Archive for December, 2008
December 24, 2008 at 4:54 am · Filed under Misc Infos
Should I finish my log furniture?
The natural look of log furniture is one of the reasons it is becoming a more popular home décor not only for the log home market, but other home styles as well. We are frequently asked this question. I want to keep my log furniture looking as natural as possible, should I have it finished? The answer to this is in our opinion is yes. Finishing can change the appearance somewhat depending on the type of wood or finish, but the rewards are well worth it in the long run.
The oils in our hands are easily absorbed by unfinished wood. Of course our hands are never perfectly clean and the dirt is also absorbed right into the wood with the oil leaving soiled areas where your hands frequently touch the furniture. On a bed this is usually either the headboard or the footboard. On dressers, of course the drawer pulls and the edge around the top gets the most handling. If an item is finished, washing is easy. It’s another story on bare wood. Some folks have taken the furniture out to the shop to sand it down again, but most people don’t have the proper tools or just don’t want to mess with it. It’s easier to just have it finished to begin with. Finished log furniture will pass the test of time in keeping your furniture looking good for many years.
To keep log furniture looking as natural as possible, most manufactures use a clear finish. There are many types of finishes available on the market. Many retail stores use the term “poly” to describe their finish when in reality it might not be polyurethane at all. Polyurethane in its purest state is a very hard durable finish but doesn’t adhere well to products. For this reason most “Poly” finishes are usually a combination of Polyurethane and Acrylic. Other types of finishes consist of Varnishes, Lacquers, etc. Some finishes are hazardous to your health not to mention bad for the environment. This is the reason we use a non-toxic water base Acrylic on our furniture. It is very durable, will not yellow with time, and even fingernail polish remover doesn’t touch it!
Some types of wood used in log furniture construction such as Pine or Aspen will darken only slightly with the application of a finish. The exception to this is White Cedar. The finish on White Cedar will actually change this wood from a very light uniform color, to a very beautiful distinctive color variation between the sapwood and the heartwood. The heartwood will become somewhat darker giving it a very unique character.
Red Cedar is a different kind of animal. An oil base finish will darken the wood to a deep red or purple color, however a water base acrylic finish will leave it more of a pinkish color. You often have the option when ordering to purchase it unfinished and finish yourself or have the company finish it for you.
So, should you finish your log furniture? We strongly recommend it. We think you will be happier in the end.
About the Author
Mike Messer and his business partner Dave Kondek have a successful business building and selling log furniture to the Continental US, Alaska, and Canada. Copyright 2005 by Great Lakes Rustics LLC. Permission is granted to reprint this article with accompanying website URL http://www.glrustics.com.
December 24, 2008 at 1:46 am · Filed under Misc Infos
When I was a college student, coffee was my stimulant of choice. I spent many a night right beside my electric percolator, carefully measuring the water and ground beans to insure only the best cuppa joe.
Now that I am a busy working woman, I use the ADM (Automatic Drip method). Though more efficient than the old trusty percolator, there is something missing, something that only can be found in those percolated cups of yore.
There is a certain richness that only a percolator can provide. Let’s briefly explore the method that each uses to illustrate this point.
According to the website Fantes.com, “the Percolator is one of the most familiar methods of brewing coffee. It works by filtering boiling water through the coffee grounds over and over. Many people still enjoy this old favorite, especially when it is used with very mild coffees.”
There are three types of percolators, Stovetop, Electric and Cordless Electric. There is a drawback to using a stove top percolator. If not carefully attended to, there is the tendency toward bitterness from “prolonged overboiling.”
ADM’s work by simply dripping a stream of water over filtered grounds so that the coffee “leaches” through and into the pot below. The drawback here is that you can use too little or two much of either coffee or water making either enought bite to put hair on your chest or not enough of a bite to sprout peach fuzz.
Once gaining expertise in the use of either one, however, and the drawbacks disappear. Your hooked on one or the other and search the world over for the machine that will give you the best cuppa joe you can get outside the walls of Dunkin Donuts.
Pricewise, percolators run a bit more (per cup)than ADM’s but are well worth persuing.
Most ADM’s go from anywhere starting at $19.95 for a generic name brand to $139.95 for a Krups. All these are 12 cup ADM’s, the industry standard. Percolators can run from $14.99 for a glass 8 cup Simex stovetop model to $79.99 (actually less than a ADM) for a 12 cup Cuisinart Brew Centrel Electric Programmable Coffee Maker.
When it comes to replacement parts, however, the percolators have the ADM’s beat. Most only need to have the glass tops replaced and they run as little as $1.99 each. Glass carafes for the ADM’s can start at $29.99, in some cases, more than an entire coffee maker and more than double the cost of an 8 cup glass stovetop model percolator.
So how do you choose? If you already own a state-of-the-art ADM, you have half the battle won. You already know how well this type of machine performs, so your next step is to try out a reasonably priced percolator to see the difference. If the stovetop variety leves you a bit on the nervous side, a nice electric model by Farberware can run you about $34.99 and will last quite a long time, if well maintained.
About the author:
Cathy O is a successful author who provides coffee maker tips and information for coffee makers and espresso makers.
December 23, 2008 at 4:06 pm · Filed under Attirement, Shopping Portal
At the present time a great deal of people prefer procuring their swimwear on the Internet; purchasing online is an easy & suitable way to shop in the freedom of your own home.
It’s very important to make sure while purchasing swimwear online that it defiantly fits you precisely. When you acquire swimwear on the World Wide Web always confirm that the store supplies a good quality sizing diagram that provides all of the sizes you might need. With the aid of a sizing diagram one can make sure to purchase a swimsuit or bikini that fits perfectly, therefore reducing the demand to change for a different size. By and large most of the online swimwear retail shops do not allow an exchange of goods with this in mind it is typically always better to opt for a retail shop where exchanges are permitted. Several online shops will allow the returns of swimwear if the tags and the original packaging are also returned along with it. Find eye-catching and sexy sexy knickers at great prices from designers such as Simone Perele, State of Undress, Kalita, Sielei, Mimi Holliday and Sista Shei.
Swimwear is a predictable factor of the summertime; although a significant majority of full-figured females feel frightened at the prospect of shopping for swimsuits & bikinis that fit right. These women even contemplate about wearing caftans by the swimming pool or at the beach instead of looking unappealing. Designers and shopkeepers have indentified the fashion problems of the overweight woman, and are at last beginning to feature a wide variety of stylish bathing suit designs in larger sizes, & one of the best places to unearth such swimwear is to buy swimwear on the Internet.
December 21, 2008 at 11:55 am · Filed under Misc Infos
Everyone has heard the phrase, my how time flies when your having fun. Well, I am here to tell you it’s true. Because time as most people perceive it is an illusion. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, of course that’s why you’re reading this article.
Before I started writing this article I repeated to my self several times that ” one minute is as five ” meaning that for every minute that passed it would be as if I had done five minutes of work. Most everyone has experienced this time distortion. Say for example your in a very long boring meeting or a lecture or any mind numbing activity. Now you will swear the person has been speaking for at least an hour. But when you look at your watch you realize with some shock and horror that only ten minutes has passed. This is time slowing down. The opposite is true as well, when your having fun doing something you really enjoy you figure an hour has gone by and you look at your watch and you have been doing that activity not for an hour but for three hours.
The reason this occurs is because time is fluid but it’s not the same for everyone. Let’s take the lecture as an example. To you the boring lecture felt like an hour, to the lecturer who is nervous it may have seemed like two hours. But, to the fellow three rows up who is very interested in the subject of the lecture it seemed like only a few minutes. Now, who is correct? Well in fact all of you are correct, in your perception of time. You see that’s how it works; it’s your perception of time that is fluid. Once you understand that you can change how you perceive time then you can control time in your life.
Unfortunately that does not mean that you can get home in rush hour traffic in ten minutes when it normally takes you an hour. But you can control how you perceive that hour.
You see man created the concept of time help him control and categorize his world. This was done by dividing up the things he saw in nature IE the seasons and the smaller time bits like the phases of the moon and the still smaller bits of the rising and setting of the sun into smaller and smaller chunks so that he could better arrange his life. Though what has been mostly forgotten is time is an illusion.
If your still with me and like this whole fluid time idea. Try this: the next time you’re in a boring situation, like say stuck in traffic,
Relax take a few deep breaths and tell yourself that “five minutes are as one” and repeat that several times. This will change your perception of time so though you will still have to drive those five minutes they will seem like only one minute. And I am willing to bet that the commute won’t “seem” nearly as long as usual. There are so many application of this concept the only real limit is your imagination.
Allot of people are fascinated by the concept of time travel. There is a lot of controversy both in the scientific community and the hypnosis community. From everything I have read I believe that using current life regression and past life regression as well as other modalities it is possible though not physically possible to go back in time it is possible to alter past personal events to effect your present and your future. The reason I believe this is possible is that not only is time flexible but so is our perception of our reality. For example, let’s say there is someone who is deathly afraid of heights because of a trauma as a child. But using any of several techniques we remove the trauma from that memory so that all subsequent height memories no longer have that trauma and fear connected with them. That person would no longer have a fear of heights. So, have we traveled back in time? I will leave that for you to decide. But the same concepts can be used to visit past lives as well for either therapy or discovery.
It felt as though I have been writing for well over an hour but in fact by my watch it has been about 40 minutes. Not the five to one ratio I was hoping for but that will come with practice.
Go have some fun, go change your perspective today.
Ken Myrback along with his wife Maria are Certified Hypnotherapist and Energy Healers.
They can be reached in their office: Holistic South, Inc. 770-713-2804
Or on the web at: www.holisticsouth.com
Ken is a Certified Hypnotherapist and Energy Healer living and working in Metro Altanta.
December 21, 2008 at 1:17 am · Filed under Best Psychology Resources
Not so long ago, on advice from a naturopath, I tried a low GI muesli with almond milk for breakfast. Supposedly healthy right? For the next few hours I felt like I was fighting to stop from drowning. My emotions dived to their darkest depths they had in many years. Had I not been aware of what I was normally like in the morning (when not having cereal for breakfast) I would have been ready to crawl into bed to hide for days, or worse… Thankfully the feeling passed by midday and I was back to my normal self.
When I have cereal for breakfast it makes me depressed. How come the Doctor doesn’t know to tell me that? I haven’t had cereal for breakfast for over 6 years. Not porridge, not low GI muesli, not flakes, biscuits or bubbles. Only 3 generations ago there was no such thing as a breakfast cereal but now most people can’t imagine what you would have for breakfast if you couldn’t have something in a bowl with a white liquid on it.
I am not suggesting that everyone skips cereal for breakfast (although I could probably justify it). The important thing is to find out what works for you. Some people do better starting the day with protein, some with carbohydrates. Try something different for a few days and see if your depression lifts.
You may notice the difference immediately and never want to go back. Make a note to check in with yourself through out the morning. Make an appointment in your calendar or set the alarm on your watch to remind you to see how your doing. Also, ask people who you spend time with in the morning to notice if you seem different as well.
So what can you eat instead of cereal for breakfast? Many cultures around the world do not have cereal for breakfast. Instead they have something to eat that would eat at any other time of the day. For example, left overs from the night before, baked beans, steamed broccoli, tuna salad, tofu and leafy greens, even an omelette that includes vegetables. And no, two pieces of raison toast or a blueberry muffin are not good substitutes. We’re aiming for good protein sources.
What about asking friends for ideas? Do you know anyone from non-western backgrounds? If so, ask them what they have for breakfast - many cultures around the world don’t have breakfast out of a box so there must be answers out there.
But what about the time it takes to prepare something other than cereal for breakfast? For the 9-5 lifestyle, being able to throw something in a bowl put white liquid on it and then bolt out the door saves time in the mornings. My question is: How important is your health to you? Ok I’ll stop preaching from on high. Time is a consideration in the mornings and I imagine that having to come up for something for children as well only adds to the pressure. What about a large pan of scrambled eggs, a saucepan of beans, or a large salad with left over sausages?
What about the additional cost? Cereal is cheap but you get what you pay for. Are you currently paying for depression medication? If you can reduce or eliminate your medication by changing what you eat for breakfast then you will have freed up some money to buy quality food instead.
If you have a protein breakfast, what about calcium from milk? So, the dairy industry has you convinced that you can’t get enough calcium from other sources, eh? If you want to try the experiment of not having cereal for breakfast for a few days, have it for you last meal of the day instead. I know it might feel like your back in college and have nothing else to eat but if you do well with higher protein in the mornings you will probably also do well with higher carbs at night. Try it and see - the kids will love the novelty.
Remember, its about finding out what works for you. We all have different metabolic types that require different ratios of proteins and carbohydrates at different times of the day. By varying our diet and noticing the difference in how we feel we can work out what is just right for each of us.
Rod Sherwin is an EFT Practitioner and runs Tap4Health in Melbourne, Australia. Rod has over 6 years of studying advanced health technologies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT), Metabolic Typing, and NLP. He has worked with Anthony Robbins in a leadership capacity all over the world and enjoys building the fires that people walk on to transform fear into power. Click here to see a recent television interview with Rod.
Tap4Health is unique if that we offer a Success Guarantee to clients. If you do not feel you have received significant results from treatment you receive your money back! It’s that simple. For more information see Tap4Health.
December 19, 2008 at 10:09 am · Filed under Cosmetics, Cyber Lifestyle, School of Relationships
Balancing on Planet Earth by Kelly M. Kirkpatrick Balancing on planet Earth, I’m falling once again. Did I mean to say “I love you”? Did I compromise a friend? Balancing on planet Earth, I’m getting up again. I know I’ve always loved you. Don’t let the story end. Reaching from the cradle To dance among the stars; Gazing from the playground And into fancy cars; Running from the graveyard And mating in the bars - We take this lengthy journey To find out who we are. Balancing on planet Earth, We have but time to grow. We slip, we fall, we stand again, For what I do not know. Balancing on planet Earth Is never quite enough. Put your faith in reason, And call the world’s bluff. Hatred is but ignorance, But ignorance not bliss. Loving is the answer, And this is why we kiss. Speak not to me of virtue, For it shows you do not know. Speak to me by living, And let the meaning show. Balancing on planet Earth Is more than just a game. Try to preserve your dignity, Your honor and your name. Balancing on planet Earth, You’ll find what life is for. Should you fall, hold on to me With love forever more.
http://www.originalpoetry.com/balancing-on-planet-earth
December 18, 2008 at 9:22 am · Filed under Best Psychology Resources
Women around the globe are resenting the day that their bodies will go through a transformation.
When postpartum depression kicks in women often feel sluggish, unconnected to reality, and often undergo several other symptoms that include depression.
Women that undergo postpartum depression (PPD) often go through bouts of crying uncontrollable and very seldom do they understand the cause. There thinking is often irrational and their emotions are often tangled. One minute they are struggling to go to sleep and the next minute they can’t seem to wake up.
Once a baby is born the family, friends, mother and so forth a suppose to join in a joyful expedition. Sometimes mothers go through postpartum depression however, and the birth seems more like a curse than a joyous moment.
Instead of sharing a happy moment mothers often feel a sense of guilt because they simply because they may resent the birth of their baby. All of a sudden, you begin feeling sadness, despair, worthlessness, and insomnia kicks in.
Then you go through panic attacks while feeling a sense of shame. In addition, it doesn’t stop there. Next you begin feeling fear of loosing control of your actions, you start feeling like your mind is tumbling, and your concentration has vanished. Still, you feel nausea, agitated, your heart races, and you breathing is complicated. The symptoms are increasing as you feel an imbalance level of worry toward your child, hopelessness since you have no control, exhausted from all the mental changes, and suicidal because you see no way out.
The battle is just beginning. Mothers than suffer from postpartum depression often have an underlying psychological impairment, possible biological imbalances, including Posttraumatic Stress if the mother undergoes a horrible birthing. Most professionals will treat postpartum depression with antidepressants combining it with therapy.
It is important for mothers with postpartum depression to seek help immediately, since the diagnose does not only affect the patient, it affects everyone around you, including your baby. Babies need their mother, and when the mother is unable to provide emotional nourishment and loving care, and then a baby will suffer as it grows into adulthood.
Just like any diagnose there are triggers that may interrupt the mother, including difficult births, isolating one self, death, changes in living arrangements, hereditary, financial difficulties and so forth. Unfortunately, some of these triggers are going to happen.
Most therapists have found treating women with postpartum depression, treating them with antidepressants and therapy has worked wonders. Recently studies are finding that depression may also be treated with Electromagnetic therapy. Scientists are constantly searching for a solution to treat depression so the end of the world hasn’t arrived.
There is hope. Studies have also shown that writing down your episodes, feelings and so forth is a great therapeutic relief. Talking is also a great source for eliminating stress, which is often linked to depression. It is important to get regular checkups after your baby is born to eliminate biological reasoning for the postpartum depression.
In most cases, doctors may prescribe Valiums, Prozac, or Zoloft. It depends on the person, but for some mothers one or the other medications work, while others have no results. If you are suffering postpartum depression, it is also important for the family to offer support and understanding.
Since, you may have suicidal thoughts the last thing anyone needs to do is push you over the edge. It is also important that the resentment you feel is not necessary toward your baby. It could be that you resent an area of your life, or an occurrence and the baby seems to be the target.
You might want to try listening to easy music when you feel a sense of loss, or episodes of the diagnose erupt. Music has proven to heal the soul. In addition, you might want to start exercising since this too has proven to do wonders with people that suffer mental or physical illnesses. Exercise relieves the mind often because you are doing something to better yourself and improve your health.
Therefore, if you are in postpartum depression, there are answers and you should never give up hope!
Are you sick and tired of being “empty” inside and out? Worry no more! At www.depression-self-esteem-stress-management.com you’ll find free and reliable information that gives you the straight facts and solutions to beat depression.
December 15, 2008 at 12:30 am · Filed under Misc Infos
What kind of camping lanterns best fit your outdoor needs? Do you need light weight for backpacking, or is maximum light more important?
Camping lanterns have been around for quite a while, especially fuel lanterns like kerosene and gas lanterns. LED lanterns, rechargeable lanterns or electric lanterns, butane lanterns, propane lanterns, battery lanterns and candle lanterns are newer to the scene though. All of them being different they have advantages and disadvantages…
If you already have a camping stove or other camping equipment that uses fuel consider getting a lantern that uses the same type of fuel so you won’t have to remember to bring both fuels and you’ll use less space too. Although some dual-fuel Coleman lanterns will burn both white gas or unleaded gasoline (check to be sure).
Camping lanterns that burn fuel can come with either glass globes or metal mesh globes. The advantage to glass is that it lets more light through, but since it’s glass it is fragile. Metal mesh globes are much tougher than glass but they do block some of the light.
When you buy a camping lantern make sure to get extra mantles, fuel, bulbs, and/or batteries, it’s not much fun needing a lantern part in the middle-of-nowhere and not being able to get it when you need it.
Candle lanterns can be lightweight at 3.7 ounces, but you may not want to use them as a camping lantern as their light output leaves something to be desired at 1 to 1.5 watts. They’re pretty much a candle with a protective sheath to help prevent the flame from blowing out in the wind and keep things a little safer by avoiding an open flame. Another drawback… the sheath enclosure also makes it more difficult to roast marshmallows over your lantern. 
I recommend going flameless especially inside your tent. It doesn’t take much to start a fire with a high intensity heat source. Falling asleep and tipping your camping lantern over is all it takes to put your life in serious jeopardy. There are a lot of great battery lanterns, LED lanterns and rechargeable lanterns available. Play it smart.
While great LED lanterns put out a good amount of light I haven’t found one yet that can match the light output of well-designed flame camping lanterns. If you need a lot of light in a local outdoor area have a look at butane, propane, and gas lanterns. Some of these lanterns crank out up to 235 watts of light! That’s more light than most people use to light a room at home. One of the butane lanterns even allows you to focus the light more intensely with reflectors and another is refillable with lighter fluid helping to make it great for…
If you’d like more information on camping lanterns please visit http://www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/camping-lanterns.html for the whole article. Also you may want to take a look at a related article on how to pick the best camping tent http://www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/camping-tents.html
Marc Wiltse learned how important good quality hiking equipment and camping gear were after his pup tent flooded with over 3 inches of water forcing him to sleep in the front seat of his 2-seat Honda CRX (translation: research is a good thing). His hiking equipment & camping gear guides & reviews save you time & money. Subscribe to his camping & hiking newsletter http://www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/hiking-journal.html & get the most usable information FREE! © Marc Wiltse. Reprint permission if author, copyright, links & this notice are intact.
December 13, 2008 at 3:10 pm · Filed under Finance Resources, Getting Credit, Web Of Loans
Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.
See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.
But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 11 percent offered by competitors will change.
While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 6 percent. See which lenders are charging fees 5 percent and for how much. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.
And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. Different lenders charge different fees. A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 4 percent. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable.
Translated in Dutch it means: Woon je in Nederweert of Kerkrade en heeft u BKR registratie’ Lenen met zonder BKR registratie is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Koop een andere caravan met geld in tien minuten op je rekening, 362789 euro is gewoon mogelijk om te lenen. Van Pijnacker-Nootdorp tot Tubbergen, geld lenen met zonder BKR registratie is hier geen enkel probleem.
Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 9 percent. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 3 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 3 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 5 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 9 percentage.
December 13, 2008 at 11:28 am · Filed under Best Psychology Resources
Sometimes, one of the hardest things to do when you suffer from depression is to watch the news. In this time of sensationalism, it can sometimes be hard to watch the news without allowing it to send you deeper into your depression. There are a few things to do so as not to suffer from that.
The first is to buffer the news. Watch something funny before. Since the news usually ends on upbeat notes, that should keep your mood up. Another technique is to do something while you watch the news, so that you don’t spend all of your focus on the news. Read a book or do a crossword while watching the news. By focusing on the news only, you are more likely that you will allow it to adjust your mood. By giving it only part of your attention, you can stabilize your mood a bit more. You can also watch the news with someone else. That way, you have someone with whom you can talk about what you are seeing which might help you to release any anxiety that you are feeling.
Sometimes, watching the news on television is more harmful than helpful. The internet allows you to get news whenever you want and that might work better. Yahoo and Google both have comprehensive news sites and companies like the New York Times and CNN also maintain extensive web presences. It would allow you to watch the news a little at a time and get headlines without needing to get too much information.
You can read more about depression at http://www.curemydepression.com
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