Pruning... Today was all about pruning the tomatoes

I have been lazy, updating content takes thought and energy. Besides, constantly adding to HubPages has been taking a bit of my time and ideas. Nonetheless, here I am typing about pruning tomatoes!! Learning all about blogging is not as easy as I thought. Making money out of blogging is even harder than I had hoped, but we'll take up on that some other time. For now I want to focus on pruning :D

Last night was raining, thundering and lightning like crazy! So with the storm gone, I had to focus on pruning all the extra weight off the tomatoes plants. All of those extra branches that are not holding any fruits are just dead weight and when there's a storm it just causes more damage. I focused on the lower branches, but ended up working my way up and pruning quite a bit of them. I can finally see all the clusters of tomatoes hanging onto the plants.

Pruning tomato plants is beneficial for several reasons. For one, there is less weight on the plant itself, as the branches get larger it just makes it hard to navigate around them and adds unnecessary weight. Another point is that these branches keep the fruits from getting all of the nutrients that they should be getting. As these branches seem to get so large and bulky, they are getting all the nutrients. Pruning the plants will yield larger fruits!


I was a bit disappointed the other day because I found some blossom end rot on some of the fruits. But today all of that went away when I could finally see behind all the branches. I continue to be amazed every time I step out the door to check on the garden. The clusters of tomatoes are amazing, I've never seen so many tomatoes in just one vine! A whopping 14 on just one branch, of which 11 are growing perfectly and 3 are still babies (too soon to say if I will actually harvest all 14). And I know that all this may sound stupid or even crazy to you; but to me actually seeing that the work I've put into my garden is paying off is just darn awesome. My daughter and I picked two green beans and ate it right off the plant. It was so heart warming to see her eating that green been like it was candy and to see her amusement by nature.


Thanks for reading my ramblings.. until next time
Lina
xoxo
Link to my latest Hub

Showing off!! Sorry :D

 

This tomato has an extra butt!! LOL

Finding Real Work-From-Home Jobs Made Simple

Finding legitimate work from home jobs is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is nearly impossible to find the real deal when the Internet is flooded with tons of fake opportunities and scammers. For many years I have tried different opportunities and jobs from cold calling to SMS chatting, and can tell you that the jobs are out there you just need to know how to find them. Here is a breakdown from my past experiences of what is real and what is just too good to be true.

Too Good To Be True
• If they ask that you pay any kind of fees to sign up, or to send you materials, or to get you leads then it probably is too good to be true. Ameriplan, I am afraid falls into this bracket. You start at the bottom of the pool, and they give you their worst lead to get you to buy leads, up sell options that should be free.
• If they promise you a six figure income with very little effort, trust me it is too good to be true. Pyramid schemes are awesome at offering you riches that is if you can ever make it to the top!
• Exchanging checks is another scam that many people fall into. No one in their right mind will send you a check and trust you to cash it and send it to it’s destination!
• If they request your personal information or it seems like they “hired” you magically without an interview or any background, they are most likely identity thieves.
• Stuffing envelopes, assembling things, and craftwork are all scams!

The Real Deal
• Some great companies that I have come across will run background checks on you with out asking you for a dime. This is to ensure they are hiring the right person, and that the contractor will protect all private information being handled over the phone or online.
• SMS chatting include innocent, flirty chatting to sex chat. Trust me, they are out there and they are real. My suggestion on this type of opportunity is to go with a company overseas, like in the UK (NoGoats). The reason I say this is because in the US the FCC is very strict and demanding with companies within the US providing these services. It becomes costly for the companies therefore your chances of making a nice extra income are diminished greatly. Sex chatting is really a great way to make some extra income, bare in mind that NO work at home opportunity will truly make you rich, but you CAN make a decent living doing them.
• Freelance writing, photography, IT, typist, medical billing, transcriptionist, etc. are all great positions for telecommuters.

In conclusion, my personal experience is this there are opportunities and there are jobs. Make sure you understand the difference; obviously an opportunity is just that. I can personally recommend the following companies:

• West At Home Agent – you are a hired as an independent contractor to answer the phone to all kinds of calls including infomercials, HSN, cell phone companies, to name a few. This is inbound call telemarketing position, I call it telemarketing because you will have to pitch up-sells to the customers calling in. Because sensitive personal and financial information is handled, West will run a background check on all new contractors.
• If you are bilingual, then why not make it into a career? Language Line services will hire you as an interpreter. You are hired as an employee, depending on the language and the country, to work from home or as an independent contractor. They also hire for in call center, it all comes down to the language you are able to offer. Your pay will be based on the minimum wage plus premium minutes. Again, this is not a get rich quick scam, it is a real job and you will earn a salary from home. They will run background checks as sensitive information is constantly being exchanged between the interpreter and the client. They handle all kinds of calls such as 911, Social Security, customer service, cell phone companies, and the list goes on and on.
• Blogging – is another way to make some extra income, however it takes a lot of time and passion to make it work. Building a blog requires tons of dedication, and constant content update. If you are not patient, then blogging may not be your cup of tea. Also keep in mind that you will not get rich doing this, you will make a few extra bucks. Of course if you have a very special niche and can stand out from the rest, the possibilities are endless.

Finally, do your research! Research, research, research! Until you are certain that the company is reputable and legitimate. Be sure to have a quiet place and any equipment needed to work the jobs you are interested in. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you will become a millionaire working from home, it just doesn’t work that way. And for goodness sake, be sure that you will love your job; no amount of money can replace happiness.

Check out this website it provides you with a list of companies to seek work from, some of which I am familiar with. Browse around it, it goes into details as to what works and what doesn’t and you can make an informative decision. Hope you find this post helpful, and if you are really passionate about working from home don’t give up!

Free Gift Cards!!

I wanted discuss this a little further so you get a better idea as to how I get my gift cards. I have been an active member of My Points since 2007. To this date I have earned over 31,000 points, and of that I have redeemed 27,000. In just a few words, My Points is a company that connects merchants with consumers through their websites, emails and consumer opinions. In return the customer is rewarded with points that can be traded for gift cards. Here is how it works:

1)   Signing up for my points is easy and free - You can Google it and go straight to their website or if you have a friend that is already a member, why not ask them for a referral? They will thank you for it!

2)   How to earn points - Earning points is as easy as reading your emails!

• Your first stop is to fill out your profile, and you'll be earning 60 points just for doing so.
• Make sure you scroll down on your email for the offer, you get 5 points just for clicking on the email or more points if you follow through with the offer.
• You get points for shopping online, make sure to access the stores website through My Points in order for the purchase to qualify. 
• Answering surveys can earn you 50 points if you qualify, but if you do not qualify you still will get 10 points.
• Other point earning opportunities include referring friends (that has gotten even more exciting earning you 10% off your friends' earned points), signing up for emails, bonus offers, printing coupons, downloading the search bar, daily Spin 'n' Win, and more!

3)   Redeeming your points - Is just as hard as deciding where you want to shop! With over 70 participating merchants, it's hard to choose where you want to spend your hard earned money. You can start redeeming for gift cards as low as $10 or as high as $100, some stores however, will only go up to $25 such as Overstock.com. Your options are endless, from clothing, to shoes, to electronics; My Points is the place to be.

A few things to keep in mind when signing up with My Points are:

• You will be getting emails from them daily, so make sure to read them and delete them daily so your mailbox is not flooded.
• Before you can redeem for the first time you have to have made at least one purchase through My Points.
• Spread the word! Referring friends will yield you more points and your friends will thank you for it too!
• And if you decide to sign up for My Points, let me know. I don't mind a referral or two ;)

Hope you find this blog informative and helpful. If you are already a member of My Points, what do you like about the program? What have you redeemed for so far?