Juliejuliette's Profile

My kids absolutely think the towel racks are handles to be used to hoist their body weight around. Of course I tell them no every time! I own the house and I don't need my tiles ripped off the wall. They keep doing it because it comes naturally to them and they do it unthinkingly. Honestly, I'm sure kids do damage, but so do partiers and pets.

House Thinking is a good read, and I got at least one practical idea that I have put into place with great success at my house. It's akin to the landing station, but involves dedicating a convenient drawer wherever you have one (I use a kitchen drawer) as somewhere to put your mail, flyers of note, commonly used household folders, etc. She points out that a lot of homes do not have any such dedicated space or storage on the main floor and the mail etc just piles up. Now I can get rid of it every day, but it's handy when I need it, and the drawer size self-limits before it can get out of control (then I sort and file away in the basement).

I've been thrilled with how well orchids do in my bathroom. A really easy way to cheer put the room, the last one bloomed for over 6 months (leaves are still doing great but not green thumb to know if/when it"ll get another flowering stem - so I just bought another one).

I don't think it's necessarily a more "sophisticated' slow cooker that is required. Newer crockpots apparently have a higher minimum temperature for liability reasons. So an old crappy crockpot may actually be what's required. It'll also depend on the size - mine is huge, so this small quantity I'm sure would burn etc. I've made a larger batch and still ended up with the thick gummy crust problem even using my "low" setting. Might try again this winter.

I love scrambled eggs on toast with jam. May sound weird, but dessert omelettes are an actual thing. The egg's richness complements the sweet jam.
Also, just plain old avocado. With salt. Try on a sesame bagel.
Mash a boiled egg onto buttered or mayo'd toast for a quick version of egg salad, especially good when the egg is still warm.

The outbox concept is helpful here for sure. It can be tough to get rid of these but I find the kids don't even notice something is missing. And some of the ones that were sentimental to me (baby gifts etc) meant little to my kids. So if I don't want it on MY bedroom shelf....

It's like a joke I once heard... once you are a parent you are always a parent, your children are always with you - in the form of their stuff left in your basement.

My old shower rod was rusty. I bought a "fancy" hotel-style one at Home Depot, and had my handyman install it (required drilling into tile).
The new one is also rusting. Why would a shower curtain rod ever be made in a material that rusts? My fixtures and towel rods are just fine. So frustrating. I read online that I should treat it with mineral or even baby oil, trying that next.

I find that often people like myself who grew up with white walls think they're just fine (and in fact I miss it sometimes). People like my husband who grew up with coloured paint often find white walls very unfinished looking, like no one could ever possibly choose white, and they have a hard time living with (to them) "unpainted" walls.

It looks very cozy, a nice break from the usual AT style. Would love to see the photo better, what a great story behind it :)