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What's the Buzz?

Ok, you have all heard me talk about my never-ending “company” and how great it is to open your home to visitors; well, maybe I talk too much. I recently welcomed my adult daughter home, along with her significant other, as they just moved back east from California. We are overwhelmed with joy to have her back, after she had been away for several years. Hmmm, but when two adults leave an apartment they are bound to have some “baggage”, and not just the psychological kind. I’m talking STUFF. Here we are trying to reduce what we bring in to our house and pare down all the “stuff” we have accumulated over the years. It’s unbelievable how much a family can acquire.

Lucky me, we’re having new siding put on our house and so I get to take advantage of the big dumpster in our driveway. Everyday I fill it with lots of stuff. I guess I’m getting a little paranoid because I watched that new show on TV called “Hoarders” – man, those people can’t throw anything out. So I’m all about getting rid of anything not tied down! As we are cleaning out our basement it is amazing the things you find in boxes, that you put away so long ago, and you thought for sure you couldn’t live without it. Why on earth did we save so many grammar school papers of my kids? Why would I want all their spelling tests, math homework and history papers, etc? I decided to keep only the ones with perfect scores (ok, so I didn’t keep many). It was fun to read some notes that my daughter doodled on the side of her notebooks. “I have a crush on, can’t name him”. The best - she often wrote “my little brother is a pest”. I’m happy to report that they are very close now and terrific friends, so I’m going to toss those notes.

Once you get on a roll it can be very time consuming because you start looking at everything and then remembering what I used this for, or where we were when we flew those kites. Time has gone by so fast. All these memories come flooding back. But don’t get me wrong, I actually can toss things out in a blink of an eye. My husband, on the other hand, wants to look at everything and insists on keeping boxes and boxes of all those electronic cables, because he may need them one day. Of course I say sure honey and then, whoops, out go the cables. Yesterday I got told to back off from the clean-up, as I was going too fast and throwing too much out. Well, that’s one way of getting out of a chore!

That Time of Year Again

Happy Fall! This is the time of year we're busy lacing up our sneaks and getting ourselves geared up for the 2010 Rodman Ride for Kids. Ok, full disclosure, I did not get on my bike at all once this summer! It was more of a summer of delicious vodka tonics and lobster rolls, if you know what I mean. But rest assured...I started this past weekend and I'll be ready. If you're interested in joining please email me at sarah@circlefurniture.com and I'll be happy to give you the details. To make a donation click here.

Oops...gotta go...time to get to the gym and hit a spinning class...that should help, right?

Get Rid of the Ole' Pull-Out Sofa!!!

How many times have you visited your relatives and had to sleep on the ole' pull-out sofa? I'm willing to wager that we've all heard the phrase "Oh, it's too late to drive, just sleep on the pull-out sofa, it's fine". And yes, immediately we think...how do I get myself out of this predicament? Ever seen the Seinfeld episode when Elaine sleeps on the Seinfeld's pull-out sofa? Then you know what I'm talking about. You know that feeling. You wake up and feel as if you've aged fifty years and you can't seem to actually straighten your body up to it's normal height, so you walk around 6 or 7" inches shorter than you normally are. And the pain, oh, the pain! It's usually a sharp, twisty pain that shoots up your spine dramatically and then levels off to a dull, aching feeling that ruins your entire day, if not week.

So here's a solution...why not suggest to your friends, neighbors and family members to ditch the ole' pull-out sofa and try the Comfort Sleeper® from Circle Furniture? If you've not seen the Comfort Sleeper before, it's the most amazing sleeper you'll ever find. Really. No uncomfortable metal bars to complain about in the morning. Unlike most sleepers, there's lots of room to stretch out because it has a standard-sized mattress (5-8" longer than most sleepers). The Comfort Sleeper comes in King, Queen Plus, Queen, Full, Twin and Cot bed sizes to fit any room in your home and you can choose from more than 80 premium leathers and hundreds of fabrics in a variety of colors and textures. The best part is the 5" of plush, high-density foam that provides ergonomic body support throughout the entire mattress.

Ok, I've gushed enough about this rock-star of a sleeper. Come try one out at your favorite Circle Furniture and save during The Comfort Sleeper sale going on now. Better yet, all American Leather sofas, chairs and recliners are on sale during the month of September.

So even though it's hard to say goodbye to the old...think of how happy you'll be when your house guests wake up and don't have to take a tranquilizer to get through the day! Seinfeld's fans understand.

what's the buzz?

I don’t know about you guys but I’ve noticed lately that we are stressing ourselves out way too much on some things that are just plain unnecessary. I recently spent time away with friends and family, whom I adore, but the obsession with food was totally ridiculous. I know we should all eat from the right food groups and granted I am the most, as my kids call me, “rubenesque” of the group, but do we have to stoop to “I can’t believe it’s not butter” spread? I mean REALLY. You aren’t fooling anyone. I CAN believe it’s not butter and please bring me the real butter while you’re at it! How else am I going to fill all those nooks and crannies?

Low fat cream cheese, UGH. Even worse are the low fat salad dressings; who are they kidding? All these companies playing to our guilt about eating, and in most cases it has worked because there are a lot of people in all sizes and shapes making the diet-food industry a ton of cash $$$. How many times do you see someone loading up at the fast food chains for the dollar menu but adding a diet coke?

Ok, so I suffer from bad eating habits. One of my favorite movie lines comes from the classic Woody Allen movie “Sleeper”. The character, Miles Monroe, who has been frozen cryogenically for 200 years, was a prior manager of a health food store. Upon waking up from his deep sleep the doctors are chatting:
“He requests something called wheat germ, organic honey and tiger’s milk.”
“Oh yes, those were the charmed substances that some years ago were felt to contain life-preserving properties.”
“You mean, there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or hot fudge?”
“Those were thought to be unhealthy. Precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.”
I SO wish it was true……..hot fudge at Kimball’s ice cream, you can die happy after that experience!

So I know the new crop of young parents want to be sure that only “organic” foods ever touch the lips of their babes; again way too stressful. I’m all about buying the best food you can afford and fresh and local as much as possible. I suffered the wrath of my sister recently when at a birthday party for her grandchild, I mixed the organic fruit with the Costco fruit, and she went a little crazy. Apparently all the 4-year-olds at that party only eat organic and now I have mixed the fruit bowl, and you would have thought I personally sprayed them with DDT. I get it, but I don’t think one time is going to give them brain damage. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is LIGHTEN UP! Everything is not always perfect. Yes, some discipline when it comes to eating is great, but isn’t it so much fun to break those rules once in awhile?

As for me, I am now going to have a cold glass of milk and dip myself some Oreos. Cheers!