Amy_Lou's Profile

For furniture that contains something, such as bookshelves, I wouldn't want the cost of the container to exceed the value of the contents--so my scruffy paperbacks don't need a fancy bookcase.

I'd favor something soft over lucite. Plastic can break if it is jumped on, and if little ones sprint around the room, a nearly-invisible table might be hard to avoid. (I grew up with four roughhousing brothers.)

I suspect you'd rest easier with a modestly-priced couch, and an emergency savings fund of several thousand dollars.

I use an old glass measuring cup to hold batteries. The glass is resistant to acid in case a battery leaks.

Hardware and electronics stores have tubing made to cover electric cords. Ask for "flex tubing" or "split loom tubing." I had a cat that liked to chew cords, but the tubing saved him from his bad habit. Chewed cords can be fire hazards, as well as electrocution risks.

I've seen shockingly bad advice about cords in decorating columns. Please don't hide cords under carpets. Maybe you could have an "Ask the Electrician" column for lighting/electrical issues.

Built-in furniture makes sense on a boat, as you want to avoid having furniture, lamps, and such being thrown around during rough seas. Sanding down the sharp corners and edges might be a good idea, to reduce the risk of injuries during a storm.

The Bierock and Piroshki are the northern European answer to calzones. Or try a search for pasty recipe. It's meat and root vegetables in a pastry shell, a northern Michigan specialty.

I use child-sized clothes hangers to hold slacks, so they don't use up the whole 24 inch depth of the closet. That provides space behind and in front of the slacks. I put sturdy ceiling hooks into the bottom of the shelf above the slacks, close to the back wall, to support a hanger or two each containing infrequently used clothes. In the front corners, I put hooks for robes, etc. When I had shelves installed, I asked the carpenter to use long cleats (lumber about 3 inches wide) under the shelves, so the cleat goes from the back wall to the front wall. This provides a sturdy place to put hooks. (Doorstops can work as robe hooks.) I use a little rolling clothing rack under the five-foot-high clothing rod, rather than using two clothing rods. I can roll out the rack if necessary, and not need to spend much time bending in the closet. I'm semi-petite, so I don't hang clothes as high as some people do.

A fourposter bed with heavy curtains is a room-within-a room.