Future Furniture

Just watch . . . these will be all the rage . . .

Locally sourced, locally produced, repurposed, low-waste, low-consumption (you only need six bolts/nuts & six drywall screws!), comfy chairs.

This would have been a perfect Earth Day post, don't'cha think?

Silly Little Things

I get to do one of my favorite things in a few days: install cabinet hardware in my kitchen.

I have no idea why actual handles on cabinets and drawers have fallen out of vogue, but the last four houses we've moved into haven't had them. (Full disclosure: the first of those four was the house we built, and I just hadn't chosen them yet.) This will be hardware install #3 for me, and after conquering the gut-wrenching fear of destroying the beautiful cherry cabinets in our custom home, (which I didn't do--I installed them beautifully), I have enjoyed the whole process.

The first time, for our shaker cherry cabinets I chose these beauties:

(Satin nickel was the finish for all kitchen/bath fixtures in the arts & crafts-inspired House on the Mountain.)

The second time, for cordovan-finished beech cabinets, I chose these:

(I went eclectic in the Little Grey House, and I loved these. ;o)

And now, I'm not quite back to matchy-matchy, but rather loosely coordinating with the silvery tones in the rest of the house:

(The rest of this house has silvery-tones, in varying finishes.)

I highly recommend Cabinet Hardware Designs. This is my fourth order from them (I also ordered Schlage door levers for the House on the Mountain*), and not only are their prices exceptional, their customer service is top notch and their products are high quality. The knobs and pulls above are all priced like other sellers' budget line (and less than the "cheap-o" packages at big box stores), and are just as high quality as those sold for heinously more. Shopping at Home Depot last Saturday, I saw the very same hardware on their custom display . . . and get this: while the polished chrome pulls were the same prices I paid, ($2.37 ea) the oil-rubbed bronze & other finishes were $14-something. Someone is making a killing on those, and possibly trying to take advantage of customers' naivete. To which I take exception.

(I need to do a post sometime on the House on the Mountain, which we built. Beautiful, I tell you. And a tremendous learning experience.)

So, go check out Cabinet Hardware Designs. (Both their web store and their eBay store are linked above.) I've ordered through the eBay store, as I prefer the extra level of market forces to help make sure all transactions go well (eBay's feedback feature has proven a valuable ally in the past). And have a wonderful day!

Sock Summit Slowdown

Trying to register . . . but the page has been loading for two minutes now.

The tech guys just didn't get it.

They totally needed a scalable, hosted solution at a monstrous data center. Maybe next time, eh?

Attention all Geeks

Truth is stranger than fiction. Check out Method #2 here. Love that one. lol

Hope you're all having a great holiday!!!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha . . .

This is hilarious. Jeremy Clarkson is a crack up. (I make no comment on the actual content of this article . . . but the writing is great.)

Have a good one!

More than Measuring

There's a saying Vern's often quoting (Covey?): "You get what you measure." (No, Covey said: "When performance is measured, performance improves." Don't know who said "You get what you measure.")

Today, the Yarn Harlot put a different spin on it: you get that upon which you focus. (My words, her idea.) Her words:

"I really believe that you get more of what you pay attention to. This has been my theory for some time now, and it has proved true with toddlers, teenagers, money and yarn. In keeping with this theory, I try not to complain, or focus on the crappy things that happen to everybody. It's just crap, and it does happen to everybody, and complaining about it really only makes things crappier and makes sure that you spread it to more people."

I'm reminded of a Buddist master (is that the proper term? Maybe teacher?) I met in Sandpoint. He was working in a pizza stand just off of the Farmer's Market, next to the pizza oven, in mid-July. (It gets pretty hot in Sandpoint in mid-July. Believe me.) Instead of sweltering in discontent and laboring under the idea he would melt, or something along those lines, he repeated to himself, in a cheerful tone: "I'm cool. It's all cool. I'm fine." He looked to be late 40's, early 50's, and did not have the build of one who takes heat well. And of the handful of people crammed into that pizza stand, it clearly showed on his face that he was happiest.

I wish more people in the world would take the truly civilized route, and not complain about whatever happens to be their momentary cross. Whether it's a sigh (that's my bad habit), or a short sound, body language, or actual words, we all communicate our displeasure or frustration far more than necessary. Here's to keeping that under better wraps, allowing it to pass unvocalized, instead of infecting all of those around us with a measure of our own discontent and malice before the mood passes.

Civilization is handy that way.

Lovely, Lovely Thoughts

From my feathery friend, Birrd.

Don't you just love how she writes? So do I.

How to Stay Young

This came from a new good friend of mine today, and I thought I'd pass it on. It made me smile, and that's something I dearly love.

Reading this made me think of a picture of four women my mom has on her fridge. She's in it, along with three other women she served with in the previous Relief Society Presidency in her ward. One of the women is about 60, but has a 4-year-old at home. She looks at least fifteen years younger than her age would have you believe. Such a marked testimony to the old saying: "Act your age."

And now, How to Stay Young . . .

We all need to read this one over and over until it becomes part of who we are!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Try everything twice. On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:

Tried everything twice...loved it both times!

2. Keep only cheerful friends.?
The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)



3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle.

'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh,

spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.


6 The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.

LIVE while you are alive..

7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country,
but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

I love you, my special friend.


11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares?

But do share this with someone.

Remember! Lost time can never be found.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Good Job, and Hang in There.

To all the mothers I know:

Thank you for your examples, whatever they have been. I have watched and learned, and I value the influence you all have had on my life and mothering.

Thank you for showing me new ways to fill this ancient role in a day when the entire world seems stacked against goodness, gentleness, and love unfeigned.

Thank you for reminding me what's really important. For reminding me what family truly is, and should be.

Thank you for sharing bits and pieces of your lives, your time, and your laughter.

And please remember: on this day when ideal mothers are being held up for praise, when ideal motherhood is talked over and painted onto each one of us, know that I break down, lose my patience and my temper, and cry over the fear that I'll cripple my children's ability to succeed in our crazy world, and their own families, some day. You're not alone. Neither am I.

And to my own mother:

With each day, each minute, that goes by, I marvel anew at how you managed it all. I am so grateful for your faith, your strength, and your quiet determination to follow the path God laid out for you. Thank you for loving Dad, the boys, and I, and for being so kind and gentle about it. Thank you for teaching me so many basic, important principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for modeling them every day. Thank you for making the house on the ranch bright and attractive, and for working so hard to take such good care of all of us.

I don't know how you did it. And I'm so glad you did. I love you.

A Word of Caution

Let us be careful not to align ourselves with evil, simply because it seems to be doing more good than the conventional "good guys".