Crawfish and Gator Sausage

Being up here in Lakeview, Oregon can be very depressing! All the snow, the wind, the "trapped" feeling...it really sucks. One of our friends dragged up last week and went home to get ready to go to work in Louisiana. I got a major craving for crawfish, gator sausage, and warm weather! I have come to love the state of Louisiana! If you haven't been there that is a trip you need to make! If you can get passed the tornados and hurricanes there is alot of great stuff there. Number one and most importantly FOOD, Oh my goodness the food is to die for! If you ain't had cajun cooking you missin' out. The spices, the seafood, the gumbos, the crawfish, alligator sausage..all of it is amazing, granted I think everytime we go down there I gain probally about 20 pounds but hey it was worth it. Basically don't go to Louisiana on a diet. There is also so much to do in Louisiana, you can cruise the swaps, go to bars, hit the Boardwalk to Bossier City, gambling in Sherveport, check out the cost, fishing, hunting, shopping, meusums, zoo's, Saint's Games, New Orleans, etc. That list could go on for along, long time. Not to mention the people are absolutly awesome, polite and honest and half of them will give you the shirt of your back! Some of mine and my husbands' greatest friends have been coonasses. Therefore in the spirt of my Cajun memory lane I give you: Crawfish Fettuchni

Ingredients
1 package fettucini noodles - cooked and set aside	1 stick butter
1 cup finely chopped onions	1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped bell pepper	1 container 16 oz sour cream
8 ounces hot pepper or pepper jack cheese shredded	8 ounces garlic cheese shredded
8 ounces swiss cheese	1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt	2 tsp creole seasoning
2 packages 12 oz crawfish tails	season to taste with salt, red pepper and black pepper
~~~~~~~~~~
Directions
In a large heavy skillet melt the butter, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the shredded cheese one cheese type at a time.. Cook on low until melted; add the sour cream. Add seasonings adjusted to taste. Add the crawfish or shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and add the cooked noodles. Stir very well to mix. Serve while hot as a main dish or enjoy as a side dish.

Hope you like it as much as I do!

Women in the Work Place

We are in an era where women have to work. Some people are ok with this and some are not. Most American families have to suffer with having both parents work and children are left with sitters or in a daycare facility. However most pipeliners have the advantage of getting to be a stay-at-home mommy or stay-at-home wife. Although, I know some of us women like to work and like to bring something to the table as well. Wives of pipeliners sometimes have trouble having a career. Although thanks to many advantages of the medical field you can travel with your husband and have a career. There are so many companies nowadays that allow medical professionals to travel for work. This is perfect for pipeliners. I know that when my husband is working it's nice to just hang out and do some things that you would like to do, but when he is laid off you spend that time searching and searching for a job. You find a job that you like and then in a couple of months you have to leave it, usually without any notice and that's not fair to the employer or to you because you might feel guilty.
Having a medical degree is highly recommended to have for the future and secure job security. Traveling medical professionals usually have contracts to work for about 13 weeks or longer, depending on company and need. You simply contact medical traveling companies and search thier jobs and apply. From there you will be contacted and go through the process of getting a job. If you stick with the same company you will have a greater advantage of thier benefits. They have health insurance, 401 (k), travel expense reimbursment, and paid expenses for housing; which some of us would call per diem.
Therefore, when you know the job is about to come to an end apply for the job, get the process rolling, and hopefully be able to travel somewhere else for you to work and your husband to take care of you while your working! If you are like me you really don't like going home sometimes because you like traveling...which I do! In a perfect world I would have my education complete and we would travel all the time! He would work his pipeline jobs then I would work my ultrasound tech jobs and maybe be home 3-4 months out of the year.
Obviously you need training and college for this to happen. There are plenty of online schools for many health care professions today! Here is a small list of traveling career options:
*Registered Nurse
*Radiology tech
*Ultrasound Tech
*EKG Tech
*Mammography Tech
*Physical Therapist
*Occupational Therapy
*Nuclear Medicine
*Polysomnography Tech
*Medical Tech

Here is a list of traveling Medical companies:
http://www.medtravelers.com/
http://www.statgroupllc.com/
http://www.onwardhealthcare.com/
http://www.americantraveler.com/
http://www.travelforce.com/
http://www.medicalworkers.com/

Each company is different so be sure you review everything the company offers and fill out all paperwork and make neccessary phone calls and e-mails.
I hope this information help! Happy trails!

Money Saving Tips

These days saving money is key in just about every household in America, Thanks to many ideas from many different people there are a few tips that we can all do to help us be a bit more frugal. I came across many websites are my research for FREE stuff and yes they are out there. Below is a list of websites where you can sign up from free stuff:
http://www.signup.womanfreebies.com/
http://www.freebies-for-baby.com/
http://www.freakyfreddies.com/
http://www.freeflys.com/
http://www.babiesonline.com/
Coupon Sites
http://www.hercoupon.com/
http://www.couponmom.com/

Those are a few that I have found so far and I will hopefully find alot more soon! Another good tool is coupons! In recent studies of US consumers, using coupons espically when buying groceries can cut your bill in almost have when at the checkout stand, this always has even more saving when you shop at stores with customer rewards and perks that give you discounts on selected items. Some of these stores include Safeway, King Soopers, Fred Myers, Columbine Market, and Albertsons. Becoming members of Cost Co or Sams Club will also help you save money if you buy in bulk and have the room.
 On my search for digging up coupons and free product giveaway sites I came across some smart moves people can do in 2011 to help with saving money. The first thing a you need to do is revisit your budget, if you don't have one, you need one. Having a budget from you and your family can cut your spending anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 , and this spending is usually the comlusive buying and items that aren't truely needed. Next committ to reducing your debt or building your nest egg, Cutting down your debt is so important and is a such weight lifted off someone. I know that my husband and I felt that way after we paid off his welding truck and our 5th wheel a couple months ago, nothing feels better. If you already have debt paid off start building your nest egg. A nest egg is money that is set aside for times when possible unemployment might arise.The goal is 6 months worth of bill and spending, You can get this information from your new budget, Now granted with us pipeliners you may have to have 2 different budgets; one for living on unemployment that needs to be recalculated often and one for when you are working, Thirdly, rack up them savings! Start putting money away in your retirement funds, Roth IRA's, general savings accounts, and college savings for children or yourself if you plan on going back! The next thing open a savings account that is strictly for medical, this can be called a Health Savings Account, That way no matter what insurance or not you have money set aside for all and anything medical and wont have to skip the Doc 'cause you have no money, And lastly remortgage your house for a lower interest rate. If yours' is low enough then leave it. However if you need to or would like to check out your local Credit Union, they usually have the lowest rates of any bank; some do home mortgages and some do not. As an example our credit union gives us an interest rate of only 2%! That really comes in handy and it never changes, remortgaging your home could also help lower your monthly payments, which we could all use!

Your Budget Should Look Like This:
Household
Rent/Mortgage: Amount
Home Equity Loan: Amount
Heat: Amount
Electricity: Amount
Insurance: Amount
Phone: Amount
Internet: Amount
Cable: Amount
Lawn/Garden: Amount
Repairs: Amount
Other Services: Amount
Household should represent 35% of your income
Transportation
Car Payment 1: Amount
Car Payment 2: Amount
Fuel: Amount
Insurance: Amount
Repairs/Upkeep: Amount
Commuting: Amout
Parking: Amount
Other: Amount
Transportation should represent 15% of your income
Credit Cards & Loans
Credit Card 1: Amount
Credit Card 2: Amount
Credit Card 3: Amount
Loan 1: Amount
Loan 2: Amount
Loan 3: Amount
Loans should represent 15% of your Income
Child Care:
Babysitting: Amount
Tuition: Amount
Clothing: Amount
Lessons: Amount
Toys: Amount
Gifts: Amount
Other: Amount
Food
Groceries: Amount
Eating Out: Amount
Personal
Clothing: Amount
Beauty/ Barber Shop: Amount
Dry Cleaning: Amount
Personal Items: Amount (toiltires, makeup, shampoo, soap, etc.)
Health Club: Amount
Cell Phone: Amount
Gifts: Amount
Other: Amount
Medical
Insurance: Amount
Co-Pays: Amount
Prescriptions: Amount
Entertainment
Tickets (movies/theater/concert/sports): Amount
CD's/DVD's: Amount
Books/Magazines: Amount
Other:
Travel
Vacation: Amount
Other: Amount
Pets
Food: Amount
Medical Care: Amount
Grooming: Amount
Other: Amount
*Childcare, Food, Personal, Medical, Entertainment, Travel, & Pets should represent 25% of your income
Savings/Investments
401(k): Amount
Other retirement: Amount
Monthly Savings: Amount
Goal here is 10%, however if you have more money to put into savings do so!!
You can alter the budget to your needs and specifications, however this is just a basic guideline!
Hope this helped! Please comment about your saving tips and if these helped you!!

Working at Home / On the Road Part 2

So yesterday I talked about some amazing opprutunities to work at home or on the road! To recap, usually if a company asks for money for you to make money you are probally not going to make much or it is a total scam! Also check out http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com/ and http://www.careerstep.com/ for medical transcription training.
I also said that some places do ask for money for you to make money and that is the wonderful world of Direct Sales. When direct sales companies ask for money it's for your business kit. The business kit will include materials such as; invoices, catalogs, business cards, and products or services of what you will be selling. Personaly I think that this is a great opprutunity for us wives that travel or for anyone! You can really work as little or as much as you like.
Here are a few direct sales companies that I have researched and thought to be well worth the money!
* Beauty Society http://www.beautysociety.com/ this company is HOTT! The specialize is cosmetics and skin care. I actually ordered a cleanser, astringent, and mouisturizer last week to try it out! It was amazing, honestly I don't think I will ever order anything else again! My face felt amazing! With this company they set you up with materials you need to have home-parties and supplies and product to conduct in home facials!! How awesome is that!! There are two different options of a business kit one is $129 and the other is $229, which a $99 extras option with each plan!
*FAITH Company http://www.faithco.net/ Now this company is my "baby", so to speak. I have been researching and discussing this company with my husband and a lady from the main office based out of Texas. This jewelry is HOTT as well. It is so not your average direct sales jewelry company. Now the jewelry is a little pricey, however, the jewelry is all made in the USA, made by woman who have been abused and/or left homeless. FAITH uses a Catholic Ministries company to employ these women and teach them a trade, now how awesome is that! Not only are you getting amazing jewlery and a wonderful career, but you are helping women in need as well and spreading the wonderful Word of our Lord and Jesus Christ! Start up cost for this company is $195. This business kit comes with materials such as catalogs, invoices, etc...as well as $500 worth of retail jewelry for you to pick out for your kit for home shows! Thats nice when you get to pick it out, The women who run this company in the home office in Texas are amazing people and want to help you succeed!
*Scentsy Candles http://www.nomorewicks.com/ Now I know we all love candles and anything that makes our trailers, houses, etc smell good! However why not switching to something a little different. Scentsy uses bars that melt in Scentsy warmers and allows way more fragrant you keep from an ordinary candle! There are dozens and dozens of scents to choose from. The start up business kit cost for this one is a low cool price of $99! That includes business materials and scentsy products for your home shows!!
Those are my person 3 best picks of companies to go with when dealing with direct sales. Now granted you can google search direct sales directory and find something that you are passionate about and trust me there are dozens more, but those were the ones I felt passionate about! I hope you have found this information helpful!! Be sure to check in tomorrow for money saving ideas!!! Happy trails!

Working at Home / On the Road

So if you are like me you might constantly research the internet for online jobs, or work from home jobs. Most of them want you to pay something before you get any real information about them. You can't even get the solids: what does it pay? what will I be doing? what requirements do they have? how many hours will I be required to work a week? And the list of those go on. I have came to the conclusion that if a company asks for money up front for you to make money, it's most likly a scam or you wont make much. Use good common sense, if it sounds too good to be true, it probally is!
However I have been doing some deep research recently about online jobs and work at home jobs. http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com/ is actually pretty good. It's free to view jobs and set up an account. There a about a dozen topics for online jobs. Anything from telemarketing to Medical Transcriptioning to virtual assistant is on there, and paying very well also. However, there are some "start up" fees. The start up fees are for your business though such as; having internet, phone, business voicemail, efax, telephone headset, MSOffice Professional...Those are things that you need to have that lets you know, hey these people mean business and thats what I want! Some of the job postings require you to work a schedule, others are work when you want. They also want you so have a virtual assistant website, a free one is fine; just somewhere to market yourself basically.
I have also found that medical transcriptionist are one of thee fast growing careers, home-based or on-site. However, most of the companies don't say anything about working on-site, they are many home-based. The basic requirements for them is just having internet, PC, and a phone, and of course certification from an accredited school of training, which really isn't that big of an investment. $2,000 gets you the training you need and you can do it from home! They also offer payment plans so that you don't have to pay for it all at once. http://www.careerstep.com/ is the leading online, homebased education center for medical transcriptioning and also offers job placement after completion of the program. On thier site they have links to companies they are partnered with so you can view potential future jobs!
All the medical transcription companies I researched all offer health insurance, 401K, paid vacation, life insurance, free continuing education, and some even offered sign on bonuses of $500!
Now before when I said if they ask for money to make money they are probally a scam! However direct sales companies are the exception! Be sure to read tomorrow to find out the top direct sales companies to join and flourish! I hope this post about working at home was helpful! Happy trails!

Homemade Curtains....live just like a Gypsy

Not very many people understand why my husband and I travel for work. I always get asked the same questions: Don't you ever miss home? Doesn't it suck being on the road all the time? Is it hard not knowing when or where you're going? And my answer: No I don't miss home, home is where Harold and I are, and our 5th wheel is our home (on wheels). No, it doesn't suck being on the road all the time! I love being on the road and seeing new things. Yes, sometimes it is hard not knowing where and when we are going somewhere but that's part of the excitement!
Being on the road gives a person an appreciation for the open road! There are so many things to see and do and I love the feeling of being free and wild. A lot of people describe us pipeliners as last of the gypsies, which if you don't have a gypsy soul you ain't going to survive! Not everyone can handle this life, it is not for everyone. Alot of people see us as heathens, but we are not. Alot of us have houses back home, which most people call "home base". We have mortgages, vehicle payments, insurance, student loans, mouths to feed, and clothes to buy. There are many families who bring thier kids along. I think it's great personally. How many kids can say they got to travel as a kid and it was like a constant vacation. Personally the pipeline kids I have seen are the smartest, most respectful kids I have ever met! And don't be worried about thier social or athletic abilities because they got 'em!
Lots of pipeline wives will get together on jobs and have fundrasining events for the community in which they are residing. Pipeliners are very giving and generous people, we have hearts of gold and take care of eachother. Most people are amazed that we would loan someone $2000 to get home because of a family emergency and we barly know them, but in away we do. Some of the greatest friends I have met have been on pipeline jobs. If I haven't talked to one of them in awhile, I can pick up the phone and call them and it's like we just talked yesterday!
There are so many things that people don't understand about us, but that's ok; we are horses of a different color and we are all alright with that. If we were worried what people that about us, we would be doing something ordinary.

~Pipelinera Wife~

Pipeliner's Wife

Everyone talks of a pipeliner's life
But little is said of the pipeliner's wife
He loads the pickup and goes on ahead
She follows in the car (truck pulling the RV), though half dead
From packing and sorting the day before,
Running the vacuum, scrubbing the floor.
Try to stay close so she can see his taillight;
"How far do we go before we stop for the night?"
Up early and back onto the old highway
Mile after mile makes it a long day.
Canada to Mexico, and the states in between,
Carolina to California; Oh the sights she's seen.
Setting up the trailer, or finding one to rent
Knocking on doors, since she's totally bent
On getting moved in, for here's where he'll work.
This is part of her job, and she won't shirk.
So she'll clean that dirty trailer or house
And make it home for her hard working spouse.
She'll wash greasy clothes, starching and ironing
So he'll look nice on the job each morning
Paying the bills, buy groceries, she'll deliver
And try to save some of the paycheck he gives her...
But just about the time she is feeling moved in,
He comes home one night and says "We're gone again".
Back to the boxes go dishes and such
They fit right in they've been packed so much.
She crawls slowly behind the wheel of the car(truck and RV),
Tired as she can be. "Hope we're not going far!"
Is it Texas this time? Or Montana, I'll bet.
Which part of the country--Will it be dry or wet?
Maybe we've traveled this road we are going
But there is always new sights, so it's never boring.
Hope this job last longer than a month or two,
I kind of like this mountain (or desert) don't you?
If she had to stay home it would sure break her heart
'Cause she's packed to roll when the job's ready to start.
She'll keep up this life as long as she can
For she loves being with her pipelining man.
He works long hours, but when the job's done,
There'll be some time off, so there's time for fun!
Between jobs we get what amounts to a vacation,
That's one thing we like about this choice occupation.
Yes, I'm a pipeliner wife, but don't feel sorry for me,
For I feel very lucky, as lucky as can be.

Pipeline Kid Winter Crafts!

So being the bored person that I am right now I decided to check out some winter time craft ideas! Even though I am 23 years old sometimes the greatest crafts are the kid ones! I am sure moms would appreciate too for thier kiddos that are bored as well in snowy areas....so the first one is Sipping Snowman!

This is a fun and easy thing for you are your kids to do or to just do it alone! You will need:
*marshmellows
*straws
*mini chocolate chips
*white icing
Directions:
Slide your marshmellows onto straw from the bottom up to keep sticky marshmellow goodness in your coco.
Use the white icing as glue, to glue on your chocolate chips to make faces or anything you wish! you can also use colored pepperment chips to add color! add as many marshmellows and chips as u want!! Enjoy the coco and snuggle up with your kids and a favorite book! Or your puppy and a favorite book!

Granted caramel covered apples are usually saved for the fall I find them fun anytime of the year and they keep you busy and of course they are fun to eat as well!! They are easy to do and kids 3 years old and up can do them!
You will need:
* 3-4 refridgerated apples granny smiths are good, but whatever you like is fine
* Popsicle sticks
* 2 or 4 cup measuring cup
* Chewy caramels (10-14 oz bag)
* 2 tablespoons milk
* Spoon
* Wax Paper
* Paper Plates
* Cooking Spray
* Toppings: Sprinkles, Crushed oreos, nuts, chocolate chip, peanut butter chips, mini m&m's, anything!
Directions:
* Take apples out of fridge, take stems off & push popsicle stick into the top of the apple. Place in freezer for 5 minutes while you are getting other ingriedients ready.
* Put your toppings in individual paper plates, ready for rolling
* Tear of small pieces of wax paper, big enough for an apple, and spray with cooking spray
* Place caramels and milk in microwave safe mixing cup and microwace on high for 2 minutes stirring half way through, making sure the caramel is melted.
* Let caramel sit for 1 minute then dip each apple and keep over cup to allow excess caramel to drip off. Roll in toppings, place on wax paper, then put in freezer for 10-15 minutes to allow to set. repeat for each apple, allow to chill overnight!

See, easy and fun!

Next how about a fun craft for the family pet!! I know just about everyone has a dog and always likes giving the dog treats! Why not make those treats for your dog yourself! Kids love doing this, well because kids love giving anything and everything to the dog to eat!

Here is a fun recipe for a dog treat called apple cinnamon drops! Heres what you need: 1 Large Apple
               1/4 Cup honey
               1/2 Cup water
               1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
               1 Cup Oatmeal
               1 & 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
               1/8 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F
- Core, clice and mine apple. In large bowl combine minced apple bits, honey, water, cinnamon, & oatmeal. gradually blend in flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.
-In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet, spacing about 2 in apart. Using the bottom of a glass, dip the glass into the wheat flour, then with the glass smash down the treats into a circle, the flour is to keep from sticking.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the treats, reduce heat to 325*F & return to oven to cook for another 30 minutes. Let cool overnight and then store in an air tight container and allow pup to enjoy the next day!!

Hope some of these crafty ideas help beat the winter blues!!

Snowed in and Bored

Well Lakeview, OR isn't as fun as I thought it would be on this pipeline job. It is out in the middle of nowhere and the closest Walmart is about 2 hours away, as well as shopping and a movie theater. There has been a sugnificant amount of snow dumped on us and well basically can't do much. Thank goodness for the invention of internet and Direct TV, without these I think I would be lost, also for the invention of the NOOK and IPOD...it is amazing how we delt with life without these things for so long, The funny part about the internet is that I continue to look at the same sites and read the same stuff, make wishlists for retail sites and Barnes and Nobles and each week order a few things from the both of them that I want. And let me tell you  I think we are going to have to get a bigger trailer for all the stuff I tend to buy while we are working. And of course all the things that I do order have to all come at once during the week that my husband didn't get to work because of the snow!! Thanks Mr UPS man!

Anywho, so I thought I would share with you a few interesting things that I have came across. First is Gypsyville by Junk Gypsy you can view thier site http://www.gypsyville.com/ they have some of the coolest most unique stuff I have ever seen. Pipeline wives will espically appreciate thier site along with anyone who is a gypsy soul at heart, which us pipeline wives have to be!

Also if you are in rodeo, barrelracing, or roping you will appreciate Deuces Wild! Custom tack, halters, conchos , dog collars and so much more! She has gift certificates available which would be an awesome gift for your graduate that is heading off to college for college rodeo or just for your favorite cowgirl cause' you love her! http://www.shopdeuceswild.com/

Now, your cowgirl can't be complete without her Gypsy Saddle from Cowboy Classic Saddlery http://www.cowboyclassicsaddlery.com/

Just beautiful isn't it!!! I thought so!

Well for any of you 798 ladies that will be attending 2011 Steward School in Tulsa be sure to go to http://www.ladiesof798.org/ to be sure when your auction baskets are due and for forms to fill out for the bead class, sign language class, and voluntary opprutunitites at Steward School! Hope to see you all there in April!!