D life blog

Here are some of the things I found to consider when looking at purchasing Z-wave Smart Switches. What it ships with : Check what the switch comes with.  Some come with different color face plates, but more importantly, some do NOT come with a bit of wire to connect to your neutral. Protocol : Some are Z-wave, and some are Z-wave Plus.  Z-wave plus seems to mean that the switch is faster, has longer range for connectivity and usually has more features such as central scene control (means you can program double/triple tap behavior. )  Look and feel : Some look like a normal paddle switch, while others have LED lights to tell you their setting level.   Normal looking paddle switch in white with only an on/off indicator LED Paddle switch in light almond with LED dimmer level indicator LEDs Things to note :  Some switches don't support LED lights.  Check the description to avoid these.   Note the supported wattage of the switch - they...

I replaced some old dumb light switches with new smart light switches.  Note 1 :Before I go through the steps, here is a little bit of important information to know.  There may be several wires required to make the new switch connect - here is the definition of what you should see available in the housing for the switch. Smart light Switch = In my case, this is a wall light switch that has a radio that can be connected ted to a Hub for remote control or for programming on/off/dimmer based upon triggers. The protocol of the radio is z-wave in my case. Line = always hot wire - this is the source of current to the switch. Load =wire that goes to light out the other side of the switch and is only hot when the switch is turned on. Neutral =  White wire (in my house) that carries a current back to the source for the unbalanced portion of the load Ground wire = the wire that grounds the circuit. Note 2: I've only installed z-wave switches with a neutral ...

I find it hard to make steak the way I like it on my Traeger.  My preference is called 'Pittsburg' style which is sort of similar to 'black & blue' in that it requires a high temperature to sear the meat on the outside (carbonize it without overcooking the inside which I like rare).  Here are the steps I take to make it the way I like it.  Note step #5 is sort of cheating, but it works for me. Put the Traeger on smoke setting.  After smoke starts,put the steaks on the grill for 20-30 minutes. Get the steak off the grill and crank the temp up as high as it goes. Season the steak with Light oil, salt, pepper, garlic (while waiting for the grill to get up to temperature) Steaks back on the grill & cook at least at 400 degrees for 4 minutes each side Sear on iron skillet on a gas stove for a few seconds until it looks like you want it. Finally, if you want to get unhealthy, you can add clarified butter and put that on the steak wh...

  As a recent cord cutter living in close proximity to a metropolitan area, I enjoy over 40 HD channels for free.  Ok, well maybe I only enjoy about 8 of those channels and the others are not so good.   What I really use this for is local channel news and channel flipping.  In any case, to be efficient, I wanted to only have 1 antenna power a TV signal to any coaxial jack in the house - so I searched the web looking for a good example of how to do this.  Unfortunately, google didn't show me what I was looking for, so I experimented on my own & I'm happy with the result.   The challenge - how to use 1 antenna to feed an HD TV signal to all of the TV coaxial jacks in the house (except 1 that I hijack). Here are some of the prerequisites for this project if you approach it my way. Have good coaxial cable throughout the house Have a centralized closet where the coaxial cables in the house all converge. Have an HD Antenna with the range ...

This is my espresso martini recipe. 1 oz cold espresso 1 1/2 oz vodka 1 1/2 oz Kahlua 1 oz creme de cacao I make the espresso fresh and let it cool for about 15 minutes.   After mixing, I pour it into a martini glass with crushed ice.   For ease, sometimes, I do one part of each ingredient and that works well too.

In my experience, if you want an easier life, don't do any of the things below!  This is a list I compiled of financial mistakes people make all the time that can usually be avoided.   Putting off saving for the future Especially Roth IRA or matched 401 K! Employer paid benefits are the best free money Time value of money - rule of 72 Not building an emergency fund Accumulating debt  when not absolutely necessary For credit card debt always pay in full monthly “It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.”   Times have changed as far as Americans attitude toward mortgages.  Do the math on the tax savings of a mortgage and see what it really means. Proverbs 22:7 "The borrower is servant to the lender" Not investing You want your money to work for you. Making bad investments AKA - educate yourself before buying Examples time shares certain insurance products like annuities. Do NOT trust that someone else can handle your finances...

Making Beef Jerky is easy and quick and not too expensive on the Traeger.   Get these ingredients: 1 12 oz beer dark.  I used Negra Modelo 1 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce 3 TBSP Brown Sugar 1 TBSP Morton Tender quick Curing Salt (this is optional) 1/2 TSP Garlic Salt 3-4 TBSP Ground pepper 1 TBSP of Tony's (Tony Chachere's Original Creole ) 2 LBS Top round beef  (pre cut if possible ~1/4 inch thick) Step 1 .  Mix the non meat (& only 1 TBSP of pepper) ingredients together well, into a marinade.   Note that the ingredients call for 1 - 12 oz beer, but you could drink another while doing step 1 & 2. Step 2 . Put the mix in a zip lock with the meat for 24 hours in the fridge.  Step 3 . Start the Traeger on Smoke. (takes a couple of minutes for smoke).  I used Hickory wood. Step 4 . While waiting for smoke, lay the meat out on paper towels and pour out the marinade. Apply pepper to the meat generously on both sides. S...