Crossing the Blues
Showing posts with label to make my life easier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to make my life easier. Show all posts

The Joys of Technology


I have one of these.



But I wish I had one of these.


iPhone 3G
It takes me forever to make up my mind in situations where I can choose whatever I want, so I went back and forth between these phones trying to decide which would be right for me.  One of my best friends was the first person I knew who had a Blackberry and she always made it look so cool, so I ended up choosing a Blackberry when I had a choice (shout out to Kim!!).   It was a big upgrade from what I had, but now I wish I would've gone with the iPhone.  I mean, I love bbm'ing my friends (that's Blackberry messaging, for all of you non-blackerry-ans), but that's about it.  Since I'm technically challenged, I also love the fact that she serves as my personal tech support for all things concerning blackberry, so if there's ever an issue, I just pick up the phone (or send a quick bbm) and she solves it on the spot.  However, I think the straw broke the proverbial camel's back hit last night, when I saw this "handy guide" in the March issue of House Beautiful.



I don't know if this will end up being larger enough to read, but this list of "apps" for the iPhone is ridiculous!  I need about 14 of the 20 listed here, and I know there are probably a million more.  Here are a few I must have:

Ben Color Capture--matches Benjamin Moore paint to an uploaded photo.
ColorSnap--matches colors to Sherwin Williams paint while also providing 2 coordinating colors.
CraigsPro--a girl like me never wants to be too far away from CL.
Dictionary--I like my english to be correct!
iHandy Carpenter--for when I forget my measuring tape (small items only)
Redlaser--scan any barcode and tells you the price in seconds and also tells how much the item costs elsewhere!!!
YardSale Mapper--see all the sales within a 20 mile radius on any given day, and also plan your route!
Shazam--for songs I love but don't know the artists (like "tender love", by full force).

I also found out about an app called "Sleep Cycle" on Wouldn't Stop If I Could.   I'm adding that to the list too.

I need would really like to have this phone, but unfortunately I'll probably have to ride it out until my bb dies, because what I paid for that was ridiculous.  A girl can dream right???

For all of you iPhone-rs, what are your must have apps???

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It's Finally Here, the Entry Reveal!




I hope I didn't build you up, just to let you down! Here are the before's . . .




I wish I would've taken more (and better) photos before any work began! That's definitely a lesson that I'll take with me to my next home--you never know how things will change, and what angles you'll want to catch later, so photograph, photograph, photograph!!! Better to have too many than too few, right?


My house has a few challenges, most of them being storage-related, and the entry is one of those areas. Unfortunately my home doesn't have a coat closet, and it's something that didn't even cross my mind until long after I moved in! The white chaise in my living room became the default closet and it's starting to show some wear because of it. After putting the photos up, it finally occurred to me to add some hooks to the entry so my stuff wouldn't be thrown all over the bannister (and the chaise) right when I walk in the door.


I also decided to add a basket underneath the console table to hold paper recyclables and help with keeping the area neat. My mail gets ridiculous, and I get so many magazines that I don't read (my attempt at broadening my horizons) that the area gets cluttered very quickly. In the last few days, this simple basket has helped immensely. Add a cute bowl for keys & change, and I'm good to go! (there's also some more of those free trimmings. love them!)


Now I'm all organized when I walk in the front door, and now my first real organizational "makeover" is done (is any project ever really done????). When I first moved in I struggled with what to use for the sidelites, because I wanted to let light in and be able to see out without people being able to see directly in. I ended up using a bamboo table runner attached to"c" hooks (is that what they're called?) screwed in above the frame. I love the way it looks, and it gives me light and visibility, but with privacy--perfect! Just pay no attention to the fact that one is just a smidge shorter than the other. It's just a smidge!


Now that I'm done I've been thinking about doing something bold to the entry (wallpaper? stenciling?), but I guess I should just enjoy this for now. It's so great to finally be organized, even if it's only in the entry! Thanks for being so patient, and I hope you love it like I do. :)



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Did You Know????



While cooking my tacos I noticed this bottle of vinegar sitting beside the stove and began to read the label. Did you know white vinegar had so many uses??? I definitely didn't. This stuff is like a household cure-all, and though I originally got it to clean some brass, I don't think you'll catch me without it again. Listen to some of the uses:

-Steep with fresh herbs or fruit to make flavored vinegars
-Add a splash to the water when boiling eggs to keep cracked eggs from boiling out of the shell
-Substitute 1 tablespoon per egg in cake recipes if allergic to eggs (I did not know about this! Vinegar for egg? Crazy!)
-Add to crab or shrimp boils for extra flavor
-Vinegar-soaked paper towels wrapped around bath fixtures dissolves stubborn scum in approximately 2 hours
-2 cups of white vinegar in the wash help restore fluffiness to blankets
-Vinegar rubbed lightly on washables before laundering helps eliminate deodorant stains (Oprah's people need to know this one!)

I'm a bit afraid of how the vinegar will make the blankets smell, but if anyone has ever tried this, let me know your thoughts. I'm sure vinegar has many more uses, as well--do any of you use vinegar in unconventional cleaning/cooking ways? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

**I have been trying to get a water stain of some glass, and I've tried the vinegar/dishwashing liquid thing. Anyone have any suggestions about what I could do?


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