Swag Bucks

Do you know about Swag Bucks? Swag Bucks is a search engine like Google, but it has a twist! When you use it, you occasionally are awarded Swag Bucks. When you have collected enough of them, you can turn them in for a prize, that you choose. There are lots of different prizes available including many gift certificates. I take the Amazon gift certificates and have been building up a balance to use at Christmas. I have been able to earn $25 a month by just doing a few simple things a day. If you're interested, I have a post here, where I detailed what I do daily.
The reason I'm talking about Swagbucks today is to tell you that Monday there will be a Swag code extravaganza. That means there will be codes posted throughout the day and if you were to get all of them, you would get 50 extra Swagbucks!
So - if you could use a way to get some free products, sign up today by clicking on the banner above, and take advantage of the Swag Code Extravaganza.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll love to help you!

amazing moving project

A friend sent me the link to this video. It's really quite amazing!
Take a look at this and see what you think. The video quality isn't good at the begining, but hang in there - it gets better.

The winner is...

Last week I did a CD review of Robert Pierre's newest album, which included a giveaway to one of the commenters. Tonight I used the Custom Random Number Generator to draw a winner.
When I've entered giveaways, I hate to be #1, because it never seems to win. However, tonight the winner was #1.

And who is #1? It's Chelsea, from livin' life, day by day!
Congratulations Chelsea - your CD will be sent to you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Wordless Wednesday

Stop Junk E-mails

This is information from a man who cleans junk off computers. He's got some advice on e-mails, that I thought was really good.

Any time you see an email that says:
"forward this to to '10' (or however many) of your friends"
"sign this petition"
"You'll get good luck - or bad luck"
"You'll see something funny on your screen"
"send this if you're not ashamed of God-Jesus"
"add your name to the list and forward"
----it almost always has an email tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and emails of the people you forward it to. The host is getting a copy each time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of 'active' email addresses to use in SPAM emails or to sell to other spammers. They try to play on our conscience, but ignore them and don't participate!

Do yourself a favor and don't add your name to these lists, regardless of how inviting they sound or how guilty they make you feel. You are not supporting any great cause and all you are doing is getting more junk emails and possibly a virus! Plus you are helping the spammers get rich. Lets not make it easy for them!

Heat wave

We, like much of the country have been dealing with a heat wave that's been leaving us hot and bothered for over a week.
I was looking through pictures and came across these shots that were taken in February. I thought I would share them to help cool us off and to remind us that it could be worse!

Looking out our living room window.

Side yard

Our road

And on that note, I'm quickly reminded that I love summer!

CD review and a giveaway!

I was recently given the opportunity to review a CD that is being released on the 26th of this month. The artist is Robert Pierre and you can learn more about him at his website.
One thing that I found surprising is that he is only 18 years old and he worked on recording this album during his senior year in high school. He also stays busy leading the worship time at his 800 member church in Orlando, Florida.
This is what he says about this album:
"All of the songs have something to do with things I was going through my senior year, preparing to say good bye to friends and not really knowing what would come next, but finding comfort and peace in the Lord's plan for my life. The Bible talks about how the eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the earth, searching for someone whose heart is wholly His. This CD is me saying, 'I'm all in'".

I have really been enjoying this CD. I've had it in my car and have been listening to it non-stop. You know how when you get a CD, there is usually one song you really like and the rest are just ok? I can honestly say that I like all the songs on the album. I was listening and trying to pick a favorite and I had a hard time. I did come up with one though. It's the second song and it's titled "Who R U?" In it he talks about choosing who you will be, and if you are going to be hot or cold for Christ.
You can listen to a sample of the songs on the album here.
And now for the giveaway! I've been given the chance to give this album to one of my readers. All you have to do is leave a comment here to be entered. Next week I'll draw a winner and I'll post it Wednesday evening.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services

mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I

only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:

“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wordless Wednesday

Guest post from the Cat

Hi! My name is Oliver and I'm the cat who lives in Mari's house. They call me their pet, but really, they are my people. For the most part, my people serve me pretty well. I eat the treats Heather buys me and sometimes I play with her cat toys too, I let Bob rub my belly and I sit by him when it's cold out. Sometimes I sit by Mari too, just to keep her happy and I let her pick up the hair I spread around.
However, there is a problem that seems to happen here every summer and no one here seems to care about it.
I've got a few pictures to show you what I'm dealing with.

The front door has a storm door that has a full glass insert. I like to sit by it and look at my outside domain. From it I can see the driveway, the front yard and this front porch.
You may notice that there is something on it. I'll tell you what it is - it's pieces of acorns! The next question is - how did they get there?

Aha! There is the culprit! He thinks my porch is his table. He brings his acorns up there and eats them in front of me. He must know I can't get through the glass because he's not afraid of me. Sometimes he comes right to the glass to look at me.
It gets me so upset! The worst thing is that this happens every year. These chipmunks must train their families to do this!

Mari took this picture of me watching him. They call him Chippy and instead of taking care of him (I know Bob could do that if he really wanted to), they laugh at me when I'm crouched down watching him and then say they think he's cute!

I know there are some smart people out there. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this yearly problem?

The latest blooms

Isn't summer wonderful? The warm weather, the sunshine, long days, campfires, open windows... I think my favorite summer thing though, is flowers.

During the summer, there is usually always something blooming in our yard, thanks to Bob's hard work.
Here are some of the blooms we are seeing now.

Buttercups



Dragons blood Sedum

Moon beam Coreopsis



Astilbe

Unknown berries

Painted Daisy


Monarda

Oak leaf Hydrangea


Purple Chive


Don't flowers make you smile?

Friday Funnies!

Biblical Humor

Q: What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A: Ruthless


Q: What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A: God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the disciples were all in one Accord.


Q: Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A: Samson. He brought the house down.


Q: What excuse did Adam give his children about why they no longer lived in the garden?
A: Your Mother ate us out of house and home.


Q: What person in the Bible had no parents?
A: Joshua, son of Nun.

Cooking Thursday

I've got one of the easiest recipes ever to share today. I shared a few weeks ago that we are trying to eat healthier, and this recipe fits the bill for that as well. It's quick, easy, healthy and tasty - perfect!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Salsa Chicken

2-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa, any brand or type
lowfat shredded cheese of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken in pan and pour salsa over top, lifting chicken to allow salsa to cover bottom of pan.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Take foil off and sprinkle with just a little cheese. Return to oven for a few minutes to allow cheese to melt.

Wordless Wednesday

What a storm!

We had a huge storm today! When I went to work at 7 am, there were just a few clouds in the sky and it was light out. But at 8:30 am it looked like this:

It got wild; there was some hail, the rain came down in sheets and the wind was
gusting up to 85 mph!

Lots of people lost power, including us.
However, about 20 minutes from us there was much worse damage.

There was flooding.

Buildings were damaged.

And lots of trees came down...

This poor person lost their car. I heard that one person was killed when a tree fell on their garage, but I've not heard of any other injuries.
We were blessed to have no damage other than losing our power.

A day at the campground

Friday is sisters day. Terri, Cheri and I always try to get together for lunch and to spend some time together.
This past week, Terri was camping, and invited Cheri and I to come and spend Friday at the camp ground. It's a campground that we've all stayed at and we love it there!
Here's a few pictures from the day.

Halle (Cheri's) and Shaelyn (Terri's) had a great time in the pool!

The older kids were at the beach, and I took a walk in that direction. On the hill overlooking the beach, I found this swing, overlooking the lake. Doesn't it look like a peaceful place to sit?

The bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.

It was a hot, sunny day and the beach was full of swimmers and sunbathers. I love all that nice beach sand!

There is a gazebo on top of the bluff. The landscaping is beautiful!

Another view of the gazebo. They were setting up for a wedding on the lawn behind it.

Here's a view from inside that gazebo. I would love a view like that!

We had a great day together - thanks for having us Terri!

I won!

My friend Melissa had a giveaway on her blog and I was the lucky winner!
She gave away the My Memories digital scrapbook design kit. I've done a lot of scrap-booking and really enjoy it, but have recently done a few books online and had a lot of fun with that. I've been wishing I had a way to add a few fun elements to my pages, and now I'll be able to with this. I've got lots of pictures of my kids from their younger days that I haven't put into books and I'm looking forward to trying this out. Thanks Melissa!

Wordless Wednesday

Did Phillip fart?

I got this in an e-mail, and it was so funny I had to share!


Did Phillip fart?
He probably does all the time! He is almost 90 and at that age, you don't hold anything back!

What do you think?

The expressions are priceless! Look at the Queen's face!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Birthday to the USA!
Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday. I want to thank all those who have served to defend her, in the past and those currently serving. A special shout out to Andy!