14. January 2011 · Comments Off on Going Paperless! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

…at least that’s the plan here….

Now that I have a handsome new office, I was hoping to work on bettering the family’s reliance on stacks of paperwork everywhere.  I want to scan in our old bills, bank statements, and receipts, and clear our office of some of the stacks of papers everywhere.  I’m even debating going digital on some of our medical paperwork, such as our Tricare payout (or lack thereof) statements.

This was taken right after I’d put the books in the bookcase in early December.  After 6 weeks, it doesn’t look this nice now.

I’ve been weighing in with my friend Paul about this issue.  He’s probably the only person with whom I could have a conversation about filing paperwork who wouldn’t run screaming in the other direction.  He’s also considering converting his existing files to digital, and then make a habit of scanning in bills every month.

He and I have exchanged some ideas about “smart scanning”, which is easier than ever these days.  You can now scan directly into PDFs that allow you to search for keywords.  For example, if you scanned in some medical paperwork related to having a baby, you could do a Microsoft or Mac search on “maternity” and if the word “maternity” is in the PDF, it’s possible to find that document.

It also came up in our conversations how much better scanners are than 10 years ago.  Now you can get multiple-sheet-feeder scanners, double sided scanners, and inexpensive all-in-one systems, which include printing and copying.

My current file plan isn’t very graceful.  I have two plastic tubs that hold hanging file folders (metal filing cabinets never move well).  I have a pretty basket in the office where I dump all bills, statements and receipts.  Every 2, 4, 25 weeks (depending on how busy I am), I’ll sit down with the pretty basket and file the paperwork into the two plastic tubs.  Every New Year’s Day (give or take a week), I shred the oldest paperwork using Consumer Reports’ guidance on how long to keep records.  Shredded paper goes into the worm bin (which I still have, by the way).

I guess I can argue that at least I HAVE a plan, right?  But to go paperless would be AWESOME!  Especially for the major purchase receipts that I’ve been carrying around for years and years and years.  Just in case we need it.  I’ve had my Kirby vacuum cleaner for 11 years and it’d be nice to not have to worry about that little slip of paper getting lost.

This will be a lifestyle change for me, but I think I can do it.  When it’s PCS (i.e. military move) time in a couple years, just having an external hard drive to protect instead of 2 tubs and 4 banker’s boxes full of paperwork would allow more room in the car for the boys to stretch their legs too.

Which leads me to my next challenge, keeping up with data backups.  That’s for another post…

Fooling the enemy

For those military families, you know the routine…

You have a limited amount of time to pick out your new house, and there are things you just can’t know about the house until you’ve been in the house for a while…

…and then it’s too late. You’ve tranferred the deed…or you’ve signed the lease.

In Florida in 2002 it was evidence of prior flooding that wasn’t disclosed to us.

In North Carolina it was the woods that were sold to a developer that turned our quiet little cul-de-sac into a construction site.

In Nebraska it was the pig farm and feed lot to the south. And with a south wind, P.U.!!! Oh yeah, and the stupid mulberry tree 🙂

This house we’re in now is perfect in so many ways, spacious, well-laid out, good schools, nice neighbors, HUGE backyard, etc.

And then there’s the bombing range.

We are as little as 4 miles from this area of cratering on the Eglin AFB range. And during our first week in the house, we started to hear it after sunset. The plane practicing their bombing. I’m not completely sure what kinds of planes are out there, unless I hear the Howitzer cannon, which is unmistakable!

Most nights it’s in the distance. Like a dull roar of distant thunder.

Tonight it’s much louder — the house is even vibrating!

Honestly, this isn’t enough of an issue that we wouldn’t have lived here. But it’s pretty daunting to hear, let me tell you!

So here’s a map.  We live near the “H” in “Holley Nolf” towards the bottom of the map — I won’t go into detail — and I think the bombing is going on in that faint square in the upper right under the “Ter”/”Earth” buttons.  Zoom in there (go ahead, double click on that spot and it’ll zoom in on the spot!) and you’ll see that it’s an area of craters.  Fun fun!

I’m just glad those planes practicing their bomb runs are on MY SIDE! Thank you for practicing defending our freedom!


View Larger Map

11. January 2011 · Comments Off on Shameless Pitch #576: Build and Grow Workshops at Lowe’s · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Jacob has to complete a number of achievements to earn his “Wolf Badge” for Cub Scouts. Those with scouts know exactly what I mean here…and those who don’t have scouts, well, these are tasks associated with being healthy, honest, righteous, and all around good citizens.

One of the achievement sub-tasks is to build a birdhouse or something similarly useful, after learning about tools for building. I got a tip from another parent in Jacob’s new Cub Scout den about simply showing up at a “Build and Grow” workshop at Lowe’s one Saturday morning. They’re usually offered twice per month, on Saturday mornings. Lowe’s provides the kits, loaner tools and workspace free of charge! You receive an apron to keep (and allegedly safety goggles too but my boys didn’t get those), and a patch to add to the apron after finishing each task.

You can sign up online to guarantee a kit being available, but the workshops are first-come, first-serve with the kits that are left if you just want to take your kids without committing one way or another. It’s recommended for kids in elementary school (although I saw many preschoolers getting in on the action).  We were there about 1/2 hour, and the environment was very laid back.  As soon as you arrive (after signing a waiver, tee hee) you get a kit and get to work.  The employees are there to help only if you need it.

The website will show what the kits will be for the next two workshops. So if you click on the link between now and about January 22, you’ll see a beanbag toss board and a music box (as a Valentine’s Day gift) as the next two projects. I happen to know that the February 26th project will be a wooden replica Lowe’s NASCAR car — such as the one pictured in the cartoon above, complete with a pull-back mechanism, I guess to celebrate the start of the 2011 NASCAR season.

I’m thrilled that my boys are old enough to enjoy this program — and we’ll be sure to keep it in mind as a Saturday morning free activity!  Enjoy some quick pictures I took of our fun morning!

From
From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s

From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s
From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s
Proud Papa!
From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s
The boys received aprons, certificates and patches for completing this project.
From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s
The completed “Game Box”.  Great first project!
From 2011 01 08 Build and Grow at Lowe’s
09. January 2011 · Comments Off on The Return of Runner Girl? · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

That’s what I’d like to think… 🙂

Especially before we had kids, Dave and I enjoyed long-distance running.

Obviously, our training dwindled some after the kids arrived, and between Dave and me and our double-jogging stroller, we’d always managed 1-2 races per year even after the kids were born.  Then we hit a lazy streak in Nebraska, Dave’s job was really busy, the weather was a pain-in-the-rear (I hate running in the wind!), and Dave had several medical issues that all combined to keep us from do any more working out than necessary.

After a couple years of lollygagging, I took the plunge and signed up for my first running race since June 2009.

Which race?  No, of course I don’t go easy and sign up for a 5K.  Here is the race I registered for.

I think I tend to gravitate towards the more scenic races.  Check out the course map!  Isn’t it beautiful???  I’m excited to get to see sunrise over those bridges!

So part of my motivation for this is to to get fit again.  Not sure if it was stress, laziness, just plain overeating or what, I’m currently about 15-20 lbs. heavier than when I came home from my deployment in April 2009.  I need a goal, and a plan to reach that goal.

Hence signing up for a 15K race right off the bat.  This spring I’d like to do a 1/2 marathon, I’ll wait to sign up until we see whether I can do this 15K okay.

First off, I was in desperate need of new running shoes.  I was in the same old Brooks shoes I’d had since Spring 2009.  Spare me the lectures, I know one should be replace them every 500 miles or so.  So with one of the gift cards I’d received for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad Vollmer!), I got a nice pair of trail running shoes.  I prefer trail running shoes for the broader, thicker soles.

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

I started my “training” in earnest this week, which meant increasing how many miles I run each week.  Normally I do three 5K runs per week, but now I need to do at least 4 runs per week, and at least 15 miles total per week, slowly increasing that up to about 20 miles per week.  I’d like to do 5 runs per week but real life might make that a less-realistic goal.  Included in that is one “long run”, which needs to increase by 1 to 1.5 miles per week, hopefully I can do that on Fridays.

Our neighborhood is expansive enough I can plan lots of great routes or any length I need!

This past week I did a 5 mile run across the Navarre Beach Bridge, so I could get ready for the bridges in the race.  Check out these magnificent views during my run!

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run
From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run
There was a hill on my most-common running route in Nebraska.  Westbound Schneekloth Rd. between Spring Blvd. and 34th St. (past the back of the school).  I called it “Heartbreak Hill” since the elevation gain is similar to the “Heartbreak Hill” in the Boston Marathon.  This bridge here is only 55 feet elevation (not the 85 feet in NE).  I’ll take this hill (and the view) over the one I had in Nebraska, ha ha!
From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

Unfortunately, after that 5 mile run last Thursday (which felt great at the time), my knees were REALLY REALLY sore for 2 days.  I could barely walk on Friday!  Not sure if it’s old age or the extra weight I’m carrying around, but I hope this isn’t a permanent issue or else long distance runs won’t last very long in my future.

Also, I’ve noticed over the years that my legs, knees and hips are now more sensitive to the cant of the road.  My neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so I’m on the far left or right edges of the road surfaces, and if there’s a slope for too long, I feel it in the arches of my feet and in my hips.

Here’s hoping I stick to this fitness plan.

07. January 2011 · Comments Off on Florida Discoveries 2: Backyard Birding · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

New state, new house, new batch of birds to look for! I’ve posted on and off about the birds that have come to visit our houses in both North Carolina and Nebraska (ironically, I got woodpecker pictures in both places). Now it’s time to see what Northwest Florida brings to our backyard!

First of all, here’s a picture of our backyard. Don’t laugh too hard at my photo-merging abilities, the point I’m trying to make here is that our backyard is absolutely DEVOID of trees, bushes, shrubs, etc.  Google maps shows several tall trees in the center of the backyard, but those must have been taken out.  Nothing here now.

From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding

But check out all the trees and brush right on the periphery of our fenceline. Oleander, live oak, pine, magnolia.  I figured I could work with that.

My thoughtful dear husband got me a multi-hook birdfeeder/birdbath center for Christmas. A great gift, I might add! I invested about $30 in 3 birdfeeders for the hooks.  And made a point to place it close to that oleander bush along the fence line.  The birds are more likely to visit if they have a hiding place when Howie or the boys come out.

From 2011 01 03 Backyard Birding

I figured it’d take about a week or so before birds would catch on that a new feeding station is here, but it didn’t take that long at all! I assembled this on New Year’s Day, and by the morning of the 3rd, there were numerous goldfinches having a grand old time eating, chatting it up and splashing in the birdbath!

From 2011 01 03 Backyard Birding

Over the past week, I’ve been seeing more and more types of birds visiting our feeder, most recently (this morning) I came across my first chickadee!

I’m also getting some pictures of other birds that are visiting not just our property, but also the trees and shrubs at our neighbors’ properties. There are numerous pine-tree wooded lots scattered about our neighborhood.  Bald eagles live at the tops of the tallest pines and sometimes we’ll see them gliding between one set of treetops to another.  At about 25-35 feet.  They glide so gracefully — I hope to get a picture of one of them soon as they fly over our house.

This is definitely some of the widest variety of birds I’ve experienced. Enjoy some pictures! Pardon some of the poorer quality shots, I’m standing pretty far back, zooming in as much as possible.

Mr. Cardinal’s lady friend is in the brush just above him.  They’re so incredibly shy, I’m really proud of this shot.
From 2011 01 03 Backyard Birding
This is a “brown-headed nuthatch”, I mainly see groups of these birds hanging out on the palmetto palm trees in the front of our house.  They’re distinctive in that they walk along the trunks of trees.  I have a suet feeder out front for them, too.
From 2011 01 03 Backyard Birding
One of the dozens of “winterized” goldfinches that hang out there.  I also see plenty of house finches, but haven’t photographed any yet.  Note the tinfoil at the top of the hooks…I’d read that those will attract the birds.  I’d say that whoever wrote that was right!
From 2011 01 03 Backyard Birding
This is a “palm warbler” and he’s spending the winter down here.  This guy wasn’t shy at all and let me get pretty close to take his picture.  Jacob found him foraging under our shed.
From 2010 12 29 Palm Warbler
There are 3 birds in this picture, I think it’s a type of warbler at the top, but I’m not sure what kind of birds those are in the middle and bottom.
From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding
A male hairy woodpecker.  This is one of the kinds of birds I’ve seen in NC, NE and now here in FL.  They eat at the suet feeder in front of our house along with the nuthatches.  His lady friend (who doesn’t have a red head) is perched on this tree also, but lower down.  I had a hard time photographing her because of all the brush.  He’s about 20′ up at the very top of this tree.
From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding
The best bluebird picture I’ve captured so far.  These folks are also pretty shy.  Most of the bluebirds hang out on the RIGHT HAND side of the backyard, not sure why.  Maybe because all the feeders are on the left (our neighbors on the left have feeders too) — and there’s more room/quietness for foraging for berries and bugs on the right side?  Considering a bluebird box for the right side of the backyard.
From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding
Female bluebird.  I waited and waited for her to turn sideways so I could get a better shot.  Oh well.
From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding
Here’s my chickadee, this morning is the first time I’ve seen him at our feeder.  I’m guessing it’s a Carolina chickadee, since we’re at the furthest southern extent of the chickadee range.  They’ll winter over along the Gulf Coast.
From 2010 01 07 More Backyard Birding
03. January 2011 · Comments Off on South Facing FAIL · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

It didn’t take long to realize that pointing the webcam south would be a big mistake.  For starters, the best windows to use were set in some by a front porch — so the view was competing with a soffitt, plus the neighbors’ houses.  Dave pointed out to me that we weren’t showing much of the sky at all.

Around 1:30pm, the sun was plainly visible in the webcam view…and nothing else!  Huge glares!

So we have re-aimed the webcam towards the north, and that’s where it’ll stay for the time being.  I’d personally prefer it to be pointing south, especially in the summer, and maybe we’ll have our IP camera by then.

03. January 2011 · Comments Off on Webcam is Back! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

We haven’t completely worked out where we’re going to put it yet, but we have our webcam back running.

Like last time, we’re pointing it out the front of the house, through the window. It’s pointing SOUTH, so we should be able to see systems coming in from off the Gulf.

It won’t work at night.

Since our kitchen laptop’s monitor doesn’t work, we’re using a lot of trial and error on how to aim it. We might even have to zoom in some to get the our roof and our neighbors’ houses out of the view.

We’re considering an inexpensive “IP Camera” to replace this setup.  An IP Camera doesn’t need a supporting computer, just let it ride on your network, and you can make changes from any computer on the network.  Just type in the IP address (like how you could adjust settings on your wireless router).

01. January 2011 · Comments Off on Ninja!!!! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

“So — first Yoshi?  Now Ninja???  What’s next?  Ginsu?”

Yep — this will be a more positive commentary than the Yoshi review, I promise!

Dave and I got a nice generous Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card from Dave’s brother for Christmas.  Earlier this week we took a trip to Pensacola to run some errands — which included a fail attempt at dinner at Bonefish Grill, boo!  After eating at Moe’s Southwest Grill instead, we saw that we were just a couple doors down from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  So we stopped in and picked up a couple of much-needed kitchen accessories.  A burr coffee grinder and a new blender.

The blender is what I’ll be discussing today.  My 15-year-old Oster basic-of-basic blenders was ready to kick the bucket: the motor starts to stink if it runs for too long, and the gasket sealing the bottom had some cracks and therefore leaks.

After pondering favorites such as the Magic Bullet (too small for mass quantities of margaritas or daquiris), we opted for the Ninja Master Prep Professional.  It looked like a, well, different blender concept.  Instead of the motor and blade pivoting underneath your food, it’s on top.

So here’s what we brought home:

From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender

This includes a single motor unit, plus three Lexan-type plastic pitchers in different sizes. Each of these pitchers includes its own blade apparatus:

From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender

From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender

So each pitcher has a special lid, with a small hole in the top, this is to fit the motor apparatus on top:

From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender
From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender
From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender

And here’s the entire setup:

From 2010 12 30 Ninja Blender

Not your normal blender, that’s for sure. It claims to “crush ice into snow” and “blend frozen fruit into creamy smoothies”.  I checked out some reviews on Amazon.com, which were mostly very positive, with the occasional 1-2 star review (average review of 4 stars).  I noticed the same complaints from those negative reviews: the plastic fittings for the motor to turn the blades had shredded or rounded off.  Hopefully I can exercise some extra care in that area and make sure the motor is seated properly before turning it on.

The very next morning I broke out one of my frozen smoothie fruit kits and whipped up a smoothie.  It worked like a champ!  It blended up very quickly and without large chunks.  I think they have something there with the design of the bowl/pitcher…with little blades every 2-3″ in the container, there’s nowhere for the large chunks of food to hide.  I’m not quite sold on there being only one speed (“On”) but apparently you have to show some finesse with how to pulse versus steadily run the motor to have things working right.

I’ve yet to use it as a food processor or to crush ice, assume that if those experiences suck enough, you’ll hear from me about it.