mitspeck's Profile

We have had a raised bed vegetable garden in our front yard for 15+ years now. That was the sunniest spot and we knew we did not want a lawn there. During the summer when people start strolling in the PNW, we get compliments all the time, but no poaching. If you want inspiration for how to make edibles look pretty, Rosalind Creasy's Edible Landscaping is a great start and her website has plant recommendations for different zones: rosalindcreasy.com. Now I notice that there are a lot more people jumping on the bandwagon.

A lot of the people I have met have been through socializing in an outdoor/ sports context. The skiing community is pretty friendly, especially if you go to the same place on the same day and have a seasons' pass. Try Stevens Pass or if you really like a challenge, Alpental (Lot 4). Learn how to Row; Lake Union Crew is a pretty social, super inclusive boathouse and evening people like to go for beers at the Eastlake Bar and Grill up the hill, or out to breakfast on Saturdays after morning practice. Adult Rec League soccer is really big here. Join a running group. Or a climbing gym, if that attracts you. I think some Seattleites get caught up in their Seasonal Affective Disorder and can't turn off their introversion once the rain stops. Once people start getting outside, start talking over the fence. We go on two long weekend vacations with our neighbors every year for the last 12-13 years. There's a great Unitarian church in West Seattle that our friends love. Most quilt, art supply and yarn shops have great classes and social working sessions. Minimum time it takes in Seattle to get some traction in the friend arena=6 months.

I don't think it's accurate to white walls are for people who are afraid of color. I have a very brightly colored exterior to my house, but after years of having color saturated walls inside, we discovered that we got more light and brightness in our Pacific NW winters by having white walls. Everything else in our house is very colorful. And I would say it was harder to pick the right white for walls than any other color. I think some people leave their walls in stock neutrals like beige or white because they are afraid to make a decorating mistake, but that's not true for everyone.

I can find it in bulk at my indy grocery with the awesome bulk spices section.

Don't know it I would use it to clean, but if you feel a UT infection coming on, nothing works better to blast it away that a pinch of Cream of Tartar dissolved in water or some drink that will mask the acid taste. I learned this trick from the nurses at the hospital when my son was born. Beware that even a tsp has a lot of potassium, way more than the daily RDA.

I make gallons and gallons of pesto annually and freeze it in ice cube trays and do not put my ingredients in the food processor in the same order as this recipe.

I never add cheese to the food processor; we always add it when plating up the pesto.

Whir the garlic, oil, salt, pepper (optional but I recommend it), and a bit of lemon juice ( I make mine with about 5-6 packed cups of basil at a time and use 1.5 to 2 tsp of lemon juice. )

Then add the basil (organic, please) and PULSE it until about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the consistency you like. It's not supposed to be a puree, pesto is traditionally ground by hand with a mortar and pestle.

Finally, add the nuts and pulse carefully until everything is the correct consistency. If the nuts go in at the beginning, you end up with nut butter.

This technique yields pesto that is bright green and tastes fresh and pesto-y in the dead of winter, not to mention that every little bit of the fresh pesto left in the food processor is eagerly wiped out with a bit of bread by any member of my family.

I am lucky to have a Trader Joe's close by that has good parking and terrific employees. In the produce department, I think their organic basil is a score, especially when I want to make a big batch of pesto out of season--never had a problem with finding some that looked nice. But I am not as far from Cali as a lot of TJ's shoppers are. For most produce I hit Safeway (their organics have gotten considerably cheaper), the farmer's market, or our local premium indy chain (Central Market...prettiest produce department EVER). TJ's cheese prices are awesome for specialty cheeses for my cheese loving family, way cheaper than any other grocery, and they sell artisan bread cheaper than I can get it elsewhere. I make some outstanding dinners on the fly from my Trader Joe's stocked pantry, such as sun-dried tomato/Kalamata olive pesto or pinto bean and corn tacos. I really don't think in Seattle I can consistently beat their pantry stocking prices. And their employees are relatively well-compensated and genuinely enjoy working there...this I hear from TJ employee friends of mine. I am surprised not to hear more about Costco in the stocking-up category. A lot of people I know swear by it.

Pretty& neat & tidy, but almost everything in here I have seen other people have. Maybe if you bought something from a thrift store or made thing yourself, I would like to see something alittle more original.

I disagree with the statement that this kitchen "would be completely ordinary" without the island. Yes, the yellow makes a strong color statement. If readers go to the original source at Better Homes and Gardens, they would see a lot of other great ideas. I happen to subscribe to DIYideas, which I believe is the magazine source for this picture. Click over and readers would see:

--stock subway tile laid in a creative pattern
--a DIY orb light over the dining area.
--dining chairs with the tops with original wood finish and the bottoms painted a cheerful blue
--what look like home center "copycat" pendants over a custom island
--a colorful area rug that ties everything together
In short, a primer on how to achieve a designer look without a big budget.

I wanted a definitive answer to the "one white paint to rule them all" question a month ago! We are in the middle of an extensive basement renovation and needed a starting point,to narrow down the options. It's crazy-making, no? The InterWeb and I spent many hours together. We were using pro painters for the first time and I really didn't want the color to be wrong, given the expense.

Even if you have to spend a hundred bucks or so to get paints and do big swatches for 5-6 whites, I think it's worth it to test drive several options. If you are trying to paint before moving in, you should still swatch and try to bring in a light you will be using in the apartment and if you have the leather chair, bring that too, so you can feel sure you have the shade you want.

My family apparently likes their whites to be really, really white. C2's Architectural White is white pigment and nothing else. That beat the 5 other options for our remodel no matter what time of day, type of light, whatever. Seed Pearl by Pratt and Lambert was usually 2nd; Kelly Wearstler really likes it on ceilings. It is probably not crisp enough for you. We also have the whitest white from the Phillip's Perfect Colors line of full spectrum paints from G & R Paints in San Francisco on our main floor. It's called Creme de Carol and we like it a lot. It uses a C2 LoVo base. Philip has some other nice white options and the shipping isn't too bad, also he is super knowledgeable about color when you call. G&R also carries the Ann Hall line of full-spectrum paints.

Sometimes looking for whites in houses you have admired in your region can help, since the light is similar. Are you in Cali? Check out all the different white paint colors in Alexandra and Eliot Angle's House Tour right here on AT:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/alexandra-and-eliots-1890-farm-164093

or in SF, "Alisha's Bright White Guest Cottage:"

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/alishas-bright-white-guest-cot-122335

Good Luck and make sure to post a follow-up.

Also, don't apologize! Every year at my husband's aunt's house, she prepares a fantastic feast and then proceeds to point out and apologize for every perceived shortcoming of her own cooking. It puts me right off my feed...I would not have noticed anything if she hadn't been obsessing about it.