Feeling Sorry for the Little Guy in the Battle Between Brick-and-Mortar and Online Shopping

Due to issues with our wireless router, I am currently in the market for a lengthy and affordable ethernet cable so that I can work online on a laptop while Madoline does her artwork (as can be seen in our CafePress Shop) on our desktop computer. Prior to leaving to run errands today, I checked [...]

Free Printable Craft Template: Birdhouse with Siding, Stucco Walls and Tile Roof

As the weather is getting warmer, and the neighborhood birds are returning from their winter holiday, I was inspired to make birdhouses for my next set of printables. These birdhouses can be used as gift boxes, storage, ornaments, or nesting boxes for small birds and pets (indoors only). There are two kinds of walls, vertical [...]

Tuning Your Own Piano: A Skill With Many Unexpected Benefits

Because we mentioned learning to tune your piano as a way to save money, I will briefly introduce the topic in this post. For actual tuning instructions, theory, and technique, there are enough websites and manuals available that I think there is little point in repeating that information here (my favorite sources may he found [...]

The Benefits of Deprivation: 10 Days Without Air Conditioning and Counting! Plus Tips for Staying Cool

When our A/C went out two Sundays ago, my first reaction was panic. We live in the desert where we have been experiencing triple digit temperatures and we have esteemed air conditioning as one of the dire necessities of life. So when our central air went out last weekend, my first thought was that we [...]

Untangling Yarn Troubles

Semiannually, I take a pair of scissors and work my way through box after box and bag after bag of yarns which seem to have the ability to form tangles without human assistance. I untangle what I can, cut loose impossible knots, and roll up dozens of tidy yarn balls which will somehow unravel themselves [...]

No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 1 – How It Started: No-Heat Winters

First of all, I think it very likely that our seemingly endless summer of “No A/C” will soon be coming to an end. But more on that later. Let’s start at the beginning. No-Heat Winters When we moved into our house in the Mojave Desert in December 2006, we arrived late at night and therefore [...]

Chilled Asian Style Noodles with Spinach and Garlic Sauce

Chilled noodles make nice cool meals for summer days but we also love to eat them in the winter. You can use any type of asian noodles and even angel hair pasta to make chilled noodles. They are espeicially good with the  homemade noodles we blogged about previously. To prepare the noodles, simply cook as [...]


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