AmberM's Profile

Wow, lots of Debbie Downers on here. "I hate to be rude, but...." Whenever I hear that, I think, "No, I think you like being rude." :)

Congrats on the completion of your project! I hope you're happy with how everything turned out (and I hope the marble people give you a bunch of your money back!). With an endless budget, you may have done things differently, but you did a great job. Thanks for providing the details---I just might get some blinds from the supplier you used.

If you're looking for a nice, versatile gray color, we just painted our kitchen with Baby Elephant from the new Clark + Kensington line of paint at Ace Hardware. We're very happy with it. Gray looks good with naturals---we have some oak cabinets that I hate, but the gray actually makes them look better.

Hmm, it's not April Fool's Day. AT doesn't appear to have been hacked---it's just this one page. I generally applaud efforts to expand one's brand, but this is well beyond what I'd like to see here. I didn't read all of the comments....was there anyone who thought this was a good idea? (I did read the article, by the way, and I thought the advice was terrible.)

Yep, I was going to suggest the kind of diagram with cut-outs on graph paper that some people use before rearranging furniture inside their home. Because even if the dimensions of the sofa show that it would fit in the elevator, it might not "make the turn" to get inside. This has been our problem. The furniture store's delivery guys did some serious damage to the hallway and elevator. Getting them to pay for damages was a hassle.

Don't forget about vintage items on Etsy--- something of my mom's broke, and I found the EXACT same one on Etsy!! She'd been complaining for years that she couldn't find a replacement for this particular thing...can't wait to see how she reacts when she opens this year's gift.

Oops... typo... is there something that could hook on, spring-mount, etc.?

I second the recommendation for the LG washer/dryer combo. Ours is even older than the one mrdarcy has---we chose the smallest one they make because it fit sideways in a closet. We got a snap-on adapter that attaches it to a sink faucet.

Two caveats about ventless combo machines: (1) you may need to change your laundry habits a bit because drying takes a very long time---switch to a small load or two every day rather than a whole bunch of loads in a row, or air-dry a lot of your laundry. (2) We bought an extended warranty from Best Buy and that paid off big-time: it's been repaired a few times (in 7 years) and replaced once, all for free. I wouldn't ever get the extended warranty for a normal appliance, but I'm glad I did this time!

I did the math and it paid for itself in 9 months, vs. laundromat. Plus it's extremely energy- and water-efficient.

For me, this falls into the category of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." If having nostalgic, dreamy landscapes makes somebody happy, I'm not going to trash that person. Definitely not my taste, but to each his own. There's art from every era and category that I wouldn't put in my house.

When we first bought our condo, the only "must-haves" that we gave up were in-unit laundry and covered parking. But now that we are still there (and stuck, due to the real estate market) and have 2 kids, we are giving up "must-haves" like a yard, storage, play areas, etc. But if I dwell on those things, it'll make me crazy! Besides, we're within a 1/2 mile walk to playgrounds, elementary school, library, public transit, grocery, post office, and a few restaurants. Not bad.

Our boys have so far had VERY different preferences with regard to toys and baby gear, so I now know better than to dump something just because one kid doesn't like it.

However, I would never buy another plastic diaper pail of any kind (had the diaper dekor). Plastic absorbs odors over time, no matter what you do. We live in a 3rd floor condo and it's still no big deal to take out the trash regularly.

Other than that, I'd say try lots of different things, but don't buy a bunch of one thing until you know it'll work for you and your kid (i.e., a certain kind of bottles, pacifiers, onesies, footie pajamas...etc.). And hand-me-downs or used items (other than things that may be unsafe or unsanitary) are awesome! I wish I'd gotten over my aversion to used baby stuff much earlier.