After dabbling with Canva and Adobe Express designing for a while, I have finally taken a deeper plunge into the Canva realm. Both platforms are extremely similar with only a few exceptions. I need more designing options, and Canva seems to be the most popular, so that's the one I have decided to pay for. And so far, I have only used it to create coloring book pages. But it can be used for so much more! So, I'm looking forward to finding out all the cool secrets to creating not only coloring books for adults and kids but also eBook covers, printable art, and t-shirt designs. Below is my first design, which I'm offering as a free download. Happy Valentines Day Coloring Book Thumbnails from my Digital Potpourri  Creations As I mentioned in my previous post, passive income comes in many forms, so I do plan to share information as I go along. My information will come either in a post such as this one or via YouTube videos. I will post links to videos that I create for both Sim...

My original work-from-home journey began when I started creating sewing and craft patterns/tutorials in 2006 and selling them as digital files. I did that for about 8 years, but I stopped when life became more demanding as a homeschool mom in our younger son's middle school years. Selling self-published digital files has escalated tremendously in the last few years as passive income has become highly popularized. So, I am getting back on that path now that both of our sons are grown and have graduated.  But creating and selling digital files is only a small portion of how one can earn passive income. So, before we move on, let's discuss the meaning of passive income. It's very simple really. All it means is that a digital product is created once and it will continue to earn money with very little to no effort as long as it remains online for purchase. With that said, though, some work and marketing efforts are required to create and sell the items. It isn't lazy work by...

My hearty potato soup is very simple to make. This recipe produces about 6 servings. And it's filling enough to eat for dinner! Only 5 ingredients - 2 of which are salt and pepper. It really doesn't get any simpler than that. My family enjoys this on a cold winter's day. But if you aren't feeling well and just need something simple and filling to eat then this should satisfy your needs. The potatoes are the "meat" of this soup . The cream of celery makes it creamy, while the evaporated milk makes the soup. You can use the print button at the bottom of this post to save or print the recipe. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family and I do. Ingredients     4 cups of washed, peeled, diced potatoes     (2) 10.5 cans cream of celery soup     12 oz. can evaporated milk       salt and pepper Garnishment or Side     Cornbread if desired Directions        Boil washed, peeled, diced potatoes until soft...

It has been several years since the last time we bought bird food for our backyard cuties. Mainly because when the squirrels, pigeons, grackles and other blackbirds discovered the food, they would wipe out the feeders in a days' time - or less. The songbirds we were trying to attract worked well until the bullies and gluttons showed up. At that point, it became quite an expensive hobby to feed animals we didn't want to attract. So, we would take the feeders down for a week or 2 hoping the other animals would lose interest. But it would take only a day or 2 for them to discover the feeders once more when we would hang them again. So, we finally threw the feeders away. We don't have all the nuisance birds in our backyard anymore, but also, our songbird population has dropped off. Very sad trade off. Since this winter has been a bit colder than the last few winters, though, we decided to buy some bird food that had a good variety of sunflower seeds and other seeds as well as ...

Homemade Ground Beef and Bean Chili Chili is another one of my favorite cold, winter's day dump dishes. This dish also serves up to 8 people and can be used as leftovers for a family of 3 to 4.  It's very filling and tasty with just enough heat so it is pleasing and not overpowering to the tastebuds. image courtesy of  Campbell's Kitchen via All Recipes.com Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef, browned and placed in paper towel to remove excess oil 1 large green pepper, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 2 teaspoons chili powder ¼ teaspoon black pepper 3-4 cups tomato juice (from 46 oz. bottle or can) 16 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 16 oz. can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes Garnishments Sour cream Shredded cheddar cheese Optional Side Cornbread  Directions After cooking the ground beef and rinsing the beans, put all ingredients into a stock pot Cook on high and stir frequently until contents begin to ...

My husband once commented that I love to cook. I'm not sure where he got that idea! I love to eat .  I have to cook to be able to eat and feed my family. So, I have simplified a lot of the main dish recipes I've collected since we were married in 1989. I share my simple recipes with you on this site from time to time. Dump dishes, crockpot meals, and pressure cooker meals are my absolute favorites, because I use fewer dishes and utensils to prepare the meals, which means less cleanup afterward. I occasionally make meals with side dishes that I also provide a few recipes for - or share my favorite packaged side dishes.  image courtesy of Alyson McPhee via Unsplash Many of my meals can also be used as leftovers for a family of 3 to 4, which is a time-saver as well as budget friendly in a world of escalating prices. I hope you and your family enjoy the meals from the simple recipes I provide. I'd love for you to leave comments when you try them.  Thanks for dropping by!...

Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Soup is one of my favorite dump dishes, especially on a cold, winter day. My hearty and filling homemade vegetable beef soup serves up to 8 people. For families of 3 or 4, this is a great leftover meal , saving both time and money. Prepped and ready in under an hour. Enjoy!  Pat's homemade vegetable beef soup Ingredients 46 oz. bottle or can of tomato juice 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (drained) 11 oz. can of corn (drained) 14.5 oz. can of green beans (drained) 2 cups of washed, peeled, diced potatoes 1 lb. ground beef Salt for flavor Optional Side Cornbread if desired Directions Boil washed, peeled, diced potatoes until soft  Add a couple of shakes of salt as you stir from time to time Drain potatoes Brown and drain the ground beef (browning should be done simultaneously while boiling the potatoes) Pat off excess grease with paper towels Add all ingredients into a stock pot Pour in the 46 oz. of tomato juice In stockpot, cook on high until conte...