Outdoor Decor

Last Sunday I finally got motivated to put up my outdoor Christmas decorations.  The lights are actually pretty simple since I snap them all into clips from the comfort of my living room couch.

After that is done it only takes about 30 minutes to throw them up on the house, and most of that time is spend moving the ladder.  I love how it perfect spaces the lights and makes them all level.

Next I grab my large ornaments that I picked up on clearance at Target last year.

I envisioned hanging them from my live oak but once I started executing that plan, the result was pretty underwhelming.

Dwarfed Ornaments on a huge tre

Plan B was to hang them on my front porch.  I already had a few cup hooks installed from the previous owner so I just added four more.

I love my festive porch now!  Later that night I lit it all up.  Aside from some spacing issues that were in my light strand it looked pretty good.  The only bad thing is the color.  They are bright white and everyone else on the block has the yellow-white lights.  Somehow I did not get the memo.  It makes my house look a little more neon than Christmas should be.  I think I'll try to score new lights at this year's after Christmas sales.

I may also add more lights this weekend.  It's looking a little dull now that I'm looking at the photo.  On a more exciting note, I'm able to control my lights via my iPhone!  My alarm company gave me an outlet that you can plug lights into and remotely control from the phone app.  I just plugged my lights into it and voila! The lights are plugged into my garage socket so I don't have to worry about the outdoor elements.  My favorite trick is turning them on from my driveway when I get home from work each day.  It's the little things in life that entertain me.

All Safe and Sound

In the midst of having my roof replaced and my dead AC repaired, I have been trying to prepare for a European vacation.  The dogs booked vacations to my parents and the Petshotel...I placed a hold on my mail...just lots of little tasks to accomplish before leaving the country.  Being the person that I am, I've got a spreadsheet and several checklists going.  One thing that I have been wanting to get is a security system.  I never activated the one in my condo but now that I'm in the house I thought it was a little more necessary.  And being the person that I am, I've turned several salesmen away from my door and tossed tons of junk mail away.  I wanted to do all my research before letting some suave door to door guy get the best of me.

Pablo stays cool with a frozen water bottle

Enter my heat-filled Monday night...The door bell rings.  I slowly amble to the door, dripping in sweat and probably not smelling too good.  A nice looking man and woman are on my front porch and they want to tell me about the security system they are offering.  Maybe it was heat-induced delirium, but I invited them in after chatting for a few minutes.  Next thing you know I've got a new fancy security system.  I almost thought I owed it to them after making them sit in my 94 degree dining room.  But in reality, the numbers they threw at me we comparable to what I'd reasearched and the equipment was very impressive.  Several other people in my neighborhood use them already.

My control panel is a modern touch screen.  It gives me weather forecasts and even allows 2-way talking (like Onstar) in case of emergencies.

I can also control the whole system from an app on my iPhone (or by logging into their website).  If I forget to set the alarm after I leave, not a problem!  I can check my history log and see a list of every door that's been opened, any alarms that have been triggers, or any changes that have been made.  Along with my new system came a new thermostat.  This had been on my to-do list as well because I have an old non-programmable mercury thermostat.

This was Tuesday morning, after the house cooled a little over night but before the AC was fixed.  Once it was fixed and I headed back to work, I could monitor my house's temp from my phone.

That screen capture is actually from Monday night, hence the high temp.  But you get the idea.  I can also control a power outlet in my house to turn on a lamp or whatever, all from the power of my phone.

I have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed and hooked up to my system as well.  All alerts are emailed and texted to me (as well as reported to proper authorities).  You can also install camera that can be monitored from your phone or keypad door locks so you can unlock/lock your doors remotely.  Quite the Smart House!  So, while heat exhaustion may have lowered my defenses...I am happy with my purchase.  It was very affordable and I can now leave the country knowing my house is being monitered and protected.

New Computer!

My house is stepping in to the year 2012 with a new Ultrabook!  My desktop has about reached the end of its life and I've been trying to figure out what to replace it with for months.  I really wanted to go with the Apple MacBook Air but a few things held me back.  Namely, price and converting my life from PC to Mac.  Since my office runs on PCs I decided in the long run, I should probably stick with it as well.  After searching for non-Apple options that were still fast and super portable, I decided on the Acer Aspire Ultrabook.

It's pretty comparable to the MacBook Air 13" and it was about $400 or so cheaper.  It is so thin!  It's about the same thickness as my iPhone which is completely crazy to me.

This Ultrabook will fit into my handbag and make traveling with a laptop much easier than with the older models. 

I am excited to be able to take it with me to Europe this summer.  I'll be able to keep all my photos organized and blog as well. 

I also have a webcam now, so I can Skype with my out of town buddies!  I think I'm going to love being so up to date on my technology.  Now comes the fun part of trying to clean out my old desktop and figure out what all needs to be transferred over.  Zzzzzzzzz.