Surviving Extreme Gas Prices

I was driving back to campus after my spring break, and it’s a 500 mile drive. I needed to fill up, so I began scanning for cheap gas prices and what I saw blew me away! For ONE gallon of gas, most gas stations were (are) charging $4! I was completely flabbergasted! And outraged! Now, I understand that there is stuff going on in the middle east, but from what I can tell by scanning reports and news blurbs, that isn’t directly responsible for our crazy gas prices. What is? I don’t know, but my friends and I hatched a plan that helps keep our wallets from crying when we have to fill up–even if you use the app, Gas Buddy.

We decided that if anyone has to go anywhere, we text or call each other asking who needs to go to town. It can be for anything–groceries, pharmacy, shopping. The trick is so pitch in. If you travel in a car pool, it’s common courtesy to help pay for the drivers gas–or at least the amount of gas it takes to travel for your part of the carpool. That way, you get to pay a cheaper amount than if you had to drive and fill up on your own because depending on how many people go with you, the less you have to pay (more if fewer people go with you.)

Another thing that we decided is that if we can help it, we refrain from having to drive anywhere we don’t need to. Instead of going to the movies (albeit, I went to see The Hunger Games movie), we set up movie nights where we all bring a different movie and we pick which one we want to watch. That way, we get to spend time with each other, and we save money for not driving anywhere.

One more thing that many of you may groan at is to be sure your car is fuel efficient. I know now-a-days, big name car manufacturers are designing more fuel efficient vehicles. They may seem absurdly expensive at first, but you can always hunt around for great deals on used cars or hit up the specials that the dealerships offer every now and then. If you decide to buy a fuel efficient car, don’t worry. The money you save by not having to fill up as often covers the additional cost in your monthly payment and eventually, you will be saving enough money to where that won’t even phase you anymore (okay, it may phase you, but you will be saving SO MUCH more compared to your old vehicle.) If you aren’t interesting in buying a new car (or used car), you can always buy fuel efficient tires. I know Michelin makes them, and in this economy, I’d jump at every chance to save my money.

One final thing that will help keep you from having to fill up more than normal is going the speed limit. Not only will you drive safer, but by keeping form speeding up and then slowing down dramatically when a police officer appears (you know you do it), stay the speed limit and you will save valuable gallons of gas that you won’t be paying for later–literally.

This is just a list of what my friends and I have all decided to do. I hope it helps you during these expensive times. Thanks for reading!

~Love Lindi

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Make Your Ceiling Fabulous!

Hi, all. I’ve officially written out my schedule for my blog, and I then realized that it’s in the middle of the week! So, in order to stay with my schedule, I’m going to post 4 posts today as opposed to waiting for a few days before posting again. Here is my first post for DIY Mondays! Enjoy!

How often have you walked into a room and the walls are gorgeous, the floor and spectacular, and–the ceiling is just a plain ole white? It may have popcorn on it, it may not, but the ceiling just utterly takes away from the design and theme of the room . I know I have–multiple times. However, not everyone might be willing to just cover up the white with the same color paint as the walls or even a different color because it may take away form the overall effect of the room. They know what the effect is presently, and they fear that just painting the ceiling would take away form what effect the room has. I have a solution that not only gets rid of the standard ceiling but also give the room grandeur. Try wainscoting.

My parents began to remodel their master bathroom while I was off at college, and I went home this past week for my spring break. I became my mom’s sounding board for the project, and she bounced the idea of a wooden ceiling off of me. I was all for it! I knew that they were painting the walls a light blue and would put white wainscoting around the lower half of the walls, and I knew that they were going to put white tile down on the floor–I could just see how spectacular a wooden ceiling would make everything come together (even though it was just for the bathroom.) A few days later, my dad enlisted me in helping him stain, varnish, and actually put up the ceiling.

First, you’ll need some pine wainscoting–pine is what we used, but you can use whatever wood you would like. You can get some from Lowe’s for around $11 a package that you can stain and varnish yourself, or you can get some that is already stained and varnished and ready to install for about $15. What you need to do I measure the length and width of the ceiling that you will be remodeling.

Next, you’ll want to have the stain and varnish that you would like to use. If you opted to buy the pre-finished wainscoting, you don’t need to buy some (or use some). We used a pecan stain with a clear varnish. You can also get stain from Lowe’s for around $10 and varnish for about $13. Or, you can buy the stain and varnish in one easy step for about $13. We tried to use the two-in-one, but the color was much paler than we felt it was supposed to be (we compared it to the actual stain and it was several shades lighter.)

After you decide what shade you want and you have bought your supplies (if you want to stain and varnish it by hand), set up an area where you can stain the wood where you won’t worry about it dripping and ruining the ground or floor. My dad and I set it up on our back porch over thick canvas. Be sure you wear gloves and then follow the directions and stain and varnish the wood. It may take a while, depending on how much wood you need to cover the surface of the ceiling. Here’s a picture of the wainscoting that we used drying in the sun (the shadows are from our deck). After it dries, all you have to do it measure how long you need it, saw it if it’s too long, and then simply attach it to the ceiling. My dad used his nail gun and made sure the nails were inside the grooves that you see on the wood. We had to cut a few pieces for the air duct, but the overall installation was pretty easy since the pieces interlocked with each other just like hardwood or laminate flooring.

 

The overall cost, depending on which options you choose and how big the ceiling you will be covering will be different for everyone, but the overall effect of the nice wood ceiling makes the room feel nice and cozy and gives it a sort of elegance that I feel would not be achieved by merely paining the ceiling. I hope this has inspired you all! Thanks for reading!

~Love Lindi

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Now that The Hunger Games movie has skyrocketed in sales, I’ve heard that they are working on the second movie already! This one is about the book, Catching Fire. I had already written a review about this book after I had read and written the review for The Hunger Games, and I felt that I should share it now because many people will be interested in reading the second one in anticipation for the new movie.

Cover via Amazon

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Stars: 4 of 5

Katniss and Peeta must brave the Hunger Gamesonce more during the Quarter Quell as a direct result of the Districts rebelling against the Capitol. They must team up with unlikely allies to survive and to continue the rebellion using Katniss as the symbol of hope.

I personally think that it is a tie between this book and the first one in terms of awesomeness. I read until the words swam before my eyes, and I had to put the book down. It was completely captivating.

The characters in Catching Fire are still unforgettable and a few are added to the list in this second book, and the love triangle is also much more understandable than the first book. It doesn’t seem out of place at all. One thing that I absolutely enjoyed about this book were the cunning plot twists; they kept me on the edge of my seat, the book gripped in my hand until I finished it cover to cover.

However, there are some hiccups in the book. There are some awkward transitions between chapters and the flow of the book doesn’t seem as smooth as the first’s. The second book is by far more fast paced than the first one, and I think this was done by Collins to convey the sense that time is running out. She did a very good job of this through keeping the plot from lagging at all, but (this may be because I read it in one sitting) the quick pace was distracting and at times confused me. This book also ends in a noticeable cliff-hanger, unlike the first one where it could stand alone. It perturbed me because I love having closure. That is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars.

I recommend this book, especially if you have read the first one! Thanks for reading!

~Love Lindi

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Cover of The Hunger Games

I decided to re-blog this from my original book review blog because The Hunger Games is getting to be so popular. People that I’ve never thought would ever pick up a book are asking me if The Hunger Games is a good book to read because the movie intrigued them so much. So here is an honest review that DOES NOT give any spoilers!

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Stars: 5 of 5

When the unjust government pits two ‘tributes’ between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the twelve remaining Districts in a horrifying annual battle to the death to maintain an iron hold on the people, Katniss Everdeen and a distant acquaintance, Peeta, strive to stay alive and incite rebellion from inside the belly of the beast—inside the Hunger Games.

I have to admit; I read this in one sitting, too enthralled and mesmerized by the unfolding story to dare put the book down.

To begin with, everything was timed perfectly. Not once did I feel that the plot was rushed or that it lagged in any way. I attribute this to the story being written in present tense. There is also an abundance of superb detail. As I was reading, I could feel what Katniss felt; I could taste what she tasted–all thanks to the cunning detail that never diminishes throughout the entire novel.

There was only one thing that bothered me about this book: that there was something of a love triangle trying to bloom.  I’m  not one for heart wrenching love twists in the midst of a quick paced action story. However, the love issue makes the story more compelling in the sense that Katniss has so much to deal with. Think about it, she’s trying to stay alive AND she is having love interest issues! I just don’t prefer to have the love issue in such an action based book. Other than that, everything is fabulously and pleasingly solid.

I highly recommend this book to you all. Thanks for reading!

~Love Lindi

Day Trips Are Amazing!

Are you stressed? Bored? Have free time that you don’t know what to do with? Take a day trip! During the week, most attractions are priced lower and aren’t as crowded as it would be if you were to go on the weekend. Do you home school your kid(s) (Are you home schooled?)? Are you looking for an educational, fun activity to let your kid(s) experience? (I’m not a mother [I'm not even married yet] but while I was strolling around today on my own day trip, I figured that it would be a super fun and economical savvy way to take a field trip).

Orin and I took my little sister, Lacey, on an inspirational and educational trip to Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. We were able to check out all three pyramids AND watch a show in the IMAX by getting the awesome jumbo pack deal.

The first thing we did was check out the Aquarium Pyramid. It was two stories packed full of different types of fish and aquatic creatures (my personal favorites were the sea lions and penguins). There were plenty of things for a kid to do including a shark ‘passport’ that allowed them to hunt down information about each shark and then stamp their passport with an awesome shark stamp. For most of the Aquarium Pyramid, we were walking UNDER the actual aquarium so that the fish and sharks were swimming above us!

The second thing we did was ride in a giant ferry-boat called the Colonel. It took us around Galveston Bay on a mini cruise that lasted for about an hour. I liked it because it was extremely relaxing. The wind was blowing, it was a wonderful 80 degrees, and I got a wonderful surprise! While gazing out on the water, a flash of grey caught my attention next to the vessel. It was a dolphin! In the wild! (I say wild, but what I mean is that it was not in an enclosure as part of Moody Gardens and was swimming freely in the Bay.)

The third thing we got to do was watch Sharks in the IMAX. It was about 30 minutes long and was packed full of information that I didn’t know about! Like, did you know that most of the coolest sharks in the world are endangered because of fisherman and other people hunting them down? I didn’t know that at all!

The fourth thing we did was check out the Rain Forest Pyramid. They had added on a couple of stories to the walk since the last time I had visited and that meant we got a good hour and a half of just walking around looking at tropical plants and animals (which were not in cages and came as close as they liked–some were only a few inches away!) It was definitely an educational experience. Even the kids got to enjoy an animal informative game much like the shark passports. 

The last thing we got to do was tour the Bodies Revealed exhibit in the last Pyramid. It was definitely something to remember. Everything we saw was both 1) Real (the bodies, I mean), and 2) Informative. The exhibit’s purpose was (and is) to show the functions of the human body and how it works. It also had information about diseases and cancers and how they could be prevented. I thought it was really interesting, even though my sister got a little freaked out (she’s only 13). If you plan on taking your children to this exhibit, however, because the bodies are real (reproductive organs and all), I would only recommend it for mature children since some of the exhibit would be rated R if it were in a movie…I didn’t take any pictures of the exhibit.

All in all, the day trip was so much fun! I had a blast, Orin had a blast, and Lacey (after the initial shock of the Bodies exhibit) had a blast. I hope this will help you in planning your own day trip! Thanks for reading!

~Love Lindi