February 23, 2012

New Printer! Kodak ESP C310 Review

I have been without a printer for some time now… but no more!

This new printer is a Kodak ESP C310 and great for photos on excellent paper but merely passable for photos on practical paper. The LCD is tiny but gets the job done.  In addition to its photo producing capabilities it can print more ‘just print’ pages per penny than any HP printer possibly could!  So I’m saving some silver on ink and back in the bookmaking business!  The Kodak can copy and scan, too, which is great for the homeschooling habit and helps keep the little crafty creators creating.  Although it is not the most marvelous machine made it manages our meager moonlight march of math printouts and “make-me” Mardi Gras masks.  The set up was simple and I must say wireless is wonderful. (Does that tell you how old our old printer was?) The Kodak can also print directly from SD/HC, MS, MMC, Google Cloud, Smartphones or through USB connected to any device.  Kodak’s clever printer cost less than similar quality machines and the ink is c-h-e-a-p!  And that’s what really matters… for us anyway!

 

February 21, 2012

Happy Mardi Gras!

Having a Fat Tuesday party with the family today.

Made this Polyvore set for your enjoyment!

Join in the fun.  Happy Mardi Gras Party Day!

Tee $8 at alloy.com

Boot cut jean $0 (in the closet)

Belt $4 (made it with yarn)

Belt Buckle $20 at sheplers.com

Shoes $?  Umm…to die for!  Ok not really.  I could get crafty and produce something similar for about $30.

Mask $5 Party Galaxy

Wig $42 at milanoo.com

Beads?  Oh I win those from my many admirers!    8-D    Hahaha!

See my other sets at

 

 http://appleofred.polyvore.com/

Follow me on

at http://pinterest.com/storybookforest/

February 20, 2012

Catch the Rainbow

A sudden and short-lived rainstorm is blowing through at this very minute.

During a break in the rain we stepped outside and were lucky enough to catch a rainbow.

February 19, 2012

Ebay photos: stuff for sale

Selling some things on ebay.  Had to upload the images to include them in the ads.  If you’re interested in buying them leave a comment.  :)

February 15, 2012

Polyvore ::: Stripes for Work and Play

Striped skirts for work and play.

For all the pricing details CLICK HERE.  This is a day dream set so there is no need for a polyvore vs. storybook price war, lol,  I’m sure I’d win anyway! :P    The rings are really lovely.  Which piece(s) do you like best?

See my other sets at

 

 http://appleofred.polyvore.com/

Follow me on

at http://pinterest.com/storybookforest/

February 13, 2012

New repeating blog post idea! Color Tuesday!

Ok so each Tuesday I’m going to pick a color and post some images that contain that color. So this is week one and the color, in honor of Valentine’s Day, is red!

 

February 9, 2012

A Spiritual Family Tree Part 1, From the Ice Age to the Afterlife

The study of faith fascinates me.  Not a specific religion more than another but each sect and history and belief system.  Family trees and the hunting of ancestors, the discovery of connections, and finding long lost children excite me, too.  In this series of essays I attempt to provide a family tree of spiritual faith. To blend faith and human ancestry also invites the study of  human evolution and migration.  These anthropological topics are far reaching and overlap in lace-like patterns across the globe.

As the series progresses from the roots, to the trunk, and up into a canopy of  twisted branches the complexity of the human faith experience becomes evident.  Being as succinct as possible and breaking the time into increasingly smaller periods keeps the series accessibility and understandable.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. ~Enjoy!

A Simplified History of Faith Practices From the Ice Age to Ancient Sumer
Part 1, From The Ice Age to the Afterlife
Before the ice age precursory species of our collective family tree, may have worshiped a variety of deities, a single deity, a deity couple, or had no inkling of the divine.  The simple truth is that no information, not even the fossil record, holds clues about the beliefs of hominids before crushing glaciers of ice wrapped the world in a tight embrace. The little hints, pertaining to spiritual ideas, that homo sapiens and similar hominid species have left behind since the ice began to retreat provide a glimpse of the spirituality of those that came before the written word.  Herein is a timeline of spirituality in prehistory.
The earliest record of day to day hominid life is provided by the homo heidelbergensis.  The first evidence of this species was uncovered by workers in a gravel pit in 1907 near Heidelberg, Germany, the town for which the species was named.  Heidelbergensis is perhaps the common ancestor species of both the homo neanderthal and homo sapien.  Heidelbergensis is also described as the last member of the European homo erectus species.  Skeletal remains, specifically musculature insertion points, indicate that heidelbergensis was in possession of great strength and endurance.  They were shorter than we homo sapiens but taller and leaner than the homo neanderthalensis.

Heidelbergensis’s brain was roughly the same size as a modern homo sapien’s brain which indicates they were physically capable of the same degree of understanding, thought, intelligence and sense of wonder as modern homo sapiens. Evidence suggests that they were capable of communication through complex sounds but not a fully developed verbal language.  They used stone tools, hunted game and other heidelbergensis (they were cannibals), gathered, had the use of fire, and used red ocher as a dye.  The lives of homo erectus, including heidelbergensis, were defined by hard physical exertion.  Their skeletal structure suggests that their strengths would put any modern hominid to shame.
As far as can be deduced, heidelbergensis  are the first of the hominid species to bury their dead in Atapuerca, Spain.  The site was discovered by a British railway firm, The Sierra Company, in the 1890’s but it was not until 1976 that hominid bones were found.  Later, in 2003, a hand axe was found with a heidelbergensis skeleton.  It was painted with red ochre, of unusual size, and intentionally buried with the deceased.  This is the first evidence of a burial right and preparation for an afterlife.  The hand axe and remains date to about 300,000 years ago.  Therefore the trunk of the spiritual family tree starts with faith in an afterlife and dates back to approximately 300,000 years ago.
For further information visit:

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/human/human_evolution/first_europeans1.shtml

February 8, 2012

Made a set with Polyvore ::: Beach

Dreaming of warm weather again!

beach towel : freepeople.com $148 (but really I already have a pretty beach towel $0)

top : The Dressing Room $110 (I found a practically identical tank at a garage sale for $1)

skirt : net-a-porter.com $390 (but I can sew, so some double knit & elastic for less than $15)

bikini top : hm.com $16

Did you know it takes more fabric to conceal abundant decolletage?  So, if you want your decolletage to appear more ample… use more fabric!

bikini bottoms : hm.com $13

You know that myth about wearing horizontal stripes on your butt?  The one that states it makes you look bigger?  Well… I have found that defying that myth, with thin stripes, actually makes my butt look smaller because all the width is blamed on the stripes!  Ah ha!

shoes : houseoffraser.co.uk $105 (a dreamy pair but not going to happen- realistically I’ll get some white flip flops for $2)

Don’t forget the sunscreen : americanapparel.net $8

The Polyvore price tag adds up to $790.00.

The Storybook Saver price tag adds up to $55.

WE HAVE A WINNER!  (:

The moral of this little story is to save money everywhere you can, ignore the stripe rules, add more fabric embellishments like folds, ruffles and bows where you want to focus attention, and subtract the fabric fluff from areas you want to appear smaller. It works!

See my other sets at

 

 http://appleofred.polyvore.com/

Follow me on

at http://pinterest.com/storybookforest/

February 3, 2012

Baked Tofu

This recipe is so easy, healthy, and really delicious.

Honey Glazed, Soy, Sesame, Baked Tofu

Prep time ten minutes.  Cook time one hour.

Extra Firm Tofu

Olive Oil

Honey

Soy Sauce

Sesame Seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Drain and dry tofu. Cut tofu in cubes [ or rectangular prism's as the case may be :) ]. Place tofu on olive oil greased cookie sheet.  Drizzle with honey and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. Flip tofu.  Drizzle and sprinkle again.  Bake additional 30 minutes.  Remove from heat… eat!

January 31, 2012

Pinterest funnys

Heather, over at Pinfluence, had this great idea to record her pinning words in little widget squares.  I love all her ideas and came up with one on my own.  Here it is!

Bah ha ha ha!  Thank you Heather for sharing your creativity!

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