melship's Profile

The Vampire Diaries?!

@California 49 - You should consider staining and/or polishing also. The only problem is, that painting and staining aren't things that can really be undone, so you will have to be really sure about your decision. As I mentioned above, I have concrete floors that my homes previous owners had stained. I think that the slight polish really makes it feel more finished, and not like a storage area. I don't mind the neutral tan they used for the majority of the basement, but for some unknown reason they stained the bathroom floor orange... Its really not my thing, and my only real option at this point is to paint it (apparently staining concrete twice is a no-no).

I have a honed concrete floor in my basement, and I love it. I would have it throughout my house if I could.

Nice article. I feel like this is something that I internally debate pretty often. Most of the time I can convince myself that I don't need whatever it is that I am considering, but every once in a while I end up looking in my cabinet and wondering why I ever bought a mandolin slicer.

As far as wedding registries go.... If I could go back and do my registry differently I would. At the time I felt like we had everything we needed, so we registered for very little. My husbands grandmother thought that everyone needed to have formal china, and not wanting to tell his grandmother "no", we reluctantly registered for china. As a result we got a few things that have been very useful, almost the entire set of china, and a ton of things we didn't register for or need. If I could go back I would actually register for a lot more, and donate any items I already owned. I would also be a bit more assertive about not registering for china. But who knows, maybe one day I will be fancy enough to use it.

I am so over people freaking out about animal skulls and hides. If you have ever eaten a hamburger, you really need to tone down your outrage.

Over the past few years, I have gotten a lot more ruthless about what stays in my home. From this list, I think that cleaning products are my biggest problem, but I like to be prepared. Oh, and books. But I will not get rid of my books; you will have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

Why so much fuss about the gun over the bed? Is it that it hangs over the bed, or just the fact that it is a gun?

People like what they like. I, personally, think the whole place is great.

Personally, I can't get behind the look of wood paneling. We had it in the basement of our previous house, and it was pretty awful. Once we painted it, I really liked the texture it added, and the room looked almost twice as large. My parents have one wall with unfinished wood paneling in their living room, and I don't mind it (but it is mostly hidden behind 3 large book shelves). I think a little goes a long way as far as paneling is concerned.

I would be thrilled if that was the worst my room ever got.

I don't think that the brand you choose matters too much, but you are sort of forced into brand loyalty once you commit to a camera. Personally, I am a Nikon girl and I have no complaints. Most of the arguments I have seen for one brand or the other are pretty weak - so I just say, to each their own.

The advice I got when buying my first DSLR, was to spend money on the lens, and save it on the camera body. Truthfully, unless you are a pro, you probably wont use a lot of the camera features anyway. Eventually you will either want to (or need to) upgrade the camera body, but the lens will last forever.

Also, when choosing a camera body, go to a store and handle it to make sure you are comfortable with the weight of it. Keep in mind that your lens can add some significant weight, and that you will be hauling it around by a strap over your shoulder.