Been A While! But I am making a comeback

I found out shortly after my last posing that I was expecting my third child. The morning sickness has been a little draining, but slowing getting better.

I think we are going to switch cable and wireless providers soon. I have been looking at Verizon for these services. A lot of my friends have Verizon so it makes good sense to be on the same network and get free mobile to mobile minutes.

I have also changed my federal withholding on my paycheck. I had only been claiming "Single" with no deductions, I now have 4 deductions. I used PayCheckCity.com to figure out that it should bump up my check as much as $100 a check.

I am hoping little changes here and there will really add up. I am hoping that changes in the cable, internet, and mobiles will save us $150 or more a month. With the extra approximate $200 a month, maybe we can actually make some progress on clearing some debt.

Sick Again

Relapse of my chest congestion.

Homemade Upside Down Tomato Planter Made With Recycled Bucket

What you will need for your homemade Upside Down Tomato Planter - total cost less than $10.

• Tomato Plant (we got ours free from my brother in law)
• Potting Soil/ Manure (we had some leftover from last year)
• Water
• 1 Bucket (a empty litter bucket from a neighbor)
• 1 Lid or Butter Bowl Lid
• 1 Florist Foam (Dollar Tree)
• 4 small hooks
• 1 large hook
• metal chain - 2 equal length pieces and 1 variable length piece
• Drill
• A secure place to hang your plant

Put a 3 inch diameter hole in the center of the bucket.
(sorry I forgot to take a picture of this part)
Trim the lid to be about 5 inches in diameter, with a 1 inch diameter hole and a place to slide the plant through.


Cut the florist foam also with a 1 inch diameter hole and a place to slide the plant through.

Drill single holes in each corner of the bucket for the 4 small hooks, and attach the 2 ends of the pieces of the 2 chains to each corner hook.


Then gather the center of the 2 chains with the larger hook. Then take the single strand of chain to the larger hook for hanging.
(I will add a picture soon)
Slide the lid with the hole and slot, around your tomato plant.

Slide the plant gently through the hole of the bucket.
Before you completely adjust the tomato, slide the florist foam between the roots and the lid.

Completely turn upside down, and fill with your chosen dirt. I chose to use the organic chemical free soil that I had from last years patio garden that has been mixed with manure.
We (my dad and I) hung it from a preset hook on our patio, and watered with 1/2 a gallon of water which actually turned out to be more than enough because, it came out of the bottom hole.



My dad did his 3 weeks ago and already has tomatoes. I am pretty excited. I hope it works out and if it does, then I might have more of these buckets hanging from my patio soon.

Just Haven't Been Writing

Sorry Guys We (3 outta 4 of my family) have been sick for the last couple of weeks I have been a little sick! My youngest got double pink eye, on top of being sick. So family, food, sleep and work have been priority. No research, no funny quirky things, just the basics.

I will be back soon! Promise!

EllisIsland.org - Search Records For Free

I ♥ the Today Show! I especially like it when they present information that I didn't know.

Even though I am pretty sure most of our family migrated over long before the days of Ellis Island, when I think heritage, I think of this historical part of America.
I did a search on Hengst (my material grandmothers maiden name) just for fun, and this post, to see what kind of records would come up.


I thought the information provided was really interesting even though there is very unlikely any relation between my family and the people listed. I could be wrong, note to Mom: Check this site out.

They have various ways to do searches, that isn't limited to "exact spelling" they do "close matches", "alternate spelling", and "sounds like." They have the passenger record, ship manifest, and I find really cool the ship images.

If you are trying to figure out all the branches on your family tree, this is a great resource provided for free. They do ask that you register, which again is free.

all® small & mighty® and Celebrity Apprentice Pair Up For Great Causes

On the 6th episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice” which debuted on April 5th, Donald Trump challenged the remaining celebrities to go all out and spread the word about this amazing all® small & mighty® laundry detergent. But the down-and-dirty challenge was menaced by clashing egos, a renegade project manager and a last minute decision that could have derailed one team’s video.

all® small & mighty® decided to capitalize on one of the most memorable board rooms in Celebrity Apprentice history by sponsoring a Video Encore on the all® laundry web site immediately after the show ended, including one of the greatest fairytale stories ever made! View a the video encore teaser here of Melissa Rivers in “Laundry Fairy” & Joan Rivers in “Guess that Stain”!

Not only will you help impact the donation amount to either Joan’s Guide Dogs for the Blind or Melissa’s The Lili Claire Foundation, by simply forwarding the hilarious videos to your friends and family (each time you forward the videos to a friend, all® will donate 50 cents to the River’s Charities), but you will also have a chance to enter the all® small & mighty® Celebrity Apprentice Sweepstakes: grand prize 2 tickets and an expense paid trip to the Celebrity Apprentice Finale! 50 runner ups will receive a 1 year supply of all® small & mighty®.

You can also register to save $1.oo of any one all 3X all® small & mighty® laundry detergent.
So this post is all about a great savings, a great cause, a super sweepstakes, and some funny entertainment!

Get a Rebate For A Free Roll of Reynold's Wrap

Log into Reynolds Wrap on Earth day, April 22nd starting at 4:22am to prints your rebate coupon for a free (up to $3.99) roll of Reynolds Wrap 100.
Reynolds Wrap 100 is made from 100% recycled aluminum.

While on the site, register to win Eco-Friendly appliances from Reynolds wrap.