EPISODE #80 -
SATURDAY JULY 2, 2011
The first big
holiday of the summer is here and it looks like the weather is
going to cooperate! The Fourth of July is a great time to get
away and that is what we are doing this weekend. We hope you
enjoy this week’s show. They are some of our favorite stories
and we hope you can still learn a thing or two from them!
Choosing Art If you are
decorating your home or apartment you may be having some trouble
picking the right art for the walls. We were joined at the
937
Condominiums in the Pearl District by Amy Troute of
Amy Troute
Interior Design (503-805-0811) to see how she chose the art
for the condos there and get her tips for picking the right art
for any room. Amy showed us how she designed around the
painting ‘Cowgirl’ by Sidonie Caron. Amy had to take into
account the wide windows along one wall and the starkness of the
walls on the other side. It was a very complimentary piece to
the overall retro design. If you have a piece of art that
doesn’t fit in as well as the piece by Sidonie you may want to
incorporate some of the same colors as the art into your other
designs around the room. This will help tie it all together.
If you are looking for art, find something that you love. Don’t
just buy a piece based on its value (or what others would call
an investment). You will be living with this art for a long
time and you should enjoy it every time you walk into a room.
A quality designer or gallery will work with you and your space
to find a piece that will fit your tastes and your décor. And
remember, the things in your room, the carpet, the furniture,
the paint, are much more flexible and easily changed than some
of the larger art you may find. If you are loking for some of
the art that we featured in the story you will find these
artists at Heidi McBride Gallery & Art Consultancy. The artists
are Sidonie Caron, Nick Van Grainger, Gabe Fernandez, Therese
Murdza, Ani Licia Thompkins, Michael Hensley, Molly Cliff Hilts
and Eugenia Pardue.
Apple Pear Salad
We love
visiting great restaurants. Our latest favorite is
Oswego Grill
(503-352-4750) in Lake Oswego at the junction of I-5 and 217.
Owner Dave Burnett invited us into the kitchen to meet his chef,
Genardo Zurita. We also got to see their custom wood fired
grill. Dave worked over 20 years at another restaurant and
decided to open his own place. It is wonderful. The grill
itself is 1400 pounds of cooking magic. They cook their steaks,
burgers, seafood and even a salad over mesquite, apple and
cherry wood. Chef Zurita decided to show us an apple pear
salad with grilled chicken. Chef started with a couple of
chicken breasts that were covered in olive oil, salt and
pepper. After about 3 minutes per side the chicken was ready.
Next we moved to the assembly area where we were going to put
our salad together. We used arugula as the base of our salad.
The ingredients included sliced apples and pears, and lemon
vinaigrette. To make the vinaigrette we used lemon juice,
garlic, lemon zest, honey, salt and pepper. We mixed olive oil
into the mixture slowly to make sure it combines well. We then
tossed the ingredients together and garnished with grapes,
candied walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a couple of hardwood
grilled asparagus spears. To try making this recipe at home you
can check out the
recipe here. We’re not sure anyone can reproduce
this masterpiece, unless you want to build your own hardwood
grill! Stop by the Oswego Grill to taste it yourself.
Sanderson Fire Extinguishers
We all know
that fire extinguishers are important for the safety of our
families and property, but there are important differences in
the types of fire extinguishers that are available to the
homeowner so we stopped by
Sanderson Safety Supply (503-238-5700) to talk with Geoff
about the different types and how to use them. First of all
you may have noticed a letter designation on the front of your
extinguisher, an A-B-C or a combination of those letters. Those
letters refer to the type of fire that the extinguisher can
treat. ‘A’ means a paper or wood combustible. ‘B’ refers to
liquids and ‘C’ deals with electrical fires. So an ABC
extinguisher can handle all of those different fires in your
home.
The most
important areas for placing an extinguisher is a kitchen, a
garage (near your furnace or hot water heater), and your
sleeping areas. The first areas are where you are most likely
to encounter a fire and the last area is for your safety if a
fire happens during the night. Make sure the equipment is
accessible for use too. Don’t bury it in a closet. To use the
extinguisher you would use the PASS technique. That means
‘Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep’. Pull the pin, aim at the base
of the fire, squeeze the handle and sweep at the base of the
flames. Remember to keep the fire extinguisher up-right while
using it too. When you use a fire extinguisher you are trying
to remove the heat and the oxygen from the fire which are 2 of
the 3 items from the fire triangle that maintain the fire (the 3rd
is to remove the combustible material). If you have a fire
extinguisher make sure you maintain it and if you don’t then
consider getting one (or two) for your home.
Saving Water in the Bathroom
The one area
in the home that uses the most water, and some would say energy
as well, is the bathroom. We met with Jim from the Regional
Water Providers Consortium to learn some tips for reducing your
water usage and save money in the process. First we started at
the sink. You can save over half the amount of water in the
sink by replacing the aerator with an energy efficient one. It
simply cuts the flow and adds more ‘air’ to the water. Most
people hardly notice the difference. Another way to save water
is to shut if off when you are not using it!
We then moved
to the toilet, the biggest water user in your house. About one
third of your water usage for your entire home is from the use
of the toilet. The biggest waste here is from toilet leaks.
Mainly the leaks occur within the toilet itself. You can test
for leaks in your toilet by using dye tablets. Simply drop some
dye tablets (food coloring will work as well) in the tank of
your toilet and after about 30 minutes you can check the bowl
for colored water. If you see coloring, you have a leak. If
you do have a leak you will want to check the seal of the rubber
flapper to make sure it doesn’t need replacing. Another way to
save water is to add a new type of ‘brick’ to the toilet. Jim
showed us a toilet bag that you can fill with water to displace
space in the tank and that will save you water as well. A
‘toilet tank diverter’ also helps. This small device helps fill
your tank up faster and allows less water to run into the bowl.
These are just a few of the water saving tips that you will find
at the RWPC
website.
Paint Goobers
Our quick tip this week is one that will help you
get rid of the fuzzies on your paint roller to keep them off
your wall when you paint. Jamie joined us from Sherwin-Williams
to show us how a little bit of painter’s tape can clean up your
roller. Just step on the tape, roll it out and run the roller
over the sticky part of the tape. This will collect the fuzzies
and you are good to go to finish your paint job.
Summer Camp Packing
With summer
right around the corner it may be getting close to camping time
for your kids. For some, that means a lot of excitement, for
others it just stirs up a lot of stress. How to get your kids
ready for camping and keep your sanity can be hard to do. Dan
from The
Container Store (503-620-5700) shared some tips that will
make the whole process easier. The key is to have a plan and
include your kids in the process. Make a check list of what you
need to pack. Check with the camp to see what they require and
forbid. If they don’t have a list you can find one at The
Container Store. The next thing, label! Label everything.
From toiletries, to clothing you need to make sure things are
labeled. Not only will it help in packing and identifying your
stuff, it will also make sure that all that stuff makes it home
too. Use either a laundry marker or a P-Touch to make sure you
get everything. Make sure you include a laundry bag so they can
have something for the dirty stuff or if the camp has a laundry
service. Get a caddie to carry their toiletries to and from the
bathroom. A pair of flip-flops are also a good idea in case
they have to shower in a ‘rustic’ bathroom. Include a notebook
or diary so they can record their thoughts and memories, and
include a folder with self addressed and stamped envelopes so
they can drop you a note while they are away. Finally, where to
put all this stuff? Dan recommends a trunk. A suitcase may not
have enough room and a duffle is too soft and may not protect
everything you pack. A trunk, either wood or waterproof plastic
is the best solution. Just make sure that it can be locked and
that your child loves it. If the thought of packing still has
you stressed, you can get all the help you need at The Container
Store. |
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