Essentials within reach?
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (45)
Related Discussions
DWR Design Within Reach - What is your experience?
Comments (5)Their furniture is definitely well made. I didn't see the Libra, but we were in looking at furniture and couches and were very pleased with the quality. The prices are pretty high because most of it is "designer" furniture - known designers designed the pieces. The leather choices for the couches felt like butter. Ikea is truly hit or miss - you have to see the furniture to determine whether to purchase or not. Some items, even thought you have to put it together is well made while other's just won't last a move. Have you checked out Room and Board as well as Crate and Barrel furniture? Sky...See MoreI want everything within reach all the time!!
Comments (32)Here is one more suggestion. I didn't read everything above so I hope this is not duplicated. About a year ago I was telling a single mom of 4 that I know how stressed i get over dinner. I felt pressure to be creative and cook sophisticated things sometimes...but it was hard to pick recipes, the kids (9,7,4) and DH are all kind of picky, and it was not fun. She said that she used a plan that would help but first I have to let go of the impression that I needed to be creative and have a lot of variety. My goal (according to her and I agree) should be first, to feed the family, and second, keep stress in the house to a minimum. Here is the plan she taught me. First, you pick a set of 4 meals that are easy, reliable, and well-received in your house. In our house, it is tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti with meat sauce or meatballs, and one chicken dish. Set a schedule using your list. At our house, Monday is taco night, Tuesday enchilada, Wed spaghetti, Thursday is chicken. Have easy veggie dishes always on hand. For us, it is always raw carrots and salad. Fruit is easy. So every night we generally have a well balanced meal consisting of a protein, 2 veggies, and fruit. It is easy to shop. With my menu being so ground beef focused, If I'm so inclined it is easy to prepare 4 or 5 pounds of ground beef on Monday and use the leftovers on the subsequent nights. This plan makes grocery shopping incredibly easy, too. We always buy taco shells, tortillas, taco sauce, shredded cheese, lots of ground beef, veggies, and salad. (RE: the cheese, I buy a ton whenever it is on sale and keep it in the freezer. no need to thaw - I just dump whatever amount I need into the pan frozen. it also melts pretty well in the micro if you need - just don't put the timer on too long). Once you have this framework in place, 4 nights are taken care of and if you want to be creative or take more time, you can do it on Fri, Sat, or Sun when (I hope) you have more time or a less rigid schedule. Or during the week sometimes I mix it up if I feel like it and had the time. One surprising outcome of this plan in my house is that EVERYONE is happier. I thought the kids or DH would object to it being boring, but at least at these ages the kids enjoy the predictibilty. Often they hated my "creative" stuff and now they know what they're going to get. Good luck to you! Oh, RE: the dishwasher, I have a lot of faith in a good husband. What would he do if you showed him your post? What would he do if you sat down with him when you're totally calm and not stressed and set a goal together of making dinners less stressful? State the problem and tell him you got a bunch of ideas from your friends here. Ask him to brainstorm with you what ideas would help make dinners better. If you approach it as a teammate with him and look for joint solutions, I would predict that the dishes thing will come up and you'll get buy-in from him. With my husband, a few years ago I had these expectations that if I was gone in the evening, he'd do everything with the kids and the house that I would do (ie, get them to bed on time, clean up the kitchen) before he moved on to his leisure activities. When I would arrive home and he didn't, I'd get mad, fights would ensue, blah blah blah. When someone is mad at you, it is very difficult to see their point :) So one day I wised up and I told him calmly that when I go out in the evening (which is rare) to relax and get away from the craziness here, I get immediately stressed again when I walk back into a trashed kitchen and a living room with crap all over the place. I'm not a neatnik by any means, but this was ridiculous! So once I told him without the anger what I hoped for, he did it. I was half amazed at the power of just being assertive and nice and asking for what I needed, and half depressed that I was so old before I figured it out! Again, good luck! anita...See MoreDesign Within Reach - Globus Chairs Hair pulling problem... literally.
Comments (4)What a strange problem. I am familiar with these chairs. It sounds to me that the rivets are not fully seated. You could go back to the store and see if all the chairs are like this. Are yours in fact defective or is this a design flaw. If they are all like this and you want to keep them, you might go to Home Depot and buy a small tube of clear silicone caulking and carefully apply a small bead of caulk around each rivet. You would only need a fraction of an inch around each rivet. The silicone might eventually fall out. A better product but hard to apply is called Quad (caulking) in the paint dept, only available in larger tubes that you will need a caulking gun. This product would probably never fall out but it tends to be messy. You might have to carefully tape off the inside and outside of the rivet leaving small space around the rivet and then apply it smoothly with the tip of your finger. You might want to wear throw away gloves as it is hard to get off your fingers. By the way, if anyone is interested, Quad for just about any exterior caulking, is superior to any other product, windows, doors, installing doors and windows, gutter sealing, under flashing, etc.. I have even re-glued torn roof shingles with it (cover the shingle under the torn shingle with quad but make sure the surface under the shingle is dry. You can dry this area with a hot hair dryer first. Press down the torn shingle into the caulking and then press on the outer surface of the torn shingle with a small board to force it evenly into the caulking beneath it). It stays flexible and is very permanent but it can be removed with a scraper and paint thinner....See MoreMarvin Infinity vs Essential
Comments (18)Significant difference: Infinity is sold and installed by only factory-selected exclusive dealers while both essential and Elevate are sold by lumber yards and other non-installing dealers (not always the case as some dealers have their own installation people or others they recommend but have chosen other products to include in their portfolio). They are different products with the common thread being: they are both fiberglass or what Marvin calls Ultrex. Also to earlier post about testing a large size DH (48 x 96): this keeps the cost of testing down to any window smaller than the tested size and usually the largest manufactured size with a warranty....See More- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
Related Stories

Étagère Herb Gardens Keep Flavor Within Reach
Simple stepladder-style herb gardens are easy to maintain indoors or out, for fresh dish additions anytime
Full Story
FEEL-GOOD HOMEEssential Bedroom Pieces to Invest In
A bedding pro gives her top 3 bedding must-haves to help you get a better night’s sleep
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHerb Garden Essentials: Grow Your Own Delicious Mint
Pull out a pot for this one. Mint's spreading habit and hard-to-kill nature can be a blessing — if you're properly prepared
Full Story
KIDS’ SPACESRoom of the Day: Reaching for the Stars in a Boy’s Nursery
Heavenly decor and snuggle-ready furnishings turn a former home gym into a place for getting starry-eyed with baby
Full Story
HERBSHerb Garden Essentials: Grow Your Own Zesty Lemongrass
Add lemony goodness to cooking and tropical flavor to your yard with this grass-like herb native to Southeast Asia
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDES8 Essential Flowering Vines for the Southeast
These native vines have eye-popping flowers and provide food for bees and birds
Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENSHerb Garden Essentials: Discover Delicate Chervil
Go beyond the tried-and-true edible herbs and try this nonconformist that's surprisingly easy to grow
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGNGarden Design Essentials: Unity and Variety
Between boredom and chaos lies the perfect balance. See how two design principles create landscapes as fascinating as they are harmonious
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGNGarden Design Essentials: Proportion and Scale
Tiny features in an expansive landscape miss the mark. Here's how to make sure your garden elements relate properly
Full StorySponsored
Customized Award-Winning Interior Design Solutions in Franklin Cnty OH






User