Block Telemarketers from Your Cell Phone

Cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and money is being made at your expense. Think about how many sales calls you receive in a week. I personally never answer any number that I do not recognize or that does not come up on my caller ID. Sometimes a number slips through the cracks and you are caught with an unwanted solicitation. I hang up and immediately “tag” the unwanted number and put it on my fraud list in my address book.

CELL PHONE NUMBERS ARE COLLECTED, COMPILED AND SOLD!
SOME PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY BEING CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS.
READ YOUR MONTHLY BILL/S CAREFULLY!

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:
888-382-1222

This is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. However, you must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. It takes about 20 seconds.

It’s E-Z.
You type 1 for English.
The prompt will ask you to type in the cell
phone number you are calling from.
DONE!

Many of us change cell phone carriers and/or phone numbers every few years, so it is always good to re-do this procedure. Also these days many people actually use their cell phone as their main telephone number. Now when you purchase something at the store and the clerk at the check-out asks for your telephone number, many of us give our cell number to them. That information is then used by the store and quite possibly sold to telemarketers.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS INFORMATION
FORWARD TO ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THIS VICIOUS CYCLE!

My Current Dilemma

~ Lewis Carroll ~
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
“Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There”

One Day Alice came to
a fork in the road
and saw a Cheshire cat
in a tree.
“Which road do I take?”
she asked.

“Where do you want to go?”
was his response.

“I don’t know”
Alice answered.

“Then,” said the cat,
“it doesn’t matter.”

“If you don’t know
where you are going,
any road will get you there.”

?

No explanation necessary . . .

WhirlyGiggle

One of the projects I have been planning for a while is a super fun quilt called WhirlyGiggle. I found it featured in a blog called Crazy Mom Quilts, which I found on a blog my niece, Heather, keeps called stitch7. It was on her blog sidebar. You know how that goes, we link to link to link and wind up in all kinds of wild and wonderful places.

While I am not going to use these colors particularly, this will give you an idea of the overall effect it portrays. I think it’s way cool. For sure it would use up a lot of my bits and pieces of scraps from days-gone-by projects. Given my pace, I have no doubt it will be at least a year before I am finished with it, however you can be sure that once done I will post my results for the world to see.

The WhirlyGiggle (aka Scrapy Cartwheels) and is also kind of a take-off of the old Pinwheels quilt. It needs two templates, preferably two contrasting colors. You can cut the templates out of any plastic recycleable. Obviously the size of the templates would change depending on what size blocks and what size of finished quilt you want. Anywhere from dolly-size to king-size. From say 3″ to 10″ blocks.

I need to keep my head on straight, so will use different colors for the templates to make sure which fabric is which. I have a notion that there is an easier way to cut these pieces using long strips of fabric and the ruler and rotary cutter, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m still at the “bright idea” and “thinking” stage.

Here is the block put together and an easy trim would bring the blocks all the same size with no difficulty. I think this would be an awesome beginners quilt for a young person learning how to sew. Not only is it simple but it gives a surprisingly fun effect when assembled. You could come up with all kinds of involved patterns for the WhirlyGiggle or just have the two colors per finished block.

A totally fun and fanciful quilt any way you slice it.

Trickle Down Effect

My ex-husband and his wife have now arrived back home from their LDS mission. Before they went away, they rented out their house in Canada and also farmed out several items for other family members to use during their absence.

For example, among other things:
D&L in No Van got to use their enhanced cable box.
Dan at UBC in Vancouver got to use their big screen TV.
And so on.

Since Dan was using his Dad’s TV for the time, he lent me his 37″ flat screen TV to use.
Are you following me here?

Fast forward 18 months.

The missionaries are home regathering their lives.
The loaned out items are finding their way back.
That means Dan’s TV is going back to Canada from Olympia on my next trip north.

Time for me to get a new TV.
Enter Costco’s great sale.
Sharp HD TV ~ 1080p ~ 42″ ~ $599.00.
Sold!

I like the way this story ended!

My Lost Weekend

Been catching up on lotza flicks this weekend.
A virtual marathon of wonderful movies.
Some great, some better than others.
Vegging on the couch w/ [healthy] snacks.
Sorry for my laziness, but it feels sooo good.
Tomorrow I’m back at it!
So long until then.

Saving Printer Ink

If you are like me, you probably use a lot of printer ink for personal copying and more especially in your business. Even printing labels tends to suck it up.

Here are five ink saving tips I suggest. These have worked for me, but proceed at your own peril as your printer may be the exception to the usual rules. And, I would hate to be the one responsible for your printer getting gummed up with a bad batch of cartridge ink. I’m just saying . . . .

1. If you have a printer that works with generic or non-oem ink, use it. Yes you get less printed pages but typically generic ink costs 1/4 the price of the fancy namebrand stuff.

2. Print on draft or fast draft mode with inkjets. Of course the print is lighter but you can get 25% more prints this way. Especially great if you just need the information for a short time.

3. Turn your spent cartridges into the office supply store for credit towards other merchandise. Office Depot, Staples and Office Max give $3.00 coupons for each cartridge turned in.

4. Never, ever buy your ink from a store. Try to always buy in online. For example, if you buy it on eBay it is cheaper, even with shipping and you can get your eBay BUCKS or Mr. Rebates cashback rewards.

5. Don’t worry too much about expiration dates. If you can buy a cartridge online cheap, buy it, even if it is past the expiration date. HP says their cartridges are good for at least two years past the date, if they remain sealed. You can often offer someone less for an older cartriges on eBay with a “Best Offer” purchase and get a great deal. Can’t hurt to try.

And if you are super ambitious and inclined toward learning a new skill, you can always refill your own cartridges. I have factored in the mess I would make and find that this is not the method for my needs.

Here’s a way you might save $20.00 this year!
Change the font in the documents you print.

Because different fonts require different amounts of ink to print. For example, you could be buying new printer cartridges less often if you wrote in Century Gothic rather than Arial. Schools and businesses can save thousands of dollars with simply a font change.

Data on this subject was taken from printer.com, who talk about a Dutch company that evaluates printer attributes. They persuaded the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to make a switch in their usual font. Diane Blohowiak, coordinator of information-technology user support, asked the faculty and staff to use Century Gothic for all printed documents. As a result the school plans to change its e-mail system to use Century Gothic exclusively. The school of 6,500 students spends about $100,000 per year on ink and toner and expects to save $5,000 to $10,000 per year with the font switch.

A Care Package 4 Afghanistan

With LT Bob now serving in Afghanistan, I am always thinking about, or putting together, a package o’ fun to send him. I pleaded with Bob to tell me what he would be thrilled to receive, what would be a great surprise, what is on his wishlist that maybe I can handle, all to support him while away. No request is too large or too small, too simple or too complicated. Some requests may take longer than others, but eventually I prevail and find and/or accomplish everything, all hoping to make his big Navy heart sing. Well, happily he recently told me a few things that he would be happy to see arrive in his mailbox.

Here’s the current list I’m working on:
1. The copy of Backpacker Magazine that has an article about hiking in Europe.
2. A set of single bed sheets, 100% cotton, with a high thread count and a fun pattern.
3. Sheet garters (also called linen suspenders) to keep his sheets taut on the mattress.

. . . and I’ve saved the best till last . . .
4. A big batch of Nanaimo bars!

That’s a task I can handle with ease!

This afternoon I went over to my friend Violet’s house to make a huge batch (we 4x the recipe!) of Nanaimo Bars to send in the mail to Bob. Violet is actually from Nanaimo BC and makes the very best bars I have ever tasted. She has the method down to a science and her perfect timing turns out the most delicious bars. What fun we had!

AUTHENTIC NANAIMO BARS

BOTTOM LAYER
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
5 Tbls. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut

MIDDLE LAYER
1/2 cup butter
*3 Tbls. whipping cream (1/2 & 1/2 or milk is OK too.)
2 Tbls. Birds custard powder
2 cups powdered sugar
*NOTE: It may take more or less liquid to give the best spreading consistency.
You want it to be a bit stiffer than regular cake frosting.

TOP LAYER
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
1 Tbls. butter

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, cocoa powder, egg and vanilla in a heavy sauce pan or double boiler. Stir over low heat until mixture is of custard like consistency.
2. Combine graham crackers, coconut and walnuts and add to the melted mixture. Mix well and pack into buttered 9 x 9 inch pan.
3. Cream 1/4 cup butter, powdered sugar, vanilla custard powder and milk. Beat until creamy and spread over base.
4. Refrigerate till hardened.
5. Melt semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter and drizzle over custard icing. Refrigerate. When totally hardened cut into square bars.

Betcha can’t eat just one!

CLICK HERE
For other Nanaimo Bar variations.

Do One Green Thing

“One green thing: It’s so simple. This book takes the pressure off
by giving you one easy but effective choice to make in each basic
area of your life. Do One Green Thing makes me feel happy
and confident that more positive change is afoot, and that we all
have an important and rewarding part to play.” ~ Meryl Streep

“Now you can stop making excuses and go green in a way that suits you,
and that you understand. Do One Green Thing is a trove of good advice
that is fun to read. Added to that, Mindy’s done all the hard work.
This is a wonderful book.”
~ Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of A Thousand Acres

Do One Green Thing is a handy guide full of practical
tips for everyday green living. I hope it inspires many people to
do many green things . . . for their well-being and the
survival of our planet. ~Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund

Healthy, Cost-Conscious Eco Living Website

These are the Eco-Friendly things that I do faithfully:
1. Changed all the lightbulbs in and out of my house to fluorescent bulbs. (From the smallest to the largest.)
2. Pay all my monthly bills online. (Saves the environment plus the cost of stamps.)
3. Get books and movies from the library as much as practical. (Saves money too.)
4. Read the local, national and international news online. (No more newspapers.)
5. Recycle every piece of paper possible. (Cardboard, computer paper, magazines, flyers, etc.)
6. Deliver unwanted items to appropriate new homes. (OlyReuseables, Freecycle, Various Charities, Books For Prisoners, Women in Crisis, Senior Center Boutique, etc.)
7. Send all outdated or unwanted food to Bobby Johnson’s farm for his animals. (He call his hens “The Ladies.”)
8. Turn the thermostat completely off at night. Dress in layers during the day. (Even in the winter.)
9. Drive my car a whole lot less. (Thanks to Bill and Kathy this is easy as they have a hybrid car.)
10. Keep unnecessary lights turned off during the day. (My apartment is on the north side, so this is sometimes hard.)
11. Reuse and/or recycle all boxes, packing materials and mailing supplies. (Only need to buy tape.)
12. Encourage friends and neighbors in my complex to adopt good recycling habits. (It’s E-Z!)

Happy Earth Day!

Free Calls from the War Zone

Yesterday morning I got an 8:00am phone call from LT Bob in Afghanistan. We talked for about an hour before he rang off because another call was coming in from his brother in Canada. And all these calls were FREE for both sides.

You see, before Bob left for Afghanistan, he secured a USA MagicJack telephone number in California. Now he is able to place a call from Afghanistan and receive telephone calls from anywhere in the USA and Canada at no charge for the whole time he is serving in Afghanistan. Even if he wants to call another country outside of North America, he can do that too for two cents a minute. It’s absolutely true!

MagicJack is a little USB device, which you can hook it up to your computer’s USB port to make calls to any home or cellular telephones. To use it, just connect MagicJack to your computer’s USB port, plug any purchased home phone handset to the other end of MagicJack, initialize the service and the software will load automatically to let you dial your numbers and make calls. To put it simple, MagicJack uses VOIP to route your calls to the MagicJack routing center and then subsequently routes your calls to other home phones in the US and Canada from anywhere in the world through your computer.

Initially MagicJack costs only $39.95 for the first year and then $19.95 for subsequent years. (You can even find the device on eBay for less.) And no long term contracts! It’s a complete phone service that comes with a real phone number, that you can use to make and receive local and long distance calls.

Besides that, it includes free voicemail service for receiving messages whether you’re offline or online. Some other common phone services such as caller ID, call waiting, free directory assistance, call forwarding, free three way calling, and 911 are also included with MagicJack. In this case, your computer will need an internet access such as DSL, cable modem, other broadbands and WiFi etc.

Skeptical? Don’t be.
Learn more about MagicJack and sign up for a FREE TRIAL HERE!