How To Make Your Auction Listings Look Fantastic

How To Make Your Auction Listings Look Fantastic

It has been a while since I used Ebay. At one time I was convinced that it was ticket to financial freedom and I suppose for many it is or can be. For sellers who already know and understand their interest or niche, for those who have a bricks and mortar business it can be a very simple transition to ebay. I never did find my niche. I started out in what I guess is probably the usual way - by going through my own stuff. I sold a few clothes and nick-knacks. When I ran out of stuff around the house to sell I started looking for places where I could get other stuff to sell. I searched the op shops and occasionally got lucky. I went to a few trade shows and hooked up with some wholesalers whose stuff looked interesting. I sold a bit of stuff and finally figured that it wasn't exactly my thing. During the process though I learned a lot about designing listings. I experimented with html and taught myself about image hosting and discovered that if you can learn a bit and even just learn to recognise some of the code you can make a huge difference to way your listings look without it costing lots of money. I have put a lot of what I learned into this article How To Make Your Auction Listings Look Fantastic
with step by step instructions as well as some useful links and resources.

I have collected a few items over the last few months and now that it is school holidays I may get the kids to help me list them on ebay. I wonder how well they'll go.

Tonight we are having Morroccan spiced lamb chops for dinner. I am looking forward to using some of the Sumac I bought recently.
This image of Couscous Lamb Berber is used under a Creative Commons licence from  TheGirlsNY on flickr.

The Best Goulash Soup Recipe

We were all a bit numb this weekend. Having waved off our eldest son on his year long exchange student journey last Thursday, the rest of the family seemed a bit out of sorts for the next few days. The hardest thing was convincing the kids to go about their normal routines. So by Friday evening a familiar meal was the order of the day. I have made this recipe a few times now and each time it just gets better and better. It was especially cold up our way over the weekend and goulash was a perfect antidote to the chill. I always make extra. It tastes even better the next day. And there's usually enough left over to freeze some individual portions as well.

The Best Goulash Soup Recipe

Rainy Start To A New Course

My first day. I have started a new course at my local TAFE. That is the New South Wales Department of Education abbreviation for College Of Technical and Further Education. The course I am doing is for women intending to return to the workforce who have been out of employment for a while usually through family commitments but not restricted to this reason. This course is free and covers a range of topics including computers and preparing a resume but also touches on presentation skills and workplace communication. It is considered to open doors to opportunities that otherwise may not have been known about. We are a group of thirteen from various backgrounds ranging in age from 25 to 50+ and a wide spectrum of skill sets. So as the rain poured down outside the classroom we went through the usual first day routine of introductions and getting to know you activities. We learned the important things like where to get coffee, where the toilets are and evacuation procedures and we signed our acceptance and understanding of course content and outcomes. It has been a long time since I sat in a classroom so I am feeling a little nervous and a little excited and a fair bit of anticipation as well. We have big hopes for this course. None of us is really sure what we are going on to in our lives. Most of us are looking to change any vocation we may have had in the past. One thing which will be different for me will be the shorter time available to me to plan for the meal ahead each evening. So tonight we will have a simple noodle bake using some leftover sausages from last night's dinner chopped up and stirred through a basic cheesy mac. The kids will be happy with that. Tomorrow I will put my thinking cap on. Perhaps a Mulligatawny soup.

The World Cup Finals Are Almost Upon Us

The World Cup Finals are almost upon us and if you are even only slightly interested in the outcome of this tournament you'll be glued to your set soaking up the atmosphere. This is the perfect time and reason to Host A World Cup Party. But instead of just bringing out the chip 'n dip and the salted peanuts how about some interesting snacks which reflect the nationalities of the teams doing battle?

Moving into the semi finals are The Netherlands, Uruguay, Spain and Germany. All of these nations have cuisines and flavours which are uniquely their own and from these derive an array of snacks which will enhance your World Cup Party.

Consider for instance, the possibility that the final will be contested between Netherlands and Germany. Without even trying this evokes images of meat and cheese, pastry, sour cherries, wursts, mustard and pickles.

But of course it might be Spain in the final two. Imagine all the Tapas possibilities to choose from. Fish, squid, peppers, tortillas and rice.

And let's not forget Uruguay, the last remaining team from the Southern Hemisphere, with a strong Spanish heritage. Think meats, corn, empanadas, chili.

Whatever the final two ends up looking like one thing is certain. The culinary possibilities for a party will be mouth-watering!

For more ideas on How To Host A World Cup Party visit How To Host A World Cup Party

Best Ice Cream Sundae Recipes

If you a fan of ice cream, and who isn't right? then you may find there comes a time when you just want something a little bit different from your favourite dessert. Never fear. I have rounded up some of the best and most interesting delicious ice cream desserts and put them all together in this easy to reference collection. The photos are so yummy you'll keep wanting to come back for more. Please do, because I'm going to keep adding to it as well. So here goes. Dig in!

Best Ice Cream Sundae Recipes

This image is used under a Creative commons licence from arnold | inuyaki's photostream

As A Soccer Mum Embarking On A New Season I've Been Checking Out Slow Cookers

I've decided I need a slow cooker.

This is how it went last year.

Tuesday, prepare dinner for B2, G1, G2 and dad during day. Pick up G1 & G2 from school at 2:45. Get home 3:00. B1 arrives home from school at 3:30. Prepare three after school snacks. B2 arrives home from school at 4:30. Get him fed. Depart for soccer training for B1 at 4:45. B2, G1 & G2 watch TV until dad arrives home at 6:00. Arrive home from soccer training with B1 at 9:00 after dinner at McDonalds. You know, a slow cooker would be good to have.

Wednesday, pick up G1 & G2 from school at 2:45. Dash home for quick snack then take them to piano lessons at 3:30. Go home and prepare dinner as well as afternoon snack for B2 who makes his own way to piano lessons. Pack his soccer training gear and toasted sandwich and head out to pick the three of them up at 5:00. Instruct B2 to eat sandwich quickly and get changed in car en route to soccer training at 5:30. Take G1 & G2 home, finish getting dinner ready then return to park to pick up B2 at 7:00. I wish I had a slow cooker.

Thursday, replay Tuesday.

Friday, pick up G1 & G2 from dance class at 4:00pm. Go home get them fed and changed for soccer training at 5:00pm. Dash home to start dinner with instructions for B1 & B2. Return to park to pick up G1 & G2 at 6:00.

Weekend, wall to wall soccer games for four kids plus getting B1 to refereeing duties.

This year I am going to get myself a slow cooker. So, what will I get. I've never had one before. And I love making soups and curries and stews and casseroles and pot roasts and all those delectable well-flavoured rich gravy type of meals.

So I've been looking around and I came across the Cuisinart. They seem to do the job really well. The features that are important in a slow cooker for me are firstly the size. It has to be big enough to feed our family of six plus extra. Extra for leftovers. Extra for when we have visitors. Extra for when I want to do something large like lamb shanks.

It has to be programmable. I need to be able to put it on in the morning and it will be ready that night.

And it needs to have a good keep warm setting. Not a keep on cooking setting. Sometimes we don't all eat at the same time. There may be a one to two hour gap between when the first and last people eat.

Here are some of the slow cookers I looked at.

Really Good Coffee At Home

Today was all about waiting. Waiting almost an hour to get a pathology test done. Waiting to see what the weather might do before committing to hanging the washing out. Waiting for phone messages to be returned. Putting my name down on a list while we wait to see if there is enough interest to run a night class. Waiting with my son to see the doctor. Waiting for my daughter's dance class to finish. The waiting might have been easier during some of these activities if I had a good cup of coffee. Sadly, our local and arguably best for miles around, coffee shop had to close its doors a few months back as the building which housed it was to be demolished for a highway widening project. This leaves a gaping hole in the available coffee facilities in the area. There is another but there are a number of reasons why it is far less appealing than the one which we have lost.


So a decision must be made. Do we forgo coffee completely? After all, it is not just the really good coffee which is missed but the company which usually could be found there as well. As school mums we would often drop in and invariably find a companion to take coffee and chat with. It seems that with the demise of our favourite coffee place has also gone an important social outlet. This is something that we will need to work out over time but in the meantime is the important coffee question. For myself, I have been settling for tea. I do have in my kitchen cupboard, an assortment of coffee making paraphernalia. Until recently, I had a dripolator or filter coffee maker but eventually decided that it took up way too much space in my cupboard for an object which was never used because of the less than satisfactory output. I passed this on to my sister-in-law. I do still have my plunger and my caffetiere. The plunger is a 4 cup job so I don't use it when it is just for me. It really only gets used when I have people over. The caffetiere I have never mastered and am always disappointed with the end result. So I make myself a good strong tea.


Not so long ago I came across a wonderful new product which seems to answer all my wishes. It is called the AeroPress and it is quite an amazing item. It processes the coffee using steam and pressure and the coffee that results is rich and not at all bitter. To add to this is the price. This is an incredibly well priced device. This handy little appliance takes up very little space in my cupboard and I am not restricted in the choice of coffee I can use. What a great find!

 

Coffee Utensils From Amazon