Turning back the hands of time ~ and my electric meter!!

I know every family has one, and my hubby is that person.  He will walk into every room that is unoccupied and turn off the light switch.  Every family also has one of me, who leaves every light on and never even notices.  I leave things plugged in, like chargers that have nothing charging. 

I am on a mission for the month of April though, to be a better "electricity and energy consumer".  Way "back in the day" I used to have a clothesline.  I love clothes dried outside, well, except towels, I am a sucker for soft fluffy towels so that may be hard to give up.  I am making plans to have one built and I will start drying clothes outside again.  When you think about it, why waste a perfectly warm windy day? 

I will try and police myself and unplug all appliances not in use and turn off every unneeded light. 

I just read this on http://www.smartmoney.com

Unplug. Gadgets like a cellphone charger or microwave suck energy -- and generate heat -- as long as they're attached to a power source. Standby power for appliances not in use typically accounts for 5% to 10% of residential electricity use, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Plug those devices into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use.

I may even turn up the thermostat some, but that's kind of "iffy" lolol....and I can't help but wonder if the temp is higher but the ceiling fans are running don't they cancel each other out? 

Here's another awesome link with lots of money saving ideas for the home concerning electricity use!!

Some Great Energy Reduction Tips!!

March Photo A Day Challenge - Car

 Soooooo you know me....always breaking the "rules".....I can't take only one photo and I didn't take one of a "car" at first...it was of a TRUCK!!  :)  I can't help it......I can instantly spot a PRCA Rodeo Cowboy Identification Decal a mile away.....I haven't seen anyone with one on their truck in a while so as we were leaving the restaurant we were eating at today I had to stop and snap a photo....I dated a PRCA cowboy "back in the day" and seeing this made me smile at the memories!!  :)

Then we stopped in at my youngest daughters house to visit on the way home!!  She had her niece there to play with her daughter /my granddaughter today, so my grandson who was with us as well,  jumped in the "Princess Jeep" they were driving and they all rode away together!!  This counts as a "car" right??

Hope everyone has had a Fabulous Thursday!!

Clouds - March Photo a Day Challenge

Today was a fun subject ~ Clouds!! 

This is a photo of the clouds of Lake Jacksonville;  Jacksonville, Texas.  It is an absolutely beautiful day here in East Texas!! 

Here's your sign .......or....PHOTO CHALLENGE - Sign Day :)

I joined this photo challenge in the early part of March....today's topic is SIGN

I couldn't take a picture of just ONE sign...what fun would that be?!?!

My daughter and I used it as an excuse to get out of the house and drive all of the countryside taking pictures of all sorts of random things......and I will be the first to say it makes us look like we are a bunch of hicks haha.....

Until our town voted to sell beer and liquor....this used to be just an everyday ole plumbing store....but nowwwwwww you can buy beer, wine , and plumbing supplies.....cause everyone needs to drink while fixing plumbing...yessireeeee....

Thjs is the sign out in front of our High School.  My husband and kids have graduated from this school....I think this Indian sign has been up since my hubby was a little boy.  There used to be an Indian Maiden and Indian Chief on top of the school until someone from another school took them hostage.....

Once we left the High School we got out onto the highway and traveled to a town about 11 miles away, home of the plant nurseries around here and Powell Plant Farms, and of course, our local livestock market, Tri County.  We have spent a lot of time here buying and selling cattle etc.....My daughter kept driving in circles in their parking lot so I could lean out my window and take pics....I swear then she started doing doughnuts and laughing ....good thing they didn't know who we were.....it was funny though....

After we left there we drove by and admired all of the beautiful spring plants and started getting motivated to plant some flower beds.......I think winter is over for most of the  U.S. at this point...it was 80 here today !! 

Soooo then we got back out on the highway and turned down this little back road and came across this old wooden bridge.....we used to have one close to us and they finally upgraded it to a regular concrete and steel bridge.......THANKFULLY....these things get kind of scary LOL

My grandson and I of course had to get out and walk on the bridge and look over the railing into the water...and on our way back to the car we saw THIS laying in the grass.....at first I thought it was a squashed skunk.......turns out it's just a piece of fiberglass from a car or something.....made us laugh anyway because it was just so weird....

Then we drove by one of our favorite stores, a fantastic little home town gal ran store.....my kids went to school with her kids :) 

Then we were back to the main drag in town and the

"intersection" of the main highways.....yes I know this pic is blurry...I was hanging out the side window trying to zoom the camera in to get this and not drop the camera in the road!!

Can you believe the price of gas??  Sheeshhh.....

Then it was back to the dirt road ....we live where the paved section meets the dirt road section LOL....

This is my grandsons favorite hill to drive over, it makes your stomach drop going both ways.....

 sometimes you have to do a little backroading and enjoy the "signs"......

Stick a fork in it.....Photo a Day Challenge (Fork)

Taking a picture of a fork around my house is almost impossible since they seem to be either in use or in the dishwasher being washed to be used yet another time....I might should buy stock in a fork manufacturer.....My daughter and I were riding down the road last night and I told her I wanted to go stick a couple hundred forks in a friends yard just for fun....she thinks I have lost my mind.....I can see the humor in it....here's the best example I could find online!!

I of course think I would leave my initials or something...one time Jackie and I threw about five packages of plastic easter eggs into a friend of hers backyard, in the dark, over their fence....ahhhh it was so funny and they never knew who did it....and I am pretty sure they will never read this blog so they will never know still.....but that's another blog.....

So here's a pic from the inside of my dishwasher and all the toasty warm FORKS.....that will be used again at supper tonight....and then thrown back in again......I think like most moms....that the "littles" probably throw out their forks from time to time which would explain why I always seem to be missing some!! 

March Photo A Day Challenge - since it's been a challenge for me to put down words....

I have to admit....it's been next to impossible to write anymore....so for now I have found this super cool photo a day challenge....it's pretty much all I can do at the moment....todays was "Someone you talked to today"....lol that's NOT HARD...since this little boy talks from sunup to sundown and then even after he goes to bed he still keeps talking......so here is a picture of my favorite little chatterbox, taken today in my Jeep as he was singing and talking in the backseat.....

MY GRANDSON

I ate the evidence!!

There are just some times where I know you will find this hard to believe, I just can't figure out what I want to say.  I have so many ideas running around in my head, and I really really want to blog on some Easter "how to" ideas....but I just can't seem to get it all together enough to get it online.  Today I did attempt an Easter cooking project I had found on Pinterest, it didn't quite work out so I literally ate all of the evidence that I had ever tried to make it.  I am not complaining haha.....

So, because I am just having one of those "hard to get it together to write" times.....I will share some funny things my grandson said to me while we were driving down the road.

I was  driving down the road and my grandson said from the back seat "MiMi, I like the Paul on Gator Boys, he's not mean like the other Paul.  I think Momma should have him."  (Paul is my soon to be ex son in law who has just been despicable to my daughter..as much as I would love to share the gory details I won't...you will just have to trust me on this one.) anywhoooo he said "This Paul is very nice.....but Momma shouldn't kiss him, he kisses alligators" hahahaha my first thought was OMG he's 5 and talking about kissing!!  He is very much protective of his mother and is a lot like the little boy off of Sleepless in Seattle!!  <3

Then a little further down the road he said...."MiMi, is quicksand real ?"  I said well of course it is, and then he wanted to know where it was found.  I told him there is some quicksand even here in the United States.  Then he said "well....if you are ever in any quicksand I guess you would need a really big pogo stick to hop out of it"....hahaha...and then he said "or a really big dustpan to sweep it all up but that would take big years".....you can only imagine that I was laughing a lot by then!! 

Don't give up, I will try to be back to my regularly scheduled blog writing soon!!

Mud Dauber Fest and Chili Cook Off @ Luckenbach Texas - March 24th 2012 9:00 am

I think we're going to have to go...this sounds fun!! Mud Dauber Fest and Chili Cook Off @ Luckenbach Texas - March 24th 2012 9:00 am: Luckenbach brings back the Chili Cook Off.   It's not your mothers Chili Cook-off.. it's a brand new event.A full day celebrating the Return of the Mud Daubers, one of Hondo's favorite events.  Grab…