They say this idea will revolutionize school security in wake of the missing Oregon boy Kyron Horman. The school now has a security camera. Am I not the only one to say “What didn’t anyone else think of that earlier?”. I think the hidden reason why such a camera is useful is not just to rewind time and get clues to a crime but instead act as a powerful deterrent. Just the sign at a school giving notice of video taping will keep kidnappers at bay and what about all those kids skipping school? One camera is all that it takes to put the fear into those taht should be fearful.

By Erika Weisensee, Oregon Writer

Being a freshman is challenging. The university I teach at started school this week and I welcomed among my students several freshmen. Like many people, I was a freshman twice, in high school and college.  Both of those years were exciting and both were also more difficult than other years of my schooling, with the exception of junior high.

Because I interact with college freshmen, I try to be aware and sensitive to their challenges during what is a unique time of transition. If you know a college freshman, here are some things to be aware of, and ways to help them adjust:

The freshman year of college is a time of transition for young people because:

• They are searching for independence but may still be emotionally and financially dependent on their families.
• Moving away from family and friends and pets can be very difficult.
• College freshmen report higher levels of depression than students in other years of school.
• They are eating different, and perhaps less healthy food, and may gain some weight. This phenomenon is known as the “Freshman 15.”
• There may be more pressure in their lives than ever before to consume alcohol.
• They may be sleep deprived from late night study sessions and/or socializing.
• They may be struggling to figure out their new role in the family.  No longer under the roof of parents, visits home can be awkward when young adults and their parents struggle over rules and responsibilities.
• They may be stressed and overwhelmed by a new and challenging academic environment.
• They may be assigned to a college roommate, whom they have never met before. It could be the first time they have ever had to share a room.

You can help your college freshman adjust to his or her new life by:

• Checking in frequently with whatever method your “freshman” prefers—phone, texting, emailing, Facebook, etc.
• Sending care packages. Especially when students are  a considerable distance from home, care packages will lift their spirits.
• Encourage students to seek out and utilize campus resources, such as the counseling center, support groups, study groups and tutoring services, as well as campus clubs and activities that promote healthy social activities, like intramural sports.
• Encourage students to make contact with their advisors and instructors. The vast majority of professors I know care personally about their students and appreciate when students ask questions and show that they care about doing assignments correctly. All students should make contact with their advisors and check in regularly.
• Be supportive. Even if students seem to be enjoying their newfound independence, they will still need emotional support and encouragement from loved ones—we all do.
• Make a visit.  If it’s a reasonable travel distance, make a visit to campus and take your student out to dinner. It will be a lovely break from dorm food.

Erika Weisensee lives in Milwaukie and teaches communication and journalism classes at the University of Portland.

It was our anniversary yesterday. Nine whole years with this guy. That’s not counting our years of dating and engagement. I’ve now spent more than a third of my life linked to this one particular human being. It’s weird and it’s wonderful, and in honor of the occasion we went out on one of the nicest dates we’ve had in a long time. And it was almost entirely free. It doesn’t get any better than that.

First we foisted the kids off on my mom and dad. That’s Step One: obtain free babysitting from grandparents, friends, or some other sucker who’s willing to care for three kids all day and night in return for the sheer joy of their company. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Then, we headed for the river, armed with a fishing pole, a camera, a cooler full of beer and a backpack full of snacks.

We picked up our way up the rocky riverbank until we got far enough away that the only previous fishermen, so far as we could tell, were raccoons. Our only companions were the ospreys circling and screeching over the water.

You might have to click to see a bigger image to find the osprey in the picture above; he blends in with the trees a little bit, but it’s the best picture I could manage. Those guys swoop fast and were hard to capture photographically.

Eric fished. I amused myself picking blackberries, climbing trees, and taking pictures of waterbugs. That’s Step Two in Cheap Date Night: be amused by simple things.

The small darkish oval in the upper center, above, is the water bug. The cool-looking shape off to the right that looks like a five-pointed star with circles at each tip is his shadow on the river bottom.

It was warm, and the water was all shiny and sparkly out in the middle where the current was swift, but like a mirror in the shallow, still edges.

The only fish interested were lots of little tiny trout, which Eric caught, then tenderly released back into the river.

See that ring on his finger? I put it on there exactly nine years ago.

After awhile, we sat on the rocks with our picnic and our drink. Nine years ago, we actually visited Stonehenge as one of the stops on our British honeymoon. This year, we contented ourselves with Henge-themed beer.

As the sun started to set, we hiked back to the car. On the way, we noticed an old toilet that someone had perched up on the riverbank. But it had flowers in it, so that makes it classy.

We went home and enjoyed coffee and ice cream on our own comfortable couch. Then we decided to use some free movie tickets that Eric had been carrying around in his wallet for two years (we don’t get out that much). That’s Step Four: get people to give you gift certificates to things, and then carry them around until you forget you have them, and then find them and be thrilled at your discovery.

(We saw “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” which I found to be light-hearted, funny, and clearly aimed at 30-something geeks like my husband who grew up playing old-school video games; this review claimed it “offers no possible entry point to someone over 30,” but I disagree. Case in point: the opening credit sequence shows Scott’s band playing a song called “Launchpad McQuack.” Launchpad McQuack? No 12-year-old would get that! Also: Michael Cera has hair like a Q-tip and pretty much plays the same character in every movie he’s in, but I still find him entertaining).

By the time the movie was over, it was late. Giddy with the joy of being up so far past our bedtimes on a weeknight, we decided we needed to get something to eat, but what’s open at 11:30 p.m. in Albany? The 24-hour-taco place, that’s what. We got burritos and went home and watched TV and then went to bed. That’s Step Five: enjoy cheap food.

It was a really, really, really awesome evening, and it reminded me just how much I like hanging out with my husband. That’s the final step for Cheap Date Night: truly enjoy the company of your date, and then it doesn’t really matter what you do. I’d do the whole thing over again tonight if I could. Which pretty much sums up my feelings about my marriage. I have regrets about choices I’ve made and things that I’ve done; there are plenty of incidents where I wish I could go back and get a do-over. But marrying Eric? Not one of them.

I’d do the whole thing over again.

Us. Self-portrait. Camera shadow across our faces. Happy.

Sometimes I take for granted the fact that my adorable kiddos have grown up mugging for the camera.

I’m biased of course. Being the typical proud mom and part time professional photographer, I think my children are adorable and photogenic. All kids are photogenic, and really, all parents can take professional looking photos of their rugrats. You don’t even need a fancy or expensive camera.  But there are some tricks.

Trick #1:

Take your camera everywhere – One reason why my kids always look relaxed in photos without the awkward squinty-eyed overly dramatized smile is because they are used to me shooting photos of them. ALL THE TIME. I wear a camera like jewelry, and consider it a part of my outfit.
When you are just getting started, tell yourself you don’t even care about any of the photos you take during maybe, the first three days you are clicking away… just get comfortable with your camera and learn about what it can do while your children get comfortable in front of it.

Camera angle – I am always surprised at how many people stand too far away from their subject, making it a small focal point in the middle of a lot of distracting scenery. Get down to your child’s level. Kneel, or sit at the table with them. If you start taking a lot of photos, they’ll get used to you sooner or later and go about their business while you get the perfect portrait.

The right lighting – whenever possible, I try to use natural light. Soft, pastel light indoors is flattering and realistic, and the grey and overcast Portland weather is actually ideal for taking photos inside near a window. Soft grey light streaming in through the windows in the early part of the day is perfect and acts like a natural soft box. If the light is too dim and your lens is not quite fast enough, try to steady yourself as much as possible to avoid camera shake. Sit down, or even lie down on the floor near your child as they play in the window light and click away. If you happen to have an on camera flash, turn it off and test out a few shots without it. If they are too blurry, turn it back on for sharper images. Another trick with on camera flash that I love is to use it in its full glory when you are outside in the sunshine. It freezes the actions, sharpens the picture, fills in shadows and makes bright colors pop!

Interesting props—don’t try to ‘pose’ your child… let them rifle through the dress up pile and create their own outfit. Buy a photogenic oversized red ball or fill a clear clean plastic cup with bubble solution in the summer and let them simply play. One of my favorite portraits of a brother and sister was a photo I took of them sitting together on a patchwork blanket with their teddy bears and tea-cups, having a party. In the fall, think about buying bright yellow rain slickers and boots, and let them do a little puddle stomping while you shoot photos(turn the flash on to capture the splash suspended in mid air!).

The key here is, make it fun.

Have a relaxed attitude – with the practice of taking photos every day, you’ll become more acquainted with your camera and you won’t feel the pressure of getting ‘just the right shot’ on Holidays and during those milestones we want to freeze forever in the family album. Kids seem to sense the pressure of posed photos and seem to either melt down or misbehave more than usual, making it almost impossible to get a good picture. As the photographer, make them comfortable by smiling yourself, resisting the urge to pose them or bark orders at them, like photos are a chore. Let them be themselves. My favorite photos of kids are when they are simply being themselves and don’t feel the pressure to perform.  I catch the best expressions when my kids are not even smiling.

My last piece of advice is to stretch the boundaries of your creativity. Think about new angles to shoot from, like lying on your back on the ground looking up at your child, swing next to them as you video tape on the swing set while playing in the park. Take photos of the bits and pieces of your child’s world… their pudgy toes, focus on their hand holding a crayon, or have them hold out a favorite toy for you to shoot with them looking like a bit of a blur in the background.

These kinds of photos can be immensely emotionally satisfying and convey much more than the sum of their parts.   These are the photos of real life.

Web Connection Raises Chances of Romance

Folks with Internet connections are more likely to be in a romantic relationship than folks without access to the Web, a new study shows.And it’s likely that the Web will soon replace the old standby, “friends,” as the number one way to meet your soul mate, Stanford researchers were to report Monday at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Atlanta.

Virtual connections are proving especially fruitful for lonely hearts from minority or tough-to-find-a-good-mate segments, such as middle-aged heterosexuals and gays and lesbians.

“We’re seeing this as a trend now as more generations are embracing the Internet, and with competing demands on people’s schedules, this seems like the next logical step,” said Simon Rego, director of clinical training at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City.

“Clinically, I’ve certainly seen an increase in the people utilizing the Web, and this study validates that,” said Theresa Quinn, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and director of psychology at Scott & White College Station Clinic. “I think it’s more pervasive than people expected.”

In 1940, 20 percent of people were introduced to their mate by friends, with that number reaching 40 percent in 1990.

Now that trend is in decline, as are other local ways of meeting people, such as community groups, school ties or co-workers, the study authors stated.

The researchers drew their conclusions from a nationally representative survey called How Couples Meet and Stay Together. The survey also included in-depth interviews with participants.

More than 80 percent of people surveyed who had an Internet connection at home were coupled up (either married or living with a domestic partner). For adults without Internet access, the rate was 62.8 percent.

Three-quarters of partners in couples that met on the Internet had had no idea that a mate was waiting in cyberspace. In other words, they had had no non-virtual contact beforehand.

Online venues most often cited as good meeting places were Web dating sites, virtual classifieds, chat rooms, social networking Web sites (such as Facebook or MySpace) and through Internet games.

There appeared to be another advantage to meeting online: Breakup rates were higher among couples who had met the old-fashioned way, through friends — 9.6 percent vs. 8.1 percent who had met through other means.

Groups that previously had little hope are also now finding their odds greatly heightened.

“What’s particularly intriguing is the notion that for select groups that may have been marginalized in the past, [this provides] great opportunities to connect to people which may not have been readily available in traditional methods [such as] friends or gay clubs,” Rego said.

The study describes one lesbian woman in the South who started meeting people in her ZIP code using America Online (now called AOL). Previous forays into a gay bar and a gay church had been fruitless.

The same holds true for the older set.

“I have a lot of people in the 30-to-40 age range who are either separated or divorced or had put their career first and suddenly they realized the friendship networks that they would typically have used have dried up because those friends are married or forming families and so don’t go out as frequently,” Rego said. “Now you’ve got this whole medium where potentially millions of people come together.”

Quinn is also seeing more middle-aged heterosexual singles meeting over the Internet, as well as gay and lesbians.

“The message of it is clear. This trend is happening and it seems logical,” Rego said. “I imagine that this will continue to grow as people grow into the Internet and embrace it.”

More information

Applied Sociology has more on how the Internet is changing the social landscape.

SOURCES: Simon Rego, Psy.D., director, clinical training, American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, New York City; Theresa Quinn, Ph.D., assistant professor, psychiatry and behavioral science, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and director, psychology, Scott & White College Station Clinic; Meeting Online: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary

Parenting Tip: Tell Your Kids You Love Them

Kids Love to be Loved

My friend, Mercy babysat my boys. Her firm discipline, loving manner, and sense of humor endear them to her to this day. Now Mercy and I get together twice a month and have fun with our grandsons. Like my boys, I love being with Mercy.

This Is Mercy’s Tip

“Tell them you love them. When my boys were growing up, I didn’t wait until they did something good to tell them I loved them. They heard  it often. Now they keep in touch every day. They love to tease me too.

By letting them know how much I loved them when they were growing up, I feel loved right back by them today.”

Family life has always been a top priority with Mercy. Whether it was attending baseball games, parent-teacher conferences, or school events, Mercy was always there. Family dinners were a must with Mercy. You can be sure there was a lot of laughter around the table as each member tuned into each other’s activities.

Mercy gave and still gives her boys what every child wants – attention, appreciation, and affection. No wonder they love being around her today. I have to say that Mercy and her husband, Chuck, have created one of the closest knit families I’ve ever seen.

This I could not believe until I saw it on television.  Websites that are a support group for people who want to be anorexic and even are bulimic.  These sites offers tips on how to make it work and how to eat less to the point of starvation.  I would link to these sites but I dare not give them any traffic or credit.  Instead I offer this video which shows you these terrible websites and the women who used to visit them.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

By Erin Flesch, NEAT contributor

This week’s Project Runway 8, Episode 4 recap might be a bit shorter than most, and here’s why: In our humble opinion, it was one of the most unwatchable episodes in recent memory and a travesty given the potential for awesomeness of the “Hats Off To You” challenge. It might also have been the fact that the giant Italian sub we consumed while watching sent us on a nausea-induced shame spiral of epic proportions (curse you Jimmy Johns! Never again).

Now that we’ve got that out of our system (gross), here’s what happened: The episode began with the cause of Ivy Higa’s fainting spell (dehydration). She’s fine and embarrassed and ready to incorporate some hospital gown inspiration into the next challenge.

The next day, Heidi Klum walks out on the runway and we are treated to a mini-show where each of the designer’s models came out wearing an exclusive hat sculpture made by master milliner Phillip Treacy, the man behind some of Lady Gaga’s more than out-there headwear. The challenge is to create an outfit that would be fit to wear with one of Treacy’s awe-inspiring hat creations.

All we can say, is gawd, there was so much potential! And what did the remaining designers choose to do? Nothing avant-garde, nothing fantastical and nothing over-the-top. Instead, yawn-inducing garments ruled the runway. These hats were truly amazing and the accompanying outfits just were not. For shame, y’all.

Kristin Haskins Simms bemoaned her “overly-literal” orchid hat and came up with a heavy black satin accented by hot pink slits gown that was poorly constructed and not at all evocative of her light and beautiful flower topper. Michael Costello was halfway through his burnt orange Dancing with the Stars number (complete with a huge obvious seam running down the front) when Tim Gunn advised him to scrap it and start again. Instead he ended up with a shimmering goddess gown the judges loved and everyone else in the workroom loathed.

We didn’t see a lot of Gretchen Jones’ work until the runway, but we did hear her a lot throughout the episode. Our local gal likes to make her opinions heard. And in this case, everything she said turned out to be, well, wrong. Jones’ praised Christopher Collin’s brocade jacket and leggings combo (he ended up in the bottom three), hated on Valerie Mayen and Costello’s looks hardcore (both of them ended up in the top). For the first time since the season began, Jones did not make the top three. Her American outback/wood nymph feather printed shirt (above right, to match her peasant feather adorned chapeau) and intricate leggings landed in neutral territory.

April Johnson made the judges laugh with her futuristic resort wear (complete with three-layer diaper undies), but they could see where she was going with it, so they kicked Haskins Simms and her orchid mess to the curb. The winner was Costello, who was joined in the top two with Micheal Drummond and his cardboard-chic structural look. All we can say is, no gold stars from us you guys. Do better next time.

Tune in to The Neat Sheet every Friday for PDX Project Runway 8 recaps. In the meantime watch as Portland designer Gretchen Jones explains her “Hats Off To You” design to Tim Gunn:

Ads are everywhere reminding parents to buy, buy, buy for back to school. School supplies, new shoes, backpacks, not to mention the latest fashions—it can cost a small fortune to send kids back to the classroom.  But there are ways to save money and still keep the kids happy.

Here’s how:

- Find out where the good sales are and shop those stores.

- Since we tend to have nice weather the first few weeks of school, consider waiting a few weeks to buy clothing for colder weather.

- Look for deals at discount stores like Target and Old Navy. They are not only reasonably priced but also fashion forward for kids who want to look cool.

- If you splurge, do so on something special. When shopping for my little guy, I usually stay away from those pricey kids’ stores in the mall. He grows too fast to spend a fortune on one outfit!

- Shop at children’s consignment stores. There seem to be more and more good quality consignment stores selling gently worn children’s things. The quality tends to be much better than at the large thrift stores.

- Hand-me-downs are awesome. No kid wants to wear an entire wardrobe of clothes handed down from an older sibling. But when friends or family members are passing down good quality items, it sure is helpful.

- Roomy is better. Error on the side of getting things just a little bit big so they can be worn longer.

- Don’t buy too much! Previous generations owned a fraction of the clothes that we tend to have now. If kids are involved in picking out their clothes and really like them, they might not feel the need to have so much.

I’d love to hear your ideas for saving money on back to school.

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Comedy is the one career where you have to fail, repeatedly and in front of an audience, in order to improve. I wrote this a year and a half ago, but didn’t share it with anyone.  It just hurt too much.  Now it’s time:

REJECTION

I was booked to feature in a major comedy club in Detroit. Two weeks before the date, the owner of the club saw me do 8 minutes of my act in the Detroit Comedy Festival.   A few days later I got an e-mail from him telling me he’s demoting me to mc, replacing me with a better feature act.  He was kind about it, and said he was just being honest.

I replied that I appreciated his honesty, and would welcome any specifics about how I can improve.  He told me I do too much “mugging”.  I hate mugging, and I know I used to do it a lot in my act due to inexperience, nervousness, and trying to look confident when I had no confidence.  But I thought I had gotten rid of that annoying facial affectation.  Clearly, I hadn’t, and still have a lot of work to do.  I once again told him I appreciated his suggestions, and that of course I would be willing to mc instead of feature.

And then I got into the shower and cried my eyes out.  Hard, loud, ugly-face crying. I was so embarrassed; completely humiliated.  You try and try and try, do your best, work hard, and it’s still not good enough.  And you feel like a failure.  And you want to quit. And then you pick yourself up, and tell yourself, “Hey, at least I’m out there trying.  And this will only make me stronger and force me to get even better, and I’ll show him someday that I am good enough.”

But it still hurts, and I’m still crying.

I’ve had hundreds of gigs since then, and plenty of successes. Remembering the failures shows me how far I’ve come…and how far I still have to go.

I was looking around my living room the other day, realizing that it was drab and lacked pizzazz. I really like to move things around and freshen up the room, but this time I decided to bring in a brand new color – a teal blue.

But let me start with the obstacle that many women get hung up on: They don’t invite others into their homes because they just don’t like them Yes, it’s true, and it’s very sad!

Think about these simple ideas and see if you gain a new perspective. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves a pep talk and adjust our attitudes a bit.

How to freshen up the room

1. Start in one corner and clean out/straighten up the area (stack the books, toss the magazines), moving through the entire room.

2. Wipe down or dust the furniture.

3. Vacuum the entire room, moving the furniture if you need to.

4. Wipe down the window seals.

5. Take everything off of the furniture and start over. Try to thin out your decorations or rearrange.

6. Add a new color to liven it up!

7. Remember our guests are not coming to see our homes. They are coming to see us!

I went to Pier 1 and bought one candle, 2 pillows on sale, and added a few new colored decorating balls to my current new yard sale dish.

I put two pillows away.

And added 2 new.

I replaced the green candle here.

With the blue candle here.

To my new $4 yard sale bowl, I added a mixture of decorating balls.

I followed the steps above to freshen up the room, added a new color, and was surprised at how it felt like a brand new room. In fact today, when I friend came over, she commented on the “new” look.

It doesn’t take much to re-do a room. Paint and new furniture can completely transform a room, yes! But you have to have time and money – and in today’s economy, most of us are working harder for what we have. We have less time and less money.

I really like to keep things simple. I want to encourage others to make their houses homey and welcoming, so that when you have guests over you feel good about it.

Perfect? No way. But inviting? Yes!

Have you thought about adding a new color to a room in your home that feels drab?

Would you be willing to share what obstacle stops you from inviting others in?

(I’m happy to announce the 2 winners of my new book, The Reluctant Entertainer. Lisa James (no blog) and Kim, from Vintage Poppies. Congratulations Ladies!)

Fido’s Family Status May Depend on Where You Live

– A pet’s status in a family may be influenced by where the owners live, new research suggests. People who regard pets as children tend to have a city background, for example, while those in rural areas have a more practical attitude, said study author David Blouin, of Indiana University.

“To think of pets as just another animal is not uncommon in rural areas, which makes sense given the utilitarian relationships people in rural areas are more likely to have with a range of different animals — from farm to wild animals,” Blouin, an assistant professor in the sociology and anthropology department at Indiana University South Bend, said in an American Sociological Association news release.

He also found that pets often lose their status as “children” when owners start having children.

“If you have kids, you have less time to spend with your pets. That’s part of it, but not the whole story. People who think of their pets as their children often re-evaluate this thought when they have human children of their own,” Blouin said.

Among the other findings:

* Many people have very intense attachments to their pets, who are often an integral part of the owner’s daily routine.
* Ninety-three percent of dog owners and 77 percent of cat owners take their pets to the veterinarian at least once a year.
* Eighty-one percent of dog owners and 67.5 of cat owners spend two or more hours daily with their pets.
* Many owners said their pet’s health was a major concern and some admitted spending substantial amounts of money on their pet’s health for routine care (including vaccinations) and more serious conditions such as skin allergies, diabetes and Crohn’s disease.

The study was presented Sunday at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Atlanta.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – When garden produce is ready, don’t hesitate too long before you harvest. That’s the advice of Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.”Regular picking encourages vegetable plants such as sugar peas, cucumbers, squash, bush beans, peppers, broccoli, and eggplant to produce more,” he said. Even a few mature fruits on a cucumber plant will stop new fruit from setting, he added.

For example, if a zucchini isn’t harvested and starts going to seed, the plant is triggered into a different growing stage and won’t develop any more squash.

Look for the following qualities when harvesting vegetables.

Bush beans: Pick when two to three inches long.

Squash: Summer squash is ready when medium-sized with a rind that is easily dented with a fingernail. Winter squash is ready when the firm rind can’t easily be dented with a fingernail.

Tomatoes: Size is not a good indication of maturity. Look for proper color. Tomatoes can be picked at any degree of ripeness, but they taste best if ripened on the vine.

Cucumbers: Pick before they turn yellow. Small to medium ones are good eaten fresh.

Broccoli: Stalks ready for picking should be firm, but tender. Buds at the top of the stalk should be compact and not showing the color that would indicate the plant is flowering. Cut the large central head just before it separates into several heads. After that, cut the side shoots that develop into small heads.

Eggplant: Ready when dark and shiny.

Peppers: Usually mature late. The green varieties should be firm and have a shiny color. Red varieties should have a uniform red color before harvesting.

By: Judy Scott
Source: Ross Penhallegon

from Interior Design Angle,

How much does an interior designer cost in Portland, Oregon you might ask?  How do they charge and what can you expect from the relationship?

Initial Consultation: Your initial consultation with an interior designer is a method for both of you to determine if the interior designer is the right fit for your project.  Some designers charge for initial consultations, some do not.  In that appointment your interior designer will discuss with you your preferences, the scope of your project, and what you want to achieve.  Some clients aren’t sure how to articulate their taste or preferences.

Your designer can help you by asking questions, talking cues from pieces you enjoy in your home, and also by sharing photos and getting your input.  A successful interior designer is a good listener, and can learn a lot by these three methods.  During this initial consultation, the interior designer will likely ask about the amount you would like to invest in the room. You might have a very specific number or not know.   Some clients find this question daunting and don’t know how much things cost – for example in a home remodeling project.  Your designer can help you with investment ranges to give you an idea of costs.  In a decorating project, good design can be achieved at many budget levels, so your interior designer may ask you questions about where you typically shop to get an idea of the quality of pieces that are important to you.

Initial Consultations: What to expect from Angela Todd Designs

We do charge for initial consultations and I have found our clients don’t mind.  I have found that doing so allows me to relax in the first appointment, roll my sleeves up right away and discuss detailed ways to address what the client wants to achieve.  I have also found my full schedule does not allow me to buzz around Portland, Oregon offering complimentary interior design consultations, while my clients aren’t getting serviced to the extent they deserve.  I should mention we do credit the initial consultation fee towards remodeling, build or larger decorating projects.  This happens most of the time.

Retainers
Some residential and commercial interior designers ask clients to place a retainer upon signing an agreement for design services. The retainer is an up-front fee intended to cover costs for you during the planning stage of the project. When the job is completed, the retainer fee is deducted from the last invoice.

Retainers: What to expect from Angela Todd Designs
Retainers aren’t typically part of our agreement, but in the case of a quick timeline of implementation it makes sense for some clients.  For example, lets say you have 60 days for your room to be completed before the holidays, in this case having a retainer on file allows us to order furnishings with your approval without needing payment before processing the order.  (Just a a point of reference, everything you purchase will be approved by you prior to ordering.  Everything.  This ensure you get exactly what you desire.)

How interior designers charge for services and products?

Interior designers charge in a variety of ways, and many may use several of these methods depending on your project.

Fee Based (Set Price)
After evaluating all aspects of the interior design project at the initial consultation including expected hours of work, square footage, materials needed, and your desires – the interior designer determines a lump sum for the design portion of the project.  If your accept the agreement, the amount is paid in increments as items are received and delivered and/or services are rendered.

Square Foot Based (Set Price)
This method is most often used for larger build or commercial projects. It can be a bit tricky for the novice interior designer, because interiors with the same square footage may have completely different needs. For example, while one homeowner or business owner may want a minimalist look, another homeowner or business owner of the same size could be going for a complex mix of styles that require custom finishes, cabinetry and tile work.   In those cases the interior designer places a higher square footage cost on projects that require more creativity and planning.

By the Hour
In this model, the designer assists the client on an hourly, as-needed basis.  From my experience, interior designers in Portland, Oregon, hourly range from $75 to $175 an hour.  This range generally depending on the interior design professional’s level of expertise, and their demand for service. It is most important to feel good about the interior designer you select.  Do you have open dialogue?  Does he or she “get” you and your lifestyle.  Does he or she listen?  Once you have answered yes, go with who you feel comfortable with,  Understand designers under the rate range  mentioned above might not have the experience or vendor connections you need for your project, and designers higher than the hourly mentioned might come at a premium due to their experience or popularity.  There isn’t anything wrong with either if you feel comfortable, but understand designers at the top end of the range or the bottom of the range have reasons for charging that way.

Cost versus Retail AND Cost Plus
If you haven’t worked with an interior designer before you may not know that interior designers do have trade accounts with some of their vendors, essentially offering them a discounted retail price.  Please don’t imagine this is a deep discount.  Sometimes it is 0%, sometimes 10%, and on more custom orders perhaps 30%.  Some interior designers pass this on to their clients with a fee upfront to partake in the savings.  I know several interior designers in Portland that offer their cost savings to clients, plus a specified percentage on the discount.   (20% is a common average I see here locally in the Portland area.  Keep in mind in this scenario the interior designer will also charge a 20% percentage on items they purchase through retail pricing.)  The third way interior designers may charge in this scenario is “you pay retail, and sometimes less depending on the trade discount and customer’s volume.”

Retail/Commission
This is common in retail showrooms that hire interior designers and decorators – or with interior design business owners that own a retail store that sells furnishings and accessories.  Here in Portland, Oregon you can find these interior designers at furniture showrooms like Parker Furniture, Ethan Allen and Paul Schatz Furniture.  The interior design fee is essentially paid by the retail showroom that employs the interior designer.  The interior designer’s commission is paid by what they sell to clients.  Working with a designer in this category can work well, particularly if you work with a furniture showroom with a good variety of manufactures and styles. The drawback can be that it is very unlikely an employed designers will recommend outside of what their showroom sells – but again if you select a showroom with a large amount of manufacturers it can be a good experience.  Keep in mind also that an independent interior designer can work with you at these showrooms.  Each of the stores mentioned above have outside interior designer programs and they welcome independent designers in the area to use their showrooms with their clients.

How interior designers charge for services and products: What to expect from Angela Todd Designs

Our interior design firm works both by the hour and with fee based pricing.  For smaller projects, working by the hour just makes sense for our clients.  In the case of a color consultation for exterior or interior paint for example, it doesn’t make sense to put together a flat free agreement.  In the case of new home construction, remodeling or a decorating project that involves selections, space planning, project managing, coordinating contractors and vendors we set a flat fee for our services for the project.   This amount only changes if there are changes or additions to the project.   In the case of a flat fee prject, we draft an agreement that includes the scope and the estimated hours for our client’s review.

Okay.  What about cost versus retail pricing you ask? Here I am writing this blog thinking, are my interior design peers going to kill me for posting such an honest blog about cost versus retail?  It makes me giggle. Actually, I do want you to know I am in the business to create stunning interiors for my clients.  I love that many of them over the years have become great friends, and oh yeah, I am in business to make money for my family.  There I said it.  Angela Todd Designs charges retail.  We have found marking up a flat rate for a wholesale price (savings to you), and charging a retail price plus percentage (surcharge to you) pretty much comes to the same sum for the client.  The true reality is that the amount of money an interior designer saves in wholesale to retail pricing can sometimes be very nominal, and for some stores and manufacturers the discount doesn’t exist.  We take responsibility for our client purchases, and for that we feel that discounts are part of our cost of doing business.    That is why our pricing is referred to as “wholesale” or “to the trade”, with this pricing comes responsibility.

What do I mean by by “taking care of client purchases” you might ask?  When a fabric is discontinued that you have approved, furniture isn’t manufacturerd properly, the wrong carpet was shipped at the order desk, a cabinet door has a defect, handmade tiles are installed with color way difference that are unacceptable, or a handmade area rug is damaged in shipment – we take care of the issue for you.  Fabric has to be reselected, we may have several visits and phone calls with a manufacturer, and we may visit  your home with a tradesperson to make sure your expectations are met.   It wouldn’t be ethical in my opinion to bill a client for this time because the hiccups (which inevitably happen at least once on a project) aren’t the client’s fault.  By the way, all of the examples above have all actually happened.  Each of these examples ironically came from clients that rave about me, have sent me referrals, and hired us for additional home and business projects.  What my father tells me appears to be true, “When you do business with someone, you get to know their quality and ethics most by how they handle your problem.”  My client relationships are paramount to me.  You can count on us to take care of issues for you sometimes even before you know about the issue at hand.

It warms my heart when I have clients tell me how much they love their spaces and that our interior design services were a great value.  To be honest, I am just softy when it comes to making people happy.  Creating exceptional spaces for clients that reflect their personal, unique style is simply why I wouldn’t want to do anything else for a living.

This week my 13-year old confessed to me how scared she is walking down the halls of her school.   She said she lives in fear of making a mistake least the bullies notice.    It breaks my heart on how bullies have victimized entire grade levels of kids and have so ruined the childhood school experience.    That was yesterday and now today I read the front page of The Oregonian with the headline “Blount hits another player”.     The story is about former Oregon Duck player LeGarrette Blount getting upset and hitting fellow teammate while practicing for his new teams the Titans.   Another player?    Another  headline?    The video has been on TV and now You Tube.

LeGarrette Blount has become Oregon’s most famous bully.

He hits other people and even hits his own teammates he doesn’t like.  It all plays out on television complete with everyone coming to the defense of Blount.   At the much celebrated Civil War game last year Blount was cheered while announcers discussed his previous punches helping to communicate to my family that bullies can be celebrities.

Everyone says they care about bullying.  Why not start right here with Blount.   Stop cheering, stop defending this man.  We clearly see a pattern of violence that is only going to get worse.  I know he is not in Oregon anymore, but his ties will always be with us.  Remove him.  Bullies like LeGarrette Blount and the media attention are only empowering the next generation of unruly kids who are making life difficult for our young students.

We asked the question of our readers.  “Do you have any remorse for the recent travails (right or wrong) of any of the below celebrities?”. The response was pretty bleak for these troubled celebs as only one out of the six garnered a majority of sympathy vote — that being Sandra Bullock.

I used to like zucchini. Then I planted it in my garden. If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know what I mean. One single plant can overtake a small garden—you pick one and ten more are there the next day. Did I mention how big they get? Who really needs a zucchini the size of a log?

An article in this week’s Food Day section of the Oregonian addressed this very topic: The ubiquitous zucchini and how to make it interesting. In the article “The Menu From Z to Z,” writer and food blogger Deena Prichep offers an entire menu of creative and tasty sounding zucchini recipes. Thank you, Deena!!!

It’s enough to make me want to try zucchini again, not that I plan to grow them anytime soon. But that’s okay because I know plenty of people with plenty to share.

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Erika Weisensee, a writer and native Oregonian, lives in Milwaukie and teaches journalism and communication courses at the University of Portland.

I just got back from a road trip with three small children. And yes, I’m still (reasonably) sane. We drove from Albany, Oregon, to Stevensville, Montana. And then back again, five days later. That’s 644 miles one way. Twelve hours in the car, with three children ages 6, 4, and 2.    And you know what? It went great.

There was a little bit of whining. A little bit of complaining. One urgent request for a potty break that turned out to be completely fictitious. But overall? Awesome. There was no puking, no total meltdowns. Not once did we have to resort to “I’m going to pull this car OVER if you don’t stop…” (Although I did once threaten to throw a My Little Pony out the window).

Here are the things that I think contributed to our success:

1. Sleep. We got up before the sun and were on the road by 3:30 a.m. We kept the kids in their pajamas, covered them in blankies, and they slept through the first several hours on the road. They would awaken later in the morning, we’d stop for breakfast, they’d be awake in the car through the morning, we’d stop for lunch, and then post-lunch they’d nod off again. They were asleep through at least half of the hours we were in the car, and I think that made a huge difference. Sleeping children are happy children.

2. Books on tape. We don’t have an in-car DVD player, nor do we have a good location in our vehicle to install one even if we wanted to. But we do have a perfectly fine sound system, and a local library that has dozens of free audiobooks to check out. Having a good story to listen to in the car makes the miles pass so much more smoothly, for the adults as well as the kiddos. We listen to audiobooks constantly, not only on long trips but just around town all the time. On this trip we listened to “Peter and the Shadow Thieves” by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson; “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder; and I read aloud a few chapters of “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle” by Betty MacDonald.

3. McDonald’s. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. Our kids just love McDonald’s. Our first food stop of the trip was at a little local diner in some little Eastern Oregon town. They served these truly yummy home-made versions of Egg McMuffins–fried eggs on toasted English Muffins with cheese and bacon. They were so good. Our kids would not touch them. All Lucy ate that entire breakfast was some orange juice. Our next stops were at McDonald’s (oh, and one at IHOP) and the kids were filled with joy. They got familiar food that they liked, plus they got a little plastic toy to take with them in the car. They sat in their seats and played with Happy Meal Toys for hours. I am not kidding. I am normally all about supporting local businesses and exploring undiscovered local treasures…but on a long car trip, it really was easiest to keep my kids happy by stopping at a place they already knew they loved.

4. Limited fluids. Before you call Child Services on me, don’t take this to mean that I am purposefully dehydrating my children. Not at all. They got to have juice, milk, or whatever else they wanted to have at meal stops. And I also let them have a bottle of water in the car. But we did not bring juice boxes for the car, and we did not give them a whole lot extra to drink. Extra drinking=more potty stops and more likelihood of accidents. No thank you.

5. Patience. This is for everyone. For them, patience with the endless miles rolling by. For us, patience with the shrill voices from the back seat. I let them get away with a lot more loud, annoying giggling and squealing back there than I normally do. I mean, they’re sitting strapped into a car seat for an entire day. They need to be able to get their giggles out.

I’m proud of my girls. And I’m hoping our road trip success was not just a once-in-a-lifetime fluke. Now that we’ve found out our girls CAN tolerate extended car rides, Eric and I are excitedly planning all kinds of places we can take our crew. Watch out, world! The Rouses are on their way.

If June is the inaugural kick-off to summer, and July is the gooey center, then August is the downhill slide towards the finale—the last, few leisurely weeks until the new school year begins in September.

For me?  I feel like August is a bright yellow caution barrier, complete with flashing lights, signaling: “Craziness ahead!” Let me explain why.  In the last week, I’ve received an email from my kids’ schools about making sure they have their immunizations up to date in time for registration.  I got the postcard reminder in the mail to not miss the pre-scheduled eye exams.  Sign-ups are already underway for fall soccer.

We’ve been barraged for weeks now by back-to-school sales. (That was, of course, after all those “Christmas in July” sales)  And to top it off–my husband, who works for a large grocery retailer, just informed me that their shipment of Halloween candy will be here by the end of the month.  No kidding.

It’s all coming at us so soon.   In many ways, August is clearly the pre-cursor to what will again be a busy end to 2010.  Soon, our schedules will be chocked full of pick-ups, drop-offs, practices, games and all those other errands squished in between, leading Mom’s taxi to log more miles than the November election candidates.

I’m not complaining.  It’s simply what we do every year.  I often imagine that if you looked up “Working American Family” in the encyclopedia these days (online because it saves you time), what you’d find is a picture of a puff of exhaust.  That’s because the family minivan is on the run.

The summer brings freedom that we get to enjoy for two short months.  The kids get to stay up later, sleep in, and make daily requests to have their friends come over.   Things are definitely more relaxed.  The fall, on the other hand, tends to bring back the structure, and believe me; we need that in order to maneuver through the next nine months of the new school year.

I do like the structure.  But I’ll miss the freedom.  I guess that’s what makes us appreciate the summer and look forward to it every year.

So while the kids are still splashing in the pool, playing with friends and watching cartoons, Mom is doing the needed legwork behind the scenes.

Look out, August.  Your days are numbered.

September is barreling toward us.