Yawwwwwwwn! Steeeeeeeeeeethch! It's time to wake this place up!

The original Skeet's Stuff has been resting for a few months, but has somehow managed to nag me lately into paying some attention. It holds a soft spot in my heart, being my first-ever effort at blogging, so I've had to listen to what it wants.

Watch this space! I'm working on getting some redecorating done and will be adding new content even while the remodel is ongoing. I've learned a little about adding fetures since I was here last, so I hope I'll end up with a blog that is exciting and dynamic as well as offering worthy content. I hope you'll take the journey along with me!

What do you think of the new name?

Labels: blogging, blogs, just stuff, revival

Come see me at my new address! I'm at Skeet's Stuff.

All of the content of this blog has been moved to my new address. This blog will stay active for a while for various reasons, but new posts will only be made in the new blog from here on out. Comments will be disabled here, so I hope you'll drop into the new digs to say hello and share some aloha!

Advertisers: Per PPP protocol, your posts are still here, but are also on the new blog, which is on my new domain. You will not lose traffic because of this move. Mahalo for all the opportunities you've given me a chance to post for you. I look forward to being of service again at my new "home!"

Labels: blogging, blogs, home

I'm amazed at how savvy young business women are today. I'm very good at providing a professional service to my clients, but am well aware that I run the business end of things poorly. I visited my friend Doris at A Meeting Place for All Home Office Women and was very impressed. Doris gathers information from around the web and gives her fresh voice to information on operating a business effectively and profitably. I was very diappointed to discover her invitation to join eWednesday Chat a few hours too late to participate in a session on Negotiation Skills for Women, a weak point for me. I'll make it a point to take in some of these chats when I can. Networking is a wonderful way to make friends and discover new, creative voices to learn from. Doris has recently featured Blogtripping, an endless circle of blog visiting and critiquing and also reminded us Don't Stop Bloging. She also runs the Birth of a Home Office blog carnival, a wonderful roundup of different voices that can contribute to your home office experience. Doris is full of wisdom and I need to make her a regular stop on my rounds. I think it she can help me be a better business woman.

While you're in the neighborhood, make sure you sample Doris's personal posts, too. She collects Barbie Dolls, but the living doll in her life is Clayton, who gains great benefit from Mommie working at home.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

I hope to be launching my new blog on my own domain later this week. I'm excited and nervous & more than a little scared. This is a huge leap for me and the technology just seems to get more and more muddled in my head.

I got a huge surprise yesterday morning. A friend has gifted me with a custom design for the new site! I doubt that it will be in place when I start redirecting you there, but then, I have no clue how these things work. I've been trying to figure out why my friend would do something so wonderful and the only conclusion I can reach is because that's just the kind of generous and warm-hearted gal she is. I don't know if she wants her name exposed, but if she does I'll tell you all about it later.

Back to studying how all this works. Wish me luck!

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

The Posties Carnival will publish on Monday, January 29th at my friend Marcus's blog, My thoughts. To submit your blog go to Blog Carnival and get yourself registered. There's still time to post your blog if you hurry.

Remember that this carnival is only open to posties - that's the folks who get paid to blog about the things they love at PayPerPost. If you're not a postie and you'd like to join the fun (and make some bucks while you're at it!) go jiggle the PPP affiliate icon over there at the top of my sidebar & it'll take you where it all happens. If you have questions about how it all works, you can post them here or send me an email & I'll fill you in.

Labels: blogging, blogs, carnivals, payperpost, posties

The more I hang around PPP, the more wonderful people I find to enrich my life. Here's some of my new friends.

Homeschoolzoo is in the spotlight today. She's an Arkansas woman and jill-of-all-trades, who grows much of the food her family consumes, preserving it herself. She’s currently growing herbs and dehydrating what she can’t use fresh. She bakes bread, and grinds her own wheat for it! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This Christian home-schooling mom also crochets, sews and does crafts. We’re not talking the sloppy little projects that I frequently start and abandon. Take a look at her Painted Glass. I’m telling you, this lady is a pro at all she does. I can’t pick one of her blogs to send you to, so here are several: Homeschool Zoo was the first of her blogs that I read and has a great family bio on the opening page. In Zoo Talk she talks about “God, life, job, politics, opinions, cooking, journal, and more.” Plain Book of Homeschooling focuses on Christian Homeschooling, and Homeschool Zoo Annex offers more homeschooling advice plus some great bargain-shopping tips. Check her out at any of her sites, but be forewarnd: you’ll be there a long, long time. Wonderful links on evey page will suck you into a marathon session at your computer!


My friend blm03 has just started a new blog to replace her old one. Go visit her at My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings. She’s going through a stressful time right now, so show her a little love while you’re there.

Scorpy is another of my postie friends. She and I have a place in our hearts for pit bulls and we’ve talked together a few times about them. Go see her at Marisa’s Danelion Patch, and see what she has to say about legal intervention in the parent/child realtionship, too.

Tess Jones has recently been thinking about the way her relationship with her dad has changed over the years. Go on over to Musings from Me to see what else is on her mind. Her recent thoughts about bathrooms stirred up some memories for me.

Amy Jo hangs out at Bellclapper’s Garden. She’s crowing and happy these days because she’s gotten her own domain! Since I’m bracing for the same move, I’ll have to pick her brains about how to do that. She's got one of those funny blogs that won't let you link to specific entries, but they're all good, so go get to know her. Make sure you read Where I'm From. I'm sure there's a story about each of the places she's from, but I kind of like not knowing what all of them are, because her phrasing makes my imagination soar!

Labels: blogs, friends, posties

It's Southern Fried Carnival time again! Get on over there and pick up on some tasty recipes from down home! Last week's inaugural issue hit a home run. Can this week top it? Well, get on over there & see for yourself! Napkin and drool-bib recommended!

Labels: blogging, blogs, carnivals

My blogrolls are complete and can be accessed from my sidebar. Clicking on either Postie Blogroll or Good Folks to Read will take you where you want to go. If I've inadvertantly left you off, give me a shout. Feel free to copy either one from here if you like, but I find I get corrupted links that way. I've saved each as a Word document that will give you a result that should look just like mine. Leave a comment here or send me an email if you'd like me to send it to you. You can save that, then copy and paste it into a fresh post on your blog & you should be good to go. Installing your blogrolls inside your blog (instead of a sidebar list) will give you genuine incoming and outgoing links, so they're good for your PR. If you'd like to be included, send me the name of your blog(s) and the link(s.) I'm not going to promise to add every one that comes in, but most of you should be able to meet my high standards. ;0)

Note: I will NOT add abusers or violators of PPP TOS. You know who you are, so don't ask. If anyone notices that I've added someone that shouldn't hang around in good company, I hope you'll let me know ASAP!

EDIT: Sorry folks! I scrambled the whole thing when I edited last night. I'll find the bug and fix it when I get home from work!

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, payperpost, posties

Sometime in the next day or two you will see your link disappear off of my sidebar. Don't worry - I'm not erasing my friends. I'll be replacing those unwieldy lists with a couple of links to lists that will be tucked away neatly inside. This will hopefully make my pages more appealing, and will also be better for you and for me, page rank wise. Search engines tend to ignore sidebars when determining ingoing and outgoing links. By placing links in the body of my blog, we'll all "get credit" for our own links. I'm working on my PPP postie links today and will do my other links once this list is finished. If I'm doing it properly (I think I am) my postie list will be available as a word document when I'm done. Drop me a PM if you'd like a copy. You can install it too, and you won't be giving me PR credit every time you link to another postie.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, links

Cass has posted the first edition of the Southern Fried Carnival. Go take a tour of ten blogs that will remind you, in the words of the immortal Phil Harris "That's what I like about the South!" You'll also find instructions for submitting your own Southern Fried post next time, or you can click on the Blog Carnival box in my sidebar & click on it there.

Go. Read. Have your heart warmed. But don't forget: Y'all come back, now!

Labels: blog carnival, blogging, blogs, The South

Today's Postie Carnival features posts that will direct your attention to some great causes that are worthy of support. Catagories include supporting cancer research, helping children in need, feeding the hungry and tending to your own personal development, among others. I'm finding so many organizations and ideas that I was not even aware existed, and I haven't read half of the posts yet. Did you know you can give a cow to an impoverished family so that they can begin developing their own sustainable resources? What a magnificent idea!

Take a few minutes to check out the Postie Carnival! You'll be glad you did!

Labels: blogging, blogs, charities, non-profit organizations

I just posted below that I've never done a blog carnival before, and here I am telling you about another one. This one is open to posties only. That's what we PPP bloggers call ourselves. If you haven't joined PPP & want to do upcoming Postie Carnivals, click the little PayPerPost affiliate icon on my sidebar & get yourself hooked up. You'll not only be eligible for the Carnival, you'll also meet some interesting & fun folks AND start getting paid to blog about the things you love. Good deal all around!

To participate in the Postie Carnival go to the info page on Suni's blog and get yourself registered! The instructions are self-explanatory & you'll be good to go in no time!

Labels: blogging, blogs, payperpost

I've never done a blog carnival before. The whole idea of other people counting on me scares me to death when it involves anything technical. But Cass is such a sweetie and her Southern Fried Carnival is so perfect for me that I've decided to give it a whirl. I'm sure that I've messed up my links or done something evil to a widget, but hey, I gave it my best shot. Don't pay any attention to the geographic definition in her call for posts. If you're Southern, honey chile, you know who you are! Get yourself over there & register your Southern Fried post. And if you would, just for me, corrupt a widget or something. I hate being all alone in my ineptitude!

Labels: blogging, blogs, carnivals

Is there anyone who doesn't know that I've been exploring the idea of getting my own domain and starting up at least two additional blogs? The idea is a bit scary for me, what with my ignorance about all things technical. My friends have been encouraging though, and I've found quite a few websites that offer tutorials and tools that will make the task less intimidating. Today Swish Templates is sponsoring this post, which gives me the opportunity to show you what I've found on their site. The skills involved in creating a template are beyond me, but I've found several that are ready made and would be excellent choices for me. I think the one below would be perfect for my book blog. Lots of tabs, so I can keep the clutter to a minimum but still post reviews, current best sellers, wish lists and TBRs. And I'm a dog person, too, you know!




I haven't found one yet for my clutter and the other blog whose focus is still my little secret, but that's only because there are so many to choose from. If you're in the market for a new look, do check out Swish Templates. The prices look great, too! Right now everything is 10% off, so it's a great time to buy.

Labels: blogs, internet, payperpost, technology, websites

I've seen a lot of talk lately in the blogsphere about the legal rights of bloggers. We may (or may not) think of our blogs as a journal wherein we talk to our friends and others who happen to wander by. The fact is that we are publishers and anyone can see what we write. Some people may take offense, whether because we've stepped on their own toes or because they believe we've somehow caused public harm by what we've written. Bloggers have been known to innocently place protected material on their blogs. We can get sued for that, you know. Some bloggers blatantly steal writing and images and claim them for their own. What are you supposed to do if someone else is taking credit for your work? All of these scenarios can cause us headaches, and may end up getting us dragged into court.

Someone recently gave me a link to a site that helps us sort this out. If I could remember who that was I'd thank them by name, but I've forgotten now. Please don't sue me! The Electronic Frontier Foundation outlines bloggers' rights and liabilities. Every blogger should study the site, then add it to their blogroll or bookmarks for easy access. They do not claim to give legal advice for specific cases, but provide guidlines that could keep you out of a sticky situation. I've only read a small amount of the material that EFF makes available and have already learned some very useful information. Check them out. Think about joining them. Send them a check! They're doing a good thing for all of us!

January 14, 2007 - Update! This post has been linked to the Postie Carnival. Check it out!

Labels: blogging, blogs, law, legal matters

Sweet thing, I haven't been able to get into your site in ages. I get a search page instead. I know you're online & think you're okay because you've commented bunches of times. Is there a secret to getting into your blog these days? New URL? I need to catch up on you & your family! There's an email toggle here somewhere (on my profile,I think,) or you can leave a comment.

Any of our mutual friends who have a clue, I'd welcome your help!

Labels: blogs, friends

I talked about some of my gal friends a while back and promised equal time for the menfolk. Here are some of the guys who make my world go around

Steve, over at The beginnings of a Blog, is a tech wiz. He knows and understands all the gadgets that make our lives click along smoothly these days. He’s also great at hunting down links for new sites that help you stay informed. But our Steve is not a one-dimensional guy. He’s a Canadian living in New York and going to Long Island University on a track scholarship. Did I mention that he’s got a wicked sense of humor? Wonder where he finds the time to dedicate to the research that keeps his blog up-to-the-minute?

Drew and I have been visiting each others blogs & talking on a message board for a while now. He and his lovely lady Allison are both excellent photographers. He’s posted a Photo-A-Day since April 9, 2005 and has invited other bloggers to join his Photo-A-Day project. Drew is a true renaissance man. He collects Transformers, and even posts tasty recipes! Every time I prowl around in his archives I find something new that I didn’t know about this talented guy!

Osman has the heart of a poet. I’ve been reading his About the things that occupy my mind for a while now. His posts are always interesting and thoughtful. He’s a multi-talented guy who recently excitedly announced his second blog, Linguistics and Languages. Osman, you see, is a linguist and languages are his passion. He is studying at university to be an English teacher. He is multi-lingual and has installed a translator program on the site so that it can be read in twelve different languages. I especially enjoyed his round-up post of others’ thoughts and opinions on languages. I was quite honored when he asked me to be his first guest blogger.

As a newbie blogger and totally non-tech, I frequently find myself facing glitches in my posting. Techie has come running to my aid several times when I’ve had technical questions. He’s another who is a great resource for gadgets and sites to enhance your online experience. He’s recently started a gift selection site with attitude. He likes to share amusing tidbits that he finds when he's surfing around. Oh, and I should mention that it looks like his little girl is making her first appearance in the world this weekend. Congrats to Techie & wife!

In addition to all of their other sterling attributes, my fellas are all handsome and studly, and they all know how to treat a gal to make her feel oh-so-special. Drew and Techie are taken (alas!) but Osman and Steve are single guys still looking for love. Skeet's matchmaking service will, for a small fee, arrange a more personal introduction for you gals out there who are also searching.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends

My friend Jules tagged me. I have to tell you about my five favorite movies. It's hard to pick because there are so many good ones out there. I've watched each of the ones below many times, but they aren't the only ones to share that dubious honor. I love the old Lerner & Lowe and Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, but didn't include them. Brigadoon is available on DVD now, so I'm going to use a gift card from Christmas to pick that up soon. I love grainy, silly black-and-white sci-fi flics ... the kind where you sometimes see a boom descend into the screenshot and you have to laugh at the goofiness of the monsters. I adore really good kid-flics and probably have as many of those as I do adult fare. Alfred Hitchcock is still my master of suspense. But, for a general audience, here are my five:



I first watched because of Johnny Depp, of course (don't we all!) His sexiness and charisma come through, no matter what the role. He's never relied on that alone, though I'm pretty sure he could. His movies are all fresh and original, and he knows how to pick his roles. What surprised about this one was my reaction to Brando. He's always been a fine actor, but I never particularly thought about him one way or another. Surprise! He's huge in his role as DJDM's therapist - I'm referring to his physical shape - but wow! He exudes sexuality and intelligence and wit. Made a fan out of me.




This one is probably catalogued as a romantic comedy, and I certainly like that type, but I think that The American President is head and shoulders above most of this genre. Smart and sexy, Michael Douglas and Annette Benning create solid, believable characters that you feel like you really know early in the show. They're both so intelligent and strong-willed, you know there's going to be an intersting conflict. The supporting cast all carried their roles extremely well also. This one is great fun with a just the right level of tension and drama thrown in to keep it from being too sugary sweet.



A group of unemployed Irish guys decide to put on a show a 'la Chippindales. You know you're going to love it from the opening credits. I still laugh until I cry every time I watch it, still get teary over the sad parts & still want just a little more of a peek at the end. Why, oh why did they not shoot the final shot from the audience's perspective?!



Not just one of the best baseball movies ever. One of the*best*movies*ever, period. First there's Kevin Costner. Yum! Get over it and get into the story (I know, hard for some of us to get over Kevin. That's like trying to get over Johnny Depp. Not sure it's do-able, but try.) We all have a field of dreams. A seemingly impossible task that only we have faith in, and we've fought it because it's so ridiculously farfetched. This story is all about stretching, and reaching and believing and doing. Making the intagible dream become a reality. But you know that. You've all watched it and felt that stirring to drag your dreams out into the light of day. It's not about magical slippers. It's about taking that leap of faith, even though common sense says you'll never reach the other side. Field of Dreams makes us believe we can.



Perhaps one of the saddest movies ever made, certainly the saddest for our times, because it's the terrible reality we're all living with. The all-star cast is a good enough reason to watch, but it's the story that is the true star here. Political - not my thing at all. Controversial - I usually avoid that, too. Still, it sucks the breath out of my lungs and leaves me shaking, crying, feeling so helpless. Yet I've gone back to it time and again, and I know I'll continue to do so. It's too compelling to just watch once. It's too important to not share. Watch it. Get angry. Then do something. Yes, there's a special reason that I ask you to watch it, but you don't need one, trust me. If you haven't watched it, please, please do.

Now for the fun part. I tag Drew and Osman because they love good movies, too! Now I need to find one more. Any volunteers?

Ah, finally! I also tag my sweet,good friend scorpy01!

Labels: blogs, friends, memes, movies

As a small-business owner I frequently miss important news that can have a huge impact on my ability to operate. I subscribe to magazines and websites that keep me up-to-date on my own industry-related news, but they don’t always have the information I need as a sole proprietor. It’s obvious from their content that they focus more on large operations that have multiple locations, employ hundreds or even thousands of workers and have to deal with employee benefits, worker’s comp, insurance, tax and inventory problems commiserate with their size. I don’t have employees and I specialize in inspections, so I don't carry a materials inventory. My professional subscriptions aren’t terribly interested in the day-to-day operation of my business. For instance, I had to go elsewhere to discover that the government services inspection contracts I’ve been eyeing have a loophole that is not in my favor. This concerns the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005, which is supposed to benefit small businesses.

“Unfortunately, tucked away in the small print, and even unbeknownst to some who voted for the bill in Congress, was a little provision which stated that any business that has a contract with government at the local, state or federal level will have 3% of their payments withheld starting in 2011. And, to add insult to injury, there are even some in Congress who are now trying to push legislation to move that implementation date up.”

It’s rather disconcerting to know that laws which are supposed to benefit me will instead penalize me. Read the rest of the article and see. It's good that I found this information prior to submitting my proposal. I'll adjust my bid, but it will probably cost me the contract. Pity the business that gets it and has to lose a bite of their profit down the road because they weren't aware enough.

I’m pleased that I’ve discovered this alternate source of business advice that caters to businesses like mine, and glad that IncParadise.com sponsored this post, thus encouraging me to share the news with you.

Labels: blogs, business, payperpost, small business

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Things in my life have changed a lot over the last twenty years or so. I've lost track of many people I had thought would be friends for life. I guess that happens to many of us, especially those of us who now reside thousands of miles away from the places we once called home. Today I have a small group of friends with whom I interact in real life, and a much larger group I have never met, but still visit with daily. That phenomenon called the internet has brought wonderful people into my world. While most of them are women, the group encompasses both genders, various lifestyles and religious persuasions, gay and straight, young and old and of many nationalities. A few weeks ago I joined in the fun on the PPP message boards and my list of friends has grown at a tremendous rate since then. Today I'd like to introduce you to a few of them. I hope you'll go visit their blogs and get to know them. They've all taken this newbie under their wings and helped me improve my bogging skills and my writings for PPP. Most of them have several blogs. You'll be missing a treat if you don't visit their sidebars and get to know them better.

First up is Ms. Kat. She shares stories about her life, her family, Florida and a few current events at My Single Mom Life. Check out the photos of her recent shopping day with her two adorable nieces, if you can tear yourself away from Mr. Sexy in her header. Oh, and do share the joy of her catty Christmas too!

Jules lives near Vegas. It’s the gambling capital to us (and backdrop for CSI,) but home to her. I’m glad that she doesn’t believe that what happens in Vegas stays there, because she tells interesting stories. She, hubby & baby were sick for the holidays, so go show her some love at Just Julies Journal.

Bulletproofsoul is a technical whiz who shares her knowledge generously and does not suffer fools gladly. I really enjoy Bucket O' Bulletz. She's a very spiritual gal who shares that and so much more. I especially like her daily sidebar feature "Motivations for Moms."

Aimee's Blog is about life, love and the pursuit of pink flamingos. That's just the kinda gal she is. She's recently announced that she'll be doing a monthly project-sharing carnival for all of you creative types. It starts soon, so go sign up now.

Cass describes herself as Mom of 8, knitter, and very, very proper. She’s always one of the first to answer when I have stupid newbie questions about blogging in general and PPP in particular. Several blogs, but the one I like best is Cass Knits, where she shares her love of family, knitting and eclectic oddities. She's another techie who generously shares her knowledge with the technically-challenged.

Last, but never, ever least is Chris. She's affectionately known as the queen, and keeps us laughing and interested on the PPP message boards. The same humor is evident on her blog Queen Chris's Xanga Site, where she explains why it isn’t easy being queen. Today she's also talking about blogging friends. Good stuff, even if she didn't have anything to say about me!

Give my friends a visit and tell them skeet sent you. If I'm asked very nicely I might introduce you to some of my menfriends in a future post.

The girlfriends picture is from Fotosearch Stock Photography. Lot's of lovely photos and clipart there, and a well-organized search system to make it easy.

Labels: blogging, blogs, friends, gratitude