So I was very excited about how solar energy was going to actually be a reality in my lifetime, and not just some fantastic imagineering project from the imagineers at the DisneyWorld complex! And I’ve been glad to hear that tax credits have been made available to help the homeowners recover some of the expenses of installing solar powered devices and equipment. However I have been discouraged over the harsh financial reality that in this economy, retrofitting existing buildings with solar panels is probably not going to be high on the priority list of most households. I’d like to see the economy improve as more and more people and companies get behind solar energy.

I’ve been told that in the next few years I am going to need to replace my roof. I’m wondering if that would be a good time to look into installing some type of solar energy system. What do you think?

I have to say that I agree that these are some good looking sink options and I’m not surprised that they are becoming popular. They come in stone, glass and copper, the stone ones are my favorite. Check out the one that I really felt was a good looking specimen, it’s called Eden Bath Natural Stone Sink – Jurassic Onyx.

They have been working on this kitchen make over since the end of the year and they really want to wrap it up and move on to other outside projects that they could be getting into while we are having perfect weather for outdoor projects. I’ve been getting a lot done outside, you have to take this perfect 70 degree weather, with no humidity, while you can. I’m ready to drag out the tiller and get started on tilling our small vegetable and herb garden this weekend.

I have never been more excited in my life than I was the day I quit my job in “Corporate America” to start my own business. I’d had a dream of opening a boutique for years, and I finally just decided one day to go for it. I had enough money saved up to get things off the ground, and I was definitely not scared of working hard. With the excitement also came sheer terror, unfortunately. I had a great idea and good style, so I knew I’d be successful once I got things rolling. The problem was figuring out my first few steps. I am not so great with logistical details, so I recruited a good friend to help me out with the detail work. She was awesome. She helped me secure my storefront, and she quickly got me set up with the essentials like phone and internet. She actually just did a little research on Brooklyn T1 and got a great provider for me. They handle my phone and internet, so it’s one less thing for me to worry about. Now that we have all the little things out of the way, I can’t wait to start running my successful boutique!

As we were shopping I kept finding things that I thought we should buy and she kept saying “not today, not today, hurry up.” We were actually at the grocery store for two hours shopping, and spent around $400.00. All of the coupons we used saved us over $40, but I was still in shock that we spent as much money as we did. Of course we DID have two shopping carts full of food, so I suppose that I should not have been THAT shocked! But it did give me a greater understanding of just how much money we spend on groceries!

I was really surprised when she called me to talk to me about that because the last time I had heard any mention of her putting in an in-ground swimming pool no one else in the family wanted her to put one in. She said that she is putting it in for her own health, but she is putting in a very large 20′ by 40′ in-ground pool! Seems to me that if she was doing it for her health then just putting in a lap pool would be all she would need. But she has got a stubborn side to her and she has insisted that she wants the whole thing and since she is paying for it out of her own pocket then nobody but her has any say in it at all!

She has also mentioned that she wants me to take care of the landscape lighting installation around the swimming pool. I think that for lighting I will suggest some solar powered lamps, on both sides of the privacy fence that she will need to have installed. She sure is going to be spending a lot of money! I hope that she gets her money’s worth of excitement out of it! I just cannot imagine putting in a full-sized swimming pool after the kids have grown up and left home.

Anyway-  Happy Birthday to Ms. Barbie!  Hope my sisters read this.