I really enjoy our local Freecyle group, where people offer things like basketball hoops and dining table and baby food coupons -- all for FREE! -- and were I've been able to get rid of things that we no longer need, like an extra bunny or outgrown clothing.

Now there is a Free list for Homeschoolers.  It looks like the person who wants the item offers to pay for shipping, but gives the item away for free.  Hmmm, I'm going to have to go through barely-used A Beka books and see if anyone can use them!

by Lori Seaborg 2006

Summer is the best time to sell homeschooling books and curriculum on eBay!   The time is now! 

I had some extra Sonlight and A Beka curriculums lying about that I was not going to use anymore, so listed them on Sunday.  We've sold items on eBay for several years now.  We used to sell regularly (garden plants!), but now we just use our account for the times when we have something extra on hand to sell. 

To keep this article short, I will not go into how to sell on eBay.  Instead, I'll focus on how to get the most from selling homeschooling items.

• Sunday is eBay's busiest day.   List your item on Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening, for best results.  Always keep other time zones in mind, if you hope to sell to them, too (eg.  If you are in California, don't list at 9pm or you might miss all the Eastern Time Zone customers who are already in bed!)

• Homeschool items get top price in June-August, with July being the best month for selling your items.  You may sell all year round, but will get a better price in the Summer when parents are shopping for the upcoming school year.

• Use eBay's free download, Turbo Lister, to create your auctions.  This is entirely optional, but TurboLister is easier to use than eBay's forms, and you can upload all of your auctions at once, and at the time that you prefer.  In the "old days," we had to list an auction as soon as we finished creating it.  Now, I can create several auctions and list them at once.  Why is that cool?  Because then my customers are more likely to purchase from my other auctions, since they are ending at the same time and not later.

TurboLister lets you create different fonts and font color (just as you do with a word processor, or while creating a blog entry).  You don't want your auction to be hard to read, but changing the fonts around keeps the auction interesting and more professional-looking.

Here is a link to one of my current auctions, so you can see how I chose to use the different font options.

• If you are selling books that go along with a curriculum, you may want to consider grouping them and selling them as a unit.  On eBay, individual books, unless they are valuable or unusual, do not sell particularly well.  Do a few searches on completed auctions (see below), to find out if you would make more money selling them individually or as a unit.

• This is my most important tip:  Do your homework!  When I wanted to sell a Sonlight Year 3 Instructor's Guide this weekend, I needed to know how well that item had been selling.  I did a search from eBay’s home page.  My search was  written as:

Sonlight 3 (Instructor's Guide, IG, Curriculum, Plans)

My search words told the system to find any auctions with the words Sonlight + 3 + a CHOICE of the words in the parentheses (Instructor's Guide and/or IG and/or Curriculum and/or Plans) in the auction title.   

Look at the current auctions (those listed in the search results) and note their current prices.  Also note how many bids they have received so far (this tells you if they set a low initial price or a high one) and note how many “watchers” they have (these are people who are “watching” the auction and may bid on it later).  These auctions are what will be the competition for your auction. 

Now you need to see how well other auctions did in the past.   Keep your words (eg. Sonlight 3 (Instructor’s Guide, IG, Curriculum, Plans) in the search box.   Look at the left column under "Search Options" and click the box next to "Completed Auctions."  Press "Show Results."  

When the search results come up, you will see the Completed Auctions for items with the words contained in your search. 

Write down the prices that the seller received and the title that the seller gave their auction.  The latter is very important!

When I typed in "Sonlight 3 IG," there were 3 results.  When I typed in "Sonlight 3 Instructor's Guide," there were 5 results. Most of the results were not from the same auction.  I don't want to lose the buyers who type in "IG" instead of "instructor's guide," so I will try to fit both into my auction title.

• As I said, THE TITLE IS VERY IMPORTANT!  On eBay, when someone enters text into the regular search box, they are doing a search on the TITLE of the auction. 

The title is NOT the place to say, "Fantastic Homeschool Curriculum!"  Perhaps the word Curriculum will be searched, but if someone types "Sonlight 3 instructor's guide" in the search box, your auction will not show up for them, even if you are selling that item.   You may likely lose the sale because of this. (a note:  yes, the buyer can do an advanced search and still find your curriculum, but most buyers do not do advanced searches, so you really must make the title count!)

Remember abbreviations, too.  For example, many who search for instructor’s guides type in "IG" instead.

The title needs to be composed of words that you think will get searched on.  My title for my Sonlight curriculum ended up being:

Sonlight 3 Core Instructor's Guide IG American History

Keep spelling mistakes in mind!  Many people mistakenly write "Abeka" instead of "A Beka" (the company was named for Beka Horton, so the books are A Beka Books).  Knowing that is a common misspelling, I titled my A Beka auction as:

A Beka Abeka Arithmetic 1 Curriculum Lesson Plans

I would have loved to add "math" to that title, but there wasn't room and I felt the other words were more important to the searches after doing my homework on completed auctions.

• One more very important tip:  You MUST have a photo.  If you do not put a photo up on the auction, you will sell the item for much less money. 

I don’t purchase any of eBay’s options except one:  I always purchase “Gallery” for a few extra cents.  When you purchase Gallery, your photo is displayed on the search results page.  This is an eye-catching feature. 

Please let me know in the Comments if you have any questions!  I’ll be happy to help you out!

by Lori Seaborg 2006

Well, here's an interesting thing that I stumbled upon this morning:  Amazon.com is now in the grocery business!  You can order your groceries right alongside books, CDs and electronic gadgets. 

I haven't gotten a good look at what they have to offer yet, but thought I'd share the link with you anyway.  Click on the Amazon.com Grocery link to the left, under Categories.

With the garden planting and the new baby goat, I haven't had much time to blog.  It is absolutely Spring here on the Gulf Coast!  Our cherry tree is in full bloom (I see tiny green leaves today!), the bulbs are up, the River Birch have red "buds," the azaleas are blooming brilliant pink.  I just love Spring!  If you are more North than me, hang on because Spring is coming your way, too.  I heard once that Spring heads North at something like 18 miles per day. 

I have a new link for you.  It is for an online book swap. 

Here's how it works:  You list books that you want to give away.  You send a book to someone through the mail (you can mail it from your mailbox, if it is less than one pound).  You then receive a credit to purchase a book for yourself, which you choose out of the thousands listed.

To get started, you need to list nine books, but in return for that you get three credits so you receive books right away.  After I listed my first nine books, I was able to pick up 'Kidnapped' by Robert Louis Stevenson (this was a hardback; you can list those, too) and 'For the Children's Sake' by Susan MacAulay.  I still have a credit to use, so list your books so I can get them!    I was referred to the site by another homeschooling mom; it looks like there are a lot of us on the site, which is great for sharing our extra books.

Go to PaperBackSwap.com to get started.   When you sign up, use my referral name:  dreamwords@bellsouth.net so I can get a book credit for referring you.  Thanks!

by Lori Seaborg

In the spirit of giving this Christmas, consider going to Freecycle.org and finding a group in your area. 

Freecycle groups are people in your area who want to give away and receive free items from each other.  Our family has given away clothing, toys and shoes mostly.  And we have received a basketball goal and a pile of rough-cut lumber. 

I can tell you from experience that when you are generous, the blessings come right back at you.  They don't usually come from the person to whom you gave (this is an important point to remember when helping out relatives - don't expect them to help you out later, or you may be disappointed). 

One lady who is coming by today for girls' clothing, said she knew our street well because back when she first moved here, Farmer Bishop gave her some furniture.  Later, she gave Brandy - the mom up the street with the blond 2-year-old - her extra dryer.  Now, she is picking up items from me to take to her grandchildren who lost their home in Biloxi, Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina.  See?  The blessings continue.

by Lori Seaborg

The SchoolRoom

Earlier this year, Tim (dh) and I made a schoolroom/library/craft room out of what we already owned.   This room is everyones' favorite room in the house.  It is always occupied by some learning or creative soul. 

We moved into this house a year and a half ago.  One of the rooms was listed by the realtor as a dining room, but we are far too relaxed to need a formal dining area.  For a few months after we bought the house, we used the room as a second living room, but it wasn't being used all that often (our children are young, so they are still at the stuck-like-Velcro-to-mama-and-daddy stage).  

One day, I was day-dreaming about having a schoolroom once again, when I stopped myself.  Do you ever get tired of dreaming about something over and over?  I do!  At some point, I say to myself, "Well stop wishing for it and do something about it!"  So, the dining-room-that-was-an-unneeded-second-living-room, suddenly became the new schoolroom.   Knowing our budget could not pay for a fully equipped, brand new schoolroom, we went shopping in our house... 

First, we painted the room with navy blue paint and white trim with paint we had bought several months ago.  We put up a chalkboard given to us. Our used furniture (a couch, love seat, and rocking chair from our old house) was put in the room.  We placed a dry-erase board, child's easle, and bulletin board in the room. And we painted a wooden table that we found in the garage, under a pile of tools.  Tim made benches for the table out of scrap wood that he had, and painted them with paint we had leftover from old projects.  He also made a bench out of a broken bookcase and some scrap wood.  I use this bench to hold the CD player and the abacus.  Finally, we put a couple of posters up on the wall that we had collected over the years. 

The Writer's Nook

More recently, I was trying to figure out where to write, and almost went out to buy a new desk when I remembered the schoolroom success, and decided to "shop" in our garage.

I was able to make a cozy writing space by clearing an old desk, placing it in a corner of our master bedroom, and placing an old bookcase nearby. I decorated the desk with useful baskets and pottery to hold papers and pencils. Tim attached a wire basket to the wall above my desk for picture frames and plants.   I moved a rocking chair from the living room, where it wasn't used, to the corner of my new "office."  For inspiration, I threw Grandma's 65-year-old handstitched quilt over the rocking chair.  In a second corner, near the window, I put a comfortable-yet-kind-of-ugly recliner.   With a pile of books stacked on the bookshelves, plenty of paper, pens, (all of which I also found while "shopping" in my home), and my laptop, I am now a happy writer in my little "writer's nook." But I am most happy that the bank account did not notice our home improvements (Tim is also happy about that!). 

Why keep wishing for a bigger house, or a schoolroom, or a space of your own?  Tell yourself to stop wishing and make it happen!  Shop in your home from your own stuff.  You'll be surprised at what you can find, or make, with a little ingenuity.   

Let us know in the comments if you have any new ideas about this topic of shopping at home. 

by Lori Seaborg

1. Dough Scraper (Pastry Scraper; All-Purpose Scraper):
This gadget is sometimes made of a piece of wood with a metal "blade" on it, or it may be made out of plastic, as mine is.  I suggest you get the plastic one, as it is very durable yet can be placed in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize it.  I use the scraper to scrape bread dough off my kitchen counters, to scrape a non-stick pan clean (mine is plastic, remember), to scrape dough or other gunk off my wooden spoons, to lift cut veggies or garlic from the counter, and to cut dough. It is also great for cleaning the gunk that gets stuck next in the crack between the counter and the kitchen sink.  It is my #1 favorite kitchen gadget. See one on Amazon.

2. Smooth Edge Can Opener
I love this can opener, because it not only doesn't leave a can-edge that can cut you, but it also leaves you with a lid that is useable. If we don't use our can of peaches in one sitting, for example, I can just replace the can lid until the next time. The only disadvantage that I've found is that the can lid doesn't sink into the tuna can for easier tuna-draining.  Click here to see one.

3. Measuring Scoops
I found measuring scoops made out of metal at my local Kitchen store
outlet. They look kind of like garden spades. I use them for flour, for grains (rice, beans, wheat, grits), and for sugar.

4. Bread Machine (:::shh!:::)
I can't believe I am admitting to using a breadmachine, and I can't believe that I finally bought one. I've always been a bit of a purist about bread-making. There is something beautiful about kneading bread on a wooden board. While kneading, I usually close my eyes as I rock back and forth, and I think of all the women who are likely kneading at that very moment: Americans, Canadians, Arabs, Israelis, Mexicans, Russians, Swedes, Africans. Those women are kneading yeast breads like mine, unleavened breads like tortillas, and things I can't even pronounce. Then I think of all the women who used to knead but have since passed on, which leads me to think of Mary and Martha, Eunice, Naomi, Ruth, and other Biblical women.

I won't give up kneading, and will still make bread by hand occasionally. But I realized that because of the time involvement, I just wasn't able to keep up with making all of my family's bread by hand. So I bought a Zojirushi bread machine with the money Tim gave me for being our family accountant at tax time.

I've been using the bread machine for dough, mostly. I can schedule this machine to have dough done by a certain time. For example, this afternoon, I put in the ingredients and timed the machine to be done by 6pm. At 6pm, I was ready to finish the dough into Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

Click to see my Zojirushi bread machine, which I bought because of the horizontal loaf, good product reviews, because my product-picky brother has one and loves it, and because of the timer. 

Keep kneading by hand once in a while, but in the meantime, enjoy
adding another servant to your home in the form of a bread machine.

5. Grain Mill
I have just begun grinding wheat into flour for maximum nutrition.  I waited years to finally buy a grain mill. They are pretty expensive! Finally, I was able to buy one, and I just love this mill, the NutriMill. It creates a flour as fine as that in the grocery store.  Click here to see the NutriMill. 

Another fine mill is the WhisperMill, but when I tried to order it a couple of months ago, the manufacturer had run out of mills. If you order it, ask first if it is available. I tried to order the Whisper Mill before I got the NutriMill, because it is rated equal to the NutriMill but is $50 cheaper, but could not find anyone who had it in stock.   Click here to see the Whisper Mill. 

6.  Kitchen Aide:

My parents buy each new bride to the family a Kitchen Aide.  I have this white classic version, which has served me well for over a decade.  My parents have always had a Kitchen Aide.  They have used it to grind wheat, make sausage, shred cheese, and of course use it to make meringues or cookies (some of those activities require extra attachments).  They even took one to Papua New Guinea, where my dad would turn on the generator so mom could mix bread or cookies in her Kitchen Aide.  If you love to bake, this mixer would be such a blessing to you.    The classic version is made of the same sturdy stock as the fancy ones, so buy that if you can't afford the more expensive ones.  

For $100 more, the Artisan version has very cool colors, a pouring shield ($17 value),  a slightly bigger bowl, and 100 more watts of power.  When I buy a new Kitchen Aide, I will upgrade to the Artisan one, but it's going to take a looooong time for mine to break.  My parents' mixer lasted over 20 years, and may be still running.  They gave it to other missionaries when they left Papua New Guinea to work in the U. S.  

The professional version is about $200 more than the classic version.  It has more power, and is prettier, but unless you are doing really big batches of dough, I don't think you need to spend the money on this one.   Buy the Classic or the Artisan.

(p.s. As I was researching for this article, I noticed that Amazon.com  is offering a great deal right now.  You get $25 off a $125 purchase AND free shipping AND no sales taxes (at least in most states).   I bought my bread machine, above, on one of these sales and it saved me a ton of money over buying it at a store.)

by Lori Seaborg

We bought our last 2 vans and 1 old truck on eBay and were able to get EXCELLENT vehicles at EXCELLENT prices there!  Besides reading the auction well, viewing every photo carefully, and writing to the seller (or calling them) to get a feel for how legitimate they are, here are a few ways to make sure you're getting a good deal: 

1.) Don't pay upfront, unless there is a small fee for "good faith".  Get yourself to where the vehicle is within the timeframe listed (eg. 10 days to pay -- get to the car within 10 days), so that you can see it without having already paid.  If you don't think it is as good as listed, back out!  They were not following the auction contract by listing it wrong, so you're under no obligation to buy at that point.  We always see our vehicles before paying anything!  Keep in mind that you are buying a used vehicle, so don't expect perfection, but if there are any glaring dents or if there is a loud noise coming from the hood, that should have been mentioned in the auction.

2.)  eBay insures (for FREE) most vehicles (with a Service Agreement) for up to 1000 miles or 30 days.  Look at the auction and you should see this offered.  Our 1966 truck that cost only $400 did not have that insurance, because of the age and condition.  We didn't mind.  On our 2 vans, we did have that insurance.  We didn't have to use it, but it was nice to have.

3.)  Buy a Vehicle History Report for your vehicle.  You'll see this on the auction pages, too. For $14.95 you can get 10 reports.  For one, it's under $8.  A Vehicle History Report lets you see the vehicle's history.  This tells you if it has been in a flood, when it was registered, if its been in an accident, etc.  When you buy this report, they give you free buyback insurance that what they've said is correct.  When we bought an Explorer from a local dealer in 1999, we were not lucky enough to be offered this information or the insurance.  What we bought was a vehicle that had been in the middle of major floods in the MidWest.  The dealers up there sent their cars down South, where people didn't know about the floods!  We had a lot of problems with that local lemon.

4.)  Check on the Kelly Blue Book value of the car  you're bidding on. With both of our vans, we bid --and won-- only at trade-in price.  That's great!  We lost many vehicle auctions that went too high.  It's worth waiting and watching.  You dont' have to wait long, though!  Within 2 weeks of our accident that totalled our other van, we had received the insurance check on it, bid on an eBay van, flew on a plane from FL to OH to get it (the auction price was worth the $150 ticket), and drove it home! 

5.)  Get the title in your hot little hands. With our truck and one van, we bought the vehicles from a regular person on eBay.  With both of those vehicles, the title was transferred to us and handed over on the spot.  With the other van, we purchased the vehicle from a dealer who had listed the auction.  They did not have the title on hand, but the transaction was the same as if you went to your local dealer and picked up a used car.  They gave us a temporary title, all the papers needed, and a note that the title would be arriving in the mail from Ohio's vehicle department.  Within a couple of weeks, the title arrived.  Some people have bought vehicles on eBay and neglected to get the title from the seller, by accepting the seller's excuses.  Do NOT allow that to happen!

We've had MUCH better luck on eBay than we have with local used car and new car salesmen.  It might be the same for you!

by Lori Seaborg

(note: As mentioned in the above post, this article was written September 13, 2004, just days before Hurricane Ivan, a Category 4 storm hit our area hard.  Tim -dh- had lost his job unexpectedly just 12 days before Ivan came.)

Now, I'll tell you some things we are doing on a limited income, since some of you also may not be able to just go out and buy all of those things listed above:

1. Look at what you already have, for example:

      a. I don't have enough candles, but I do have candlemaking supplies. Since I will have power for the next two days at least, I will make candles rather than purchasing them.

       b. We're making do with our under-cabinet kitchen radio rather than buying another one. We will just unscrew it from the cabinets to carry it throughout the house with us.  Our kids also have some headset radios that they use as walkie-talkies.  We'll use them, if needed, to listen to the news updates.

       c. I'm baking bread and making cookies. We don't have the extra money to buy convenience items already made. I will store the baked items in containers like Tupperware. I will make some healthier items like whole wheat bread and blueberry muffins.

       d. Rather than purchasing water, we are going to fill pitchers and water containers with the drinking water that we can get out of the faucet now. 

       e. We don't have a tarp, but we have a roll of plastic that we bought for Hurricane Opal years ago. We'll use that, if need be.

2. Natural disasters create a mess! Don't start out with a mess, or it will be much worse for you. Start now to clean the house: 
      

All important paper items need to be stored in waterproof containers. We are using some Rubbermaid totes that we have already.

Pick up loose items that will hurt your feet when you walk around in the dark when the power is out.

Put books and other papers in waterproof containers or at least get them off the floor if your storm is a watery one.

Do the dishes.

Make the beds.

Mop and vacuum

Straighten up anything you can. With the power out, you need everything to be already in its place so you can find it when needed

3. Be prepared. If you have the luxury, as we do, of knowing a storm is coming, you can start getting ready days ahead. Here is my list: 

Charge the chargeable flashlights.

Charge the cellphones. 

Charge the digital camera and clear it for ample storage after taking photos of the house (pre-storm) for insurance purposes. Email those pictures to someone in another state for safekeeping, or create a photo CD and keep it with the important papers.

Bake items now for eating when the power is out.

Have insurance and emergency information in a place where you can find it easily.

Pack a bag in case you have to get out fast. Put in a change of clothing for everyone, snacks, water bottles, and a special blanket or animal for the kids.

Pack another bag with important papers and medications along with your purse/wallet and car keys and cell phones. You will grab this bag if you have to evacuate. 

Fill prescriptions and place medicine in the bag mentioned above.

Email or call someone to let them know of your plans.

If your emergency is a water one, dig any needed ditches for water run-off, clear gutters, have tarp ready.

Have a plan for the outside animals. Our chickens are going to the garage (yuck!) if they are in danger from the high wind speeds.

Bring in the cat and dog in plenty of time.

Fill Ziploc bags now with water and place in the freezer. They will ice, keeping the freezer colder longer if the power goes out.

Fill the gas tanks of the cars (gas stations can't pump without power).

Get some extra cash out of an ATM (ATMs don't work without power).

Gather any loose items from the yard (we have lawn chairs and a deck box and planters)and place them in the garage or in the house.

Cover windows, if you are preparing for a windy storm, with plywood. If you can't do that, as we cannot this year (plywood is too expensive for us now, and all stores are out of it anyways), then create a plan for what you'll do if the windows shatter. For example, as soon as the power goes out, we are moving the television to a safe room without windows. We will move the living room furniture into safer rooms, also. 

Create a "Storm Central." We will create a space in either our master bathroom, which is large, or in the hallway. We will bring in blankets, pillows, snacks, water, emergency lighting like flashlights and candles, games to play, my crocheting needle and yarn, the radio, paper and pen, and the children will each bring a small bag filled with favorite toys.

UPDATE:  Hurricane Ivan was just awful to our area, destroying more than 40,000 homes.  We had two houses affected, but Allstate, our insurance company, was more than generous in helping us repair the damage.  We did not have power at our home for 7 days.  When we did get power, it was from men who came from Tennessee and Louisiana just to help.  We appreciated them so much!  The National Guard was also appreciated.  It was strange seeing our beaches protected at gunpoint, though.  FEMA brought water, ice, and MREs (Meals Ready to Eat -- what our soldiers eat on the field).  We lived on MREs before our power came back on, as we did not have enough prepared foods ready due to dh's recent job loss.  The gas station lines were miles -literally - long since most stations were still without power and could not function.  We got flat tire after flat tire from all the debris in the road.  Many tornadoes were spawned from Ivan, including one that hit our land, destroying over 22 huge cedars, cypress, and oaks.  Still, good things happened.  Neighbors were generous, home values are still soaring, and almost everyone in the area got a new roof put on their house!  ....just in time for Hurricane Dennis.  :)

by Lori Seaborg

I wrote the following last September, when Tim (dh) lost his job and Hurricane Ivan hit us, within 2 weeks of each other.  As we were spinning, literally and mentally, I learned a few things and wrote them in the below article: 

A side benefit to being frugal with money (ie. broke) occured recently when the children wanted to decorate cupcakes. We'd run out of sprinkles but my!, they were amazed that I could make colored sugar. They kept hollering, "Look! Mama MADE this sugar! Look, it's colored!" I've learned a few other things about being frugal in the house in this hard time:

* Buying generic brands in everything is frustrating to me, but it has also introduced me to a few alternate products. The store-brand Saltines in one store, for example, taste like the Premium brand.

* Laundry gets just as clean on a longer cycle with half the detergent called for on the box.

* Dishes get just as clean on half the detergent, as long as you rinse them well first.

* Breakfast is cheaper by far without cold cereal. Cereal uses too much expensive milk! I've been making muffins, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, etc. (my 9yo said, "Mom, I don't know why, but our breakfasts have been really good lately!")

* The children don't need prepared snack foods like Cheez-Its and Rold Gold pretzels. They will keep content as long as they have something when they are hungry.

* Free, fresh eggs from our chickens are awfully useful.

* Margarine, even though I'm not happy to have it instead of butter, at least spreads more easily when cold.

* The chickens can live - and thrive - on only table scraps (thanks to the baby, we have plenty!) and free ranging (that's a term for letting them loose).

*  All scrap paper should be saved.  The toddler (2) doesn't notice that one side is used when she is in a scribbling mood. 

*  Children are immensely amused with scissors, magazines, a glue stick, and paper.  Tell them to create a book by folding the paper  in half and stapling it (or using a hole punch and yarn) on the folded side.

* People love homemade cards from the children, made from the above.

*  Meat does not have to be a main dish.

*  Rice & beans or pasta can be an inexpensive main dish, with meat as the "seasoning" or as the side item.

*  Water and microfiber cleaning cloths (.99 at WalMart in the automotive section) can polish any window or stainless steel, and can clean any smooth surface of grime - without expensive, unhealthy chemicals.

* A garden is an important thing to plant each year. You never know when life will throw you a curve ball. 

* Hospitality is still important, even when broke.  I have been more blessed by going to a poor gal's home and experiencing her generosity with her homebaked goods and tea, than I ever have in a rich gal's home. 

* When you give away extra things generously, God will always bless you back.  I have seen this many, many times. 

by Lori Seaborg