A Few Works In Progress

The post title says it all.  I have a few projects in progress right now and I can't wait to post about them as I finish them.  I should have one of my posts ready within the next two days or so :-)  And the others will come along shortly.  So to keep you interested I'm gonna give you a sneak peak of what I have up my sleeve.  Enjoy!!

I'm finishing this one up right now!

I found this fabric on clearance at Wal-Mart and I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I saw it!

My 1st Wedding Anniversary is coming up soon, and I found the perfect way to display all the beautiful cards we received!

I have a few other project ideas in the works but am still hashing out the details on those.  I can't wait to show you all these projects when they are finished!

Jingit

Are you earning money through Jingit yet??  If not, what are you waiting for?!?!  Jingit is a super easy way to earn a few bucks online simply by watching some short commercials.  The great thing about Jingit is that you are earning CASH that you can load onto a reloadable debit card, OR you can use the money you earn to buy music!  Right now they are having a sale on their debit cards.  For a short time, you can get your reloadable Jingit debit card for only $2 (regularly priced $10). 

All you have to do is CLICK HERE to sign up and then watch a few videos.  Once you get to $2 earned, order your debit card and it will arrive in the mail in 3-5 business days.  Activate your card as soon as you receive it and whatever amount you have in your Jingit account can be loaded directly onto the debit card.  There are no fees to transfer your earnings and you can transfer whatever amount your heart desires, and at any time.  When you start off there is a weekly earning limit of $10, but as you refer your friends/family your earning limit can increase (to a max weekly earning limit of $15). 

There are a few ways to earn through Jingit:

1) You can earn directly on the Jingit site simply by signing on each day and checking for new videos to watch.

2) Jingit has partnered with Wal-Mart and Kraft, and you can find some Jingit ads right on the Walmart website!  All you have to do is go to http://www.walmart.com/ and look for the Jingit page curl (located in the bottom right corner of the ads), click on it to watch a short commercial and earn some easy money.

3) You can also earn through the Jingit mobile app by doing check-ins at Wal-Mart stores.  Just download the Jingit mobile app, and when you go shopping at a Wal-Mart store open the Jingit app and follow the instructions for the check-ins.  You will earn some money for each check-in you perform, adding to your weekly earning limit.

So now that you know about how you can earn up to $15 a week on Jingit, what are you waiting for?  It's really very simple and you can max out your weekly earning limit very quickly.
CLICK HERE to sign up now!  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will guide you along the way!

Happy Earning!

Running for Rachel 5k = Complete!

Yesterday was the Running for Rachel 5k that I participated in.  This was my first 5k event and I loved it!  It was cold (between 44-47 degrees outside!), overcast and a little breezy at times, but it was still a good day.  This was the first year for this particular 5k run and the last I heard there were AT LEAST 560 participants!  That is a great number for a first year! 

It had rained the night before so they had to move where the start line was to accomodate the participants.

Everyone ready at the Start line!

Unfortunately I am NOT in this picture :-(  These are the people who run fast! 

The race started on City Island and took us across the Walnut Street Bridge over the Susquehanna River.  It was very cool to look down through the bridge and see the river below you, but it also got a little scary because once I hit the middle of the bridge it was bouncing up and down because of all the people running across.  At first I didn't know what was happening but I thought I was going to pass out and I had just started the race!!  But then I saw a few people in front of me changing their steps and I figured out what was going on.  Once we got across the bridge we made a right and ran down a ramp to the sidewalk and steps right along the river.  

Down the ramp...

...and along the river!

I have never run along the Susquehanna River before but it was really nice looking out across the river, and it helped take my mind off the run.  We ran along the river for a while and then up a smaller ramp and onto the sidewalk by Front Street until we hit the half-way mark where we turned around and ran back the way we came.  The big ramp back up to the bridge was a bit tough after running almost 3 miles before it, but I made it up the ramp and back across the bridge.  One of the things I loved about the end of the race was that those who did not participate and those who had already finished were standing near the finish line cheering for EVERYONE running past.  It made running past that finish line even better than it already felt. 


Here are a few pictures of me nearing the finish line.

After the race they provided some refreshments like coffee, Turkey Hill Iced Teas, Nature Valley Granola Bars, UTZ potato chips and pretzels, and 6" Subway subs! Yummmm!


If you read my other post on the 5k you will know that my ONLY goal for this was to run the whole race without stopping.  Well I'll have you know I did just that!  I don't remember wanting to stop at all during the race, but then again when I run I have to talk to myself in my head to get where I want to go.  I did not have a time goal at all for this first race but I will remember my time for the next one.  I am proud to say that I finished my first 5k race in 31:07!  For those of you who know me, you know that I am NOT a runner by any means, but I am very proud to have finished my first 5k race without stopping in just over 31 minutes.


I am planning on finding a few more 5k races to run this year and I will continue to keep my goal of running it without stopping but the next one I will also have a goal to beat my time of 31:07.  For those of you who have never run a 5k (or any race for that matter) I highly suggest you do so!  I had a great time and it's always great to help out ANY charity.  They will not have a final participant number or money raise number for a few days, but I will update this post once I hear the final numbers!  


Congrats to everyone who participated in this run as well as Rachel's family for coordinating such a great event!

Here I am with the Finish Line later on!

**UPDATED**
The race results were posted today and I finished 255th with an "official" time of 31:11!  They only recorded just over 400 people (they stop recording at the finish line 45 minutes in so they could get the info ready for the awards ceremony), but there was well over 550 total participants.  I'd say that's not too shabby for my first event!

Swagbucks

You see that thingy over there to the right called the Swidget???????  Well that is for Swagbucks, one of the GPT (get paid to) sites that I do.  Swagbucks was the first GPT site that I joined and I am sooooooooo glad that I found it!  I joined back in April 2011 but I didn't really start earning swagbucks(sb) until late August 2011.  Since then I have redeemed for a $25 Applebee's GiftCard, and $365 in Amazon.com Giftcards.  There is a picture of what I have earned at the end of this post :-)


If you aren't doing Swagbucks you reallllly need to.  I spend a good amount of time earning points on Swagbucks but I love all the Amazon money I have earned.  Right now I have about $240 sitting in my Amazon account just waiting for me to buy myself a Kindle Fire.  Yes, you read that right.  I will be getting myself a Kindle Fire and will not pay a penny out of pocket for it!  I even have enough to get a fancy-schmancy cover to go with it!


Now that I have bragged about what I have earned from Swagbucks, let me show you the ropes quickly.


First, use this link http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/saratyme26 and go and get yourself signed up!  Make sure you fill out ALL the info that is asked and use and email that you check regularly!


Here is a list of things you will want to do WHEN you log in to Swagbucks EVERYDAY!
1) Daily Poll for 1sb
2) NOSO for 2sb (NOSO=No Obligation Special Offers, just skip thru all the offers and enter a captcha at the end)
3) Toolbar use for 1sb
4) Search to win SBs (search wins range from 7sb all the way to 100sb, most range from 7sb-15sb, mega wins are considered anything over 15sb)
5) Swagbucks TV Mobile for 50sb (if you have an android device you should get this app!  all you do it start the app and let it run and you will get yourself 50sb a day just for that!)
6) Swagcodes (these are randomly released for a short amount of time and typically range from 3sb to 12sb)
7) Games for 10sb (all you do is choose a game, play it for a little, return to game details screen and repeat.  you will receive 2sb for every 2 games played, up to 10sb a day)


There are SO MANY more ways to earn swagbucks, but those are just the basics!  So what are you waiting for?!?!  Use this link http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/saratyme26 and go get yourself signed up for Swagbucks!! 


If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!  It can be tricky at first but once you get the hang of it you will be rolling in the swagbucks!


Here's what I have earned so far...such a long list :-)

 

My FIRST 5K Event Is Just A Week Away

About a month and a half ago a girl at my work sent an email about a charity 5K event that she was participating in and opened the invitation to all of us in the office.  Well I was intrigued and I have always wanted to run a 5K but never had enough courage to do it.  So I figured, what better time than now?  At least I won't be running it myself because as of right now there are 7 people from my office participating (by the way there's only like 42 people that work in my office) as well as a couple of other people that I know.

The name of this event is Running for Rachel. Please visit this site HERE for information about this 5K.   Rachel was diagnosed with duodenal cancer shortly after she finished graduate school and she fought a hard battle.  The great thing about this 5K event is that 100%, yes you read that right, 100% of the proceeds are going DIRECTLY to Rachel's surgeons at the National Institutes of Health located in Bethesda, MD.  The money will be used specifically to develop novel drugs for gastrointestinal cancers, including duodenal cancer.  I did not personally know Rachel but I'm so glad to be participating in an event where all of the proceeds are going towards finding better treatments and a cure for this cancer.

I got the email about this 5K on March 7th, but I didn't decide that I was going to participate until two weeks later.  That gave me only one short month to "train" for this run.  I already do a functional fitness class two times a week but cardio is not a main focus so my cardio was lacking.  When I first started running in preparation I was running 13 minute miles.  Yesterday I went on a nice run at one of my favorite places to run (and walk my dog Bella) and I'm now running around a 10.5 minute mile.  I have to say that I'm very impressed with myself for cutting almost 2 minutes off my miles and it's really only been three weeks of running 2-3 times a week.  I have yet to time myself for a full 3.1 miles, but that's because my goal for this first 5K event is NOT about how long it takes me to finish.  My only goal for this event is that I RUN the full 3.1 miles without stopping to walk.  Once I finish the run I will then worry about my time.  But only because I will use that time and try to beat it for the next 5K that I participate in.

I'm not a big runner and I never really was.  I loved playing field hockey in high school but I DREADED all the running drills.  But I really feel like I could come to enjoy running.  Now don't think I'm going to go all out and try to run a marathon!  I'm not sure I could ever do that!  So I'm taking baby steps.  And next Sunday, April 22, 2012, I will be taking my first step by going and running this very first 5K for myself.  I will make sure to post an update after the race! :-)

Where I Get Lots of FREE Ebooks For My Kindle

I LOVE to read.  My husband Dylan is constantly telling me that I read too much.  He also tries to tell me that reading doesn't make me any smarter!  What he doesn't know is I'm not reading to get smarter...I'm reading because I have always liked to read and it is relaxing for me.

I have a hard time spending money on books unless it is something I have already read and I know that I will read it again, and again.  Well after getting my Kindle I figured I would buy more books because the Ebooks were *supposed* to be cheaper than regular books.  Well that isn't always the case (example: the Sookie Stackhouse novels were over $63 for 8 ebooks but the paperback set was only $35...ouch!), so I am here to tell you about a few sites that I use to get a lot of FREE ebooks for my kindle.  I use these free books as "filler" reading between the bigger and more popular series I read.  So here are a few of the sites I like to look around at a few times a week and get some free reading material:

Amazon--duh! This is where all my free books come from because I have a Kindle!  But the great thing about Amazon is that you DON'T need to own a kindle to use their kindle content!  All you need to do is download the Kindle reader either to your computer or your smartphone (that is if you don't mind reading your books off your digital devices). Go HERE to see Amazon's Limited Time Offers for free ebooks.  Their list is constantly changing so I'm usually on here about once a week looking for some new content.

Pixel of Ink--This site is a great resource for ebooks that have recently become free or are only free for a limited time.  They post multiple times per day, everyday.  They also post the Kindle Daily Deals, which are ebooks that are on sale for one day only.  I found that the best way to follow this site is to LIKE them on Facebook.

New Daily Free Ebooks--This site is similar to Pixel of Ink.  There is a daily post of chosen free ebooks that are available.  You can browse their site or you can LIKE them on Facebook here.  I like to check Facebook for when the new daily list is posted and then it will take you directly to the site.

Well there you have it.  If you didn't know about these sites before you will soon become addicted to checking them a few times a week for new material.  And REMEMBER even if you don't own a Kindle you can still download the Kindle App from Amazon and purchase (or obtain for free) ebooks to read from your computer or smartphone. 

Happy reading!

Well That Didn't Go So Well

Well my attempt at maintaining this blog thing did not go well the first time.  I have failed miserably!  Good thing about failure is it makes me want to get up and try it again.  So I'm gonna take a few days and make a list of things I would like to blog about and hopefully next week I will be ready to start with some regular posts!  I haven't given up so please don't give up on me yet! :-)