No more anonymous

I'm keeping with the theme from yesterday.
Since I changed the comment setting to a popout, we got 3 Anoymyous comments. They don't exist here. I only get the email that they do.
I came over here to delete, and apparently our Blog Fairy had taken them out.
I don't know.
Anyway.
I changed the settings.
Anonymous can't comment here anymore.
We probably should have done this long ago, we just never had any trouble with it.

BUT!

The most recent comment cracked me up.

"I truly find this a interesting subject. Never looked at this subject in this manner. If you are planning to create more articles relating to this subject, I definitely will be back in the near future! "

This, on a silly post about comments! 
Oh, spammers, you're so funny.

I'm a little worried about the day that they wise up and actually make sense. We're all in for it then, But until that day we can all chuckle at your silly generalizations and threats that people are spreading nasty rumors about us.

~Jen

Click below for the 31 days series.

Ten of My {Current} Favorite Pins

 
So I know I’m technically three days late for a Top Ten Tuesday post and even one day late for a Favorite Things entry but in the spirit of the new year I’m going to declare myself early for both of these! Yay me! (And of course I wrote this on Friday and am only now posting it on a Monday…boo!   But still early!)

{I’m amazed I’m even attempting a blog post, but I think I’m all hyped up on the unforeseen bliss of having a mostly clean and partly organized house. And even with all that its 2:16 p.m. on a Friday and I’m sitting in my basement, STILL in my PJs (if you want a visual, look at our blog header—yep, same ones) with a bright green bandana wrapped around my too-long hair. But enough about me, okay, actually I’m not done just yet. I’ve been a bit busy with school and home and life and teenager’s DRIVING and teenagers (yes, plural) with girlfriends. Sigh.}

Back to my favorite pins I’ve actually tried, made, used…
1. “Fair is where you get cotton candy.” I’ve pinned oodles of sayings, both humorous and inspirational, but this is the one that has seen the most mileage in my household. My kids finish my sentence, and they hate it. Bonus!

2. Nutella Crescent Rolls. Sweet mercy, these are spectacular! (And they’re real!) I used my old standby crescent roll dough recipe and skipped the nuts. I also made mine in the traditional crescent shape, probably won’t do that again. They were ten kinds of delicious but forty kinds of messy. I’ll roll ‘em up and put them in a muffin tin next time.

 
3. DIY Waterless Snow Globes. I am in the firm grip of a serious addiction to Mason jars at the moment. So these were the perfect thing to showcase my growing collection. So cute and so stinkin’ easy! I used them as my Christmas Eve breakfast centerpiece (we have a HUGE family—hubby is one of 8) and we’re crazy enough to invite them all over every year. Truly one of my favorite parts of the holiday, hands down.

4. “Go Away I’m Reading” Coffee Mug.” This gets a “most favorite pin” award because the BFF saw it, and designed a personalized mug for me with this on it!! (Little does she know—well she will soon, and yes, I sent her present WAY late—that I also bought her Christmas gift that was Pinterest inspired..heehee!)

5. Christmas Tree Ribbon Shirt. I took the inspiration of this pin and made my niece one for Christmas! Only, Jilly and I decided K would much rather have a black, white, and pink zebra stripe and polka dot one, so that’s what we did. Not too shabby for my first attempt. The fact my sweet niece wore it (IN PUBLIC) for the church Christmas social…well, I was extremely proud of myself.

6. Cleaning Baking Pans. This worked surprisingly well. Not absolutely fantastic. It could only get that kind of rating if I didn’t have to scrub. And I did.

7. Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake. Yup, just look at the picture. It’s twice as rich as it looks. So I served it with a large scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, just to cut the sweetness.


8. Nutella Hot Chocolate. This has been made a couple of times. I make it full strength for my chocoholic Jill and then add a little more milk to mine.

9. Martha Stewart’s Tub Scrub. Possibly the most used pin. I use about 95% homemade cleaners (can’t give up the Murphy’s oil soap for my hardwoods, the plain vinegar was NOT doing it). So this has been a very welcome addition to my arsenal.

10. Sperry Top Sider Angelfish. Okay, so this is really stretching it since I did pin these myself. The older I get, the more I find I need to invest in being well shod. (Yes, I just compared myself to a horse.) And these little puppies have totally done the trick. I am in love. So thankful I have an enabling best friend who encourages me to spend too much money on shoes.
 

 
And honestly I just “completed” a new pin this morning (I am one seriously dedicated addict, people, serious!) that is just pure genius.  But I thought I had inflicted enough pain on you for the morning.
Wishing all the best to you and yours in 2012, and Happy Pinning!

Check out more Top Ten Tuesday posts over at Oh Amanda!

Pam
(aka Pam525 on Pinterest)

Phenomenal Gift-giving on a Less-Than-Phenomenal Budget

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at  Infinite Learners about When a Mommy Blogger becomes a Mom Blogger, and I’m excited to welcome Kathirynne from Evolution to Simplicity to PJs Til Noon!

 

Gift giving can be a highly stressful proposition.  We want the gift to express our feelings for the recipient, we want it to be appreciated, and we don't want to break the bank paying for it.  Implementing the steps below will make your gift giving easier, more heartfelt and thoughtful and (I hope) less expensive.

1) Plan Ahead It's one thing to be caught off guard by an unexpected baby shower or a wedding invitation that arrives out of the blue and have to engage in some quick thinking to come up with a suitable gift.  But Christmas, Valentine's Day and our loved ones' birthdays occur on the same day every year, which makes for easy planning.  Mother's Day, Father's Day and Easter, while not on exactly the same date every year, annually occur at the same time of year, so they are no surprise, either. 
The time to start thinking about Christmas, for instance, is NOT the day after Thanksgiving.  Anyone can purchase something from a "big box store" on Black Friday.  But to create truly meaningful gifts requires forethought and advance planning.  The Victorians traditionally began their Christmas preparations as early as July to ensure that they would be finished in time to be placed under the tree on Christmas Eve.  It may feel silly to be "making a list and checking it twice" while the scent of Independence Day fireworks still lingers in the air, but when you're finished with your holiday shopping well before Thanksgiving (while everyone around you is frantically scouring the shops for that "perfect gift") you'll be glad that you planned so far in advance.

2) Know Your Intended Recipient  With very few exceptions (our children's teachers, for instance), the people to whom we give gifts are people we know well.  If this is not the case, perhaps the question to be asking ourselves is not "What gift shall I give to this person?" but rather "Why do I feel obligated to give this person a gift at all?"
Once you have established that a particular person does, indeed, belong on your gift list, it's time to brainstorm.  The best gifts are ones that have been selected with the specific recipient in mind.  Consider your intended recipient's likes and dislikes, their interests and hobbies, even their allergies and dietary restrictions, if applicable. 
For instance, your friend the chai tea lover who has a long commute to work every day might enjoy a reusable travel mug, a chai tea recipe and all the necessary ingredients to make her favorite beverage at home.  Not only will she appreciate this gift when she opens it, but also every time she doesn't have to fork over $4.50 at Starbuck's for her daily chai fix.

3) Set (and Stick to) a Budget This is probably the least fun component of gift giving, but it is probably the most important one.  Giving gifts that are beyond our financial means is irresponsible and unnecessary.  Planning and creativity usually trump a large outlay of cash when it comes to gift giving, so set your budget boundaries and stay within them.  (In order to avoid "the gift that keeps on taking" pay with cash instead of with a credit card...those interest charges add up.)

4) Get Creative  This is where the fun really begins.  A good gift is like a collage - a bit from this source, a bit from that source - all combined to create a masterpiece that is more than the sum of its parts.  Decide on a theme to use as a springboard.  Does your friend enjoy sushi?  Perhaps a “Make-at-home Sushi Kit”might be a good gift.  Has your niece expressed a sudden interest in knitting?  A knitting bag containing needles, yarn and a gift certificate for classes at a local yarn shop (or, if you know how to knit, lessons from you would be even better) would make the perfect present for her.

Think beyond the usual sources when seeking out the components of your gift.  That vintage coffee can from the antique shop can become a quaint container for a gently used coffee mug from the thrift store, a sack of fancy coffee from the gourmet grocery, and a selection of biscotti baked in your own kitchen to create a gift that your favorite coffee lover will be thrilled to receive.  A stack of books (by a favorite author or about a specific topic of interest) from the second-hand bookshop, a simple handmade bookmark or two and a clip-on booklight from the office supply store combine to become a fantastic present for that bookworm in your life.

The gifts we give are tiny reflections of ourselves.  Be sure the gifts you give say that you are thoughtful, creative and thrifty but not cheap.

 

~Jen here.  I for one LOVE the tips in this post! 

What do you think?  You have tips to add, and what’s the best gift you’ve ever given?  Or received? 

(I’ll take whatever you want to throw our comment way!)

ps.  Visit Life...Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

Cameras and the stuff they do?

I added that question mark because there’s waaaay more I don’t know.

I have decided to become a Photographer.  Eventually.  I’ll have to save up and get a good camera, photo software, website, etc.  But until then I decided to start learning.

I found this site, explaining (in plain English) things like aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and exposure. 

I was surprised to learn that most PAS (point and shoot) cameras these days have some sort of manual control of these areas.

So then I decided to play.  At night. 

Now you know what lovely photos you get at night, right?

I am of course talking about WITHOUT flash.  Flash kills photos.  But you also need enough light to, you know, actually see the subject in the photos. 

Here.  Let me show you. 

After playing around with turning almost every Auto feature in my menu OFF, I was able to get this.

And I straightened up my bookshelf after that.  It looks much better now. 

Here’s a bit more.

But still a decent night shot.  Eh.  Maybe.  But still, a cute pup.

Umm, no.  I just adjusted for Tungsten (regular bulb) lighting.

I’m telling you.  I really was floored that I could get an indoor photo at night without a flash.

I’m going to be taking more photos more often.  I’m also going to need a much larger memory card.

I’ll post and you can be my Guiney Pigs, mmkay?

Now, none of the above photos would be considered in any way good.  I just wanted to show you that reading the manual, and fooling around with the settings really does make a difference.

Well, I’ve had fun. 

Got any tips, books, websites you can recommend? 

Do you play with your settings for better photos?

I promise to do better, unless I don’t.

I got a comment today!  From one of our original inspiration bloggers, Reese.  Hi Reese!!!

So naturally, I clicked on the DISQUS link to reply to the comment.  I like to reply or at least “like” our comments.  I find encouragement better than … well … ambivalence. 

Anywho.  When I got over to my DISQUS site, there were several comments that I had not seen before.  Some were weeks old. 

WHAAAA???!!!

One of the reasons I installed that system was so that I’d get a notification when we have comments, and so that I could reply to individual comments.  This is not making me happy.

I am going to have to spend eons a bit to troll around my account there and figure out why some of you wonderful people fell through the cracks of our place here.  Now, mind you, it’s held together with chewing gum and fruit roll ups around here, but that’s no excuse.

I apologize if you feel neglected or even worse, ignored.  I’d never want any of our virtual friends to feel that way.

So like I said.  I’ll do better.  I’ll try to do better. 

I promise.

A new us?

I just want to let all of you know, we are still alive and kicking, even if our post quota says otherwise. 

I know this is probably a conundrum, but if you haven’t been able to find us (how are you here?) it’s because our URL has changed. 

Ta-da!  Here’s the new us.

http://www.pjstilnoon.com/

Remember the days of www.pjs-til-noon.com?  (ps, Windows Live Writer automatically linked that, if you click on it, you’ll get an error screen.)

Well those days are no more.  It’s like a fresh start for us. 

I’d like to thank my BFF, Pam, for setting us up with our very own web address.  I would have been fine with the .blogspot url, but she is the wonderful wizard behind the curtain of our very own place in this world. (How many more song/movie references can I squeeze in here?)

So.  That’s all I have to say for now. 

Add us to your bookmarks, reader, favorite pages, whatever.  And you’ll  be treated with an update on average, every month.  For FREE!  Now if that’s not a deal, I don’t know what is.

We love this little blog.  We haven’t forgotten you. 

Love,

Us

We're a sorry bunch. Or should that be bushel?

It's been an awfully long time since we've posted.  I feel like I start out every post with that same apology.  Sorry.  And there's another.  This could go on forever, me apologizing for apologizing.  Let's just end this cycle now, shall we?
Well, there's not really much new around these parts.
Pam is gearing up to peel apples tomorrow.
That's right.  It's October.  Otherwise known as Applebutter Time.

(This is approximately how many apples I peeled.)

I have so many things still with me from peeling thousands of apples.  Laughs, memories, jars of applebutter.  And an allergy.
Crazy, I know.
I'm now allergic to apples.  Apparently I'm one to pop an allergy with overexposure to ...well... anything.
I am allergic to penicillin now from a 2 month bout of ear infection.
This doesn't bode well for my chocolate addiction.  I'm a bit worried.
I think as long as I don't bathe in it for an entire week, I'll be ok.  I'm being cautious, though.  Because, let me tell you, I miss apple pie, cider, Mom's apples that she makes with breakfast.  Especially that last one.  And caramel apples.  *sigh*  I can't imagine having to give up chocolate as well.  I'd probably have to take a vow of silence too, to keep from moaning and complaining about missing chocolate.
I don't really know where I was going with this.
Oh.  I was letting you know what we're up to lately.
I'm in the big SC this week.  Getting some Mom/Sis time in.  It has been lovely.  Even if I have slept most of it away.  Trying to switch between being up nights and days is rough.  Just ask any mother of a newborn.  It's like babies are given instruction on the way out: "Remember.  This is important!  Night time is AWAKE time.  Don't forget.  Now go!  And give a good long scream when you're out.  We can't transfer your residency until we hear that scream."
Well.
That came from nowhere.
I really don't know where to go from there.
I guess that means time's up here.
I'll forgo promises to post more.  We both know.  Until I'm no longer a slave to the hospital (at what they're paying me for what I do, there's no other way to describe it,) it will be sparse at best.
But I still love our little blog.  And you.  All of you reading this.
So.  Give yourself a hug.  Only if it doesn't creep you out to give yourself a hug from an over-sharing stranger.
TaTa!~
Jen

It always comes back to books, doesn't it?

Howdy people!  I'm just firing off a quick post to let you know that I haven't forgotten this beloved world that is our blog.

My computer has taken ill.  It has a virus that won't let me do anything.  I can't even get to my anti-virus sofware to fix it.  I have to take the time to download a patch onto a disc from another computer and do a safe boot from there, but I just haven't had the time to fool with it.
I just know one of you people out there are comuter savvy, and want to help walk me through this, right?
Or are you all like me, getting all of your tech skills from our friend Google?

Well, this week has been a doozey, let me tell you.
I worked 5 in a row this week, and am definitely feeling the after effects.
Let's see.  What else is new?
I feel like this is becoming a place where I gripe about having to work.
Nobody likes reading that.  I'll stop.

Gabe is playing football and Livy wants to play the trombone.  The thing is as big as she is.  Well, that's hypothetical.  If we had one, it would be as big as her.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to get our hands on a trombone.  Anyone out there have one to donate to a lovely school girl wanting to learn to play a ginormous instrument?

Chirp, chirp.
Anyone?
Well, worth a shot, I always say.

I've been reading more lately.  Especially on my days off.  I sleep at night.  Until around 3 or 4.  Then I just can't sleep more.  So finally I figured that lying there was doing nobody any good, so now I get up and read in the quiet.
Let me say.  It is lovely.  I crave quiet these days and these mornings are a welcome answer to that.
I just finished reading a novel  (25 cent thrift store gem...hooray!) about the plague.  It was facinating.  I never knew that the "ring a rosy" plague sores were lymph nodes that had burst.
That was a bit depressing, wasn't it?  Sorry.

I'm starting Chocolat now.  I seem to be in a historical fiction kick right now.  Although I must say that historical fiction has always been a good friend of mine.
I haven't done a what's on your nightstand post in a while.  But mostly, what's on my nightstand these days is a Bible and the one book I'm currently reading.  So, that wouldn't be such a fun post.
I do try to keep my librarything.com widget up to date (little box over there somewhere-->.)  That way you can always know what I am reading at the moment.
That is, if you care to fill your mind with such useless information.  It's there for you.

I've had to start a new Book book.  My lovely pink suede one from the bestest BFF in the world is packed away somewhere.  And believe me, I have looked for it.  But I just started this new one and will transfer all of my books into it whenever we are officially settled somewhere.  Whenever that may be.

I said I'd not gripe anymore, didn't I?
Well, that ends now.

Love you all!
Jen

An utterly self involved post, but then, aren’t they all?

I promised, waaaayyy back when, that I would post some positives of working. 

Well, here goes. 

I very rarely waste time online any more.  I miss it like crazy sometimes, my little online world, but I don’t miss the lack of productivity and feeling like a big lazy butt.

I really enjoy the days I’m not working.  A LOT.  I consider them holy and keep them that way.  Now that scripture about resting on the Sabbath makes so much more sense!

I want to be with my kids when I’m not working.  Heck.  I want to be with them when I am, but I feel less absent minded and less for-granted-taking with them now.  I really enjoy my time with them.  They are pretty darn good people that I want to just hang out with.  What can I say?

I do miss my hubs.  (NO that’s not a positive, just a fact.)  He’s been working at Youth Camp, and before that, he hadn’t moved down here yet.  I’m over the single working mom life.  I like it when he’s here.  ( I seriously hope I didn’t offend any single working moms.  I hold you in the highest regard, you’re a hero in my book and I’ll stop the griping right now!)

The extra $ would be lovely.  If there were any extra.  But since hub’s job ended shortly after mine started…well, you get the picture.  I am thankful that I have a job to help support us.

Meeting new people has been great.  There are a few that I’ll miss when I go onto nights, (tomorrow night!!!…eeek!) but I’m sure that there will be others I’ll connect with. 

I can’t really think of any others at the moment.  It’s 1:40 am.  I’m conditioning right now.  Waking up my natural body clock.  Come on, I know there’s an owl in there somewhere.  He probably went into hibernation when I was getting up at 5 am nearly every day.  I’m hoping that some coaxing, coffee and chocolate will encourage him back into his natural habitat.

So.  Expect more late night twittering/blogging from me in the future. 

No.  Not while I’m at work.  Silly.  The nights that I’m not working and I can’t sleep.

I’m really hoping to hop back on this bloggy bandwagon. 

What about you?  You have any positives you’ve noticed in your everyday life lately?

I haven’t really fallen off the face of the earth.

It just feels like it.  And by the feel of it, I landed pretty hard.

I hate that I haven’t updated in *ahem* … quite a while.  I’m sorry.  I do still love this place and all of you.  I just have been spinning like a top.

Let me give you an example.  I did not even touch my computer for 5 days!  STRAIGHT!!!

You know.  I know you do.  It has to be major for us not to just check our Facebook really quick.

I worked 3 12 hour shifts this week.  I’d get home at around 7:30, eat a lovely meal that was prepared by my father in law, try my darndest to appear alert as the kids were telling me about their day, then crash and let them deal with their own bedtime.

Pitiful.  I know.  But, y’all.  5 Am comes super duper early. 

I will try to post some of the positives that I’ve noticed thus far in my working mom journey.  At some point.  But for now, I’ll leave  you with this. 

If you grow up in South Carolina with a hick southern accent and lose it (somewhat) because you marry a person of Higher Than Mason Dixon Line upbringing, you could very likely slip right back into that twang dialect if you are around people who speak the Country Vernacular.  (BTW, that’s pronounced Cuuhhhhn-treee.)

Don’t say I never gave you helpful advice.

OH OH OH!!!  I almost forgot to tell you.  I was hired into a PRN position, which means that I work as I’m needed with no benefit package.  But I just found out that I’m getting moved into part time.  This guarantees me 2 shifts a week AND I’ll get benefited. (My mother in law is a mover and shaker is all I’m saying.)

So YAAAAY for me & my family!  First time we’ll have insurance in lots of years. 

Customizing Your Blog with Blogger in Draft

You may or may not have noticed that we are rockin a new look around the PJs.  I was given creative control of the blog a while back, and I played around with backgrounds and such.  We have used a few of the free backgrounds, but I wanted something that was my doing and that I could tweak. 
I read a few blogs on blogging (I KNOW!) and one led me to the new Blogger in Draft.  Have you heard about this?  Blogger listened to their bloggers’ complaints about the service and has made some changes. 
I thought you had to start over with Blogger and use the new version, but NOT SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can’t tell you how excited this made me.
So I put together a little tutorial showing what I did to create the look you see before you, with a plain old blogger account.
You want to get to your dashboard.  This is the bottom of the dashboard menu.  See under Tools and Resources?  There.  Click “Blogger in Draft.”
















Now your dashboard will look like this.  I cropped the pic so that you could actually read the stuff.  Make sure you check the box that says “Make Blogger In Draft my default dashboard.”  Then click “Layout.”

Notice the graph paper look up there in the blue part of the menu?  That’s how you tell the old from the new.
These are the first options.  You pick which new Template you want.  Within these 4, there are several pages to choose from.  I chose the Picture Window.

Within Picture Window, you get to choose your background image.  There are many many options to choose from.  How awesome is this?!!!!  I circled the “expand view” there in the middle.  It just hides all of the gray menu stuff, so you can see the changes you’re making and whether you like it or not before you save it.

Next you get to choose your layout.  This was the main reason I wanted to change things up.  I wanted three columns!  We have so much info, and I recently monetized the blog, so we needed the extra column for the ad space.  (I don’t think we’ve made a single cent yet, but I’m crossing my fingers for that million $ payout!)
Look!  You can even choose 4!  I may have to tinker some more…maybe not.  I’m kinda done with it for a while.  Then, once you’ve made all the decisions, you click “apply to blog” and you’re done.

From there, just go to your dashboard and in your “Page Elements” menu of the “Layout” tab, drag around all of your gadgets to their new place.  This took much fussing with for me to be happy with it.  Save, view, back, drag, save, view, back and so forth. 
But overall I’m very happy with the new design by MOI.  And I didn’t have to deal with ANY CODE! 
Now, I will tell you that changing things up did away with my Google Analytics code and the code for our Disqus comment system.  So I had to go back and re-install those.  But that was super duper easy and took maybe 2 minutes.  I’m thinking about doing a quickie tutorial on the Disqus system pretty soon. 
So, If you’re hankering to have a more hands on design with Blogger, get in there and create!  I hope this inspired you and is … you know… actually helpful.  Have fun! 

What’s in a name?

I watched the momversation today.  The subject was names.  More specifically, do you regret what you named your kids?
I’m not going to get all into that subject.  But it did get me thinking. 
What about a blog name?  I hear it’s pretty important what you decide for your “brand.”  And it got me wondering, if any of you know the whole reason for our name here at the PJs. 
We have several new friends and I don’t want all of you thinking that we’re just lazy moms who sit around in our pjs until literally noon.  (Well, we do sometimes, but that’s not all we do.  And maybe more than just sometimes.  Still.)
Pam and Jen.  PJ.  Get it?  We were throwing around ideas with PJ or JP and almost immediately fell in love with PJs Til Noon.  We are the poster children for laidback, comfy living, and want you to be comfy here at our little corner or the web.
So there you have it.  That’s what our name means.  Or stands for.  Or whatever.  We want to emphasize the comfy not the lazy. 
I am wondering if we will have to re-work the name in the near future.  I’ll be working, Pam’s in school.  Not a whole lot of PJ wearing until noon going on. 
But in our hearts, we will be in PJs Til Noon forever. 
And ever.  Amen.

Firefox, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. You’re pretty. With the latest update came the option to customize your header. Is that what it is called? Let’s just go with that, shall we? Look at the pretty colors and flowers. I heart this design.
2. You make bloggy business easy. OhAmanda did this lovely tutorial on two add ons that make your reader sing. Be sure to CLICK ON THAT LINK, you’ll thank me . But finish reading this first. Better GReader is one that allows you to click on the post right from your reader, and comment there. WITHOUT EVER LEAVING YOUR READER! That’s huge, folks. I comment so much more now, cuz it’s so dang easy. easyComment is an add on that fills in those pesky URL and email forms with one click so that you can comment. Just click that first. I’ve had it wipe out many a brilliant comment when I go to fill the info forms. ~Can you see the photo above? Click on it to get a bigger view. That is my easyComment filling out the form on Friends of Irony, in my reader. I luuuurrrrrrve these two features & use them every day.
3. Add Ons. I found a screen grab add on that I used to take that photo up there. I’m tech illiterate, so I don’t know if PC offers that option or not. I know it is a standard Mac feature, but I couldn’t find it on my lowly HP. So, you work your way around problems and find handy solutions.
4. There’s also the New Tab King and FoxTab found here. New Tab King keeps track of your most visited sites and has them handily listed when you open a new tab. FoxTab gives you a screen shot of all open tabs in one place.
5. This may or may not be a Firefox thing. I use a Swag Bucks toolbar. Not the official one. I recently switched to the Swag Bucks Tricks toolbar. It not only lets you know when codes are available, but helps you find them. Those shop & earn codes are particularly difficult to find, so this has been a great trick. In that toolbar, I put buttons to get to my Word, Calculator, and Media Player. I love having everything just one click away.
6. I have an email notifier in that toolbar. Not such a big deal. BUT, I have more than one email account linked in there. If you have yahoo, you know you can only be signed into one at at time. I never check the other because of this. Now I can look and see if I need to check that email. This has been kind of a pain, and I'm loving that I can get notified for more than one email account.
   

I am one to set everything up to my liking and customize the heck out of it, so this is perfect for me. While I was getting the links for this post, I found a few new add ons that I just had to have. I’ll let you know later how they work out.

Do you use Firefox? If not what do you use and what do you love about it?