This Day . . .

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a fine poet and occasionally a wise thinker. He had some good advice for us:

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered by your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays."

Modern Minimalist House Design Into Many People's Choice

Modern Minimalist House Design Into Many People's Choice

Designing a house with a minimalist style has become popular. many people talk about minimalist design style house, and many architects beautify the pattern of modern minimalist style dwelling house to add value. trends in interior design and architecture of this time depends on the materials used such as ceramics, wood, paint, and marble. Creativity in design can occur with the use of building materials. By using materials of good and complete, the architect can create new ideas and unique. So, although using the concept of a minimalist home, this house could see a large and luxurious.

Baby's dream furniture

Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture
Baby's dream furniture

Book Review: Every Man's Battle

Book Review: Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker

Sometime during my last few years at Bible college I got excited about purity. I mean really excited. I became absolutely convinced of not just the importance of being sexually pure but that it was one of the greatest gifts of God we could choose for ourselves. I started a new, purity focused relationship and began talking with many people about the topic. Encouraging men and couples in this area became one of my strongest passions. My relationship with Jobina was one of purity and integrity and I took that passion into marriage, youth pastoring, and camp directing.

Last week I was looking at my co-worker Gerry's library, looking for next book to read when my eyes rested upon Every Man's Battle. I thought it might help me with some of my clients who struggle with sexual issues. I read it in a couple of days and it kind of rocked my world. I realized though that my old passion for purity had kind of . . . faded. I'm not sure why, but when I encountered the brazen honesty and passion for purity in this book, I knew that it had happened and I hadn't even realized it. This book restored my vision for purity and helped me to see it's importance not just before marriage but after as well. The book is unique in that it mostly addresses "fractional addiction." This is where you are addicted to getting some of your sexual needs met outside your marriage relationship. So while most men are not like Tiger Woods, full blown sexual addicts, many have fractional addictions. Many young Christian men think marriage will be a kind of sexual nirvana where they won't have to fight against sexual temptation anymore (since they can now have sex)- and they are shocked when the battle changes but continues.

Personal purity is a delicate subject and so too often we don't talk about it, and if we do, we talk about it in code or vaguely. I liked this book because it was terribly honest and specific. Honest enough that you cringe when the authors tell their stories and you realize their wives have heard everything they've said. This would be a difficult book for a woman to read - and so at the end of each chapter there is special section addressed to any female readers, trying to help them understand the uniqueness of the male makeup. The authors differentiate between being male (our unique proclivity to getting our sexual needs met) and being a man (choosing to be pure to honor God). They then present a simple battle plan. Part of this plan is to "starve your eyes" and "bounce your eyes," two great strategies which when mastered will protect a man and his marriage in powerful ways.

I liked this book alot. I don't think it would be helpful for full blown sexual addiction but for fractional addiction (the vast majority of men) it is practical and easy to understand. It certainly is not boring! There is a female version as well called Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment, which I would love for a woman out there to volunteer and review for me. Any takers? I rate Every Man's Battle 4.4 stars out of 5.

Furniture Caring Tips From Wood

Furniture Caring Tips From Wood | furniture for tv

Still about wood furniture. If the previously discussed about how to care for wooden furniture is not easy to dull and musty, so this time we will discuss about the tips for polishing wood furniture that has already faded.

Here are two ways we can use. The first is by using the two nuts and using the tea water.

Complete step-polished wooden furniture using walnut:

1. Prepare pecan taste and mashed until smooth
2. Wrap powder pecan collision with a clean cloth
3. Massage-massage package until oil appears pecan / seeps from the pores of the fabric
4. Wipe / pecan oil rub on the furniture or wood furniture you are dull
   

Polishing steps using wood furniture tea:

1. Prepare flannel and enough tea water
2. Dip a washcloth into the water tea
3. Wipe / washcloth to rub the wood surface is dull
   

By using one of two tricks on a regular basis, then our wooden furniture will look shiny, dull and like new again.

Awesome creative stairs images

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

Awesome creative stairs

The Discipline of Romantic Retreating

I have a friend who leads a crazy busy life. He and his wife are extremely generous and hard working people. Anytime they have a chance to get away for awhile they always invite their children to come along and share in the experience. So I was overjoyed to hear that they had recently decided to get away - just the two of them - and go to a cabin for a few days together.

I was so excited for them! I caught myself praying for them, asking God to give them a beautiful few days together. You see, I'm a very big fan of what I call the discipline of romantic retreating.

Romantic retreating is going away, just the two of you (no children!), for a time to reconnect emotionally, conversationally, recreationally, spiritually, sexually, etc. I'm convinced that every couple is different but that almost every couple needs to do this occasionally or else their relationship will wither. Going away to a hotel or a cabin in the woods is not a guarantee that a relationship will be rekindled, but it increases the chances a lot. Why you ask?

When a couple tries to spend quality time together in their home it can be difficult because of the many distractions; children, finances, housework, house repairs, and the ever present spontaneity killer - familiarity. "Getting away" is like making conscious choice to put all of that on hold for awhile and show your spouse that connecting with them is of utmost importance to you - and that all that other stuff can wait (don't worry it will still be there when you get back!). Its a time to have fun together again, to be romantic, and to recapture what has faded. Retreating together is a beautiful thing and a great way to remind yourself that the tyranny of the urgent does not need to be your slave master.

I call it the discipline of retreating because it for most of us it takes a conscious choice to sacrifice two limited resources (money and time) to do. Yet whenever Jobina and I go away (usually to our fav resort, Falcon Trails), we always end up saying to ourselves "We need to do this more often." To me 3 nights is optimal but even one or two is great. I consider retreats a wise investment into one's relationship. Personally, I'd like to do a get-a-way at least every 4 months to get the most out of them. Like having a weekly or monthly date night, this is a discipline that has immediate and far lasting results on your relationship. What's your best retreating experience or where do you like to get away to?

P.S. The pic is from Mariaggi's Theme Suite Hotel here in Winnipeg, a great (though expensive) place for a romantic retreat. Waterfall hot tubs right in your room! Jobina and I spent our first night there as a married couple - it was worth every penny . . .

Minimalist Houses Suitable For Urban Communities

Minimalist Home Designs

Current minimalist house was greatly loved by the people in urban areas. Suitable for building in urban areas. Narrow utilize a family residence.

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Atoll Sofa Wall Bed

Challenged by space but still need to fit in the necessities? More and more sofa wall bed systems like the "Atoll" are making their way into the high rise living spaces of our large cities that rely on smaller vertical living. The Atoll features a queen bed that attaches to 28 inches of shelving with a sofa that extends the length of the entire unit with additional storage under the sofa seat. A simple pull lowers the bed and the shelf becomes the foot board without the need to unload the shelf first. Designers Giulio Manzoni / Pierluigi Colombo

Minimalist Home Design and Garden Into the Current Trends

Minimalist Home Design and Garden Into the Current Trends

Since a few years ago and minimalist house design minimalist garden into housing trends become a favorite choice of consumers into the house that the new symbol of cosmopolitan society, which is a reflection of the way of life, thought, and urban public works the very practical, lightweight, efficient, and full simplicity.

The house and garden is a community cultural values of nature and life residence. Where home is a place to live, resting, socializing, family, and worship. While the park is a reflection of natural energy, and the source of life. When the house and garden was designed as a harmonious life will give energy to the occupants.

The concept of minimal house and garden aims to increase the value of an entire room for the exterior and interior to reduce the excess of everything in the room. The concept of a minimalist lifestyle shows practical, dynamic, concise, effective, and efficient, which is applied in all aspects of life including house building architecture, interior space and exterior gardens.

Collaboration minimalist house and garden is a combination of communication media between architecture and landscape in the form of contrast, hard-soft, stiff, soft, geometric, dynamic, and between man-made or cultural in nature.

Minimalist house eliminates a lot of saturation with the use of decorative ornaments, knick-knacks accessories. Character and quality of spaces created by the existence of space defined itself, not by the furniture and accessory knick-knacks in it. Space becomes felt relieved as the primary needs of residents, to optimize the circulation of healthy fresh air, and lighting is abundant sunshine.

Typical homes have minimal natural light sources from windows, doors, transparent walls, shade trees, plants and paving composition, will present an appropriate image objects from sunlight reflected off the walls as a natural aesthetic separate elements. While the game system very artistic lights, spotlights good, light plant, to the chandelier with geometric shapes, will liven the evening minimalist home.

Home design minimalist forms are straightforward, plain, simple, uncomplicated, compact, and efficiency-effective space. Blocking mass, materials, lighting, repetition, circulation compact, multifunctional space optimization and sequential. The value does not rely on the beauty of the house ornaments and artificial objects, but more meaningful to an honest form, function, and the inspiration that spaces are created.

Structuring minimalist home and garden requires a harmonious overall look, a combination of hard materials, the physical structure of buildings and exotic plants, exotic colors, as well as supporting elements (such as: lights, pond, benches, sculptures, furniture). Harmony requires minimal materials, shape, color, and texture with the impression conveyed to the warm, intimate, romantic, natural, or futuristic. Games monochromatic colors with themes such as the gradation of one or two primary colors to create unity between the house and the garden.

Structuring minimalist furniture requires an order, where everything is orderly in their respective position. Room in a house filled with furniture that is very efficient and functional course. Selected furniture that is only really needed, not a decorative element, if possible, so the one multifunction net impressed and relieved. Furniture interior and exterior with geometric forms have a goal of maximizing use of space, there is no room left gaps or dead.

Parks play an important role include the beauty and harmony of nature into the building and together with the surrounding natural environment. The presence of water element in the form of geometric and form pools of water calm, waterfalls, or water spray (fog effect) brings stillness and coolness of the space and audience space.

Unity minimalist house and garden they should belong together form the fabric outer space, buildings, and space in a balanced, mutually harmonious way, and not dominate the other. The division of space is very efficient, functional, and clear hierarchy, and reduce the need for space that is not important. Integrating the minimalist house and garden will bring a home environment calm and soothing.

Apartment interior Designs

Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs
Apartment interior Designs

Images of Urban Minimalist House | Minimalist Home Designs

Sample picture of urban minimalist house. Minimalist Home Designs

Book Review: Fast Food Nation

Book Review: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side Of The All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

A week or so ago there was nothing on TV so Jobina and I looked for a DVD to pop in. We ended up watching Supersize Me. If you want something to help you reduce your fast food habits, I highly recommend it. One of the bonus features in this movie is an interview with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. The next day I picked up the book from my library and started reading it again.

There is no other way to put it; this book is shocking. On so many levels. Charting the history of fast food in the USA, it shows how the industrial processes of mass production have been applied to food. Spoiler: It's not always good.

Schlosser's book is easily readable, well researched, and is not over the top in it's anti-corporate views. It's chilling to know that due to the meat industry being run just by a few corporations, essentially we are eating the same meat from the same feedlots and slaughter houses whether we buy it at a fast food chain or the local supermarket, and perhaps even upscale restaurants. But there things that are even worse. Cattle are fed cats, dogs, other cows, even old newspaper! Not to mention feces - and lots of it. Yuck! If this doesn't outrage you enough, just wait to you get to how these same meat conglomerates treat the low paid, low skilled employees of the slaughterhouses. Working in a slaughterhouse is one of the most dangerous professions in North America with thousands of injuries reported every year.

How fast food corporations have evolved their food - adding taste to almost everything by using chemicals is unsettling at best. Advertising to children, tainted meat, chemically fabricated food, underpaid workers, the direct connect between obesity and fast food's rise to prominence, and the movement away from food regulation are all issues that the author touches on. I rate this book 4.8 ninja stars out of five - highly recommended. For a concise overview of the book, check out this link.

What Defines Antique Furniture.

Furniture that is only a few decades old can now be considered antique. When buying antique furniture should first consider what it will be used for. Are you buying antique items for display or everyday use.
If you are in the market for antique furniture there are a few things that you have to realize first. Styles have changed drastically and in recent years even furniture from the 1960s and even the early 1970s is considered to be antique now. So there is a lot to learn and know about antique furniture but what is most important is what you find attractive.
For many people it is the well constructed claw footed oak furniture that they prefer. If its from the early 1800s on it can be purchased for a reasonable price and it blends well with modern furniture in a home or office. A nice antique oak table with big claw style feet works great in any setting and is both beautiful and functional.
One thing to remember is that most of the time if a piece of antique furniture has been refinished it is of lesser value. This is unless the piece was in dire need of repair before hand. In any case it is always best to look for antique furniture that has its original finish.
Some of the most valuable American antique furniture was made in any one of the original thirteen colonies on the east coast prior to the revolutionary war.
Antique furniture from this era can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for even just a chair. If you are in the market for antique furniture that is going to be used heavily then you should give some consideration to just what you are buying.
Buying valuable antique chairs for a dining room table that children are going to be using will only lead to heartbreak as you watch them slowly get demolished. This means that if your antique furniture is going to be used a lot then you should give consideration to buying solidly built wood pieces.

Make Beautiful Minimalist House

Minimalist house design is very attractive to the very practical people today. How to choose furniture and accessories are right for your minimalist home?

Maintaining a practical and functional elements of the basic key in minimalist house dressing.


The selection of appropriate materials can thicken to a minimalist concept presented. Eg glass furniture combined with aluminum or wrought iron furniture including the widely used. In addition to a simple form, any maintenance relatively easy to do.

Curtains were able to support the impression you want to display in the room. With a novel type of blind, for example, which are lightweight and able to give the impression that the dynamic in the room is minimalist.

Design a simple chair for living room

Design with strict precision also characterizes the architecture and minimalist furniture. Therefore, select a table or chair that has a simple design, little, or no ornament. With these minimal ornament, can facilitate the treatment and the room seemed more relieved that fit when applied to a small minimalist home.

Minimalist House Design can also be combined with the material or furniture of color - the color of dark brown wood such as red or brown.

Wooden bedroom furniture dark brown

The selection of colors and patterns have to be carefully shown, in which the pattern of flowers or colors that are too crowded less suitable when combined in a minimalist home. Keep the color tone each time to add or change the accessories and furniture in one room.

Layout every accessory and furniture carefully, but keep your room too full of memorable not because it can confirm the impression that want to create a minimalist. For example setting the image frame using a larger frame, but in small amounts to provide accents in the room.

Frame image as the home interior

Update

I haven't posted in a few days, perhaps because we are still catching up on so many things after the birth of our son. We are continually fighting a losing battle with sleep deprivation (my wife much worse then I) and this tiredness seems to disrupt my whole schedule - especially blogging . Despite all this, I am learning a ton of things right now - personally, spiritually, and professionally. But, when I sit down at my computer I find that I have nothing to say.

Yet.

Tropical Minimalist Home Design | The Idea Of Building A House

3D home design software

Tropical Minimalist Home Design | The Idea Of Building A House

Example minimalist house design is familiar, simple neatness finishing covered so comfortable in the eyes. Examples of home design is: home design software, minimalist home designs, free home design software, home theater design, home office design, home interior design, home bar designs.

Here are examples of home designs that are visually simple and very simple form. But when the set composition of the aesthetic form would look attractive with simple characters. Often in home design encountered forms is a simple house or a minimalist. And mostly, it was not a simple form in Balance with good finishing, thus disturbing the visual appearance of our eyes. The above example can be mirrors / example that the simple form (Limasan) we often encounter in this country, when in fact provided a neat finish to soothe our eyes twinkling.

Classic Minimalist House Design At Affordable Prices

Classic Minimalist House Design At Affordable Prices

This classic American minimalist house design is the end result of intelligent planning, high performance materials, and passive design techniques. Designed on a $ 100,000 dollar budget by Michigan firm Dominick Tringali Architects, the project is set to be a prototype for the next generation of Habitat for Humanity home. Let's take a closer look at the design sketch or his house plans.

Floor plan design of the first home decoration

Design floor plan home design both

One sure way to affordable green housing is a clever construction details. The whole house was built for a standard size (I bought off the shelf materials), allowing for rapid assembly, construction consistent numbers, and minimal waste. For example, the roof pitch is designed for standard plywood dimensions, and wall studs were stacked in 24 "for maximum isolation. In addition, the walls and ceilings built site with detailed computer-assisted to avoid wasted drywall.

Included in the budget is Energy Star windows, external doors, equipment and supplies, while high efficiency furnace and tankless water heaters will all be helpful to keep utility bills low. High performance materials and clear big help, but the savings really begin to add movement through the house a simple design.

By applying some basic principles of passive design, residents will also enjoy a better quality of life high with living spaces healthier and lower bills. A wrap around porch and roof line was extended first floor shaded living room, while also providing a fantastic paradise-weather months. With a little window on the north-facing facade and canopy above the window to the south, the house protected from unwanted heat loss and gain.

Each bedroom and living room equipped with at least two windows, allowing for natural ventilation and day lighting. Properly siting the house, he would take advantage of existing vegetation that will protect from the harsh heat of summer and winter wind. While sustainable design so many noble reasons, in this case beyond the ethical arguments and included in the category of social justice, because one day a family in need will grow happily in this house.

This classic home is one-of-a-kind mix of sustainability, affordability, and social justice. Reaches back to the era of elegant architecture, the style is a return to traditional design, in which they are a niche market. It's always great to see one goal that seemed impossible affordable, single-family LEED Platinum treated with reverence icons for details American buildings.