I have a toddler in my house.  He has the tendency to be a very picky eater.  I am constantly on the lookout for new recipies that will whet his appetite while providing him with a healthy dose of fruits, vegetables, and lean meat.  Some concoctions are successful and he eats them almost as good as a bowl of mac ‘n cheese, but others cause him to turn his nose up and look away to instead point at the trucks going by the window.  It’s a frustrating process for me, as it is for most (if not all) parents of toddlers.

In order to bring some good times, fun, and happy smiles to the dinner table, I get the crayons and watercolors out for us to enjoy some art projects.  This eases the frustration he and I experience when seated at the table for mealtimes and makes happy memories that (hopefully) overshadow the more challenging times.  The dining room table is becoming the centerpiece of our family times together, which is exactly what I want to happen.  Once our youngest son is in his own high chair, all four of us will sit at the table together for meals and spend some quality time exchanging smiles and sorrow, laughter and tears.  Not only is it a place for meals but a gathering place for craft projects, creative outlets, and eventually homework central.

Our dining room table is currently a modern-looking piece with metal legs and a glass top.  I have been not-so-secretly wishing for something a bit more rustic and woodsy, but once my son starting using crayons I immediately discovered that glass is a godsend.  Colored wax, ink, and paint wipes right up off the glass and it looks as good as new after a damp paper towel or two.  I began to rethink the desire for a solid log dining table until I happened upon the Cedar Lake Cabin Log Dining Table.  This impressively sturdy table displays all of the natural beaty of cedar logs and will certainly stand up to the rigors of two little boys.  It is a fitting family centerpiece.  But, best of all for a mother like me, the top can be coated with a liquid glass finish that will essentially give this tabletop all the easy care qualities of the glass one I currently have.  The liquid glass evens out the wood and allows all it’s natural qualities to show through, including beetle tracks, hollowed-out ant colonies, and even the natural rot that was affecting the tree.  Such characteristics can become part of tabletop stories with us and the boys.  Now, if it could only get them to eat their vegetables.  I guess I’ll just have to keep searching for a solution to that dilemma.

Before having children, my husband and I would frequently take our motorcycle out on rides through the countryside and sometimes across entire states.  He would captain the iron horse and I rode behind him.  Never did I have the desire to have my own motorcycle and be the quintessential “biker chic”.  I enjoyed the relaxing ride I had from the back of the beast, watching the scenery pass us by and enjoying the fresh air that enveloped us.

On nearly every ride I fastened a point-and-shoot camera around my wrist and had it at the ready.  It can be quite difficult to get quality pictures while traveling down the road at 60 miles per hour, but I wanted to capture the essence of rural America from the seat of a motorcycle.  Most of the shots I took were of barns.  The foreground of those pictures was nearly almost blurry, but if I aimed the camera just right and acted quickly, I was able to train the autofocus on the structure and end up with a shot that had clarity in just the right areas.

As anyone who wields a camera yearns to do, I selected some of my favorite photos and had them printed to display in my home.  Each of them has a lot of sentimental value to my husband and me, so I wanted something special on which to display them.  What better way than on the Cottage Barnwood Bookshelf…barn pictures situated on a bookshelf made of reclaimed barnwood.  This log furniture’s structure is crafted of Red Oak planks taken from 1800s tobacco barns.  I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to my favorite symbol of American agricultural history.

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None of us are perfect.  No matter how hard we may try, even the best of us make bad decisions from time to time.  That is particularly evident in election years, when the “perfect” politicians that are running for office are publicly called out for anything they have ever done that could be considered distasteful.  Of course, most of us don’t lead lives that are anything similar to those of a politician, but we are all human.

In fact, it is the experiences of our past, both good and bad, that contribute to the person we have become today.  It gives us character and makes us unique.  Hopefully there are those in our lives who love us for who we are and wouldn’t want to change us into something different.

Rustic log furniture has similar properties.  It is rough and distinct, showing the effects that Mother Nature has bestowed upon the trees that make up the piece.  The Cedar Lake Cabin Log Sofa Table above shows how the hand peeling process leaves bits of cambium, the darker areas on the logs where the bark used to be.  Knots and beetle tracks are visible throughout the legs and braces, and the cracks and checking give the illusion the logs are drying and adjusting.

Some people spend hours of their time converting a piece of humdrum furniture into something that looks like it has been well-used and has had a lot of “life experience”.  I once spent endless hours refinishing a boring oak baker’s rack that I had rescued from a curb, painting and crackling and staining in order to instantly age it.  I am so proud of that rack now, and the best thing about it is my kids can’t do anything to mar its finish and it barely shows any dust.  It is such a carefree piece, and it has loads of character.  Why go to all of that work when you can purchase a piece that already has character, a rustic finish, and a lifetime of experience already?  The perfect rustic furniture for me is the pieces that proudly show their imperfections.  And if I don’t have to slave for hours in order to make them look that way, well…that’s all the better.

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It has been awhile since I have truly experienced an Iowa winter.  We have enjoyed the warmth of the South the past two years and the much-milder-than-the-Midwest winters of the southeast for the three years prior to that.  I had forgotten how raw and blustery the Iowa snowstorms could be.

Others who live in our immediate area warned us that the wind really howls through our neighborhood.  However, they assured us that we are on the leeward side of the snowdrifts.  This winter season has been unusually mild so, until very recently, we had to take our neighbors at their word.  With this last storm, we experienced some of what they were talking about.  Our front yard was relatively drift-free, except for one that wrapped around from the corner of the house right to the driver’s side door of our pickup truck parked in the driveway. Luckily this was a light snow; otherwise, we may have had to shovel the door of the truck out of a drift in order to get into it.

As with nearly any drifting situation, a barrier can be used to control that nasty little guy in our front yard.  By putting up a fence-like structure at the corner of our house, we can shorten the drift enough to keep it away from the truck.  However, actual snow fences can be quite unsightly, need to be put up every fall, taken down in the spring and then tucked away in storage during the warmer months.  Luckily there are other options.

Shrubs, grass, and trees present natural snow barricades, as well as provide habitat for birds and wildlife.  The right varieties can enhance your landscape dramatically, as well as provide assistance with any drainage issues you may have.  Be sure to plant perennial varieties to lessen the amount of maintenance you have to provide.

Another alternative is to install a structure that works to block wind.  Just like natural plantings, it can beautify your landscape as well as provide a visual breakup to your garden.  A trellis, expertly crafted from naturally insect and decay-resistant cedar, is a perfect way to accentuate your landscape and to block the breeze when the winter winds blow.  This rustic backdrop for climbing vines will virtually disappear into its surroundings while providing height to the garden ensemble.  Leave the vines attached to the trellis during the winter to further enhance its wind blocking capabilities.  Use several of these trellises together for areas that need a wider snow “fence”.  They are a beautiful, low maintenance, eco-friendly way to block the snow without installing an unsightly fence in your front yard.

The landscape of communication has changed dramatically.  Not so many years ago, people had only a few options for talking to friends and family.  They could either pick up a telephone…one that was connected to the wall in the house…and dial a number, send a letter through the mail, or engage the other person in a face-to-face dialogue.  These days the possibilities are endless.  Nowadays the home phone has been replaced by cell phones.  I hardly remember life without them.  Email is a very popular and convenient form of communication, replacing snail mail letters.  And now, social media has become a highly popular means of sending and receiving messages.

The phrase “social media” encompasses many different outlets, but the most well-known is Facebook.  Originally developed as a means for students to swap information, it has since developed into a worldwide communication phenomenon.  Young and old have personal Facebook pages where they post status updates, showcase photos and videos, play games, and track posts from friends and chosen entities.  Facebook for business has also transcended many traditional ways of advertising.

Even primitive log furniture can be social in the modern world.  JHE’s Log Furniture Place has joined the social media movement.  If you become a fan by “liking” the page, you can receive exclusive content and special promotions.  JHE’s will provide updates and interesting information that you can only receive on your Facebook news feed.  Photos of furniture in progress are posted in albums on JHE’s Log Furniture Place wall.  A wealth of useful tips and tidbits can be found.  If you have a Facebook account, become a fan of JHE’s today!

As the calendar closes on 2011 and we open the book on a fresh new year, I always make it a practice to look back on the events of the past year.  I usually marvel over how much has changed in the previous twelve months.  A lot can happen in one year.  Our family, like many others, has faced some lows with deaths in the family but we also had a glorious high point with the birth of our second son.  There is so much to learn by hitting the rewind button on the year gone by and going through it frame by frame.  If you don’t already do that, I recommend making it a practice.

The New Year beckons to us with its undiscovered promises.  It is both thrilling and nerve-wracking to consider all of what is in store for us during the next twelve months.  Many of us take the opportunity every January 1^st to develop a list of goals that we intend to attain and call them our “New Year’s Resolution”.  I don’t know the number of resolutions that are made, but I am sure that the number of them that are broken or not realized to fruition is probably a very high percentage.

In the past, my resolutions have been generic in nature, probably so that I would have an easier time making them come true.  I won’t say that I see them through every single year, but I do feel that my life has significantly improved every one of the past few years.  I like to attribute those positive changes to the practice I make of reflecting every New Year’s Eve and working towards my resolutions every year.

This year I’m taking a little bit different approach.  I still have one generic resolution, large in scope, but I’ve also devised several smaller and more specific goals that I want to reach.  One of them is the design of my home office.  True, that is more of a project than a resolution, but once complete it will provide me with a fresh new perspective in my working environment.  I have decided that I want to include several inspirational signs on the walls for positive motivation.  The piece above, “Time Quote”, words from the legendary leader and innovator that we lost this past year, Steve Jobs, is perfect for bringing me back to a grounded place and providing me with hope and perspective on tough days in the office.  I’m hoping those inspirational words will also keep me on track for keeping this year’s resolution.

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ure, those chairs out in front of the house don’t look so inviting this time of year when they are covered with a blanket of snow.  After all, who wants to sit outside and relax when you have to dress in layers and cover yourself from head to toe in order to stay warm?  There are plenty of options to consider for your outdoor furniture, so take a minute to consider them before you stash the log furniture away until next spring.

First of all, those chairs are a great backdrop for a multitude of decorating uses.  Set a festive wreath or holiday-appropriate sign against the back of the chair.  Tuck a cute snowman onto the seat for a few laughs from passersby.  If you’re dreaming of beach weather about the same time that Christmas comes along, dress a Santa in shades and swimming trunks and then set him in the chair with an umbrella drink.  He may look cold when he’s so scantily clad, but you’ll get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever you are greeted by him.

Cushions and pillows can be a great way to accessorize for the seasons.  You may have cushions that you put on the chairs to create a softer seat during the warmer months, but they can be part of your winter holiday decorating scheme as well.  The hunter green Rustic Natural Cedar Adirondack Junior Seat Back Cushion in the picture creates quite a beckoning resting spot for summer entertaining.  For the Christmas season, pair it with some festive pillows and Santa may just consider having a seat in your outdoor chair to eat his cookies.  Trade the pillows out for various holidays, or keep the same pillow forms and use different slipcovers for each winter celebration.  Cushions…they aren’t just for warm weather anymore.

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This is the time of year that the Postal Service either loves or hates.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t receive much handwritten correspondence in my mailbox these days.  Most of the mail I pull out of my box during the year is what we delicately refer to as “junk mail”.  Credit card and life insurance companies seem to be the main culprits.  I do enjoy getting some birthday cards in the mail come April, but even those have mainly gone the way of electronic greetings delivered to my Hotmail inbox or Facebook account.

However, at Christmas, it is a common practice to send out cards to friends and family members.  Many of us deposit a large bundle of stamped cards (or two or three) into the outgoing mail slot and eagerly anticipate cards likewise delivered to our box.  The very large influx of cards must really keep the USPS hopping in December!

Filling out cards, stuffing, addressing and stamping can take up some measurable real estate in the house, especially when we aren’t accustomed to hand writing and stuffing so many pieces of mail.  A large flat surface comes in handy for such a task.  The Cedar Lake Cabin Log Writing Desk is the perfect rustic complement to your holiday card preparation.  Not only does it look great in your home with its natural log legs and edges, but also the smooth desktop provides the perfect writing surface for all of those cards.  Pair it with a matching log file drawer and you have plenty of storage for cards, supplies, and all the other documents you need at an arm’s length throughout the year.  Once the holiday card season is over, you can bring out the laptop and put it on the log furniture so you can send all your mail electronically until Christmas comes again.

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Sure, we are supposed to eat meals together as a family around the dinner table.  Experts agree that a family that makes the time to gather around the table for at least one meal a day is often healthier and shares a stronger bond than those who do not.  Many busy families grab meals as they are able and eat anywhere from the front seat of the car while driving to some function or another to on their bed while they study for tomorrow’s test.

I also am a believer in eating around the dining room table together, but even though our kids are very young and not yet involved in activities, it can be very difficult to get everyone to the table at the same time for a meal.  I am not giving up hope, however.  I want to make it a practice that at least one or two nights a week we make it a priority to enjoy a meal together.  One such evening at our house occurs every Friday.  I make homemade pizza and we sit down together in front of the television to enjoy our pie and a movie.  Of course, this scenario does not facilitate much communication but at least we are enjoying an activity as a family and making it a tradition that we all expect and anticipate every week.

Eating in the living room can be a little messy, especially with young children.  Not all of our furniture has a table alongside on which to rest plate and drink.  Using TV trays is a solution, but with limited space in the living room, storing them between Fridays can be a hassle.  The  provides a handy surface for eating and makes storage a snap.  The sturdy tabletop elevates up to a 25” height, perfect for both the little and big people at my house.  When we are finished with the meal, the top lowers back onto the rustic coffee table, creating a seamless piece of living room furniture that offers both style and storage.  I think all would agree, this piece of log furniture is a great way to gather the family around for a meal yet offers flexibility for all of the other activities that go on in a busy household.

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When it comes to decorating, some people may say that my style is confusing.  My house is a combination of contemporary, traditional, country, and primitive pieces.  Some are remainders of a more favored style in the past, pieces that I do not want to spend the time or money replacing yet… so they remain a part of our décor.  However, the majority of the knickknacks and treasures that decorate our home are the result of one of my shopping trips to the local thrift store or a find that caught my eye at a craft show.  I collect the things that “speak to me” and beg me to take them home, especially if I consider the item to be a good deal.

Decorative items of varying styles can effectively share the space in a house.  With the right amount of accessories that assist in harmonizing the obvious differences, a “melting pot” decorating style can appear seamless and develop a unique character for a home.  Fabric placemats, crocheted doilies, or woven rugs soften hard edges.  Bright colors are muted and easier on the eye when combined with neutral or earth tones.  Surfaces such as glass and steel take on a warmer and welcoming feel when paired with natural materials like wood or grass.

If you enjoy a mishmash of styles better known as eclectic decorating, log furniture is perfect for you.  Its natural beauty can provide a rustic balance to the hard lines of more contemporary pieces. The primitive look of the logs creates a cozy atmosphere in the home.  Pieces such as the Cedar Lake Lodge Log Dining Table also have a polished presence.  Fancy and spacious enough to host a holiday dinner, yet casual and intimate enough for the family’s evening meals, this table provides the perfect combination of primitive and proper.

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