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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Well look-y here! I'm connected!


Not only did I get my computer yesterday, but I actually figured out how to turn it on and get it hooked up to the internet, all by myself. I'm not very tech-savvy, so that's a big deal for me. It took me 30 minutes just to figure out where the password was on the internet router! LOL!!

One of my goals for this next year is to learn to do more of these sort of things without help from my kids.

One improvement (depending on how you look at it) for this blog, will be the return to photos. I've been mostly unable to upload photos on the borrowed laptops (since June). Sometimes this hampered what I had wanted to share with you. Kinda hard to describe how some things I do have turned out. Like this yummy dessert -- 


which, actually I didn't  make, but my daughters did. It's melted chocolate chips, vanilla extract and silken tofu. Yummy!

Or what's left of a large batch of candied orange peel -- 


that I made on Friday, but we've been nibbling at for the last few days. My original plan was to chop and freeze most of the batch, to add to baking later on. Looks like I'll need to make another large batch for that to happen.

Or, these fun little cakes that we made for New Year's Eve dessert. 



I baked an 8-inch square pan of chocolate cake batter, cut into 6 rectangles (I wanted squares, which would have been smaller, but I was out-voted. The rest of the crowd wanted bigger pieces, which would be rectangles.) I split the little cakes and spread with plum jam, and placed the top half back on each jammed-up piece. Then I frosted the sides and tops of each with cocoa buttercream frosting and added the festive sprinkles. Oh, they were so good. After dinner, my husband looked around the table and asked, "however did you get 5 corner pieces?"


So having photos just may make blogging a little more colorful and visually appealing, being able to share images instead of text only. Now if I could just do something about my lacking photography skills!



Monday, January 5, 2015

Good morning! Some good news!

This is great news for me and my online life.

I have never had my very own computer. I've used hand-me-down laptops and desk tops from my husband. Back in June, my latest hand-me-down fried and died. Since then, I've begged and borrowed time on laptops from other members of the family. As you can imagine, mooching computer time has greatly limited my access to email, blogs, bill-paying and general internet browsing.

Well, later today, I'll be picking up my very own laptop. No more hand-me-downs. No more mooching computer access off of my family members.


Back in 2008, I began saving for my very own computer. Every month, I put aside a few dollars, specifically for this purpose. Some months it was just $5 or $10. Other months I pulled together $50 or more. This past fall, I finally had enough to make that purchase. Woo hoo!!!

Computers don't last forever. So I've already begun my next fund to buy this one's replacement. $5 to $10 a month doesn't sound like much. But in 6 years, those measly dollars could amount to over $700.


This is how our family pays for just about every major purchase we make -- we save in anticipation of needing the new item. We currently have the necessary savings to replace our water heater. And we're in the process of saving for a new furnace, a new car and a new refrigerator/freezer. Everything, paid in full, up-front. No interest, no financing. It takes time and planning, but that's how we like it.

I'll be back online just as soon as I can get my new computer up and running!

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