Chicago Tribune (MCT) - We are living, you might say, in the Age of the Slash. Everywhere we turn, it's all about slashing. Slash jobs. Slash profits. Slash budgets. So much slashing we're starting to shake.
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No wonder we're scramming. To the four walls and the roof we call our own. It's one place on the planet where we can batten the windows, and block out the noise.
Conventional wisdom, of course, says in the Age of the Slash, scrimp at all costs. Cut coupons. Cut corners. Ah, but we've a bolder idea: We subscribe to a plan we call Oomphing the Ahhh.
It's all about comforting, people. It's all about understanding that in these tough fiscal times, we need a refuge more than ever before. We need a home where we can gather the ones whom we love. And even some strangers, every once in a while.
We can feed them and fuel them, and wrap them all in beauty and grace. We can soothe the ails that afflict us _ or at least one or two of 'em, maybe. Un-jangle our jittery nerves. Put cool cloths to our headaches.
Heck, we might not be able to fix the broken economy, but we can ride out the long dreary months making the most of what home offers to all of us.
Since the time of the cave people, it has been more than a hole in the side of the mountain, the address we schlep back to at the end of the hunt.
It's the place of our roots but also our wings.
And if ever the space where we dwell demands the best we can give, jeez, the time surely is now.
Believing whole-heartedly in the collective creativity of the human spirit, we set out on a trek to gather up morsels that make for some really rich homes. Doesn't matter if it's a teeny-tiny studio apartment, or a house with more bathrooms than people.
We traipsed on ideas so lovely we couldn't wait to run home and try them.
Our heads are filled now with visions of snowflakes painted on windows, garlicky chickens roasting in ovens, dining room tables spilling with riotous talk _ and prayer _ on the Sabbath.
We stumbled upon and relish all over again the notion of saving our pennies the old-fashioned way: in a piggy bank. Bring back the age-old wisdom that if you hold off on buying till you've saved up the money, well, then the purchase is all the sweeter for having earned it the hard way.
The ideas go on and on. And we'd love to hear the ones that make you, well, purr like a house cat.
So, curl up now. Make a fine cup of tea, perhaps. Get cozy under a blanket. And read along as we set out to Oomph the Ahhh.
We asked, simply and plainly, what are the tricks up your sleeve, the sparkling moments, what in the world makes your home the one place you can't wait to come back to, day after long, hard day, night after night? How do you tuck comfort into every nook, cranny and corner?
And here's what we gathered:
1. Haul in some river rocks (without getting your feet wet)
Those little bags of beautiful rocks, which maybe you want to dump in your boot tray, or set beneath a slippery bar of soap, or strew across your table, can be pricey at the crafts store, but if you drive to a local stone supplier, you can get river rock for relatively cheap. And the buying itself is an adventure. You drive in and they weigh your car. Then they tell you to load up, and once you're ready, you drive your car back onto the big fat scale and they weigh you, the car, the whole shebang. You are charged for the difference in pounds.
2. Paint, paint, paint
It gives you the shot in the arm and is not as expensive as furniture, says Elizabeth Black. "Even paint your worn-out floor for some drama and bang for your buck."
3. Honor the Sabbath every week
Nothing beats a sacred tradition. Start baking a challah (the rich Jewish braided egg bread) early in the morn on a Friday, then come back to it all day, till just before dinner when you pull four golden braids from the oven. Invite a house full of friends, strangers, random passers-by. The Chicago family of comedian Aaron Freeman has anywhere from 15 to 25 guests. "Whoever Aaron says hello to during the week is invited," says his wife, Sharon Rosenzweig. Each week is themed _ the menu, the place cards, even the discussion questions _ according to that week's reading from the Torah. Just last month, for instance, the Torah portion told of Job's burial, so they served "buried chicken" (a roaster under mounds of quinoa). While the Freeman-Rosenzweigs take care of the main course and the challahs, they announce the week's theme and expect guests to pot luck accordingly. Creativity _ and late-night laughter _ abound.
4. Snowflakes even when it's endlessly gray
When it's bleak outside, Carolyn Eby grabs a can of spray snow, and makes a sheet of stencils (she takes a few sheets of plastic and punches out snowflakes or whatever shape she fancies). Then she sprays all over the windows or her French doors. And she can't see the dreary February outside for all the little flakes on her windows. Just wipe 'em down when it's time to clear the panes.
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