erika in iowa's Profile

Pearlmelon-

Beans are a carb with protein. All plants are carbs, but beans are a more complex carb than say white rice (or the white pasta orzo of the original receipe the author mentioned). And beans have fiber (which makes them that complex carb). I think white beans have about 7 grams of protein per serving which you'd have to check the side of the can to figure what that was exactly (maybe 1/3- 1/2 cup).

Klein from Room and Board. It is a little bit lower to the ground and the arms are lower, but boy, is it comfy!

When I lived in Germany I shared a fridge (with tiny freezer that held 2 frozen pizzas and a small container of ice cream) this size with my German roommate and her almost live-in boyfriend. We kept it crammed with all sorts of things, but it worked. And best of all, it was set at waist height, sandwiched in between cupboards on all sides, so no bending/squatting was required.

Waverly, IA- one bedroom loft condo (595 sq. ft.) $395/mo mortgage, $453 with taxes. It's cheaper than rent!

This is inspiring me to make some changes to my balcony.

As a child we had chores- but got paid for them (I think it was 25 cents an hour - it was the 70s). I always choose the outdoor ones- I was the champion lawn mower and my sister did inside chores. I hated the indoor cleaning. We were also responsible for keeping our rooms clean. I don't remember the number of times my mother threatened to dump the contents of my bedroom floor in the trash. The garbage can occasionally migrated upstairs to add weight to the threat. When as a teenager I announced I didn't want to go to church any more, my mother said fine, you can stay home and do laundry. I kept going to church. In college, my roommates would divide the room in half and just push all my stuff back to my side of the room when it infringed on theirs. The up shot of all this is. . .cleaning is my least favorite thing in the world (or that may actually be grading, but it is a close second) and I have not mended my ways. One of my goals in life is to make enough money so i can hire some else to clean for me. WHo was it that said something along the lines of. . . after a few years, you don't notice the dirt anymore? I am hoping enough AT will eventually inspire me to do a Cure.

How small is your place?

Midwest represent! Any other eastern Iowa readers out there? I'm organizing a meet up in Waverly.

I've been decluttering like brittney by selling off things I don't need anymore. And I keep putting off the big-ticket things that need to get done that I can't do myself- My A/C- furnace unit is old enough to go to college, but I can't afford to replace it- even though I know it will save me money in the long run... but if you don't have the money in the first place? I just hope it makes it through this summer which i suspect will be much hotter than last year.

I only do laundry for one and I do it when I notice the bag over flowing or I think to do it- or discover I have no clean underwear. All laundry goes into a big laundry bag from Target (a bright green and white scroll pattern with pink cord) which is theoretically supposed to be in the closet, but always seems to end up somewhere on the bedroom floor. I pull out what i need washed according to the what is inside: usually this means a light load and a dark load, but sometimes also includes a bright load. I have to plan, because while i have a washig machine in my condo, the dyer is broken. So I hang dry in the shower (I put up an extra tension rod to hang hangers from), which can take up to a day- so i have to plan my showering schedule accordingly. But I do save quite a bit on energy by not using a dryer. I avoid any items that need to be dry cleaned, and have an aversion to hand washing- I usually stick those items in a delicates bag and toss it in the regular wash.