Grandchild in the making!!

Is she not the cutest expectant mommy ever?
This is our daughter Tiffany. She is the one who first made us parents and now the first one to make us grandparents. She and her sweet hubby and all of us of course are looking forward to this sweet little blessing to join our family in just a few short weeks.  Just had to share cuz I am so excited I can't help myself!!
Hope your day is blessed!!

Flooring

Good morning and Happy Monday Everyone. I am starting a new mini series. I hope you will join me.
With the increased popularity in "going green" consumers are looking for better options in flooring as well as other building materials. It occurred to me that many of us are unfamiliar with some of the flooring options available. My next several posts will try to explain some of the options out there and the pros and cons associated with them.  

I would like to start with Bamboo flooring.

Technically bamboo is in the grass family but is often called a wood because of how hard and durable it is. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth. Some species have actually been measured to grow over 4 feet in 24 hours. A pole of bamboo can regenerate to its full mass in just six months! Bamboo can be continuously re-harvested every 3 years, without causing damage to the plant system and surrounding environment. During the time it takes to regenerate, the bamboo plant's root system stays intact so erosion is prevented. Continuous harvesting every 3-7 years, actually improves the overall health of the plant. 

Most of the bamboo used today comes from China,although India is the largest grower of bamboo in the world.

To make the flooring, the hallow shoots are sliced into thin strips and boiled to remove the starch. They are then dried and boiled in a solution to remove the natural sugars in the plant. It is then dried and laminated into boards that are milled into floorboards with tongue and groove on all sides for easy installation.

Bamboo flooring is extremely durable, almost as hard as oak and because of it's density, refinishing is not required as often a your traditional wood floor. Bamboo is a preferred "green" choice over hardwood flooring, because it takes from three to six years to reach maturity compared with more than 50 years for oak or maple. Pricing is comparable to other wood flooring products, so the only drawback I can see really is that the design is very specific. It shows the "knot" or the "knuckle" that is so specific to bamboo (note in the picture below) If this doesn't bother you, then this may be an appropriate flooring choice for your home.

Mail box fun!!

Recently I won a giveaway over at  Whimsy by Victoria. She showcased a few collections of her

 very favorite things and then gave packages away to lucky followers. I just love how they arrived in my mailbox.

Is that not just adorable packaging!!? 

Just a small taste of her creative mind!!

And this is what was inside...

If you have never visited her, you need to pop over she is a very creative lady, talented too and I have enjoyed reading her posts

Thank you Victoria you made my day!!

A little touch of Spring

Thought this was the cutest ensemble. A new bedding collection from Horchow.  

 A great blend of texture and color to "springify" a room. 

Love the rosettes on the pillow, the velvet covered headboard, and the cute peacocks on the duvet cover and sham

It just made me smile so I am sharing it with all of you. 

Happy Spring!!

Aging Eyes and Lighting

Do you find yourself squinting to see the fine print or moving the newspaper into better light to see the words? I know I am noticing this more often. Poor lighting in a room, when you are reading, watching the television, or using the computer, can add extra strain to the eye. The eyes have to work harder to convey messages to the brain from the strain of trying to see.
Reaching for the readers or cheaters as some choose to call them is an ok fix, but often  the real cure is just better lighting in your work space or room. Although there are some very very cute readers out there these days!
As we age, we find that we need three to four times as much light than we used to and extra glare is also hard on the eyes.
Knowing that aging eyes need a better kind of light and more of it  to be comfortable is an easy fix at lovethedecor.com
If you are like most of us, you still have the same lamps that you had when you got married. There are so many wonderful choices out there in lighting. From Torchiere lamps to other decorative lamps.  Find lighting that is not only practicle but pretty too. Lighting becomes part of your decor so, you owe it to yourself and your eyesight to invest in better lighting today.