In Which I Sing Praises to PaperbackSwap

Over a year ago I heard about the PaperBackSwap site. I visited it, thought it was a pretty cool idea, but never signed up. Fast forward to this last January while hubby & I were cleaning out the totes in the basement. We found 2 or 3 totes full of paperbacks that we've both saved over the last 20+ years.

Now usually I'm not one to part with a book, unless it's a stinker, like say.... Wicked. (I just couldn't get into that one. I'm not the only one either, I heard.) I had been holding on to books from when I was a teen for pete's sake. So we divvied up his & her books. He will not part with his Tarzan or his Men from Mars books, so they went back in his tote. The books that I was soon to be parted with filled a tote all their own, so off I went to sign up with PaperBackSwap.

Literally within minutes of signing up with the site, which is FREE, I was getting requests for my books! Within the 1st 4 hours I had already gotten rid of 8 books, and I was finding books that I wanted on the site too. It was like Christmas morning! Once a member receives a book that they've requested, the sending member receives a credit. For every credit you get, you can "spend" it on a book from another member. It really is working out well for me. I've gotten at least 5 books that I've had on my Amazon wishlist for months! Do you know how much $ this has saved me? As long as you don't mind used books, or spending roughly $2/book to ship one out, then this a great way to get books!

My latest finds are 2 books that will be tremendously helpful for an early fall Boundary Waters canoe trip with my fellow WaterDiva, Jodi. One is written by a man that I was able to hear speak at Canoecopia last March, who totally made my head spin with his knowledge of canoe camping. And the other one is called The Complete Wilderness Paddler, and it gets great reviews! I can't wait until they get here.

All that to say... people, get on over to PaperBackSwap! List your books, get more books! Too much fun.

I know.... it doesn't take much to entertain me. lol.

A Recipe to Share

I prepared this recipe a couple of weeks ago and everyone who ate it that day loved it (well all of the adults anyway). So, per Jodi's request, here is a recipe for:

Creamy White Chili

1 Tb. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 - 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (also called chick peas)
2 - 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans
1 lb. grilled chicken, cubed
1 - 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 - 14 oz. can niblet-style corn
1 - 4 oz. can of diced green chiles
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. In a large pan, heat oil and saute onion and garlic. Add beans, chicken, broth, corn, chiles, cumin, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.
2. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream & whipping cream.
   

Don't hesitate to tweak this recipe to fit your family's taste. I added almost 2 lbs. of chicken, extra broth, and I would recommend 2 cans of chiles. I served the chili with cornbread muffins. Yummmmmmmm.

E-Cards

I love a good e-card! Hallmark has some pretty good ones, but they still lack that personal touch.

If you find yourself needing to send out an e-card soon, why not give SmileBox a try? They have such a variety of things to make & send, and I believe they're all FREE.

Have fun!

To the casual observer, this may appear to be a cute photo of Mudge & Big D.
What do you think, you local moms? Care to comment?

Worth the Read

Clicking around this morning, I came across It Coulda' Been Worse. Some of you may already be reading it, and shame on you for not telling me! I got a day's worth of chuckles within 20 minutes or so. This gal's funny! Check it out.

Size

Overheard at the lunch table:

Mudge: Momma, I done!
Momma: Okay, Mudge, let me clean you up.

As she was waiting for the wash cloth she stood up in her chair.

Mudge: Momma, I big! And Daddy big!
Momma: yep, you're big. Is momma big?
Mudge: Nooooo.
Momma: No? Am I little?
Mudge: Nooooo.
Momma: Well, what am I?
Mudge: Momma you're green!

Well! At least I'm not big.

Curious George

In preparation for the blizzard last week, we stocked up on movies from the library. One of the kid flicks we got was the new Curious George.

While I haven't actually sat down to watch it, the soundtrack could be heard throughout the house. Very catchy! I love it!

Itunes here I come!