Photos Everywhere

I have been working on organizing all of our pictures.  Moving from a three bedroom   2500 square ft house into a 400 square ft RV has taken some adjustments and after adjusting to it we are adjusting one more time.  When we cleared out our storage unit we had 5 large boxes of pictures in frames.  I spent most of the day going through the boxes, removing pictures from frames and deciding which framed pictures we wanted and which ones were going into a photo album.  I did have to make room for more photo albums and now we will be adding more.  Like I said, we are dealing with adjustments.  So now I have the pictures out of the frames and will begin to put them into the albums.  I know many people may suggest to scan the pictures and put them on a flash drive or cd. That is a terrific idea but I enjoy looking at the pictures in a book and since we have the room for the albums I will continue to keep my pictures in an album.  So now a new task begins, photo albums! Keep checking back and see how I do.

Another Day In Knoxville

Lisa and I drove into Knoxville for an afternoon of shopping.  We had an agenda; we went for cat food.  Lisa's cat Angel has to be on a special diet and needs a prescription for her food.  So we had the choice to drive to Knoxville or Johnson City or Waynesville, NC.  The NC location was actually the closet but to get there you have to drive through the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina which in the winter can be a little difficult.  So we opted for Knoxville, it has a bigger selection of stores.  Well, to our surprise, it had some stores we had not been in since living in Florida.  We started our shopping spree at Mcallister's Deli for lunch, Yum!  Then we went to Pet Smart; the reason for going to Knoxville. The rest of the afternoon we shopped at various stores hitting most of the craft stores.  Lisa needed to buy some greenery to decorate  and I needed to purchase some photo albums and scrap books.  You will learn why I needed the books in tomorrow's blog.  It was fun to visit some of my favorite stores again and Lisa and I even managed to get what we needed.  It was a fun afternoon; thanks Lisa!

A Golf Cart Update!

Tim has been working hard on the golf cart and it is really shaping up to being one of the best golf carts around.  He started to put the seats and the body back on the golf cart,  he was able to save the seats so we won't have to have them recovered. Tim cleaned them up, filled a couple of holes and they were ready to go back on the cart.  We decided to change the color of the body of the cart because Tim has to do some work on a few spots of the body so  we are going with a forest green.  I think it is going to look great.  He painted the body part where the seat is installed and I love the color!  Tim has been working hard on the golf cart and it shows!  Thanks Tim, it is looking good!

Comparison Shopping

Lisa and I went and did our monthly grocery shopping but this time we decided to do a comparison shop.  We usually do our monthly grocery shopping at Walmart but yesterday we did it at Walmart but then went to Food City, the local grocery store compared to a Publix, Winn Dixie, Jewel, Ralph's, Von's, Safeway or Kroeger, just to see how the prices compared.  We have come to the conclusion that we can shop at Food City and spend about the same amount as Walmart.  Which is good news since Food City is closer and has a wider variety.  We did make the mistake of going to Walmart too early in the month.  I had already learned my lesson about going to Walmart on the first of the month due to that is when people who get their monthly Government checks usually shop.  Well, two days after the first is not a good time either.  Walmart was out of several regular items, especially the ones I wanted,  and it was still very busy.  I had to fight to shop every aisle.  Lisa compared it to being like it was Christmas time again.  When we went to Food City it was a lot quieter and it was well stocked.  So next month I am doing my monthly shopping at Food City just to see if my comparison shopping really did work.  Since Tim and I also live on a monthly Government check, his military pension, we do understand why people shop as soon as they get it.  I have decided to just wait a few days after we receive it especially if I end up back at Walmart.  Time and money will tell!

A Project Made With Foam Core

I love Pinterest!  It is a great site to get ideas, recipes, gifts, etc.  My sister Pam has given me an entire set of Stampin Up ink pads so I could have every color.  This was a great gift and one that would also help when she needed me to help with her SAS.  The inks come in four different boxes, which was great for traveling, but now that I have my own space I wanted a place to put the ink pads.  This is where Pinterest comes in.  I was searching the site for storage ideas for the ink pads and there were some great organizers but they were all too expensive.  I came across this one site that had an organizer for the ink pads but it was completely made out of foam core.  It had the complete instructions with measurements.  I decided to give it a try.  The site is revelinker.blogspot.com and she shares the instructions and tutorial for free as long as you don't mass produce them yourself to sell.  She does have a copywriter on the design.  Well, I have no interest to sell them and I appreciate Rebelinker for sharing.
I went and purchased two foam core boards for $1.00 a piece.  The only other things I needed was hot glue, an extacto knife and a ruler or yard stick which I already had.  I measured out all the pieces needed, double checked my measurements then cut the foam board.  After the pieces were cut I was ready to build the ink holder.  The directions were very good and easy to follow.  The ink holder turned out great and is surprisingly strong.  The whole process took me two hours and it turned out really well.  I put all my ink pads in the holder and I was done!
I showed George my creation, he was passing by the cottage, and he thought it was pretty cool.  He helped me figure how I could place it in a better place then having to leave it on the workbench.  His suggestion was to mount the holder to the wall but I knew the foam core would not be able to support the weight or hang well so together we came up with the idea of placing it on a small shelf on the wall.  Yesterday Tim and I went to Lowes, yes we still go to Lowes at least once a week, and purchased a shelf and brackets.  Tim cut down the shelf and hung it yesterday so now I have my ink holder organizer hung directly under my ribbon and punch organizer.  The ink organizer only cost me $2.00 to make and with the cost of the shelf and brackets the whole thing cost $17.00.  Had I purchased an ink organizer on line or in the store it would of run me anywhere from $60 to $150.  I am hsppy with my ink holder and I saved a lot of money by doing it myself.

The Super Bowl

Okay, I said in yesterday's blog I didn't care about the game but I started to as I watched it.  The first quarter was pretty quick and unmemorable.  The second quarter was good.  Then the second half came and late in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks got that catch I thought for sure they would win the game until Wilson threw the ball instead of running the ball.  We were all sitting there yelling "What"? Congratulations to the Patriots, you played a good game.
So the commercials were okay.  I wish they were funnier but that is just me.  I did discover that not all the same commercials are run during the game.  For instance, we got a subway commercial that the Jacksonville area did not get.  Instead, they got a Jimmie Johns commercial that we did not get but I watched it on Youtube; both were good.  My favorite commercial?  Hmm, I don't have one.  The half time show was good.  I sure am glad Katy Perry isn't afraid of heights.  Our a Taco Bar was delicious but we over did it with food so we will be enjoying the taco bar again sometime this week.  Thanks George and Lisa for hosting and letting us enjoy the Super Bowl on your large 65" screen.  Super Bowl 49 is over now on  to baseball; Go Cubbies!

The Golf Cart Gets Some Bling!

Tim will probably not like the title of this blog but with the diamond plate he put on the golf cart yesterday I really don't know how I couldn't title it anything else. The new tires are on the cart, the frame has been welded and yestrday Tim transformed the rear storage bed into a dump bed. This will serve two purposes; number one - if he has a load of dirt, gravel, leaves, etc. he can easy dump it now. Number two it can serve as more seating so if there was a need to carry more than two people on the cart now we can do it. Tim is going to design a pad to use for extra seating. He installed the new battery boxes and just received the battery charger so now the next major expense for the golf cart will be the purchasing of the batteries, yes batteries. Tim is converting 6 6 volt batteries needed to run the golf cart to using 3 12 volt batteries instead. The 12 volt batteries are easier to come by and they are a little less expensive even with having to buy three of them. The diamond plate work that Tim has been working on really does make the golf cart look great. There is still more to do to the golf cart but hopefully by the end of Feburary we will be riding around the farm on the golf cart. So, it is Super Bowl Sunday, what are your plans? We are going to be watching the Super Bowl on a 65 inch TV down at George and Lisa's house. This year's Super Bowl I have no real interest in which team wins I am just hoping it will be a good game. I am really watching for the commercials and Half Time this year. I think Katy Perry will put on a great show. For the Super Bowl Lisa and I are going all out with a Taco and Burrito bar for dinner. This way we can lay out the food before the game starts and every one will be able to help themselves whenever they want. Enjoy the game, commercials and Half Time! Go whoever!