WINTER HIATUS - NEW EPISODES RETURN
MARCH 2011
Recently I went
out to get the mail in and on my walk to the mail box I noticed
that we had the first signs of spring showing up. Early spring
bulbs are poking through the ground and you can start to see the
beginnings of the blooms waiting for warmer days to come to make
their appearance. It also reminded me that spring projects are
right around the corner.
Parr Doors and
Windows
With all the choices out there it is
easy to become overwhelmed with picking out a new door or
window. There is one place where you can see a large selection
of doors and windows with the experts to help you make the right
decision. Parr
Lumber (503-645-7425) has opened a showroom filled with a
wide variety of doors and windows from a number of
manufacturers. They represent many different styles and price
points. Chris Erskine took us around the showroom to show us how
many different choices there are. We started with vinyl windows.
Vinyl windows are not new to the market, but some of the
features and styles are. Newer styles of vinyl windows can fit
into any décor and they are a good basic replacement for old
aluminum or single pane wood windows. You will notice a big
difference in your energy bills if you replace with a vinyl
window. Still, if you like the look of wood, you won’t be left
out in the cold. There are some manufacturers that are now
producing hybrid windows with wood interiors and vinyl
exteriors. These are the best of both worlds, with the beauty of
wood combined with the energy efficiency of vinyl. You can also
choose the type of glass you want too. One manufacturer offers
over 25 different styles of glass alone, so you don’t have to
just get the regular clear glass.
Mr. Mom’s Spinach
Salad
In the past we visited with Mr. Mom
and learned some tasty and easy recipes. Mr. Mom is Dave Lilja
and he has put together a great cookbook; ‘Mr.
Mom’s Favorite Family Meals’ (303-800-1603). Today he joined
us at the
NW
Natural Appliance Center (503-220-2362) to show us a quick
and easy salad. We started with a pre-washed package of spinach
(or you could use any salad greens). Then we crumbled some goat
cheese over the top. Any kind of cheese would work; feta is a
good choice as well. We then added toasted walnuts which were
toasted in an oven for 3-5 minutes until they were lightly
browned. For the dressing we mixed about ½ cup of olive oil and
½ cup of balsamic vinegar (don’t use red wine vinegar) and a
teaspoon of cinnamon in a squirt bottle and shook it up. The
squirt bottle helps keep the dressing under control when you
pour it on your salad. The salad is ready to serve! You can add
more vegetables or other ingredients if you want, but this
recipe is ready to stand on its own. If you would like to try
this recipe with avocado, chicken and feta, click here.
Hot Accents –
Scents and Books
Finding the right accents for your
décor can make all the difference in the design of your home.
There are lots of cool new items that are on the market and we
stopped by
Terra Casa (503-577-8242) to learn about a couple more
items. You remember last week we talked to Kathii about globes
and decorative tiles. This week we talked to Linda about 2 other
accessories for the home. The first one was the decorative scent
diffusers. These are ceramic containers that you can fill with
scented oil and burn to release the fragrance around your home.
There were so many different styles to choose from and they were
easy to use. Just fill them with you favorite scented oil and
light the stone on the top. After a couple of minutes you can
blow out the flame and the stone will continue to release the
scent. Put on the decorative cover and enjoy.
The other items we saw were the
decorative books. These are not your ordinary books; these are
hollow books that you can use to store things in as well. Linda
recommends that you use them anywhere in your décor. You can use
them as a spacer between other items, as a pedestal for display
or even as a place to hide the remotes for the TV. There are so
many cool things around the store you just have to stop by and
see for yourself! |
||||
Website design and content ©2009-2011 Gustin Creative Group.
Please send website inquiries to
gustingroup@comcast.net. |