Want to know something else that’s kinda cool??? There are several titles of e-book that you can also download straight to your PC version of the Kindle, for FREE!!! Yep. Amazon.com has quite the little selection of free fictional e-books you can have with the click of a mouse. I’ve gotten several of them and I hope at some point in my life I’ll actually get to read all of them. I kinda went a little overboard, but I got some cool books. There are a lot of e-books listed that cost less than a dollar per download which I don’t think is too bad either.  As a writer I know that getting paid for your work is the name of the game.  There are e-books by up and coming authors as well as the classics we’ve all heard a million times.  You can even download Treasure Island for FREE!!!

Being an ancient history fanatic and having a deep love of the ancient stories and what we now call Fairy Tales, I had to check out the The Pink Fairy Book and The Green Fairy Book. I also got myself a couple of those steamy romance novels. Yeah, I have to admit that I love them, I just can’t bring myself to spend money on them that could be put to better use. Like buying more fabric for my quilts.

If you’ve been thinking about getting one of the Amazon Kindles but wanted to kind of check it out first, this is the perfect way to do it. It’s like getting to taste the champagne when all you can afford is beer.

The thing to keep in mind with Swagbucks is that you DO NOT get points for each search.  It’s random and only comes up every so often, but it does come up.  I usually get anywhere from 5 to 15 points within the first couple of searches, then I might not get another one for the next 50 searches.  But that’s not the only way to get points.  You can get daily points by voting in the daily poll, checking out the survey page each day, filling out special offers, and even by shopping in their online store.

So, what are the points for???  As I just said, there is an online store complete with items for sale that can be purchased with Swagbucks.  This can be anything from wallpaper for your computer’s desktop to a 32″ HD, flat screen television.  And yes, that one takes a heck of a lot of bucks to get.  The ones I’m aiming for are all the gift cards that can be purchased with my Swagbucks.  A $5 Paypal card is 700 points, while a $5 Amazon.comgift card is only 450 points.  My goal is to get either the $25 or $50 Amazon gift card.  Although I have to be honest and say that it’s cheaper to get 5 $5 cards than the one $25 card.  Why???  I have no idea but whatever.

So if you’re looking for a way to get rewarded for searching online, check out Swagbucks.  You won’t become a millionaire, or even close for that matter.  But you might be able to gain enough points to get a new t-shirt, a ring, or even a big screen TV.  And all because you went to search for something you wanted to find anyway.

I’m a huge lover of the arts.  I can’t honestly say that I understand some things that people consider art, but it’s not my place to judge.  If there’s one person who loves it, there’s surely more.  And that’s the key to being an artist, finding those people who share in your vision, your feelings.  They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there’s nothing more true in the world of art.  What one person finds as beautiful is hideous to someone else.  It all comes down to personal preference.

This could be an awesome topic for my blog.  Let’s see if I can keep it up for another month, seeing as how I’m also going to try and keep up another blog for the entire month.  My Redhead Rants blog has also been added to the blog pool for the month, so now I have to make time to keep 2 of them up every day.  I don’t have quite enough grey hairs yet, so this ought to do it.  LOL

And thank you Gina for all the comments.  They made it more fun for me to keep posting.  And reason to keep it going on again for next month.  I may not have gotten a lot of important stuff added, but I kept it up each day and that’s amazing for me.  And I can’t wait to see what next month’s NaBloPoMo theme will be.  Not that I’ll stick with that theme for the entire month, but it will be nice to have something to work from.

Plus I have to keep everyone up-to-date on the quilt.  I’ve almost gotten all of the last pieces cut out and am about ready to start on getting the last blocks sewn together.  Once it’s all in place, I’ll get the entire thing put together and post more pics.  And I also want to get started on those Christmas ornaments and see what else I can come up with.  It will be interesting.

So, thanks to anyone who stopped by on a regular basis this month.  It was a total blast, and I’m hoping to do it again starting tomorrow.  LOL.  We’ll see though.  I might use one of my other blogs instead, or I might try and keep more than one blog updated daily.  That would be something, that’s for sure.  LOL

In 2-qt shallow baking dish, arrange 18 Ritz crackers in 3 long rows. Combine spinach and 2C grated cheese; sprinkle half mixture over crackers; repeat layers. Top with remaining crackers; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

In medium bowl, beat together milk, eggs, mustard, liquid hot pepper seasoning and garlic. Pour evenly over mixture in baking dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until puffed and golden. Cut into squares to serve.

But thanks to the diva over at Mommy Wants Freebies, I’ve found a really cool little site filled with freebies. And not unrealistic freebies, but the kind that you’ll eventually get to hold in your hands. And best of all, there are no surveys to fill out, no cell phone requirements, and no hidden fees or promises. The site is called Free Samples Without Surveys and that’s exactly what it is. No bells, no whistles, no promises that will never come true. Just a little blog where you can find real free samples to things like shampoo, hair color, and food items. Sorry kids, no free laptops here.

The best part about this site is that the webmaster tells you on the front page what to expect. They also tell you what to watch out for when looking for free samples on other sites. They don’t hold anything back, but they’re not rude about the way they put it either. It’s an awesome site and there are links to all kinds of free samples. I’m pretty impressed so far. I haven’t put in for any of the samples yet, but I do like the no-nonsense approach to the site.

So, if you like free samples, check out Free Samples Without Surveys. You won’t find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but you will find real freebies and real samples without having to give out all your personal information in the process.

Another thing I love about this site is the fact that they’ve got an entire section of e-books that you can download for free.  I’ve already downloaded the Recycled Crafts book and noticed that they’ve added a couple more since my last visit to this section.  Might have to check out the Father’s Day ideas book, already have the Mother’s Day version.

Seriously, if you’re looking for crafting ideas, check this site out.  I’m not endorsing this site because I’m gonna get something for nothing.  They don’t even know I’m doing this.  I just really love this site.  Whatever type of craft you enjoy, there’s something here that will spark your interest.  And if you’ve been looking for new projects to try, this is the place to stop.  Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.

I’ll probably end up making most of my gifts this year, especially for my friends and co-workers/customers/people that come into my restaurant and just hang out. (Gina-lol).  I’m the kind of person who wants to give everybody something, even if it’s just something silly.  Unfortunately, God decided to make me a poor person and I can’t give to everyone like I want to.  So, that means I have to improvise and do something creative.  The creative part isn’t the problem.  It’s the making-it-look-like-it-does-in-my-head thing that’s the problem.  I get a cool idea and in my head, it’s perfect.  When I’m done, it’s not even close and I get frustrated and I throw it away and I give up.  Yeah, I know.  Not the best way to handle the situation, but I never claimed to be the smart kid.

Anyway, if anyone has any cool ideas for home-made Christmas ornaments or gifts, leave me a comment and I’ll check it out.  I love Christmas and I want to pass that happiness on to everyone I meet.  Whether they be in person or online, I think we should all take one month out of the year to spread a little joy and friendship instead of hate and discontent.

A couple years ago I found a site online called Songza.com.  It was a neat little place where I could find certain songs and listen to them while doing my other stuff online.  The problem was that some of the songs were recordings of recordings and some just plain sucked.  Others were videos lifted from YouTube and it wasn’t much better.  But, the truth is that I really did like having the ability to pick and choose the songs I wanted to listen to instead of waiting for them to come up on a regular online radio station.

Then I got an email today that Songza updated their site so I had to go check it out.  I was very impressed with what I found and I put together my very own radio station called Rockin’ Retro.  It’s a mix of songs from the 70’s and 80’s.  There are a few from the 60’s and I might add a few newer songs too at some point.  But for now it’s just an eclectic mix of old rock and retro pop.  I’ve always loved music that I could move to and I’m not a country music lover at all.  There are a few country songs that I enjoy, but not many.

I invite everyone to stop by and check out my new radio station.  I’m very proud of it and if you’ve ever liked any kind of rock or pop, you’ll find something you enjoy as well.  It’s kind of like a fun party with a click of the mouse.  Come on over and lets have some fun.  Plus, if you really like what you hear, you might put together a station of your own.  Why not???  It’s free and that’s my favorite word EVER!!!!!

I’m thinking that I might make a few ornaments that double as a small gift holder.  For example, have an angel holding a gift card of some kind or a Santa ornament with a hidden compartment.  Something along those lines.  But more than anything else, I want to be able to use some of the things I’ve already got lying around the house.  I’m also thinking about maybe selling some of these items and maybe put a little extra money in my Christmas fund.  Who knows, I might even start a whole new trend.  Oh, sorry.  Got carried away.

I’ve started creating a few of my own patterns as well.  Rather than search the entire Internet for just the right patterns, I’m trying to make a few of my own.  FYI—Cookie cutters make great pattern templates.  I’m using the snowman and the Santa head for a couple of my ideas.  I just hope things come out the way I’m hoping they will.  I have a bad habit of getting an image in my head and when I make my little project and it doesn’t look exactly like it did in my head, I give up.

Anyway, I hope I can come up with a few ideas on handmade Christmas ornaments.  If I get anything made, I’ll be sure to post pictures.  I just can’t bring myself to make any promises just yet.  I know how anal I am and how nit-picky.  I just hope this works.  LOL