The American home may be shrinking, but not the Great American Dream. Americans are still living large, just doing so in smaller spaces. To some trend-watchers, the down-scaling of the American home comes as good news. Architects, designers, and social observers say our willingness to resize our floor space means Americans are rethinking the way we really live and how we use whatever space we do have. Home, they say, has become less about impressing others and more about making ourselves happy. And since we are mostly Boomers - that tidal wave of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 - who have long been accustomed to getting what we want, happiness is often defined in terms of luxuries and personal amenities. "Natural materials like American Hardwoods are redefining the word 'luxury,'" says Linda Jovanovich of the American Hardwood Information Center. "Hardwoods bring richness and warmth to even small rooms, whether it's used on the floors and walls, or crafted into built-ins. Custom hardwood furnishings like bookcases and cabinets make a home personal, yours alone, and isn't that the ultimate luxury!" This new definition of luxury: top quality, mostly natural materials, careful attention to architectural details like natural wood window frames and mouldings, is one that architect and author Sarah Susanka agrees with. And what Susanka thinks, matters. In 1998, her professional hunch launched what has become the "build-better-not-bigger" movement, when she published the first in her best-selling series of "The Not So Big House" books. Her mantra is indeed, think smaller, and she also believes that, "luxury comes from the materials we surround ourselves with. Beauty comes from natural materials. You can see where they come from - in the grain, the veining. The more natural the materials, like real hardwoods and granite, the more content you are. There's a quality you can't name, but you can feel it."

Anti-aircraft fire whizzes past Lt. Jack "Deadeye" Gunner as he banks his fighter hard to the left. He looks down and fires at the enemy combatants then turns his focus ahead as several Fire Scout unmanned aircraft swoop in to assist.

The St. Mary's County Commissioners on Tuesday approved three grant applications aimed at workforce housing. The commissioners were recently criticized by the St. Mary's County Chamber of Commerce for not doing anything about the issue and a task force disbanded because of that.

The Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced today that they have partnered with Zachary's Jewelers for the 2012 MLL season. Zachary's Jewelers will be known as the "Official Jeweler of the Chesapeake Bayhawks."

Most of us have experienced jet lag before, also known as desynchronosis. It's like a hangover or tired feeling that can last for days. That's because we have an internal clock that functions around the 24-hour cycle of our sun. Most of us wake up before the alarm because our bodies learn our routin

This notification is to inform the public of a growing trend of products marketed as dietary supplements or conventional foods with hidden drugs and chemicals. These products are typically promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and body building, and are often represented as being "all natura

The twelfth Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II destined for the training fleet at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was ferried on Tuesday. U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk piloted the aircraft, known as BF-11, which departed Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas at 10:02 a.m.

The Calvert County Sheriff's Office would like to thank Crooked I Gaming Center of Chesapeake Beach for their recent donation of $500 to the students of the Calvert Career and Technology Academy to assist them in attending the Skills USA competition conference in Kansas City.

A panel's report on the March 19, 2011 chimney fire on Soper Road in Huntingtown that heavily damaged a 10,000-square foot mega-mansion near the Patuxent River was presented to the Calvert County Commissioners for review Tuesday, May 15. Ten volunteer firefighters were injured in the blaze.

The St. Mary's County Planning Commission approved on Monday a concept site plan for a new church building for Callaway Baptist Church. The new 7,787-square-foot building will be constructed behind the existing church on Route 5.

An Idaho church has applied to purchase a St. Mary's County non-commercial, religious radio station. Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls applied last week with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to purchase WGWS (88.1, St. Mary's City) from Calvary Baptist Church of Lexington Park.

In April 2012, detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations initiated an investigation regarding information that a subject had been involved in a relationship with a female residing in Mechanicsville, Maryland and had identified himself as a Baltimore County Police Officer Detective...

MIR has just completed another phase of improvements targeted at racer safety, event efficiency and boosting the overall MIR fan experience. Improvements include a whole new starting line center section with unique poured concrete walls, concrete slab...

On Saturday, May 12, 2012, Hungtingtown VFD sponsored the second annual firefighter Combat Challenge. The event consisted of firefighters competing to complete a firefighter skills related obstacle course.

United Way of Calvert continues its new direction of service for county residents in four focus areas. During the Calvert County Commissioners' May 15 meeting, Jennifer Moreland, the local United Way's director of Community Impact, updated the board on how the strategy is working.

Teams from Dr. Thomas L. Higdon, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd and Indian Head elementary schools, as well as Mattawoman Middle School, placed in the 2012 Save the Bay Robotics Challenge held May 5 at North Point High School.

Choosing hardwood flooring for your home can be a valuable investment. Multiple surveys estimate that hardwood flooring can add as much as $7,000-10,000 to a home's resale value. And a study conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) revealed that 99 percent of U.S. real estate agents asserted that homes with hardwood flooring are easier to sell; 90 percent said that homes with hardwood flooring sell for more money - up to 10 percent more in fact. In order to get the most out of your valuable investment in American Hardwood, here are the flooring options you need to know about before you buy: Solid Wood Floors: Solid hardwood flooring comes in three basic types: strip, plank and parquet. Strip flooring accounts of the majority of hardwood installations. It is installed by nailing the wood to the subfloor. Plank floor boards are at least three inches wide, and can be screwed or nailed to the subfloor. Parquet flooring comes in 6"x6" blocks, but specialty patterns can be made much larger. Parquet floors often create a dramatic geometric look.

Started as a simple tribute to moms with the wearing of a single white carnation, Mother's Day is now more than 100 years old. As a tribute to Mother's Day, we asked several NAVAIR leaders to share lessons learned from their moms.

The St. Charles Companies this week will welcome Country Current, the U.S. Navy's legendary country-bluegrass band, for a free waterfront concert on Friday evening, May 18th as part of the St. Charles' Summer Concert Series.

The Department of Public Works (DPW), Utilities Division will be performing annual hydrant flushing in Mt. Carmel on May 16th and 17th.