30 June 2010
By Amber
In Uncategorized
Its summer and its getting hot so here are a few tips to stay green and stay cool at the same time.
- First, make sure to keep the sun out and the cool in by closing the window shades during the day.
- Clean or replace your air conditioning filter once a month to keep it working more efficiently.
- Dress for the weather, too many layers of tank tops can still make you hot.
- Avoid using heat-generating appliances such as ovens, washers, dryers or dishwashers, especially during the hottest part of the day. (Grill, eat raw, hang your lanundry, use a toaster oven instead of the big one)
- Use a programmable thermostat; set it at 78 degrees when you are home and 85 degrees when you are away.
- Use ceiling fans to keep air moving. You can run the most efficient ceiling fans eight hours a day for as little as 30 cents a month.
- Finally, whether you’re using central air or a window unit, make sure the output of the system is right for the size of the house or room you want to cool…or you could waste energy and money every month. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations or consult a knowledgeable dealer.
29 June 2010
By Amber
In Photography, Vacation
Canada was beautiful, A lot like Minnesota honestly but bigger. The lake was huge, not counting the great lakes (which look like oceans honestly) it is the largest one I’ve ever seen.
I had a lot of fun playing with my panorama merge in PSE 8. Here are a few of my favorite:
(Click to see them larger)
I hiked a big hill one of the days we were our and found this crazy tree branch. Isn’t it cool?
I also used the self timer on the hill to take this picture.
The pelicans were awesome, I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen one before. They were pretty cool.
Last but not least here is the great cabin we stayed in.
28 June 2010
By Amber
In FCC
On May 7th I asked you all for some help petitioning the FCC for a fair rate for Video Relay Services (the kind of work I do.) That post is here and for more about what I do click here.
The numbers are in and well all of that begging I did and the support you guys gave paid off. We got the rate raised from the original proposed rate. It is still dropping but not as much. The tier 3 rate is dropping from 6.23 to $5.07. I don’t know what that means for the company I’m employed with, but I do know that $5.07 is way better than $3.89! That is a 20% decress, still not good but much better than 40%.
Oh here is a breakdown of all the rates (this is a 1 year interim rate.)
$6.2390 for Tier I, includes the first 50,000 monthly VRS minutes
$6.2335 for Tier II, includes min between 50,001 and 500,000 ~Amber
I have no idea what is going on.)formatting (Sorry about the
$5.0668 for Tier III, includes monthly minutes above 500,000
Thank you all so much for your support, thanks for your letters and prayers. I still don’t know what is going to happen at work a 20% cut is a big deal but it is what it is and we will see where it leads.
28 June 2010
By Amber
In Crafts
Kari over at UCreate has a fun new monthly group craft project going on. This month was the Ruffle Camera Strap by Char at Crap I’ve Made.
I gathered all of my supplies and my camera and got going, fully planning on taking pictures of every step. I failed. But lucky for you Char has great instructions on her post so you don’t need mine 
Cutting the fabric, I was smart enough to cut out all of the pieces first instead of one at a time like normal (for me.) Who says you can’t teach and old dog new tricks. Now if only I could cut a straight line…..
I know you can’t really see it white on white is hard, but here I’m ironing on the interfacing. Its my first time using it and I definitely understand why people like it so much.
I like the look of the contrasting thread, just wish I could sew a straighter line. I am learning that at least for now slower is better.
There it is! I like it a lot, I chose to use drapery fabric for is sturdiness. I figure it will be easier to clean as well especially with the muted tones.
I’m not a pro and won’t be setting up a shop anytime soon, but I’m pretty proud!
~Amber
25 June 2010
By Amber
In Uncategorized
Our trip to Canada was my very first fishing anything, license, trip, actual time fishing. So of course the guys made it their personal mission to help me catch my first fish. I did (a walleye) the second time we went out, we got it in the boat, off the hook, and in my hand. Then it was time to get the camera out. Boys are slow…It started wiggling and well “free willy!”
See it was right there.
Later in the trip I caught a small mouth bass on my very first cast, I got it all the way up to the boat but my father in law forgot that I wanted a picture with my ‘first fish’ and let it go since you don’t keep smallies.
My 3rd catch of the trip was a big one it was heavy and it wasn’t fighting at all….it was a tree branch. We pulled it in and I finally got my picture, lol. I thought this was hilarious, “So far I’ve caught a walleye, a smallie, and a branch and the only one I have proof of is the branch.”
But then it happened I started catching a few more and finally got my picture, notice the glove I’m not letting go this time.
Here is another one. It was pretty big and well I thought it was a weed, the boys told me I got a fish but I was to busy trying to get rid of my ‘weed.’ Then the weed started fighting back…oops.
So I would say I had a pretty successful first fishing trip wouldn’t you?
