Our New Old Ceiling...

Ever since we bought this house, we've thought it would be amazing to have coffered ceilings in our living room as many other craftsman bungalows like ours have. Thinking it was out of our budget, we never looked into it seriously until recently. Out of sheer luck, we came across Antoni & Adam Kolodynski , the father & son team from Perfect Home Carpentry. At our initial consultation, they were extremely professional and offered us a very reasonable quote. We started to think our dream could become a reality!

First things first, we needed to have an electrician come and install the central light fixture we felt the room was lacking. With only 2 wall sconces and a floor lamp, it always seemed dark in the space and we wanted to brighten things up. Last week the electrician came out and tackled several projects including installing a new arts & crafts style lamp post out front. With the ceiling fixture in, we were ready to proceed with the coffered ceiling installation. Over the past 2 days, Adam & Antoni worked very hard to get everything perfect and we are extremely satisfied with the results. In fact, it looks like it could be original to the home! I don't have any before pictures, but just imagine a plain white ceiling- got that picture in your head?

Now.... check it out!


Facing back toward the dining room...


Looking through from the dining room...


One more full room shot...


Here are a couple close ups of the new light fixture...

We highly recommend Perfect Home Carpentry if you have any woodworking projects around your house.

Jim's Go or Don't Go... This time I actually went

We usually can count on one hand the number of times in a year that we actually go to the movies. However, my pastor wanted to see Clash of the Titans, and asked if I would to join him in some male bonding. I guess we both knew that our wives would not go anywhere near this movie.

I used to be somewhat of an astronomy buff, and I took Miss Varley's mythology class in 9th grade, so I'm roughly familiar with this film's subject matter. But since I spent far more time goofing around in class with my other nerd friends than paying attention, I can't verify how true this film is to actual Greek mythology. I don't think that it matters that much. Let's face it, you should really only be so much of a nerd.

Clash of the Titans is the story of Perseus, the illegitimate son of Zeus and a human queen. Raised by loving human parents, he is unaware of his partial godly lineage, and is perfectly content in his life helping with the family fishing business. In the current state of the world, humans have generally grown indifferent toward the gods. This raises concern on Mt. Olympus, and Hades, the brother of Zeus, decides to stir things up on earth in hopes of getting the people to turn back to the gods. However, when his family becomes collateral damage as a result of one of Hades's tirades, Perseus takes it pers-onal. And after finding out that he is a demigod, sets out to destroy Hades and his pet attack monster, the Kraken.

I love it when an action movie comes out swinging, and Clash of the Titans was not a letdown: within the first 10 minutes, winged, demon pterodactyls were gobbling up the soldiers of Argos. Cool. In his pursuit of Hades, Perseus encounters giant scorpions, creepy witches and of course, the dreaded Medusa. And let's not forget what you wait the entire movie to hear ... "Release the Kraken!" Well the Kraken got released, and I was not disappointed.

As our president would say, let me be clear about this; Clash of the Titans is not a great drama filled with meaningful, life-changing dialogue. It's an average action flick, with bits of talking that connect the better-than-average fight scenes. This movie will work best if you just turn off your brain and sit back and relax. This is definitely a guy flick, so the ladies may want to skip it. However, it's virtually void of anything offensive, and even has an honorable message: no matter how much we fight it, we all need help from a Higher Power. I don't recommend making Zeus your higher power, but I didn't say it was perfect.

From what I hear, skip the 3D version - it wasn't filmed in 3D, and it just doesn't add anything. Since going to a movie is such an expensive proposition, you may not actually want to "go," but it's worth a rental. I say "Go."

Piano Progress...

I have just passed the 1 year mark with piano lessons, so I'll show you my latest simplified version of a Jim Brickman song. Yes it's a little rough, most things I play are :)

New Beginnings...

After the winter we had in Pittsburgh, we could not have been looking forward to spring with any more enthusiasm. Jim recently announced that he will (and I quote) "Savor this Spring like no other Spring in the history of Springs." (Dramatic, much?) Anyway, in the past two weeks, the leaves and blossoms have really started coming in- just ask Jim and his allergies! I had a few minutes today to capture some of the pretty things blooming around our place.

Forsythia...

This one's not quite ready to bloom but the buds are lovely....

Can't tell you what this is because I have no idea...

The cherry trees are covered with delicate white flowers...

Our Magnolia tree, while sparse, produces such stunning blossoms I had to share several shots...

Even some of Jim's ferns have popped up and are looking quite hardy all ready...

Last weekend, we bought the Japanese Maple we'd been wanting to fill an empty spot in the yard. Here's what it looked like immediately after it was planted...

Within only a few days, it's completely changed color to a beautiful red hue (it had been stored indoors and it changes color once exposed to the sun). Can't wait to watch it grow...

Let me finish by saying that I finally put up a seasonal banner at the top of the blog that is actually from our property- it's about time, right?

HAPPY SPRING!!!

Ready or Not...

Over the past several months, we have been working through the process of preparing an emergency kit that could be essential in the event of any number of disasters, natural or otherwise. We have begun to store some food, water and other items, and have given an overview of our process here. (For those of you with kids, good luck, you have a lot more to prepare.) Our kit only accounts for the 2 of us and our kitties. We hope you can use this information as a starting point to prepare your own family.

Food:

Our primary stored food items are THRIVE brand freeze dried or dehydrated canned goods from Shelf Reliance. Explore this site and you will see how much they offer. One cool feature is a plan called ThriveQ where you can set a monthly budget and they ship you that amount of your pre-selected emergency food each month. That way you can spread the expense out over a period of time. You can also buy a whole year supply all in one package (pricey!), or you can tell them your required caloric intake and they can customize a plan for you. Since I wanted to specify exactly what we wanted, we chose the following items (packaged in #10 cans) to get started:

Apple Slices
Banana Chips
Broccoli
Green Beans
Potato Chunks
Sweet Corn
Butter Powder
Bacon TVP
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Small White Navy Beans
Strawberries
Baked Potato Cheese Soup

(Of course planting and growing your own food is another great way to prepare- but we don't have the space or skill for that so we're trusting the professionals- If you do, knock yourself out!)

To supplement these basic whole foods, we purchased a case of canned tuna and a 275 serving 'Emergency Food Supply Kit' from Costco, available here . Here's what the manufacturer has to say:

"Basic preparation will impact the probability of your family’s survival in an emergency. Delicious and easy to prepare. Each bucket contains 275 servings of pre-mixed and pre-seasoned 100% vegetarian and vitamin fortified food. With a 20 year long shelf life, this kit is perfect for the preparation of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or even for a camping or hunting trip."

Easy to Prepare

Must have water and a heat source

275 Servings

All Meals 100% Vegetarian and Vitamin Fortified

Sealed in convenient Weather-Proof bucket for easy transport

25 Servings - Potato Soup

30 Servings - Corn Chowder

25 Servings - Cacciatore

25 Servings - Western Stew

30 Servings - Country Noodle

25 Servings - Rice Lentil

45 Servings - Whey Milk

40 Servings - Blueberry Pancake

30 Servings - Barley Vegetable

We keep 10 bottles of propane (the small green type) on hand with our camp stove- for the purpose of heating the emergency food.

Water:

We keep ten (36 bottle) cases of drinking water on hand at all times.

The "Kit":

Our non-food emergency kit is planned to fit in an extra large plastic bin. It could be packed in the car if the need to evacuate arose. The following is a list of what we have chosen to include- it is not exhaustive but covers the basic areas of concern. In thinking about your own kit, don't feel overwhelmed by the need to pull everything together at once. Our supplies were gathered over a period of time, working through one category at a time.

General Emergency supplies:
Matches in waterproof container
Hand-crank radio
First Aid kit
Flashlight with batteries
Large roll of plastic sheeting
Duct tape
Can opener
Pocket knife
Candles
Lighters
Emergency (space) blankets
Rope
Bed sheet
Fleece blanket
Towels

Clothing (at least one of each per person):
Sweatshirt
T-Shirt
Pants
Socks
Undergarments
Sturdy Shoes
Rain poncho
Work gloves

Personal items:
Toilet Paper
Toothpaste
Bar Soap
Kleenex
Toothbrushes
Wash Cloth
Purell
Prescription medications (try to pack a week supply)

Misc items:
Trowel
Hatchet
Dust Masks
Writing paper
Pens
Playing Cards
Bible
Pet items (food, litter, and leash)
Copies of insurance documents, ID, credit cards and other important info- sealed in plastic

Online resources:
http://www.ready.gov/
http://emc.ornl.gov/CSEPPweb/SIP/SIP_Student_Guide.pdf
http://www.areyouprepared.com/
FEMA's "Are You Ready?" - An in-depth guide to citizen preparedness


All of this preparation may seem a bit obsessive, but think of it like this - most of our grandparents had several shelves of canned goods in their basement that kept them prepared for all kinds of situations. We can't be 100% ready for every circumstance, but it's not a bad idea to give a little thought to a sensible emergency plan. It's not only a way to protect your family in an emergency, but you'll also be in a good position to help others.

Feel free to post questions or add your own suggestions - Happy Planning!

Jim's Item of the Week

Here's a handy device that we got from Carrie's parents at Christmas. I'm sure there are a ton of variations of this product out there in the marketplace, but here's a brief review of the Speaker-on-the-Go.

Made by HMDX Audio, this is a great little gadget that provides a portable speaker system for your iPod. The one-piece, durable zipper case easily protects your MP3 player of choice from dirt, rain or just about anything else. We all know how temperamental our fragile iPods can be, but the Speaker-on-the-Go has a sturdy nylon/plastic shell that should keep it safe and secure from most drops and bumps. It's got a handy clip that you can hook to a backpack, belt loop, etc., which is perfect for camping, hiking, picnics, or any other occasion that you want to fire up the tunage, sans headphones. Pop in two AA batteries and you're good to go.

I actually use mine when I practice guitar, but I've also been taking it outside when I'm doing yard work. The sound quality is actually quite good. It's not the Bose, of course, but for the price, you can't beat it.

Check HMDX's site for full details and to find out where you can pick up one of these very useful items ...

Happy Easter!

"Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He's coming. Oh glorious day, Oh glorious day!" - Casting Crowns