Archive for the ‘do it’ Category

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.  ~John Burroughs

Over the past couple of years, our family has turned increasingly to Mother Nature for “entertainment.”

Dinner and a movie for a family of five costs at least $65… but a hike and cookout in the beautiful canyon by our home costs less than $10.

Going to a Water Park would cost our family around $100, but a short hike to Sliding Rock, a beautiful, amazingly fun, natural occurring water slide near our home, is totally free.

On a beautiful day, there is nothing sweeter than packing a delicious picnic and meeting your sweetheart at the park.  I enjoy it so much more than an expensive lunch at a crowded restaurant.

We’ve had so much fun camping as a family… fishing and hiking and best of all, sitting around the campfire at night cooking dinner over the fire and making s’mores… letting the kids burn a few marshmallows.  These memories are priceless to me.

Making it do has a silver lining when it forces you out into nature.  You might discover that you’d rather be there…  even when making it do is not a necessity.

One of the best things we’ve done to beat the summer heat is have a ceiling fan installed in our bedroom.  The fan was fairly inexpensive, both to install and to run.

I love sleeping under the cool breeze.   It allows us to keep our thermostat set at a higher temperature at night and saves us big money on our electric bill all summer long.

Here’s a few tips on buying a ceiling fan:

– Look for a model with an Energy Star Rating like the model shown above, called Sea Air from Hunter.

– It’s important to choose the right ceiling fan for your room.  There are excellent guidelines found here.

– If you are replacing a light with a ceiling fan, look for a model with a light option.

– Ceiling fans often go on sale at the end of the summer season… it’s a great time to buy one.

Once your fan is installed here’s a few quick tips:

-Only run the fan when someone is in the room.  Fans cool people not your home, so save energy by flipping off the switch when no one is in the room. (I didn’t know this and used to keep my fan running night and day, duh.)

-Keep your fan dusted to prevent allergens from flying around the room.  Plus it’s much easier to clean it frequently (every couple months) than to wait until the dust has really built up… trust me, I’ve done it the hard way and it’s not fun.

-To clean my fan, I love to use my large Swiffer duster (with my re-usable cover) because it can be set at a 90 degree angle.  After I’ve dusted, I sometimes wipe it down with vinegar water- which is one part vinegar to one part water.  I wet my cloth in the vinegar solution, ring it out thoroughly and wipe down the fan.

-If you’ve let it get really dusty, Real Simple magazine recommends using a pillowcase to dust your fan.  That way the dust goes into the case and not all over your room- brilliant.