The Den Du Jour

My buddy Frank was telling me the other day about a newly-learned husband skill: Compromise.
He said, "Here's how it works. I want something one way and she wants it another way. We compromise and do it her way." I believe we can all read between the lines of that one, but just to be sure I asked him, "So, when you 'compromise' you really just end up doing what she wants? You're the one that's 'compromised'?" "Exactly," agreed Frank. Good man!

This rearrangement was a compromise, but not like the one described above. The piano isn't as convenient to access as the other way, but the Reading Station survived. And since I didn't want as much focus on the TV, my comfy chair got placed completely out of its view.

The Family Room

This den arrangement is already outdated, but I have a bit of a different perspective and thought I'd lay it out for my audience.

The Reading Station
You can tell that the babies have become interested in reading, because we dedicated an entire section of the den to that very activity. Space is limited but there's always room for a good book.



The Social Club
With the couch and the comfy arm chair facing each other, and the piano to the left, Family Home Evenings were wonderful. We could all interact nicely and the piano was (for once) convenient. And one of my favorite things was that the role of the TV was minimized, downplayed even.


Unfortunately, this arrangement didn't last long. Look for another post with the latest setup soon.

Hey, Rob - I rearranged while you were at work, so you have time to fix the toilet and sink when you get home!

I think there must be some kind of group for people who constantly rearrange their houses...if there were, I'd be in it. "Rearrangers Annonymous"

We're backtracking on the toddler beds - they do great getting into them at night (not so much for naptime), but they don't understand that they do not HAVE to get up at 6 am! So, until they learn that, we'll use a crib and a playpen - we got rid of that other crib - not enough room for that much stuff!

The original with cribs:

(Toddler beds replaced the cribs, with the one by the door way perpendicular to how the crib is now.)

How I changed it to squish in a bed, a crib, a playpen, and one toddler bed (for transitioning one twin at a time)! Seth and Carolyn transitioned at this age, and were super easy! (but then again, everything for them was super easy compared to twins...)
(The playpen's only temporary and the remaining crib will be replaced by a bed later...)

On to the den next (yes, in the same day - when I'm on a roll, I can't stop!)

I told the missionaries we rearrange about every three months. (They had been here about that long, and corrected me.) "You've changed it three times since I've been here!"  So, on August 14th I took this...

Another angle....

Then on September 26th I took this: (OBVIOUSLY, you can see why this did not work out - we constantly had to move the couch so we could see the tv, then put it back...)

And this is today's arrangement (October 6th). 

Two notes:

1. I say "Today's" arrangement, b/c who knows if I'll change it tomorrow! and 

2. Did you notice that I DID change once a month, and the dates are getting closer!? 

(maybe I do need therapy...haha...actually, this is therapeutic for me! It has saved me the trouble of packing up and moving to a new house every time this house feels cramped. I just rearrange and it's like I've got a whole new living room...nice, huh?) You should try it. Actually, invite me over - Can I help?? :)

I've got a golden twinkle in my eye

Here are more things I found and find worthy of sharing.

= 1 =
"By the end of today, what would you wish to happen?" Don't wait to get things done, start on them now and then keep at them- little by little.
http://geekswithblogs.net/dlussier/archive/2008/09/18/125280.aspx

= 2 =
The title "How to be outstanding" is a little misleading. It doesn't instruct, it reveals.
http://www.bspcn.com/2008/09/18/how-to-be-outstanding/

= 3 =
Astounding optical illusions
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/09/10/11-colorful-optical-illusions/

= 4 =
I love the rain.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/07/35-brilliant-examples-of-rain-photography/

= 5 =
Protesters complain too much
http://xkcd.com/470/

I've got a Golden Ticket

I read various blogs on a daily basis and I occasionally come across something that changes me, or at least means something to me. So I'm going to attempt to post (occasionally) a Best Of- list of things I find during my wanderings.

= 1 =
Here's a really long post about what Michael Lopp calls a "Trickle List". If you don't want to take the time to read it, I'll condense it for you.
Don't worry about creating To Do lists- they just make you feel guilty when you don't do something on the list. Instead, make a list of things you feel you should do- alot. The Trickle List is more like a recurring, daily task list. I've been thinking about doing something like this recently because I just need a small, daily reminder for some things.

= 2 =
I don't mean to rock anyone's world here, but I'm not exactly a sports fan. I don't DO outside- it would ruin my pasty complexion. But I can recognize an amazing baseball moment when I see one. A ball girl makes a truly amazing catch and then just tosses the ball to the nearest "real" team member. Heroes are not always the ones in the limelight.

= 3 =
Let's get organized!
Jott - Capture thoughts, create tasks and set reminders with a simple phone call. Basically, you call a number and then you dictate a message and it gets turned into an e-mail, a reminder, an appointment, a list, a blog post, whatever you set it up to be. And it's (mostly) free.
Remember the Milk - A great way to manage your tasks. It can talk to Google Calendar, e-mail, IM, Twitter, and lots of other inputs. Free, free, free.
Now Do This - Bar none, the simplest To Do list on the web. Again, free of charge.

= 4 =
Tomorrow (September 19) is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Honestly, I think this one's a complete, utter, asinine, bona fide waste of time but it sure is getting popular.

Best comment award

Jared (my brother-in-law) leaves the most interesting, insightful, enjoyable, witty, and frequent comments.

Thanks, bro! You win a prize. A prize that um, hasn't yet... been... determined. Ahah! I just thought of something.

You may choose from the following:
1) A personalized masterpiece, made from any of the wood I have in my garage
2) Spanish or Computer (html, for example) lessons
3) A bottle of carrot juice (or your latest fad drink) delivered to your doorstep
4) Sunday dinner at your house (we cook), plus an afternoon with the Bailey zoo

Congratulations. And if you act now, you will receive (absolutely free) as much publicity as I can muster- a link.
Here's Jared's blog: http://lefthandedblues.blogspot.com/

Cheesy Tag

Beth tagged me a while ago and I am finally getting around to it, so here goes:

3 Joys:

1. Family- gatherings, babies, kids, wife, time, fun, food, all of it
   
2. The way I feel after serving someone or after a hard day's work
   
3. "A nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They're so perky, I love that." In other words, movies.
   

3 Fears:

1. Unnatural death (burning, drowning, buried alive, that kind of MESSED UP STUFF)
   
2. Not being able to provide for my family
   
3. Rejection
   

3 Goals:

1. Pay as much tithing as possible (Neil Crews gave me that one)
   
2. Make something with my hands that I am proud of
   
3. Gather as many family members in the temple as possible
   

3 Obsessions/Collections:

1. Collections: Stamps (haven't look at them in years), Readers Digest Condensed Books
2. Languages. I would love to learn a dozen languages.
   
3. Hearing peoples' stories. Everyone has something to say- I like listening and learning.

3 Random Surprising Facts about Me:

1. I was an International Studies major before I switched to Computer Science and I went to Furman University on a music scholarship before that.
   
2. My first car was a BMW 320i. It was an import, so everything on the dash was in German.
   
3. I was in Boys Scouts for about 3 months, but I never even made it to Tenderfoot. I wish I had finished.
   

5 People that are Tagged:
It took forever for someone to tag me, so I tag anyone that WANTS to be tagged but never has been. Go for it!