JNR's Profile

Oh that hurts to look at. I passed on purchasing so many beautiful glass items while on vacation in Italy years ago because I wasn't sure that it would make it home in one piece. It still stings. Good luck shipping/ finding what you're looking for!

I looked at the first photo and thought "I want to go there". Then the second, third...etc. Beautiful.
There aren't cabin, but check out what Fogo Island, Newfoundland has done with artists studios (There are better links, I'm sure but this is a quick summary):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfw73jNG9us

Ha! Speedboy10, my dad installed the kitchen tap that way when I was little. I think he did it accidentally, but it certainly worked for he and I (the lefties in the family)- it's been reversed to the conventional way for years now and when I'm visiting I sometimes mistakenly run myself a nice hot glass of tap water. Yuck.

I do not like this. And I didn't like the post its fad either. Yeck.
And I agree with others, I'd like to know how you end up with this many? Mess up the stock at a store, or another less annoying way?

Pretty sure that this doesn't count as the kind of tech you're talking about here, but the GC MS is not a magical instrument that gives you a printout immediately identifying the mystery substance from the sample they've cut off the end of a q-tip and put into a sample tube that won't even fit the machine (let alone the fact that it's plastic and would melt once they added the solvent necessary to run the tests).
Hands down my biggest pet peeve about crime shows.

Oh my god, I just had a GIANT Monday morning/ blonde moment. I was looking at the 2 before photos as a before and after and was like "well, sure, I suppose the corner shower is a bit nicer..."
The actual afters are nice!

I love lemon curd, but I can't make it on a regular basis. I would eat it all. Like pudding, before it cooled. I typically have to make crust for tarts *right* after I make the curd so that I can bake it into something before I eat it all with a spoon. Kudos to you for being able to always have some in the fridge!

Lovely! I have an old night stand with a horrible paint job (came that way from a yardsale), but really neat recessed wood pulls on the drawers...this might be a great look for that, leaving the wood showing on the pulls....

I've got two traditions to share. One sweet and the other a hilarious story completely fitting for my father's family.
I'll start with sweet- while my sister and I were never overly spoiled, my mom loves the excitement of Christmas and didn't like that the exciting part was mostly over on Christmas morning so she started her own tradition of Christmas Tree Gifts. It was fun for my sister and I, but Mom'll tell you that she started it for herself. She would purchase small little treats in pairs, usually tailored a little to each girl (Ex. dog stuff for me, cat stuff for my sister) and would wrap each item in gift wrap. The pairs would be wrapped in coordinating paper and hung on the tree like ornaments. My sister and I would take turns picking a present in the morning, and the other girl would have to find the matching gift, then we were allowed to open them. I don't have kids, but my sister can't wait for her girls to get old enough to start the tradition in her house.

Now the silly tradition. It's since died out, but for several years my dad, his brothers and some of my boys cousins would have a "Belly contest". No one ever wanted to be the winner, as that meant you had the widest circumference... It was always measured at the family party on Christmas day, and there was a slightly offensive tank top for a prize which the "winner" took home until the next year. The contest eventually had to be cancelled due to repetitive cheating by slipping two fingers into the measuring tape while taking official measurements....

Here's a question for the people who don't appreciate the silly junk/ knick knacks, and I welcome feedback.
If I don't have a baked good or other treat on hand as a host(ess) gift, or it's not something the person would enjoy, my fallback is local wine/ other booze (luckily NS is full of options now. Everyone should look up and try to sample Ironworks Rhubarb Esprit. Everyone.).
That feels a bit impersonal to me so I usually decorate the neck of the bottle with whatever handmade ornament I am doing that year. Last year was felt angels, this year is crocheted stars/ snowflakes. They are well made (I don't want to embarrass myself) and no bigger than the palm of your hand. I don't expect to see them displayed in subsequent years, and don't care what the receiver does with them, it just makes me feel better about the gift.
To the folks who don't want extra junk around (and I tend to lean that way)- how does that grab you? Acceptable? I don't want people to be all "God, here comes that idiot girl with the stupid ornaments again".