world is based on our debt payments? Meaning, why the heck do we have to have debt in the first place to get good credit scores? Okay, I know that may not have made the most sense but I hope that you can get what I'm saying. LOL

Anyway, I'd love to get rid of my debt but I think I seriously need debt counseling. My stuff has gotten totally out of control. I need debt consolidation to get myself in order and back on the right path. I'm hoping to be totally debt free by the end of 2009 so wish me luck...I'm SO going to need it. LOL!

How Safe Are You?

I've heard that one of the new tech gadgets for your home is to have a keyless lock. I'm not really sure how I feel about those. Wouldn't it be kind of weird to not lock your door?! LOL Guess that would be almost like using a payphone now a day once it really became big. I guess it would be pretty cool to have a keyless lock that would identify our fingerprints...I know DS would LOVE it and go crazy if we had one.

I was watching this show that featured this family and their home with all of their techy stuff inside once. I have to say it was pretty neat! Starting with the keyless lock on the front gate, they had these wristband watch looking things that would open the gate and I think front door for the kids when they got home. If the kids lost one, they would just program another one and deprogram the old code. Then there was this "woman" computer in their house that would turn on and off things and lights and all kinds of other weird stuff. It was WAY futuristic. I think that having all kinds of stuff would bring out al whole new type of theif though...fingerprint scammers. There's a scary thought.

Mini Size Me

Have any of you noticed the change in sizes but not prices in the food we buy? We noticed it almost immediately starting with ice cream because the "old" ones were still there when the "new" ones were put out. After that it was like this swarm of downsizing in products. Of course the prices haven't changed AT ALL and is now considered even more expensive in my book.

I think it's really weird that when you go to the store, their sale price will be 2 for $10 on packs of soda but instead of 12 packs you are now buying 8. Are we not supposed to notice the tiny packaging?! I'm glad we don't drink much soda and stuff like that.

I would assume that the change is really good for the sale of fresh produce and other fresh items since you can get more for your money. Not to mention that it IS better for our health as we Americans have become greedy and obese. I know that we are going to be doing a ton more cooking here which isn't an always an easy feat for feeding 6 people which includes 2 men and a ravenous teenage boy. LOL

A Greener Year

One thing that has confused me about companies that advertise that they are becoming "green" companies is that they don't seem to be producing green products at a fairly decent rate. I mean, with all of the promotion of changing lifestyles and such, how are we supposed to become more environmentally aware of each of our own impacts when we have nothing to replace our current items? For example, one reason why I chose the laptop I did is because it is one of the few energy star laptops I could find and Sony has a reward program for recycling your old laptop equipment. The good thing about them is that they don't only take their own products but also except other computer parts and stuff. That makes things really convenient.

The only thing that seems to be most talked about and readily available are hybrid cars. The nice thing is that they are finally becoming more diverse and are being updated to go and do what we actually need them to do. The other good part about people buying more fuel efficient cars is that it opens up a door for new businesses and sites to help people find a wider range of places to buy the parts they need. Prius cars are cool because you can run them on electric only mode to conserve fuel. That's really cool...I didn't know that they did that. Something else that helps hybrid cars function better is to get a voltage tuner system. Honestly I have no idea about these things but if there is something that helps get better fuel efficiency and better mileage, then I'm all for it. LOL The one thing that we can all do is switch to green car care products. That way we don't have to worry about nasty chemicals that can harm our planet and not to mention ourselves. I think that's probably something that we don't think about at all when we clean. Then really...are we actually cleaning anything?

Seriously...Geesh

DH said to me the other day that he wants to look into getting life insurance for me and the kids. Being that we are relatively young this is kind of not something that I really want to be thinking about. I know it's always good to be prepared no matter what but I hate thinking about people dying. He found this site called www.financialone.com which compares rates from a whole bunch of different companies to see which will best suit you. Sounds good but I'm not sure how much money we have to put into that right now.

I'm not quite sure about all this stuff and don't know what from what so www.financialone.com really is a good resource for me. When I was a teenager my dad passed away unexpecctedly and I'm pretty sure that I was supposed to receive a policy of his but I never heard anything and I think I ended up getting screwed out of it by his family since I was under 18. That sucked big time. I guess that's one reason that I'm not all that crazy about this whole thing. It is a good thing that DH found www.financialone.com because it will save us a TON of time with weeding out the companies that aren't for us. At least that's a plus. LOL!

Talking Turducken

Have you ever heard of Turducken? I’m sure some of you must have. With Christmas coming up, I’m finding recipes for it more regularly than I’d particularly like to. LOL So, it’s a de-boned turkey that is stuffed with a de-boned chicken inside and inside the de-boned chicken a de-boned duck and in between the layers of meat is stuffing. Hmmmm…I don’t know about that. That’s a lot of poultry and would surely make a vegetarian want to run. LOL In case you’re a bit adventurous, and have a lot of time, here’s a recipe for you. Good luck!


Before starting, you will need cotton thread, a darning needle, cotton butcher's string, cheesecloth and a meat thermometer. Considering the cooking time, it is best to remove the bones and make the stuffing and stock a day ahead. For food safety reasons, do not stuff the birds ahead of time. To have the Turducken finished for dinner, you will have to put it in the oven around 4 a.m. Make sure your oven temperature is accurate before starting. Otherwise, cooking time could vary drastically because of the low temperature. If working with a smaller Turkey, your cooking time will not be as long.

Ingredients:
20 to 25 lb. (9 to 11 kg) fresh turkey
4 to 5 lb. (2 to 21/4 kg) duck
3 to 4 lb. (1 1/2 to 2 kg) chicken
4 carrots, quartered
4 stalks celery, quartered
2 leeks, white part only, chopped, washed
2 onions, quartered
4 cloves garlic, halved

Stuffing:
2 lb. (1 kg) Ground Pork
6 onions, chopped
7 stalks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. dried thyme
2 tsp fennel seeds
10 cups cubed white bread, crusts removed (about 2 small loaves)
1/2 cup walnuts
½ cup of currants or raisons

Stuffing number 2:
3 stalks of celery
2 onions
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup of dried figs
2 cloves of garlic
½ tbs. dried thyme
½ tsp. Dried sage
5 cups white bread crusts removed
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup of goat cheese

Seasoning blend:
2 tbs. each: salt, sage
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. each: freshly ground black pepper, dried thyme, rosemary

Gravy:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups Turducken stock or chicken stock
1/2 tsp each: salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. On large, clean cutting board, place turkey with neck away from you, breast side down. Using sharp boning knife, trim any excess skin. Cut through skin along length of one side of spine. Using knife tip, separate meat from rib cage the length of turkey. Starting at neck cut through meat to expose shoulder blade. Cut meat away from and around the bone, severing bone at joint to remove shoulder blade. Cut wing tips off between second and third joints. Continue separating meat from back, working toward parson's nose. Keeping knife flush with frame, be sure to keep oyster (pocket of meat near center of back) attached to skin rather than leaving it with bone. Cut meat away from and around thigh bone. Cut through joint to remove thighbone, leaving drumstick bone attached. Remove as many tendons as possible. Take breast off bone until you are at tip of breastbone. Repeat on other side of turkey.

2. Lift up bones, cutting off remnants of flesh. Take care not to puncture breast. You will end up with a flat, boneless (except for wings and legs) turkey with the skin intact in one large piece. Cover and refrigerate. Reserve bones for stock. Remove the bones from the duck in same way, but remove the bones from wings and legs also. Cut through skin at tip of drumstick bone and scrape down bone, separating meat as you go. At the base, work from inside duck and remove bone, keeping skin intact. Repeat with remaining leg. Cut off first two joints of the wings. Slip out each wing bone in exactly the same way as the leg bones. Cover and refrigerate. Reserve bones for stock.
Repeat boning procedure on chicken. Cover and refrigerate. Reserve bones for stock.

3. For stock, put reserved bones in stockpot with carrots, celery, leeks, onions, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Cover with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 hours, skimming off froth as necessary. Strain through fine mesh sieve. Discard solids or reserve meat and vegetables for soup. Return stock to pot and boil until reduced to 4 cups.

4. Cook ground pork, breaking up with spoon over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until browned. Add onions, celery, garlic, thyme, sage, and fennel seeds. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, 12 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in bread, walnuts and currants.

5. Prepare second stuffing same as the first use the figs and cranberries as the "meat" to sauté. Add stock at end to desired consistency. Fold cheese in at the end.

6. For seasoning mix, in small bowl, combine salt, garlic, pepper, and thyme. Place turkey skin side down on clean large work surface. Rub 4 tablespoons seasoning mix evenly on meat. Spread 5 cups stuffing in even layer to cover turkey.

7. Place duck, skin side down, centered on turkey. Rub 2-tablespoon seasoning evenly on meat. Spread 3 cups stuffing in even layer to cover duck.

8. Place chicken, skin side down, centered on duck. Rub 2 tablespoons seasoning evenly on meat. Cover evenly with remaining stuffing.

9. Put hands under turkey and fold sides together. Using cotton thread and darning needle, sew up back of turkey. If there is a gap where sides don't meet, cover with strip of cheesecloth before sewing.

10. Starting under legs, truss turkey with cotton string at 1 -inch intervals the length of the bird, down to parson's nose.

11. Turn turkey over and place, back side down, on rack in large roasting pan. Tie legs together.

12. Roast in center of preheated 200F oven for 13 to 15 hours, until meat thermometer inserted in middle through to center reads 165F. Remove drippings from pan every few hours. Be sure to check often.

13. Transfer to large platter and tent with foil. Let sit I hour.

14. For gravy, drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from roasting pan. Heat pan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Whisk in stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring to scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan, 8 minutes or until thickened slightly. Add salt and pepper.

15. To serve, remove string and cut bird in half lengthwise. Slice each half crosswise into 3/4 inch thick slices. Serve with gravy.

Makes 15 to 25 servings.

My 90 Year Old DH

I've been getting pretty frustrated with DH lately. Every single day he is complaining about his body hurting. It doesn't matter where it is, something hurts. One day it's his back, another his knee, another his hands, and yesterday it was his stomach. He always is hobbling around the house wincing and groaning. He's in his 30's by the way.

I know that his back has always been pretty bad. He has had some injuries and it cramps up on him quite often. I have some of my own complaints as well sometimes. I'd really LOVE to have one of those hydrotherapy pools. The jets and hot water would feel SO great especially if we've had a really hard day. When I was pregnant I ended up using my own form of aquatic therapy. Since my insurance wouldn't cover much of anything, I ended up living out of our bathtub many days. Not a whole lot got done on those days. LOL I think Dh would really benefit from therapy too. He's not as agile as he should be for his age and the water is a "soft" way to stretch him out and work his joints. He's told me that he wants a swim spa one day which I woundn't have any problem with. He has always loved swimming and it could be less of a chore to him to do.

Get Your Own

You know, I've been swaying with the thought of gift cards for years. Well, back then they were called certificates since they didn't have those plastic things yet. LMAO God I'm old. Anyway, I know there are certain times when they are definitely appropriate like for kids and people at work but when do you say it is okay to give one? For example...I was at www.giftcardmall.com and I was having tons of fun designing a card for everyone I know (I love playing with those kinds of things) when I had to stop and think. Should I really be giving a gift card to everyone?

Actually, I know that the people in my family would like the cards I did at www.giftcardmall.com but outside of my family I don't think it is something that is always appropriate. I mean, if I can't afford to givve them a great amount of money and insteadd give them like $10 then that's kind of crappy depending on the person right?

Well in any case, I did end up getting some cards for a few people. Normally I would have picked up some from the grocery store's huge selection but it was so fun making my own and choosing them all from www.giftcardmall.com that it saved me a huge amount of time. Sometimes there aren't all the ones that I want and I have to go running from store to store so this was perfect!

In the Giving Spirit

Every year we have waited and reacted almost as dramatically when Oprah had announced her favorite things on her show. This year was really pretty crappy and I feel SO bad for the people that were in her audience. I know for sure that I wasn't the only one disappointed by the show.

You must know by now, but if you don't, every year Oprah will announce her 'favorite things' ranging from grills to TVs and whatever it is that she promoted, she will give one of everything to each member in her audience. It is THE most anticipated show of the year on TV and is normally replayed at least 3 times before Christmas. People have been trying to get into the audience of that one show for YEARS and will try over and over again for the free stuff supplied by the more than happy manufacturers. The first time I saw it I nearly fainted and Yes-Yes went absolutely crazy as she passed out flat screen TVs, camcorders, and clothes. He is one of the thousands that wants to be there for that show.

Well, this year Oprah had decided with her better judgment that it is not a time when she should be shoving all kinds of expensive gadgets and toys in front of so many desperate people. Instead, she showed all kinds of things that you can make yourself and lower priced gift ideas. I have to admit, I stopped watching the show almost immediately. It couldn't have been an easy decision and I applaude her for her good form in not carrying out the marketing of all the social hype but it couldn't have been more disappointing. Can you imagine what all those poor people were thinking once they realized what was going on? It's not an opinion of greed I don't think but rather a bright spot that had been burned out. I know that being in the financial position that we're in, I would have LOVED to get all that stuff so that I would be able to give some things away as gifts and have something nice for myself. It is something that can go back and forth for a while but I kind of think that she should have done something for them, small at the least. I can go on and on but I won't...either way it's crappy for her or the people who have waited to be there for that show.

Money Matters

I REALLY want to know what it is that my next door neighbors do for a living. I don't know them well enough yet to ask them but whatever it is that they do must be really good. I've always thought that they did some kind of online trading.

The house next door was owned by some older lady and a family moved in to rent when we moved into our house. DS was really good friends with the girls since they were his age. The family ended up breaking up because the husband was a drunk and drank in the garage everyday. I even ended up going to court to help the wife get custody of the girls and solidify her case. Later on he would make it his mission to make her life a living hell. The wife and kids were eventually evicted because the lady wanted to sell the house but apparently not to them for whatever reason.

The next person that moved in was a man that bought it from the old lady. He got a pretty good deal on it since she was a friend of his mother's. He was an interesting guy. His family ran a flooring company. He was a quirky guy. He ended up selling the house to the young couple there now because he couldn't afford the payments. According to him, they put down $500,000 on the house when they bought it.

I totally feel like a loser knowing that they are my age and have that kind of money. I know, I shouldn't compare myself but sometimes it's not as easy as said to do. I am kind of hoping that they do some kind of trading since I'd love to get into it once I have some money and the economy gets better. I don't know anything about stock trading but really want to learn. I think the whole thing is fascinating. Maybe he's an online broker or something. That would be cool. I'd really need to do my homework before I could even think about doing that stuff.

For a Special Occasion

The holidays seem to bring out a lot of emotions for different people. I for one am not all into lingerie but when ever there's a holiday, it seems to come up. Valentine's Day is a given I guess but for Christmas there's always the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show. I LOVE watching these for one reason only...the wings! Are those cool or what?! It's SO unrealistic but I think that's the fun of it.

Like I said, I'm SO not into all the girly thongs and high heels and stuff. I'm sure I might feel differently if I were as skinny as I used to be but for now it's a no go. LOL I have held onto some of my favorite undies and do have some matching lingerie sets in my closet but getting into them is a whole other story. I'm not talking about feeling good in them but literally getting my fat butt into them. Totally not possible right now. Oh well, there's something to add back onto my resolution list AGAIN. :o{

Technically Challanged

I'm such a computer retard. After I've used a computer for a while and thing have been loaded onto it, I'll eventually get all of these error messages and stuff for file extensions. I have not a clue what a file extension is! Then there are all these things with file formats. Like I have any idea what to do with that. LOL!

The reason why I'm talking about all these things is because I am TOTALLY terrified of over loading too much stuff onto my laptop. It has a great deal of space but I hate all those pop ups and I never know how to fix them. I know there are services out there that will scan your pc to see what's going on with it. That may come into great use later on. I should get a portable hard drive but I'm not sure I know what ot do with that either. LOL! Good God...someone help me.

Sick...Again!

I'm SO tired and SO sick. I can't believe that I got sick AGAIN! This time I have the flu...no, I didn't get a flu shot. Those things never work out well for me anyway.

I think it's because I've been so over tired and under nourished that by body decided to give in again. Blech. It's so yucky. This morning my body was in so much pain that I had to wake up hecka early and I couldn't stop moving even though I was still really tired. Then came the sweating...talk about nasty! UGH. I grossed myself out. I wasn't even moving when it happened. At least it got out a bit of the ick.

I'm really hoping to get better asap. I can't be down for so long...too much to do and not nearly enough time. With Christmas just around the corner there's the cleaning and even still more gift buying. It's funny how every year I look forward to the holidays and then when they come I can't wait for them to be over. LOL! Hopefully this year we can actually get a tree.

Under the Knife

We had a real scare within some of my friends a while back. One of their husbands had to go in for another heart bypass surgery. He had had one heart bypass before but it had gotten clogged and they had to go back in. It was really scary because he coded as they were finishing up in the operating room and then coded again once he was moved into his room. He spent a lot of time in the ICU. Thank God everything came out okay! We were SO worried!

A great-uncle of mine had to have coronary bypass surgery some years ago. I don't think it's ever not scary. My great-aunt was worried sick that something would happen to him. I don't know why but for some reason, he seems to have a lot of problems. It's weird because he is and always has been very active and healthy. It must run in his family. I'm hoping that my great-aunt will be okay when he finally does go. She's always depended on him for everything just about. I don't think she's ever driven a day in her life. My grandma didn't do well and still isn't okay after my grandpa died like 12 years ago. It's pretty amazing how long she has decided to grieve and not let go. I know he wouldn't be happy knowing she's been like this. I can understand but at the same time I have a hard time with it too.

On Key

Music has always been a huge part of my life. Whether it was me playing an instrument or listening to the latest hits, I've almost never had it not around. Since the baby came I haven't had much time to listen to "real" music though. Both of the kids LOVE to listen to music and although DS's taste is very different than mine (everything from Weird Al to the Star Wars instrumentals) I'm glad that he has an appreciation for it. He has been playing the flute for about 4 years so it's nice and rounded. His sister on the other hand is a different story. She loves all kinds of everything from rap to movie soundtracks. It's really funny to watch her dance to stuff like T.I. and other rap music.

I've always loved anything from some country to rap. Most of the time I've been into R&B or alternative rock. It's fun sometimes for me to hear songs from a long time ago and be able to tell DS that the song was around when I was his age. The only problem for me is that I've been out of it for so long that I don't know who the artists are anymore. I know them by their celebrity status but I wouldn't know which song is by whom. It can get kind of frustrating. That's why I really like this site I found. You can get all the latest celebrity news, buy music, and read interviews with the stars. There are TONS of photos so you can see the latest style trends and even watch music videos. I've always liked that part the best. It's fun to see how they put the song into a creative visual. I can seriously watch those for hours. LOL

Bummer

Every year we have waited and reacted almost as dramatically when Oprah had announced her favorite things on her show. This year was really pretty crappy and I feel SO bad for the people that were in her audience. I know for sure that I wasn't the only one disappointed by the show.

You must know by now, but if you don't, every year Oprah will announce her 'favorite things' ranging from grills to TVs and whatever it is that she promoted, she will give one of everything to each member in her audience. It is THE most anticipated show of the year on TV and is normally replayed at least 3 times before Christmas. People have been trying to get into the audience of that one show for YEARS and will try over and over again for the free stuff supplied by the more than happy manufacturers. The first time I saw it I nearly fainted and Yes-Yes went absolutely crazy as she passed out flat screen TVs, camcorders, and clothes. He is one of the thousands that wants to be there for that show.

Well, this year Oprah had decided with her better judgement that it is not a time when she should be shoving all kinds of expensive gadgets and toys in front of so many desperate people. Instead, she showed all kinds of things that you can make yourself and lower priced gift ideas. I have to admit, I stopped watching the show almost immediately. It couldn't have been an easy decision and I applaude her for her good form in not carrying out the marketing of all the social hype but it couldn't have been more disappointing. Can you imagine what all those poor people were thinking once they realized what was going on? It's not an opinion of greed I don't think but rather a bright spot that had been burned out. I know that being in the financial position that we're in, I would have LOVED to get all that stuff so that I would be able to give some things away as gifts and have something nice for myself. It is something that can go back and forth for a while but I kind of think that she should have done something for them, small at the least. I can go on and on but I won't...either way it's crappy for her or the people who have waited to be there for that show.

Game Crazy

Well, it's another expensive Christmas here this year. We are SO broke I can hardly even begin to tell you. It's bad enough that none of the adults are giving anything to each other this year...just the kids. Last year, DS got such a good amount of stuff (that cost an arm and a leg!) that I had even told him THEN not to expect anything any where near the same ever again. He had REALLY been wanting a Nintendo Wii so my uncle was nice enough to get him one of those. Then, Santa gave him an ipod nano, and on top of that he got all kinds of games and accessories for his new game system. geesh...you'd think my kid was spoiled or something. LOL!

This time around he really wants the Wii Fit, Guitar Hero (I don't know which one, LOL) , and one of the Rock Band game sets too. Hmmm...some how I don't see this working out well at all. He's going to be extremely lucky if he can even get ONE! Now that his sister is older and will begetting things too, he won't be having the presents that he was so accustomed to. LOL Poor kid.

One thing that I have found REALLY helpful for holiday shopping is by using shopping comparison sites. They are getting SO much better that you can go just to one site and that site will not just have all of the paying stores and advertisers, it will actually have EVERY store on the internet to compare to. It's SO cool. I can't tell you how frusterated I would get going to more than one of these sites and all the same stupid stores would come up on each of them. Like there's only 5-10 stores on the internet...PLUHEEZ! It's ahrd to believe that out of the thousands of store, only those few would come up in a search. What's up with that?!

What Time is It?!

I was lucky enough to lose my watch and the two rings that were on it about a month ago. I’m pretty sure that it’s somewhere in the house but I really have no idea where it is. Omg…it is SO frustrating! It was my favorite Harijuku Lovers watch and the ring DH gave me too. Ugh.

I have to admit, I normally would just go out and buy another watch but I haven’t seen anything that I’m truly in love with that is in my price range. I used to go and buy another watch whenever my battery died instead of just replacing the battery. LOL It really wasn’t too hard to do since I worked in retail for a while. I would just go downstairs like it was my closet. LOL My problem is that I LOVE luxury watches and all kinds of designer brands. It’s so hard not to want things that are so nice. Like this Gucci watch with the skinny band. I really don’t like thick bands and since I had the baby, I have this funny thing with my wrist and can’t have things too tight on it or it will lock up In some funny way. My mom has this really nice and really old Cartier watch that she’s held onto for years. She’s a sucker for designer things too. My step-dad on the other hand, LOVES Tag Heuer and has been eying a new one for a while. When we went outlet shopping last month, DH took me into the Movado store and had to point out at least five watches that he would like…like we can afford one right now. LOL I’d better start cleaning so I can find my darn watch!

Surveys!

Years ago, I tried doing the online survey thing. Have you ever done it? OMG. I didn't last long. LOL!

The surveys are always long and repetitive, so annoying! I mean, how many times can I answer the same question, over and over? BUT, since we have had our ongoing financial crisis, I decided to give it a whirl one more time. This time, I had a good friend to lead me in the directions of the companies that will actually pay or send you products, not just all those sweepstakes and pint rewards ones.

So, I signed up for 2. Yeah, I know, big whoop right? Okay, one sucked and I won't be doing anymore for them. The other one I was with for a long time but thought it was a bunch of crap because everything said you'll be entered for the sweepstakes, or something, so I just gave up. Little did I know, this is a ploy they use to see who actually cares. My friend told me that they may end up sending you products or something anyway. So, I have been doing everyone they send me. I'll admit, it is not painless (for me). I really don't have the patience for these things, so I have to keep reminding myself that it is worth the time. Plus, I'm not doing anything anyway. LOL!

I'm happy to report that within a month, not only have I entered into like 25 drawings (LOL), I have earned $5 and two products, one they are sending me 2 of. Sorry I can't tell you what it is, but it's great cause it is something I used everyday! Now I don't have to buy it for a couple of weeks. Cool how some little things have a big impact.