The Home Library: To Be or Not to Be?

With e-books becoming more and more popular, it could have a surprising effect on how we decorate our homes.

For years, the home library has been a staple in apartments and houses in the United States. But with book sales on the decline and e-book sales on the rise, many people simply don’t have a need for bookshelves in general.

But home décor experts say that books and e-books can certainly co-exist in your home. House Beautiful’s editor in chief, Newell Turner, says:

“When there’s an endless river of (digital) content, the words, text and images we choose to print and bind into a physical book will make (it) even more special,” she says.

“Books are precious and beautiful, both their contents and materials. I was inspired to provoke thoughts, placing the bulk of the spines away from the viewer, thus highlighting the thousands of paper pages and creating a sense of desire to discover what lies within,” he says.

New York interior designer Elaine Griffin says:

“We’ve come a long way from the English country home-inspired libraries of the ’80s — those spaces that looked like Carson (the butler on “Downton Abbey”) might come in at any moment to do a little dusting,” Griffin says.

“Today’s home libraries are retreats, actually — places to retreat as an individual from the more chaotic, group-themed spaces of the rest of the house.”

Click here to learn more about how you can keep your home library fresh in 2014!

Volunteering “Counts”

Nestled in our comfy corner of Snohomish County, it can be easy to forget that there are thousands of people in our region without a place to call home.

This Thursday, January 23, Snohomish County will be holding its annual Point in Time homeless count. Although Snohomish County staff will be working hard throughout the day, they need our help!

If you happen to be available this Thursday, for any three hour period between 8 am and 8 pm, please sign up! There will be various training materials on-hand and other more experienced volunteers will be available to help you if you’ve never done anything like this before.

Also, depending on where you work, you can choose between different parts of the county to cover.

Here’s some more information, courtesy of the Bothell/Kenmore Reporter:

“Homelessness can be an invisible issue for many people in our county,” said John Lovick, county executive. “This annual count gives us a chance to show our homeless that they do matter and that we’re committed to making a difference in their lives.”

In 2013, 1,996 people in 1,151 households reported that they had no permanent place to stay. Of those people, 757 were children younger than 18.

“Our hope is to end homelessness in Snohomish County within the decade,” said Ken Stark, human services director. “The PIT count allows us to not only track the progress we’ve made, but reach out to different community groups to find new, better solutions to help those affected.”

Results from the count help county agencies understand how widespread homelessness is in the community and who is most affected. It also helps direct state and federal funding to local programs that fight homelessness.

To volunteer for the PIT count, contact one of the following area leads:

· East County: Sharon Paskewitz, 425-212-3211 or spaskewitz@voaww.org

· South County: Maria Bighaus, 425-774-9843 ext. 236 or mbighaus@ywcaworks.org

· Central County: Lisa Bachler, 425-374-6347 or lisaB@ccsww.org

· North County: Cathy Kerr, 425-347-6556 or CathyKerr@housinghope.org

For detailed information about the PIT count and homelessness in Snohomish County, contact Nate Marti at 425-388-3268.

For Your Mind & Body, A Wellness Open House, Tomorrow!

Country Village is known for its many quaint, family owned businesses serving the Bothell and Mill Creek area. But some of the best things you can find at Country Village, you can’t even touch!

If spending money tends to stress you out, one of the most calming business at Country Village, Life Solutions Healing Arts Center, located at 23716 8th Avenue SE, Bothell, WA 98021. They offer a great variety of services for the spiritually minded, including yoga, reiki, shiatsu, nutritional guidance, martial arts, meditation, and much much more.

And tomorrow, Saturday, January 18, you can attend their annual open house, consisting of free mini-sessions and consulting. The open house will be from 11 am to 4 pm—attendees will be able to meet Life Solution’s practitioners and learn more about what their great business offers to the Bothell area!

The event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the center, located at 23716 8th Avenue S.E. in Bothell. Attendees will have the chance to meet Life Solution’s wellness practitioners and learn about what the store offers.

Life Solutions’ owner Nancy Merrified told the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter:

“My goal is for everyone who walks in the door to connect with the person who can best empower their wellness," said said. "That could be me, another practitioner at our healing arts center, or a professional in the community better suited for their needs. It really does take a village.”

To learn more about the Life Solutions Healing Arts Center, click here.

Brighten Up a Small, Dark Room

With fewer and fewer daylight hours this time of year, and the Seattle-area trademark cloudy skies we’re known for around here, it’s understandable if certain rooms in your apartment are a little gloomy. But you can still make some changes to your apartment’s layout and décor, without breaking the bank, which can l add some much needed light to your home.

ApartmentTherapy.com last week published some great advice on getting more light into a small, dark room. Some of our favorite tips included:

Hang curtains at the edges of the windows. You can make a window appear larger by flanking it with floor-length curtains that visually extend into the wall. In this image from the Shade Store, a small window has a lot more presence because of the drapes.

Don't fill the room with too much furniture, and choose pieces with a small footprint that are visually lightweight. Low-profile furniture or pieces with legs (and open space underneath) will make a room seem larger. Image: Eames Chair from Room & Board. (Also notice how the artwork is hung a little lower to fit the scale of the room in this photo.)

Use accessories that emit and reflect light. If you don't have the space for floor or table lamps, use wall-mounted sconces (especially in areas that don't get a lot of light). Hang a mirror on a wall opposite a window to reflect light into the space.Ron's Hotel "Sweet" from the Smallest Coolest 2007 Contest makes good use of lamps and mirrors.

Click here to read the full article on ApartmentTherapy.com.

Kicking off 2014 with the Snohomish Aquatic Center

Here at Bailey Farm, our residents love our seasonal pool. But sometimes even during the winter, you might get that itch to take a dip. Fortunately, later this month you’ll be in luck, with the long-awaited opening of the Snohomish Aquatic center.

Its grand opening event will be January 25, and it will finally be open to the public on January 26. If you haven’t yet heard about the Snohomish Aquatic Center, it is a state of the art indoor swimming complex and community center, located at:

516 Maple Avenue
Snohomish, WA 98290

According to the Center’s website:

The Snohomish Aquatic Center is a 52,000 s.f. state-of-the-art facility. It includes a competitive pool with a dive area, a recreational pool area, a warm-water therapy area, spray play area, zero-entry area, surf-simulation machine (FlowRider®), lazy river, and a water slide (Splashtacular).

Other great amenities include locker rooms, private meeting/party spaces, and a family changing area.

In addition, the Snohomish Aquatic Center will feature a range of activities, classes, and more, including:

Splashtacular
This enclosed waterslide provides a fun, corkscrew ride starting inside the center, spiraling out of the building and back in, ending in the recreation pool. Our Splashtacular is 151-feet long and 20-feet high. Participants must be at least 42-inches tall and pass a swim test to slide.

Open Lap SwimLap swim is available in our recreational and competition pools and is recommended for guests 14 years of age and older. Walkers and exercisers may use the recreation pool during lap swim, but only in designated lanes or areas.

U.S. Master’s Swimming
U.S. Master’s Swimming is designed for guests 18 and over. Challenge yourself and improve your swimming skills. This coach-led program is open to all levels and abilities. It is great for those who want a challenging workout and for those who want tips to improve their stroke technique. Enjoy the opportunity to travel and compete in swim meets and competitions.

FlowRider®
This surf-simulation machine—the only of its kind in the area—crosses snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding into an exciting ride with plenty of challenges and a whole lot of fun! Students must be 42-inches tall to ride the boogie boards and 52-inches tall to ride the stand-up boards.

Swim LessonsLearning to swim is more than just stroke development. Children are taught in small groups with others of their own age and skill level to facilitate the students’ socialization skills. Instructors use a child-centered approach which offers more active involvement and a better understanding of swimming, thus more learning and more fun.

Theme Nights
We offer special theme nights. Visit our website throughout the year for more information on these family fun activity nights.

Click here to learn more about the Snohomish Aquatic Center.