http://www.malikarisley.com Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:17:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/28/couch-makeover/ It's a hot topic of the day, should I go ahead and replace all my house lights with CFLs?  How much money will I have to spend upfront?  How much energy will I save a month? Basically, is it worth doing? This question is individual for every household.  Some households spend a ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/27/how-much-will-i-save-by-replacing-incandescent-with-cfl-light-bulbs/ Today I experimented with a new dish for my toddler - chicken and mashed potatoes.  Came out pretty yummy.  In fact it's so good, I could eat the whole thing myself! I used couple of ounces of boiled chicken breast, two mid-size baked potatoes, half cup of whole milk and about ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/22/baby-food-recipie-chicken-and-mashed-potatoes/ My neighbor sold me this neat running stroller.  I couldn't refuse, he was only asking $30 for it.  I tell you what, even if I had to buy it brand new at the store, I would have!  The brand new ones go for $110-$130.  It is a neat way to ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/21/mommys-exercise-helper/ Average clothes washer uses 40 gallons of water per cycle.  Its energy use will depend on the cycle’s water temperature.  The hotter the temperature, the more energy it will use.  The mechanical operation of washer itself does not consume a lot of energy. You can find out how much power your ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/18/save-money-on-laundry/ Many people have a misconception that running a dishwasher is more energy consuming than doing the dishes by hand.  I will explain the two scenarios as I go over the energy saving tips for washing dishes.  So you can decide on your own: Set water heater’s temperature at no higher than ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/17/save-energy-use-b-dishwasher/ I did this review using both camcorders, the Mino and the Mino HD.  If you are not at all familiar with Flip camcorders, you can visit theflip.com for specifications. Untitled from Malika Risley on Vimeo. http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/11/flip-mino-versus-flip-mino-hd-review/ This year we decided to make personalized greeting cards for our family and friends. We weren't going to use the photo studio since they are more expensive than we were willing to spend. So we made our own cards. It is an easy and practical way to ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/10/save-money-by-making-your-own-personalized-greeting-cards/ Last Saturday my husband and I went to check out Tampa Bloggers Meetup.  The meet up was happening at the Bunker. It's a neat little cafe/bar in Ybor City.  I met (in person!) a lot of interesting people, virtual nerds as you'd say.   I had a blast! Since I ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/08/tampa-bay-bloggers-meetup/ By Malika Risley I love giving gifts!  I feel good when I see the excitement on the recipients' faces as they are about to find out what they got. Mystery is an important part of gift giving.  We conceal the gifts before we give them away.  It's the feeling of surprise and ... http://www.malikarisley.com/2008/12/05/confession-of-the-gift-wrapping-cheapskate/