Cherry Cheesecake!

Once again, the food tastes better than the photo...

I let my friend's dog out and got cheesecake in exchange, which is not a shabby deal for me at all since a few months ago I kept thinking about cheesecake! I was told it was made with low-fat cream cheese and fake sugar, but I could not tell a difference.

I'm going to add these Cheesecake Brownies and Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake to my list of recipes to try.

Make It: Make-Ahead Meals

I spent my Saturday with my mom making food for the upcoming week and the best thing is I get to take a portion of any I want! While most are not difficult to whip up, I have a tremendous sense of dread coming home from work and then having to prepare a main dish for that night even if I know I will be eating the leftovers for days to come (leftovers are great, leftover redux gets old quickly!) This is partly why for lunch at work I like frozen meals from Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine because I can enjoy a variety of dishes, but making up meals ahead of time and dividing them out is the more cent$-ible (haha) thing to do!

I have only posted one recipe before, but here's what we made:

Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Manicotti
Baked Spaghetti
Beef Stroganoff
Sloppy Joes

On my list of recipes to try and probably not as a make-ahead help but meal, is Kraft's Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Random side story...
Prior to making our meals we had to swing through the grocery store and pick up a few items. At the checkout, we had 3 teenagers (1 cashier and 2 baggers and no we did not need 2 baggers) who were discussing taking IQ tests online. I couldn't help but ask if they thought a web site could provide an accurate IQ test? One bagger said sure, I have an IQ of 120! The other bagger said, I used a POS web site and it wanted me to pay for my free test so...I really need to stop talking to customers (I think he realized his language was out of line or at least that's my hope!). The cashier said, I am still waiting for my ACT scores! I said, I hope you're not a graduating senior!

My words cannot illustrate how goofy the whole exchange was, but it left mom and I chuckling on the way out. She said just think, in another year those kids will be college students at your library! She's been hearing about my stories of trying to explain to students that Wikipedia nor a blog called oh say udandi & the craft of money is not a scholarly source!

Send It: Lunch Bag Albums

WIP scrapbooks
Originally uploaded by udandi.

Most of these albums I have hand-delivered, but one I had to mail.

Since I use the jumbo lunch bags the finished albums measure bigger than 5x5 and square envelopes require extra postage, but a big square would require even more postage - not that person isn't worth it but I knew I could find an alternative.

Days prior I had been sent a packet of (junk paper) in the 9x12 envelope, which I folded and taped down into a new size.

Some times I turn those Tyvek mailers inside-out and re-use the envelope. One post office worker accused me of taking new Priority Mailers and turning them inside out to use. I had not at the time, choosing to recycle ones that had been sent to me, but it did give me and idea to do so in a pinch. Of course, using the mailers without the service probably means the rates will increase, oh wait...

That package was just under 5 oz and normally I keep my postage receipts so I have an item of similar weight will cost to send. I input the zip codes into the web site to get the price.

There's been much chatter in the blogosphere about the Forever Stamp, but not too much noting the rest of USPS increases on May 14.

Meme: 5 current obsessions

I was tagged by Tired but Happy to divulge my 5 current obsessions:

De-cluttering & Organizing
I attended a workshop the other week, entitled Returning Balance to Your Life and it spoke to me about this constant need I have to stay organized and clutter-free not just in terms of tangible items, but emotionally and spiritually! With each move of the last 20 months, I was reminded:

• Of only keeping those items that I use and cherish
• To be honest with myself about those items I say I might use or wear
• in the un-defined future
• To not feel guilty for wanting to be rid of an some thing useless to
• me just because it was given to me
• One In, One Out is a good rule of thumb when thinking of acquiring more stuff
• My stuff would be much happy to be in the home of some one who will use it!

As for organizing, I am always on a quest to make sure the stuff I do keep is easily accessible and in use.

Podcasts
I load up on Bob and Sheri (a syndicated morning radio show out of Charlotte), ABC Grey's Anatomy, NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, NPR Sunday Puzzle.

Cheezits
I just love them and accept no other brand than Sunshine reduced-fat (not because I think I am dieting but because it is the flavor, style I have had the most and like). I know which store sells them 2/$5 or 2/$4 and $1.88 (regularly $2.69) and try only to buy them when I can get that low price.

Crafts
I have free time again and I am spending making stuff and not buying new supplies until I deplete what I have!

Dancing with the Stars
I love it! Some times I munch on Cheezits while watching it other times I craft. Although I think Cheryl Burke is a great dancer, I do not think she will three-peat this season with "Steve Sanders." I am rooting for Apollo and Joey, if you care to know!

Open tag for any one to play or to leave a comment!

Equal Pay Day

Though I am aware of the pay gap between men and women, I was not aware of the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) or its observation of Equal Pay Day.

Equal Pay Day is observed in April to indicate how far into each year a woman must work to earn as much as a man earned in the previous year. Tuesday symbolizes the day when women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous week.

I found that site last week when I was looking for information on Library Workers' Day and found articles on the Administrative Professionals' Day, which is tomorrow and is a registered trademark carried by The International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Try It: Digital Scrapbooking

For the last couple of years, I've been seeing and hearing about digital scrapbooking and was interested and yet confused by how it all works out in the end. Were people printing 12x12 pages from their printers, do they have big, fancy printers or do they have a photo site print them and how much does that cost? Where are they getting all the scrapbook papers, embellishments and do-dads? How could this be any fun if you don't drop a few eyelets on the carpet and then step on them when you least expect it?!

I am not sure where I stumbled onto the ShabbyPrincess but she offers freebies so I thought I would give it a try. The first couple of photos I tried to use did not coordinate with any of the kits I liked and I was not so intrigued that I wanted to purchase any so I forgot about this endeavor for a while. Then this past month, I re-visited the idea when I took some photos of my little buddy that were not overly busy with colors.

I am not a graphic designer, but I know my way around laying out brochures and annual reports. The digital scrapbooking papers I have seen (free or not) are not really my style and it would be even more time consuming to create my own papers. Plus, I have much scrapbooking paper that I like using along with glue and all that messiness, but I think I might try a few more digital pages. I am most pleased with this page because the subject makes for cute photos (I can only post an edited version here, sorry) so it does not really matter how I present them as long as the photos remain the focal point of the page!

Credit: Bliss kit, ShabbyPrincess (I do not see it on the download page) created in PaintShop Pro.

Target: Clipless Coupons

Last year, I was lucky to be one who received the Flip Book of coupons every couple of months. This year, I have not received any and thought it was because they were sending them out to a different group, but then the local news guy, John "Don't Waste Your Money" Materese, reported on the Target Clipless Coupons:

If you like to shop Target -- and who doesn't -- put away the scissors.

Target has just begun offering "clipless" coupons to its best customers. Target is mailing out booklets filled with clipless coupons.

Just swipe the card for discounts on products ranging from Tylenol to cat litter. No more individual coupons to clip and tuck in your purse.

One downside...If you lose the scannable card, you've lost all the coupon deals! So don't lose it. If you'd like to receive these, check with a Target customer service desk.

That last tip about checking with Target probably will not get you far considering last year the Target Team Members kept asking me where I got the coupon book from. If you read my previous posts, you will remember that my sister has a Target credit card and I do not, yet, I was the one who received the coupons. My best guess is that recipients were chosen in various markets based products purchased, not necessarily amount spent.

If you are getting the clipless coupons, let me know your experience!

Make It: altered clipboard

altered clipboard
Originally uploaded by udandi.

When I moved I found this mini-clipboard that was from my high school days and was decorated with my personal record in Cross Country (which wasn't that great).

Having no desire to keep a shrine to my high school sports days, I sanded it, re-painted and covered it with scrapbook paper because I have seen others alter clipboards. I am going to hang it up and keep my piece of paper that has my list of good intentions!

By the way, I have two days off of work because of an electrical explosion at MPOW - scary!

Happy National Library Workers' Day!

See if you can guess which one I am in the following conversation, which took place earlier today at MPOW:

Coworker 1: I feel silly having a National Library Workers' Day sign up. It's like hey, look at me!
Coworker 2: If we don't toot our horn, who will? It's our week to celebrate, promote and garner library support.

The sign disappeared shortly thereafter and the candy is almost gone. I suppose it was good while it lasted...

I know Tired but Happy and Frugal Babe are fellow library workers, happy day to you!

Use It: Udell's Library Lookup

If you have an Amazon Wishlist or find yourself browsing someone's aStore but do not want to buy because you prefer to get it from the library, you should install Udell's Library Lookup on your browser.

If this sounds familiar, I posted about it last July and have left comments where appropriate...

Udell's Library Loopup creates a browser bookmarklet linked to your public library's catalog so that when you are browsing an online bookstore and you find an item of interest, click the bookmarklet it and it will pop up a window hopefully showing that your public library holds that item. The public library I prefer allows me to place a hold on most items.

Once you land on the Udell's Library Lookup page, if your public library is not listed under the five systems he already has links for, you can generate your own. If you do not know your public library's catalog system, call and ask a librarian!

Celebrate National Library Week!

National Library Week (April 15-21, 2007) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries, librarians and library workers and to promote library use and support.

The part in bold is key, to me. Thanks to a love of libraries and a background in public relations, I seize every opportunity to promote library usage, whether it is leaving comments on blogs or when I am out running errands.

Last week at the post office, one worker was telling the other to go to Wal-Mart and buy Blazing Saddles so she could see the movie. I said, "If I may make a suggestion, if just want to view the movie, why don't you check it out at our local public library, the main branch is just down the road?! The looks they gave me, you would have thought I told them to put their heads in an oven and crank it up to 450 degrees, "the libarry [sic] has movies?" "Yes!"

Be like Ms. MiniDucky and re-visit your public library to get or renew your library card. Visit your public library's web site, you might be able to apply online.

If you already have a card, visit your public library's web site and see what's new in books, movies, music and databases, check them out and then tell a friend!

Baby Gift update

2 here, 2 to come!

My friend's March-baby was a boy as expected and April-baby is a girl!

I have known the June-baby is going to be a boy. Had I known May-baby was going to be a girl before I made the gift, I would have used the very delicious cotton candy friends or hula girl fabric!

When I told my gramma that my mom's machine was not working and I had been using a friend's machine, she gave me her machine! Now, I am ready for the next batch of babies that will inevitably be coming along...

My Craft Space

Craft Space
Originally uploaded by udandi.

I have moved, again (the 8/2005, 8/2006, 3/2007 moves were temporary), and this is how I have set-up my craft space.

I have posted each of these furniture pieces before, but here they are working together! I decided not to put the desk up to the wall because even when I have my laptop out, I don't care if the cord runs across the floor. Plus, if I ever want to host a crafting guest, s/he can sit on the other side of the desk.

What you cannot see in the photo is my media cart, which has wheels and can be rolled into any room that I want to watch TV or movies (I do not have cable so I am not concerned with it being near the hookup).

I am so excited because most of my craft supplies have been packed since the 8/2005 move and now it is all in its place and ready to be used! Since I do not have an Internet connection at home, I probably will not post as much, but it will give me more time for crafting!

Taxes = Dunzo!

As a graduate student and part-time employee in 2006, I ended up qualifying for the Earned Income Credit (history-making: that is the most personal bit of information I have ever shared about my finances on this blog) and I anticipate it will be the only year!

Moving onto exciting stuff, while I wait for my return I will begin shredding old financial records! Last year I broke my shredder in the post-tax season shred-a-thon because I had a pile-up of old documents and customer records from my online business and overloaded my poor shredder.

This year, I should have minimal shredding of personal records and no business records (it is unlikely I will bring that back online, but that's another story for another day) so my shredder should be on easy street! For tips on What to do with your financial papers check out the article published in USA Weekend.

If you are looking for a place to park your tax return, consider an ING account and get your 25 bonus bucks!

Make It: Bagel To Go

bagel to go
Originally uploaded by rodrigo piwonka.

A bagel sandwich tote from a short spindle CD case.

Not much else to say other than it's a clever idea!

Cincinnati Casting Call: Property Virgin

I did not see Cincinnati or any city listed on the casting agency's web site, but the following appeared in The Enquirer. Possibly they are casting in your area?

HGTV wants to help first-time homebuyers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky find a dream house.

Producers of "Property Virgins," a Canadian TV series, will be here in late April to shoot episodes for the fall U.S. premiere, says Susan Stafford, publicist for Cineflix, a Montreal-based production company.

Real estate agent Sandra Rinomato will help eliminate buyers' stress by researching the market, based on their specifications, and pre-selecting three homes for the TV participants, she says.

Applicants must be first-time homebuyers now house-hunting who want to be on TV.

People can apply by e-mailing their name, phone number and area they want to buy in to casting director Sue Skinner (smsconcepts@rogers.com).

If chosen, filming will take approximately five days, Stafford says.

Contest: get paid to blog for a year

This blog will certainly never earn the ad revenue like Perez Hilton's blog nor would I win a contest to be paid $80k to blog for a year, but maybe you will. Leave me a comment with a link to your profile if you decide to enter the Blog for a Year contest. [as seen on Mom o Matic]

How does it work?

The rules are simple: anyone who would like can enter the competition. All you need to do is create a profile on this site, donate to the Blogger Fund, and start collecting votes for your profile. The competition will end when the Blogger Fund reaches $160,000 or Jan 1, 2008, whichever comes first. In either case, when the competition ends, the person will the most votes will be offered the job.

What will the winner receive? Can I work on any blog I want?

The winning blogger will be offered a contract to work on his or her own blog full time for one year. The blogger will be paid $80,000 in even bi-weekly installments, just like a regular paycheck.

This competition is for you to work on your blog, not mine. You can blog about any topic you want. In fact, when you sign up, you are asked to link to the blog you want to promote.

Why are you raising more money than you are paying the winner?

There are other expenses with running a contest like this including taxes, legal work, design, development, hosting, and marketing. Extra funds are used to cover these costs. If there is any leftover, I will use it to fund future contests (if this one is popular enough).

Welcome Vegan Diva readers!

If you are looking for projects, visit my DIY/Craft Project Vault and click away!

I have a flickr account, but I have not be diligent about linking back to the corresponding posts about the project.

If you are not a Vegan Diva reader, go look at her new pencil holder, inspired by my pencil tin, which was inspired by not martha. Come back and leave a comment if you make your own!

Or check out the Super Slab she found at Michaels, which is different than the one I used on my pencil tin and scrapbook projects.