Kitchen tips

Tags

Family, fellowship, kitchen, Memories, New Home, Table

 

 

• Remember the great moments in the kitchens of your life…food prepared for you or by you, fellowship with your friends and your family.
• Choose kitchen cabinets like furniture, deliberately. Design low cabinets for children. They can pick out their own cereal and learn to put away dishes.
•  Make your kitchen big enough to hold a table – a place for kids’ construction projects as well as a place for guests to make memories. 
•  Most home accidents happen in the kitchen. Keep a first aid kit there.

 

 Excerpted from Home: Celebrating the Spaces of Your Heart, written by Renee Garrison and Tom Szumlic

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Thou shalt dress properly

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dress code, resortwear, wardrobe

The term “resortwear” was coined to describe clothing worn in the fashionable resort areas of France during the 1920s and 1930s.

“Shorts, beach pyjamas, wrap-around skirts and playsuits all fall into this category,” reads the Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion. “By the latter part of the 20^th century, the word covered all kinds of lightweight garments for summer and cruise wear.”

Undoubtedly, that’s why few issues create as much confusion among passengers as what to wear to dinner. As cruises and cruisers have become more diverse, so has their dress — placing each ship’s staff in the uncomfortable position of dealing with violations from passengers who are confused or simply don’t want to comply.

Today, the Internet Web site cruisecritic.com contains a section on Cruise Line Dress Codes – which can vary widely from ship to ship.

It says, “Just about every cruise line has a dress code of some type. Except for the occasional nudist charter, they all at least agree that clothing is required! But from there on, dress codes range from those where dressing for dinner means putting on a clean T-shirt to those where any male passenger not in a tuxedo might as well be wearing nothing at all.”

Why is wardrobe so important?

“You might offend other passengers,” says Chris Baker of Cruise Connections travel agency. “Most people don’t want to sit across from someone wearing a tank top at the dinner table.”

She suggests first-time cruisers read their ship’s dress code carefully.

“If you’re on a Carnival ship – which is reasonably priced – you’ll see everything,“ Baker adds. But beware: Shorts (including gym and basketball shorts), beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and caps are never permitted in the dining room during dinner.

At the other end of the luxury spectrum is the Cunard Line, with its formal, semiformal and elegant casual dress codes. (One might expect to see plenty of Judith Leiber jewel-encrusted purses on those dinner tables.)

But don’t worry: Room service always is an option.

The Future’s So Bright

“The Future’s So Bright, I  Gotta Wear Shades” ~ Timbuk 3

I would be easy to pick out of a police lineup: I’m the one clutching a cup of java in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other.

I own four pair, actually: black frames, white frames, aviators and Gucci frames with prescription lenses for driving. Developments in titanium and plastic have made them all incredibly light. (Folks who remember sunglasses pinching behind their ears or leaving dents in their nose will be surprised at how comfortable the new versions are to wear.)

Sunglasses can be as varied as outfits, personalities and activities. With ultraviolet (UV) coatings, color doesn’t matter anymore: any tint lens can block damaging rays.

Add polarization and glare disappears, making activities like driving and water sports safer and more fun. As a resident of “The Sunshine State,” I appreciate that.  Apalachicola, the sunniest spot in Florida, sees an average of 128 clear sunny days per year while Miami has 74. 

Florida’s sunshine also is strong, because the state is in the subtropics. Rays arrive at a steep angle, bringing a high degree of ultraviolet radiation. “It may not be sunny all the time in Florida,” says Miami-based meteorologist Jim Lushine. “But what sun we do get is very intense.”

Still need a reason to invest in sunglasses? Here are a few from the Vision Council of America:

– Just as your skin does, your eyes need sunscreen. Overexposure can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration.

– Sunglasses reduce wrinkles by reducing the need to squint.

– Sunglasses make driving safer. Add a polarized coating and you’ll see through the harsh glare of the afternoon ride.

– Sunglasses improve your athletic performance. The right lens can improve your golf game or help you see a tennis ball better.

A door is a filter

       A door is a filter between you and the outside world.

 

Probably the most direct and exciting exchange we have with our dwellings is with its doors. Closed doors become our personal sentinels, guarding our homes and lives. Everyone has realized – upon shutting the door – the sensation of being safe at home. 

Doors communicate either privacy or invitation – formality or hospitality. For most of us, the back door is our true portal and no one except delivery companies come around to the front.

 So the next time the doorbell rings and that familiar vibration interrupts your personal space, greet the person on the other side with a smile. If it’s a blast of winter air or a relationship on ice, warm up the person standing on the other side of the threshold.

For all seasons of your life, the best place on earth should be right inside your front door.

My bunny tale

Tags

bunny, Florida, Humor, St. Petersburg

It seems rather quaint, by today‘s standards: I tucked away my reporter’s badge and went “undercover” to audition for the Playboy Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Yes, I know – Gloria Steinem did it first. But I was barely out of diapers in 1963, and didn‘t read her article.)

 They came in droves, searching for stardom. Some with fresh-faced prom queen smiles and some whose faces belied their youthful shapes. Many came in pairs (“Gee, what if one of us makes it” they giggled), some brought boyfriends and one or two even were flanked by parents.

 Makeup ranged from nonexistent to theatrical – so did the costumes.

 “Wear leotard or bathing suit and high heels,“ the Playboy ad requested in its call for prospective bunnies.

 “You mean it didn’t specify one-piece bathing suits?” asked Bunny April, in St. Petersburg from the Dallas club for the local bunny-hunt, Playboy-speak for en-masse viewings of area talent. Her eyes rolled. “You’re really going to see some sights.”

 She was right: Appropriate attire was far overshadowed by innumerable tributes to vulgarity. Breasts and bottoms strutted about the Bayfront Concourse lobby clad in string bikinis. Some labored under the gross misconception that prospective bunnies must bare all.

 But not everyone. Working my way through the thongs in the lobby, I met several women who were actually clothed – among them a mother of two who sought part-time work, an airline stewardess there on a lark and Jean Albrecht, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer cheerleader now working as a marketing consultant.

 “Whether I make it or not, I thought the experience would be good for me,” Albrecht said, managing a smile.

 I watched her stand for a full-length Polaroid snapshot that was stapled to her application for identification. Trudging back out to the hall, yet another line formed – this one to International Bunny Mother Harriet Bassler, worldwide bunny coordinator.

 “I got this yesterday,“ giggled the woman behind me, whipping aside her bathing suit bottom to reveal a Playboy logo tattoo on her hip. “Isn‘t it cute?”

 Cute, real cute.

 I was so taken with our conversation that I almost missed the announcement that a centerfold photographer would take test shots of anyone interested in becoming a playmate of the month. One by one, girls quietly left the line to approach him, closing his hotel room door behind them.

 Many bypassed the opportunity and were ushered into Bassler’s small sitting room.

 After a few questions she requested they, “Take a short walk, turn around and come back to me with a great big smile.“

 Checking out the derriere, of course. Playboy vice president John Tosarello had remarked on it earlier. “You can find the nicest personality and the prettiest face, but if she can’t fit into the costume, forget it.”

 End of interview. Many women had spent upwards of six hours waiting for 90 seconds of discussion. What can be discerned about a woman in such a short period of time?

“Actually, I just look at the physical appearance,” Bassler admitted in a later interview. “The way a girl is built, if she’s well-proportioned, has a nice smile, pretty face and somewhat of a personality, certainly. And I always take into consideration that the girl is nervous.”

 The throng was whittled to 100 and from that number, 25 young women were offered ears to staff the Playmate Lounge and Bunny Boutique…Among them was former Buccaneer cheerleader Jean Albrecht.

 “I feel like I’ve been through boot camp this past week,” Albrecht sighed. “Of course, it could just be the hose – you wear two pair. One pair of support hose that make me work up a sweat every time I get ‘em past my ankles, and one pair of black.”

 (Those were even more essential than her fluffy, white tail!)

The quirky ones

Tags

Architecture, Dreams, Homeowner, Homes, New Home

    The homes we all remember the most are the quirky ones.

 

    The backstairs that connected Mrs. Hinkle’s kitchen to her bedrooms were woefully narrow and steep. A single overhead bulb illuminated the twisting, dark blue treads. But the terror of climbing them inevitably disappeared when visitors reached an awkward landing. It was there that they first glimpsed sunshine streaming through the bullseye window at the top of the stairs.

  Certainly it would never qualify for the pages of any glossy architectural design magazine.  Perhaps this is why we remember the quirky homes: they have vitality and offer a richer, more stimulating experience. Odd proportions are much more intriguing than safe or expected combinations.

   We all have these eccentric spaces in our memories: The secret narrow hallway that connected two rooms through the back of closets, the doorway that went behind the stairs.

• The homes of our memories give form to the homes of our dreams.     

Florida architecture

Tags

breeze, Design, environment, Florida architecture, Homes, New Home, ventilation

Early Florida settlers built their homes with features that we now recognize as environmentally friendly: Wide overhangs to shade windows and porches, high ceilings and big, operable windows for ventilation.

That is precisely what Orlando architect Geoffrey Mouen, AIA had in mind when he designed “Tradewinds,” the 7,316-square-foot show house in Baldwin Park sponsored by Builder Magazine.

“Early in the design, we analyzed the typical direction of the wind,” Mouen says. “The breeze comes across the pool and into the house through big doors that open up. The house is designed to capture the prevailing breeze coming across the lake through the atrium and into the main living spaces. Hot air rises through high, clerestory windows and the observation tower to help ventilate the interiors.

“The whole goal here is we’re not relying on new gizmos and gadgets to keep the house comfortable,” Mouen adds. “We’re using traditional methods that respond to the Florida climate. Of course, we can close the house up and use air conditioning when the weather is too hot. But our goal is to allow people to turn off the electricity for eight months of the year, open the house up and enjoy the beautiful, temperate climate.”

Combining classic and contemporary design (Mouen calls it Anglo-Caribbean influences) the house was raised six feet off its lakeside lot for privacy from the adjacent Cady Way Trail. Runners and roller-bladers who pass by have no way of knowing that the 9–foot louvered doors facing them lead to a Roman atrium – complete with fire cauldrons and a waterfall.

The residence has an unusual exterior – some neighbors believed the three-story building was a restaurant while others speculated it would hold church services on Sundays. However, the design actually optimizes the path of the sun to create intentional solar heat gain, interior natural light and exterior shading opportunities. A standing-seam metal roof reflects Florida’s harsh sunlight while prevailing winds from the Lake Susannah keep 2,200-square feet of covered outdoor areas cool.

Fourteen windows in the observation tower draw hot air out of the residence like a passive attic fan.  Undoubtedly, early Florida settlers would approve.

Hospitality

Hospitality is the act of making people feel at home — when you wish they were.

 

The difference between a “house” and a “home” may lie in its hospitality.

We’ve all experienced the pleasure of visiting one: The pantry is always stocked for a party, the rooms of the home fairly twinkle and the aromas from the kitchen cast a spell upon all who enter. Photographs of family and friends are displayed prominently, allowing everyone to experience the fun all over again.

Fortunately, a hospitable home need not be fancy to be fun. It simply encourages friends to drop in unexpectedly, to celebrate a day of sunshine or to sit around a coffee table.

The essentials of hospitality include flexibility and informality. They may not sound very glamorous, but they are the behind-the-scenes secrets to turning any house into a home.

Another suggestion:  Offer a glass of water to anyone who delivers anything to your home.

Divine Design

Tags

artistic pieces

    For a few weeks every year, familiar rooms become utterly transformed as holiday decorations glitter from the tabletops to the walls. However, some folks prefer to keep cherished family treasures and a spiritual aura in their homes every day. Visitors to these homes delight in a serene, holiday spirit that is never limited by a date on the calendar.

Special to the Orlando Sentinel

Sissy Meyer’s collection of crosses actually started with jewelry.

“I was drawn to beautiful, artistic pieces that I could wear,“ she recalls with a smile.

But when she and Chuck – her husband of 52 years – moved into their Mediterranean-style home, the collection grew to include decorative furnishings.

“When we moved in 14 years ago, we hung the first wooden cross outside our front door,” Meyer says. “Our neighbors loved it so much, Chuck made a copy. He can do anything.”

Today, there are hundreds scattered throughout the eclectic residence. Some are almost invisible: Crystal and silver crosses cluster on a tabletop in the living room. Yet others command attention: A group of hand painted wooden crosses highlight the wall above windows in the sunroom.

“My five children call this my chapel,” Meyer says laughing.

It’s easy to see why. With their golden faux finish, the walls hold metal, silver, ceramic and wooden crosses from all over the world. A bright red ceramic cross from Capri hangs near colorful Mexican versions.

“The mixture is what makes it fun,” Meyer says.

Above the arched doorway, an iron cross that once adorned a signpost in France still bears fragments of concrete at its base.

The spiritual ambience of the home does not escape many visitors.

“Everybody pauses when they come in this house,” Meyer says. “They feel something, here.”

In January, Meyer hosted a luncheon for the African American women of the small, river-bend community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, during the exhibition “Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt” at the Orlando Museum of Art.

“They prayed, they sang and they didn’t want to leave,” she says.

Raised Episcopalian, Meyer has been a student of the Bible for 40 years.

“I don’t usually talk about it because it’s a very personal thing for me,“ she says. “I guess you might say the crosses are a reflection of what’s inside me.”

Meyer admits she is still collecting and points to her newest acquisition – a cross from New Orleans – which she must find a spot for. “It’s just a passion of mine.”

Author Barbara Milo Ohrbqach would agree. In her book, Antiques At Home, Ohrbach writes, “Emotions, like antiques, are not an exact science. If you love something, you should buy it.”

Start a compost pile

Tags

Gardens, Growth, Homes, Houses, New Home, Writer

The inevitabilities of life are never more evident than in a compost pile.  Throw in a few decaying leaves, your coffee grounds, a little manure and some plant clippings and voila! They are slowly transformed into something that fosters new growth.

Today, why not start an emotional compost pile too? Throw in your discarded hopes and dreams, a little life experience and slowly you’ll grow to discover a rebirth… a new outlook.

   A garden is as much a state of mind as an actual place. It exists because you discover a place of beauty that feels apart from the outer edges of the frantic world. At the center of the garden is a personal refuge and a source of pleasant thoughts. So, along with your hoes and rakes and shovels remember: The most essential piece of garden equipment is a hammock.