With the summer upon us and life getting busier by the minute, I have decided to take a short break from posting at Hullabaloo. I will continue to post on my other blog, To Be Debt Free, and will return to posting here very soon.
Posted in: on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at at 9:33 AM 28 comments
Remember my post about heading to the Farmer's Market for fresh fruits and veggies? Do you have an abundance of fresh veggies that need to be eaten? I have to perfect recipe for you!
-makes 4 servings-
Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
4 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds total) sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick
4 medium yellow squash (about 2 pounds total) sliced lengthwise1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Heat grill to medium. In a large bowl, gently toss zucchini, yellow squash, oil, vinegar, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, lift vegetables from marinade and grill, covered, turning once, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Reserve marinade. (To store, refrigerate vegetables and remaining marinade separately, up to one day.) Drizzle grilled vegetables with remaining marinade and serve.
Posted in: grilling, recipes, squash, zucchini on Thursday, June 19, 2008 at at 2:01 PM 12 comments
Here's the next installment of my horrible vacation saga, if you missed the first part please go here.
Tuesday we decided to head to Sonic for lunch, the kids loved it! Always a hit to go there with Rachel, but for Dylan it was all new even though he’s been to the beach 2 times before. It was really neat to see how excited he was about everything! After lunch Sean’s Aunt calls and asks us to come down. The guys had gone golfing and were back. We pack up and head down there. It was great to hang out with everyone and have a few beers on the beach while the kids played. Dylan started crying that he wanted a gumball and it got worse and worse. Finally Sean decided to run him to the Dollar Store and get him some damn gumballs! At this same time I went inside to put Grace down for a nap. I heard him outside as he left with Dylan. By the time Grace was asleep Sean and Dylan had returned. We swam for a while more and then it was time to make dinner. Sean’s cousin and I went out front for a while to talk and I casually asked where Sean had parked since I was inside when he came back. Amy told me he parked behind her car. Well, I didn’t see it, so I asked if she was sure. She said yeah, but headed to the driveway to see. We both looked up and down the street. She then said, “Well maybe it was towed, was it blocking the sidewalk?” I didn’t know so I asked Sean.
He tells me he parked behind Amy’s car. I told him it wasn’t there. He ran out to look. SHOCK. It was gone. His Aunt called the towing company. Nope, they didn’t tow it. She calls the PD, no, they didn’t tow it. The police show up to get a report. My fucking car was stolen! In broad daylight, on a very exclusive part of a private beach. What the fuck. The rest of the night is a blur. I’d been drinking, now my car has been stolen. I have to remember what credit cards I had in my purse, what else was in my car, call the insurance company, figure out what the fuck happens next.
OK, so Tuesday night is spent calling credit card companies, State Farm, etc. We also called my mom and Sean’s mom, and I think I talked to Sam that night too. (Sorry Sam, I was a mess and didn’t know what to do!). The next morning I have to figure out what to do first. I called SF for some guidance as to what to do next. More good news. MY car doesn’t have rental coverage, but for some reason Sean’s car does? Yay! The lady was nice and said she’d see what she could do. Calls back, they’ll pay $25/day for a rental. So it ended up we paid 50/50. One crisis taken care of! Next we wait for the guy to pick Sean up so we can fill out the paperwork and get the rental van. (Our only choice w/3 kids, they had no SUVs w/3rd row seating.) Sean gets the van and comes back. Now it’s my turn. I had asked SF if I should just get some seats to get us home and then get the new ones I want, or just get them here. She tells me that I should get the ones I wanted now b/c they’ll only reimburse one set. OK. I decide to check Wally World first, but have a back up plan to go to BRU. The whole time I thinking to myself, “Shit. This is 2 majorly bad things, what’s next? Is one of my kids going to get hurt?” I was scared, on edge, just a wreck. At WalMart they had a really good selection of carseats, so I again called Sam (sorry! Thanks, you were such a help!) We discussed the different seats and I went w/the Evenflo Triumph for Grace and the Alpha Omega Elite for Dylan and a booster for Rachel, Cosco I think? Headed back to the condo.
Sean had decided to try to make everyone feel better and had gotten tickets to go see Medieval Times that night. This is the highlight of the trip for Rachel every year, so we felt obliged to go. The kids seemed to have a really good time. It helped a little bit, but I still was thinking about my interview w/SF the next day. I was still upset over my car. At this point I was feeling like even if it was found, I didn’t want it. I felt so violated. Sick to my stomach. We head back to the condo and watched TV, etc.
Posted in: family, personal, vacation on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at at 3:12 PM 0 comments
3 cans of cream corn
4 eggs
4 tbs. Melted butter
4 tbs. Flour
4 tbs. Sugar
½ tsp. Salt
Posted in: corn casserole, easy, home cooking, side dish, simple on Monday, June 16, 2008 at at 1:52 PM 13 comments
Campfire Potatoes
This meal pretty much cooks itself - just leave it in the coals! Be sure to count how many potatoes you put in the fire, because the foil becomes covered with ash, and blends in well with the coals.
Ingredients: large baking potatoes
whole onions, red or yellow
dill, parsley, bacon bits
Directions: Slice potato almost all the way through, but leave enough to hold it together. Slice the onion, and put one slice in between each potato slice. Sprinkle with bacon bits and a little dill. Wrap well with heavy aluminum foil and bury in the coals of the fire. Leave untouched for about 45 minutes, and test for doneness by piercing with a fork - the fork should lift out without lifting the potato. Cooking time depends on size of potatoes and strength of fire. Serve with pat of butter and a few sprigs of parsley.
Posted in: campfires, camping, cooking, potatoes on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at at 6:41 PM 17 comments
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, but it's also the easiest to prevent with the proper protection.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are minerals that physically block ultraviolet (UV) rays from reaching your skin, as opposed to other sunscreens that use chemicals to absorb UV rays. Minerals are considered the best protection against sunburn because they block both UVB rays (which cause sunburns) and UVA rays (which cause skin aging and cancer). Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, don't always protect against UVA.
SPF is an FDA-regulated rating system that represents how long it will take for exposed skin to burn with the sunscreen applied. For example, if your unprotected skin usually burns in 10 minutes, a sunscreen with an SPF 15 would prevent a sunburn for 15 times that length of time, or 150 minutes. However, SPF only rates UVB rays, not skin damaging UVA rays. For that reason, never rely entirely on a sunscreen's SPF, and look for products that advertise "broad-spectrum protection," which means it protects against both types of rays.
The primary drawback to sunscreens with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide is that they can leave a white tint on your skin. To make the lotions transparent, manufacturers shrink titanium dioxide or zinc oxide particles down to nano-sized particles. Because smaller particles can act differently than larger particles when they enter the body, these nano-sized particles have been cause for concern: Research indicates that nanoparticles of titanium dioxide are small enough to bypass your body's "blood-brain barrier" (a natural defense against foreign substances in the bloodstream) and enter the brain where they can damage brain cells. Larger particles, however, are blocked by that barrier and don't pose this problem. Fortunately, a 2006 Australian government literature review on the topic found that neither titanium dioxide nor zinc oxide penetrate the skin deep enough to actually enter the bloodstream, and most scientific evidence supports the fact that nano-sized particles of these ingredients are often trapped in the outer layer of the skin and not absorbed (they should always be avoided when used in powders that may be inhaled). However, if you'd rather err on the side of safety, opt for sunscreens that use micronized ingredients (particles larger than 100 nm), which are mostly transparent but may still offer a slight tint.
Posted in: go green, sunscreen on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at at 7:27 PM 15 comments
It's been a while since I did a photography post, so I thought now was as good a time as any! So far in this series I've covered; Photography terms defined, shooting modes, understanding white balance, and window-light portraiture. Today's photography lesson will be a more in-depth discussion about aperture.
The aperture is the hole through which the light passes through to reach the sensor or film. You can actually control the diameter of this hole on your camera. On old style cameras, there is an aperture ring that goes around the outside of the lens. Moving it around changes the diameter of the aperture.
You most likely will not have an aperture ring on your modern lenses, however, your lens still has the diaphragm inside that allows it to open and close, and you’ll have controls on on your camera that will allow you to control that diaphragm.
The numbers are called f-stops, moving up or down a stop halves or doubles the light let into the camera (the reason that the numbers look strange is down to some tricky math). Even though your camera doesn’t have an aperture ring, you’ll find that you can still adjust the aperture of your camera to these same values (although, depending on your lens, you might only be able to go as low as f4 or 5.6)
One thing that is really important to realize about the f numbers is that the smaller the number is, the larger the aperture is. This can be a bit tricky to grasp at first! If you increase the aperture by one stop (thus doubling the amount of light entering the camera), you’ll need to put the shutter speed down by one stop (and thus halving the amount of light entering the camera).
Posted in: aperture, f-stop, photography, photography basics on Monday, June 9, 2008 at at 7:31 PM 1 comments
What's in Season?
While many fruits and vegetables are available year-round, most are at their peak during specific seasons. You'll find the tastiest nectarines in the summer for example, while fiddlehead ferns are generally sold during the spring. With so much delicious produce to choose from, it's hard to figure out what to eat when. Luckily, this helpful produce guide lists the season's best options, so you'll never be unsure again!
Spring Fruit and Veggies
Posted in: farmer's market, fruits, vegetables, veggies on Friday, June 6, 2008 at at 12:39 PM 20 comments
Caramel Cream Cheese Apple Pie
This pie is absolutely to die for, even better with ice cream!
INGREDIENTS
Posted in: apple pie, easy, recipes on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at at 8:36 PM 12 comments
We left for our yearly family vacation to Surfside Beach, SC on August 17, 2007. However, right from the start we hit a road bump. The night before, as I was dropping the dogs off to the kennel, packing for myself, packing for 3 kids, and trying to get laundry and dishes done before we left, Sean offers to pick up a friend at the airport, at 10pm. I asked him not to do it, we were leaving the next day and he still needed to pack for himself and pack the car. But nope, he said he’d go pick up his buddy and come right home. Whatever, I finished as much as I could and went to bed around 11pm. Around 4am Sean comes in the bedroom and says, “Turn on the light, wake up. It’s important.” Groggily I look at the clock and turn on the light. He’s standing at the foot of the bed and tells me, “I wrecked the car. I was arrested for DUI, reckless driving, driving an uninsured vehicle, and open container. They put me in hand cuffs, I’ve spent the last 2 hours at the hospital. I’m sorry.”
Shocked I went to sleep. I don’t think I realized what he really had said until the morning. That morning was spent with Sean on the phone to his boss and his mom and the State Police and the tow place, etc. We got off to a late start and the whole drive down was miserable. Sean on the phone to his mom all day, 10 hours in a car w/3 kids. We spent the night in Richmond, VA. The next morning we got up early and got to the beach around 3pm. Sean took the kids to the beach and the pool while I went to Wal-mart to get groceries. We enjoyed the beach and the pool together when I got back. We made some dinner and relaxed in the condo. Around 9pm our best friends from Georgia arrived and the kids played for a while as us grown ups caught up (we hadn’t seen them since they moved in May). We all were in bed by midnight or so.
The next morning we got up early and fed all 5 kids and headed out to the beach. We swapped watching the kids between the pool and the beach and getting things ready for lunch, dinner, etc. A great day was had by all! We took a walk on the beach after dinner down to the pier. We got the kids some ice cream and hung out. We went back to the condo and the kids played and we had some beers. The next day our friends hung out for the morning and headed back to Georgia in the early afternoon.
We spent the rest of the day at the beach and pool, etc. I took Rachel and Grace for a walk while the boys slept. We headed about a mile down the road to where Sean’s Aunt and Uncle own a beach house. They were there with their 2 married adult children and their 4 grandchildren. We don’t see this side of his family much because they live in OH and SC. His Aunt asked us to come back tomorrow afternoon to hang out and eat dinner. We stayed for a while so Rachel could visit with her cousin and the others could meet Gracie. We got back to the condo and ate dinner and relaxed.
Read the next installment here.
Posted in: disaster, vacation on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at at 8:05 PM 12 comments
So I told about going to see DMB over the weekend, but I forgot one very odd event that took place right before we left.
We had eaten breakfast and were getting into the car when the people who had been in the dining room with us struck up a conversation. They asked where we were from then the woman shoved a $20 in my hand. I tried to give it back to her and she said, "Are you working people?" We answered, Yes, and she said, "Then you need money." She got in her car and left!
We have no idea who these people were, only that they were from Alabama, based on their license plate.
Posted in: random act of kindness on Monday, June 2, 2008 at at 6:53 PM 10 comments
Last night hubby and I went to Pittsburgh to see the Dave Matthews Band concert at the Post Gazette Pavilion at Starlake in Burgettstown, PA. It was night two of their Summer 2008 tour. It was anything but ordinary, with the band playing cover songs for their encore both nights. Check out the setlist.
My mom came down to watch our kids for us for the night, arriving around noon on Saturday. We hit the road about 30-45 minutes later, making our estimated time of arrival at the Bed and Breakfast around 4pm. We stay at this great place just a few miles from the show called, Timber Crest Inn. We made decent time and got there right when we had planned.
Posted in: Burgettstown, concert, dave matthews band, DMB, Pittsburgh, Post-Gazette Pavilion, Starlake on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at at 2:55 PM 10 comments
I've been struggling with these horrible paper like cuts at the corners of my mouth on and off for a few months now. I did some research online and discovered that my symptoms matched the description of angular chelitis.
According to my research, the initial onsett is due to a nutritional deficit, specifically Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and iron deficiency anemia. I had recently stopped taking my prenatal vitamins since my youngest was about a year old and I no longer needed the extra vitamins to support a pregnancy or nursing. It made sense to me that I would get chelitis since I was no longer getting the extra iron or vitamin B. I went to the store and bough over the counter Prenatal vitamins. Within a few days, my symptoms were gone!
Well, the paper like cuts re-appeared and now the dry skin was also around my entire lips, top and bottom. It hurt to eat, it was embarrassing to be in public, etc. So, I looked online for some answers again.
Based on what I read, food deficiencies can also trigger an onset. But I eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains daily, so that couldn't be the cause. I was also taking the prenatal vitamins, so I didn't think that there was a vitamin deficiency. Another reason I read about was not having any teeth being a cause. Well, that certainly doesn't apply to me because I have a mouthful of teeth!
I decided to make a doctor's appointment for some guidance on prevention and a solution. I had stopped drinking orange juice and eating other foods that aggravated my condition. As luck would have it, by the time I went to see the doctor, my symptoms had all but disappeared. I went ahead to see the doctor anyways.
I told him about my symptoms and what I had tried to make it better. He looks at my mouth, specifically around the corners. He tells me, "Sometimes when you are sleeping saliva gets in the corners and that is the cause" (said in a voice like Apu's from the Simpsons). Oh, okay, so basically what you're telling me is that I drool in my sleep? This doesn't make sense to me, but okay. He says to put some Cortisone on it for a couple of days and things should be fine.
Not the solution I was hoping for! I guess I'll just have to keep on doing what I have been and hope it eventually gets better, or go to see a dermatologist!
Posted in: angular chelitis on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at at 10:28 AM 25 comments
Posted in: bannock, camping, easy, fire safety, home cooking, recipes, simple on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at at 12:43 PM 10 comments
Does anyone else remember playing this game as a child? I sure do.
Padiddle is a game played on long car rides, particularly when going on vacation or such. But it can be played on short rides into town as well.
When I used to play the game was played as follows; someone in the car spots an oncoming car with one headlight on and one off. The first person to yell, "Padiddle!" and touch the ceiling scored a point. We'd usually see how many we could get in total, but sometimes the 'winner' was whoever got 5 or 10 oints first.
I hadn't heard the term since my high school years, then this past week my car headlight blew. The next day I heard a woman on the radio talking about 'padiddles' and she had never heard the term. While camping this weekend, I was asked by the manager if I knew my car had a 'padiddle'. That's 2 references and my own car in one week. It was a sign!
According to Wikipedia, it's most popular/common on the East Coast, specifically New York and New Jersey. Makes sense to me, I grew up in NY! Apparently the rules change based on where in the country you play the game.
Here's a few of the most common rules;
Rules may include:
Posted in: car games, childhood, padiddle on Monday, May 26, 2008 at at 7:56 PM 22 comments
A couple of years ago one of my husband's best friends got married. They had a very low-key, quiet, intimate wedding. They invited about 20 of their closest friends to go camping for the weekend, renting out all available cabins at Wapiti Woods in Pennsylvania.
They had some professionals there, like the caterers and flowers and cake, but mainly had friends help them with the wedding. My husband was the DJ, another friend videotaped the event, and I was asked to do photography.
Their 2nd anniversary is coming up in July and the groom has asked me to pick a few pictures from their wedding day, do some post processing, and make a story board for him to give his bride for their anniversary.
I played around a bit tonight and these are the photos I came up with so far. What do you think?
Posted in: photography, wedding, wedding photography on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at at 9:12 PM 30 comments
I'm joining in with others at Rocks in my Dryer for another carnival. This time, it's to list all the items currently in your car.
I found the following in my Pacifica this afternoon;
Posted in: car contents, carnival on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at at 7:25 PM 11 comments
I've read a lot about Get Paid To (GPT) sites online since I began my search for ways to make some extra money. I read several posts and articles on GPT and decided to try complete a few surveys to familiarize myself with the Get Paid To market. I discovered that Get Paid To sites can be very lucrative if you know how to work them to get the most out of the time you've invested.
Get Paid To programs require you to sign up and get paid to complete surveys and offers. Most of the time the offers are 100% free, but the higher paying ones require a credit card to sign up for a NetFlix trial or something similar.
When you sign up you get several different options for surveys and offers you can complete with varying amounts of payout.
You can do a lot of free surveys that pay $0.50-$1.00 offers or you can participate in big ones that pay up to $40.00 and more.
You can make pretty good money by just filling out surveys and offers for a couple of hours per day without ever having a single referral!
Posted in: Get Paid To, GPT, WFMW, works for me Wednesday on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at at 6:49 PM 21 comments
As I was browsing the internet for some good go-green tips I found this fun site, Eco-Quizzes!
You can take a quiz to find out if you're squeezing every mile out of your last gallon of gas. Great considering the skyrocketing of gas prices lately!
Another quiz lets you test your eco-anxiety. You can test your Eco-IQ. There are also quizzes for each part of your home, the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom,and the living room.
Take quizzes about which eco-celebrity you are, back to school, organic foods, and more!
Posted in: eco-friendly, go green on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at at 8:54 PM 16 comments
Going green is a gradual process, make one tiny change each week, and you'll be an eco-savior before you know it!
Eco-Friendly Kabobs
Along with Labor Day and the Fourth of July, more Americans get a hankering for cookouts and weenie roasts on Memorial Day than any other day of the year. And whether the menu consists of burgers, bratwursts, T-bones or pork butt, Memorial Day is a big day for meat. With the livestock sector responsible for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined emissions of all forms of transportation, all those beef burgers add up to extra carbon in the atmosphere.
If you're among the millions of grilling enthusiasts firing up the barbie on Monday, consider a meal with a lower eco-impact. Because beef production releases three times more greenhouse gases than the production of chicken or fish, you'll make a big dent in your Memorial Day emissions by skipping the burgers and grilling up more chicken, fish and veggies instead.
If you must have red meat, purchase locally raised meat products that support small grass farms in your region and preserve green spaces that house biodiversity. And purchase less of it. Instead of serving an eight-ounce New York strip to each person, slice up two steaks and slide them on skewers with onions, green peppers and tomatoes for a delicious and eco-conscious meal that will probably save you money too.
This week's tip comes from The Green Guide
Technorati tags: eco-friendly, go green, kabobs
Posted in: eco-friendly, go green, kabobs on at at 8:48 PM 11 comments
Welcome to my first Favorite Five post! As I browse the internet every day, I often find new recipes to try. This week I am posting my top 5 favorite recipes for the week. I've included a main course dish, an appetizer, beverage, side dish, and of course, dessert!
One of my all time favorite appetizers is stuffed mushrooms (recipe from www.cooks.com). I usually put them on the grill during the summer, but they can easily be baked in the oven as well. Although this recipe calls for sausage, any type of meat can be used, or no meat at all. I've made stuffed mushrooms with sausage, bacon, and crab meat. Sometimes I'll go a little crazy and add bleu cheese or Parmesan cheese to the mixture as well.
I haven't always been a fan of lasagna, mainly because I don't like the ricotta cheese that most recipes call for, something about the texture. I found this recipe for lasagna at Pioneer Woman Cooks. No ricotta cheese in sight! Yay. This lasagna is every bit as delicious as PW claims. It's become one of my family's favorite meals. The best part is that PW posts step-by-step directions along with pictures, making this lasagna very easy to make. It can also be frozen and baked at a later date.
One of the best parts of summer for me is Sun Tea. I've heard some controversy over whether or not it's safe, but I'll take my chances! This recipe comes from grits.com and anyone can make it!
I love coleslaw, but I am extremely picky. It can't be too tangy, not too much dressing, no poppy seeds, etc. My favorite slaw comes from Kentucky Fried Chicken, so when I found this recipe I was ecstatic! Provided by RecipeZaar this slaw is just like the one you get at KFC.
Who doesn't love cheesecake? Kraft Foods is one of my favorite recipe sites and this month's magazine features a delicious, no bake, strawberry cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum! With seven simple ingredients and no baking required, I'm sure this Strawberry Fields No Bake Cheesecake will become a family favorite!
Technorati tags: Beverages, Desserts, Main Course, Appetizer, Recipes, Side Dish
Posted in: beverage, desserts, main course. appetizer, recipes, side dish on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at at 11:48 AM 14 comments
This is a great summer salad for BBQs or camping. It can be made ahead and keeps for a couple of days. The ingredients can be bought at a local farmer's market for the freshest taste.
Let's get started shall we?
Posted in: broccoli, cauliflower, easy, quick, recipes, salad on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at at 4:18 PM 14 comments
As I was driving to pick up my hubby from the airport this evening, I noticed how beautiful everything looks at dusk. I think it was especially pretty tonight because all day it had been gloomy and dark and rainy, then around 7 pm, the sun came out and the rain stopped. All the fields and trees were wet and the evening light just made everything sparkle and shine.
I've read and heard before that the best times of day to take pictures is at dawn and dusk, I kept this in the back of my head, and have taken pictures at these times before, but tonight, it really hit me. The light is absolutely perfect, bright, but not overwhelming like mid-day lighting can be. Everything has a beautiful glow to it, not washed out like during the bright sun of day.
I'd like to share a few pictures I've taken at dusk, and make a promise to myself to do it more often.
Posted in: dawn, dusk, natural light, photography on at at 10:17 AM 9 comments
I absolutely love flowers, their smell, their beauty, and taking photos of them! For Mother's Day this year I received flowers from my two oldest children, albeit they were made from construction paper, from my dear husband, and from my mother!
I took pictures of my favorite ones that my hubby gave me and wanted to share them with you all!
Technorati tags: flowers, Mother's Day, Photography
Posted in: flowers, Mother's Day, photography on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at at 10:31 AM 13 comments
I have a bad habit of spending money if I have cash. I also tend to spend whatever I have available in my checking account, because it's easy to just hand over my debit card and go on about my business. Somewhere I heard that in order to save, you have to pay yourself first. However, if I put the money in my local bank savings account, it's all too easy to transfer that money over into my checking account when the need arises. Therefore, my savings account, does not have any savings in it. Kind of defeats the purpose right?
So what I decided to do was use a great resource, ING Direct. I can set up an account, but there is no ATM or debit card to allow me quick and easy access to the money. I can have ING withdraw a pre-determined amount from my checking account, however often I set it up to do so. I can now build a savings account, that I can only access if I log into the account and withdraw the money.
I chose to open an Orange Savings Account. This type of account matched what I needed the most. It offers high interest (3% APR), no service charge, and no fees. There are no minimum required balances, which is perfect for me, because I often have to pay $5 to my local bank for not having the minimum balance in my account. There is 24 hour access to my account, no need to change banks, PLUS, the Orange Savings Account is automatically linked to the checking account used for the initial deposit. This next part however, is what really got me!Pay Yourself First!
The Automatic Savings Plan allows you to automatically have a fixed amount of money regularly transferred to your high interest Orange Savings from your linked checking account. You will be saving your money effortlessly and will have money for a rainy day or to achieve your dreams. You can either call us or set up your Automatic Savings Plan on this website. You specify how much money you would like transferred, and how often you would like it moved. This is the simple, easy way to really grow your Orange Savings Account.
How perfect is that? Just what I had been telling myself before I heard of ING Direct! Yay!
Another great benefit is that I can refer up to 50 people to ING Direct and both of us benefit. The person who signs up and makes an initial deposit of at least $250 will get an automatic $25 deposited into their account, that's a 10% return! Can't beat that. I will get $10 for each person referred who signs up, this is potentially $500 dollars for me.
If you're interested in a referral, please contact me and provide me with your email address. Thanks!
Cross posted at To Be Debt Free
Technorati tags: ING Direct, WFMW, Works for me Wednesday, Financial
Posted in: financial, ING Direct, WFMW, works for me Wednesday on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at at 6:52 PM 2 comments
Among the most flattering way to light people, window lit portraits require indirect sunlight. The best indirect light can be achieved using a North facing window. Remove anything distracting in the background, or hang a dark backdrop far enough behind the subject to prevent capturing its texture. Shutter speeds will likely be too long to handhold.
Every window has a sweet spot. Experiment with subject position relative to the window until light falls flatteringly on the face. Sometimes the best position is with the head slightly beyond or outsdie the window jamb, putting the window side ear in the shadow. With larger panes, the light can come from too high an angle, casting shadows from the nose, cheek, and chin. To avoid this, move the subject deeper into the room or pull down the shade to baffle the top light.
Now, build the pose. To put your subject's chest in shadow and highlight the face, place his back toward the window and shoulds angled to the glass. Then turn the head towards the light. Use a small reflector opposite the window and near the subject to fill the shadowed side of the face.
Start by capturing the full face, the try a variety of 3/4 views. For profiles, swing the shoulders parallel to the window.
Technorati tags: catchlights, photography, natural light, portraits, photography basics, window-light
Posted in: catch lights, natural light, photography, photography basics, portraits, window-light on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at at 7:20 PM 16 comments
I haven't done a Photoshop post in a while, although I have a ton of photographs to work with! Sorry about that. For this tutorial, I used a recent picture I took of my peony, but I used the Macro setting on my camera to focus in on the ants crawling on the buds.
Here is the original (SOOC) picture.
The first step I took was to crop the picture to really focus the attention on the ants.
Next, I used the action, "Fresh & Colorful", from Pioneer Woman's Action Set.
Then, I applied the action, "Define & Sharpen", from the same set. This helps make the photograph "crisper", so to speak.
Then I simply flattened the image. Layer>Flatten Image, or PW provides a flatten action for the lazy folks, like myself!
The last step, was another action! This time I used the "Quick Edge Burn", it helps focus the eye onto the center of the photograph by creating a darker edge, or burn, around the edges.
Technorati tags: Photoshop, macro, actions, Pioneer Woman
Posted in: actions, macro, photoshop, Pioneer Woman on Monday, May 12, 2008 at at 8:09 PM 12 comments
