BNGIowa

When to Quit

For the last several weeks, a goldfinch has been tapping on my windows. And glass patio door. And perching on the edge of a patio chair. I think he sees the reflection of trees in the glass. For whatever reason, he wants to get through the glass. Sometimes he flies frantically and beats his body against the glass. At first is was cute, but now it is just plain annoying.

People can be like that bird. They just don't know when to quit. Especially business people. I tend to be direct and let someone know when I am not going to do business with them. I appreciate it when customers do the same with me. My pet peeve is lying. I don't think telling a salesperson that you "will get back to them..." when you really are not interested is helpful. In fact it is a lie. It may be easier for the customer, but it doesn't let the salesperson know it is time to quit.

So don't call salespeople "pushy" if you are misleading them. And don't put a fake reflection in front of a customer. We all need to know when to quit.

If you have a tip for me to help me get this bird to quit, please let me know. BTW, I don't like guns.

What's New with the Amish

  One of the cool things about being a member of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce is attending ribbon cutting ceremonies. It is a chance to meet the owner of a business and get the inside story.

Yesterday, I went to the ribbon cutting ceremony for Simply Amish Furniture on 100th Street in Urbandale. I had been to the store many times before, but there was a new owner and the location changed to across the street. It was a good excuse to check it out. I love looking at and touching Amish furniture. I say "touching" because the finish on the wood is like velvet. The quality is the best I have ever seen.

Since this was a special occasion, some of the Amish furniture builders were there. I had a lovely conversation with one of them. He described a technique used to make the beautiful curves on a bedroom set, one of my favorites. Then he showed me a drawing of a new design. It was one of those exciting conversations that inspire me creatively.

On display was another new design. A bedroom set that was a total surprise. If you have not looked at Amish furniture for a while, you would be shocked. The style was contemporary with a retro twist that had a grace and quality that made me fall in love with it.

Check it out. It is like a trip to an art museum. I highly recommend it.

Glitter this Holiday

This is a quick post to share the latest, hot holiday decorating tip. Glitter. Instead of garland or ribbon, add something to your tree that is glittered. Target is my favorite place for holiday decorations. The items are always well designed and affordable. I bought 82 ornaments in a box for $20. They are silver, gold, and copper. I added a few chocolate (also the hot new color) ornaments and lime green glitter ferns. Go ahead, have fun this year, I hope you all have a glittering holiday!

Weekend Project - Casters

I am always learning. Blogging is no exception and I have lots to learn. I am not alone. Prior to starting this post, I googled blogs to see what others might be saying about casters. I found a company, Caster City, that has a blog section on their web site. It didn't seem like a blog to me. It appeared to be information about products presented on a blog page.

I give them credit for wanting a blog page, but maybe they need to learn more about blogging, just like me. It isn't just information going out, but also an invitation for conversation to come in.

I am looking forward to comments about this post. I can hear it now, "Wow, how did I live without casters!" I figure there must be a few people like me who get really excited about simple things that make life easier.

Yep, I am talking about casters. Recently I was forced to clean out my basement. I have several filing and storage cabinets that are a real problem to move around. With help from my husband, we put casters on the bottoms. Now I can move them easily, without help. I can imagine dusting behind them and rearranging them as needs change. It is a thrill that other organized people will understand.

I would like to offer some tips about applying casters.

1. For one very heavy cabinet that I wanted elevated, I bought Gorilla shelving. It is awesome. I picked up two side braces, four legs and two shelves at Menard's. Gorilla shelving is incredibly sturdy and couldn't be easier to assemble. Adding casters makes it totally cool. We used heavy duty casters that have a "stem" for attachment. My husband's tip is to build up with nuts and washers so you will have space to hold the caster and nuts with pliers. Washers help stabilize the casters.

2. Small cabinets can be fitted with inexpensive casters that come packaged four together. Our tip is to add a piece of wood across the front and back of the cabinet. It will give you a solid surface to attach the casters. One cabinet is white, so I for $2.99, I bought a primed piece of molding that didn't even need to be painted.

3. Casters come swivel or stationary. I used stationary ones on the back of some cabinets so the wheels wouldn't swing out. The front swivel ones are easier to straighten out. The cabinets can be pushed right next to each other without hitting the wheels.

4. If possible, inset the casters enough so the wheels won't stick out beyond the footprint of the cabinet. That way you can use all swivel casters on heavy furniture. When all the casters swivel, it is the easiest to move the furniture but the wheels may turn out.

So how does all this fit in with the BNG vision? BNG members share challenges. The basement project was a huge challenge for me. Moving furniture is a challenge for everyone at some time or another. Casters make the challenge easier.

Smile, it helps.

Maybe you heard there has been flooding in Iowa. Lots of it. Cardensaraid has a link to some photos. My personal experience with this latest torture by Mother Nature was on Thursday. My mother-in-law was flooded out of her apartment.

She called at 5:30am and told my husband and me that she was standing in 3-inches of water. She wasn’t crying. She didn’t exaggerate. She even mildly protested when my husband said he would skip work and drive the hour and a half route to her town to help her.

My husband spent the day drying out what he could and moving most of the rest to higher ground. This was a very sad and physically exhausting experience. And, it isn’t over yet. She has to find a new apartment and move into it.

The remarkable thing about this story is that my mother-in-law is 90-years-old. She gets up every morning and does “her exercises.” She takes a walk three evenings a week and manages her own household. There is a saying, “Attitude is everything.” Observing the attitude of grace and strength my mother-in-law mustarded under this type of pressure was inspiring.

What are you doing with yours?

I was excited this week that the federal tax rebates were starting to hit everyone's bank account.  Even though my last two digits of my social security number would have gotten me a rebate this week, I owed the IRS this year (reluctanctly) and therefore did not direct deposit any refund.  So I will have to wait for the paper version sometime in May or June. 

I was watching our local news the other night, and it surprised me what the majority of people are planning on doing with their rebate. Over 58% of the respondents were going to pay bills with the money, 24% were going to save it, and only 14% were going to buy something fun.  I thought "typical, conservative Iowans."  My grandmother, who went through the great depression, came to mind. She would have saved it.

One of my good friends, on the other hand. has plans for his.  Seeing that he and his wife will be getting back $1,500 (they have one child), he has his eye on a flat-screen TV and a new driver.  Isn't that what we are SUPPOSED to do with the windfall?  It is an economic stimulus rebate, right? Isn't it considered "free money" to do what I want with?  Yeah, that's it!  I can buy whatever I want - expensive dinner, new electronics, summer vacation, etc.  Oh the possibilities!!  So what stores do I hit and in what order?  This is great! 

Wait a minute . . .

Then how come I feel like my only options are to pay off my credit card debt or save it? 

Thanks grandma.

What's the address for Mastercard?

Gift Shopping

The holidays are right around the corner. Yep, looming in the back of your mind is the idea that you have to shop for gifts. For a lot of people shopping is not a good thought in general, and when it involves gift shopping, well, that is even worse. I read someplace that men generally dislike shopping more than women. Some men even experience a rise in blood pressure just stepping into a mall.

I used to buy gifts ahead of time. You know, when I found something that I knew was perfect for someone, I would buy it and then save it for their birthday or Christmas. I thought that made the shopping easier, but I don't do that anymore. For one thing, I was forgetting what I bought and where I hid it. For another thing, what was perfect in March seemed outdated in December.

I suggest keeping the whole gift-giving concept simple. For children under age 12, buy toys. If they need socks, buy them and give them to the parents. For anyone over 45, give consumable gifts such as candles, food, lotions and potions, wine, anything that doesn't need dusting or attention. For teenagers, I recommend gift cards or returnable items. I like to add something simple with a gift card to make it more personal. I don't recommend clothing as a gift for anyone, unless the item is from a favorite store and can be returned.

I suppose you are thinking that my next suggestion should be about gifts for spouses. I would like to share some words of wisdom that would help every husband and wife become super gift-givers, but I don't know what those words would be. My experience is that if you keep trying, really trying, to give a perfect gift to your husband or wife, you will hit the bulls-eye a few times. Then just forget the other times. Every wife will get a toaster when she wants a necklace and every husband will get a tie when he wants sports tickets.

Always, always send a thank you note for a gift. Teach your children to send thank you notes. And remember, a gift is given away. Once you hand it over, it is no longer yours. A gift should never have strings attached.

Sunday Ad Shopper

I like to read the Sunday paper. I spend as much time looking through the ads as I do the editorial parts of the paper. I am an observant person. I have been know to spot trends before they are trends. Heck, I even predicted the Cabbage Doll sensation. So when I saw a neat item in the Sunday shopping ads, I thought it would make an interesting post.

In my business as an Arbonne International Independent Consultant, I help people shop. I help people figure out what products work for them. I help people learn how to use the products and how to make them work best for them.

So it seems natural that I might expand to helping you spot good buys or unusual items from other sources beyond Arbonne.

My Sunday Ad Shopper item for the week is an iron Elk. Yes, that is correct. For $14.99 at World Market, the ad showed a very cool, very nicely designed Elk. Be the first one to have it and display it. Just don't over populate. Too much of anything is not a good thing. Remember the white cut out deer? -Barb Gordon