Kids… It’s The Start of the Holidays! We are visiting……

It’s that time of the year again!  Time to visit, have dinner, share gifts and catching up!   This is when YOUR children are told to be on their best behavior!  This is where you try to get out of your mind; that you know your kids are absolutely crazy and how dare you let them out of their world; into the crazy world of having Thanksgiving dinner with other people!  The ones that don’t live with you, but they have asked throughout the year – “How’s things going?”

The truth is it’s chaotic!  Your busy with the day to day stuff; that you can’t do everything – even though you think you are Super Mom or Super Dad!  So the Thanksgiving Holiday is finally here and you now have keep your  word on the dish you said you’ll bring and start prepping…your children!   “Guys lets set some guidelines for dinner!”

“Be respectful, say PLEASE and say that little thing like Thank You…..a lot! And no fighting!!!”  You are hoping by the time you reach your destination, that your military tactic of running the guidelines will some how stick!  Only to remind yourself that these are little people and it’s probably going to be a bust within 20 minutes of your arrival; maybe 10 minutes!

Then you also decide perhaps to give yourself a mental pep talk! Yes, you will be saying “Sorry” more than often that not, demand time outs throughout the entire day and hope your little prayers are answered for that favorite inappropriate word that you giggle about at home………… isn’t said! 🙂

Nevertheless, you are going to have a good time and it’s about family, friends, family and all the food you like!  For those next visits…….I have a little help for you!

You remember the book “The Sisters of Travelling Pants”, written by the beautiful Delia Ephron?

Well here’s another great book she has written called “Do I Have to Say Hello?  Aunt Delia’s Manners Quiz for Kids and Their Grown Ups”  

It has a quiz for you and your children, just to see what things to brush up on when venturing out amongst the world!

This delightful book shares her encounters with her nephew shown with funny illustration depictions by the famous Edward Koren; cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine.

The book doves into many scenarios; such as bubble gum, a bathroom wait, the playground and how to handle that horrible thing on a dinner plate!

The book is so much fun and can be easily shared with children.  It’s doesn’t feel like a lesson; giving you a resource to have some really good results! You may find this may also be good for some grownups as well <you probably are thinking of a few people, right now!>.

Well I have to head back to the kitchen! Wishing everyone the best during the holidays!  Happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy!!!!

Table Manners Copyrighted Material (c)

Letia 🙂

 

 

 

 

Delia Ephron the daughter of screenwriters Phoebe and Henry Ephron. Her movies include You’ve Got Mail (starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael. She has written novels for adults (Hanging Up and the recent The Lion Is In) and teenagers (Frannie in Pieces and The Girl with the Mermaid Hair), books of humor, (How to Eat Like a Child), and essays. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, O the Oprah Magazine, Vogue and More, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post. In 2011 Ephron won an Athena Film Festival award for creativity and panache as a screenwriter.

Edward Koren has lifetime freelance relationship between Koren and The New Yorker. The magazine has published thousands of his cartoons and illustrations, including dozens of full-color drawings published on the magazine’s cover. He has also contributed to many other publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, GQ, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Fortune, Vanity Fair, The Nation and The Boston Globe.

All illustrations copyrighted Material  / Copyright © 2015 Delia Ephron. All rights reserved.  Incredibles Dinner scene All rights belong to Pixar and Disney.

Area Rug… What Size?

Do you remember when you knew right off the top of your head, how many inches are in a yard, a foot?  Which usually goes out the window, when you are trying to figure out room measurements for an area rug!

Earlier today,  I was looking for an area rug.  Of course, I had all the important information, the size of the room, what type of flooring would be underneath the rug and of course a color scheme. 

The most important factor,  is the size, the right size!   

For some reason, the  salesperson could not seem to know that 12 inches = a foot, to figure out the dimensions!  “That’s when, you have 5 feet, it measures to 60 inches”; I’d really confused her; when I said that! LOL.  This left me explaining the rug which I’d wanted, the size they had….it really was going to be too small for the space I needed to cover.  “This is not my area, perhaps I can get you another salesperson?”, the sweet girl said, she must have been filling in for someone, for she kept apologizing.   

So, I had the style and the color, but the rug measurements being conveyed were all wrong.  Back and forth we went, until I left them confused and decided a break was needed.  A Dunkin Donut Cafe Latte break <with a shot a french vanilla, I might add>! 

 After a few, ” Is it me?”‘s,  I told them that I would be back and as I was heading home I’m thinking about other options, I said my readers may also have experienced some trouble too!  Perhaps you also, have had trouble in knowing how to get the right size for an area rug?   Here are a few tips, whether its for any room in your home, office, porch, etc.:

You may be familiar with the standard rug sizes: 3×5, 4×6, 5×8, 6×9, 7×9 and 9×12.  You can buy a rug in any size you want; if it is not the standard sizes, you will have to go custom, however the custom price might be high.  So it’s best to try if you can get the standard sizes.  

1. First look at the room you want to put the rug and take your measuring tape and measure.  You will want to leave a border of between 12 and 15 inches on all sides, so subtract 24 inches from the room dimensions (12 inches on each side) to find the largest size and 30 inches from the room dimensions to find the least size. <Hugh?>  Let’s say if your room is 120 inches by 168 inches, you would want an area rug sized with a width between 90 and 96 inches and a length between 138 and 144 inches.
2. For hallway area rugs, subtract 4 inches from the width and 24 inches from the length of the room. This figure is all you need, it’s the minimum size for your hallway area rug.   Let’s say your hallway is 50 inches wide and 120 inches long, you would want an area rug between 46 inches and 50 inches wide and between 96 and 120 inches long.
3. Thinking about an area under your dining table, add 4 feet to the dimensions to allow for room for people to push their chairs back without edging off the rug.  Let’s say the table’s dimensions are  4 feet wide and 6 feet long, your rug should be 8 feet wide and 10 feet long (8×10).
4. For any table, that you will not be sitting.  Measure the table, it’s dimensions can be used to buy our area rug, don’t steer to far from it! 
5. Still not sure?  For the room that you are thinking about buying the rug, remove all items and furniture from the room!  Get some blue or masking tape and some newspaper (if you have).  Using my tips above, outline the area with the tape.  Then return the furniture back to the room and see if the dimensions are correct.  Take the some newspaper sheets and place on the inner edges, to get an idea of the rug layout.  If correct, take your tape measure and measure.  The figure will give you a reference point to what size rug you’ll need.  Now depending on the inches, you can decide to go bigger, smaller or custom!

OK! Your head is spinning right about now and your saying to me <talking nicely to the screen> that you still don’t think you can figure out the measurements yourself, no matter what tips I give you!!!!  Or…you just don’t want to be bothered!!!!! 

This is all perfectly fine, this is when you may have to ask a friend to measure or after you’ve made a rug choice at a store; they have professionals which could measure  (like carpet buying) or hire a decorator to help you.  

We are all watching our money!  To even cut costs more, please consider going to thrift stores and flea markets for rug selections.  You will be surprised how many people have gotten rid of their rugs and just give them to a thrift store!  Ok! Ok!  Yes; it may be in someone’s house, but if your inspection sees that it is in good condition, for the money that you’ve saved, it can be steamed cleaned and deodorized. 

If you’re at a flea market, there is a chance that the seller has too many rugs on hand and you will be able to haggle a little on a comfortable price to get you to go home with a rug!

Whatever you decide to do, you will now know the basics on finding the right size. 😉

Hope this information was helpful!

Be well – Lee

Smile with Flowers!

Smile with Flowers

  Flowers make us smile and we look for them at weddings, birthdays, at any celebration and comes highly recommended to give for those “I apologize” days.  Flowers just don’t have to be around for these occasions, you can have flowers in your home all year round!  It’s sometimes hard to remember their names, but we all have our favorites!     

We decorate with flowers! Often people usually place flowers in a vase to dress up a table, more often in the dining room or in the living room; but you can put flowers wherever you like.  They can be in a small-scale or very bold.  April is usually the month when Spring flowers start arriving from overseas (Holland), but May is the time for flowers to start blooming in the U.S..        

You don’t even have to wait until someone sends you flowers.  For those who are in NYC, Manhattan’s century-old flower district occupies little more than a block of West 28th Street, between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue is a must!  Although the business is wholesale, many of the shops will take walk-ins, the prices are nicely reduced. 😉   

 Or you can even buy flowers at your local supermarket too (usually shipped from local nurseries and the prices are quite affordable).   Perhaps you or your neighbor have a Lilac tree or a Gardenia bush?  You only need a few clippings, imagine putting them in your favorite spot in the house to relax!  Nice, Hugh?  The fragrance will make you smile!     

Flowers can be found in all sort of vivid colors, from bold to quite soft.  One flower which also comes to mind, is the infamous Gerber Daisy, which has inspired many paint companies to mimic their bold colors (for instance Benjamin Moore Paints).  The behind the scene science to make the many hybrids is simply remarkable and well appreciated.      

The Gerber Daisy

I’ve got you thinking?  Why not try taking a single stem of your favorite flower with a small vase and place in it your bathroom, just to have it there will brighten up your morning.  Or put a couple of stems in your kitchen, just to have a “Look Mommy, flowers!”,  while you get the kids ready for school, it will be a great conversation starter.  How about in the bedroom?      

Maybe, you don’t want a vase, just take a small drinking glass, fill with cool water and place just the flower bud!  Or perhaps, wrap a few flower stems in a few wet paper towels and take them to work for your desk. The fragrance will be with you all day!  If anyone asks you what’s the occasion, just say, “Oh, no occasion”. 😉     

 If you are one that can’t have flowers around you, but love them, go to your greeting card store or the card section at your local supermarket, there are many cards with beautiful flowers; pick one and place on your desk instead.  Or you could get a picture,  a postcard… whatever you prefer, but do experience the joy of having flowers around you!  So, what’s your favorite flower?  Did, I convince you to smile with flowers, I sure hope so!  Enjoy!  🙂    

Be well – Letia    

lee@lmlifestyleanddesign.com