Something I dreaded ever having to do...

I do my fair share of buying used items on both eBay and Amazon.com. I have never, ever had to leave anything other than 5 stars for a seller... and dreaded the feeling of ever having to do that. I am always very careful to read the descriptions, and thankfully, have only had to contact the seller once (maybe twice) about a problem. The sellers have always been more than willing to correct the problem, or issue a full refund, without making me send the item back - on my dime.

My luck gave out the other day. I've been buying the series CSI: Las Vegas used on Amazon.com. ALL of the seasons have been arriving in MINT (like new) condition. So far I have all 6 seasons, but when season 5 arrived, the bubble envelope was a little damaged, and it sounded like broken glass pieces inside. I decided to write the seller a nice little email, telling them what happened, and asking if there was anything they could offer to correct the problem. I mentioned that I didn't necessarily want to return the DVDs, but if that was their policy on damaged items, then I would. They informed me that they have NO RETURN POLICY, and they were sorry that the post office damaged my goods. My understanding of selling on Amazon.com is that there is no option of buying insurance, and the rate to ship items is pre-determined by Amazon.com. It's up to the seller to make sure the item(s) arrive safe, and package them properly.

So, needless to say, I had to leave less than 5 stars as feedback. I feel my comment was very fair, informative to the next buyer that checks feedback, and still friendly. It still stunk having to do that to a new seller... they were at 100%, and now at 75% because of me. Arrgh!!!!

Random shots of my KIDS...

Here are just some random shots of my two kids... Lena & Caleb.
Caleb was enjoying some of the egg noodles the day I made the Pizza Noodles. I LOVE how he eats with his hands (talons)... just the coolest!

ENJOY!!

Pizza Noodles

I totally enjoy looking at other blogs that deal with food. They post BEAUTIFUL pictures of unbelievable foods they make... on what seems like a DAILY basis. They seem to LOVE finding & trying new recipes. I, on the other hand, LOVE good, easy recipes... that I make over, and over, and over. Oh sure, maybe if I had a family (or even a husband) to cook for, I may enjoy mixing it up a little more than I do. But, since its just me... I stick to the basics.

Here is a little dish that my mom use to whip up when I was a kid. It's SUPER EASY, and tastes SUPER good. Not a lot of ingredients (shown above)... I love that.


Pizza Noodles

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (saute)
• 1/2 medium onion (saute)
• 2/3 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt & pepper
• 2/3 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 can Campbells Tomato Soup
• 1 can water
• 1 can tomato puree
• 1 pkg grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 pkg Egg Noodles (wide)
  

Saute beef and onion (chopped fine). Add other ingredients. Pour over raw egg noodles in a cake pan (I use a 9 x 13 pan). Stir and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Add grated mozzarella cheese over the top, and bake until brown (about another 30 minutes)

I enjoy it as listed above, but I found that others that make this recipe add mushrooms and pepperoni.

GREAT advice from the Bush daughters...

The #1 song the day you were born??

Ever wonder what the #1 song was on the day you were born? Well, wonder no more! Check out this site to find out what it was.

The #1 song for August 26, 19xx was: Honkey Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones.

What scripture kicks you in the butt everytime you read it??

For as long as I can remember, there has always been one particular scripture that shakes me & wakes me EVERY time I read it... taken from the King James Version:


Is there a scripture verse that does that to you??

Are you ready for hard times??

My mom sent me a link to a 4 minute Paul Washer sermon clip that really makes you stop and think... are YOU really ready? We are living in some hard times, and the Bible tells us things will only get harder. I seem to shake my head more and more as I listen to current events from around the world. I constantly need to remind myself that my reward will come one day in heaven... I DO NOT need to seek the "approval" of men here on earth (because I certainly won't find it). I NEED to study His word, seek His face, and know His will to get me through the daily grind. Click anywhere in this blog entry to take 4 minutes and listen to this very sobering prophetic warning from Paul Washer. (it will take you to SermonAudio.com where you will need to click the "PLAY" button to listen)

Commercial FREE television...

I don't seem to find many shows on television that I can really get into. However, there are a few that I do enjoy, but they usually are on at the same time on the same night, or come on past my bedtime!! A few years ago I discovered how completely GREAT it was to watch entire seasons of TV shows on DVD. WOW... show after show, commercial FREE... ya gotta love it! Right now I am totally diggin' CSI: Las Vegas (just started season 4), and lovin' LOST (into season 2 thanks to a super friend loaning me her DVDs). A few others that I have watched this way are "The Gilmore Girls", "House", "Smallville", "The Office", "The King of Queens"... to name a few. I typically buy them used on Amazon.com for a ton less than at the store... and when finished watching and sharing, turn them right back into $$$$ by selling them on eBay. What shows do you enjoy??

Playing with "Snagit"

I've often wondered how people could take actual snap shots of computer screens and email them, or post them to blogs. I've received a few emails from my brother with these screen shots... but never new what software he used to capture those images. So, of course I decided to look for it on the internet. Presto! I found it... a free 30 day trial of Snagit. Anyways, I didn't really know what to use as my first "snag", so I decided to post a snapshot of the local weather. It's been SUPER cold here lately... So, here it is... my first experimental snapshot off a web site. This software looks pretty cool (no pun intended)!

Just another day... "24"

The new season of "24" starts this Sunday @ 8:00 pm on FOX. It's a two hour, two night premier.
Here are some "fun facts" about Jack Bauer...

• It takes you 24 weeks just to watch what Jack Bauer does in a single day.
• Most people would need months to recover from 20 months of Chinese interrogation. Jack Bauer only needs a shower, a shave and a change of clothes.
• Some people see the glass as half full. Others see it as half empty. Jack Bauer sees the glass as a deadly weapon.
• Passed out, surrounded by terrorists and nerve gas, and handcuffed to a table leg, Jack Bauer laughed to himself and said, "I have them right where I want them."