My hard work is finally paying off. Well, not really but it sounded good. Since I am a freebie hunter, I often enter blog giveaways. For those that don’t enter these, you are missing out on some nice prizes you could be winning. These are giveaways that are held on blogs like this. You have a much better chance of winning a blog giveaway then a sweepstakes because the odds are much more in your favor. You also usually have multiple shots at entering them too!

Yesterday I received an email from Jamie at Just Another Blog that won copy of the book 7th Heaven from James Patterson. Yeah yeah, no big deal right? It is a win though and I am excited because it is my first blog giveaway win for 2010. I won quite a few things last year from giveaways but took a break from entering them last year when the holidays came around. Now I am back into the swing of things. If you have lots of free time of your hand and like to win things, you might want to jump on the giveaway bandwagon. Prizes make great gifts to others too!

Here is some links to a few of my favorite blogs that host blog giveaways:

• 3 Kids And Us
• Short Pump Preppy
• The Dirty Shirt
• Simple Being Mommy

Okay, so those were just a few of my favorites as I have way to many to list.

Until Next Time
Stefani

Okay, so I am not one that has experience cooking meatloaf. I think I made it once before. I consider myself a good cook, but I have steered away from cooking meatloaf for one reason. My husband loves his mom’s meatloaf. I had asked my mother in law what was so special about her meatloaf and she did not know. She said she made it different each time. So instead of setting myself up for a failure, I just always avoided making it.

Last month when we went shopping we got a 5 pound package of ground beef. Since I did not have freezer bags, I did not get a chance right away to separate and freeze the meat. My husband came up with a good idea to make meatloaf. Now I was not just supposed to make it for him. I was asked to make it for his friends too. Uh oh, here came my challenge. Not only do I have to impress my husband’s taste buds but his friends too! So I sent out a message on Facebook for tips on cooking meatloaf. I got a few responses and used one of the tips that I think really worked. Not only did my husband and friends love it, they ate it ALL! Now that is a ton of meatloaf I tell ya. Here is a recipe for my meatloaf.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper or to your taste
1 egg – beaten
Seasoning salt – sprinkle to your taste

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl. Form the meat into a loaf and place in a loaf pan or baking dish.  Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

P.S. About 20 minutes prior to it being done, I added a small layer of ketchup on the top of the meatloaf and placed it back in the oven.

Enjoy
Stefani

Twas the night before Christmas and all on my counter was…………..

Are you in need of a new web hosting provider? If you are unfamiliar with web hosting, you need to have it  to make a website or blog live on the internet. Just like this blog, it uses web hosting from my provider so you can view the pages I publish.  Basically, I am paying for someone to host my websites and blogs on their server.

For those that are familiar with what web site hosting is and happen to be in the market for a  new provider, check out Web Hosting Geeks. This is a site that has been designed just for those looking for information on web hosting. You will find all sorts of useful information that will help you find a new web hosting provider. In stead of searching through the search engines looking for different providers, Web Hosting Geeks provides you with information about the company, their prices, services and much more.

You will want to also check out the Web Hosting Geeks blog. This blog has all sorts of resources for webmasters.  This may be something you want to bookmark for future use. I have it bookmarked because I am always thinking of new websites and blogs to build!

Until Next Time
Stefani

One of my favorite things that I love to eat when going to El Torito is their famous sweet corn cake. I guess they have a similar sweet corn cake at Don Pablos too!  I actually made my husband take me to El Torito a few nights ago just so I could have some. The only bad thing is, you don’t get very much. You get about an ice cream scoops full.

I have tried making my own years ago without success. The consistency just was not right. I had actually come across a recipe for this stuff earlier this year that I bookmarked. So yesterday, I set out to try to make my own. I went off the recipe I found, but added a couple ingredients.  Guess what, I think I came pretty darn close. Now at the store, I did find a package of “El Torito Sweet Corn Cake” mix. I did buy that but wanted to try making it without this mix.

Here is my recipe for those of you that want to try to make it too!

Ingredients:

• 7  1/2 ounces cornbread mix (I used Krusteaz Natural Honey Cornbread mix)
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can cream style corn (15oz)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• A squirt of honey

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the cornbread mix and the melted butter. Then add the water, sugar, honey and corn. Stir well and pour into a 9×5 inch loaf pan. You will then bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes (or until liquid has been absorbed).

Use an ice cream scoop to serve!

One of my favorite ways I make money online is by writing. I have a passion for writing and make some great money doing it online. If you have a passion for writing, you can seriously make an extra income online. There are tons of different ways you can make money with freelance writing, blog posting, articles and more.

I have been hearing recently about people making money writing articles for Examiner.com. I have not personally made any money myself, but I am going to sign up for the program to see what it has to offer. What is Examiner? It is the insider source for everything local. They are the fastest-growing local destination site on the web with city editions in over 90 major markets across the U.S., and millions of visitors

Examiner is looking for thousands of writers that they call “Examiners” who can create original content that entertains and informs their readers. Examiners can reach millions of readers, they earn money generated by their articles, and build their writing portfolio. Does it work? Yes, thousands of people have already become Examiners.

Earn money generated by your articles. Write for Examiner.com.

Enjoy
Stefani

When you make purchases online, you should always try to see if you can save money before you hit that checkout button. If you have never used online coupons, you are missing out on huge savings on your purchases. Many of the online retailers small to large offer different types of online promotions to save you money. Some online retailers offer free shipping, some offer 10%, 20%, 30% or more off of your purchase. Some online retailers often even give free gifts when you enter a special promotion code.

If you are new to online coupons, you are probably asking where do you find out about the stores offering these, right? To our luck, there are many coupon websites like Coupon Chief that help us by providing us with a website with just the information we are looking for. Coupon Chief offers a variety of ways to find the coupons you need too! They have a search feature to type in what you are looking for, you can search by store, search by tag and more.  For instance, if you are going to make a purchase online at Walmart, they have a section with online coupons just for this store.

So remember to bookmark this website. When you are shopping online, check this website first to see if their is any way you can save or get something for FREE!

Enjoy

Stefani

Hannah is only on week 2 of kindergarten and already caught a cold. The teacher called on Monday and told us to come and pick her up. I was worried at first because normally  the school does not call you to come get your child unless they are running a fever or throwing up. She actually had a runny nose and cough.

I have now caught the cold. I HATE being sick. When I am sick, I don’t feel like working and definitely not running around the house all day after my kids. Luckily I just have a runny nose and sore throat. Hopefully it goes away FAST. I knew this was bound to happen. Hannah never really got sick until she started preschool last year. Once she was in school, she was constantly catching colds and sharing them with the family. Now that school is back in, here comes the joys of getting sick!

Stefani

My office happens to be in my kitchen. I hope to one day have my own office outside my home, but for now it works. I have a cute little wood desk I work at with a comfortable desk chair. When I get my office one day, I want to buy all new office furniture. I am going to have a stylish desk, new desk chair, magazine rack, entertainment system and of course a flat screen tv. This will be my place to go to that is my own. A place away from my chaotic family! While I love my family, there are days when I don’t get much done because I have no quiet time. I have found working late at night is when I get most of my writing done.

Stefani

There is a neat magazine online for those of you nurses out  there called Scrubs. I was browsing this online magazine and found some pretty interesting articles that I enjoyed reading and I am not a nurse. I really enjoyed reading the beauty tips articles. Most of these articles would apply to almost anyone, not just nurses. Since it is now summer, there are some great articles related to fashion and my favorite topic of summer, tanning!

There is an article in Scrubs titled “Makeup That Holds” that has some great information for those of you that wear makeup. It explains how and what to use to keep your makeup looking great all day long. For those of you that want to learn how to make your makeup last longer, be sure to read this article. I am one that wears makeup occasionally. I work at home so I can take a day without putting on my face,  as my mom would call it. Besides the beauty articles I found and read, they have some great articles on mind, health, style, work, love and money.

Don’t worry about paying for this magazine. It is online and the information is FREE!

Until Next Time
Stefani