I have found several websites that I read often for tips on saving money and keeping things organized. I thought I'd share them, and I will update the list from time to time:

The Simple Dollar
Being Frugal
Get Organized Now
LifeHacker

I got most of my container herb garden planted, with a good early start this year, unlike last summer when I started in mid-July, which was just too late. I planted tomatoes and parsley in two pots that are outside the office window in the front yard. I planted oregano, chives and thyme in another large container, bell peppers in another. I planted some coleus, which is attractive and easy to grow. I re-potted an aloe plant that is currently in the office on the filing cabinet. I still want to get an avocado seed or two. I need to get more pots to plant the rest of my herbs. It feels so good not to have all of my plants on a cramped patio. Most of the pots I used yesterday are in the back yard.


Jay did some caulking around the two doors we had widened; still need to paint them. He got a lot of unpacking done this past week while he was on break. We decided to do the planting in the garage, so he moved the card table out there, and we shut the girls up in the house so they wouldn't get out; we had the garage door open for extra light. Jay came in to get some water, and I heard him talking to Darla. I had done some laundry, and left the empty laundry basket on the floor. She had turned it upside down on top of herself, and she was effectively in jail.

I was born with, to quote a friend of mine, "different abilities." I have problems using my left hand due to one of these congenital different abilities, Cerebral Palsy. I type with only two fingers of my left hand. Another friend, who had a stroke two years ago, found a website that intrigued me.

About One Hand Typing is a site put together by a woman who lost most of her left hand in an accident when she was ten years old. She has created a system of typing using her right hand and minimal use of the rest of her left hand. I was very interested in the way she explains this, and tried a couple of her tutorials on the site. There is also a video of her actually typing with one hand. I noticed that she put her phone number on the site, and called her. She is genuine, so I ordered the CD. It's amazing. When I've had some practice, I will be faster, but it is so much less strain using one hand. I also recommended the site to another friend who said it may help her get a job.

I made a comment to a friend recently that perfectly sums up what is happening with regard to getting settled in our home. I said, "It's just like the nesting instinct expectant mothers get...without a baby." Jay is on Spring Break this week, and when he is not studying for a test coming up next week, he is unpacking, cleaning, and working in the yard (once it dries out; we've had some rain.) Yesterday, he unpacked five or six large plastic crates and several boxes. It is so nice not to have to walk around those.

Speaking of babies....Lauren just called and said her visit with the OB/GYN went well. She had a sonogram, and her due date is October 20. She had thought it would be in December, and I thought it would be in November. The baby is doing well, and in several more weeks, we will know its gender. Dylan and Ryan both have well-child checkups (and shots for Ryan) today.

My grandmothers were both very wise women. They told me, "the more often you count your blessings, the more blessings you will have to count." That is a statement I have found to be true. I've recently discovered yet another blessing. My daughter is expecting her third (and last) baby. He or she will likely arrive in November or December. We hope this one is a girl, but most of all that he or she will be healthy and happy.

Last summer, not long before we started working on buying our home, I decided it was time to get organized. I wrote about making a household notebook. That was the beginning of an ongoing (and surprisingly pleasant) process. I have decided to turn my attention to the paper that comes into the home. There is a constant flow of paper and mail in every household, to one extent or another. Maintaining control of this flow is imperative if the goal is to get organized and stay organized.

I have set up a filing system in our home to manage the bills, household records and other documentation that needs to be retained. The bills go into a cubby on my desk as they arrive, and the receipts for them are filed in a folder as they are paid. Any correspondence that needs immediate attention is dealt with promptly, and all of the documents related to the home itself are in an (ever) expanding file of their own. I do not let mail just sit on my desk or the nearest flat surface for days on end. It is much easier to just "do it" and get it done. All paper that does not need to be kept is recycled. Yes, it demands discipline, but I find a few minutes per day is really not too difficult. Besides, this system eliminates the "now, what did I DO with that piece of paper I had last week?" syndrome. When I cleaned out and organized my desk yesterday, I made sure my husband knows where to put the bills and other mail needing attention. He has been responding very well to my efforts to stay on top of things, which makes our home much less stressful.

I handle my e mail in a similar manner. I read it as soon as possible, and delete the messages I don't need. I file the others, and go through the folders and delete the older filed ones. If I don't use them, out they go.

Having a home office is not vanity. It is simple necessity. We had a "computer room" in the apartment, but it really was not much of an office. I do not use my computer in our bedroom, specifically because it is a place of rest. We have three bedrooms in our home, which is perfect for our needs. We have a guest room, and we created a home office in the third bedroom.

As you enter the room, there is an erst-while microwave stand that I converted to storage space for materials I don't access often but choose to keep. This stand, until last night, had been used as a television stand in the living room. We were given a smaller entertainment system than the one my Dad gave us, so we put the television, the DVR/VCR and some of our DVD and VHS collection in it. Then the stand could be moved into the office. We bought a three shelf bookcase (assembly required, but not difficult to do), and took the smaller bookcase into the living room. Fair trade, and it gave us more space for work, reference, and computer books. In the corner, we placed a cherry-wood four drawer filing cabinet that we purchased right after we moved in. Next, along the wall perpendicular to the window is my new computer desk. My CPU is on a shelf to my right, beside my desk. Jay's collection of games will go into the corner between our desks. He put a small plastic table under the folding table he uses for his computer, so his history references are handy yet out of the way. Jay's workspace is in front of the window. All in all, it is a very comfortable work environment.

We took time today to organize the office. I cleaned and sorted out my desk, and Jay set up his desktop. He's been using his laptop, but he has more options.

Texas! Today is Texas Independence Day. I'm proud to be a Texan!

When I was a child, my hometown had two editions of the daily newspaper. Eventually, the evening edition was discontinued. Yesterday, on the back page of the weekly television listings section, there was a printed notice

saying that it was the last edition of the weekly listings, because technology had changed, and it is now possible to get television listings from multiple other sources such as online and by phone. I'm surprised the entire newspaper hasn't gone away yet...

We are spending one day per week (usually Saturday) doing the laundry, cleaning and organizing.  Yesterday, we got the entertainment center organized; Jay initially wanted to throw away the doors that go on it, but I asked him to wait until I had cleaned them up to see if we wanted to keep them or not. Sure enough, they were extremely dirty, but I used some furniture polish and a lot of elbow grease, and they look nearly new. So he put them on.  The entire unit does show some wear, but it doesn't look bad at all.

We moved into the office and got some of the crates and boxes unpacked. We set up a book case in the office, and moved the stacking tables out, except for one level of one of them.  Still need more bookcases (or we need to sell some books!), but we did a purge while we were going through the crates and boxes.

I woke up this morning congested, so it looks like we may miss Dylan's birthday party this afternoon. He will be 4 on the 28th.

I've got some new downloads to install soon. I download and try a lot of freeware and open source software. I found one package the other day that I downloaded, and now I can dual boot Windows and Ubuntu. I found a new toolbar for Firefox the other day that includes a player for streaming Internet radio, and I really enjoy it.

Last weekend, my Dad brought us an entertainment unit (shelving). Today, we rearranged the living room to make room for it. It needs to have some screws tightened, but it is otherwise in good shape--after we cleaned and dusted it thoroughly. It will be used to store books, videos and various items we want to display. The living room looks quite comfortable now. We put the couch perpendicular to the bar, with the coffee table in front of it so that there is plenty of room to walk. I moved the cats' climbing toy over in the far corner of the living room so that they will have their own space for play, climbing or resting. One of the bookshelves that was in the living room will be moved into the office for storage, and the other will be near the kitchen so that we can store cookbooks. Jay got tickled that I was moving furniture myself, but it does feel good to help, and this way it gets done without both of us being stressed out.

Once we get the shelves moved, we will be able to unpack more of our crates, and they can be stored.

Yesterday, we had a party. My neighbor has a birthday (today), and since mine is also this week, we decided to get together at their house next door to celebrate with a barbecue. I made potato salad, we supplied cups, paper plates, flatware and napkins, and they supplied the meat and beans, and we split the cost of a cake. It really was a wonderful day, and the weather couldn't have been any better. Today, they cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, and we got together here for lunch.

I also got our taxes filed for 2007 today. I like to file electronically, since it is quicker and there is not as much chance of errors. I will be notified of any problems in a few days; if all goes well, the return will be accepted.

In addition to everything else that we did yesterday, we took the girls to the vet for their annual checkups and shots (feline leukemia and distemper, this time; they need their rabies shots again next year or in 2010.) Darla has had an allergic reaction to the shots in the past, so this year, she was given an extra injection to help prevent illness or problems. The extra injection had an antihistamine in it, so she was sleepy and tired yesterday. We watched both of them closely yesterday afternoon, and they seemed fine, other than perhaps a little sore. They've both gained a little weight, but are not overweight.

We need to have them spayed as soon as we can, to further protect their health. They are not allowed outside, so they don't have any injuries that a lot of cats get from fighting and such. We don't even allow them out in the back yard, because they can easily climb the fence. It's hard to believe they will be six years old this September.

We will find a vet closer to home in case of an emergency, but we do plan to keep our current vet, since he and his staff have cared for the girls since they were just babies.

Thanks to the helpfulness of one of our neighbors, We have a ramp at the front door for easier and safer access to the outside of the house. The cement should be completely dry by tomorrow. Next, we will build a smaller ramp for the inside of the garage. Then we can park the car in the garage, and no more getting wet when it rains. Jay has hung the last of the curtain rods in the guest room. We also hung the rest of the wind chimes. It really is feeling more like home.

Tomorrow we will be picking up a computer desk for the office and rearranging furniture so we can share the office again. The new printer will likely be online sometime tomorrow, I hope. Taxes may be done by a professional this year. I'm going to call and get some information before I decide what to do about them.

We're planning a party for next weekend! should be fun. It's to celebrate two birthdays.

February's chill cannot overcome the special days for our family this month. Today is the anniversary of my maternal great grandmother's birth.
Tomorrow, of course is Groundhog Day. (I'm expecting six more weeks of winter.) On the 10th, my neighbor will celebrate her birthday; the 11th is the anniversary of my grandmother's birth; the 14th is my birthday and it's the first birthday of my grandson, Ryan; the 15th is the birthday of one of my friends' son; the 16th is the birthday of one of my cousins. The 28th is Dylan's fourth birthday. Quite a lot going on for a short month.

It feels much more pleasant to be making mortgage payments than it ever did to pay the rent. I have a real sense of "paying ourselves". I'm going to work on our taxes this weekend, if I have time. If not, next weekend for sure. I've already taken care of some of the bills for the month. Again, much more pleasant than it used to be.

We have met one more of our neighbors. She is a keeper, as well. She came to visit last Saturday, and we chatted for a while. Again, good neighbors are a gift.

One of the best things about our new community is the neighbors. We met two of our next door neighbors the day we closed on the house. They were arriving to close on their house as we were leaving with keys in hand. He bounded over to our car, smiled and put out his hand, and introduced himself, then we went to his car to meet his wife. We've been friendly ever since. We had them over for dinner shortly after we moved in, and we've had dinner at their house. He helped us avoid a problem early on, when he told us that our satellite dish needed to be on the back of the house instead of on the front where the installer had put it.

He told us he is "just a country boy who has had to learn to do a lot of things for himself." He has been so helpful to us that it really is a joy to live next door to him and his wife. He is going to build ramps for the front door and for the inside garage door, so I have easier and safer ways to get out of the house. He's agreed to help us build a deck for the back yard later on, and we're already planning summer barbecues.

This past weekend, he discovered that his house had no insulation, so he contacted the sales office of the subdivision, and got the name of the company that is responsible for the insulation. They came out and put the insulation in at no cost, under the warranty. When he told us about this, I asked him to check our attic to see how much insulation it had. It also did not have adequate insulation. Yesterday, the crew was out to finish the insulation in his house, and he asked them to come over here and put more insulation in our attic also. We had already contacted the company ourselves, so it was approved by the owner or foreman of the company. The end result is, both houses now have plenty of insulation. This will cut down on our heating and cooling costs. Having good neighbors (and being good neighbors) is worth a lot, especially since we will be here for years, God willing.

His wife is also a gem...we can get laughing very quickly, and I feel very comfortable with both of them. Even his beagle puppy has adopted us! I couldn't have chosen any neighbors nicer than these.

I am actively creating one of my new websites. Finally. This time, instead of editing template code first, I am writing my content. This not only keeps the creative process going, it will be easier to copy and paste all of the content at the end.

I am planning two sites currently, and the one I'm working on is the easier one to complete.

I have removed a lot of unused applications and games from my computer. If I haven't opened one in six months, it's not going to happen...so out it goes. I used the Add/Remove Software tool in Windows for this.

The other day, I came across a computing tip that I like: Give XP the Performance Tools of Vista. Check it out; you may find it helpful.

Another trip to the local Home Depot and Walmart this afternoon, and we have the living room and master bedroom curtains and rods up. We chose a white curtain for the patio door, the Texas Flag for the front door window, a nice tan and beige curtain with palm trees for the living room windows, and dark blue for the master bedroom. All of them are fabric shower curtains. Next, we will get duplicates of the living room and master bedroom curtains, and hang them as double panels instead of single. We still do need a curtain for the guest room also. I may also get a duplicate of the curtain for my office. It's really amazing how attractive these curtains are, and the rods were quite easy to hang, not to mention they look really nice themselves.

We got a small grab bar for the bathroom while we were out. That will be a tremendous help. We didn't forget the outside of the house; we bought insulated sleeves to put on the outdoor faucets to keep them from freezing, and another water hose, this one a standard garden hose to supplement the soaker hoses we bought just after we moved in. There are still things on our to do list, of course, but little by little things are coming together quite well.

Tomorrow, we will get some quick dry cement; our neighbor is going to build some ramps for the garage and for the front door so that access will be easier and safer. Then Jay can park in the garage, and no more getting soaked when it rains.

We did not get to church this morning. Jay and I both have upset stomachs, for some reason. He had a backache that has improved; mine is still sore. Sigh. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

We went shopping yesterday, to get more curtain rods for the house. We still need four more. We continued using fabric shower curtains as window coverings; we put white ones on the patio door, with an opaque white liner added. For the office, I chose a white fabric curtain with flowers trailing down it. It is very attractive, and affords privacy as it lets in the light. I used shower curtain hooks to attach them to the rod, because the buttonhole type openings for the hooks were too small for the rod. We're doing to get some dark blue ones for the master bedroom windows; I'm not sure about the living room windows yet. I'm considering hunter green for the guest room. I know it sounds odd to use shower curtains as window coverings, but it really does work well, and it isn't too expensive.

Per one of my New Years' resolutions (yes, I did make some informal ones this year), I have begun working on what will eventually become a new website for Firefox. Right now, I have a template for it that I'm not sure I'll keep...but I decided to focus on content for now. My freeware site is also planned.

I have changed my music player. As you can easily see by checking the player at the end of the page, my taste in music can probably be best described as "eclectic".

I grew up listening to country (because my parents did); I still like some of the more "classic" country (Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and my latest discovery, LeAnn Rimes) and later expanded to what are now called "oldies" (from the 60's). At some point, I discovered classical composers (enter Beethoven and Mozart) and I have always loved Gospel (Carman is one of my all time favorites). There is a control on the player so that the music can be turned off or muted if you do not want to listen to it.