sarah.morehouse.75's Profile

Display Name: sarah.morehouse.75
Member Since: 6/28/12

Latest Comments...

That's great! We're hoping to move towards that. When my parents retire they hope to move up near us. So we can all bundle in one car and go down to visit his parents (because they have informed us that no way in hell are they making the 3 hour! winter! trek! to our benighted arctic! hellhole (Albany, NY.) :p)

Whatever, as long as we're together and there's fresh-baked cookies. :D


The Family Holiday Tap Dance
11/13/12 3:34 PM

My father works 13 days out of the 14, effectively getting every other Sunday off. My parents are on the edge of losing their house, have no health insurance, can't afford presents or even groceries some weeks, etc. To top it off, they are far too accommodating and bend-over-backwards because of how they were raised (in short, by families tainted with alcoholism and codependence.) So they would never ask for what they needed, and they always say OK even to the most inconvenient and inconsiderate things.

My husband's parents are wonderful, generous, kind people, but also very demanding. And they have been prosperous their whole lives so they have no understanding of that kind of work schedule or budget situation. When I try to make sure my parents aren't spending a cold, lonely, hungry Christmas, it often results in my husband's parents feeling snubbed. Vocally feeling snubbed! :p

And we're both only children, so we have no siblings to help with "load balancing."

So our Christmases are always full of love... and anxiety and frustration and exhaustion.


The Family Holiday Tap Dance
11/13/12 3:06 PM

If you ever intend to sell it, you probably shouldn't paint it. It's not much of a ski chalet without the pine walls. Try cleaning the paneling with something like Orange Glow Wood Cleaner. That may lighten it by a several shades. By either daylight or firelight, that pine is going to look great. It's just when it's dim that it looks depressing. So try using mirrors and other things with reflective surfaces to reflect light into the dim areas, and if the unrelieved paneling is unbearable, wall hangings are great and relatively affordable.


Ways To Modernize Pine Ceilings and Walls? Good Questions
10/18/12 12:46 PM

Maybe you would like microfiber towels that are sold for camping. They are very thin and dry fast. They feel a little strange on the skin, almost sticky, but man do they get you dry in a hurry! LL Bean sells them, including a HUGE one that's bigger than my regular bath towels.


Where Can I Find Non-Fluffy Towels?? Good Questions
9/17/12 1:19 PM

I will fight you if you try to take away my bar soap! I can get a bar of non-irritating bar soap for $2, but a bottle of bodywash would be $9. I guess you should just get the products you love. Honestly, I don't have a problem with soap scum. Maybe it's just that I use one of those green kitchen scrubbies and a mix of borax, salt, and baking soda to scour with. Hardly any work at all.

Also, sheets and blankets are much more suitable if your home is not a constant temperature. I love having windows open as much of the year as possible (April-June and August-October around here) so layering is key.

I do agree about showerheads and water filters, and a good pair of kitchen shears is a glorious thing. Nice towels are great, but I don't see the point of bath sheets. They just take up more space in the washing machine. I do not need them to double as wraparound garments!


Small Changes, Serious Impact
6/28/12 3:54 PM