Right Time, Right Light, Right Space – Mighty Light

A few years ago, our outside porch light stopped working. Just plain, old stopped for no reason. It was a unit we really didn't need for security, since we have others outside, but it came in handy when you needed to find your keys in the dark. We asked our electrician how much it would be to install a motion-sensitive light which would go on when we stepped into the porch and then go off when we entered the house; the number he quoted almost made me faint. Then one day, I was in Target and spotted Mighty Light.

This is one of those Seen On TV products, although I never did. Mighty Light is a small, but very bright LED light that also contains a motion sensor. It can be mounted inside or out, instantly, because it has no wires. I hammered a nail into the porch near the door where I wanted the light, popped the 3 AA batteries in the unit, and within 5 minutes was good to go. For less than $10, I have a light that does what I want it to do, when I need it to.

I also use it in the entryway between the garage and the house. There's no light in that hallway and rather than guess where the stairs are (can you say “broken leg”?), Mighty Light shines just enough light to illuminate the hall. And it came in quite handy during Hurricane Sandy when the kids needed to walk around with a powerful, but safe light.

It provides just enough light to find my keys and get in the door. 

Supposedly, it's guaranteed to last 30,000 hours, but the batteries will give out before that. In the three years it's been on my front porch, I've only replaced the batteries once. I've read reviews that complain that you have to get pretty close for the light to go on, but that hasn't been a problem for me, since I'm using it in tight quarters.

Mighty Light is one of those products that you wish you'd had a long time ago. It would be great for senior citizens who might fumble for a switch when they're getting out of bed and it's perfect for deep closets or even in an attic where access to light isn't readily available. If there's space you need light, but you don't need it on all the time, then Mighty Light is for you.

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Thanks for reading!  

15 Uses For Old Books

Got old books? Here's how to re-use them!

 

So you've got a pile of books you and your kids haven't read in a long time. You've donated some to the local library, hospital or nursing home. Now what? Never fear! Here are 15 uses for those old tomes:

1. If they're textbooks, sell them on Amazon, Ebay, or at Cash4Books. 
2. Make a Book Safe – Cut out the center of old books to hide valuables (you can find instructions here. A word of caution: I made this as a present for my son and although it was time-intensive, Junior is now able to hide some of his valuables from his little sister by merely placing the safe among the books in his bookshelf.
   
3. Use Modge Podge to decoupage a table top, lamp shade, etc. The illustrations in many children's books are especially good for this.
   
4. Stack them to add height to a lamp (see photo). We
   

   

   Use books to increase a lamp's range.

   needed more light in this area, so we stacked books underneath. The result:  more light and a great look!
   
5. Use them as trivets. I'm always bringing warm pans to the table, but don't want to harm the surface. Old books work great to protect tabletops from too-hot plates, pots and pans.
   
6. Make a picture frame from an old board book (you can find instructions here). What a great, unique gift!
   
7. Make shelves to hold small knickknacks or other books. This is a wonderful craft (the how-to is here, especially since you can match the shelf to your room's décor.
   
8. Re-use the pages as kindling, mulch, packing material, or as wrapping paper.
   
9. Make a unique night-light. These instructions from craftster.org list this project as a “lamp,” but I think the amount of light given is really more suitable for a night-light or accent light. 
   
10. Make coasters. Take inexpensive ceramic tiles (the kind you find at Home Depot), a few book pages, decoupage using Modge Podge, and varnish. You could even add a photo or two.
    
11. Decorate a notebook. I'm always using salt-and-pepper notebooks I pilfer from the kids. They take on a more adult-look when covered with pages from a book.
    
12. Make a clock. Take a beloved book, glue the pages shut, cut out room for a clock mechanism and numbers (available at local craft stores) and you've got a clock which subtly reminds us to “Take Time For Reading.”
    
13. Decorate a portable calendar. I buy the inexpensive appointment calendars from the Dollar Store. Decoupage book illustrations or passages from an old book for a “classier” look to your calendar.
    
14. Turn an old book into a purse (find instructions here).
    
15. Make a planter for succulents (click here for the how-to).

Yes, your old book can be a planter!

Do you have any other uses for books? Please comment below! I'd love to hear from you!  And, as always,

Thank you for visiting!

My 8 Favorite Smartphone Apps

I haven't done any reviews here in a while and it's high time! 

This has nothing to do with this article.  I just like the photo. 

My current cellphone is a Samsung Confuse...I mean Infuse.  I chose it a few years ago because of it's very large screen (4.5 inches!) and although it's been an okay phone, I've always found it somewhat confusing; thus my nickname for it.  Anyway, until I get a new one (any suggestions, people?), I am still living in the Infuse and thought I'd share my eight favorite apps with you.  All are were free, although I'm not sure if they still are, and were found via the Google Play Store.  They are not listed in order of preference; I think they're all good.  Again, these opinions are purely mine; investigate on your own to see if they might suit you. 

1.  Cozi Family Calendar - I've had an account for this calendar (the website is http://www.cozi.com/live-simply?redir=home) for a few years but never used it until recently.  I now LOVE it!  I can post stuff on there, even though I still write it down in my paper calendar, and my husband gets updates on his phone.  I set it to send weekly email reminders to family members so that even my son, who does not have smartphone, can get the schedule for the week.  No more "Mom!  You didn't tell me..." conversations.  No more missed appointments!  No more "I didn't know I had a game" arguments!  The app also contains ToDo lists, a grocery list, and has a Journal feature so you can "jot down a quick story" and/or add a picture.  Do I rely on it?  Nope.  Don't believe in getting even more dependent on electronics than I already am.  But it IS a pretty nifty and fun app.

2.  AP Mobile - Since we don't get a daily newspaper delivery anymore (too expensive and wasteful) I rely on this app for delivering my news.  You can get Top Headlines, Entertainment, Oddities ("18 Foot-Long Sea Creature Found Off CA Coast"), Technology, Business, Lifestyle, Travel, and Health & Science Headlines. 

3.  Beat The Traffic - My buddy, Ann, introduced me to this app this past summer.  When I play hookey down the Shore, this app helps insure I make it back in time to pick up my daughter from school.  It shows current traffic hotspots I should avoid or those I will inevitably hit which is great because my local radio station doesn't always have updated info.   It also lets me create a route and save the places I use the most.  It does have other features which, I guess, would allow me to set up traffic alerts and access webcameras, but you have to upgrade to get those.  Since I don't want to spend the money, I just use it for traffic info. 

4.  My Personal Memory Trainer - Memory exercises have been proven to improve your memory and now that I'm menopausal this, combined with a a cup of Salada Brain Boost Green Tea (it contains Gingko and Ginseng), is helping me stay on my game.  The app works on improving spatial and working memory, focus, chunking, and your concentration skills.  It also charts your progress.  A fun app that works the grey matter. 

5.  UVocab - This is another fun app that helps me learn.  Truth be told, I am a wordgame-a-holic and I love learning new words.  This app not only gives me new words to learn, but it tests my vocabulary and shows me the words I failed on.  I can then learn them and take them off my Failed list.  I'm having a blast with it and my daughter gets a kick out of the fact that while she has her vocabulary list to learn, so Mom has one, too. 

6.  TeslaLED - A simple, yet very bright light I've used in hotel rooms to check for bedbugs, during power outages, and just in the dark to find my way and not wake up a sleeping husband. 

7.  Newshog - Yes, AP Mobile is where I get my news, but Newshog gives me Lifehacker updates.  In case you don't know about Lifehacker (see the list of Sites I Like to the right of this post), it's an incredible site that has "Tips And Downloads For Getting Things Done."  I've learned a lot from it and LOVE reading it.

8.  Weather Channel - Every day, my kids ask me about the weather and every day I check this sucker.  It lists the weather for the next 9 days and I can see hourly predictions as well.  Is it always accurate?  No, but it's probably up there with anything I hear on the radio. 

So why am I listing only 8 apps I love and not a nice round number like 10?  Because that would be a lie!  There are apps that came on my phone which I don't use and can't get off the damn screen and that really ticks me off.  The eight above are the ones I use all the time; they, along with my clock and camera, are the ones I depend on every day. 

Have a great day!  Thanks for reading!