let there be light from your lamps

I always thought that lights in the ceiling are not a good design and don’t light up a room properly. Ceiling lighting has been around for years and it is cheaper to install than individual lamps. Lamps give your home a sense of style and you can direct lighting to an area that needs more lighting.

When setting up a room with lamps and lamps shades, we have often referred to some of the current TV programs that show the latest designs and styles. I have learned that different type of lamps like floor lamps can help light the way and give a room a better and more comforting atmosphere. I would like to decorate our home with the latest style of lamps because it seems our ceiling lights are just so outdated and boring.

I started looking at Farreys.com and have begun to plan for our newest home design. I plan on putting lamps in all the key areas to give our home style and function. My husband’s birthday is coming up soon and I think that he could use a nice desk lamp for his desk. I’m sure I can find some great desk lamps that will offer him the room and function for all his papers and work he does at his desk.

hubby's grapefruit

I guess I am into fruits today, you think? This is for my hubby because he loves grapefruit. I like it too, but not as much as hubby likes it especially if it’s sour. That’s why my little girl is a daddy’s girl because she also likes sour fruits. I remember when I was still young, we used to eat lots of grapefruit from my late great grandfather’s farm. They had several grapefruit trees so we were always there and had my fill of grapefruit. Well of course, grapefruit here is of different kind but still the same tangy taste and smell. Mmm, makes my mouth water.

Here are some nutrition highlights of said fruit:

Grapefruit (pink and red, raw), 1 cup (sections) (230g)
Calories: 97
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrate: 25g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 4g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin A (2,645IU), and Vitamin C (71.76mg)

Some more facts about grapefruit:

• It is available year-round, Arizona and California grapefruits are best from January through August, while Florida and Texas arrive in October through June.
• You can slice it for salads. Grapefruit sections add delicious flavor to delicate greens—pair with almonds or walnuts for a well-rounded meal.
• It is considered as a power food. Grapefruit is a good source of Vitamin C.
• Most of us think of eating a grapefruit raw, but a light brush with olive oil and a quick sear on the barbecue makes a tangy side dish.
• While grapefruits are often served cut in half to be eaten raw or juiced, they can also be sliced and grilled as a side dish to serve with an entrée. Grapefruit sections or pieces can be added to fruit salads and used in desserts.

from an auto tech's mind

My husband is a technician for an automobile dealership and tells me all the time about the changing technology in the new cars. With our government always raising the emissions standards, there are a lot of new cars coming out with new technology like hybrids that run on batteries and an engine. Some of the newest technology is in hydrogen fuel. The technology is the leading edge of a whole new breed of cars that run on water. What a concept, with oil becoming short and the demand of the general public for a new solution we must consider it’s time to change.

One of the cars my husband really likes is the Honda Clarity. There is supposed to be more of these available soon but you probably will see them in fleet cars that government agencies own. There is a lot study still going on because I’m sure they want to make sure they work properly and safely for families everywhere. The Honda clarity sounds like the perfect car for us. Hopefully some day they will incorporate this technology in cars like the Buick. My husband works on them and I’m sure he would just love to check a new one of them out.

With the coming of the smart car and other little cars like that, the Honda clarity would be a better fit because there is more room and it would get better mileage than a smart car. The car is cute but just a bit too small for us. We could only hope they would make a hydrogen jeep so my husband can get back into 4 wheeling again with a clean burning hydrogen jeep. Who knows, maybe the technology is coming where all cars and trucks will soon be hydrogen powered.

our yummy strawberries

Here’s to my Katiebug! Since she loves strawberries for breakfast, I am making this entry for her and for all of you. I just want to share some facts that I have learned from prevention.com about our favorite berry. Yes, my little girl like these red berries to go with here breakfast. Well, she loves all fruits for that matter.

Here are some nutrition highlights of the said fruit:

Strawberries, 1 cup (whole) (144g)
Calories: 46
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 11g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 3g
*Excellent source of: Manganese (0.56mg), and Vitamin C (84.67mg)

I also found a few easy tricks on how to prepare this summer staple.

• To buy them, choose smaller, bright-red berried with a sweet aroma. Fresh strawberries are highly perishable, so use them right away for the best flavor and appearance.
• To make them last, keep strawberries a day or two longer, remove them from the container, arrange in a single layer in a flat container, cover, and refrigerate.
• Just before serving, wash under a gentle spray of cool water with green caps still attached. For best flavor, serve at room temperature. After washing, pull off the caps with a slight twist or cut out with a paring knife.
• Strawberries freeze well and make great drinks, smoothies, and sauces year-round. Place sliced, stemmed berries into a freezer bag in a single layer, seal, and freeze. To use, thaw in the fridge and use within three days.

we miss our Direct TV

We had to move to Denver recently because of our daughter’s health issues. One of the things we really enjoyed at our home in the mountains was that we had Direct TV. We had a great selection of channels and we also enjoyed having it in two rooms. Our DirectTV System was equipped with the DVR also. We would take trips to Denver a lot and be missing our favorite shows but when we got Direct TV Service and the DVR service, I would just add a recording and it would be waiting for us when got home.

Now that we had to move we miss our Directv Service because where we live now we cannot get it, and we are stuck with the other cable service. We have found out the channel selection is not as good and you guessed it, it’s more expensive too. It is the only thing offered where we live, so we are stuck with a sub standard service.

Hopefully some day when we move on to a home of our home again, you can bet we will be looking into Directv Service again. It is a better service in our opinion and we do miss it. We would always recommend to our friends that if they have a choice that they should make sure and check out a Directv System because we really liked ours.

for my girlfriend's special day...

This is for my birthday friend, BUNNY. . .

It’s kind of funny because we talked on the phone yesterday and I didn’t greet you or mention anything for I really thought that your birthday is today. I got the wrong date, sorry about that. Anyways (though it's a day late), I really wish you a happy birthday, girlfriend. I hope you all the best always especially that your little bundle of joy is on its way; and many more happy returns of the day. Happiness always!

Cheaperthanhotels cares...

Cheaperthanhotels has done it again. I was visiting their web site tonight and found that they are involved in Club Sponsorship. Their Sponsorship and Grants program is designed with individuals and smaller organizations in mind and provides financial support from $250 to $25,000 to help them in pursuit of their cause. The cause may be anything from supporting a selected charity to fund raising for new computers or sporting equipment at a school, to hold your own art exhibition or to inject funds into your small business. It is always great to see that there is help when charities are involved.

With our daughter going to school soon, I’m glad to see there are some organizations out there looking out for our children with sponsorship and grants for things such as computers and school supplies. If my husband and I ever decide to start a business we can use the club sponsorship to organize an event to improve and sell what our business has to offer. This makes things much easier knowing there is someone out there that still cares about the small business trying to make it in today’s economy.

lots of rain...

Hubby has to run to Target to get the rest of Kate’s medicines. I told him to let the little girl tag along with him so she can get out of the house today. It has been so dark and gloomy, and sometimes raining here and there outside that I didn’t let her out. So right now, they are on their way to the pharmacy.

I didn’t go with them since I am still making dinner here. Hopefully, it will all be done by the time they get back. Oooppps, there goes the lightning and thunder! It’s been how many afternoons now that we always have these thunderstorms in the early evening. Like yesterday, I was really scared that we might have tornado because of all the cloud formation up above us. Thanks God, it was only hard rain. And looks like it will rain again tonight. As they say, rain is a blessing from up above and so we have to be thankful to God it. Lots of rain means a bountiful blessings, right?

your Colorado outdoor gears

Colorado is a state where you can do a lot of fun outdoor things year round. You can go camping, fishing, hiking, biking, boating, water skiing, etc. during good weather days. On winter season you can ski, snowmobile, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, iced-fishing, sledding or tubing, etc. Now, to do those outdoor sports, you need dependable highly engineered outdoor gears which can counter Colorado weather.

Speaking of outdoor gear, only one brand comes into our minds and that is Columbia Sportswear. I would say that you are not a true Coloradan unless you have one product of this brand. Take note, guys there is no need for you to go to a special store just to get these products. Zappos Columbia is at your service to cater to your needs 24/7, for you to be able to enjoy the beauty of the Rocky Mountains comfortably, safely and in style year round.

tomorrow is going to be a better day

What a dreary day! It must be a Black Monday for the United States especially for those who are connected with General Motors. One of United State’s industrial icons, GM filed for bankruptcy protection in New York this morning. This is in their plan to re-emerge as a new leaner company within 60 to 90 days.

Who in the world would have thought that this will happen to a US auto giant after how many decades? Hubby thought that GM’s stocks are at its real worst, far worse than the Great Depression of 1939. I can’t really help but get worried about everything. What’s next for us? As you know that hubby has been a GM tech for more than two decades and we are really affected by what is happening with this US car maker. It is just so scary. We are really unsure what may happen tomorrow and we can only hope and pray for the best.

The weather must have been feeling how dispirited I feel because it has been dark and gloomy today. No worries, guys it’s just one of those days. I am sure tomorrow is going to be a better day. Have a good one yourself!