ClevelandParker's Profile

@smellykelly- My freezer came with a clear rectangular container to hold ice cubes. I use the container to hold my frozen meat & seafood that doesn't stack well (chicken breasts, tenderloin, meatballs, italian sausage, fish filets, etc.) and it's been a great solution for me.

Have you looked into console tables to fulfill your desk requirements? Based on the measurements you offered, it seems like consoles would work if you'd prefer not to make your own solution. I checked Overstock for a quick example and for $300 or less there's a decent selection, depending on your style preferences- http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Coffee-Sofa-End-Tables/Sofa-Tables,/category,/2030/subcat.html
Some even have drawers for storage.

Since you have chocolate cupcakes- Death By Chocolate.
It's a form of trifle where you start with crumbled brownies or chocolate cake drizzled with liqueur (my favorite is Frangelico), pudding, crumbled candy bars (I usually use Skor or Heath Bar but you can use whatever you like), and whipped cream. I'm not even a big chocolate fan but this is hard to resist!

I came home for Thanksgiving in 2007 for the first time since moving away in 1998. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Mom recruited me to help her with the assembly of pierogi for our family's Christmas Eve Wigilia. We made them together again when I came home for Thanksgiving 2008. Mom died in September. I see our two years of pierogi making as a priceless gift and felt it was my obligation to make the pierogi. As sad as it was to not have Mom with me on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I put on her apron, I stood in her kitchen and I followed the worn copy of my family recipe with hopes that my pierogi would taste "just like Mom's". Unfortunately, I was never in the kitchen with Mom when it was time to make the dough and fillings and the recipe was filled with vague instructions and amounts of ingredients. The first batches were disappointing at best, Mom's spotless kitchen was a mess, and I was in tears. Fortunately Mom left me another priceless gift- a batch of her pierogi in the freezer. I sacrificed a few to figure out what I needed to fix, I tried again a few weeks later, and when the pierogi were served on Christmas Eve, my family paid me the highest compliment when they couldn't taste the difference between the pierogi I made and the last of Mom's pierogi.

Lesson Learned-
Make the time to learn your family recipes by example from your relatives when possible. Not only will you be guaranteeing that your recipes will live on, as cliched as it sounds, you will be creating invaluable memories. I only wish I had recorded my cooking lessons with Mom.

Lovely!

Seems like the dresser would be easy enough to DIY replicate for much less $$$.

Devote a couple hours minimum to explore the North End- Hanover & Salem Streets have shops, restaurants, and cafes that need to be experienced by sight, smell, and taste, but make sure to wander off the main streets as that is where you will find the unexpected gems that make this neighborhood so special. Make a progressive meal part of your adventure- an appetizer here, an entree there, coffee and pastry here, and gelato for walking or cabbing home. Mix in some of the historical sites between food- The Old North Church, Paul Revere's home.

Almost every summer weekend, there's a religious feast/street festival (most are held on Hanover Street but the largest, the Feast of St. Anthony is held on Endicott Street) and add to the North End's character.

North End Favorites:

Bova's Bakery (134 Salem)- I personally think this bakery is better than Mike's or Modern...and it's open 24 hours a day

Polcari's Coffee (105 Salem)- Walking into this store is like walking back in time...amazing coffee and spice selection, entertaining staff

Salumeria Italiana (151 Richmond)- Italian gourmet shop, if you can think of it, they have it

Caffe Paradiso (255 Hanover)- The front of this cafe opens onto the street, perfect place to people watch while enjoying an espresso and tiramisu

Outside of the North End, Tapeo (266 Newbury) has fabulous tapas

Chinatown is great for late night dining and weekend dim sum. Emperor's Garden (690 Washington) China Pearl (9 Tyler Street) have delicious dim sum, a wonderful brunch alternative. Suishaya (2 Tyler) has wonderful sushi at very reasonable prices, they used to have a $25 all you can eat sushi offer, not sure if that's still available as it was a steal.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Haymarket is an outdoor market next to Faneuil Hall (and close to North End) where you can get produce at ridiculously cheap prices. If you're going to be in the area, it's worth checking out.

Oh wow, I think it's time for a trip back to Boston:)

Great job on the dresser! My vote is for dark or dark with gold band legs. Maybe it's just the angle that the photo is taken, but have you considered extending the curtain rod so that your beautiful curtains can hang better and give the illusion of bigger windows? I think it will also flatter the scale of the dresser.

Charming but not relevant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill,_Washington,_D.C.

I'd like to provide some local insight on Washington Consignment-

The reason offered by Washington Consignment's owner in a message to the neighborhood yahoo group was " This economic downturn which has particularly affected the real estate market coupled with an overall lack of discretionary income has had a direct and devastating impact on both our sales and profitability."

The reasons not acknowledged by Washington Consignment's owner may be more significant in the closing:

- A number of local residents who consigned with Washington Consignment recently shared with the group that the owner had been extremely evasive in paying them after items were sold, sometimes up to a year after the fact, often times only doing so with the threat of legal action

-The items for sale in both the Cleveland Park and Rockville locations were often times overpriced for the quality and condition of obvious reproductions

-I have walked into the Cleveland Park location several times over the past six months with the intent to purchase or sell items and no employees were in the store- no response to loud "hello"s, no signs on the open door saying someone would be back shortly, NO ONE. When there was someone actually working in the store, outside of the one kind and understanding exchange with the owner's father, the customer service was poor at best.

Although I have no doubt current economic conditions are hurting small businesses, bad business practices hurt more.