Search Results for: blog the gathering room

The Gathering Room

Depending on the size of your house, it can feel impossible to keep up with it. The more rooms you have, the more cleaning and maintenance there is. But no matter how big (or small) your house is, you should have one room that family and friends can easily relax in. I call it the “gathering” room. It should be a room where people gather and are made to feel comfortable and cozy. It is the room where a warm ambience is felt. So how do you make that happen? First, think comfort. More than likely this room will be … Continue reading →

Readying the Baby’s Room

Preparing the nursery has become an endless task. I went from merely gathering ideas to implementing projects towards its completion. It seems that I keep finding more projects for the nursery (which is also our son’s room). Some projects have been started and amazingly finished, while other projects have been started and temporarily abandoned to start additional projects. Our combined nursery/toddler room has changed significantly since we first moved back to the midwest. After discovering that we are having a girl, I knew exactly what theme I was going with for our baby daughter: ballet. However, I had never picked … Continue reading →

The Future Room

Recently I found myself sitting in a room filled with professors. These were academics from all fields. Mathematics, Arts, Sciences, Languages, Economics, Engineering, et cetera. The reason for this meeting was a university wide open forum for the purpose of gathering information in order to improve a certain area of the work these professors perform outside of their responsibilities in the classroom. Some suits, some shorts, some jeans, and one me. I was fortunate enough to attend this relatively open and honest meeting between faculty from vastly differing fields. How did I get this invitation? I am the writer for … Continue reading →

A New Trend in Dining Room Tables

My husband and I have been looking at dining room tables lately. We have a round table from IKEA that is really meant to be a game table but is currently being used as our dining room table. It is serviceable, and I don’t have to worry too much about the kids scratching it or causing any damage to the table, since it is sturdy and inexpensive. The main problem with our current table is that it is too small to be used much longer for dining. There are now five of us in t he family, and things get … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: October

As I sit here looking out my window at the backyard, the birds are hovering in the pine tree against a strong wind and steady rain. The temperature is chilly today, and the calendar reminds me that we have left October behind. October 1st Buy a Home for $1.75 It seems that the housing crisis has made some interesting news lately. Home Month in Review: September 2008 Has the weather turned cooler now that September has passed? Pretty soon, it will be time to get that heat turned back on! Meanwhile, check out all of the articles that were posted … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: August

Did you have a good month? We seem to have packed an entire summer’s worth of activities in this past month. Now, it seems, it is back to school and time to get ready for autumn. Still, it is nice to look back toward warm sands and wearing shorts even as we will soon be crunching leaves and taking out the sweaters. August 1st Getting Out Grass Stains With summer in full swing, chances are that your family has been playing outdoors quite a bit. And with all of that outdoor play comes the grass stains, especially if you are … Continue reading →

Summer Gathering Safety for Pets

A backyard barbeque or garden party can be fun for the whole family — including your pets. Here are some tips to help ensure that your four-legged friends have a good and safe time. Take your dog on a nice, long walk before guests arrive. If he’s already tired, he will be less likely to jump, bark, or be over-enthusiastic in his greetings. Set up a safe place for your pets to get away from the activity of a cookout or party. Maybe a bed or blanket in a shady spot; maybe a safe room inside where the guests won’t … Continue reading →

King of the Mushrooms

Button mushrooms are the most commonly eaten mushroom in the United States. Ninety percent of all mushrooms consumed are the plain, white button mushroom. That’s a lot of mushrooms. (They’re my favorites!) Good news for you if you like button mushrooms, too — researchers from Tufts University have decided that this is the healthiest mushroom around. White button mushrooms can do some amazing things like: Boost immune system activity. Ward off viruses (thanks to that revved up immune system action). Destroy tumors. Protect against cancer, thanks to high antioxidant content. Antioxidants kill dangerous free radicals in the body (that can … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for October 29 – November 4

The new format worked so well I think I’ll stick with it again this week. Ready? Here we go…let’s see what Aimee and I wrote last week: Monday, October 29 More Viral Animal Emails: Doggone Hysterical Cartoons aren’t just for the funnies anymore. These days people can share them with everyone in their email address book. I talked about some that friends had shared with me that tickled my funny bone. Common Saltwater Fish Diseases Aimee talked about the diseases that saltwater fish are susceptible too, many of which are the same that affect tropical fish. She gave a list … Continue reading →

Is There Room in Your Custody and Parenting Plans for Unscheduled Time?

I know that every family is different and some of us have much more structured parenting plans and custody arrangements than others. But, I think that there are also times in a child’s life when flexibility might be in order. Just because the calendar says that he has to be at dad’s house, shouldn’t mean that he can’t have some “unscheduled” time with mom if the need arises. For some families, it can take a while to get to a place where unscheduled time is even possible, but I do think it needs to be a consideration as you try … Continue reading →