Bee T.'s Profile

The dishwasher is my must have. I have at times had in-building laundry where I could pop it in and come back later. Other times, I found laundromats with wifi and I could work while my clothes washed. I could even use the jumbo machines to do big things like comforters. It was a great system. I find it actually harder and longer to do laundry now with just one machine and one dryer.

I just canceled cable (again). We had it thrown in free with internet for our first two years, and by now, it's easy to ditch. Back in CT, I used to get the greatest public broadcasting, and have really missed some of those small time shows! We are going to get something like a Wii or a RokU box for easier streaming.

When I first lived in DC for grad school, I didn't do a lot of the cultural stuff. I was too busy with studying and didn't live on a good bus line. When I got a job there, I picked an apartment (and its steep rent!) on a bus line exactly so I could do all that stuff I never did. About once or twice a month, I'd go in for a special exhibit or an event. More often, though, once I was living on that bus line... I was taking the metro in to go out to dinner, meet up at happy hour, visit Eastern market, or go grocery shopping. Ultimately, I ended up driving my car so little I'd forget which side the tank was on.

I'm happy to pay the higher rent in exchange for the ability to go and have that option, but also to have the option of less driving and feeling like I'm more independent. I never feel so trapped as when I'm stuck in a car in traffic or circling a great neighborhood looking for a place to park.

Milk! Regular old cow's milk. I've used it for all sorts of hot pepper burns.

I am in love with that sofa! I've been sofa hunting and haven't found anything I really love- this is what I'm thinking of!

As far as blinds... read your lease. Some leases specify that you must keep the blinds up for "a uniform appearance from the street". When I lived in a high rise in a big city, that was the case. I hung floor to ceiling white sheers, which still allowed in the light but softened that hard look (and gave me much-needed privacy!) It's still my go-to trick. I use the sheers with a little pattern or texture so it's not just white-white.

We dropped cable when we were first married, and had only DSL internet for years. When we moved to our current apartment complex, the cable provider offered a free-cable-with-internet deal that was cheaper than internet alone, so we got that deal for the year. We are about to drop it again.

We were happier with the wider selection of movies on netflix, the streaming of Hulu and other sites, and hung out with friends or had a date night on football nights. The much-touted "on demand" service seems arbitrary and limited. And we almost never watch TV in real time. (The exception being our weekly ritual of the Thursday night comedies... which we can get via rabbit ears!)

We also noticed that the public broadcasting is much better via antennae than on cable! PBS has a lousy show lineup available through our cable company, but PBS was wonderful through the antennae! I can't wait to get Rick Steves, Steve Raichlen, and Simply Ming back into my regular lineup!

I agree that storage is so life-style specific. We just moved into a garage unit in our complex (after winning the waiting-list lottery, booyah!) and haven't even gotten around to organizing our bike stable in the garage. After two months, I finally figured out how to do the main room. It was four months before I figured out how to do the study, and it's still a work in progress. We had a hard time with our bookshelves since I've found that I've had to entirely replace my bookshelves at least twice in the last seven years when they just wouldn't hold up anymore to the new needs of a new space.

I think my big splurge here will be a small chair for my study to double my seating options.

I also read "pegboard" and thought "horrible", and I am just charmed by this! What a great idea, and one I might steal for the multipurpose office/guest room I'm re-doing.

My kitchenaid bowl works perfectly. I would start by calling Kitchenaid and requesting a replacement- I agree with the person who pointed out that Bed Bath and Beyond doesn't have the best record of removing defective items from the floor- one reason why I always look in the boxes to buy only the factory fresh packaging!

Also- the alcohol content in the flavorings could be at fault, or the source of fat. I like to make my own vanilla extract, but it definitely affects frozen stuff, and the time my husband tried bacon ice cream, the excess grease made a mess.

That is some cool orange! I'd probably look for blue tones in the backsplash, or grey. Personally, I hate subway tiles (they make me feel grimy) but I understand subway tiles are cool in a way I will never be. But in your place, I'd be strong tempted to do something with blue and grey. Or just one or the other, favoring blue, myself.