The Bamboo Rev-O-LUTION!

Long, long ago our Western Way of thinking about bamboo was akin to the movie, 'The King and I'. Bamboo was known only to be a vaguely foreign idea hailing clear from 'the other side of the world'. As the sixties and seventies bloomed, bamboo became a sort of cult style hippie kool thing and pieces of it made their debut as carved ash trays, baskets, clucky wind chimes and swinging, groovin' doorway beads.

Fast forward 20 years and human beings have once again, topped themselves in terms of utter creativity regarding their usage of bamboo reeds. Now we've learned how to shred it into the softest, most luxurious shag rugs known to mankind.

Forget the bunny slippers, these shags are even snugglier! Yul Brenner may have made bare feet fashionable in the fifties, and Woodstock hippies may lay total claim to the au-natural eco-craze. But Anji Mountain bamboo shags take us right into the next century...cuz they're eco-friendly, ssssso ssssooothing on the feet and so very 2010 chic!

A Summer Water HEAD'S UP!

This morning we're going to take a reflective moment to focus on the importance of water. Why? Mainly because your humble blog writer stumbled upon a Yahoo article about our drinking water this morning. And it's a great reminder of how much we depend on it. After all; we bathe in it, we drink it, we cook with it, we lounge by it, we play in boats on it, we snorkel and explore within it AND it is one of the MOST VITAL items we NEED to survive. So here's a few fun water tips for the summer!

Drink smart! Do lots of water. Not soda. Not beer. Not kool aid. Do water tinted with mint leaves from the garden...or with lemon or lime...or with green tea...or with ice and a cherry. Be smart about your water.

Cook smart! Doing a lot of outdoor BBQ's this summer? Remember to have a fast access source of water nearby. Even if some just sits in a kitchen pot right next to your grill. Better safe than sorry.

Work smart! Stuck indoors too much this fine summer? Refresh yourself occasionally. Step into the bathroom, take a two minute break and splash your face! You'll be amazed at how revived you'll feel!

Play smart. If you're going to lounge and soak sun all day by the pool, make sure you take an occasional dip to cool off your body temperature.

Water is a great BIG part of our lives. Taking a moment to be grateful might just amp up greater awareness as to how and if we are efficiently using one of Mother Earth's greatest resources.

Rebuild Your Health On A Summer Tea Diet

Tea therapy has been around for centuries and everyone knows it has healing properties. But what does it really do? Recent studies declare black tea a potential heart tonic, cancer blocker, fat buster, immune stimulant, arthritis soother, virus fighter and cholesterol detoxifier. Wow! Not bad for a shrub that needs only be steeped in hot water.

The Boston University School of Medicine has had heart patients drink either plain water or four cups of black tea daily. In a month, impaired blood vessel functioning improved about 50% in the black tea drinkers. TF-2, the newly discovered anti-cancer compound in black tea, suppresses the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation, says research at Rutgers. And Milton Schiffenbauer of Pace University found that black and green tea deactivates viruses, including herpes.

So it doesn't matter that you pig out all summer long - as long as you drink your daily brew of tea. Boil it, fridge it, drink it and pee out all life's impurities! It doesn't take a scientific experiment to figure out that a little iced tea brew this summer can do your body a whole lot of good!

Where Will YOU Be on July 4th?

The wonderful thing about a holiday is that we are collectively FORCED to take a break, despite whatever stress is going on in our everyday lives. A 'holiday' gives us a great excuse to goof off and re-gain inner peace and tranquility - sans guilt. It doesn't matter that the Friday night turnpike to the shore is jammed to the max, or that the serene beaches are suddenly saturated with ant-like crawling creatures called 'other humans'; or even that there's an hour-line-wait at the concession stand just to get a Coca Cola.

No siree, when humans party on a holiday they go all out. And funny thing! They do it all together - all at once. Maybe the Hundredth Monkey Syndrome IS an actual scientific fact. After all, does anybody do ANYTHING different for a change during holiday time? If it's not a backyard picnic, or a jaunt to the shore cottage or an attempt to remain incognito as one snoops thru the neighbohood's garage sales - what else CAN a person do?

If you're not one of the lucky ones and you're limited to the backyard this year, that's ok! Just grab a few lounge chairs, a few friends, a few beers and swat knats all night. Lucky thing it's the fireworks holiday, cuz no matter where we may be stationed in life -we'll all be looking up on the 4th. Happy Independance Day y'all!

Watch Out Pots, There's a New Pan in Town!

It doesn't matter whether you're a bumbling boob at the kitchen countertop or if you're Top Chef's next meaty competitor! Nobody wants to cook with a cruddy old pan.

Does your collection hang proudly off a bronzed designer hanging rack or do you still stuff the mish mash of 20 yr old embarrassing, flame stained, greasy handle teflon pans into the bottom cubboard? Fess up people. We know you do!

There's a thing called Redemtion that has a mighty satisfactory ring to it. Now you can dress up your kitchen with a huge array of pots and pans in a Peterpan-like spray of rainbow of colors, sizes and types so eye catching that you'll not even flinch at throwing away the ratty buds who served you so well for so many decades. Everything is so affordable these days!

Go ahead! Retire them. Make a birdbath out of one if you're Earth conscious. Just get those nasties out of your cabinets before the next guests arrive. Because even a bumbling boob can put on a good show!

Create Your Mini Burning Man Festival!

Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather to create Black Rock City in Nevada's Black Rock Desert; dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance. They depart one week later having left no trace whatsoever.

The celebration of Burning Man's annual fire ceremony began in 1986, created by Larry Harvey and Jerry James. For the next four years, its annual fire party was held at Baker Beach in San Francisco.

Over the decades this wee little fire burning ceremony has become a symbolic refuge for hundreds of thousands of people who trek in from all over the world each year to participate. Perhaps you just couldn't squeeze yet one more vacation in this year. Perhaps you've got visiting relatives and can't leave the homestead. What's a home owner to do?

Create your own little bit of backyard ceremony with these personal sized burning stones. After all, fire is fire whether you're burning a stone or a stick man. Dance around your little fire. Sing songs. Roast marshmallows. Tell ghost stories. Do anything you want...just so long as it's of a celebratory nature. After all...summer is flying by and you don't want to miss out on all the fun!

Summertime Booty Call!

Nobody wants to admit it but the fact is; no human 'behind' is the same. Like snowflakes, our booty factor can range from mountainous to barren; as in the flat plains of Ehtiopia. And when a human squats or sits; whatever geographical location it might resemble, it's bound to spread even more!

Chair manufacturers never address the 'booty call' head on. They'll advertise with words such as 'comfort & style', or 'softness & affordability' but the bottom line is; nobody will 'out' the fact that furniture shopping is really, just a booty call! Booty wants to rest! Booty wants to feel good! What booty wants...booty gets!

The plain truth of it is, we're all so differently made that the only thing one can do when shopping, is to be sure there is a WIDE VARIETY of styles to choose from. Because when booty gets tired and wants to relax - that cute little chair better not ONLY provide adequate acomodations, it should also create a womb-like embrace that cradles us in the place it counts most - back there!

Summertime is the time to sit back and relax. For family members who don't share the same genetic features; at Elite Homestyle, there's a little 'booty soothing' for everyone!