Work at Home Opportunity

I personally know how difficult it is to make ends meet sometimes. I recently found a site that is great for anyone wishing to earn a few extra dollars for that vacation, car repair or college fund. All you need is a good comprehension of the English language and basic writing skills. There is a simple screening test to weed out those who don't put in the time or effort to do a good job.

The site I am talking about is Postloop. It pays you to post your opinions, ideas and answers on forums. It is 100% legitimate and I personally have already had money deposited into my PayPal account. I have found several forums I like and that are tuned into my interests, including crafts, hobby farming, writing and health - just to name a few.

If you have a few extra minutes in your day, and like to spend time online - why not get paid for it? Click on the banner below for your chance at being able to take that much-deserved vacation a little sooner.

Have a great day!

5 Tips for Spring Cleaning

Spring is finally here! Have you begun your spring cleaning yet? I started with my garden shed early in the week, and had an interesting surprise. Read more about it here.

My next step is to go through closets and bookshelves. As my children get older they no longer need many clothing items or want to play the "little kid" games. The clothing I donate to Goodwill, and the games and toys become part of the "yard sale" pile. I have a toy box in my living room for my nephews when they come over, but aside from that it is time to liquidate the countless toys which have accumulated over the years. My son is 18 and my daughter almost 16 so it is definitely time to let go of many of the toys.

Books and movies usually are exempt from being tossed, no matter what age they are for. My goal is to one day have a home library (yes, a room full of books and comfy chairs to read in) and will keep books for all ages and interests. Movies will be a part of that library as well.

When it comes to deciding what to donate or sell, keep a few things in mind.

1. When was the last time you used the item? The general rule is if it hasn't been used for six months, get rid of it. There are exceptions to the rule, such as seasonal items.
2. Have your interests changed? For example - do you have a shelf full of fabric but don't sew anymore? Donate it to your local Quilt Guild and they will use it for quilts for local children's hospitals. A Guild in a neighboring town (Vermilion, AB) recently displayed quilts they made for the Stollery Children's Hospital at their Quilt show. I am a quilter, but will most definitely be donating part of my fabric stash to help support the cause.
3. Have you lost/gained weight? Get rid of the clothes that no longer fit. If your weight changes in the future, go shopping. Do not keep your "skinny" or "fat" clothes as they just take up space in your closet in addition to frustrating you when you see them. As the years go on our bodies change; you may weigh the same as you did when you were in your early 20s but your body shape may be different. Work with your body, not against it.
4. Do you have small appliances you never use? Perhaps an extra kettle or toaster? Donating such items to Women's Shelters helps those who may have to start a new life with nothing due to domestic issues. (Clothes, toys and other household items are always welcome donations for Women's Shelters.)
5. Do you have room for all of your "stuff"? If you find you are needing to rent a storage bay or are considering buying a bigger shed, then it is time to go through your things and downsize. If you have children getting ready to set out on their own, perhaps boxing up some extra dishes, small appliances and quilts will help them adjust to their own place by having some of "home" go with them.

These are just a few thoughts on getting rid of the extra "stuff". As you go through your closets, shelves and totes you will undoubtedly find other ways as well. If they are items you would like a return on, post them on your local online garage sale page (if you don't have one, create one) or ebay. These are options if you do not want to have a yard sale, or don't have enough stuff for a yard sale.

Good luck with your spring cleaning! Have a great day!

Catching Up

Oh my...has it been almost two months already?!

I have been busy with Cooking 101 (anticipated release is on or before May 31, 2012), the next book in the series, as well as working on articles for HubPages, Knoji and a few other sites. I have also spent some time working on the third book in the series as well, which I hope to have finished within six months. In addition to the above, I have also outlined almost 40 ebook ideas, some of which I have used for articles.

Today our newest addition to our alpaca herd is one week old! I was very blessed as I was able to see the birth of this one; the little boy born in February was on the ground and probably an hour or more old before I saw him. I can't wait for the next one to arrive, but it won't be until fall. I think we have done well considering the five females we bought were supposed to be open (unbred).

Pictured below is the new baby at less than 24 hours old with her mama.

It took her a couple of days to find her legs and not fall flat every time she tried to run. It is nice now that the male born in February has a playmate. I can't wait until we have more!

I love staying at home and taking care of our animals. They are often my inspiration to write, and are most entertaining at times. If only I had more pens...

For those of you who are interested in more of what I have available please visit my website. From there you can like my Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter and check out my Pinterest boards. I also have an open forum available for members and non-members to interact with one another and make the most out of the free resources available.

Have a great day!

Diane

p.s. My website is more than just writing; it is a source for patterns, ideas and interaction with like-minded people all over the world.

Pinterest and More

Wow! Where does the time go? It has been a quick three weeks!

As many of you know, I am an active member of HubPages. I read an article a few days ago by a fellow Hubber regarding working from home and not putting "all your eggs in one basket". I agree with this strategy completely, which is why I have my "eggs" scattered about. It is important in this day and age to have multiple streams of income, especially when depending on the internet for your daily bread.

Working from home does have its benefits. As I increase my exposure on the web and continue to write about homemaking and life in general, I see so many opportunities to increase my knowledge and my income. I have recently been introduced to the benefits of Pinterest, another social networking site. It is a bit different than Facebook and Twitter in the way it shares what members are talking about. It is very much like a huge bulletin board, with all the categories and pictures. I encourage you to join if you haven't yet as there are so many things related to cooking, crafts, home decorating - and the list goes on. I have gotten some neat ideas from what others have pinned.

One thing I was very interested in was the Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites. Instead of following the dough recipe I used my breadmaker to make the dough. I spread margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon on the bottom of the pan, then rolled the little balls in a brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and placed them in a glass 9X13 pan. I then sprinkled a bit of the mixture over top and baked them for 25 minutes in a 350F oven. I was able to fit 35 balls in my pan; they were touching but not completely squished together. How many you put in your pan depends on whether you want them baking together. I had a nice pan of Cinnamon Pull Aparts when they were finished; the only bad thing was they were sooo good! I had a dozen eaten before they were even cool.

I am anxious to try (and most likely modify) more recipes I have pinned. One that will definitely be on my list is the Hedgehog cake. My daughter occasionally asks if she can get a hedgehog, and the answer is always "no". I am thinking for her 16th birthday it will be a "yes"; and I will only have to clean up after it once.

As I continue to heal from a dislocated shoulder I realize how I took so many things for granted. Losing most of the use of my right arm for several weeks has given me a different perspective on life in general. We often take for granted things we can easily do - until we cannot do them. Something as simple as brushing my hair with my right hand has been a challenge in itself. I had to adapt to using my left hand for almost everything the first week. One of the hardest things for me was to re-program my brain when it came to using the mouse on the computer. I can now completely sympathize with stroke victims; the only difference is my injury will take a lot less time to heal than many stroke victims. I am in week six now, and I still am having trouble with many tasks such eating and brushing my hair. Putting my hair in a ponytail is still a job I give to either my boyfriend or one of my kids. If they aren't home when I do my hair, I usually end up with an off-center ponytail or braid.

In my down time of doing a lot of the physical stuff that goes with looking after a household I was able to get my Author/Freelancer website up and running. I am very interested in pursuing my career as a writer in addition to my career as a homemaker. I believe I have found a way to combine the two and look forward to continuing to provide you, my reader with fun and informative articles. I have integrated a forum on my author/Freelancer site, and will be doing the same for my Homemaker Helper site which is currently under construction. It is now to the point where I am able to provide more services than a blog alone can accommodate. I will also be integrating a forum on that site as well, which I am hopeful you will take advantage of. I will post links as soon as I have it published.

The rest of my Sunday is going to be spent getting ready for our trip to the Brier in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It will be a fun and interesting event for me, as I have never gone to it before. We have been watching it on television so far, but it will be a lot of fun to actually be there.

I will most likely not be posting until after my return. Have a great week everyone!

Diane

Growing Herd

I am happy to announce an addition to our alpaca herd! On the 4th of this month we were blessed with a baby alpaca; he was a surprise! I went out to do my morning chores and there he was; cold, wet and shivering. I was able to get him dried off and made him a little blanket to keep him warm. I was surprised at how long their legs are when they are born. He is such a cutie!

It is events like these that make me thankful I have the ability and means to have a hobby farm. The new life that comes with raising animals is such an amazing thing. Watching a kitten's eyes open or an alpaca's first steps never gets old. I will get to watch it all over again, as we are positive one of the other alpacas will be having a baby soon too. I do hope she can hold on for a warmer day though.

It is interesting how the whole herd will protect the baby. My daughter went out to take the little guy's coat off (made him one to keep him warm for the first week of his life) and the whole herd ran toward her when she caught the cria (baby). They didn't hurt her, but she said it was still a little scary being charged by seven alpacas.

They are a fun animal to raise, and much easier than cows. For anyone wanting to get started in the alpaca business but not quite sure how to go about it, there is a lot on information available. I belong to a group on Facebook called Paca This and the members are very helpful when it comes to information regarding alpacas. When we had our surprise cria I had questions, they had answers. It was great, because I found out what I needed to know within minutes of asking.

I am glad our little herd is growing, and can hardly wait for the shearing in the spring. That is when the real fun will begin, and I will be able to make hats, socks, slippers and other items from the fleece. I will keep you posted on the progress. Once again, if you have any questions about alpacas, feel free to join the group on Facebook or comment below.

Have a great day!

Diane

That Time of the Month

As I was reading over some articles on HubPages, I found one that almost all women can benefit from. Some are fortunate enough to not be bothered with severe menstrual cramps, but most experience them monthly. Foods That Help Ease Menstrual Cramps is a must-read. I cannot vouch for any of the information given as of yet, but be rest assured I will be trying it out next time around. I do have to say I like the fact dark chocolate is on the good list. :D

Have a great weekend everyone!

Diane

Have a Plan

My apologies for not posting over the past week. I dislocated my shoulder and have been very limited with what I can do because of it. I was so not prepared for anything of this nature to happen to me! One just never knows though.

Although this post is short, I do have to say...have a plan! If you run any type of business or even the day to day tasks of being a homemaker, there should be a plan on paper of what to do in case anything should happen. I am humbled by this experience, as I have the attitude of "it won't happen to me". Well, I was very wrong...it did happen to me and now I am scrambling for help with my housework and farm work. I have been fortunate as my daughter has taken on the majority of the chores, but she is at her Dad's this next weekend and I will have to figure out a way to toss forkfuls of hay with one arm. Any ideas?

I go back to the doctor in the morning and will find out what the game plan is from there. All I know is I had no idea a dislocated shoulder could hurt so much...Mel Gibson portrays a different scenario in his movie (the name of it escapes me at the moment...please comment if you know which one I am referring to).

I have been working on my new website over the past few days (my Kobo Vox has been a wonderful thing) and will have my Membership Section up and running by mid February. The aim of the membership is to help writers and bloggers put their ideas to work for them. Many homemakers have been able to subsidize the family income with blogging; it could just as easily be you.

Have a great day!

Diane