H.H. Hannah's Profile

I love the look of this garden, and the weathered outdoor furniture in particular. I think you can paint the furniture with a clear finish to preserve the patina while sealing in any rust or flaking paint.

If you look at the comment thread, the anecdotes offered by commenters demonstrate that bad outcomes happen in birth, whether at home or in a hospital. No one is suggesting that the right to birth in a hospital should be taken away, however, or minimizing the loss that would represent to mothers who believe that a hospital birth is the best choice for themselves and their babies.

Hospitals are where the overwhelming majority of American women give birth. Yet the U.S. has one of the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in the developed world, approximately twice the rates of some Western European countries, which rely more heavily on the midwifery model. Personally, that doesn't give me much confidence that my chances of a bad outcome are decreased by being in a hospital.

The c-section rate in my community is around 40-50%. The national average is over 30%. This poses risks to the health and lives of mothers and babies. There is a recent study out of CA that shows the most significant spike in maternal mortality since the 1930s. Some are linking that to the c-section epidemic.

Also, the suggestion that mothers choose home birth out of some self-indulgent desire for comfort or privacy or a specific birth "experience" is offensive. Mothers choose home birth because they have determined it is most likely to offer the best outcome for them and for their babies--the same reason other mothers choose hospitals.

I haven't had a home birth and am not planning one at present but I fully appreciate why a woman would choose one. I also believe that it is a personal decision and that an outsider, especially one hearing or repeating anecdotes of home births gone awry, never has all the information necessary to judge that choice, or predict how the outcome would have been different in a hospital, etc., etc. Like other issues of reproductive health, it comes down to a question of whether we trust women to make the best decisions for themselves and their children, or whether a lawmaker or doctor (or blog commenter) should be doing it for them.

Honestly, one of my favorite renovations ever. It didn't hurt that you had so much great stuff to work with underneath it all. I'm so glad for you that previous owners didn't feel the need to "upgrade". Also glad that you didn't.

I think I've seen it in West Elm.

I don't fear sneak attacks but I do like to read in bed and I do need a bedside table (for books and glasses of water) so I'm not sure this would work for me for those reasons. However, my bedroom has either a window, closet, or a door in the middle of every wall so I understand the challenges the lead people to try unusual arrangements. I am about to move my bed back in front of the window, even though that is supposedly bad feng shui.

BTW, I like the room.

I thought 1796 sounded a little too old for Birmingham.

Coincidentally, I bought this mag in the grocery store last night. I didn't know about the RNC connection. I liked the content and the aesthetic. It is not geared primarily toward home owners. My one criticism would be that some of the projects looked beyond my level of skill and I consider myself a pretty handy DIYer.

I was thinking of Clean House on the style network too. The people on that show are usually excessive hoarders, savers, shoppers, or collectors. (Who knew so many grown men collect stuffed animals?) And usually you can see the strain in the relationships among the various family members caused by living like that. There is a lot more going on than just clutter.

I echo the shout-outs for Savannah. I grew up here, but I have lived in VA (Roanoke and Richmond), Athens, GA (great college town) and Atlanta and came back by choice. It is not perfect but it is a beautiful city with a good arts scene for its size and really short, mild winters.