When decorating a room in your home, a very important component to the design is the window treatment. Often people leave that to last, or don’t even think of it until everything else is completed. Very often lately room designs seem to forget window treatment altogether, leaving the windows bare and often stark looking. If you have a great view, or if the room orientation is such that you don’t have to worry about glare or excessive sunlight, this can be a design statement in itself. Everything else in the room stands out in contrast, perhaps because we’ve become so accustomed to drapes and shades that we unconsciously miss whatever they add to a room.

Every year a whole raft of new window treatments appears for decorators and home owners and choosing from a large array of materials and styles can be bewildering. Blinds come in many types and styles, from very simple, old fashioned ones of wood or metal to elaborate widths and finishes for every color scheme as well as style blinds. Plantation shutters are attractive and versatile, they traditionally have a countrified look which is relaxed and casual, while being very versatile. The heavy look of the shutters gives a solid feel to the room and they can be opened or partially opened to permit light shutters. The country feel of bare wood is completely changed when the same shutters are made of other materials and painted or stained a clear white ora matching shade to complement the color scheme of the room.

Roman shades are another choice that is becoming so popular that it doesn’t just say “decorator” any more. The fabric can be moved in such a way as to admit light where you might want it, or to admit light higher up on the window while still allowing privacy roman shades. The wooden window frame is allowed to keep all of its elegance, while attractive styles and patterns of fabrics blend or contrast with the colors of the wall. Shades that cover the whole window in one piece or also cover the window and frame soften the room as nicely as drapes and curtains, and they can match or contrast with the room colors shades. A lot of choices are available here, too.

The practicality of venetian blinds is a boon to decorators, be they professional or amateur. They are so simple to install, they control the amount of light so beautifully and they can blend and/or contrast with the tones in the room or with the contrasting woodwork. Hand adjusting them is easy and it is nice to be able to have bright sunshine flowing in during the day and yet be able to close for total privacy at night. They can be used along with drapes and/or curtains and are very helpful to ensure privacy. Some people even like to adjust them at different times during the day so they can enjoy the light that fits their mood.

 Stacy Sutton is a busy career woman from the city. She loves her job and city life. However, when she needs to relax she goes to her home in the country. There is nothing special about the home itself. It is what lies behind the concrete fence that is special. Stacy’s country home sits on a generous amount of land. The land behind her house is enclosed by a concrete fence decorated with flowering vines. Inside the boundary of this fence lies a beautiful garden, perfect for relaxing and entertaining friends.
 When you pass through the gates of the concrete fence you immediately find a path made of concrete stones. The path is illuminated by lighted concrete bollards and is surrounded on both sides by a stunning array of flowers and trees. After walking a short distance on the path through the garden you come to a point where the path splits in two different directions.
 If you take the path farthest to the left you will soon find yourself walking up concrete steps that take you to a concrete patio in the shape of a crescent moon. This concrete patio lines a large pond on one side. There are four lighted concrete bollards illuminating the concrete patio. There are three concrete benches on the patio by the edge of the pond. These concrete benches are shaped like turtles. Each concrete bench holds a small concrete planter with sun flowers inside it.
 Should you choose to take the path to the right you will soon find yourself in the heart of the garden. There you will find a large square concrete patio. On this patio there are several lighted concrete bollards. There is also a grill and several concrete tables for entertaining dinner guests. These concrete tables are round with rectangular benches. The tables are made in a smooth finish of dove gray. Each concrete table features a hole in the center of the table, enabling the use of an umbrella for shade during the day. There is a stream of water flowing past this patio that is fed by the pond above. A small concrete bridge spans from one side of the stream to the other, connecting the large square concrete patio with a smaller square patio on the opposite side. This small patio area features a concrete fireplace and several concrete benches, also ideal for entertaining guests. The concrete fireplace has the appearance of an indoor fireplace and offers warmth on chilly nights or days. The concrete benches on this patio are not as intricate in detail as those by the pond. They are made in a smooth dove gray finish to match the concrete tables on the adjoining patio and are rectangular in shape.

I was struck by the lovely name when May introduced herself to me at a civic meeting a few years ago.  Making get acquainted conversation, I discovered that she was a big truck driver!  May had a peaches and cream complexion, shoulder length blonde hair and she wore dangly earrings and a pink and white running suit.  “What kind of loads do you carry?” I asked surprised at the choice of occupation of this delicate looking lady.  She told me she was a log truck driver and that her job was to go to remote logging sites in the mountains, where the loggers would load up her trailer, and she would drive out through wet, muddy, windy dirt roads with her mammoth load and deliver the logs to the sawmill.  Logging is a dirty, rough business and loggers are as tough as they come, so I was wondering if it bothered her to be in this milieu.  Surprisingly, she didn’t consider that her job was any different from anything else a woman might do to earn a living!  She was on friendly terms with the rough and tumble loggers and they didn’t seem to think it was unusual either.

We see more and more women driving big rigs these days, so much so that no one thinks much about it any more.  Women can be seen doing other jobs once thought to be specific male occupations.  They climb telephone poles to repair the lines, they operate snow removal equipment, earth movers, and supervise construction crews.  Surprisingly, I have seen very little discussion about this.  It seems to be generally accepted.  Now there are even army and navy recruiting ads that urge parents of the sons AND daughters to encourage their offspring to sign up to go to war.  Recently I heard that the daughter of a friend was attending a large, well respected university.  Was she studying Nursing? Medicine?  Home Ec?  No, of course not.  She was going for a Masters Degree in Automotive Engineering!

There are many ramifications to gender equality in the working world (that is, all of the world outside of homemaking and child rearing).  Strange that the United States is  behind many other countries in this respect.  Latin America has a culture of respect for the role of wife and mother even greater than that in the US.  But this is a changing society.  It doesn’t help if we don’t like that fact and dig in our heels to hang on to the old way of living.  But perhaps it pays to be flexible.  Who knows – the current confusion could get sorted out and lead to a much better society in the long run.

The workplace should be such that the employees feel happy to enter and long for coming back when they leave for the day. At least that is what every CEO dreams of. But if the ambience of your office is drab and dull, your subordinates will start counting the minutes they moment they pass through the front door till they troop out for the day. A few might even be muttering curses and blaming their bad luck that they are forced to work under such a depressing environment.

But what is a sure shot way of livening up the office atmosphere? Just overhaul the office furniture and see how the attitude of your subordinates changes. Remember, an organization is as good as its employees. A contented group always delivers better results.

The employees will troop in early and happily stay late – something which could not be achieved till now in spite of all the coaxing, cajoling and tempting them. Countless sticks may be broken and tons of carrots may shrivel but never will the employees be as cheerful as when the drab old office furniture is replaced by brightly hued, comfortable, smart looking, mesh backed office chairs, tables, cupboards and other accessories.

Don’t forget to throw in a few wacky office presentation boards and brightly colored office screens. And, if you are in a really generous mood, sprinkle a few office chair accessories like special lumbar support for those with chronic back pains.

What about your managers? They need some sort of extra recognition, don’t they? Provide them with swiveling leather office chairs and matching wooden tables. If you really want them to feel special, add a leather adjustable height footrest to complement the set! They will not stop smiling and work out of their skins to achieve the targets set for them.

The kings and emperors of bygone days had their thrones and scepters. Those were the marks of royalty and signified the authority which flowed as a consequence. Modern day CEOs need high backed leather recliners and footstools to add to their stature. Don’t deny yourself a richly upholstered set of furniture. You deserve it!

If you have decided not to work for others and be free of the hassles of daily commute by working from home, the time has probably come to choose a proper set of home office furniture. It is a very crucial decision and plays an important part in determining productivity and efficiency in the long run. Now you don’t have your company footing the bills for those exclusive chairs from designer houses. Every dollar spent on furniture comes from your pocket. So, avoid the lure of glamour and go for the moderately priced ones which guarantee comfort and durability.

Teenagers must be given space and independence to work out their own social paradigms and associated dynamics. This is the only way they can mature and lead a meaningful life. We would as parents be doing a great harm if we stifle this maturing process with these electronic gizmos which are euphemistically termed teen tracking devices.

Nervous parents are always anxious for their teens. For them, the teenagers are not really in their teens – they are oversized toddlers! These toddlers need to be constantly supervised and pulled back whenever their parents think so. These overprotective parents have a ready comrade in companies that manufacture GPS tracking devices in their struggle to monitor every step their teenage sons and daughters take.

The marketers are there waiting with a range of gps teen tracking devices which they claim would like a magic wand forewarn parents of any trouble the youngsters are about to fall in.

But what is a gps tracking device? It is an electronic gadget based on satellite tracking which helps you to locate where your teen is and in some costlier models you can also find out the speed at which he/she is driving. What benefit would you gain from that information? Obviously as a worried parent you will retort that your teenager will always be under supervision and parental control and what better can it be than that.

This is where things tend to turn sour! You are not willing to accept that your teenager has matured enough to handle things on his own and it might be hazardous to let him be behind the wheel on his own. If you feel so, don’t let him/her drive on his/her own, as simple as that. Why invite a tension and try to find ways to reduce it? That’s pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?

Well, you thought your responsibility ended by enrolling him/her in a driving school. But that isn’t so. Parents are supposed to assist their offspring to become matured, responsible and develop the proper attitude which will help him/her not only become a cautious driver but also lead a successful and prosperous life. When every other animal species in nature do it, why shouldn’t we?

If you took time off from your busy schedule and fulfilled the serious duty of being a friend of your teenager, he/she would have been far more matured and responsible by now. There wouldn’t have been any need for any electronic teen driver monitor whatsoever.