Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Wall lighting ups and downs

Choosing indoor lighting is much more difficult than you would think. Maybe there are too many choices and that is part of the problem. Take, for example, the wall sconce. If you have one pointing downward, you can see the bulb, which some people dislike. If you point it with the opening upward, the bulb is hidden, but it collects bugs, which everyone dislikes.

OK, so maybe you point a sconce downward, but lower on the wall so the bulb isn't in plain sight. Anyone with small children knows why this is a bad idea...

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Saturday, July 26, 2008

Eureka Springs School of the Arts

Our daughter was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to attend a summer art class at ESSA, and we are very happy with the experience. She originally wanted the painting class, but she was enrolled in "Working with Metals" instead. There was another class which used airbrush and stencil techniques to make T-shirts. She was somewhat skeptical to work with metal, but after the first day, she told me, "Mom, I love working with metal!" She made a variety of Christmas ornaments, jewelry, metal boxes, and more.

I was so glad she thrived, especially since she was the only girl in the class. The instructors were Mary Springer and Eleanor Lux and they did a wonderful job teaching my daughter. They definitely made an impact and my daughter feels that she can try lots of new art techniques that she may have not thought of trying before. Thank you ESSA! I definitely recommend these summer classes for school age children.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Yard Sales - oh my!

August 1st and 2nd is the 14th annual Yards and Yards of Yard Sales event organized by the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce. We paid the $15 to be "official participants" and to be included on the map given to visitors looking for bargains.

I've been scouring through all our closets, the garage, and the basement to find things worthy of selling at our yard sale. We have a pretty wide variety of items this time, from baby gear (our three year old refuses to sit in a stroller any more), to appliances, to electronics and household items. It's strange how many promotional pens I've found with the names of companies I've never heard of. I suppose the life of a pen is much like the life of money, changing hands so many times it ends up very far away from its origin.

Anyway, I hope this year's yard sales are a big success and that we can sell lots of stuff and make a little bit of money!

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Socializing

We've lived in Eureka for over two years now, and I'm happy to report that we've made plenty of friends. Thanks to my job at the library, I have a group of friends to go out on the town with. I've never been a big drinker, (you'll never find a wine refrigerator in my house!) but I enjoy going to bars with friends to visit and hang out.

Since I see so many of the locals at the library and the school, it seems a lot easier to make friends. I recognize most people and am not as shy as I used to be about starting conversations. It seems that living in a small town has made me less introverted. Now if we could only get my husband out of the house more often...

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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Summer exercise options

During these hot and humid summer days it is really hard to keep up with my exercise routine. All I feel like doing sometimes is sitting on the couch in my air-conditioned house and reading a book. I know there are options like video workouts and indoor fitness equipment, but I prefer being outdoors when the weather is nice.

Since we moved here from such a dry climate, maybe our bodies are still adjusting to the humidity and it will get easier. I have noticed a difference this summer vs. last summer, when I almost fainted riding my bicycle to work one humid morning. It seems easier to catch my breath and I listen to my body so I know when to slow down before it is too late.

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Eureka sounds nice

There are no shortage of wind chimes here in Eureka Springs. In fact, the world's largest tuned musical wind chime is here! It hangs from a huge oak tree and the overall length is over 35 feet. You can visit it in the parking lot of Celestial Windz Harmonic Bizaar, just south of town on highway 23.

It is very common to hear bells while walking around our town and it fits perfectly with the architecture and the overall relaxed and magical feeling. Most residences sport at least one wind chime on their porch, and many of the businesses hang them outside too. The old churches chime their bells also and it sounds spectacular. Just one more thing to add to the long list of things I love about Eureka Springs!

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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Disney deals

Our family is pretty big on Orlando vacations because we are artists, big Disney fans, and just love theme parks in general. We have read many books about "behind the scenes" Disney World and are fascinated by the alternate world the "imagineers" have created. My husband and I went to Orlando for our honeymoon and spent the entire trip in the parks. The second time we went was when our daughter was almost two years old and she loved it. Her favorite part was meeting all the characters and getting to ride so many rides even though she was so young. Disney does a great job catering to families with small children.

We went again early this year when our son had just turned three, and although we had a good time, it seemed more "commercial" this time. It seemed there were more ploys to separate parents from the money in their wallets. We managed to avoid spending too much, but it took a few days to find the best deals on meals and activities. There are many websites on the subject of saving money while visiting Disney World, and I suggest doing research before taking a trip there to get the best deals while still having a great time.

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