Now THAT's Affordable!

Kudos to Bill - On The Tortoise Shell Home!

I didn't get a chance to see this til tonight, but this is my idea of small house affordability. While it doesn't have all the built-ins one might see in the Tumbleweed house, it definately puts you in the ballpark to create your own.

See if you can find the Tortoise toilet bowl cleaner... can't get any cuter.

Our Books! What to do with them?

http://www.bookins.com/how-online-book-trade-works

Somewhere along the line I talked with some folks about what to do with books in smaller homes. Although we had many ideas come up like outsourcing your library to a local library than actually owning the books, this idea intrigued me.

Sent along by:
Judith Ann Kirk
www.OrganizingResources.com

Wool Tights

Several people have asked me about staying warm, and dealing with cold feet, ankles and legs.
What I am about to tell you is not for those with wool allergies. But it has been found that sleeping with wool socks, wool blankets, and even on a sheepskin will keep you warm, and from waking up in the middle of the night. If you are in a colder or damp climate wool tights under your trousers or skirt will most likely keep the chill off, and your toes will experience being toasty, maybe for the first time.

My favorite places to go for wool and cotton leg wear are here…
http://warmlegwear.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=2

http://www.tightsonline.com/index.php?page[cat][]=183

I've had the same wool tights for about 8 years, so before thinking the cost is steep, they hold up a long time with proper washing.

Pizza Crust

http://www.wellnessgrocer.com/natures-hilights-pizza-crusts-brown-rice-p-2899.html

Several people have asked me what I make personal pizza's with, and this is the pre done pizza crust I use, because it's only rice, water and salt, it is gluten free, and comes with a somewhat crunchy/chewy texture. This is definitely not for the deep dish pizza people, and in a sense is in a class all it's own.

But it is irresistible when I make it like this…
Brush olive oil on the crust, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder
Toast in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes. ( Like to put it on a pizza pan where air reaches the bottom)
Note: this is small enough to fit inside a full size toaster oven.
I cut up olives, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, onions, pepperoncini peppers (aka banana peppers), goat feta cheese or Chèvre, or fresh or grated mozzarella. Depending on how you load up the pizza this can be a very filling meal. I typically eat half of one, and save the other half for snacking on later.

So your ingredients are:
Pizza Crust
Olive oil
Italian Seasoning
Garlic powder
Olives
Fresh Tomatos
Fresh Basil
Onions
Pepproncini Peppers
Feta Cheese or Chevre
Fresh or grated Mozzarella
Bake for 15 minutes or until the onions and basil have wilted.

I'd eat this all week if you let me, but I digress and eat a well balanced diet. ;-)

Namaste Foods – Waffle Mix

Namaste Foods
Best Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix... this stuff is awesome, very fluffy and yummy waffles.

Bubbies

http://www.bubbies.com/bubbies_products.shtml

"...Pure Kosher Dills are naturally crunchy just like the "pickle barrel"
pickles so many folks remember from their childhood. Made with no vinegar or
preservatives, our CLOUDY BRINE is proof that Bubbies are naturally fermented
and cured…"

But if you have never had REAL pickles, you are missing out on a pleasure in life. These have
no vinegar in them, they are fermented using cultures that actually feed the bacteria in your gut, just like yogurt, except, this isn't putting it in, it's feeding your existing good bugs.

Aside from being totally hooked on pickles (when was I not?) they've got me loving Sauerkraut again. Again you can't go wrong with an ingredient list like: "Cabbage, water, salt"

If you are thinking ewwww, okay, I did too, until I tried it. This cabbage is semi raw, it has texture and some crunch, but the flavor is perfect, neither does it feel soggy, but this stuff tastes good.

And no, I wasn't paid by Bubbies.

Magic Jack – Telephone Service

If you are looking for:

A broad band based
flat rate
yearly billed
using your existing telephone
or headset
with 4 voice mail options
call waiting
and 911
North America wide
a choice of local phone numbers
the ability to use overseas or on travel
with better sound quality than Skype…

This is the phone service for you.

I reluctantly ordered my "kit" to test run the service. My first year is $40, and $20 there after. It came in two days with a jack for the phone line on one end and a USB line on the other.
I plugged in, filled out all the set up forms, recorded my voice mail message and within 15 minutes I was calling my friends to test the quality. Aside from slight cracking or popping noises, the quality was crisp, and easier to hear than my cell phone. Now I can cut back on my cell phone usage and save my minutes. I'm hooked, and passing on the news.