Columbus Holiday Weekend

In 1492, Columbus went in search of spices and “discovered” new land that Spain then took possession of calling it the Americas.

How appropriate, that this weekend, I am going to work with my neighbor in helping him put up fencing for a dog run and he’s going to help me place up a length of fencing in my backyard that abutts his front yard.

What’s mine is mine and what is yours is yours.  Take notice Columbus, wandering neighbors and domesticated pets.  You all need to find some other land to discover or a place to put your eyes, nose and feet, after we have completed our projects.

The human resources for this project, other than me, myself and I (who has never built a fence before) is my new neighbor who has told me that he was 12 years old when he first started working as a runner for a fence maker.  Plus over the years he has built a good number of fences himself.

For style and design, we are also going to follow the fine example of a "good neighbor fence" that our former neighbor built board by board last summer.  The only exception being that for the section that I am putting up I want it at a height of 7’, as opposed to the 6’ due to the fact that my back yard is viewed by all of the other front yards up this side of the cul-du-sac.  On the flip side, when in my back yard, I am can not escape from being in the line of site of their front yards, driveways and cars.

Not pleasant for any party involved.

The neighbor has warned me that since I am not doing a standard 6’ height that I more than likely will have to purchase the lumber at a local specialty lumber store, as opposed to the near-by and oh so convenient, Home Depot. 

Inconvenient and potentially much more costly.  But, for that particular section, I don't think I will sway in my decision for the extra foot of height.

I will need to make time to research this matter this evening and tomorrow.  If need be, I will contact one of the local, private lumber yards for availability, pricing and hours of operation, etc.

The neighbor is in charge of renting the power auger and I can already imagine my muscles are going to be screaming after we fight with that machine to pull the earth up from below to make room for fence posts.

Miss Utility has been contacted and as of this evening there are another set of utility lines marking the front of my property warning us where we either must dig carefully by hand tool or avoid all together, as lines can be up to 2’ on either side of their marks.

Since all of the utility companies had to respond and mark our properties prior to us digging, I also asked that they mark the remaining perimeter of my property.  This is for me to note and in the future I will be more aware of where lines reside underground.  Plus, be prepared for whether or not I can place additional spans of fencing around the perimeter of the side yards, etc.

My intellectual property name for this business endeavor is Sawyer-Finn™.  ;^)

Stay tuned, as I will update with photos and related stories.

10/08 AM Status Update

Neighbor that I am going to help build a fence with is sick enough that he's heading off to the doctor's this AM.

We met outside briefly to go over what I need for materials for the section of fence I am going to build.  But, in light of him being as sick as he is he agreed that it would be wise to put off our purchasing of supplies until he's feeling better and we can put a full effort into the digging of post (have to rent an auger) and hauling lumber and 80 lb bags of concrete to fill post holes, etc.

Cold Beverage Decanter / Jar

Cold Beverage Decanter / Jar

Have you ever wondered how to dispense large quantities of homemade beverages or ice water when you have a gathering?

More than likely, you have been in the same situation that I am in and you either end up purchasing beverages in containers pre-made from the store or you have a number of odd containers available. 

Like me, do you have some containers that you would rather not share with the general public that you keep in the refrigerator and use on a daily basis?

You know the ones with the stains that will never come out or that chip that has been on the edge of the pitcher since 1960, when your grandmother hit the faucet while hand washing it.

I have eyed these large glass beverage decanters with the matching clear glass tops and metal spigot, as the one shown above from Crate & Barrel, over the past five years or so when I have seen them in the stores. 

The negatives being the size and the cost and the pluses being the ability to have one nice large decent container to serve drinks from that were made or mixed at home rather than increasing the carbon footprint with empty containers that end up in the recycle bin.

Last week, I saw one of these style containers in a store and was very surprised that I walked out of the store without purchasing it.

This week, I did not get away without having it in a shopping bag and a receipt in my wallet.

The planets finally crossed and there was a not 100% perfect two gallon decanter in the store, as it had a very small chip on the lower portion of the jar’s interior where the spigot hole was drilled (one would need to examine closely if filled with a clear beverage to see).  $10 and it was sold and on the way home with me.

Currently, it is sitting next to the kitchen sink half filled with water to determine whether or not there are any leaks.

Why?  Because, I had purchased a one gallon glass and plastic beverage container five summers ago and discovered that no matter how much I tried to tighten the spigot and adjoining nut inside the jar that it continued to have a slow leak.

Eventually, that container was given to a friend of mine who has her younger brother living with her.  She said he would make a container of ice tea and leave it on the counter and consume it each day.

Perfect for him to keep next to the sink and without the worries of whether or not a puddle of tea would be in the bottom of the refrigerator by days end.

During the summer season, the one gallon jars with colorful seasonal artwork printed on them are readily available in stores such as Wal-Mart, CVS and Target or for very reasonable cost.

I would just recommend testing with water prior to filling with any beverage to determine if there are any leaks.  If there are leaks, it can potentially be rectified by tightening the mechanism. 

If not, pack it back up and find yourself in the returns line.  Better to test it out and know ahead of time rather than end up upset over a ring on the furniture or puddle on the floor, etc.

More options -

A friend and I are enamored with Horchow.com.  They have the most exquisite items for home and garden, as well as a team of designers that have a knack for putting the right color and style combinations together.  WE both subscribe to their email notifications and scan through their on-line merchandise like we did as children through a Service Merchandise toy catalog.

Exception, now, we email each other the URL’s to share the webpage for the item(s) we like and I, personally, keep a file on my computer of some of the images of their merchandise that I have on that wish list.

I received the email posting of their beverage decanter collection and sale a few weeks ago.  Likewise, my friend did and loved the containers so much she forwarded me the email with a link to make certain I understood what I “should” have.

Here is the link for you to view their collection and become intoxicated with the beauty of their urn style containers with etched glass.

If per chance you are feeling overly generous and want to send a surprise package.  My address is . . .

Homespun Gifts from the Heart

Reference books, what can I say, I just can not quench the thirst for knowledge and ideas that these books offer as a source of entertainment and learning.   Thus the ever growing collection of how-to books and other like reference materials.

Yes, some books I can pass up such as the Starbuck’s recipe book, I had in my paws this week. 

The defining test is to take the time and sit down to examine the contents of the book prior to getting to the cash register, if in a brick and mortar store. 

This is what I did with the Starbucks book and I am glad I did.  I found myself a chair and examined the pages while resting in a chair and decided quickly, that I did not need it. 

I told myself that there are plenty of recipes out there related to foods that can be served with coffee in recipe books I already own and for free via the Internet.  “Wake up, I thought, and realize that it is not unique recipes this book is selling, it is Starbuck’s and Starbuck’s coffee.”

Ha!  One book that did not follow me home like a lost puppy.

Another book was also recipe related and was rather large.  Yet, I carried it around the store thinking I would purchase it, as its cover art and copy gave the impression of generations’ worth of old southern recipes. 

NOT. 

Once I sat down and looked through the pages, I discovered it was more artistic nouveau cuisine, as opposed to good old classic southern country cooking. 

Another book put right back on the shelf.

A book that I did purchase this week is entitled “HOMESPUN GIFTS FROM THE HEART:  200 Creative Ideas, 250 Gift Tags & Easy Directions”, written by Karen Ehman, Kelly Hovermale and Trish Smith.

What caught my eye is in the back section of the book; “Gift Tags & Labels” there are pages and pages of 250 tags and labels to go along with the food and gift items from the front of the book. 

Not only are they artistic and in good taste, design wise, but they also have optional tags that include the recipe for the pre-made item (or) in the event it is a dry mix, it includes a list of wet ingredients and what other instructions are needed to complete the recipe.

The authors of the book first started “Homespun Gifts From The Heart” for women’s and church groups and with their mixture of various talents finally put their wisdom, ideas and designs into a nicely packaged book.

I did not read that last page, until after I purchased the book.  Though last night I had been thinking how well this book would present itself to a women’s guild, at a church for ideas on what to make and sell for a church fair and fundraiser.

The book has some not so main stream recipes, such as cinnamon spiced nuts and hot drink recipes consisting of the dry ingredients.  These are some of the many creative recipes that can be packaged in a nice cellophane bag or other choice container.  Afterwards, pull it all together with a decorative cord or ribbon and a copy of the appropriate tag from the back of the book.

Voila!

There are even such things as a recipe for dog biscuits and craft ideas and plans for homemade Christmas stockings.

Another final and interesting note from the last page of the book is that it lists each of the author’s biographies.  Not only are they all mothers.  They also all home school their children.

My mother is a member of her church guild and continues to enjoy and work on church fairs along with other church members.  Definitely, I will be passing along an idea or two from this book for her to share with her guild members, as well as experimenting with some homespun gifts of my own when the occasion arises.

I say, give the book a gander by accessing the link I provided at the top of this piece to view on Amazon.com.  ;^)

Tall Leggings Update - Order & Promo Codes

Refer to my blog post on tall leggings available at Newport News for the previous posting on this topic: 

http://staringintothelight.blogspot.com/2010/09/couple-of-current-low-cost-options-for.html

This will give you an overview of the tall leggings that Newportnews.com currently has in their catalog available in "Tall" size, as well as the longer "scrunch" style comes even longer at 34" inseam.

In the original post, I noted that they are currently offering gift cards at a discount of 20% off and I was going to purchase the $50 card for only $40 total.

The card arrived in the mail yesterday and I just completed placing my order via telephone with a very nice and informative representative named "Kim".

I started to place my order on-line, but then I noticed promotion codes posted on another site to include free shipping (Code:  L54) and a 15% off discount (Code: 578) for an original total purchase price over $50.

What a bah-gan!

Both codes are valid as of 2 October, Saturday.  Plus, if interested the discounts for the purchase of gift cards is still in effect.

Placing the order:

Only the black and white leggings are available in the scrunch 34" length.  Note:  I would have ordered this style only, if colors were available, due to the extra long length.

So-Coveted Scrunch Leggings
NN K4819

I also wanted Double Expresso and Navy leggings to go with other tops and ordered one of each color in the slim leggings.  Plus, I added a pair of charcoal gray in order to take advantage of the 15% total discount off of orders over $50.

Simply Must-Have Slim Leggings
NN K3751

$68 worth of merchandise for $47.80 + $1.95 handling fee.

SWEET! 

The Newport News representative was informative and said that she has a pair of the leggings and always advises customers that are purchasing "DO NOT place in the drier unless you want shorter leggings.  Hang to air dry."

Thank you for the advice Kim.

Shipment is not expected to arrive until mid October.  I will update all my tall friends, at that time.

Paw and Splash Proofing Potted Plants REVISITED

A status update and modification to the large plant repotting projects that I posted a week ago. 

The Lord Fairfax, Urban Tiger a.k.a. Mason, getting pea gravel stuck to his paws and a few pieces here and there, as he walked away from his session of ritualistic plant abuse.

This is the pea gravel that I had placed on top of the soil to keep it from getting on his paws and help prevent soil from splashing out of the pot when I watered the plants.

Another trip to Home Depot a.k.a. Home Deposit for a bag of larger chunks of white marble stone.  Cost $4.

I would not recommend bringing the bag of stone into the house.  I placed it outdoors and used a plastic bag to cover my hand and filled a small heavy duty container with stones and made trips back and forth until each of the large indoor plants had the layer of pea gravel covered.

Lesson learned and I hope that my sharing helps you with your next potting and pet proofing project.

Repotting Selection of Containers

"All The Saints", by artist Hayes Porter



"All The Saints", by Hayes Porter is a wonderful and expressive piece of artwork, serenity and a deep and suitable planter for my snake plants that I had been reviving in a vase of water and fertilizer for an extended period of time after they suffered from too much sun exposure last spring.

Landscape shops often sell small resin and cement statuary for homes and gardens.  If you do not feel like shopping around they are a definite source of unique planters for accent. 

This particular planter came from Tuesday Morning, of all places, on sale for 40% off of the regular Tuesday Morning price (or) $14.99.

In the past, I have also found some other garden items that are very unique at Tuesday Morning.  Click on the link I provided and check out a store near you.

Kitchen & Creating Storage: Pot Racks

Welcome October and Happy Halloween!

Above is a photo of my project solution for better utilizing space in my kitchen via a couple of IKEA Grundatal rails that can be found in their kitchen organizing section of their stores and catalogs. 

For this particular project, I purchased two of the 47.25" rails for $10.99 each, as well as an assortment of their small and large hooks.  IKEA no longer supplies hardware such as screws with all of their merchandise, as they instruct to use the proper screws or hardware suitable for the surface you are hanging the item to.  Therefore, an additional quantity of four 2" screws for each rail were also purchased from the hardware store.

This project ran a total of approximately $38.  Cost will vary depending upon the size and quantity of packages of hooks required.

Time wise, it was an hour total to pull out the extension cord, drill, drill bits, measuring tape, pencil and screw drivers to properly measure, mark for and install the rails.  Then quicker than a jack rabbit to put up the hooks and hang the pots and pans. 

Not perfection or a gourmet kitchen in the least.  Yet, I am pleased to be able to have the pots and pans within a quick reach.  No more moving and pulling out multiple items to find what I need in the overcrowded and limited lower cupboards.

I would also recommend the magnetic knife rack that they now sell for $8.99 and is shown on the same web page.  I set-up one years ago on the wall behind the counter and would highly recommend the rail to anyone, as it takes up much less space than conventional knife racks, as well as keeping knives within an unencumbered hands reach.

After this installation, I went back to IKEA and purchased a couple of smaller rails and packages of hooks for the garage a.k.a. man cave organization.  Another future project.

Re-use and Inspiration: Now this is what I am talking about!

I am not your usual haus frau, as those who know me personally can attest to the fact.  I enjoy “doing it my ownself”, as a method of learning and getting the satisfaction of a completed and personalized project with often the added bonus of a cost savings.  If I can re-use and save the dump from additional waste and landfill, that is one other benefit to be had that impacts more than just one person.

As such, I have an open mind as to where I purchase household building products and items, as well as being able to walk into these establishments knowing that a visit can often be a miss.  But, at times there is the great satisfaction of a hit or a spectacular find.  You also might find that you walk into one of these warehouse stores with a list of items that you need or want for projects and in the process find you leave with a gem.

The DC Metro area is dotted with building materials donation and re-use warehouse/stores.  With each of the three organizations I have touched upon in this piece, I have provided links that can provide you access to more information.  Plus it should help get you started on opening up your mind, reducing the amount of landfill and potentially save you some money when it comes to building materials purchase and consumption chain.

The link for Community Forklift,  located in Hyattsville, MD has a page dedicated to items and projects that customers have shared about their use of products that they purchased or have taken from the free bin, at that particular store.  This is inspirational and this is what I am talking about in terms of having an open mind when it comes to donation of new and used materials, as well as how others can re-use and recycle with a creative flare:

http://communityforklift.com/creations.cfm

Personally, I have never visited the Community Forklift location.  But, it is definitely a hot item on my to-do list.

Habitat for Humanity has resale stores for materials and household goods supplied by personal donations, as well as contractors, home builders and building supply stores, such as Home Depot.  There stores go by the name ReStore and you can find out more and store locations via the URL listed below:

http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx

The Winchester, VA ReStore is very active in posting new additions to the store inventory via their FaceBook.com page.  If you are looking for something in particular or like to surf, check out their new postings and photographs to include incoming merchandise.

In the near future, I will post one of my projects that is in process.  It is the garage here at O’Dea-O’Dea and what I refer to as Mr. O’Dea’s second man cave.  (The first man cave is the finished basement.)

The garage is still in total chaos and is a combination find out what is in there, as well as clean-up and organization project.  I have actually told myself, that I need to remain calm and this is not one singular project.  But, it is a series of projects over time.  For one, this space is packed full of emotion, as well as “stuff” and it is best to work in bites rather than a binge.

Plus, I will digress, something within the man cave had or still has an invisible dose of poison ivy oil on it that got on my skin and was severe enough for me to have to visit the dermatologist and get a prescription of steroids, etc. to ease the inflammation.  If there is hesitation on re-entering the man cave to continue this project this is a reason to add to the list.

Back to the garage a.k.a. the main level man cave:

One of the cabinet sections of the "Teddy" on the floor at ReBuild

The eight foot tall, formerly built-in bookcase (one piece) and the separate cabinet set with built in shelving (three pieces) that I purchased from ReBuild, North Springfield, VA.  This is another like store/warehouse that got its humble beginnings from its association with deconstruction of buildings and interior spaces.  The URL for ReBuild:  http://www.rebuildwarehouse.org/businesspartners.htm.

Some items, you might see or purchase might have a history or an interesting background.  When talking to the ReBuild men that delivered the custom cabinets, I was told that they had removed them from the study at former Senator,Ted Kennedy's townhouse in Washington, DC. 

Now, I know where to store any liquor in the house.  It goes out to the “Teddy”!     ;^)

They added, that as part of that deconstruction project, that the kitchen that had just been renovated two years prior was also removed and included such wonderful appliances as Subzero™ brand. 

Now those types of appliances showing up at the store they are associated with would make most hearts skip a beat.

The first time I had visited that store, was prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and at that time, they had this impressive section of fence and gates that were also from that townhouse deconstruction project.  I actually pondered many a time about purchasing the lot just for the heavy duty gates and impressive non-standard heavy metal hardware.  But, I resisted and instead made a mental note of what I might want to use and build in the future.

Tips for a successful and comfortable outing include being prepared to get dirty and bring such items as an SUV or pick-up truck to haul larger purchases home.  Or find out if they offer delivery (ReBuild charges $65 for general local delivery) if they can recommend a moving service provider for deliveries.

Not certain whether an item has the proper measurements, make, model, specifications required or perhaps you need to more about general value and potential cost for additional materials and installation.  Ask what the stores “HOLD” policy is and clarify if the time period extends over days that the store is closed or not.  EX:  If you see an item that you would like to have held on Sunday 3 PM and the store does not open again until Tuesday at 10 AM, when is the item no longer being held?

At certain times of the year these stores will have sales with reduced pricing on selected items or if they receive a large quanitity of inventory of a particular type of item, i.e. flooring they might hold a sale for 50% off on all flooring materials.

Be brave.  Be bold and ask if ever reduce prices or have sales on items and if so when.

Hint... Hint... Holiday weekends are normally when most individuals tend to clean and purge their households of items for donation.  Therefore, organizations and stores that receive donations often try to make room for incoming merchandise. 

ReBuild, for example, normally has percentage off sale of listed goods the week prior to a holiday that falls on a Monday.  The three piece Teddy cabinetry went from the tag price to 50% off when I purchased it the week prior to the 4th of July.  $500 down to $250 for the entire set of custom wood cabinets and shelving.

Some of the items that I carry on these hunting expeditions include:

·         Tape measure

·         Notebook

·         Pen and/or pencil

·         Digital camera (cell phone camera will suffice, as long as it has a built-in flash)

·         Flashlight (to aid in checking dark areas of the stores, as well as under and around objects for defects, model #, etc.)

·         Written notes with dimensions and details of the space and items needed for a project.  If very specific make, model number and finish are needed, make certain you have your details with you.

·         Hand cleaner and paper towels

·         Work gloves

My rational is that most of the items are a mere fraction of the cost of manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP).  Per chance, if the item or material is not suitable or does not work out than donate it back to the store you purchased it from or post it on a site such as Craigslist.org and attempt to re-coop the funds.

Some people gamble at casinos or by purchasing lottery tickets.  I can be honest with myself and others and admit that I sometimes take a gamble by spending a little cash on building materials and items for the house.  I can truly be a risk and rewards situation.  But, I find that usually the rewards far outweigh the risks.

Cha-ching! $ !

What is...The Reading Material Next to My Bed

The spill of reading material beside my bed, as of 29 September 2010:

BOOKS -

o   “Broken:  My Story of Addiction and Redemption”, by William Cope Moyers with Katherine Ketcham

(In process, half-way through the book)

o   “Walden” or “Life in the Woods”, by Henry D. Thoreau (Completed)

o   “10,000 Jokes, Toasts & Stories” by Lewis Copeland and Faye Copeland

(Stays by my bed for reading.  The large bound book was copyrighted 1939 and 1940 and includes a collection of jokes, toast and stories from that era that gives you a glimpse of the past.  Sort of like a modern day collection of Internet jokes and short stories.)

o   “Mother-Daughter Wisdom”, by Christine Northrup, M.D.

(I have not begun to read.  PBS often airs shows that she hosts when they have their on-air fund raising.)

REFERENCE BOOKS -

o   “Getaways:  Carefree Retreats for All Seasons”, by Chis Casson Madden.

o   “Ideas for Great Tile”, by Josh Garskof, published by Sunset Books.

o   “The Pleasure of Gardening:  Courtyards & Containers”, published by Better Home and Gardens Books.

o   The Home Depot, “Decorative Painting 1-2-3.  From Prep to Clean-up:  A Complete Guide to Interior Painting, published by Meredith Books.

o   “Decorating with Paint & Wall Coverings”, published by Sunset Books.

o   “The Complete Book of Paint:  A Comprehensive Guide to Paint Techniques for Walls, Floors, Furniture, Fabrics, and Metalwork”, by David Carter and text by Charles Hemming.

o   “Paint & Colors”, by Jessica Elin Hirschman with photography by Tim Street-Porter.

o   “The Best of Martha Stewart Living, Holidays:  Recipes, gifts, decorations, Thanksgiving & Christmas.

o   “The South Beach Diet, Parties & Holidays Cookbook:  Healthy Recipes for Entertaining Family and Friends, by Arthur Agatston, MD.

o   “Cooking With The 60-Minute Gourmet:  300 Rediscovered Recipes from Pierre Franey’s Classic New York Times Column”, by Pierre Franey and Bryan Miller with Foreword by Jacques Pepin and Introduction by Claduia Franey Jensen.

o   “Working From Home:  Everything You Need to Know About Living and Working Under the Same Roof”, by Paul and Sarah Edwards.

MAGAZINES AND CATALOGS -

o   L. L. Bean, Fall 2010

o   The Sportsman’s Guide HQ

o   Chico’s, 2010 Fall 3

o   Restoration Hardware:  Reinvented. Remodeled. Reborn, Behold Our Fall Collection, 2010

o   Restoration Hardware Garden, Summer Garden Sale, 2010

o   Pottery Barn, October 2010, Welcome Fall

o   Charles Schwab “On Investing:  Strategies & Ideas for Clients of Charles Schwab, Fall 2010”

o   Better Homes and Gardens, October 2010

o   House Beautiful, October 2010

Home Owner's Association Meet & Greet BBQ

On Sunday, 26 September, after several years of no activity within the subdivision home owner's association, we had our first organized get together.  This event was an informal and socializing only meet & greet BBQ for neighbors to introduce themselves and have the opportunity to talk prior to our first formal meeting this coming Wednesday PM.


The subdivision does own 2.5 acres of common property.  But, since the open grassy area is located at the entrance to the subdivision the best place to hold the BBQ was at the cul-du-sac circle.  The BBQ and seating area was then set-up at the end of several of the properties that are shaped like pie slices with very little road frontage beyond their driveways and a slip of grass bordering each side.


Excellent location, as it gave neighborhood children the freedom to ride their bicycles and play in a large, open and paved area with adult supervision.


The event was convenient and relaxed with everyone pitching in to bring tables, their own chairs, meat they wanted to grill, a dish to share and BYOB.


Here in Northern Virginia, it rained until late morning and I was certain that the outdoor BBQ would be cancelled.  But, the sun did grace us with some rays in the afternoon and at last the weather has become tolerable with less humidity and the temperatures usually not exceeding 90 during the day.


It wasn't until an hour and a half prior to the scheduled start time that I spoke to the planner and discovered that in spite of the rain that had recently stopped that the plans were to hold the BBQ.


Time to spring into preparatory action and I must say, what a time saver and wonderful tool the Internet can be, as I could not find my "Joy of Cooking" recipe book to reference the recipe for cole slaw that I wanted to use.  Plus, I had seen a variation of a recipe for southern home brewed sweet tea that included a pinch of baking soda of all things to remove the sometimes bitterness that can develop with brewed tea.


The "Joy of Cooking" cole slaw recipe is available by using the hyperlink to the left.


A coworker was the person that introduced me to this basic recipe.  I ended up hunting her down for the recipe after one of our pot luck parties.  She ended up sharing that it was a trusted, old basic recipe of cabbage and carrots that she had thrown in the variation of adding some chopped red pepper for a bit of flavor, as well as a bright accent color and roughly 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce added to the dressing recipe. 


Why did I love it so much?  She accidentally added too much vinegar, as she was distracted while preparing and discovered that it was an improvement.


My variation additional variations are to use raw apple cider vinegar, as well as adding a teaspoon of ground horse radish and a half a teaspoon of dried dill weed.


Now sweet tea is a staple in a southern kitchen and dining establishments and has finally spread to other regions courtesy of fast food chains such as McDonald's and soft drink beverage distributors.  If you want an excellent and easy recipe to use at home, here is one below that gets rave reviews.

Ingredients:

• 1 pinch baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water
• 6 tea bags (decaffeinated tea may be substituted)
• 3/4 cup white sugar (or substitute sweetener)
• 6 cups cold water

Prep.:

• Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64 ounce, heat-proof, pitcher. Pour in boiling water and add tea bags. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
• (or) boil water in a pot on the stove and add tea bags and allow to steep, if you are not sure if the pitcher or drink vessel is heat proof.
• Remove tea bags and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cold water and refrigerate until cold.
• (or) fill tall glasses with crushed ice and insert an ice tea spoon into the glass to dissipate any residual heat and serve immediately. 

What is...The Most Uncomfortable Seat In The House

On with the series of "What is..." 

This readers is the most uncomfortable seat in the house. 

Do not be fooled by the custom slipcovers, silk pillows or needlepoint piece over the back.  This is actually two upholstered chairs with a single arm per chair that I determined looked more suitable pushed together.

Another fine example of re-use, as well as a future reupholstering project. 

I would venture to say that these chairs are circa 1940's or 1950's due to the style - curved lower backside, light maple or similar wood simple square legs and original upholstery that lies hiding under the slip covers.  Sides and back are upholstered in a gold jacquard fabric and the front has a military, dark olive green fabric with what might be small bunches of feather plumes scattered about.

Of late, I have been purging and I seriously considered retaining at least one of the very comfortable camel back love seats and putting it in this spot of the living room.  But, I could not force myself to do it, as the arms of the camel back love seats were approximately 2.5" wide each.

Personal preference, as I do not care for large, over stuffed furniture in most rooms.  If you have a large room that can handle that scale of furniture, more power to you to carry that style off.

So, off went the wonderfully comfortable love seats to a men's half-way house, as a charitable donation and here sits my future project staring me in the face. 

I confess, the seats are as hard as a solid park bench.  But, at least it looks decent.

On a positive note, my heart skipped a beat, when I recently found the beautiful wool needlepoint and blue velvet backed piece.  (This is what I have draped over the back of the two chairs.)  It does wonders for tying the two chairs together into a unified seating area, as well as complimenting the Chinese Oriental carpet.

If any of you readers has a handle and knowledge of Asian symbols and can identify those on the needlepoint center and/or the carpet, please, please educate me.

Looking at situations in a different light.  One of my hints for home goods scouting is before Christmas, if you like the color palettes associated with the holidays.  Then follow-up immediately after Christmas with shopping, when the stores want to quickly move so called holiday items out of inventory.

The off-white, genuine silk pillows with center rhinestone accent, are a good example of the holiday decor that stores sell that can be interlaced with your year round home decor. 

I found these pillows at Target, a handful of years ago, after Christmas, as well as another set in violet that I purchased for an accent in a mostly bright green decorated bedroom.

The dusty blue wool throw that is draped over one of the arms is from Pottery Barn.  It has a subtle off-white or light tan paisley design woven into the fabric.  A nice throw to have on a cold night in this room that has a cathedral ceiling that opens up to a second floor bedroom.

What is...On My Coffee Table

Indulge me for the sake of my mother who has yet to visit O'Dea-O'Dea and I hope will be shown my blog and photos by another family member.  Or for those of you with an inquisitive mind and an eye for individual design style indulge and read on.

The living room, as I have mentioned before, has an Asian theme.  A mixture of Japanese and Chinese decor that adds color, texture and interest to the space.  The coffee table is an older Japanese style wood with Japanese scenes painted on the three sections under glass.  Painted on paper, it sadly has begun to deteriorate.  The boarders of the table have a subtle gold floral stencil.

The main items that I keep on the coffee table: 

• A bright box with a dome shaped lid and a red tassel (formerly a Whole Foods, Christmas Cookie Box) that is filled with glass coasters.
• The glass coasters are a mixture of older coaster/ashtrays with embellished band of silver around the edge.  I am not sure what decade these were popular (though I imagine 1960's or 1970's when smoking was still popular), but I recently found a new, unused set of four (4) in the box.  For those of you that are interested in their origin, they were manufactured by Leonard and made in Italy.  (Hint...hint...  Use the coasters when you visit.  Resting you beverage on an unprotected surface is taboo in O'Dea-O'Dea.)

• A lacquered and Asian candy dish decorated with a circle of golden fish that is filled with candies.
• A ceramic red and orange poppy accent dish filled with brightly decorated and lacquered chop sticks and letter openers with a variety of painted ducks at the top.

• Brightly potted chrysanthemums.*

*The current floral pieces were a compromise, as when I went to the store to purchase white carnations the store was sold out.  Instead, I purchased these chrysanthemums that caught my eye with their bright autumn colors and were available for approx. $5 a plant.  (A compromise, but actually a much longer lasting set of autumn floral arrangements than cut flowers and at a lower total cost.)

The pots are old decorative and hand painted pots made in Italy.  They are potted using pea gravel as the base within the pot to pull water away from the roots and a finished top of pea gravel to keep out Lord Fairfax, Urban Tiger, as well as dirt and water from back splashing onto the table when watered.