Jason's Log Furniture Reviews

It has been awhile since I have truly experienced an Iowa winter.  We have enjoyed the warmth of the South the past two years and the much-milder-than-the-Midwest winters of the southeast for the three years prior to that.  I had forgotten how raw and blustery the Iowa snowstorms could be.

Others who live in our immediate area warned us that the wind really howls through our neighborhood.  However, they assured us that we are on the leeward side of the snowdrifts.  This winter season has been unusually mild so, until very recently, we had to take our neighbors at their word.  With this last storm, we experienced some of what they were talking about.  Our front yard was relatively drift-free, except for one that wrapped around from the corner of the house right to the driver’s side door of our pickup truck parked in the driveway. Luckily this was a light snow; otherwise, we may have had to shovel the door of the truck out of a drift in order to get into it.

As with nearly any drifting situation, a barrier can be used to control that nasty little guy in our front yard.  By putting up a fence-like structure at the corner of our house, we can shorten the drift enough to keep it away from the truck.  However, actual snow fences can be quite unsightly, need to be put up every fall, taken down in the spring and then tucked away in storage during the warmer months.  Luckily there are other options.

Shrubs, grass, and trees present natural snow barricades, as well as provide habitat for birds and wildlife.  The right varieties can enhance your landscape dramatically, as well as provide assistance with any drainage issues you may have.  Be sure to plant perennial varieties to lessen the amount of maintenance you have to provide.

Another alternative is to install a structure that works to block wind.  Just like natural plantings, it can beautify your landscape as well as provide a visual breakup to your garden.  A trellis, expertly crafted from naturally insect and decay-resistant cedar, is a perfect way to accentuate your landscape and to block the breeze when the winter winds blow.  This rustic backdrop for climbing vines will virtually disappear into its surroundings while providing height to the garden ensemble.  Leave the vines attached to the trellis during the winter to further enhance its wind blocking capabilities.  Use several of these trellises together for areas that need a wider snow “fence”.  They are a beautiful, low maintenance, eco-friendly way to block the snow without installing an unsightly fence in your front yard.

The landscape of communication has changed dramatically.  Not so many years ago, people had only a few options for talking to friends and family.  They could either pick up a telephone…one that was connected to the wall in the house…and dial a number, send a letter through the mail, or engage the other person in a face-to-face dialogue.  These days the possibilities are endless.  Nowadays the home phone has been replaced by cell phones.  I hardly remember life without them.  Email is a very popular and convenient form of communication, replacing snail mail letters.  And now, social media has become a highly popular means of sending and receiving messages.

The phrase “social media” encompasses many different outlets, but the most well-known is Facebook.  Originally developed as a means for students to swap information, it has since developed into a worldwide communication phenomenon.  Young and old have personal Facebook pages where they post status updates, showcase photos and videos, play games, and track posts from friends and chosen entities.  Facebook for business has also transcended many traditional ways of advertising.

Even primitive log furniture can be social in the modern world.  JHE’s Log Furniture Place has joined the social media movement.  If you become a fan by “liking” the page, you can receive exclusive content and special promotions.  JHE’s will provide updates and interesting information that you can only receive on your Facebook news feed.  Photos of furniture in progress are posted in albums on JHE’s Log Furniture Place wall.  A wealth of useful tips and tidbits can be found.  If you have a Facebook account, become a fan of JHE’s today!

As the calendar closes on 2011 and we open the book on a fresh new year, I always make it a practice to look back on the events of the past year.  I usually marvel over how much has changed in the previous twelve months.  A lot can happen in one year.  Our family, like many others, has faced some lows with deaths in the family but we also had a glorious high point with the birth of our second son.  There is so much to learn by hitting the rewind button on the year gone by and going through it frame by frame.  If you don’t already do that, I recommend making it a practice.

The New Year beckons to us with its undiscovered promises.  It is both thrilling and nerve-wracking to consider all of what is in store for us during the next twelve months.  Many of us take the opportunity every January 1^st to develop a list of goals that we intend to attain and call them our “New Year’s Resolution”.  I don’t know the number of resolutions that are made, but I am sure that the number of them that are broken or not realized to fruition is probably a very high percentage.

In the past, my resolutions have been generic in nature, probably so that I would have an easier time making them come true.  I won’t say that I see them through every single year, but I do feel that my life has significantly improved every one of the past few years.  I like to attribute those positive changes to the practice I make of reflecting every New Year’s Eve and working towards my resolutions every year.

This year I’m taking a little bit different approach.  I still have one generic resolution, large in scope, but I’ve also devised several smaller and more specific goals that I want to reach.  One of them is the design of my home office.  True, that is more of a project than a resolution, but once complete it will provide me with a fresh new perspective in my working environment.  I have decided that I want to include several inspirational signs on the walls for positive motivation.  The piece above, “Time Quote”, words from the legendary leader and innovator that we lost this past year, Steve Jobs, is perfect for bringing me back to a grounded place and providing me with hope and perspective on tough days in the office.  I’m hoping those inspirational words will also keep me on track for keeping this year’s resolution.

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ure, those chairs out in front of the house don’t look so inviting this time of year when they are covered with a blanket of snow.  After all, who wants to sit outside and relax when you have to dress in layers and cover yourself from head to toe in order to stay warm?  There are plenty of options to consider for your outdoor furniture, so take a minute to consider them before you stash the log furniture away until next spring.

First of all, those chairs are a great backdrop for a multitude of decorating uses.  Set a festive wreath or holiday-appropriate sign against the back of the chair.  Tuck a cute snowman onto the seat for a few laughs from passersby.  If you’re dreaming of beach weather about the same time that Christmas comes along, dress a Santa in shades and swimming trunks and then set him in the chair with an umbrella drink.  He may look cold when he’s so scantily clad, but you’ll get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever you are greeted by him.

Cushions and pillows can be a great way to accessorize for the seasons.  You may have cushions that you put on the chairs to create a softer seat during the warmer months, but they can be part of your winter holiday decorating scheme as well.  The hunter green Rustic Natural Cedar Adirondack Junior Seat Back Cushion in the picture creates quite a beckoning resting spot for summer entertaining.  For the Christmas season, pair it with some festive pillows and Santa may just consider having a seat in your outdoor chair to eat his cookies.  Trade the pillows out for various holidays, or keep the same pillow forms and use different slipcovers for each winter celebration.  Cushions…they aren’t just for warm weather anymore.

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This is the time of year that the Postal Service either loves or hates.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t receive much handwritten correspondence in my mailbox these days.  Most of the mail I pull out of my box during the year is what we delicately refer to as “junk mail”.  Credit card and life insurance companies seem to be the main culprits.  I do enjoy getting some birthday cards in the mail come April, but even those have mainly gone the way of electronic greetings delivered to my Hotmail inbox or Facebook account.

However, at Christmas, it is a common practice to send out cards to friends and family members.  Many of us deposit a large bundle of stamped cards (or two or three) into the outgoing mail slot and eagerly anticipate cards likewise delivered to our box.  The very large influx of cards must really keep the USPS hopping in December!

Filling out cards, stuffing, addressing and stamping can take up some measurable real estate in the house, especially when we aren’t accustomed to hand writing and stuffing so many pieces of mail.  A large flat surface comes in handy for such a task.  The Cedar Lake Cabin Log Writing Desk is the perfect rustic complement to your holiday card preparation.  Not only does it look great in your home with its natural log legs and edges, but also the smooth desktop provides the perfect writing surface for all of those cards.  Pair it with a matching log file drawer and you have plenty of storage for cards, supplies, and all the other documents you need at an arm’s length throughout the year.  Once the holiday card season is over, you can bring out the laptop and put it on the log furniture so you can send all your mail electronically until Christmas comes again.

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Sure, we are supposed to eat meals together as a family around the dinner table.  Experts agree that a family that makes the time to gather around the table for at least one meal a day is often healthier and shares a stronger bond than those who do not.  Many busy families grab meals as they are able and eat anywhere from the front seat of the car while driving to some function or another to on their bed while they study for tomorrow’s test.

I also am a believer in eating around the dining room table together, but even though our kids are very young and not yet involved in activities, it can be very difficult to get everyone to the table at the same time for a meal.  I am not giving up hope, however.  I want to make it a practice that at least one or two nights a week we make it a priority to enjoy a meal together.  One such evening at our house occurs every Friday.  I make homemade pizza and we sit down together in front of the television to enjoy our pie and a movie.  Of course, this scenario does not facilitate much communication but at least we are enjoying an activity as a family and making it a tradition that we all expect and anticipate every week.

Eating in the living room can be a little messy, especially with young children.  Not all of our furniture has a table alongside on which to rest plate and drink.  Using TV trays is a solution, but with limited space in the living room, storing them between Fridays can be a hassle.  The  provides a handy surface for eating and makes storage a snap.  The sturdy tabletop elevates up to a 25” height, perfect for both the little and big people at my house.  When we are finished with the meal, the top lowers back onto the rustic coffee table, creating a seamless piece of living room furniture that offers both style and storage.  I think all would agree, this piece of log furniture is a great way to gather the family around for a meal yet offers flexibility for all of the other activities that go on in a busy household.

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When it comes to decorating, some people may say that my style is confusing.  My house is a combination of contemporary, traditional, country, and primitive pieces.  Some are remainders of a more favored style in the past, pieces that I do not want to spend the time or money replacing yet… so they remain a part of our décor.  However, the majority of the knickknacks and treasures that decorate our home are the result of one of my shopping trips to the local thrift store or a find that caught my eye at a craft show.  I collect the things that “speak to me” and beg me to take them home, especially if I consider the item to be a good deal.

Decorative items of varying styles can effectively share the space in a house.  With the right amount of accessories that assist in harmonizing the obvious differences, a “melting pot” decorating style can appear seamless and develop a unique character for a home.  Fabric placemats, crocheted doilies, or woven rugs soften hard edges.  Bright colors are muted and easier on the eye when combined with neutral or earth tones.  Surfaces such as glass and steel take on a warmer and welcoming feel when paired with natural materials like wood or grass.

If you enjoy a mishmash of styles better known as eclectic decorating, log furniture is perfect for you.  Its natural beauty can provide a rustic balance to the hard lines of more contemporary pieces. The primitive look of the logs creates a cozy atmosphere in the home.  Pieces such as the Cedar Lake Lodge Log Dining Table also have a polished presence.  Fancy and spacious enough to host a holiday dinner, yet casual and intimate enough for the family’s evening meals, this table provides the perfect combination of primitive and proper.

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Isn’t technology amazing?  Just a few short years ago you wouldn’t have been able to find any blogs like this one on the Web, let alone shop for log furniture from the comfort of your own home.  Communicating and shopping electronically has become very popular in our modern society that demands convenience and instant gratification.  I’m just as guilty as the next person.  I have two small children that can make it difficult to get out for shopping trips and social events.  I appreciate that I can search the web for an item I need and have it shipped to my doorstep and that I can communicate with all of my friends without having to arrange childcare.

The means by which I electronically reach out to my friends and family is typically through social media, Facebook in particular.  I am amazed, and a little scared, of how this simple idea at a college has caught on and connected the world.  Facebook is a household term, and you can hardly go anywhere without hearing people utter the word in their conversations.  An entire movie was created about it.  If you are a business, it is said that you must have a Facebook presence in order to reach out to present and future clients.

JHE’s Furniture Place is not one to fall behind.  They, too, have jumped on the Facebook bandwagon.  You can search, find, and “like” them easily.  I highly recommend that you do so.  It may seem a little like a contradiction, mixing the rustic simplicity of log furniture with such a high-tech way of communicating.  However, once you become a fan of JHE’s on Facebook, you can gain a whole new insight into the world of log furniture, how it’s handcrafted, and enjoy discounts that are only available to Facebook fans.  One area of particular interest on JHE’s Facebook page is the “In the Works” photos that are posted on a regular basis.  In this section, a fan can see how log furniture is crafted, from start to finish.  In the photo above, a log is being peeled and readied for use in a Cedar Lake Twin Over Queen Log Bunk Bed.

If you are one of the people who would rather not subscribe to the social media craze, you can still get plenty of information and photos on the traditional JHE’s Log Furniture website.  However, if you are curious about the “In the Works” photos, it is worth it to just set up a profile on Facebook and go out and “like” the JHE’s page.  If you are worried about people seeing the information you entered for your profile, just be sure to set all your security settings so that your profile is private and can’t be seen by anyone who isn’t your Facebook friend.  Then enjoy all the information that your friends at JHE’s Furniture Place have to offer!

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It seems an early winter is in store for many areas of the country.  Already measurable snowfall has occurred in Colorado and many locations along the eastern seaboard. A colder than usual winter is predicted for these and other places.  That does not come as welcome news for many who are already struggling to make ends meet in the economic downturn that America is facing.

Even those who aren’t immediately affected by the economic crisis are looking for ways to curb their expenses and keep spending to a minimum.  This is evident in the wild popularity of the show “Extreme Couponing”.  People all across the country are seeing the money saved by the practice of clipping coupons and are jumping on board.  Websites such as Groupon and Living Social advertise daily deals that make frivolities such as massages and dining out a little more affordable and attainable for the penny-pinching population.

There are even ways to efficiently and inexpensively heat your home in the face of a frigid winter forecast.  It may take an investment of your time, which is also preciously expensive, but using firewood as a heat source is much more affordable than natural gas.  You can choose to go the route of chopping and splitting wood, or order it from someone who does all the hard work and will deliver it to your home. Either way, you will need a place to conveniently store the logs so you don’t have to venture far out into the cold to put more fuel on the fire.

It may seem a little ironic to use log furniture to contain logs, but the Rustic Natural Cedar Log Firewood Rack provides secure containment for your firewood in a very handsome  and sturdy package.  Once logs are stacked in this rack, they are up and away from the dampness of the ground and do not pose a risk of falling into an unwelcome heap right outside of your door.

This winter, look at all of your options for heating your home.  The cost of gas has gone up tremendously over the past few years, and electric heat is not cheap either.  Firewood is inexpensive and easy to obtain, but does require an investment, even if it’s just your sweat and time.  Not to mention the fact that it is a sustainable source of fuel. Most firewood suppliers use either dead standing trees or the portions that the logging industry can’t sell for lumber. Dead standing firewood is best, its already cured and burns the best.

Whatever heating method you choose, stay warm and cozy out there.  We’ll see you in the springtime.

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The meaning and delivery method of mail has certainly changed in the past few years, hasn’t it?  These days, handwritten notes sent via “snail mail” are definitely in the minority.  Most people prefer the instant gratification and efficiency of electronic email, texting, or instant messaging.

Even though it’s convenient and easy to send correspondence over the airwaves, the time and thought it takes to compose and send a handwritten note is truly appreciated by a recipient.  People always seem so rushed these days, so it is considered to be quite a thoughtful sentiment to spend the time choosing a card or stationary, generate a statement, and sit down to put pen to paper and write it down.  Some may even fear that penmanship is going to become a lost art, giving way instead to the endless combinations of 1s and 0s that is the language of the computer world.

Also, who doesn’t like to receive mail?  I don’t mean the junk stuff that you get from advertising agencies who just want to scam you or take your money.  I mean, the good stuff that comes from friends and family and helps you feel like they are thinking about you.  Birthdays and holidays aside, a good old-fashioned written letter addressed to you is good for the soul (as long as it contains good news, that is).  However, for those days when there isn’t any “good” mail in the box, the sting can be reduced somewhat by pulling the junk mail out of a handsome and rugged mailbox and post combo that is the envy of the neighborhood.  The Cedar Lake Deluxe Log Mailbox Post is a strong and sturdy post that is naturally resistant to weather and insect damage.  Each of these mailbox posts is about 65” high, ensuring there is plenty of post to put below the ground.  The cedar wood also repels mildew and weakening from the onslaught that comes from being underground.  However, there is no guarantee that a snowplow doesn’t come along and break it off in the wintertime, so be sure to mark it with a red flag that waves high above the snowdrifts.  You want to make sure that both snowplow and mail drivers know where your mailbox is.  After all, you don’t want to miss one single delivery of the “good” mail that comes so infrequently these days.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 JHE’s Log Furniture Place