Hello 2011!

2010 went by so fast!
Since the holiday break started, Aria has been waiting for snow!



And we had so much snow on Sunday!



We still have a big pile in the back yard, almost as high as Aria.



After the blizzard, I preferred to watch the beauty of snow from my window:)



Blizzard conditions have left Long Island yesterday afternoon leaving behind up about 20 inches of snow.The Long Island Rail Road was shut down, Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, and I've just read this, 61 motor vehicle accidents in Nassau(West side of Long Island) and 120 crashes in Suffolk(east side).

We will be home at New Year's Eve and enjoy with a glass of champagne at midnight to welcome in the New Year..Let's turn a new page in our lives :)

Cheers! And..Happy New Year!

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Upcoming CSN Stores Review

Since I received a 20" Hyper Metro BMX Bike for my son from CSN Stores, I turned into an CSN addict. Before buying anything, I check out their site first. We needed a small shed and we bought an Arrow Sentry Shed from CSN Stores one month ago. It's very helpful and just like we wanted. My husband and I are very happy with our purchase. I'll be doing another review for CSN Stores. There are some great things that they have on their sites and I'll be checking out modern dining furniture, fitness equipment, or even cute cookware for upcoming CSN Stores Review! I can spend rest of the day just looking at their site:)

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season.

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Do we look like the folks in Grey's Anatomy?

When I was a kid, whenever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say 'I want to be a doctor'. I don't know what kind of doctor I would be if I was, but one thing is certain..My son is not going to be a doctor! He can't even stand to see his own blood.

-Mommy! I'm bleeding!!!(In a panic)
If you see him the first time, you probably think that he is bleeding to death. Ha! Just a little scar, not even worth to put a band aid on, lol.
Yesterday, he surprised me. I'm shocked. When I saw his loose tooth was ready to go with the tooth fairy. I told him;
-You know what, if you hold it tight and shake it like it's dancing, it would come out easily..Do you wanna try? (I was kidding)
-Oh, no!
-OK, I knew, you're not gonna like the idea. It would be something to remember forever..dancing tooth..dancing tooth.. I believe that would be something you would tell your kids when you become a father, how you pulled out your own tooth yourself. Wouldn't it be?
" Skake, shake..wiggle, wiggle my loose tooth"
-Mmmm..So..you're saying..(he ran into the bathroom, grabbed a cotton and got back to the hallway mirror)
-Dancing tooth..dancing tooth..(he started to sing)
Yep, dancing tooth left us last night and he got 3 dollars from the tooth fairy:)
-I don't believe, I did it myself. It didn't even bleed that much.
He was still in the same mood this morning. He put a bandanna like a surgery hat and folded another one for me like a nursing scrub hat and said;
-Mom, look at us, we're like the folks on Grey's Anatomy which he used to hate when I watched that show sometimes. He checked himself in the mirror and started to..... dance???

I still don't think he is gonna be a doctor or has a medical job when I saw him looking for a pair of blue jeans and Micheal Jackson printed top instead of some uniforms or scrub clothing to complete his look. But he got used to seeing blood for sure yesterday and now he is brave enough pulling out his own tooth if it involves music and dance:)

-The opinions I expressed are my own-

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Early Morning Accident

I was enjoying having my coffee sitting on the couch and watching my son playing with his lightsaber yesterday...Until he accidentally hit my coffee cup and coffee was spilled on the rug.

Lol. I hate stains!! I have a lightweight deep cleaner so why would I worry about, right? Wrong! Because I ran out of cleanser. Ugh!

Enjoy turned into pain:( I grabbed a pack of baby wipes and started to work on removing the stain. Baby wipes always work. Baking soda and vinegar/salt or dish liquid are commonly well known stain removers and when I searched yesterday, I found out that beer is the another solution for stains. Do you know that? It literally lifts it out by pouring a bit of beer right on top and rubbing the beer lightly into the material. Probably this process needs to be repeated a couple of times to remove all traces of the stain. Honestly, I never thought to use beer as a stain remover before. Will keep in mind for next time:)

That pic does not belong to me. I was busy to looking for cleanser. I can't remember when I used up the last bottle of it.

I remember I used ice cubes to remove chewing gum from carpet once and it worked well. Wine, blood, grass stains and pet stains..I had a dog for 14 years and I know how hard to remove pet stains from carpet or rug. Removing the stain is harder if it is old and sets in. I think among the hardest stains to remove in rugs and carpets are the mildews and the molds. They don't grow overnight though.

If your carpet is new it's easier but 'do it yourself carpet cleaner' is not good enough if the carpet is old and there are old stains on it, professional cleaning is the best choice then. At least once every six months. Even though there is no stain, over the years, carpet is going to absorb odors. Every time someone takes a step, they will be pushed into the air and dusty smell all over the house... Pet stains make it worse.

If you're living Austin area visit deep steam carpet cleaning austin/The Steam Team website)

You can read more about cleaning pet stains here; Dog urine odor removal austin

Enjoy resting your feet on clean carpets/rugs!

The opinions I expressed are my own

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A Few Pics Before and After Thanksgiving

I love this time of year in the NYC.

We had a late lunch at Sbarro. Aria didn't even finish his lunch after he saw Elmo was standing in front of Sbarro with a Christmas Sock! :)

Lol. It was a long walk for him..Ha! He found something familiar:)

Spider Man had a day off and they got Aria to cover him for that day:)

He was not the only one who took a day off everything:))

Times Square was beautiful in the evening..

Aria was crafty last week..His hand made Thanksgiving napkin rings...
They are ready for next year:)

It was 50-55 degrees in Long Island on Thanksgiving week. We enjoyed taking a walk, watching beauty of fall outside and taking some pics..

Yep..We're ready to snow now!

Let it snow!!!

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Chocolate Cream Pie

I told my friend that I would bring dessert. Since everybody loves chocolate, I decided to make chocolate cream pie this Thanksgiving. Grated chocolate,whipped cream and lots of chocolate syrup on top. I hear a big 'yaaaay' coming from Aria's room:)

Graham Cracker Pie Shell;

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups graham-cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

In food processor combine crumbs, butter and oil. Be sure mixture is well blended.

If the mixture is so dry, add a few drops of water and press crumbs into pan, and bake for 8 minutes. Let stand on wire rack.

Filling;

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 tbsp cacao
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• grated dark chocolate for garnish

In a saucepan, heat the milk with sugar.
Whisk the egg yolks, the cornstarch, cacao and salt in a bowl.

Mix a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, beating rapidly to avoid cooking the yolks.
Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until very thick.

Remove from heat, and whisk in the unsweetened chocolate until smooth. Stir in butter and vanilla.
Pour filling into pie shell, and chill until set. Top with whipped topping, a little grated chocolate and drizzle chocolate syrup over it.

BTW, if you're hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner this year, take a look at those tips. Even though you make a list of list, there might be something maybe you missed out on:)


Have a delightful Thanksgiving!

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Cool K-Cups

The good thing about using K-Cups is your fresh cup of coffee or tea is ready in less than a minute without dealing with filters, messy grinds or wasted pots of java!

If you want a single serving of coffee in the morning, one of the busiest times of the day or after dinner, just select the K-Cup of your choice, place it in your brewer, close the lid, push the button, and that's it! You're now ready to enjoy your cup of coffee.

Do you like flavored coffee? A wide variety of flavored coffee pods you can find on internet.
I have to admit that I'm a Hazelnut flavor addict:))

Coffee.org helps you set up an Office coffee program easily, one minute quick order and if you join The Coffee Club you save 10% in your entire order at their site.

K-Cups Gift Baskets might be good for holiday gifts also. K-Cup selections from Timothy’s, Gloria Jean’s Coffee People, Diedrich, Emeril’s, Wolfgang and more.. A variety of creamers and other treats, Wafer Cookies, and Biscoff Caramelized Belgian Cookies include the basket. The regular one has 25 K-Cups, Deluxe has 45 K-Cups, and the Premium has 65 K-Cups. There are also some good clearance deals going on right now at coffee.org.

Most of holiday shoppers buy their gifts online rather than shopping in stores. Save money by Saving Gas! Right? Not only will you be saving money, but also saving time. You can get your holiday gift shopping done without waiting and frustration of long lines by surfing the web instead of setting off to the mall in your car.

Hope you guys are having a terrific holiday season!

The opinions I expressed are my own.

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The sweetest gift for Thanksgiving

It's the candy season and yummy candies, sweets are appearing everywhere. When I was checking out See's Candies online, all those mouth watering candies made me walk into the kitchen and swallow a piece of dark chocolate. But everything is under control this time. I only ate 2 candies this Halloween. So proud of myself:) Besides, I'm starting go to the gym again and keep walking 2-3 times a week. Since I'm back in my old jeans, I don't want to gain it all back again!

Sugar free peanut brittle caught my eye on their site. My husband and I don't need to worry about calories then:) Those boxes also would be great gifts for friends this thanksgiving.

All the candies look yummy on See's Candies website. Inside one gift box, you'll find dark and milk chocolates filled with rich chocolate butter, old-fashioned molasses chips, marzipan, chewy almond squares, buttery caramel, Bordeaux, crunchy California Brittle and much more...It sounds heavenly, doesn't it? :))

When I was looking for sugar free candies, Aria already chose his favorite on See's Candies site.
Milk Chocolate Turkey Trio!

I can't believe thanksgiving is around the corner. When did this year go? Wasn't it too fast? I feel like it was just yesterday I was giving my thanksgiving menu to you guys. Gosh! Time sure does fly! But especially this year went by so fast! Am I the only one feeling like this?
I missed the smell of thanksgiving foods. Good food, good friends, good family, good candies... (OK, for me only sugar free ones)

What about you? Are you ready for Thanksgiving this year?

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Golden is golden

Of all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment. Buying gold as a hedge or safe haven against any economic, political, social, or fiat currency. During tough economic times, many people turn to gold bullion as an investment.

Bullion is often a long-term investment. Families hand it down from generation to generation. Gold bullion, gold coins are the most convenient, and safest way to physically invest in gold.

One of popular Turkish wedding gift tradition is the use of special gold coins that are used as gifts during wedding ceremonies. Also gold coins are traditional newborn baby gifts with either a blue or a pink bow attached for the baby. When Aria was born my family and friends gave us gold coins blue bow attached :)

If you decide to buy bullion and what kind of gold bullion you want, the most popular form of gold bullion is one-ounce gold coins. Easy to buy and to sell.

Only buy gold bullion coins that are in "gem uncirculated" condition. They must come in a protective covering and should have no fingerprints or scratches of any kind. Touching a gold bullion coin with bare hands or cleaning a coin will only reduce its value.

Gold IRA is the ultimate asset. It is the pure stand the oldest form of money.

You can also buy gold bullion yourself over the Internet. Be sure you are dealing with a reputable seller and insure all shipments.
I don't know how we lived our lives before Internet came along. Even gold coins can be bought over the Internet today:)

-The opinions I have expressed are my own.-

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The Beauty of Glass Tiles

If you're planning to put glass tile in your house, take a look at the largest selection of glass tile online plus free shipping!
Swimming pool tile, bathroom tile, wall and floor tile, kitchen backsplash...
When I got an offer to write about glass tile from glasstilestore.com,
I thought it would be enjoyable to write about it. I've always liked glass tile for kitchen and bathroom.

TAO BEACH GLASS TILES

The benefit to having glass tile, aside from the aesthetics, is very easy to clean. If your glass tile is in the bathroom it can accumulate a buildup of soap scum. It's a piece of cake to make glass tiles shine like new. Drying the tiles with a clean, dry towel to help prevent any water spots or streaks. It's the fun part to see your tiles shining to your face again:)

Glass tile also perfect for kitchen, because it doesn't mold or mildew. I don't have glass tile in my kitchen but I wish I have though!

What color should you choose for your kitchen tile?

ROMAN COLLECTION MINT GREE

N 6X6 GLASS TILES

Hundreds of different tiles to choose from. Subway tile at great prices and free shipping!

LOFT BLUE GRAY FROSTED 3x6 GLASS TILE

One of my favorites on their site for bathroom. Loft Blue Gray Frosted Glass Tile..Blue and gray is a cool color combination that can be very soothing. Soft, subtle, and calming.

Glass mosaic tiles are one of the good options for decoration and flooring.

It is classy.. But glass tile will get slippery when wet. Especially if you're barefoot. Therefore, it is best to apply a non-slip sealant after installation.

-The opinions I have expressed are my own.-

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You're Special!

A fabulous message on a bottle whatever you want to say to your loved ones.. Makes it unforgettable..Comes in a wonderful gift box personalized with their name.. Love to shop for gifts. Who doesn't? Just in time for the holidays The Handpicked Collection is offering personalized gifts.

Nothing says 'you're special' like a personalized gift!

Those photo keys caught my eye. Your loved ones are always close to you with these leather double photo frame keyring. I always carry my son's and husband's photos in my wallet.

Sounds really a smart idea to me.



They have also great toys for kids. 'Paint Your Own Raincoat' idea sounds like so much fun for kids. I'm sure Aria would love this:)

Personal Pebble One or Both Side

Maybe a date of birth or initials...Such a great idea!

Gift giving is a wonderful way to show how much you care. Choosing the right one sometimes might be difficult. I like to give my family and friends a special gift..something that they haven't got before or they are going to thoroughly enjoy it. I might also prefer interesting gifts for my friends. That makes gift shopping more fun:))

Things that can be personalized to make your gift even more interesting.

I think that's why I like personalized gift. Your words make it a tribute to your loved one with your special message and forever to remember!
But if I need to choose a gift someone who I don't really know what her/his passion is, I just look for clues from her/his life style and help me to find the right gift that suits her/him.
Those are just a few gift ideas I liked on their site. What is your favorite?

This post is a sponsored post on behalf of The Handpicked Collection. The opinions are mine.

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Childrens Jewellery

Deep Pink Animal Heart from Molly Brown Designer Girls Jewellery

You all know I don't have a daughter but if I had, I think she would have a jewellery collection:)
Classic&sophisticated jewellery, will last a lifetime.

The Molly Brown Collection is a designer range of jewellery especially for girls. Established in May 2006 by Erica Illingworth who was inspired by her daughter Georgia to create Molly Brown, a collection of jewellery for girls.


“If we develop a passion for something when we are young, chances are we will still feel passionate about the same thing well into adulthood. The beauty of jewellery is that it holds our memories; a love for jewellery can be inspired at any age and hopefully indulged for a lifetime.” (from Molly Brown)

When a daughter wears it, she is reminded of her love for her mother. Childrens jewellery can make a great gift at anytime of year whether it's for your daughter, sister or daughter-in-law..

I'm sure my daughter(if I had one:)) would need to make a memory list of her jewellery to keep those special days in mind.

So, I'm kind a lucky that I don't have an expense like that, right? :) Can hear you! Anyway, thinking like that makes me feel good when I am writing this post as a mom of a wonderful boy.

I just saw that Pink Aurora Fairy Necklace on their site, how cute is it??? Have you check out their variety of necklaces yet?

OK, dream is over! Back to normal. I have to go pick up my son from school. Yesterday we had a playdate and for today I promised to him to play basketball after school:)

dream...dream...dream!!!!!!!!

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All about MS!

I've never heard of Multiple Sclerosis until I got an email from All about MS.
I will share with you guys what I learned about this disease.

I'm so glad they contacted me to make a post about it and introduce their site to 'yonca is cooking' readers and I got a chance to learn about it. Here's what I learned about this disease:

Multiple Sclerosis is a demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system. Our brain is like a huge computer and sends electrical signals down the nerves. The myelin is a material that insulates the nervous system, acting like the covering of an electrical wire. The myelin loss caused by MS affects the ability to perform these movements. When MS occurs certain movements can be impaired or difficult to make.

Multiple Sclerosis is a condition that affects about 4% of the world’s population, that is why, it is a disease that is relatively unknown. There are over 2.5 million people who suffer from MS. Most people, once they start learning about Multiple Sclerosis, and about its wide variety of symptoms and cases of misdiagnosis, tend to fear that they have this disease.

One of possible cause of MS might be genetic. Also another one is geographical localization of the globe. People that spend the first 15 years of life in areas at a distance from the Equator seem to have a higher risk for developing MS.

If you would like to learn more about MS and MS treatment, you will find very helpful information on their site. For a person with MS best way to learn about Multiple Sclerosis Diet and which exercises are good is to ask help from a professional and get a prescription. For further information, visit allaboutms.com.

All about MS on Facebook, click here

Hope everyone is having a healthy& happy week!

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So October...

October is Energy Awareness Month.
Small steps at home can make a big difference in protecting our environment and saving energy.


A few tips, what we can do at home;

*Replacing all the bulbs with CFL bulbs.

*To turn down the thermostat on the hot water heater about 5 degrees.

*Unplugged all unnecessary appliances, lamps, etc.

*Buy a meter which monitors the appliances and energy usage in the house..a monitor actually computes how much you’re using an hour.

*Make your washer use warm/cold vs hot water.

*Solar hot water system

*Removing window screens allows about 25%(wowed me, when I found out) more light and more solar gain on south facing windows.


You'll be smiling when you receive next month’s electric bill and see how much you have saved:)
Save electricity is a good thing for all. How do you save electricity? Any other tips on saving energy? I would love to hear them.

Save and smile!!!!

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A lovely tea set, fall mood and me..

When school started I wasn't ready to fall yet. I started to getting in the Fall mood since the trees leaves started turning orange and red and I can actually smell the season in the air.

Isn't it beautiful?

Yesterday, my friend Eileen came over and brought that gorgeous tea set to me. Darling white porcelain tea set with gold trim. I poured myself a cup of hot tea instead of an iced tea... it was a good way to welcome fall:)

This picture was taken yesterday.

I'd like to thank three of my blogger friends for those wonderful awards they passed me during the summer and will share with y'all guys.

'Life is Good Award' from my dear friend Betty @CUT&DRY


'I'm Going Places" Award from dear Susan @Susan Fobes' Family Formula. I'm suppose to tell you where I will be in ten years. So, in ten years I'll be a 52 years old mother of 18 years old son. OhMy, feels strange now:) Hopelly I'll be healthy and happy and financially in better condition:)



The last one is, The Fabulous Sugar Doll Award from dear Maria@ Personalized Sketches&Sentiments

and I'm suppose to tell you 7 things about me;

*'A good bye' is always painful for me even though I'm going to say 'hello' again.

*My son wants a baby brother and almost everyday he keeps complaining that he doesn't have.

*I cry easily.

*My old jean fit again!

*We have a goldfish in a bowl on our bathroom counter and his name is Leo. This is our second fish. It was a September day we bought the first one and I named him 'fall'. He lived 2 years in that bowl and died on a September day. Sometimes we still call the new goldfish 'Fall'.

*I lost my sunglasses again!

*I use the word 'wonderful' very often and you probably noticed that!

I've been blogging since 2007 December. My blog is almost 3 years old. It feels really great when you met lots of wonderful blogger friends and getting to know them better all this time..You guys became a part of my life and your visits, your comments inspired me to keep blogging.
Love y'all!

Cheers to friendship!

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For mushroom lovers!

It has been a while I haven't made this mushroom recipe.
I almost forgot how much I liked it..
Then I took a bite..



Mmmm...Love mushrooms:) Don't you?

Recipe

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Wasn't it just yesterday?

He's going to 3rd grade !!!

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It is not too early to be looking for halloween costumes. Is it? :-)

Star Wars Deluxe Luke Skywalker Costume Review

Last year we looked for a Micheal Jackson costume for Halloween, remember? Ok, he still loves M. Jackson(of course) but this Halloween he decided to be a Luke Skywalker!
We checked out boys costumes and he was seriously sure that Star Wars Deluxe Luke Skywalker Costume is the one:)

This cool looking costume comes in small, medium/large and features a tunic, pants with attached, brown and tan boot tops and a belt.





Boot tops are attached to the costume.
They covered his shoes very well.





He grabbed his lightsaber from his toy box and started to think about Halloween candies:) October 31st gets kids excited like no other holiday. Yeah they should be happy when Halloween festival gets closer and making a decision what costume to wear.

If you will buy costumes for a large family, take a look their site. They have wide variety of Kids Halloween costumes, men/women costumes. With $5 annual membership fee your savings add up. You also get discounted shipping rates.

When he was putting on his costume he asked me:

-Hey mom, do you know Luke Skywalker was raised in planet Tatooine?
What is wrong with me? Honestly, I've never really been interested in the Star Wars... and I've a boy:))


I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Whole Sale Costume Club. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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NBA Mini Jammer Basketball Hoop Review

I received a Mini Basketball Hoop for wall yesterday from dazadi.com to try and review. My son loved all the logo's on the board. He just started to play basketball and he is so happy that he keeps practicing with this indoor hoop, even though winter comes. This morning I heard some rocket coming from my son's room. He was practicing a slam dunk.
After I heard his 'yes!!!' I noticed that this item will bring his life a lot of fun. Easy to set up and perfect for beginners. We tried a cheap one last winter but it broke in a few days. This product is sturdy. I believe that he will use it for years.

NBA Mini Jammer Basketball Hoop features a 24 Inch reinforced plastic backboard with all 29 NBA team logos, a 10 Inch molded plastic basketball rim and comes with a 5 Inch inflatable basketball. You will need an air pump for that.

My son was playing in the front yard when FedEx guy brought it yesterday. He grabbed the package and opened it. He has been waiting for this hoop for a while and he was very excited about it. The assembly instructions was very helpful. He attached the basketball net to the rim by himself:))







One of his friends came over yesterday and they both enjoyed playing with the hoop. He said his 10 years old brother is still has the same hoop in his room and they are playing together.

Bottom Line; It's much more sturdy than others, totally worth to price. Easy to assemble and the back board is pretty looking with all those logos. It's good to practice dribbling and shooting inside also doing a slam dunk. Although you should never hang from the rim.
I recommend this product to everyone. Brings so much fun to the kids room.

I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from dazadi.com.The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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What is new???

Whenever I clean the attic, I think about havig an Ebay account and sell some unneeded items. My husband and I bought some stuff on Ebay. Then I decided to have a selling account(everydayhotdeals2010) and put those items on sale. I started to take pictures of them yesterday and listed a few things as a start. If you haven't got an Ebay account yet and interested in selling on Ebay this article is very helpful. Another new thing is, I signed up to write on Associated Content and chose a few old posts of mine published on my blog to start. (Lazy summer..hehe) I've always heard good things about Associated Content They pay according to page views. I'd love to hear your opinions about their site if anyone heard anything about it or has any experiences with it. Wish me luck!

Summer always goes so fast. I hope y'all are enjoying the beauty of summer. Aria took this picture of me yesterday. A little computer break..After have done attic clean up and pampered my self:)

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