LuvMyPad's Profile

Yes, please more Philly! Many Mid-Atlantic dwellers deal with the challenge of decorating row homes. Love the plexiglass table with colorful cushions underneath for additional seating. It's a great idea to keep an entryway looking more open.

Dishes that people can "construct" themselves are helpful whether served buffet or family style. A green salad, with small bowls of walnuts, cranberries, soy nuts on the side or baked potatoes with butter, cheese, bacon or broccoli on the side are good choices.

I always offer a vegetarian dish just to be on the safe side as a good host. Eggplant with onions & peppers in a teriyaki sauce is a good choice as it can serve as a main dish for non-meat eaters or a side dish for the others.

Whatever you decide to serve, label each dish. You can get creative and make pretty cards with the name of the dish, then letters such as G(gluten-free), Vt (vegetarian) V (vegan), P (peanut-free), you get the idea. Then your guests will know exactly which dishes they can safely eat.

And have a good time.

My own awakening to fine cooking came in the form of a Vincent Price (the late star of classic horror movies was also a gourmet) cookbook that my mother won as part of a sales promotion. The pictures alone took me to far away, elegant places. I now have that in my possession and it is still lovely enough to reside on the coffee table. A real treasure.

My mother even had Mr. Price autograph it for her when he came into town on a book tour.

I second the recommendation to NOT vacuum immediately before an allergy-suffering guest arrives. My niece is allergic to pet dander and my sister always vacuums a few days before her daughter comes home from college. She's had a much better time of it as a result. They have a non-shedding dog which is no problem but her sister adopted a cat. With just her regular meds, my niece now does fine.

Actually, I think it would make a great ironing board if the top piece were a little longer. Add a cover when you need to iron, take it off when you want a stylish table. I love dual-purpose furniture for small spaces.

One of the ways I decluttered our bedroom was to get rid of all the throw pillows on the bed! All we did was toss them on the floor at night and then back on again in the morning. Instead we have two standard pillows with our sheet set pillow cases on then two standard pillows in front with a more decorative casing. Only one pillow each to toss at night.

I agree with particlebored, the kitchen wall is beautiful but I'm not crazy about the table and chairs. But what a great way to brighten a windowless space! It looks sunny, I love it.

Years of happiness and companionship with my pets is well worth a period of heartbreak when they leave us. I still keep a picture of a much beloved cat who died unexpectedly. There's a pinch when I see it, then happy memories of the good times.

I could never have a pet live in pain just for my own selfish desire to keep it in my life.

Tasteless and inappropriate for a pet-themed month. It's about living happily with your -living- and equally happy pets.

My sister and I were both big fans of Kim on Design Star but think she's been a big disapointment on her own show. She acts so full of herself. You never see that with the always terrific David Bromstad. I also get the feeling that Kim does not develop the designs herself. She's just the presenter. We had great hopes for Kim but not any more.