Category: Winter

Posted on

Bubble Wrap Window Insulation

009

Because we live in a house with single paned windows– unless we want to crank the heat up to ridiculous– it can get a bit nippy in some of the basement rooms, especially at night…especially in the Bald Kid’s room. Since he’s still hanging out on the other side of the earth, I figured this would be as good a time as any to toast the room up a bit. I do wish that I’d found this idea last November, instead of now…when it’s getting warmer. But you can’t know what you don’t know until you know it. Right?

002

I saw a guy on YouTube insulate his windows with Bubble Wrap and so I thought I’d try it. Seemed to make sense and if it didn’t work, I could still play with all that bubble wrap in the end. :} Staples had much smaller packages than this but it was either $12 for 50 ft. or $17 for the mother load 175 ft.

001

 I guess you can see what I did. A bus load of Bubble wrap for EVERYONE!!

003

First measure your windows from the top to bottom and cut out the bubble wrap to fit.

007

I got really good at this part and started cutting several out at one time.

011

Next, either spray your windows down with a squirter bottle or just get them all soppy with a wash cloth.

012

Now, taking the wrap, place it bubble side to the window and just gently press it up there. I swear it’s like magic and just sticks.

015

Repeat with enough wrap to cover the whole window.

019

I just went straight over the middle latch section…

014

and it worked just fine.

013

More…and more. The room was getting warmer as I worked.

017

Lastly, I just tucked the end of the piece right into the side of the window frame.

016

The guy on YouTube said that this will usually stay in place for about 3 weeks and all you have to do to replace it is spray the windows again and stick it back up.

020

Two windows took exactly 22 minutes to insulate from start to finish and cost about $1 per window. When the really warmer weather comes, just peel it off and save it till fall. Oh, and of course, there’s no sticky tape leftovers to deal with either.
Feeling pretty darn clever right this minute.

And warmer too.  :}

Posted on

The Owl and the Pussycat

001

If you look very closely, you’ll see that besides the weekend’s deer visit, we’ve also had a wandering bird of some kind traipsing through the yard by night.

002

He strolled right across the driveway and around the corner of the house, like he knew just where he was going. And pardon me, but those are actually pretty darn big birdie feet–if you ask me. What IS that, a seagull or pheasant or something? I thought they left for the winter.

003

Oh, now look. Don’t you just love the footprints of friends meeting up at midnight for a little stroll and chat?

004

Hmmmm….yeah. I hope that went well.

:s

Posted on

Late Last Night~

in our front yard…

001

I was called to the window to see…

008

this sweet thing.

009

We were stunned.

010

This has never happened before because we live just off the main drag and a good 2 miles from the mountains.

011

Not to mention the big lighted car lot that this pretty thing had to cross to nibble our grass…

005

or crab apples…

002

or pine cones…

022

or whatever it was.

023

But she left while we were watching and then–from the footprints, we could tell she came back again before morning.

024

We loved it.

019

Felt kinda magical.

:}

Posted on

Our Silly Snow

It may not look like all so much to you, but I’m pretty proud of this particular storm.

It came and stayed for about 3 days snowing first and sticking for a while, and then, raining and melting just in time to start all over again.

But in the end, it was very brave snow and just fell and hung on like it wanted to show us…

that no matter what that silly groundhog said, it is, in fact, winter still–with a mind of it’s own.

If you know me at all, you know that I don’t mind one little bit.

In fact, if I woke up tomorrow to 3 feet of the white stuff, I’d be happy as a lark.

And so, with the little that we have, I’m wishing for the frost fairies to make a couple more passes by the place…

or five or six.

I’m mean really, think of how much I could get done if we were snowed in…for real!

Heh, heh, heh.

Posted on

Cold Feet

Years ago, when Jillian, the boys and I lived in a place with tile floors in every room–we learned the value of a good, warm throw rug. In fact, this place got so cold at night that I made each of the kids their own rug for Christmas to keep their feet warm. Jillian’s was pink and white. Dane’s was the blue and white. And the Bald Kid’s was the yellow and white. But now that nearly all of those kids–Jillian and Dane–have gotten married and found their own places…with tile floors, they decided to take their rugs with them. What nerve!

Lucky for me, I still have the Bald Kid’s yellow and white one or I’d freeze solid when I step on that tile every morning. Luckier still, my sweet little momma left me a big tub of rug yarn to play with.

There wasn’t enough of one color to make a rug exactly like the old ones.

But I’m a creative soul, and I’m determined to figure something out.

Wish me luck…my feet are freezing!

:}