fischbowl's Profile

Also for the safety deposit box/fire safe....

A hard drive with a back up of your whole computer. Of course trying to remember to keep this current would be essential. But at least you'd have most of your photos and documents.

Also take pictures of your home and all your valuables and store those on a hard drive. Makes getting money from insurance easier.

There are so many molds in Chinatown cooking shops. I'm not sure what they're meant for but I bet they'd make gorgeous butter molds.

I've used watchmaker's cases before and I actually didn't like them very much. They look nice but the lids don't always fit perfectly so very fine ground spices get trapped between the lid and the body of the case and end up all over the place when you open the jar. Also, they only hold an ounce or two, which is fine for seldom used spices but not nearly large enough for spices used more often like sage, tumeric etc. I've switched to using the 4oz mason jar and I'm much happier with my spice storage.

A "new" addition to Ball's website FAQ section claims that their canning lids do not have BPA.....so?

http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/home_canning_faq/42.php

I too have been looking for a mortar and pestle as the ceramic ones I inherited aren't even worth the space they take up. I'd like to try the Fox Run Kitchens iron mortar and pestle that was tested by Cook's Illustrated ( http://cooksillustrated.com/equipment/results.asp?docid=20404 ) but haven't been able to find it anywhere! Has anyone seen it for sale?

best post ever! and I love the reusing an old comforter idea

Catnip oil is the best natural mosquito repellent I have ever used. I make my own by mixing a few drops of catnip oil in a base of 50% sweet almond oil and 50% aloe. I started doing this after reading about some research showing that catnip oil is 10x more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET. I have not used DEET since and hardly ever get bitten .

http://www.cherylsherbs.com/Catnip_and_Mosquitoes.htm

this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40034296 is actually the appropriate ikea comparison....not as much character, but several hung in heat rows, possibly painted....still pretty darn cute

not sure I understand the 10 similarly sized vintage le creuset pans...but still absolutely the cutest kitchen ever. Now, what about the rest of the house?

I like all of bepsf's suggestions...a curtain at the foot of the bed will keep the bed area private and cozy, and maxamizing storage in your pretty large entryway is a good idea...but while you may not have space for a sofa, I think you could float a small chaise lounge (Ikea has a great one for about $300) in the middle of the room opposite the chairs in the bay window so you have a conversation area and a comfy lounge for watching tv.