Finalists for the "Green Log Awards" were recently announced.

The GREEN LOG Home & Lifestyle Awards™ were created in response to the growing demand for green building solutions.

The goal of the awards is to locate and shine a spotlight on those companies and individuals who are enabling healthier homes and lifestyles. -- GREEN LOG Home & Lifestyle Awards

What this means for people like you and me is... a great list of environmentally-friendly log home products and suppliers!

So, if you're trying to make your currently log home more "green" or you'll soon be building your very own green log home, here are some companies that will make your life easier!

Looking for a rug to place on the hardwood floors in your new home or log cabin? I know I am.

Lorraine's question has prompted me to start looking for fun rugs for our new log home... now!

Here are my favorite places to browse for area rugs online...

Lorraine wrote in recently:

I have been all over this site and can't seem to find a answer on what I should use in front of the doors when you enter my log home with pine wooden floors.

Here's what I've learned about rugs and hardwood floors...

This is tons of fun...

Cross-Vision is an online program (it's FREE) that lets you see what various tile floors would look like -- before you go to pick out your tile in the stores.

Check it out...

Well, after my write-up on the DIY TrafficMaster Allure flooring from Home Depot was such a hit, I figured I'd dig a little deeper and see if I could find some other "similar yet different" types of flooring.

Here's one: FLOR carpet tiles!

Yep, at Heart Pine Reserve, what once was old is new again...

It's been awhile since I've seen such a excellent example of recycling and preserving the past -- all the while creating a unique handmade product that's as practical as this!

Check out what the "specialists in antique heart pine wood" are up to these days...

"Our current selection of antique heart pine flooring is milled from the timbers of old whiskey-barrel warehouses of the nineteenth century Old Taylor Distillery in Kentucky."

On the CBS Early Show this morning, they ran a special on do-it-yourself flooring options as inexpensive ways to improve a room's look.

According to Danny Lipford, host of Today's Homeowner, "One of the best ways to change the look of a room is to change the flooring."

Two of the flooring ideas were very easy to do, and relatively inexpensive, too!

As I see it, if you're on a budget, and you can't afford solid hardwood flooring or thick plush carpet at this time... these DIY options will have everyone fooled.

This has been one of the hardest decisions for us to make...

We have dogs. And we know that we want hardwood floors in our log home. But dogs can ruin beautiful hardwood flooring in no time.

We know... Been there done that!

In the process of trying to find "the perfect" hardwood floor for our new log home, I found the following tips and opinions helpful... especially if you have dogs.

The first home we visited on the Honest Abe Fall Tour of Homes was Matt and April's log home.

Their timber frame home is currently under construction, and is set among the beautiful fields and rolling hills of Middle Tennessee.

Matt and April were a lot of fun to chat with. See highlights below...