Don't even talk about fur thongs! I did wear a fur SARONG to a party once. *grin* The tree thing has been covered, so I'll touch the second one. Kev is too modest to do so. I think we as Americans have too many hangups about the naked human body. Even more so with the naked male human body. I mean..look at nudity in films..it's mostly female. In some R rated films, a woman's who-ha is in plain sight, but I challenge you to find a full frontal scene where a man is involved (I think of Julian Sands in Warlock or that other cute guy in 28 Days Later). If you feel sexy and comfortable, that's really all that matters. How can guilt come from something so natural..I just don't understand.. Clint

Catherine, I've been away since before the election & am just getting caught up on the swap. What a wonderful package you received! My DIL's family is from Iceland & she went back for the summer about ten years ago bringing me back some fun souvenirs. I'm certain you'll enjoy your cookbook! I've also never known about crowberries...but no doubt the jelly's delicious. And, the jar topper is just the perfect finishing touch. That pancake mix would have lasted just long enough for me to grab a bowl and heat the griddle around this house... :) Enjoy Catherine & great package netla Tricia

Great question! I like to know what current trends are, but not to chase them. If something is 'in' and I like it, and it suits my style, I may incorporate it into my house in a small way. It might be something as small as a lamp shade, accessories, throw pillow, or paint color choice. My style is still evolving (I'm in my mid-30s), but I have a strong enough sense of what I like (traditional but not fussy), to feel comfortable ignoring trends that don't appeal to me. Like ideefixe, I don't like the idea of my home becoming stagnant, so this approach lets me keep things a little bit 'fresh' while remaining true to myself. I used to think that my preference for a relatively traditional style, with a mix of current and antique pieces, meant that I was somewhat immune to trend-chasing or the potential to be dated. But it occurred to me, while reading the recent threads on trends/what's 'in', that different time periods/decades have their own approach to 'traditional' style. The 80s' interpretation of traditional was different from that of the 90s, and that of the 2000s, and so on. I'm sure it's the same with more contemporary styles. There are regional differences too. The era/region may manifest itself in the choice of upholstery (solid vs. patterned, geometric vs. floral), colors, or hardware. Few rooms are truly timeless, even if many of their elements, viewed in isolation, would be considered timeless. Magnaverde's room is timeless but that is the exception rather than the rule. Since my antiques are mostly in the bedrooms, and the living areas are furnished with things I bought in the last 10 years, my house probably screams "late 90s/early 2000s 'traditional.'" To some, it's already dated, and to many, it soon will be. But the rooms that are finished or close to being finished reflect my taste, and that's what matters most to me.

Have been scarce on here lately as we are STILL trying to nail down someone to do our kitchen, but.... Hands down the most important thing of being here is that reading and watching others has helped me really THINK about how I use my kitchen and what will work best with the compromises that I need to make...we typically all have some compromise levels in our remodels or builds, so I've come up with ones that are "workable" to me. I think about the kitchen that I almost would have had...and it would have been new. But disfunctional or at least not as functional as it should have been. There are going to be touches of GW throughout our kitchen. While I'm not going with the typical look (we've planned dark floors and dark cabinets...certainly not the favored look here), there will be a lot of things gathered from here that will be implemented into our new kitchen. We're going with induction - would have never had the guts to pull the trigger on that if not for here - none of our family or friends have it. Almost all drawers rather than roll-outs (why didn't I think before of how silly it is to open a door, roll out a drawer and then reverse the process. Way easier to go with a drawer. What to aim for in terms of construction of cabinetry. I honestly had very little clue before. Plugmold and LED strip lights - would have known next to nothing about neither of those. And so, so much more.