Kate Sharp's Profile

I can't quite understand the kitchen floor. Is that wide piece of wood meant to be the reducer strip between levels?

I got poofed too. Only rave reviews are acceptable. Apparently. What happened to expressing a difference of opinion?

If you don't have hardwood underneath, I would highly recommend a vinyl plank floor. They look far more authentic than laminate, are less expensive than cork, are very quiet (no nails clacking), and DON'T SCRATCH.

Break It Down. That's how I approach projects. I learned this a few years ago when my DH announced he had signed me up for a half-marathon. In late middle-age and only a casual runner, I set out a plan (thank you Hal Higdon!) with weekly goals. Lo and behold, when the day came, I was very well prepared. The other key is to give yourself a date where the project MUST be done. Without that time constraint, things will linger. Just about anything can be broken down into small segments that, once achieved, mean you have succeeded at the larger task.

I wish there was a filter on Pinterest. Not interested in babies, weddings, or messy updo's. Even if I view those I am following, it is so cluttered with all the stuff I have zero interest in. And the blatantly commercial pins are getting annoying.

Haha. No one mentioned getting old. I couldn't sleep in if I wanted to. One day, you will look back at the days of alarm clocks and cats and showers and coffee pots and marvel that you actually needed something external to wake you.

Please make Black Friday go away. Why does the media kowtow to retailers by promoting this idea? I would be more interested in a piece on how to AVOID Black Friday.

Smoking in condo communities is a very hot issue now, and many communities have banned smoking on the premises. I am the President of my condo association, and we are dealing with this constantly. Most smokers are unaware of how pervasive the smell is, and often cite their "rights". A non-smoker will ask why they must be denied the right to use their balcony because their neighbor smokes. When my neighbor's teenage daughters both light up on their balcony, I have to leave mine, go indoors, and close the windows. The heavy smoker in the unit adjacent to the lobby means the first impression you get of our building is that of cigarette smoke. I have visited the units of people who are next to or above heavy smokers and the smell is very obvious. I don't think we can continue to place smoking in the same category as any other nuisance, like a barking dog or crying child. It's dangerous as well as being obnoxious. I know our community is moving in the direction of a ban...and that will be a good thing.

I read this post of Emily's and decided to use Gray Owl in my kitchen. Ugh. It is like an institutional green-ish blue, definitely not the warm gray she describes it as. It's almost minty. Now searching for another color.

I recently was elected President of my condo association after several years of bitter fighting among several "factions". My test results? "Working to improve her image in the eyes of others so as to obtain their compliance and agreement..." Wow.