My Step-Mom wants the new Kindle HD!

My step-mother told me she wanted the new Kindle for Christmas! It is more expensive than just a paperwhite, but it definitely has more features. I might like one instead of an iPad. I will do my research and see what my brain tells me.

However, if you want one, Amazon has a special running now where you can pay for it in 4 quarterly payments! Interested in the super-duper Kindle, then click 

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9", HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 64 GB - Includes Special Offers

If you want the lesser priced one, click
Kindle Fire HDX 8.9", HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB - Includes Special Offers   Yes, I will receive a small commission, but you know that I am worth it. If you already have one of these amazing new Kindles, then leave me a comment below to tell me how you like it! You will be helping me and any other visitors who might need a review.

My Mom's Chocolate Covered Cherries

Every year I try to carry on the tradition of making candy for the Christmas Holidays. This year my attempt turned ugly. I search all over for cherries with stems and had no luck until I hit the local Walmart. The cherries were even organic! How great is that? I followed a recipe similar to one my mother used to make when I was a child. I must have done something wrong, however, because the chocolate that covered these juicy fruit developed bubbles and a white haze. I think it had something to do with "tempering" the chocolate, whatever that means. Oh well, my Christmas Cherries taste good in-spite of their ugliness.

An early Christmas Greeting

Those are my seven little elves giving you all an early Christmas greeting. After the photo was made, I gathered them in the garage to make a really fun craft:  Pompom Decorated Pinecone Christmas Tree (yes, that is a clickable link!)

If you click the link above, you will be taken to an article I wrote on Squidoo.com that will show you how to make these small trees with your own children. I had fun with the children and it was a really good way to get in the Christmas Spirit. 

My Christmas Devotion Begins Today!

December 1st begins a daily online Christmas devotional sponsored by members of Living Faith Community UMC in Hoover, AL.  You can find it here on Blogger at this address: LFC Christmas Devotional.

The study is following a book by Thomas Kinkade, titled Christ, the Light of the World. If you would like to read about the book, I wrote an introductory article on Squidoo. Click A Christmas Devotional. You can order the book from that site as well. I am donating the proceeds to LFC, by the way.

Come on, get in the holiday spirit. I dare you.

Review This!

I was recently asked to contribute to a blog called "Review This!" The contributors to this page are all lensmasters (writers) on a site called Squidoo.com. Once one "joins" Squidoo, he/she can write articles about what interests them the most--what they are passionate about. The best part is, if your article rises in the rankings, you can earn money.

The process that keeps Squidoo in existence as a "free" website is one called "commerce". I write articles about all kinds of things from making repairs to real books to how to spray paint a plastic pot to look like new again. When one writes an article, he/she can find a product on Amazon.com or eBay.com. If a sale is made, then the author gets a percentage of the commission. What I have learned over the last 8 years of writing on www.Squidoo.com is that the more traffic and sales to the site, the more money I can make! I am not getting rich (I have made more than $300 during one Christmas season, but never more than that. I have been pulling in about $100 a month for the last year or so.)

 I would like to invite anyone who reads this post to join Squidoo and start writing good articles. There are plenty of members on Squidoo who are there to help you. Join the "RocketSquids" (newbie writers who have less than 25 articles published on Squidoo). The templates are very easy to use and you will love hanging out there. All I ask is that you write about what you know and be honest with your opinions.

 Yes, you can promote yourself or items that you might sell. Just be ethical and truthful.

Well, back to "Review This!".  I am a contributor to this blog that promotes articles written on Squidoo. Usually, an article on Squidoo reviews or offers suggestions for products (as I said before). The more traffic Squids get, the better for the website.

 Click the badge below to get started on Squidoo:

 

Why write on Squidoo--Part Two

As stated by me in the past, I write on Squidoo because the website is easy to use--most of the time! The staff at HQ are very savvy and are constantly making upgrades to the underlying structure of the site. Recently they converted the algorithm to accommodate the fact that most of the world now accesses the internet using a mobile phone or tablet. The changes HQ made were supposed to make the articles easier to read on these devices. Not being as knowledgeable as most in the way of the internet, I did not foresee this happening nor did the company let the community know about the changes. Here is an article about this change written by Paula Atwell (lakeerieartists) Squidoo's New Responsive Layout,
if you need more information.

As a result of this revision, one of my top ranked pages that had consistently been in the top 100 on Squidoo for over one year, suddenly took a hit and slid down (#127)  in the rankings almost over night. I visited this page of mine a few days ago and made some changes. I removed the code that made the font larger and I also took out a lot of css that put borders around the text. The very next day, my page was back in the top 100 (#52). That rise was quite literally an over night improvement.

I am now in the painstaking process of making similar changes to other lenses. I will continue to post my observations on changes in traffic to my articles. What does all that have to do with why I choose to do most of my writing on Squidoo? I write on Squidoo because I have found some level of success. I love the look of the pages after they are published and I still think it is the easiest website to pubish articles and earn a bit of money.

Why write on Squidoo?

First of all, my Squidoo lenses are not really blog entries like so many of my friends believe they are. My pages on Squidoo are just "articles" I write about stuff. Some of my pages are about products that I review. Yes, I have made some money--not much--as a result of someone buying a book, toy or whatever as a result of my opinions. That is the beauty of the website, or any website for that matter. I can even make some cash from this blog, too.

I recently became an affiliate for Night Owl Paper Goods because I love the cards and gifts that they create or make available. I also like the fact that it is an Alabama company and I want to support the wonderful people in my home state. This company also possesses some of the values that I believe in. They use environmentally sustainable materials for their goods and they believe in good customer service. I also feel that their products promote good old homemade, crafty ideals. Yes, I hope to sell some of the cards and gift items that Night Owl creates. Check out my pages on Squidoo about this wonderful, Alabama Company:
Perfect Valentines for a New Girl (or Guy) Friend
Personalized Photo Greeting Cards
Night Owl Halloween Cards

In the meantime, aren't these "night owl" embellishments cute? (not from Night Owl Paper Goods, btw)


Jesse James 485269 Dress It Up Embellishments-Night Owls (Google Affiliate Ad)