Telescope

This is the telescope I gave +Jason Straub  for Christmas.

Celestron Powerseeker 114AZ Reflector Telescope

I ordered it through a Black Friday deal (on Thanksgiving Day) from Kohl's.  Yes, I too was amazed that Kohl's had telescopes!  I think we got a wonderful deal on it for his first telescope as an adult.

It didn't seem that large in the picture, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  But as you can see from the photo of him using it, it's a decent sized telescope and does a great job.

 

I love you...

to the moon and back!

I was going to blog about the joy of slicing an avocado in half and sprinkling just a bit is Season Salt on it, but before I got my first bite Jason called me outside to come see the moon through his new telescope.

WOW! Even with his lowest magnification lens, 25 mm, it was an amazingly crisp image! I was able to snap a picture with my phone and then later, as we chased it across the sky, the tablet.  (Just FYI, we call the tablet Tabby.)

Moon with Jupiter on bottom right.- Basic "naked eye" photo w/Tabby

Moon with 25 mm lens on telescope. Photo taken with Tabby.

Jupiter with moons. This was the best photo I could get with how fast they moved across the sky.
The moon is glowing at the bottom.

I see many future date nights with my star gazer. :-) 

This post would not have been possible without my husband's interest in astronomy. Thank you +Jason Straub!

MOPS "My Story" Fundraiser

Many of you know that I am a part of a group of moms that meets a couple times a month.  It's called MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers, and it's an international organization.  It is a group that I was involved with when single and in college helping with the children's program, MOPPETS, and now I currently coordinator our local group, Brownsville MOPS.

This group is near and dear to me because they have been there for me.  These women are all moms that "get" where I'm coming from when I'm having a bad day, and they are there to celebrate with me when Evalyn reaches milestones.  They were also there with me as I experienced the grief of losing a child.  These women are important not just to me, but to the world as a whole.  When a mom has a place she can go to be encouraged and receive support she becomes a better mom.  The ripple effect of her being better passes on to her child(ren) and family making the world better one generation at a time.  I am privileged to know these women and their stories.  I also truly believe that no mom should be alone.

Would you consider helping support our group by purchasing one or more of these wonderful books to tell your story to future generations?  This book was created by another MOPS group in Dripping Springs, TX, and I am so grateful that they have allowed us to use it as a fundraiser so our group will not be limited by funds in growing and making a positive influence in our community and the world.

Please feel free to share this with friends and family.  One book is only $20 and if you order 2 or more, the price goes down to $15 per book.  Shipping is covered to me, so if I need to ship to you we can find out that cost for either First Class or Media Mail, depending upon the time needed to reach you if you want it before Christmas.

Don't let your story get lost in this technological age.  And just think, by the time you finish filling out the questions in this book, you would have written a book!  You can cross that off your bucket list!

Don't forget friends/family that are single or married with no children, they too have a story to tell.

Pinterest Tested and..

APRROVED!  I saw a pin over on Pinterest about a cleaner for the tub/shower that you spray on, leave for an hour, and then pretty much just wipe it down.  I read thru The Craft Patch's post and thought that if it worked for her, maybe it would work for me.

What you need:
1- dirty/filthy tub/shower
1 - dollar store spray bottle
Vinegar
Dawn Dishsoap, Original, Blue one

So I "let" our tub get dirty enough so it would show a difference...ok, I didn't clean it waiting to do this post and also because we were busy house/dog sitting so my housekeeping at home goes downhill when that happens.  I bought the vinegar and orginal, blue Dawn Soap at the grocery store and the spray bottle from the Dollar Tree.  I measured out 1 cup of vinegar and warmed it in the microwave in a glass measuring cup for 40 seconds. I poured it into the bottle, checked the measurement and then added the Dawn Soap to make it a 1:1 ratio.  I heated the vinegar because that seems to make it work best from reading different posts.  Shook it all up and then got to spraying.  I did a half spray test so I could really see how well it worked.

How the tub looked prior to spraying: (No judging!)

Once it was sprayed on the far side.

It sat for an hour then I turned on the warm water and used a wash cloth to WIPE it away. WOW! The grime really did just wipe right off!


A couple of shots of how it looked after wiping it all down. (I could really see a difference in the plastic bar on the wall.  I can see why you could use this for your plastic shower curtains too!)

See how shiny the sprayed/cleaned side is!

I took a few photos then quickly sprayed down the other side. I think I'll give it about a half-hour and then see how well it wipes up. 

Notes:  It does have a strong smell for the vinegar/soap, but I just turned the vent on while it sat.  I noticed that once I got it all rinsed most of the smell dissipated.  However, I would still much rather have vinegar fumes to smell then the chemical ones from manufactured cleaners.




So over all, YES, I recommend this as a legit pin and will be using it in the future and sharing it with friends/family.

Joy...Unending Joy!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012