SwingNCocoa's Profile

@qualm I'm with ya.

I bought about 14 air plants from Etsy, and they all died one-by-one until I only had 3 left. Then I moved to a house with crazy amounts of natural sunlight, and put them in a window with full sun all day, and they are thriving! I'm chalking it up to lack of sunlight at the other house.

Beautiful and understated!

Those of you doubting the "quick" part of this should consider actually reading the original post.

I installed my own under-cabinet lighting using the thin strip LEDs from Amazon. They make a HUGE difference and only took a small amount of skill with a solder iron to install. Total cost was $78!
Step-by-step instructions on my blog

My dream of having a totally smart-phone controllable house is slowly becoming a reality!

Keep the food and drink AWAY From the kitchen (if you plan to be in it). People naturally gravitate toward these two things, so unless you want to be shooing them out of the way all night, keep these things in the communal areas as much as possible.

I agree that a "house special" drink in a large beverage dispenser is a must. Set up multiple trash locations. Cups with sharpies for labeling will help reduce the number of cups people use when they forget where they put theirs.

Inevitably, certain guests will make requests of you that you did not anticipate (allergic to onion? wish you had told me before I put onion dip mix in ALL the burger patties). Roll with it, try to be as accommodating as possible, and take note if you plan on inviting them to your next party.

Please don't bring any of these to my party (except maybe the air plant)! Plants and food/drink are always welcome. Otherwise, something that is obviously not thoughtfully chosen for that host is simply more junk. A thank you note (either paper or electronic) is also much appreciated over meaningless knicknacks.

WERE YOU MY DOWNSTAIRS NEIGHBOR?? Cuz I lived above two smokers in an apartment complex in Berkeley, and I can say from experience that the smoke DOES waft into the open windows. I could smell it all throughout my apartment and it drove me crazy. Maybe I want to enjoy some fresh air from my windows, or cool off the apartment since most Bay Area homes do not have AC. I filed a complaint to management and the smoking went away. I could enjoy the air again.

I've also had my one of my apartments almost burned down because some smokers carelessly tossed their butts near the wall.

Clearly I am biased against irresponsible smokers. As with most things, do what you want, as long as it doesn't affect anyone else negatively.

Wine or potted plants (succulents are always welcome). My tastes are far too picky and I dislike clutter.

I totally agree with the comments above that say being prepared for guests makes me feel grownup. I am lucky to live in a rental with an extra bedroom, so I furnished it with a bed and nice bedding. I've had friends drop in randomly or stay over after having too much to drink, and it always makes me feel so ADULT to be like "oh hey, come crash in this totally prepared and clean guest bedroom of mine. Extra towels are in the closet!"

Also, @cuminafterall, I disagree. Swiffer products are awesome.