urbancricket's Profile

Mocktail doesn't both me any more than verbing the noun, "Google," as in, "Let's google it!" A cocktail is defined as "an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit." So vodka and grapefruit is a cocktail. If it doesn't have alcohol, but has two or more ingredients, then it's a mixed drink without alochol, a faux-cocktail, or mocktail. Why anyone would go out of their way to find offense and make a stand about their "mixed drink" not being "fake" is just looking to be offended and probably could use a cocktail or two, IMO.

I agree, though that "preggertini" is just, well, ick.

Oh and this should equally offend the formerly mentioned crowd: all of the "mocktails" suggested would be fabulous with a shot of vodka or two. I'm saving these for my next cocktail party and am going to mix up a pitcher and put in bold letters, "Mocktail Mix" for those who would prefer not to indulge. Oh, dear, it just occurred to me that I might offend in that drinking fresh juice is certainly considered indulgent by many. Especially those counting their carbs!! Those folks like their hard alcohol without juice or added sugar of any kind.

oh dear. such a conundrum about how not to offend. ...

That is by far the weirdest architectural detail I have ever seen.

Cover it up / rip it out / raise it / replace it with one of those wall-mounted gas fireplaces.

I now feel less spiteful about our own odd fireplace with no hearth. Yours takes the cake!

Sorry, if money were no obstacle, I'd have a chef worry about all of this for me, and maybe even live at the Ritz.

Hah! sorry, but just one or two of those tips would take that long.

How about, this:
Keep a large box handy that easily fits behind a closet door.
Step one: When you need to clean quickly, place the box at the end of your desk, and push everything that isn't nailed or wired down into the box.
Step two: push box into the close and shut the door.

I actually do this at work. I have a filing cabinet next to my desk and I keep one drawer empty. If my desk is out of control and someone important is coming, I dump it all in the drawer, and take it out when they're gone.

That simply can't be right. Marble is pretty soft and should be easy to work with and get a straight cut. I have granite tile countertops (not a solid piece), and all my seams look way better than that. I wouldn't pay for it until they made it look right. Or I'd take them to small claims court, which is what I actually did when I landscaper did horribly shoddy work.

You can make silk darker, but like everyone said, you can't make it lighter. The science behind why bleach destroys silk is that it is a protein fiber, and bleach breaks down protein cells (which is why you can use it to kill bacteria). Sunlight lightens the dyes used in silk so bright, saturated colors will fade. Over time, silk also responds to UV light the same way as your hair (another protein fiber) -- it fades and becomes brittle.

If you really hate the color, and the problem isn't backlighting (which can be solved with a standard lining or blackout lining), all you can do is go darker or find a way to work with the color.

So Inspiring!! Makes me want to run home, rip out the crappy shelving, and order my Elfa system right away. Iooooove Elfa. Not cheap. But so much better than the cheap alternatives. You get what you pay for. Love the stencil, too. You'd think a closet is hardly worth the effort, but your results show how much power some great pattern and color can have on a tiny space. We all have to get dressed, right? Why not have a little aesthetic pickme up while we're at it?

I've found getting at least 8 hours of sleep means it's much easier to wake up. And it's always easier to get out of bed when I know I'm not going to work or doing errands.... in other words, after being rested, being "up" is a pshcological exercise. I like my job -- it's not that I dread going to work -- but my desire to stay in bed is a lot stronger when I must get up, shower, commute, etc.

Spiegelau are my favorite. Reasonably priced, attractive, great quality glass, and they stand up well to my dishwasher and hard water.

A well lived life, in my opnion, means that you break a wine glass every now and then. And it shouldn't break the bank to replace them.

I inherted a set of Waterford glasses that run about $400 each to replace... guess how often I use them? And guess how angry I still am at my X for insisting that I ship the box of 12 glasses home in a Pod with the furniture, rather than carry them on the plane...and ended up with 9 glasses. gggrrrrrrrrrrrrr

My guess was that the trees are ornamental pears, also known as flowering pears -- they have a similar shape and autmn color. The chanticleer variety has a fairly compact and upright habit, like the trees in your photo. Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'