Category: Uncategorized

\
I have been trying to figure out how to get solar up and running on the property. Sure I can buy a solar panel and plug in during daylight hours. To be honest I am not thrilled with the way a big fat solar panel pluncked on top of a building looks. It is better when it is integrated instead of retrofitted… actually it doesn’t have to be that way. These leave shaped solar panels provide power via sun and wind. They are inspired by ivy. At the moment they are only a concept, but you can check them out at MoMA. via link

Over the past few weekends I have been sifting through photos as far back as my great grandparents and as recent as 2006. I am starting with the older pictures, scanning and putting them into archival sleeves so that they do not deteriorate. Once they are scanned, I mess around with them for a bit in Lightroom until they look decent and then post them for the rest of the family. Phew. It has been really interesting seeing what my grandparents looked like when they were young, seeing what my great grandparents looked like. I am a little sad because a few of the really important people who would be able to fill me in on the story behind the photos have passed away. Their passing is what started me wanting to scan and share these photos. I also created a family blog with the intention of giving people a place to tell their stories. The neatest thing that has come out of this project is that my grandfather has started a blog of his own! (Hey Grandpa!) I love to read his stories. This photo above is of me and my favorite younger (not to be confused with my favorite youngest) sister. We were apparently guitar heros from way back.

This weekend was pretty low key. M&I took the car for a drive and did a little shopping, did a little cleaning and organizing. Saturday evening we stayed in and watched Idiocracy. Although this was a 2006 release, you may not have heard of it because it was not widely released. Why? Well because some people might find it offensive. Personally, I found it hilarious and just a bit scary.

I drink a lot of seltzer. So much so that we usually buy it by the case. That equals a lot of plastic bottles, and even with them going into the recycle bin, wouldn’t it be better not to use them in the first place? But how can I have my seltzer and not the empties? Enter Soda Club. It was actually my step dad that turned me on to this site. He is always on the cutting edge of cool kitchen gadgets, the latest is a low tech yogurt maker. I am envious. I got my Edition 1 machine last week and have had a grand time making seltzer. You can control the fizzyness so now I can have a less bubbly drink. I love it and I love not feeling guilty about all the plastic. I even made some Mountain Dew like soda for M with the flavor tester packs they sent. Personally I prefer my seltzer with some concentrated cranberry juice.

Why someone would need to be told that a child is not decor, is beyond me. Apparently I am not alone. The comments are priceless here, here and here

It is no secret that I love IKEA. I can’t help myself. The simple clean lines, the cheap prices. What is not to like? This bedroom combination is just fantastic. When we finally have a place to sleep upstate I think this is the look I am going to go for.

These chairs remind me of huge nests. I happen to love birds and nests so that is a good thing. I can totally see these as part of an outdoor lounge space. via

For my own selfish reasons I have been looking into reusing materials for building. Our upstate property (I promise I will post pictures soon) is full of junk and I am hoping to be able to use some of this junk for building. Otherwise it is destined for the landfill which is bad for the environment and my wallet. I also happen to be looking into modern looking structures to put on the property because I would like to avoid plunking down a cape or ranch or some other ordinary building if we can avoid it. I was clicking around today and was reminded of the Rural Studio by this post over at Materialicious. I can’t remember where I first heard of this project but it is just amazing and every time I see this house in particular I am once again blown away. The quick story is this is a house built in rural Mississippi to an extremely poor family, it was built and designed by students, and there is a large amount of recycled material used. The story behind the people who live here is just as amazing to me as the people who put it together. If you don’t already know about Samuel Mockbee, learn about him and his Rural Studio. More here. You won’t be sorry.

So I missed my chance to vote in the NY primary. I know, I know. Don’t yell at me. I know I threw away my chance to vote. I feel bad enough already. I don’t even have a good reason as to why I didn’t vote. As usual, I haven’t been watching any sort of debates or reading the paper so I didn’t even know who to vote for. Since I generally lean left I knew it was either Hillary or Barack, but beyond that, I really didn’t know. Are you like me and don’t really follow what is going on? Well I may have something to help. Basically you answer a series of questions based on hot topic issues and then voila! You know which candidate feels the same way you do. Apparently Hillary and I agree on just about everything. Well everything in this quiz anyway.

First one way

Then the other

The Princess Bride will always hold a special place in my heart. Like many people around my age it was a favorite. We swooned for Westley. We envied Buttercup. We cheered for Inigo Montoya to avenge his father. We demanded to see Humperdinck lose. We didn’t mind the kissing parts. Even to this day a quote or two squeaks into conversation. While roaming around this weekend I ran across the 20th anniversary addition. My first thought was “Oh God, am I that old?!?” Once I got over the shock, I wondered why we needed another copy. We really don’t but I have to say that the logo almost compelled me to buy it. It is whimsical and perfect for the movie, but best of all it is readable in both orientations of the box. Just fantastic. I flipped the box several times just to make sure I was seeing it correctly.