ADonuts's Profile

@caseoftornados -- is it possible that your oven runs hot? Or that you're using a convection oven?

Thirty to forty minutes at 350 in my oven (standard oven which runs pretty true to temperature) wouldn't be anywhere near enough to bake a pumpkin pie. (For a standard pastry crust, I bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then 45-50 minutes at 350 and my pumpkin pies never crack.)

The glasses look nice and have a good reputation, but many reviews on W-S (c. 2010) say that they tend to chip at the rim. Does anyone have experience with recently manufactured glasses?

That rope wall is scary. Absolutely not child proof.

I've been using the overnight stove-top method for years, like several have already mentioned. It works for steel cut oats and cracked wheat.

This makes four servings:

The night before you want the cereal, boil three cups of water (my husband prefers 3-1/2) with a quarter or half-teaspoon salt.

When the water comes to a boil, add a cup of steel cut oats or cracked wheat.

Cover the pot and remove from the heat. Leave overnight.

In the morning scoop some oats into a microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave for about a minute. You can also eat them cold with yogurt (homemade Greek yogurt if you have it) and fruit. Store leftovers in the fridge and eat within a week.

I like steel cut oats and cracked wheat, but my favorite right now is Scottish oatmeal (porridge). I usually cook that using the microwave directions on the back of the package:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-scottish-oatmeal.html

(Warning: for those of you with delicate minds, this comment has an "eww" factor.)

I'm glad someone else said it first: constipation is a very common problem after childbirth, so don't forget the fiber foods.

Comfort foods are well and good, but try to make sure the meal includes sufficient fiber for a new mother. Potato casseroles and pastas and white breads and sweets are well and good in their place, but if the new mother has an episiotomy or hemorrhoids or prolapse or any other similar side effect of pregnancy and childbirth, all the low-fiber foods will make a difficult situation just a little bit worse.

Don't go overboard on the fiber -- for someone who's not used to it in large amounts, it can be hard on the system, but do try to include several fiber-rich foods in a meal.

Some good sources: fruits including berries, oatmeal, popcorn, whole grain breads and muffins, barley, lentils, nuts, and veggies.

Instead of making another sweet, you could make a well-cut veggie tray with dip. There are some colorful and creative ideas here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=veggie+tray&hl=en&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch

Census figures show divorce rates decreasing rather dramatically over the past couple of decades.

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/births_deaths_marriages_divorces/marriages_and_divorces.html

Removed the green and maroon? Good move.

Replacing with crisp gray? To make it look like a prison?

I like the suggestions to do wall art with the numbers, or a decorative plaque, but that would depend on how much time, energy, and/or money you have.

I'll second the suggestion for floorplanner dot com. That helped me solve the problem of a narrow, fairly small, high-use room with large doors on two walls, a huge, ungainly fireplace and two windows on the third wall, and a strangely placed door on the fourth wall.

It took awhile to come up with something that worked with the traffic flow and actual use of the room, but it was a lot easier to use the computer program than to go out and buy a new sofa and then find that it didn't work in the room.

Super cool! How do you find a spray top that fits? Are they made in standard sizes? Is it food safe? Does it clog?

Wow. There's way too much going on in that space, and it's not a good mix.

If you're going to be updating within a year or two you might not want to put much time and money into it, but here are some suggestions:

I assume these are pictures of the previous owners' stuff. The kitchen needs to be straightened up. Too much random clutter, especially above the cupboards.

Is that flower thing above the stove a decal? If so, take it off. Immediately.

Are those stick-down vinyl tiles on the floor or sheet vinyl? You can put down new stick-down vinyl tiles fairly easily and cheaply for a short-term fix. In any case, if that floor was cleaned it would look marginally better.

Add a larger, colorful, non-slip rug. Update the window covering.

And then have fun with the renovation plans! Is that an arched entryway? Is it an old house? Does it have period details? Are you going to do a period-appropriate renovation?