also happy to figure out what my ideal chain length is. 16 inches apparently--though i probably could go 14 or 15, too. all the rest of my necklaces are purposefully knotted in order to make them the right length. i included the self-portrait cause it's been a while since i put any photos of myself up, and this one came out well while i was trying to take a picture of the necklace today.and all of this is to remind everyone about jonah, who is such a fighter and yet also in a fragile state. he's had several awesome days, and we just continue to praise God for the progress he's made!
and while we're talking about adorable little boys who need prayer, please lift up stellan tonight. mckmama is a well-known personality around the blogs, and her son stellan is battling an elevated heart rate tonight, something that almost killed him in utero. his amazing recovery was such a blessing--a mckmiracle, as they named it--but he's having a hard time tonight and needs all the help he can get.
so over the weekend, my husband has gotten into turning our house green. he is all about saving energy, money and reducing our electricity usage as we head into the summer months (and also pay some incredibly high utility bills from the past couple of months--seriously? way more than we paid this time last year.) he has made a couple of trips to lowes to stock up on the energy efficient bulbs...
and is also requiring that we plug in all of our cell phones/computers to surge protectors that can be turned off during the day while we're not here.
we have a couple of special surge protectors coming--"smart strips" that have a couple of different options. one applicance is plugged in to a certain spot, and when that appliance is turned on, the other appliances plugged in are turned on. so when we turn our big TV on, then the receiver and other necessary appliances turn on. when we turn the TV off, the rest go off and not in "standby" mode. he'll use one in the game room, too, for the TV and video game systems in there.
and we have a meter device coming that will measure how many kilowatts are used with various appliances. i have a feeling this will determine the frequency that we use or charge up various things from here on out.
one thing i will say for justin--when he gets an idea, he follows through with it. by the end of this, we should have a very energy efficient house!
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Way to go on energy efficient bulbs. I just can't handle them. We put up a couple around part of our house, and I had to have Wade take them out because the light actually made me sick to my stomach. Weird, I know. Just the color they give off makes my stomach churn.
ReplyDeleteSometimes this depends on the color temperature of the lights. Federal law has begun requiring all CFLs to state the color temperature clearly on the outside of the box to help consumers better understand what they are buying.
ReplyDeleteThere are 3 main types. The one that most closely replicates the yellowish light your used to from incandescent bulbs is the 2600K range which is commonly branded as "Soft White". I recommend them most. The next step up offers a brighter bulb with a whiter tone. These are 3000K-3500K, not sure their branded name. The final type is the most bright measuring 6000K and commonly called "Daylight".
Sticking with the 2600K or "Soft White" will probably give you the result you are looking for without causing headaches hopefully. Also I have noticed that these CFLs are brighter than incandescent bulbs meaning if you are replacing a 75 watt old bulb you may be fine purchasing a 60 watt equivalent CFL (may be marked as 20w). Hope this helps.
- Justin
Wow, some interesting products I'd never heard about. I hear you on the electricity bill being higher this year than the last... it's been brutal.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to pick up one of those energy meter thingys. We switched to efficient lightbulbs little by little, and then did the rest all at once this winter, but our bill has been higher anyway. It's discouraging, sometimes!