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I’ve Got a New Beacon of Spring!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hive. The opinions and text belong to Thrift Diving

When we lived in our 2-bedroom condo, the first sign that spring was around the corner, way before Daylight Savings, was a small crack of sunlight that shone on the wall behind our bed in the morning.

I know it doesn’t sound like much, but every year, as the earth shifted and began rising differently in the horizon, that first glimpse of a sliver of sun peeking through the window was the first hint that we’d soon be donning short-sleeves and opening the windows for fresh air. I’d always get excited the moment I’d see that sunlight on the wall!

Years later, in our current single-family home, the only signs of approaching spring were the onslaught of ants in every single room of our house. (EEK!)

The minute we’d see a single ant scouting for food, we’d groan, “Ugh, spring is coming!” (And we’d know that even more ants would soon rear their ugly antenna).

But recently I discovered a new beacon of spring: my Hive Active Lightbulbs!

Let me explain…

Remember My Pretty Lamp Makeover?

Back in the fall, I shared how my family has been teaming up with Hive for the past year and slowly turning our house into a smart home. (Hive lets people adjust their heating and air conditioning, lighting, and appliances from wherever they are with smart technology).

In fact, I did this pretty thrifted lamp and end table makeover for my family room. This is the lamp that provides most of the light for my family room and is the lamp for which we use the Hive Active lightbulb (we have another lamp with the Hive Active Light Color-Changing bulb).

I can automatically schedule them to come on at various times, based on the season we’re in.

Late last summer, as night started pressing into day, I had to shift the light schedule from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. because we noticed that as fall approached, we’d often find ourselves sitting in the dark, waiting for the lights to pop on.

Talk about depressing!

As a DIYer who depends on as many daylight hours as possible for working on projects in the driveway, losing hours of sunlight downright sucks! 🙂

But I forged on through the winter, enjoying the automated lights that we can control with a schedule (and can manually control with the Hive app, available in both iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon.

I even got to try the awesome Hive Active Light Color-Changing bulbs (with 16 million colors) which helped set the Christmas tone throughout the holiday season.

Then I Discovered My New Beacon of Spring!

One day, I was coming in from the garage shortly after the kids had gotten home from school to say hi to them, and–what in the world??–the Hive light was on but it was……still daylight! GASP!

Wait, what??

While it didn’t happen overnight, suddenly the earth started shifting into “spring is near” mode and I hadn’t even noticed that our scheduled 4:30 p.m. scheduled time wasn’t needed.

Instead, our family room was still sparkling with the glow of sunset at 4:30. We could move back the schedule to 5:30!

I missed our condo where the first signs of spring were slivers of sunlight on my bedroom wall. I looked forward to it at the end of each winter.

But now, my Hive Active lights are my new beacons of spring in my family room!

Goodbye, 4:30 p.m.!

Now that we’ve been granted the honor of springing forward by 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time, I’ve got to adjust my Hive lightbulb schedule again to accommodate the added hour we’ve gained.

But that’s super easy to do, as you can see from the screenshot below from the Hive app.

I just changed the schedule along with changing the clocks on the stove and microwaves. So now it will come on at 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. (when we typically go upstairs to bed. I know–we’re a bunch of old farts around here. LOL)

The light will automatically cut off on its own from 9:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. the following day. I love setting it and forgetting about it.

Bye-bye, 4:30 p.m.! 🙂

Once summer is in full swing, I’ll be able to readjust it to 7:30 p.m. or even 8:00 p.m.

I love this time of year!

What Will You Do With More Daylight?

I’ll admit that I’ve been about as productive as a sloth all winter.

The cold temperatures, along with limited daylight, has really put a damper on my DIY projects.

Now that we’re turning the corner soon on more sun longer into the evening means that even though I’m taking carpentry classes Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I can still have many hours of the day left to work on my projects.

As I mentioned, I typically work in the garage and in the driveway, where I use bright natural sunlight for taking shots and videos.

But if you don’t have a place to work outdoors (or you prefer to work indoors), consider investing in the Hive Active Lightbulbs (or the Hive Light Active Color-Changing bulbs) for your indoor workspace or craft room.

You can easily adjust the level of brightness so you’ve got lots of light when needed, or you can dim them for a more cozy setting.

(With the Color-Changing bulbs, you can even select warm, cool, and everything in between, depending on your preference!).

And no matter whether it’s getting dark at 4:30 p.m., or shining brightly at 7:30 p.m., the Hive smart lightbulbs, and the app, make it easy to keep your home comfortably lit no matter the season!

Where to Find the Hive Smart Products

Head over to Hive and find out more information about their Active Lights, along with other smart products. Hive now offers four packs designed to meet the individual needs of each home including the Starter Pack, Heating & Cooling Pack and Close to Home Pack. Hive smart products get your home just the way you like it (thank goodness for the app, too!).

Next, leave a comment below and let me know how you plan to use the extra daylight hours we’re receiving! What fun projects do you have planned for spring?

I’ll see you in the comments section!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hive. The project belongs to Thrift Diving. 

When we lived in our 2-bedroom condo, the first sign that spring was around the corner, way before Daylight Savings, was a small crack of sunlight that shone on the wall behind our bed in the morning.

I know it doesn’t sound like much, but every year, as the earth shifted and began rising differently in the horizon, that first glimpse of a sliver of sun peeking through the window was the first hint that we’d soon be donning short-sleeves and opening the windows for fresh air. I’d always get excited the moment I’d see that sunlight on the wall!

Years later, in our current single-family home, the only sign of approaching spring was the onslaught of ants in every single room of our house. (EEK!)

The minute we’d see a single ant scouting for food, we’d groan, “Ugh, spring is coming!” (And we’d know that even more ants would soon rear their ugly antenna).

But recently I discovered a new beacon of spring:  my Hive Active light!

Let me explain…

 

Remember My Pretty Lamp Makeover?

Back in the fall, I shared how my family has been teaming up with Hive for the past year and slowly turning our house into a smart home. (Hive lets people adjust their heating and air conditioning, lighting, and appliances from wherever they are with smart products).

In fact, I did this pretty thrifted lamp and end table makeover for my family room. This is the lamp that provides most of the light for my family room and is the lamp for which we use the Hive Active light (we have another lamp with the Hive Active Light Color-Changing bulb).

I can automatically schedule them to come on at various times, based on the season we’re in.

Late last summer, as night started pressing into day, I had to shift the light schedule from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. because we noticed that as fall approached, we’d often find ourselves sitting in the dark, waiting for the lights to pop on.

Talk about depressing!

As a DIYer who depends on as many daylight hours as possible for working on projects in the driveway, losing hours of sunlight downright sucks! 🙂

 

Hive Active Lights - Smart products that connect your lights to an app. - Thrift Diving

 

But I forged on through the winter, enjoying the automated lights that we can control with a schedule (and can manually control with the Hive app.

I even got to try the awesome Hive Active Light Color-Changing bulbs (with 16 million colors to choose from) which helped set the Christmas tone throughout the holiday season.

 

Hive Active Light Color-Changing Bulbs - Smart products that connect your lights to an app. - Thrift Diving

Then I Discovered My New Beacon of Spring!

One day, I was coming in from the garage shortly after the kids had gotten home from school to say hi to them, and–what in the world??–the Hive light was on but it was……still daylight! GASP!

Wait, what??

While it didn’t happen overnight, suddenly the earth started shifting into “spring is near” mode and I hadn’t even noticed that our scheduled 4:30 p.m. scheduled time wasn’t needed.

Instead, our family room was still sparkling with the glow of sunset at 4:30. We could move back the schedule to 5:30!

I missed our condo where the first signs of spring were slivers of sunlight on my bedroom wall. I looked forward to it at the end of each winter.

But now, my Hive Active lights are my new beacons of spring in my family room!

 

Hive Active Lights - Install smart lights into your lamps in your family room and schedule them to come on whenever you want. - Thrift Diving

Goodbye, 4:30 p.m.!

Now that we’ve been granted the honor of springing forward by 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time, I’ve got to adjust my Hive lightbulb schedule again to accommodate the added hour we’ve gained.

But that’s super easy to do, as you can see from the screenshot below from the Hive app.

I just changed the schedule along with changing the clocks on the stove and microwaves. So now it will come on at 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. (when we typically go upstairs to bed. I know–we’re a bunch of old farts around here. LOL)

The light will automatically cut off on its own from 9:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. the following day. I love setting it and forgetting about it.

Bye-bye, 4:30 p.m.! 🙂

Once summer is in full swing, I’ll be able to readjust it to 7:30 p.m. or even 8:00 p.m.

I love this time of year!

Hive Active Lights and Hive app - Easily schedule when your lights come on. - Thrift Diving

What Will You Do With More Daylight?

I’ll admit that I’ve been about as productive as a sloth all winter.

The cold temperatures, along with limited daylight, have really put a damper on my DIY projects.

Now that we’re turning the corner soon on more sun longer into the evening means that even though I’m taking carpentry classes Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I can still have many hours of the day left to work on my projects.

As I mentioned, I typically work in the garage and in the driveway, where I use bright natural sunlight for taking shots and videos.

But if you don’t have a place to work outdoors (or you prefer to work indoors), consider investing in the Hive Active Lights (or the Hive Active Light Color-Changing bulbs) for your indoor workspace or craft room.

You can easily adjust the level of brightness so you’ve got lots of light when needed, or you can dim them for a more cozy setting.

(With the Color-Changing bulbs, you can even select warm, cool, and everything in between, depending on your preference!).

And no matter whether it’s getting dark at 4:30 p.m., or shining brightly at 7:30 p.m., the Hive smart lightbulbs, and the app, make it easy to keep your home comfortably lit no matter the season!

 

Hive Active Lights and Hive app - Easily schedule when your lights come on for Daylight Savings Time. - Thrift Diving

Where to Find the Hive Smart Products

Head over to Hive and find out more information about their Hive Active Lights, along with other smart products. Hive now offers four packs designed to meet the individual needs of each home including the Welcome Home Pack, Starter Pack, Heating & Cooling Pack and Close to Home Pack. Hive smart products get your home just the way you like it (thank goodness for the app, too!).

Next, leave a comment below and let me know how you plan to use the extra daylight hours we’re receiving! What fun projects do you have planned for spring?

I’ll see you in the comments section!

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5 Comments

  1. What a useful app! I hate coming into a dark house at night ad would love the lights turning on automatically!

    1. I agree, Wendi. Sometimes I go upstairs early, too, and if the light isn’t scheduled to turn off, I just click it off via the app! The lazy girl’s dream of turning off the lights. HA!

  2. As I was leaving the store tonight at 8 PM I noticed that it wasn’t dark yet! I love this time – I wish we would keep it always.

    I also love a smart home. I have smart bulbs, security cameras, and thermostat. I have my echo connected to most of it and I love telling her what to do.

    I don’t set a schedule, but I love telling Alexa what to do. hehehehe

    gail

  3. Linda Reed says:

    I’m a big believer in timers for lights. I haven’t moved into the high tech light bulbs yet. I hate walking into a dark room, something traumatic must h ave happened in my childhood lol. And it’s nice to come home to a light on when you’re unexpectedly out after dark.

    1. You are so right, Linda! You know those bathrooms in public restrooms that are dark and are supposed to turn on automatically when you walk into them? Well, sometimes they don’t come on right away and it’s frightening! LOL. Sorry–that’s a little aside that I just had to share. HA! But I agree–I love the timed lights. If we’re out past 9 p.m. and come home late when the lights are scheduled to be off, we can easily turn them on with the app so that the house isn’t dark when we come home. It’s more comforting (and safer) walking into a lit house! 🙂

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