WFMW - Computer to TV Hook Ups

I'm going to show you how to connect your pc to your tv...this will work even if you don't have a plasma tv.

Many newer plasma tv's have the VGA connection, which allows you to plug your pc directly into your tv. The VGA cable plugs into your computer monitor. It looks like this:


My computer does not have this connection but there is still a way to make this work.

This is called a VGA converter. I call it my magic box. It allows me to connect my computer to my tv (you can find them for about $30).


You connect your VGA cable into this box then plug in the composite cable into the back. The composite cable connects to your tv. It should be included in the box with your converter and looks like this:



You will simply plug this yellow cord into the back of your tv marked "Video 1"...the outlet should be yellow.

Now the VGA cord that came with my converter kit had a split on it that allows me to also plug up to my monitor. Which is really cool since it lets me have both screens connected at the same time.

Now that you have your wires connected you need to adjust the settings on your display. Here are some simple instructions for Vista users:

1. Right click on your desktop.

2. Click on "Personalize"

3. Click on "Display Settings"

4. Set your resolution to the lowest setting and "Apply".

Power-on your Converter box and then your TV. You should now see the same images on on you monitor and your tv.


You might be asking "Why would I want to do that?"

Number 1: You can streamline movies, tv shows, and videos to your larger screen for the whole family to enjoy.

Number 2: You can keep an eye on what your kids are viewing from the comfort of your favorite spot.

For me this also saves lots of space. I no longer need  a desk for the computer. The kids just pull out the personal tables when they are doing school work or playing games.


I love this set up. It really "works for me".

WFMW - New Subscribers

I think Melissa over at Coffee With Me might be starting a new trend for WFMW.

Need new subscribers? Subscribe to my blog. You can "Follow Me" on Google Friend Connect, join me on Twitter, or add me to your blog reader.

Leave me a comment and I'll follow you too.

New subscribers ALWAYS works for me!

WFMW - Music + ipod + dock

I love my ipods. I have small ones for the kids and one for myself. I'm considering a newer Nano. I like the green ones.

So around 4:00 most days, I turn on music and we clean the house, make dinner, and relax. I'm not much of a tv person. I'd much rather chill out to music. I love all kinds of music. There isn't a genre that I don't enjoy on some level or at least appreciate.

This is my ipod docking station. It has a built-in 10 hour battery and can run on the ac adapter as well. It also charges my ipod which is rather convenient. These little speakers are surprisingly powerful. I can hear it all over the house when I want to. It's the perfect size to fit anywhere. I seriously <3 my ipod dock.

Music + ipod + docking station = happy me.

Share a favorite song with me. If you want to join us for Works for Me Wednesday go to Rocksinmydryer.typepad.com and link up!

Works for Me Wednesday

This week I want to talk a bit about my printer. I had to replace my old printer. It was 3 years old...and in techie speak that means dinosaur era. It was a great piece of equipment but it was just a tool. It never thrilled me.

Allow me to introduce you to my Workforce 610. This baby prints up to 38 ppm (pages per minute), has wi-fi, and the quality of my prints is great!



I also love how little space it takes! Everything folds and collapses to make it so very small.


This printer definitely works for me!

WFMW--Shopping Bags

I almost never pick up things on a whim these days. We plan and budget everything we buy. BUT I was at the mall and these fun little shopping bags were on clearance! They are perfect. They fold up and go in this little pouch. The pouch is just the right size for my purse.


The bags are a great size and surprisingly strong. They are very pretty too. It makes me WANT to use them! And since they are already in my purse I have no excuse! I still keep the other ones in my car for the big grocery trips. I don't have quite enough to completely say no to the plastic ones, but I'm getting there.


Fun market bags to help take care of our created Earth??? Works for me!

[Join Kristen over at We Are THAT Family for her Works For Me Wednesdays blog meme.]

Microsoft One Note

I love One Note. It came with my Microsoft Word Student Suite. I have found it to be one of the most helpful bits of software I have ever purchased.

Basically it's like a book shelf with lots of notebooks on it. I have several open. When I start a new project, I open a notebook.

Here, I'll show you part of the notebook I started for Joshua's 10th birthday party. He wants a beach theme. I spend a few minutes a day looking for party ideas.

You can see my notebooks lined up on the left. This one in particular is like a one subject notebook since there aren't any sections (I'll explain that more later).

The pages are lined up on the right. I have a page for a shopping list, invitations, and so on.


The coolest thing about One Note is that stuff moves around easily. Everything can be clicked and dragged, even between notebooks. You can place the cursor anywhere in the field and start typing, or paste pictures, links, whatever. It's not limited to invisible lines like Word or Excell.

You can also use paint tools to draw, create borders, and all sorts of stuff I haven't tried yet. Here I'm pointing out that this picture and link were cut and pasted. I think it's the easiest way to keep track of what I find on the web.


Here is an example of what it looks like to send part of the website directly from the browser to your notebook.


"Joshua's 10th Birthday Party" was just an ideas sort of notebook. It's not organized yet as Joshua's birthday is still several months away.

Now Here is a look at my homeschool notebook. At the top you can see I have a section for each child and some for different subjects I'm researching. Each section can have as many pages as you want. The pages can be as long as you want. The possibilities are endless.

This is a list of curriculum I'm looking into for Kelsea. I'm considering using Abeka for the majority of her high school education. I have prices listed and sub totals (down at the way bottom is a grand total).


My Personal Notebook has stuff like my to do list, a book list that I want to read through, garden ideas, weight loss tracking (you can open files from Word and Excell right onto a page).

My Blogging notebook has html codes that I want to remember, a copy of my banner and button, and things I want to blog about. Basically, any ideas I have for my blog, I put here.

After I enter in whatever text I want, I just close it. It automatically saves whatever you enter. You don't have to stop and save or worry about lost data. Just close and move on.

When I'm done with a project I can either delete the book, or I can close it and it will go into a file. When I want to go back to it I click on "All Notebooks" and there it is.

One more thing I want to make mention of. If there is something I know I recorded in a notebook but can't remember which one, all I have to do is hit "ctrl F" and it will search them all for whatever text I want to find.

I really love this program. It helps me stay organized. I have lots more notebooks I want to start and I'm not cluttering my house! I still have to keep a paper notebook for my shopping lists. Obviously my computer won't fit in my purse and my cell phone is too basic to handle software.