Running low on cash , and need some wall art ? Here is an idea.
Find an old , or even new calendar that you love the pictures in it. Cut them out frame and hang them.
Check it out.
Before
After
Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday , and an even better week.
-Mercy
Well things have slightly slowed down since Thanksgiving. I skipped the Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. I did the whole Black Friday thing one year . Got up at 3 am , walked around , got in a line for something I wanted. Then watched people acting like crazy fools. That was enough for me to not want to do it again. Regardless of not doing that whole crazy thing. I did buy something that has been on my list. A decent camping/hunting knife with a fire started at a good price. Here it is if you want to check it out. 
http://www.amazon.com/Starter-Hunting-Camping-Knife-flint/dp/B000UPOG28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322631597&sr=8-1
My husband has a hunting knife that he don’t use. But I wanted one of my own. He always complains when I use his razors to shave my legs with. So to avoid that whole argument about “I dulled his knife” or what ever I decided to get my own knife.
I haven’t gotten to use it yet. I got my knife yesterday. So far I like it. Nice thick heavy steel , not that cheap stuff. Wasn’t sure I would like the para cord handle. but it’s ok. Not sure if I’ll like it when in uses.The only bad thing about this knife is it needs to be sharpened. Once I get it sharpened and get a chance to try them both out I’ll tell you guys how it goes.
I am almost done working on a jean blanket made from old blue jeans. I think this one makes number 4 I have done , and the largest one. I think it’s close to a queen size. Here are some pics.
I did most of the work on a electric sewing machine. I haven’t converted it yet to treadle. I have hand stitched around the heart squares with a hook needle. It was much easier then using a straight one.
Other then that I have been just chilling and watching a lot of TV. It’s not that often I get to be lazy and just watch stuff with out being interrupted every few mins by someone . So it’s been really nice. I caught up on The Walking Dead Season 2 . Watch the whole first season of Man ,Woman ,Wild , Dual Survival ,and the BBC’s remake of Survivors. To be fair in between all that I did do the dishes and laundry. lol
Anyways I’m gonna get off here. The electric has been off and on all day , so who knows when it may go out again.
-Mercy
I was going to give a tutorial on how to do this paper mache project I did a few years back. But Halloween got here faster then I had time to do it . So maybe this might be something you can do next year . Maybe even make a few bucks off saleing them. Anyways a few years back I saw this really cool skeleton dog , that was made for the Day of the Dead Mexican Holiday. I wasn’t sure what the dog was made of , but I wanted one. So I used what I had.
I took rolled up newspapers and did the basic shape I wanted , and then used packing tape to keep it together. I did the head out of a balloon, and paper mached it. Once it was dried , I attached it , along with ribs , tail , and ears , and paper mached it . I hand painted it . Looking back though , I should have just spray painted it all , then added the black paint. Ohh well. I made 2 large dogs , one was siting down , and the other standing. I also made 2 cats , one sitting , and the other one had an arched back. Here are the old pics I have of them.
I had given the 2 dogs away , the arched back cat I have no clue where it went. but I still have one of the cats I made.
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween !
-Mercy
Currently Listening to : LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
I remember as a kid my mom using an old jelly jar to roll out dough. Growing up we didn’t own a husband beater , also known as a rolling pin. lol We were kinda poor , so we all had to do with less. Now that I’m older I wanted my own jelly jar rolling pin , as well as some not so fancy drinking glasses. I have found that the rolling pins don’t get into small places , and they are kinda a pain in the butt to wash. If you would like your own, here are the two brands I have found.
Garden Club , and Blackburns Jellies
I really like these jars. If they get broken , it’s not a big deal. Wait till the jelly jar is empty and it’s replaced. No running around trying to find some match to what you already have. I also like them because now when I use my Solar dishwasher I don’t have plastic cups that taste like soap. Even If you collect more then you really need , you can always recycle them in some way or another.
Anyways, I hope this helps someone out there.
-Mercy
Regardless of how simple , greener I and I’m sure others try to be. There is one thing we just can’t get away from. The computer! I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Technology has allowed up to learn from others in a much faster way , and for many of us at the cost of free.
So I want to introduce you to a free product , when it comes to computers. For many years I used what most people did when it came to an Operating System on the computer , which was Microsoft. After many years of dealing with viruses , having my computer hacked , and then having to take it to a computer tech over and over again. I had to put a stop to the insanity.
My husband was playing with Linux . He kept telling me you should try it. I kept telling him no, I didn’t know anything about it , and knowing my luck I would break it before I could use it .I kept on using Microsoft until yet again my computer was compromised. I finally said enough. I asked him to burn me a disk and tell me how to install it . I didn’t care that I had to learn something knew . The fear of the unknown was gone , and it was replaced with anger. I was surprised how easy it was. I put the CD in , followed the steps on the screen and it was pretty much done. I still had some things afterwards I needed to install.
At that time I installed Ubuntu Linux. That was 5 or 6 years ago and I have never wished to go back . No matter how frustrated I got with the learning curve. I wont lie , it’s not for everyone. If your a big time gamer , this might not meet your needs. If you just check you mail , watch movies , type letters , play on facebook , rip cd/dvds off , edit your photos , make some graphics, play simple games , listen and download music , this might be a fit for you with out the high cost.
If you don’t want to walk away from the look and feel of windows. That’s not a problem. Gomelook.org has free downloads that allows you to make your Ubuntu look like Windows , Mac , or anything else your heart desires. Here is a example I did a few years back.
Now today my desktop looks like this.
Windows 7 Theme on Ubuntu (Click to Enlarge) Get The Theme here You’ll need to add to your panel Gnomenu. If you don’t have it , you’ll need to install it.
Ubuntu with some of the Windows 7 Theme. I changed the wallpaper , and the color of the panel bar , and Gnomenu button and menu color. All with a right click , and going to properties of each one.
Why make it look like another operating system ? I find that it makes people more conformable with using it.
The things I like about Linux is that I don’t have to worry about my computer being hacked. I don’t have to worry about my computer being infected with a virus , and sending it out to others. If something stops working , I don’t have to take it to a computer tech. I can search on the Internet and ask around for a fix.
If for some reason the OS itself has messed up. I can go back to a previous version. I have found that this only happens after updates. If I’m not sure how to fix it and get frustrated , I can just stick the CD back in and start over again.
What is even cooler , is if I wanted to run window and Ubuntu I don’t even have to install Ubuntu at all. I can run it right off of a CD. I can’t save anything , but it’s still functional.
When it comes to installing stuff , it’s pretty easy. I can go to the software center see what they have and mark it to be installed , and install it. But like I said , it’s not for everyone. :) My advise to anyone who wants to look into this more , join a Linux group , make some friends. That way if you run into any problems you’ll have someone to ask for help. If Ubuntu isn’t your style of Linux then there are countless other versions to pick from. Check out distro watch.
If your wondering if you’ll still be able to use certain programs as you would on windows. It really depends on the program. For the most part there are open source version of just about every program you would run on Window available for Linux. Rather then Photoshop , it would be replaced with Gimp. Word , is replaced with Open Office which comes installed with Ubuntu. You can always install Wine and try to see if the program will run under it. But it might be easier to just do a search first. :)
In general I use Ubuntu as my main Operating system even though I have Crap Vista. Here are some of the things I do pretty often on mine. Check mail ,download and listen to music , watch streaming movies and tv shows, read the news , play the game Second Life, Urban Terror, Quake 3, and Poker Stars , create graphics, edit photos,make a video , burn cd/dvds, customize Ubuntu , build a web page and upload the file with ftp, write letters and blogs, and I’m sure there are some other things , but I can’t think of any right now. lol But this gives you an idea what all you can do with free.
-Mercy
It is my dream to downsize , and go simple, and cheap, if possible greener. As everyday things begin to get higher, the idea, and wanting to simplify our lives becomes ever pressing. Our only major debt that we have is our home , which sucks a lot of our income.
I have been for the last year keeping my eye out for a cheap piece of land in which we can buy out right with our savings , or something that can be paid out in 5 years or less. As of yet I have not found anything. :( But I will not let that stop me.
When and if I can get my husband to decide if we will sell the house or not, I have my dream house kinda planned out. He is the ultimate procrastinator. lol Me on the other hand likes to plan.
I found a house plan I like , it’s not perfect , but it’s very doable. 480 sq. ft. (compound)
To read more about this plan go to http://www.balewatch.com/and click on number 5 on the right hand side that says 480 sq. ft. (compound)
I like this lay out due to the fact you can add more buildings as they are needed, and they are made from straw bails. Depending on the building code , they might be able to be built without a permit. The other thing I like about this, is that almost all the buildings can be outfitted with solar panels and batteries.
Here are the solar panels I would most likely use. They are fairly cheap. Often you can catch them on sale. Here is 2 videos of them being used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_P9XDKQP34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bkyjZ5j-VQ
Harbor Freight Solar Panel Kit
http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-90599.html As in the second video above changing out the light bulbs would be a very good idea.
I would also like to use solar tubes. The cost for these are not that expensive. Here are some from Amazon.
The downside of the building plan , is battling the weather to get from one room to the next. As my mother in law said “ I don’t want to have to dash across the yard in the cold, or the rain to go pee.” Of course you can modify the plan , and place a composting toilet next to each bedroom, with maybe a wash stand , and some water. Or just make the center court yard covered.
I haven’t taught out the heating and cooling part yet. A small propane heater would work, but cooling in the Oklahoma heat is a major concern. Maybe I’ll find something along the way.
Now to the heart of every home , The Kitchen! I found what I wanted for the sink and burners.
I love this design , you can use just about any table to make this. This design also allows you to do gray water right at the sink , with a 5 gallon bucket. Or you can have it drain outside. I like that there is space under it to store my solar dishwasher. If I want it all hidden I can Velcro around the top and make me a curtain that can be thrown in the wash.
I am not sure if I want an oven yet. I have thought about buying a solar oven , or making a brick/cob oven. Or just one of those on the counter ovens. But there is still time for the small details.
I have also decided I didn’t want some pre-made cabinet installed. I wanted furniture! A Hoosier and or China Cabinets.When I took stock of what I have and use , out of the 17 cabinet and a 5 shelf pantry I have now. I only really use about 6 of them, and 3 of the shelves. The rest is just used to store crap that isn’t used. I know most of you wished that you had that room lol The China cabinet is to store the dishes. If I am lucky I can pick one up used at a decent price. The Hoosier on the other hand has to be made or bought, but if all fails I would be happy with 2 China cabinets. :) I can’t forget the table! A farm table would be nice , but any table would really do. When going simple, you can’t be too picky.
Now on to the restrooms.I would love to have 2 composting toilets. Sun Mar is at the top of my list. http://www.sun-mar.com/ I like the idea of not flushing usable water down the drain. There are cheaper ways , but you would have to pick up the (humanure hand book.pdf) Here is a video of the method being used in the book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWzTgHM4Ar8
I would also like to have a outdoor solar shower , or bath. As well as an indoor one .Hell I would be happy with some simple shower base and a curtain. :) A shower is a shower after all , as long as it’s warm.Can you tell I’m not all that picky when it comes to some of this stuff. lol
For the laundry , I would like to have a room with a drain that leads to a garden. I would like to have what some people call a James Washer , or a manual washing machine. I would even be happy with a bike washing machine. You could do your laundry by hand as well.
When I say this, people think I am crazy. lol When my Electric washer broke a few years back I had to do laundry by hand for 2 weeks in the bath tub. I was surprised at how fast I was able to do it. Grant it , I didn’t let laundry pile up to make a large load. I do most of the laundry in our home , so to me this isn’t gonna be a big deal. lol Well maybe for company it might.
As silly as this looks and sounds. I wouldn’t mind having a sink outside as well.Maybe something like this.
You can’t tell me this wouldn’t come in handy. Weather if it’s planting stuff in pots , washing your nasty hands off , or just washing the dishes by hand on a nice day outside.
For drying , as much as I love the idea of a clothes lines , there is draw back to them, spiders, ants, bird poo , and unexpected storms and rain . I saw in one of the simple solar homestead books a Solar Clothes Dryer . It’s basically a small building/room , with a small vent near the top, with windows that didn’t open to allow the heat to come in , and the vent to let the hot air out. I guess opening windows with bug screen would work as well, if you had a nice windy day. You could go more simple like this.
As far as the living/bedroom space , we as a Family don’t really need a lot of it . We live in a four bedroom/3 bath home. Only 2 bedrooms, the living room, kitchen and 2 bath rooms get used 24/7. Although our house now is spacious. I find that the more room you have , the more junk you buy to put in it , most of it useless. lol Ideally I would like to see empty space used. Maybe build a L shaped couch , and use the bottom base as book shelves. I like this idea because the couches you buy often the cushions wear out , and depending if they are attached , they can’t be replaced.
Anyways there are some of my ideas for a future house. Your more then welcome to use them yourself.
-Mercy
I’m a bit aggravated. As of late there has been some coverage of these people protesting bitching , and complaining about what seems to be everything under the sun. You might have heard of them. Occupy Wall St.
I think for most of us , we are angry at how our government has been acting. Bail outs , spending , a health care plan that I don’t think anyone really knows what’s in it, the lies, the president and congress not really representing the people anymore. I get all that, I do.
What I don’t get are some of these protesters , or even this movement. I’m not trying to be mean here. But I have to say that they don’t really seem to know what they want. Those visiting the site , asked free education to be added to their demand list. Some of the things featured on the site has people seemingly talking out their butts. Oligarchy ? Corporate greed ? People bitching about education , the gap between the poor and the rich, the banks, wall st taking peoples money and no one is going to jail for it. Some people want justice for Troy Davis. Money and how it corrupts our government.
If these people are sooo tried of corporate greed , then why do you people keep buying and using their products? They are anti , but yet they support them?? Some of them says they are unemployed , and yet they are yelling, bitching, rather then finding a job , ANY job. Some bitch about the cost of education, but yet some of them got a loan and paid for that high price education. You don’t need some high priced education to get a job. Sounds like many are pissed because they got scammed into thinking it would.
Some bitch about the poor , and the ever so growing gap between the rich. Not everyone has to, or wants to live at the same standard of living as everyone else. Many are happy to live with less, and aren’t envy , and have this need to get more stuff and money. But I’m sure for many of them that never crossed their minds.
They complain that wall st took peoples money. People who invested knew the risk. If they didn’t that is their own fault for not educating themselves. They bitch about the banks. But yet I’m sure many of them are still using them , swiping that debit , or credit card. Using them to hold what money they still have, or using them to cash donation money orders. If you don’t like how money rules the world. Stop using it and trade with each other! Stop using the banking system!
They want this , and that , but seems many of them are not willing to stop what ever it is that they are against when it comes to them personally. They are just as responsibility for many of the issues they complain about. Which in the end , no one is going to take them serious. I’m not trying to be mean here , or rain on their cause. I’m just saying what I’m sure many other people may be thinking.
I’ve seen many signs , and people saying. “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” or something of that nature. I think many of them need to ask , are you really being that change , chanting , yelling , banging on drums , marching and so on ? Are you really changing anything ? If not then I think they need to sit down and think how they personally can change something they are complaining about.
I get that there are many out there that lost their jobs , their home, and so on. These protesters have been called soiled brats , and hippies. In some regards I kinda have to agree. Would they like everything given to them on a silver platter? Would they like everything equal for everyone? Everyone with the same house , with the same amount of stuff , and everyone got the same pay, same health care?
It worries me that the anger that is growing will escalate to riots , regardless of these people wanting to peacefully protest.
I think most of us can agree that there is something wrong with this country, and it needs to be fixed. But what , and how it needs to be fixed is still up in the air. Do we drive out our president , and congress and senate , and anyone else controlling the government , then start over ? That way seems like it would end bloody. Even if these people succeed in whatever they are doing , what will this country look like afterwards? I can’t imagine it will be the America that I knew and grew up in. If anything it will be more like a Socialists, or totalitarian country from the things I have read,
https://occupywallst.org/forum/theres-nothing-wrong-with-socialism/
and watched from these protesters. Which worries me even more. I have to say that this movement , is not one that I can get behind , or even endorse.
How do we fix this country ? I have not a clue. But I do know I don’t want a country that is worse then what we already have.
Now I don’t have some fancy education, all I have is a high school diploma, I’m no one of real importance to anyone. But I am being the change I want to see in the world. I’m not standing on some street corner , yelling and bitching about what is wrong. Each day I make a choice to learn something new , and then apply it to my life to be one step closer to the goals I want in my own life. I try my best to share the things I have learned so that others can start being the change as well.
I don’t have all the answers to these people’s problems , but I think I have an idea that is right up their alley. It’s called an Eco Village. Some villages don’t use money, they trade , or get donations for the supplies they need or want. They don’t work if they don’t want to, and they work when they choose to. Some of those in the Eco village build their homes out of other peoples junk, or natural materials. When it comes to food they raise their own, or they take it from trash bins, or get from donations. No one is really the leaders of the village. You get together and hash out problems together , and find ways to solve them. They educate themselves from books donated, or from those that come and share what they have learned.
As I watched these people on the Internet , racking in the donations , food , and so on. I couldn’t help but think to myself. These people could have taken the money , bought some land , and lived on it how they wanted , and governed themselves to a degree. But yet there they are , yelling, bitching, wanting change, but not actually changing anything. If anything what I have seen from this movement is the spreading of more yelling, bitching , and even hate. How is that change?
-Mercy
I had this posted at one time in my Tumblr blog , but seems It got deleted at some point. Ohh well it will give me a chance to update it. Anyways here it goes. You can simplify your life , and make it a little greener by replacing some thing in your house that twist , wind , and crank , rather then using electric. Let start in the kitchen. You can replace your electric mixer , with one of these .
It’s often called a egg beater , or a hand mixer. I picked up one on vacation at a Flea Market for $5.99 , you can find them at Wal-Mart , or online ranging from $11and up. Here is a link to one.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Paula-Deen-Mechanical-Egg-Beater/11015400
Rather then a electric food processor or chopper, you can get a manual one , something like the Slap Chop.
Pamper Chef has a very good chopper that works great , and cleans up nice.
You can replace your electric blender with a hand crank one, http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Vortex-Blender/dp/B0000Z6JZU They are a bit pricey , but you might be able to find them cheaper on the net somewhere. Another tool you can replace is the blender for is , The Potato Masher Smasher !
You can pick one of these up at just about any super market and dollar store. Easy to use and cheap.
It wasn’t until I got married that I owned , or even really used an electric can opener. Even to this day I pull out my manual can opener when I can’t get the can on the electric can opener just right to open it.
On to a few things for the house that you can twist. If you have been thinking about replacing your door bell. Here is one that you can twist. http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/sc.10/category.43/.f?GCID=S14464x015&KEYWORD=twist%20doorbell&partner=gpc&gclid=CLXL3rb-vasCFchgTAodR12MvQ Or you can just get a door knocker.
If you have been wanting a mantel clock , or even a wrist watch, take a look at the ones that are wind-ups.
The only draw backs on the wind up ones is they can be wound up to tight and break. The other is if you only have a wind up clock to keep time , you will need something else to help keep up with the time. My grand father said he could remember as a boy watching his father out in the yard with his hand cupped around his ear waiting for the Mill noon whistle to blow. Then he would run into the house and wind it up to the correct time. An Alliterative would be to make a sun dial in the yard , or just keep a clock that runs on batteries , or use your cells as a reference.
There are other things as well that you can replace in your home that is none electric. Things from your washing machine , even to your refrigerator. But I would start with baby steps. Not everyone is going to able to get rid of everything in their home that is electric, there is just no way around it. lol But we can try to make an effort to use less electric , and simplify things for ourselves all at the same time.If anything you’ll have a back up for when you have no electric , or some electric thing breaks.
I hope everyone is having a good week.
-Mercy
When it come to the holidays there is no reason to spend a lot of cash on decorating. I would rather spend my money on things that really count , like the food. :)
So every fall I try to put something on my bare walls. Decorating hasn’t been on my priority list. Last year , and this year I hit some of my favorite stores, Dollar General , Family Dollar and the Dollar Tree ,and picked up a few fall decorations. I don’t remember the total cost of everything. When I was done I didn’t have a lot to work with , but I did my best to stretch it.
Take a look. Simple but cute. I bought 3 packs of 50 fall leaves at the dollar tree , and placed it under the glass top of wooden side table I had. Cost for this ? $3.27 , what I had left over went to make a fall garland to decorate this nitch I have over an opening .
I also placed a few in the table center piece.
I found this metal tea light candle thingy, at the Salvation Army for a whole $3.00 last summer. I like it for it’s function as well as it can be used everyday , not just pulled out when you have company. You can dress it up , or leave it plain and it still looks good. The fabric table cloth was another Salvation Army find that I picked up a few months back for $1.50. The small fall fake food , was $3.00 at Family Dollar. Scare crow was $1-2.00 from Dollar General from last year.
From the table to the walls. With my walls basically a blank canvas I wanted to bring the outdoors in. Early fall when the leaves are changing is so beautiful. While at the Family Dollar I spotted a wall decal . or Wall Quote for $3.00 I thought would be prefect. It was not permanent , and it didn’t require me to put any holes in the wall which was a real plus. I had some large fall leaves I had from last year that I paid a $1.00 a package for 10 leaves. With a little duct tape , this is what I did with them.
I think it turned out pretty good. I also used the larger leaves, and a $3.00 sign from last year in a silk fake tree I had. Added a fall vine I had from last year that was $1.00 to the light .Here is what it looks like all together.
The decorations in the bottom of the tree , ranged from $1-2.00. The wonderful thing about the fall color scheme is that it can be carried into Halloween as well , and left up until Christmas.
If your short on cash , look to nature. You can pick up real fall leaves and use them as well as pine cones. Just watch out for Poison Ivy. If you have any empty frames you can frame some leaves , or if you have a out dated calendar with fall picture you can frame them. You can also use candy corn to make wreaths , garland , or place it in a vase and use it as a center piece. You can cut out leave shapes made from construction paper and place them on your walls. Leave them up until Thanksgiving , and have your family members write on each leave of what they are thankful for.If you have a digital camera , get out there and take some photos. Wal-mart photo center can print them out for you as low as 28 cents a print.
If all fails you , look to the Internet for ideas. Branch center pieces , coffee can scare crows , leaf door hanger , leaf wind catcher, salt dough leaf magnets , are just some ideas I found in a search.
Happy Decorating :)
-Mercy
When I first began this journey on being more prepared, and greener. Lighting was the first thing on my list. I wanted to go cheap. I personally like candles , and oil lamps. But they are more dangerous then what else is out there today.
I personally don’t like buying a lot of batteries. One they are expensive , and two once you are done with them they end up in the trash rather then some battery recycle place. The number one reason this happens ? Not many places advertise that they take them. I had to search to find out where I could take stuff to get recycled. I was lucky I found a page on facebook that gave me everything I needed to know that was in my local area.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ardmore-Recycles/105346459319?v=info
Once you and your family has decided what is best for you. Do your research on different products before you buy. Also open up the products and make sure they work before you have to use them.
Since this next part is all about candles and oil lamps. I don’t think this really needs to be said. But I guess I should. Read the warning labels. :)
Here are a few things I have came up over the last few years.
For the indoor pets and small children, look at a candle cage. I made this one for less then $20
It was made from an old bird cage and a metal pan.
You can find pre-made cages on the net and some home décor stores. Candle lanterns might also be a choice to look at.
Here is another idea for those with small children and pets. Candle Sconces , they are cheap , and 2 small ones will light up a 6 x 5 foot bathroom well. Don’t forget the candles snuffs . You will need one if you place them on the wall above your mouth. Also adding mirrors to a room will help carry the light and make it brighter , and seem bigger.
My personal favorite when it comes to candle holders are the antique ones. I like them for the fact you can carry them, and place a globe on them. The thing I hate about them. Is trying to find a globe that fits. In part though that is half the fun of owning one. :)
Here are some pics of the ones I own.
Oils lamps are still kinda popular. You can find them at Wal-Mart , Hobby Lobby, and during the summer you can get them at Dollar General. You can also check out Lehmans Don’t forget the fuel! When it comes to fuel you’ll need to make sure you don’t pick up tiki torch fuel. That is for outdoor use only. Also if you want something that burns clean , look at olive oil lamps.
If none of these fit you and your family , take a look at solar lamps, and garden lights. These are great to leave out over night indoors with out having to worry if you’ll burn down the house. Here are a few solar lamps that I made from metal candle holders.
Another thing that might be something you want to check out is glow in the dark paint. You can paint some cheap decorative container , box , or river stones and use them as a guide to get around in the dark. Another option might be small battery operated candles.
There you have it.
-Mercy
We have been with out a good rain for a month or so. Most often a Burn Ban goes into effect first , and of course no one listens , and we have grass fires , and wild fires. After that then comes the water restrictions . Sometimes even electric companies issue Electric advisories. It’s gotten so bad here that in some places the ground has big cracks in it.
Every summer I try to pick up a snap pool for kids that is , 1.5 feet high , and 8 feet around. I picked my up for $15.00 at my local Wal-Mart But looks like you may pay a little more in other places. They only last one summer in my case.
Here is mine.
If this isn’t something you want to do , an alternative is a plastic or galvanized stock tank. But they are expensive. If you can get your hands on an old claw foot bath tub , that would work too.
I do this for 2 reasons. It never fails that we loose electricity due to the system being overwhelmed. We have not faced rolling black outs yet. Thank goodness! Our electric company is pretty good with keeping up with demand. The pool serves as a way to keep cool if this happens . The house heat ups up fast when there is no AC running.
The other reason for the pool is a source of water. When it’s this dry the ground shifts and causes water line breaks somewhere , and it often effects us. The water in the pool is used to flush toilets , wash hands , doing dishes, laundry and a bath if needed. I also have a rain barrel , that I use to water plants, and do all the things I have listed above. The rain barrel I made is for a house with out gutters.
I have already ran the rain barrel dry , but I have filled it with water from the tap just in case it’s needed. I try to keep bottle water in the house , or a big container filled up with water to drink in case something like that happens.
Here is some tips for keeping a kid’s pool clean with out having to buy the expensive fancy cleaning tools. If you have an old fish tank fish net , that does wonders on getting most of the bugs out. I find that it does a better job then most pool nets. It takes a little longer , but you can sit and relax in the water while you do it . For cleaning the bottom of the pool after it’s been treated , I use a small water hose. I siphon the allege , and crap off the bottom of the pool. Much like you would do with a large fish tank with a siphon kleen hose.
Anyways there you have it , a cheap way to keep cool , and have some extra water on hand just in case.
-Mercy
Currently Listening to : November Rain , by Guns N Roses
I wrote this awhile back for a yahoo group I”m in. I decided to add it here along with the other green/sustainable entries, because homeschooling can be green in some areas. Depending on how you choose to teach , you can cut waste of paper, time , and money. I have found that the most effective way to do all three is to go with an online course of study. Use of paper is minimal , time is used more efficiently and the cost of an education is just as good , but at a lower cost.
I know some of you may be thinking , or even are homeschooling. I thought I would give out some links if anyone is interested.
First and for most if your thinking about. You need to know the law in your state. Here is a good place to start.
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp
From there you’ll need to find a curriculum. Some people prefer to go with a complete packaged curriculum , or online. Others don’t use one at all. So that is something you need to decide what is best for you and your family.
My first year with my son , we didn’t use one at all. I took the time to assess what he needed as well as what he wanted to learn. I went by a general education guideline for the grade he was in. Looking back , I would say it was not the over all best choice for us. I spent at least 1-3hours a day printing stuff out , and hunting down what I needed to teach. But just because it didn’t work for me , it may work for one of you.
Here are some of my favorite links Homeschool Curriculum online , k-8th grades. The monthly membership is $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child, with nothing else to buy.
Individual State History isn’t taught on this site.
Free Online Grade Book
http://www.engrade.com/
Practice and Test Spelling Words
http://www.spellingcity.com/
Kids Health, it covers a lot of stuff .
http://kidshealth.org/
Hunter Education Online
http://www.hunter-ed.com/
Daily Grammar
http://www.dailygrammar.com/
Free Online Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
Learn to type
http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/test/index.php?lang=EN
Typer Shark Game
http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/typershark.jsp
Digital History
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/hyper_titles.cfm
Cool Math , Ages 13-100
http://www.coolmath.com
Science for kids
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
Digital Libraries
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/
Beginner Readers
http://www.starfall.com/
Test on Books . It is like Accelerated Reader Program that many schools have.
http://www.bookadventure.com/
Educational Games
http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/
http://funschool.kaboose.com/arcade/index.html
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm
http://www.netrover.com/~crose/memory/memory2.htm <- Simon Light Game
I saved this one for last. It covers sex ed in a modern way. I suggest parents look through the site and videos before letting your kids go there.
http://midwestteensexshow.com/category/episodes/
This site might not be fore everyone when it comes to this topic.If the videos don’t work on their site. You can find their videos on youtube.
-Mercy
Every year around this time , I find myself in disbelief of the death toll that happens due to tornadoes. When I saw the damage on TV in Tuscaloosa and the body count , and now Joplin. I thought to myself these people must not have been paying attention.
On Monday (May 23) here we were told on the 5pm news , We had a 45% of a tornado outbreak. It was considered moderate risk. Same thing at 10pm. On Tuesday at 5am again up until about 9am off an on we were told the same thing. By 11am , were upgraded to high risk and put under a tornado watch , and told that around 5pm that the storms would be moving into our area. A few minutes after that my home phone rang , and it was the City’s automated calling system to tell me that a tornado watch had been issued . This was the first time ever. The system is used for Amber and Silver Alerts most of the time. In the phone call it said get prepare now, and explained yet again how important it was. The regular local radio said this as well as I was driving into town to pick up batteries. My local news station even made an app for the new phones , downloadable for free for some time. With the amount of technology that we have , you would think that the death tolls would get lower , not higher.
Yesterday was an “Ohh shit day” . You don’t really grasp it , until you have lived here awhile what an Oh shit day is. A friend of mine. originally from Vegas , moved here a few years back has gotten to the point she knows the signs. She told me she walked out of work yesterday and was hit in the face with the warm humid air , and the first words she said was ” I hope we don’t have any tornadoes today. ” In the early morning it was misty , the humidity was up . The concrete was sweating , the tile and woods floors felt slightly wet , the wind was blowing out of the south constantly , and as soon as the sun came out it got a little harder to breath , and the temperature started to rise. We had everything needed for a tornado. The conditions were right for one just 3 days earlier. Photos below were taken on May 21st. from my backyard .Both pictures are the backside of storms that produced tornadoes north of where I live.
Sure enough yesterday(May 23) produced plenty of tornadoes , some confirmed , and some not. There was some small damage here . But other towns near by got it worse. Up rooted trees , down trees, down power lines , minor , to major structural damage. One photo I saw on facebook was a tractor trailer was blown over into a church, and a full size truck turned on it’s side next to a house. My nephews said they had seen a large trampoline wrapped up in power lines. But So far no lives lost near where I live.
I remember back in May of 99 watching the TV and Gary England was on telling people you need to be below ground in order to survive the tornado . This was my first view of an F5 monster. Here is some news video footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCruETtyoU&NR=1
Even though I have lived in Oklahoma for pretty much most of my life , there has only been one really close call in Feb. 2009. My family and I rode out an F4 tornado in our house that was only 2 miles from us. We were huddled in the laundry room. I told my husband after that, never again. Before the next storm season ,we ended up buying a storm shelter. I can tell you that even being that far away from one, it was scary as hell. Inside it sounded like what I can only describe , is like boulders hitting the roof of the house. It was so loud it was hard to hear my Son , Mom , or even my Husband’s voice in the cramped dark laundry room. That tornado killed 8 people.
Youtube videos of the damage.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Lone+Grove+Tornado&aq=f
Weather Channels Storm Stories Lone Grove Episode Parts 1-3 below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfoClypRmKI part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQtzsViS8Y part 2&3
The lesson I have learned over time living here.
You don’t wait for the Sirens to go off. It’s often not enough time to get somewhere safe.
You check the weather multiple times during the day . You take it serious , and don’t be stupid.
Keep your shoes by the bed , or the door. Go to bed fully dressed when there is a moderate to high risk. You don’t want to be one of those people who got out with only a robe on.
If possible sleep in shifts when you know there is severe weather coming your way. Or have one person stay up to watch the weather so not everyone looses sleep over what might be nothing.
Have a tornado bag . We have one bag that is filled with a first aid /med. survival kit , medication , important documents, Non perishable snack foods. Phone, police scanner and weather radio. It’s kept by a door to grabbed on the way out to the storm shelter.
Have a back up to get weather updates. TV/radio/phone/computer/police scanner/weather radio. One or more is likely to fail when you need it the most . TV , and cell phone are the most effected by tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
If your on the road , or out and about and the weather is starting to look bad. Get on the phone to family or friends that can look at a radar for you. To tell you what’s going on and where you need to go to get safe. Don’t wait till it’s to late to get off the road . Being safe beats being dead every time. So what if your a little late to getting where you need to be.
Don’t get attached to your stuff. Your home , and everything in it is not as important as your life and the lives of your family and friends. Your world may get turned upside down , but the people around you will help you get it turned back around.
When buying a house in tornado alley if you can afford it , get full replacement value coverage , or it may be worded as guaranteed replacement cost coverage. It eases the mind when you know one day it might happen to you.
If you have a storm shelter , register it with the county or city. if they have a database for it. This allows them to be able to find you faster if you get trapped in your shelter.
If you have a storm shelter , store a small amount of camping gear in it if you have the room. If all fails and you loose everything , at least you will have something to start over with. I personally have two 5 gallon buckets used as benches that store camping gear , and a tent under a bench. The others buckets are used as a toilet if we ever get trapped in our shelter. I also have a few gallons of water , small travel games, some fully cooked can goods , and anything else that might make the time pass faster.
If you have any lessons you have learned , or tips , or even you own scary close encounter that you have had , please do share. Here are some tips , I did a while back simplehomestead blog. My heart and prayers goes out to all that have been effected by the recent tornadoes.
-Mercy
[Hub and Garth are getting ready to shoot at a traveling salesman]
Walter: Why not see what he’s sellin’?
Hub: What the hell for?
Walter: Well what’s the good of having all that money if you’re never gonna spend it?
Garth: Could be the kid has a point.
Hub: Well. We’ll see what the man’s sellin’. THEN we’ll shoot him.
Garth: Good plan.
This is a scene from the movie Secondhand lions. Enough though you may have money , you might not want to buy what they are selling. It never fails that when the weather warms up where I live , there is someone wanting to sell us something. When we first moved in , it was kids wanting to clean my carpet , with the new hover vacuum /carpet cleaner , in the effort to aw me into buying one. Then it was some guy selling books, orange cleaner something , and this year it was some apple cleaner. I can say this last time , was the first time I had ever seen a salesman actually taste the product to prove to me it was “all natural and safe” all for the low , low price of $34.00 a bottle. Even though some of their products may seem cool , you may want to pass on it , at least when it comes to cleaners.
You can often find information online for a natural way to clean up something , or be able to use a household product you already have. When the apple cleaner guy showed up at my door , he noticed I had tape residue on it . He sprayed his apple stuff on it , and tried his best to wipe it off , but wasn’t able to. He kept telling me how good this product was , and what all it could do and what all it would replace in my home. A few weeks later I decided maybe it was time to try to get the tape residue off. Then maybe these people would stop spraying their crap on my door. lol
To the Internet I went , and there I found that baby oil , or vegetable oil , and soap & water would take it off. So I gathered the stuff up , and tried out the baby oil first. I poured it on my door , got a Nylon Pan Scraper , a scratcher and soap and water and in less then 10 min my door was free of adhesives. And the cost was way less then $34.00 lol Save your money for stuff you really need or want , and don’t fall victim to the sales men/woman/kids.
You can check out the site below for some cheap alternative cleaners you can make at home.
http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
-Mercy
Seems these day a lot of kids , as well as adults have some form of a game console in their homes. But unfortunately there are still a lot of people out there struggling and have put off getting things like this due to the high price. If your one of these folks , or if you like being able to use things that are free , then this blog might be for you.
http://www.dolphin-emulator.com/
Is a gamecube , and Wii emulator that is free. This software allows you to play games made for the Wii , without having to buy the console , or even it’s games.
I personally liked this idea for the fact we only have 1 Wii , and 1 TV. So watching tv , when my son , and his company wants to play on the Wii is out of the question. Now he is able to play the Wii in his room with out us all fighting over the TV. I also don’t have to worry if a Wii remote will go flying into the TV , or if the Wii gets knocked off and broke.
If you would rather look at other game console emulators , you can check out. The link below . They are to the left on the page.
For this blog we will be sticking with Dolphin Wii emulator. Some things to take note of. You’ll need a computer that support blue tooth. If you don’t , you’ll need to get a blue tooth adapter. Cost range from $9-34.00 . You will also need a wireless Wii sensor bar , and Wii remotes. All of this is pretty much covered on Dolpin’s site. I’m not sure what is the minimal requirements of your computer to use , or run the software. It may be listed on their site , I didn’t take the time to look.
I personally have only done this on one computer which was a home built , and has a high end graphic card. If need be ,I’ll give out the specs of the computer to give you an idea of what you may need.
For games , you can use your Wii Games , or you can find a site that you can download them. Remember , anything you download from the Internet , may , or may not be legal , and could also have files with it that could harm your computer. So download at your own risk.
http://tehparadox.com/forum/f76/hippyfreaks-wii-iso-only-thread-223534/
http://tehparadox.com/forum/f76/hippyfreaks-wii-iso-only-thread-223534/
Once you have your games , you may need to configure your emulator , to fix lag , or distortion in your graphics or sound Try checking out youtube to see if someone else may have a fix for your problem.
After that is all done. You’ll be able to play , at a lower cost then what a new Wii console cost , plus games and accessories.
Now go keep up with the Joneses. :)
-Mercy
