thepragmatist's Profile

I used the Rustoleum countertop paint ($40/quart) on my kitchen countertops about a year ago.

At first, they looked great. Much better than the stained and scratch formica the paint covered.

A few downsides though - it chips easily, so be careful not to drop things on it (even from just a couple inches) and definitely never cut directly on it.

The other downside is that it stains easily. Maybe not any more easily than matte formica, but right now I have a big mess where my husband's coffee maker leaked and an odd spot where the pink ink from a bread bag transfered.

I'm planning on doing touch-ups soon, which brings me to my main point: buy enough to leave extra for touch-ups. You have to get the color mixed by the paint person at the hardware store, which means a second batch might not match perfectly.

I lived in an apartment once where the management had used this countertop transformations product, it held up better than the countertop paint alone and hid stains better, but still was prone to chips.

My mom has used a wine rack to store rolled-up hand towels and magazines in the guest bathroom - it worked great!

any advice for latex paint drops on light carpet?

For the big spots, I scraped it up while wet, then soaked with hot soapy water and patted it dry.

But later I've found several little dried droplets - and considered just cutting them out, but maybe there's a better way?

2-3 weeks in advance: start cleaning out mostly empty bottles of lotion, piles of things that we've been meaning to take to Goodwill, anything that we'd rather get rid of than move.

1-2 weeks in advance: Reorganize things that are already mostly packed like off-season clothes and craft supplies.

1 week out: start packing books, decor, take down curtains

2 nights before: pack kitchen

Night Before: Everything else! Plus a bag with necessities in case we don't get unpacked enough for clean clothes the next day.

We're moving in 3 weeks, so I better get going :)

I imagine there is an enormous amount of confirmation bias going on in those who comment about food stamps = ramen and the "the food matches the person".

Would your brain explode to see my chubby self checking out with a cart full of fresh produce, beans, whole raw grains, and a bit of lean meat?

Oh I love autumn foods! I'm not sure if it is coincidence that my birthday is in October. Here's what I have planned for the celebration:

Fuji Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

But I'm going to try making the frosting from yogurt cheese from my homemade yogurt. Maybe a little tangier?

Okra and tomatoes! It's really simple - just saute a little onion and garlic in a skillet until tender, then add the okra for 3-5 minutes. Then you can add in chopped fresh tomato or canned diced tomatoes and simmer until the okra is tender and the tomatoes are soft. Season it up with salt and pepper.

The acidity balances out okra's earthy flavor nicely.

I gave the whole top-entry litter box a try as well. My 15 lb fat cat and his 7 lb buddy had no trouble with it, although it was a large Rubbermaid-type tub. One of the main problems with it was that the cats didn't do the whole step-on-the-lid part, they would just leap over the edge, flicking litter all over the place on the way. I definitely would recommend trying the DIY version (here's my

It would be wonderfully whimsicle in a child's playroom, perhaps as semi-divider to a little reading nook. This is assuming, of course, that it is very sturdy and your kid is old enough and calm enough that the sharp pointy corners aren't a safety risk.

I second pollymagoo, voting for "had it, hopefully never again". Too many apartments in Austin come standard with nearly white wall-to-wall. No matter how careful you are, it ALWAYS end up looking dirty, and is a horrible idea for rentals.