Monday's News-Honor Given

First I want to thank all the Soldiers who have served and are still serving in the Armed forces for the Untied States.. Thank you for your time away from your families to keep us a Free Country. To all the families of the Fallen Soldiers my thoughts and prayers are with you. It was a great sacrifice for your love one to have to take for our Country. May the Lord God Almighty comfort you today and always. For this day was set apart to Honor the lost ones in our Armed Forces from the Civil War to our current ones.

We have several projects going on today. There is the Vintage Sewing Room, Hubby's shed, a Cookout twice, and I'm sure as everyone has..a friend visiting for the Memorial Day.
Hubby and I are finishing laying the Bamboo floor today, should be done early. We started yesterday. Then we will start the foundation for the Shed. We will have to cookouts. One for lunch time and the one for dinner. The weather is nice today.
Hope you have a nice day and the weather allows you to visit the grave sites of the Fallen Soldiers. Take a moment to thank them for their sacrifice, their deaths are not in vane for we still enjoy the freedoms of their actions today in our land.

My Vintage Sewing Room Project. update

We are coming along fine. Our mirror doors will be in today and ready for pickup. Closet of America called and they are ready to install. The Bamboo flooring is in the room and ready to be laid. Walls and closets are painted, trim is done. I will be putting up the Shade today. Monica the Muralist is still working on the wall.

Here's another peek.

We are working on finding a No-VOC varnish. Tring to keep the room as green as possible is a challenge. Some things have Low VOC's while others have No VOC's. Also staying with in Budget is a must. I am still under budget at this time.
I order a Print from Robin over at Around the Island. She has entered a Artist contest why not go over there and vote for her. Here is the link for voting, Artist Wanted.
The print I order is Beautiful Bolts of Fabric from her Etsy Shop. It will go nicely in the Sewing room.
Well that's it for now, I will continue to update as the project evolves.

Green Painting

Painting the window sill and door frame as well as the door in the Green Project room. We have been using Benjamin Moore Natura paint for the walls. Now it is time to paint the trims. Only needed a small amount for that part,
so we found this paint,

From a local home improvement store.
Learn more about this paint Here.
(photo courtesy of GoGreen-Olympic paint site).
Will be painting the trim white therefore the Olympic paint will do.
So many Paint companies are getting on board the green train now, that is is getting easier to find No-VOC products. I was told that the Home Improvement company is working on the Colorant additives being no VOC. At the present time they only have a few to chose from now.
the Muralist is working on the wall.. Here's a sneak peek....

You can enlarge to see a glimpse of the drawing.

thought you would like to see the drawing..
Here It is...

disclaimer: everything in this post is my opinion.. I have received no incentives from the companies mentioned.

My Vintage Sewing Room Project.

The Room is Painted now. Finished the walls last night, Hubby helped.. me in the cast makes it hard to work on the room.

If you are just stopping by, We have started a totally green project. It is a Sewing room. My current room is in a small windowless place in the Basement. My Grandmother was a seamstress and I remember being at her home where the shop was. It was in the 1950's... I like that time the most. So in lies the Vintage Sewing Room.

The color is called Filtered Sunlight
Paint is Natura by Benjamin Moore (a No V.O.C. paint)

The carpet and baseboards are totally out...
Awaiting the Bamboo flooring.

And the Closet was stripped out , patched and painted.

I am going to pick up the shade we ordered as well as some Natura White trim paint. The Home Improvement place called and the shade is in.

Today the Muralist Monica starts the wall. I will post as she make process you can see. I am looking forward to this part of the Project. It will be a store front looking out of the store in the fifty era.

I am still under budget, so I am pleased with the project so far.

Learning Curve-My Opinion

This is only my Opinion on this subject....

When I first started out in Entrecard, I used their standard widgets design. Not too far into the process I found out that to show you really are a serious blogger you should create your own. That I did. I have change a couple widgets since to newer ones in order to promote the blog sites content. One thing I have notice in the past months is, since Entrecard has a new owner the newer ones are only using Entrecards templates.
I tend not to visit them due to most of them are not true blogs and carry Trojans and viruses. I have been going back and forth on Leaving this service. It seems that all the visitors I had from this service have left or are planing to leave. You should see my in-box...It is mostly Black and Gray Widgets, 90% of it. So the dropping numbers for me have gone way down. I have to say most of the advertisers on my blogs are originals widgets and very nice blogs. However my visitors are not Commenter's. Not that it bothers me much. If they read the post that's great.
The thing that gets me is the Service seems to be changing from a family,social and personal blogs network to one of a spam and shopping network. Still undecided if I will stay a part of them. The next few months will tell. As long as the advertisers are of good quality and true blogs I will continue. However It is getting really hard to drop on ones in my In box, and my favorites tend to not drop back.
Looking for some good bloggers.....

Leave your link in the comments. I will for sure visit you and leave a comment on your blog.

Thermal Solar Power.... Afforable?.

Enjoying the benefits from our Home Solar system we have decided to look into Thermal Solar. Now Thermal Solar is for producing Hot water. Heating your Hot water really takes a lot of Electric energy. Figure for a typical home water tank about 800.00 a year. By investing in a Thermal Solar system that figure can go as low as 100.00 a year. With the incentives both Federal, State and County for cost can be affordable.
The average cost the a Thermal Solar system can be between 6,000 and 10,000 dollars. The Federal will give a Tax credit of 30% of that cost. State of Maryland will give 30% of the installed cost up to $2,000 maximum grant. Our county will give a property tax credit of 1,500.00. So as you can see this can reduce the cost of the Thermal Solar system. On a 6,000.00 unit it would cost 4,200 dollars initially because the grant money is sent to you via check. Then at tax time your federal tax return would be 1,800 dollars more if you get a return. If you pay taxes then 1,800 dollars would be applied to your amount owed, making you have to pay less of out your pocket. The Property tax credit will be applied to your home taxes owed. The bottom line is you pay less in taxes and reap more in Home energy cost savings. So that 6,000.00 thermal solar system will cost you, less the grants and credit, 900.00 and it will pay for itself in less than 18 months. With the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) even less time! These RECs are sold every year by you or a company you choose, to the highest bidder and then you receive the money. It can vary depending on the market. However the Market is very strong for the RECs at this time. You can lock in an amount with a company.
We will decided on which company to go with. Our install window is for Late August. One More Green energy move for us. Working toward reducing the Carbon Imprint.

In Florida- project on hold

Yes we are in Florida. It is Police week. Please remember to tell a Police officer how much you appreciate what they do. If you have a blue light..Place it in the window to show support. Please be sure to check out Auntie E's On the Go blog for live update updates.

From the White House.....

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 07, 2010

Presidential Proclamation--Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week

A PROCLAMATION

As a Nation, we rely on law enforcement officers to keep our neighborhoods safe, enforce our laws, and respond in times of crisis. These men and women sustain peace and order across America, and we look to them as models of courage and integrity. This week, we honor their extraordinary service and sacrifice, and we remember the fallen heroes whose selfless acts have left behind safer streets and stronger communities.

Every day, peace officers face the threat of violence and danger. They routinely put their lives on the line to defend ours, and the price of that bravery may result in injury, disability, or death. The steadfast dedication of our country's law enforcement officers warrants more than praise. That is why my Administration has provided billions of dollars in grants to support State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. These funds are giving peace officers the tools and resources they need to help ensure our safety.

Thanks to law enforcement officers, our Nation is more secure. They work with vigilance and dedication to identify and arrest those who seek to do us harm. They have also been instrumental in foiling many potential attacks, including the recent plot in New York City's Times Square. From combating terror and staking out criminals to patrolling our highways, peace officers with the strong support of their families maintain stability in our communities as we go about our daily lives. This week, we recognize their invaluable contributions to upholding justice, enforcing the rule of law, and protecting the innocent.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as "Peace Officers Memorial Day" and the week in which it falls as "Police Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2010, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 9 through May 15, 2010, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Let each of us reflect on the ways in which our lives have been touched by the peace officers who stand guard over our neighborhoods.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Atlantis- The Final Flight

We are in the air headed to Florida. Today is the Last Schedule Shuttle Launch. Atlantis will be lifting off this afternoon headed to the International Space station. Thought you would like to see a video of the preparation for this final Launch for this United States. Launch time is set for 2:20PM



I will be sending Live Photos to Auntie E On The Go blog be sure to visit.

Video and photo Courtesy of NASA WEB Site

A Green Project.Tearing Out and Painting

The room is coming along. The flooring is stripped out , the closet is also stripped out. I have been Painting the walls and closet.
The other day we went to the local Home store and found a Levolor shade in chili pepper. It is a easy glide(no cords)and double cell. We ordered it through them.
The closet will be redesigned by Closet of America. One of the concerns was the doors. There will be three sections, two with drawers and shelves and a hanging section. At present time there are two 35 inch doors. that makes it a little rough to have a Butlers valet pull out rack. Checking on line I learn I could get triple Mirror slider doors. Only thing they were very costly, around 1,600. dollars. Not within my budget! I check at the home center to see if I could special order triple sliding mirror doors and Yes I could. At a fraction of the online cost. I was able to stay with the budget. So we ordered them as well.

Shades for the Solarium

Our solarium is getting Insulated shades . We ordered some Hunter Douglas Honeycomb insulated shades. Our Solarium can get pretty hot in the summer. Deciding to put shades on the large windows and doors was hard. Wanting to have some light yet be able to control the room temperature.

For years we have wanted to do something to control the heat. We had an air conditioner in a window. That was very expensive and even on a auto setting it ran most of the time. We took it out one Winter and never put it back. I just put up with the summer heat. It would get 80-90 in there. Now that we use it more, we need to do something.

I think I will love these shades. These shades open from the top and bottom. Have a glide mechanism, so no cords hanging around. They are called Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades. The shades are a Greenguard Certified product. The UV protection is 99% and the shades have a R-value of 7.8 with a 3.5 R-value window. Can reduce your energy expense by 50%. Over all it has one of the highest ratings in the Window Coverings industry.

Our Shades....

Going Green together- Monthly Updates.

My Rain barrel is full and ready to be used. The solar lights and Bug Zapper are up and running. We have one More Rain Barrel to install this weekend.Doing well on the no plastic bags accepted. Although I need to work on the families role in this endeavor.
Our Solar Panels have been doing their work at keeping the Utilities bills down.
The Stats:
lifetime energy (since November 9,2009) 2,969 kWh

We've reduced emissions equivalent to:
1. Planting 55 seedlings grown for 10 years.
2. Not driving 4,879 miles in a standard car.

We've reduced your carbon footprint equivalent to:
4,927 pounds of CO2

From April7 to May6, 2010 we produce 758 kilowatt hours. that's an increase of 125 KWH more than last month! Mr Sun is getting better at this and We are doing our part.
We are looking into a new solar project for our Water heater. Stay tune.

My Green Project Update

I love to quilt, on the left is one of my quilt tops. The Vintage Sewing Room will be great for displaying them.

Now an update on the room. We purchase the flooring. It was great that the warehouse is close to us. We will not have to pay shipping. Went with the Synergy Floating Strand Bamboo as shown here....

you can click on to enlarge

The maker is Teragren. It is consider a green product and is a Premiere brand. Synergy is also FloorScore®-certified, one of the most rigorous air quality standards in the world. FloorScore® ensures the quality of indoor air for high performance schools and offices and meets stringent standards for 78 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Now it ensures the same high quality of air for you.
We called the Teragren Company to make sure we bought from an authorized dealer, so not to void the warranty. Since we are installing it our selves, we need to make sure the warranty would still be in good standing. The company stated that the warranty only applies if purchased from an Authorized dealer. So, be careful when ordering on line. Make sure they are aurthorize to sell the product. You can get it cheap but sometimes that is not a wise decision.
Hubby will be picking it up tomorrow. It will need to acclimate to the room for 48 hours. We will be installing it ourselves. It is a floating floor and I have installed plenty of them. This is a glueless self locking system flooring. Very easy to install. There is even an installation guide on line at the Teragren site. The bamboo flooring we chose is hard not soft bamboo. You can read more about this kind of bamboo Flooring in the link below.

The paint has been purchased. We went with " Filtered Sunlight" by Benjamin Moore. Chose the Natura line because it is a no VOC paint.

Our closet has been ripped out and tomorrow the project manager for Closet of America comes. We will go through our plan and set a date for the install.

We are moving along just great. Staying within my budget is so hard but I am determined to do it. I will post the budget and cost at the end of the project. For now I will tell you I am at the half way point for the budget. One more big ticket item is in the works. Then I will have a better feeling for what else I can do in the room.


Teragren Strand bamboo flooring

My Visitors

Thank you all for visiting this past month. I try to post every day, usually take the weekends off. It is nice if you leave a hi, so I know you have been here. That way I can visit you for sure.
In the Entercard community I can see who is visiting on a daily log. That makes it easier to visit them throughout the month. I like being able to measure my Entercard visitors.

These are the Top Ten Entrecard April visitors and their links

T-Shirt review
Urban Art by Paul Baines
Art Shout!
Cooking Japanese Style
Rate T-shirts
Web Design Web
Crimsonsparkle.net
Comatised
Urban Art Blog
Grampys World