linky lurve: the random edition

i'm hoping sharing some of what i've been reading lately will jumpstart that writing thing that seems to have eluded me of late. today's grouping, frugal links that have caught my eye over the last few days.

wendy at more than enough has a great list of 800 numbers for companies. call, let them know you'd like some coupons, and poof...they arrive. i've only just discovered wendy's blog, but i'm enjoying it; lots of interesting posts. unlike here, of late. ;)

something else from wendy: coupons.com has hit mypoints. i've been using mypoints for years, and i've been using coupons.com to print out coupons for what feels like forever. but i didn't know that they recently teamed up! very good news!

i'm very excited about the idea of making both cloth napkins and fabric bags...i've borrowed mom's sewing machine, now i've just got to figure out how to use it....got any great links towards that end? lemme know!

everybody's talking spring cleaning, which i don't think i've ever done....hmmmm....the lovely ladies over at home ec 101 have a post just for me! well, ok, my home isn't disastrously messy, but it would never pass a white glove test. the ideas are simple enough that i'm sure i can baby step my way to pristine. maybe. a detailed room by room plan is just what i needed! thanks, ivy! :)

i know if i could get myself into a better morning routine, my day would go much smoother. as it is, i've got the "getting up to get j's day going" routine pretty much in hand, i just need to get the rest of my morning into ship shape...

linky lurve: feeeeed me!

i've been heavily into the bread thing lately, and i would desperately love to finally find a recipe that gives me a loaf similar in consistency to the sandwich bread we get at the store so that i can stop buying it. something about the preservatives and all just really turns me off, plus i am getting a kick out of making our bread. not to mention the fact that i've got all the ingredients on hand, so it's not costing a ton of money to make a few loaves. this has led me to what feels like thousands of variations on my theme. i'll let you know what if anything finally works...

i liked this article on organic food myths. yes, i like the overall idea of organic food, i don't like preservatives and pesticides, but there are some parts of this that make sense. i don't believe that organic food is the be all and end all to all of our troubles in the world, as many try to make it out to be. with everything in life, i think we need to approach the concept of organic food in moderation.

these cinnamon sugar muffins look absolutely heavenly! i may have to take a break from bread and bake some of these...

cheese toast is one of my favorite snacks...a slice of tomato underneath and a smidge of salt and pepper before topping with cheese? heavenly...

this post over at money saving mom has some great links to frugal menus and budgeting while still eating healthy. i've loved reading meredith's series on the 50's style menu. i'm not nearly as adept as either of these ladies yet, but i'm learning more and more. baby steps.

i totally want to do this. i don't use buttermilk often, mainly because i'd have to buy it and it just isn't something that really fits into the budget. if it's this easy to make though? wow, that would be great to have around. i had a wonderful recipe to make my own yogurt, too, and i cannot find it to. save. my. life. grrrr.

linky lurve: the blogging edition

amanda at blogger buster has completely revamped the site, and it's mighty purty. she continues her blogger template design series with this post on backgrounds and borders. if you've been thinking that you have to hire a professional or be an artist of some sort yourself in order to have a decent looking blog, just take a deep breath and follow some of amanda's tutorials. she's developed a very user-friendly approach and you can't go wrong if you take things just one step at a time.

if you've been looking for ways to monetize your site, blogging gal has been checking out pepperjam...might be worth looking into.

blissfully domestic started off their blog info series with some information about basic bling for your blog, including links to my favorite favicon maker, my equally favorite mini-button maker, and various other bits and bobs. incidentally, if you're using blogger and think you can't have your own favicon, you actually can. check out annie's great tutorial on adding your own favicon!

linky lurve

been drowning in my reader again, all 111 subscriptions...oh my...

some that have stood out the most for me of late:

i've been wondering if it's time to switch to cfl lights....this post gives me pause, however. i'm a colossal klutz and i've got a dog and a cat who both want to be involved in whatever crisis is occurring at any given time. dunno that i'd be able to give this situation the full hazmat treatment.

it seems like the biggest excuse i've got for not getting more done on my personal goal list is time. something else always needs more attention, more time, more more. zen habits has a lovely article on how to make time for those personal goals.

multitasking drives me crazy sometimes, but if i didn't do it, i don't know how i'd get *anything* done. most of the time, it isn't a big deal, but here are some tips on how to back down on the madness that can ensue...

another interview with merlin mann, how to take back your time and attention. as soon as i have some of both, i'll be tackling this as well...

ohhhh, i do love me some stores that offer free shipping, no matter how much or little i'm spending... freeshippingon makes it easier to find items that won't kill you with shipping charges.

my least favorite question during any type of interview is anything concerning describing my weakenesses. argh. wikihow has a blurb on how to communicate our weaknesses effectively.

later this week i'll share more articles that i've been knee-deep into...

links and randomness, 2/12/08

i've got a post brewing that i've been laboring over for days...it was time to get out of my head for a bit, and i stumbled across this little beauty:

sooo would have thought that i was a middle-of-the-nighter, but the description is so very me...well, except for the no worries bit, because anyone who knows me knows that i'm just a giant ball of constant worry...i wish i'd copied the full description, but it mentioned things that were very true for me...

other things distracting me from my current bout of introspection-slash-navel gazing:

• i so want to make this soup very soon...
• speaking of awesome foodstuffs, the pioneer woman defies description....go! read! drool!
• i see a pattern here with food...hmmm...but how awesome would it be to be able to make my own pita bread??? now if i can only find that recipe for homemade yogurt as well as the one for that other thing that sounded awesome....
• more from the motherload...i'm about 50/50 on whether i rinse our ground beef or not. i'll probably do it more often now, this was an interesting read.
• and, to keep all this food in, more bento info! i truly covet the lock & lock lunch sets, featured here, but they are infamously impossible to find in the us and even online, really. i found a couple of online stores, but they don't ship to the us. probably i will just bide my time and wait, but as perfect as it looks like it would be for j, there are things about it that wouldn't work...for example, there is the ubiquitous pb&j that wouldn't fit and would need its own container, or mushing...then there's the fact that i would probably send water or some other good for him drink in the hella cool drink container, but i doubt that he'd be into that...so maybe what i'll do instead is seek out some single lock & lock containers and use them in our adapted system...ha! i said system. like there's some sort of system in use here. i crack me up.... :)
• sandy rocks! ran across her the other day on an organizing website, heaven help me if i remember where now...she is a personal virtual assistant, and will remind you of whatever you need reminding. she can manage your calendar, help you in scheduling meetings and appointments with others, keep lists for you, maintain bookmarks and notes...pretty much anything a real assistant would do...within limits, of course....

happy surfing!