Friday, June 18, 2010
More Quoting....
I am going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life. -Elsie de Wolfe
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What a Wonderment....
Dear Friends -
For some reason...this has hit close to home. I've been having multiple friends having babies. But it's different when it's someone you're close to. My cousin Chelsey and her hubby Jayson having been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first little girl. She's affectionately been nick named 'Baby J' until something more formal comes along. I haven't even been able to meet her yet, and in fact, I just got the news. She's been here a whole 40 minutes (being born at 6:27 p.m.) I'm anticipating the day I get to be called Mom like Chelsey is today. I'll never forget the saying I heard while at a BYU Idaho Devotional about a mother being closest to the veil during the birth of one of her children. Interesting how even though I'm a half an hour away from all the action...I still feel a little closer to heaven today.
For some reason...this has hit close to home. I've been having multiple friends having babies. But it's different when it's someone you're close to. My cousin Chelsey and her hubby Jayson having been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first little girl. She's affectionately been nick named 'Baby J' until something more formal comes along. I haven't even been able to meet her yet, and in fact, I just got the news. She's been here a whole 40 minutes (being born at 6:27 p.m.) I'm anticipating the day I get to be called Mom like Chelsey is today. I'll never forget the saying I heard while at a BYU Idaho Devotional about a mother being closest to the veil during the birth of one of her children. Interesting how even though I'm a half an hour away from all the action...I still feel a little closer to heaven today.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Family is what its all about.
We've had some crazy goings-on in our family the last few weeks and I felt like I wanted to write about it.
My grandpa blacked out while mowing his lawn and in the process fell, breaking his C2 vertebra. It's been a long and crazy process getting his to where he is now. He's a heart patient and that is scary in and of itself. He's now in a Rehab Center near his home and doing MUCH better. He's in a neck brace and healing. Thank Heavens!
Right before this happened, my best closest cousin called to tell me that she and her husband are moving back to Utah after receiving a job offer in SLC. It was a weekend decision and tricky to make since my cousin's first baby girl is due two weeks from now. :) She said to me : "It was a 'no brainer' decision." We both agreed that growing up close to cousins and grandparents was such a blessing and that's what we both want for our families.
Reflecting on these few events really has made me appreciate and love my family more. They are such a strength and blessing to me in my life.
My grandpa blacked out while mowing his lawn and in the process fell, breaking his C2 vertebra. It's been a long and crazy process getting his to where he is now. He's a heart patient and that is scary in and of itself. He's now in a Rehab Center near his home and doing MUCH better. He's in a neck brace and healing. Thank Heavens!
Right before this happened, my best closest cousin called to tell me that she and her husband are moving back to Utah after receiving a job offer in SLC. It was a weekend decision and tricky to make since my cousin's first baby girl is due two weeks from now. :) She said to me : "It was a 'no brainer' decision." We both agreed that growing up close to cousins and grandparents was such a blessing and that's what we both want for our families.
Reflecting on these few events really has made me appreciate and love my family more. They are such a strength and blessing to me in my life.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Updates
I'm just bubbling about my new jewelry making. We've got so much going on and it makes me giddy. I made a new group on FB yesterday. I also started a new blog to put all my jewelry adventures together. Stay tuned for all the fun-ness to follow. LOVE YOU ALL!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
My Testimony Meeting Excitement
A Sister in our ward bore her testimony today about the Savior. Her thought process was triggered by an article she read in the Church News about a new prototype meetinghouse built in Farmington, UT. I immediately became excited for this reason : (Read below)
Solar stake center harnesses power of the sun
Prototype to evaluate feasibility of energy-saving meetinghouses
By Greg Hill
Church News staff writer
Published: Saturday, May 1, 2010
FARMINGTON, UTAH
Though a new stake center in this northern Utah community is brimming with environmentally friendly technology, the most visually evident are the 158 solar panels covering a portion of the south side of the roof.
The building is a prototype designed to evaluate the feasibility of solar power in Church meetinghouses. Other such prototypes are being built in Eagle Mountain, Utah; Apache Junction, Ariz.; and Logandale and Pahrump, Nev.
Presiding Bishop H. David Burton said at a media conference April 27 in the cultural hall of the meetinghouse, "If it works in the northern clime like Farmington, Utah, we have great optimism it will be successful in other parts of the world."
The building, situated on flat land near the Great Salt Lake about 13 miles north of Salt Lake City, has full exposure to the sun as it rises over the eastern mountains and arcs over the southern sky. The stake center is expected to open sometime during the next few weeks.
Bishop Richard C. Edgley, first counselor to Bishop Burton, reviewed methods the Church has instituted over several decades to be environmentally sound while being mindful of needs of members. Diving so fully into solar power is the latest.
Jared Doxey describes how an educational display teaches about energy usage in a new energy-efficient meetinghouse prototype.
Bishop Burton told the Church News, "There is something very doctrinally sound when we talk about conservation of resources, when we talk about being responsible. Not only responsible in the environment, but responsible for our own lives and how we live them and the direction our lives take. Those kinds of things are very important in terms of our individual members.
"Like parents, we have teaching moments. We can say this is a teaching moment. Not only are we trying to do it institutionally, we hope that our members will use responsible, conservative kinds of activities as they conduct their own personal lives."
A water-efficient toilet that allows users to control the water flow is displayed by Jared Doxey. Other improvements, such as xeriscaping, solar panels and instantly heated water, are being tested in this environmentally friendly meetinghouse prototype in Farmington, Utah.
From simple bike racks to encourage members to ride their bikes to meetings when they can, to thermostats that can self-diagnose heating and cooling systems and e-mail reports of problems to a local facility manager before anyone calls in a complaint of "too cold" or "too hot," the stake center is an example of environmental responsibility.
Lights will automatically shut off in empty rooms because of motion sensors. Eighteen residential furnaces make it possible to heat the building's 10 zones individually. Instantaneous tankless water heaters provide hot water for rest rooms and the baptismal font, replacing 100-gallon tanks that consumed energy keeping the water hot 24-hours-a-day whether needed or not.
According to Jared Doxey, director of architecture, engineering and construction for the Church's Physical Facilities Department, "A lot of little things might not seem on their own to make a big difference. But when you start adding up the little things … the cumulative effect is that it reduces the total cost of ownership for this building as we operate it for the next 50-75 years."
During the morning, Brother Doxey conducted a tour of the building, pointing out many of the "little things" that will save money and conserve the environment.
Bishop Burton said environment responsibility is important to the Church as it improves the surrounding community in reducing energy use, water use and pollution.
The stake center is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified at the silver level by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council. Points toward certification are awarded based on several environmental criteria such as energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions and improved indoor environmental quality.
The solar energy is a big part of the building's certification. An inverter on the grounds, about the size of a kitchen range, regulates the solar energy, Brother Doxey said. When the solar panels are not producing enough electricity, the inverter draws in power from an outside grid. When the panels are producing more electricity than the building is using, the inverter sends it out to the power grid and it is purchased by the electric company. That means, he said, that between buying and selling electricity, it is expected that the building's electricity cost for a year will be net zero.
An interesting feature in the building is a computer readout of energy use. It shows the amount of electricity being produced by the solar panels and the resulting cost savings. As icons are clicked, it also displays how much coal would be consumed producing the same amount of electricity, the time a blow dryer would run on that amount of electricity and the reduction in CO-2 emissions by using solar power.
Displaying images of past environmental improvements to meetinghouses, Bishop H. David Burton details recent advancements to media.
The readout can be viewed on a screen in the materials center or wirelessly on a computer.
Bishop Burton said the readouts can be used to help members learn about the value of energy conservation in the Church and in their personal lives.
Solar stake center harnesses power of the sun
Prototype to evaluate feasibility of energy-saving meetinghouses
By Greg Hill
Church News staff writer
Published: Saturday, May 1, 2010
FARMINGTON, UTAH
Though a new stake center in this northern Utah community is brimming with environmentally friendly technology, the most visually evident are the 158 solar panels covering a portion of the south side of the roof.
The building is a prototype designed to evaluate the feasibility of solar power in Church meetinghouses. Other such prototypes are being built in Eagle Mountain, Utah; Apache Junction, Ariz.; and Logandale and Pahrump, Nev.
Presiding Bishop H. David Burton said at a media conference April 27 in the cultural hall of the meetinghouse, "If it works in the northern clime like Farmington, Utah, we have great optimism it will be successful in other parts of the world."
The building, situated on flat land near the Great Salt Lake about 13 miles north of Salt Lake City, has full exposure to the sun as it rises over the eastern mountains and arcs over the southern sky. The stake center is expected to open sometime during the next few weeks.
Bishop Richard C. Edgley, first counselor to Bishop Burton, reviewed methods the Church has instituted over several decades to be environmentally sound while being mindful of needs of members. Diving so fully into solar power is the latest.
Jared Doxey describes how an educational display teaches about energy usage in a new energy-efficient meetinghouse prototype.
Bishop Burton told the Church News, "There is something very doctrinally sound when we talk about conservation of resources, when we talk about being responsible. Not only responsible in the environment, but responsible for our own lives and how we live them and the direction our lives take. Those kinds of things are very important in terms of our individual members.
"Like parents, we have teaching moments. We can say this is a teaching moment. Not only are we trying to do it institutionally, we hope that our members will use responsible, conservative kinds of activities as they conduct their own personal lives."
A water-efficient toilet that allows users to control the water flow is displayed by Jared Doxey. Other improvements, such as xeriscaping, solar panels and instantly heated water, are being tested in this environmentally friendly meetinghouse prototype in Farmington, Utah.
From simple bike racks to encourage members to ride their bikes to meetings when they can, to thermostats that can self-diagnose heating and cooling systems and e-mail reports of problems to a local facility manager before anyone calls in a complaint of "too cold" or "too hot," the stake center is an example of environmental responsibility.
Lights will automatically shut off in empty rooms because of motion sensors. Eighteen residential furnaces make it possible to heat the building's 10 zones individually. Instantaneous tankless water heaters provide hot water for rest rooms and the baptismal font, replacing 100-gallon tanks that consumed energy keeping the water hot 24-hours-a-day whether needed or not.
According to Jared Doxey, director of architecture, engineering and construction for the Church's Physical Facilities Department, "A lot of little things might not seem on their own to make a big difference. But when you start adding up the little things … the cumulative effect is that it reduces the total cost of ownership for this building as we operate it for the next 50-75 years."
During the morning, Brother Doxey conducted a tour of the building, pointing out many of the "little things" that will save money and conserve the environment.
Bishop Burton said environment responsibility is important to the Church as it improves the surrounding community in reducing energy use, water use and pollution.
The stake center is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified at the silver level by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council. Points toward certification are awarded based on several environmental criteria such as energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions and improved indoor environmental quality.
The solar energy is a big part of the building's certification. An inverter on the grounds, about the size of a kitchen range, regulates the solar energy, Brother Doxey said. When the solar panels are not producing enough electricity, the inverter draws in power from an outside grid. When the panels are producing more electricity than the building is using, the inverter sends it out to the power grid and it is purchased by the electric company. That means, he said, that between buying and selling electricity, it is expected that the building's electricity cost for a year will be net zero.
An interesting feature in the building is a computer readout of energy use. It shows the amount of electricity being produced by the solar panels and the resulting cost savings. As icons are clicked, it also displays how much coal would be consumed producing the same amount of electricity, the time a blow dryer would run on that amount of electricity and the reduction in CO-2 emissions by using solar power.
Displaying images of past environmental improvements to meetinghouses, Bishop H. David Burton details recent advancements to media.
The readout can be viewed on a screen in the materials center or wirelessly on a computer.
Bishop Burton said the readouts can be used to help members learn about the value of energy conservation in the Church and in their personal lives.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Make-Over Show Pet Peeves
This article was shared with me by one of my professors, who is also a CBD & a CKD (for those of you needing lingo help : certified bath designer & certified kitchen designer.)
I have many of the same feelings...even at this stage in my education, but I still find inspiring ideas from watching every once in awhile.
Designer Roundtable: Make-Over Show Pet Peeves
I have many of the same feelings...even at this stage in my education, but I still find inspiring ideas from watching every once in awhile.
Designer Roundtable: Make-Over Show Pet Peeves
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Flashback Day
Today I took my brother Jeffrey's Senior Pictures. He's SO stinkin cute. I love photography, but I've never taken any classes. I've just picked up a few things from my brothers here and there. I've confiscated my Dad's camera lately in order to keep myself busy despite my unemployment. Two brothers graduated and five years later have given me a "Flashback" Day. :) (These are all copy righted.) Here's a few of my favs:
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