amiebarber8's Profile

Our patio is completely normal, with a wrought iron fence. Abbey Cat loves to go out there to bite the impatiens and sits on our patio chairs and sits and watches the cars go by. She LOVES it. one time, she hopped up on the table and tried to grab some of the vines that were dangling by standing up on the thin (less than 1 inch) wrought iron! We were terrified, but watching closeby, and she intelligently only got three paws up there before freaking out. Such a cute little Abbey Road!
http://www.abbeycatchat.com

I will never, EVER give up chapstick. Some say that they have something in it that makes your lips crave more and if that's true, so be it. If I don't have some after a few hours my lips go red and it hurts like there's no tomorrow. I'm addicted - I guess there are much worse things to be addicted to, right?

Toner is a huge scam. I've never understood it and I never will. I don't think I could ever give up shaving cream - the few times I run out and use soap instead it just doesn't get as smooth. I always use brands that are eco-friendly anyways and never test on animals, so I sleep pretty well at night.
http://www.abbeycatchat.com

Furminator for sure!! But no matter now many times I get Abbey Cat in a sleepy mood so she doesn't protest my aggression with the furminator, there is still fur EVERYWHERE. I guess that's what happens when you go to the shelter and get a cat that says 'short haired' and it ends up growing into a maine coon with LOOOONG hair.

It's a running joke when I cook or bake anything, I should add onto every recipe I make 'cat hair' because it truly is just inevitable. It's hilarious, and there's no point trying to fight it.

I'm a big time moving planner. I've got a little trick that I use, and I NEVER move without this now. It's a little more pricey, but I start my rent at my new place (or negotiate to get at least two weeks early occupancy of at least two weeks) BEFORE I move out of my old unit. This way everything's not on one or two days, but I can go into the new unit and paint everything exactly how I want it and bring all of the non-essentials before I must vacate my old unit. This makes my moves so much easier: by the time I must vacate my old space, all I have to move on 'move day' is the major furniture (nightstands, drawer units, and everything small is already moved in). The art is already hung, everything is already in the proper cupboards, and there aren't hundreds of cardboard boxes everywhere. It's pretty lovely!

For example: (my wording isn't always the best)
Find new apartment, start least on July 1, 2010
Give 30 day notice on old apartment on July 1, 2010 (have 30 days to move out everything into new apartment, which I already have access to)

OR
Find new apartment, Start least on Ausust 1st, but Landlord allows early 2 week occupancy to move in July 15th
Give 30 day notice on July 1st (have 2 weeks where I have access to both units, to get everything ready)

This works like a dream...I'm sure lots of other people do it to, but have only 3 or 4 days with the new space and the old space at the same time. When I move in for good to my new apartment, it's not just like I've moved in, but I'm just getting furniture. It's wonderful.

http://www.abbeycatchat.com

I really noticed that on Hoarding: Buried Alive, they are working on actually fixing the problem and trying to work through the disporder, where Hoarding is just eliminating the waste. Everyone knows if you just go into a hoarders home and throw out everything they will be devestated, and more than likely continue to hoard the minute the cleaning crew is gone. When the Hoarders crew comes and just throws out the hoarders' prized possessions I always feel a bit bad for them - not only do they have this terrible disorder, but they are being robbed of everything they have spent so much time to collect. In Buried Alive the hoarder is the one who chooses what to dump and what to keep, and by having to face the consequences of keeping their things, they go through a learning and healing process of their disease.

While the show Hoarders is a bit more 'entertaining' to watch, 'Buried Alive' is much more human and realistic. If they are really trying to help the hoarder learn, Buried Alive is doing it's job, and Hoarders is not.

Both are great to watch though! Every time I watch either show I get the cleaning itch...I would love to go to a Hoarders' home and help them sort things! Call me crazy but organizing is one of the most therapeutic things ever.

http://www.abbeycatchat.com

I totally think there should be more emphasis on home-ec, as well as woodshop and all of those classes which school don't provide anymore. If we aren't getting the life-skills from school, where do they expect our children to get them?

I learned everything I know from my parents, but their generation had all of these classes available to them. What is going to happen to the next generation? I definitely think there is a need for more 'back to basics' classes...after all, how many times in our life are we going to use social studies and 10th grade history? Never, really. How many times are we going to cook, or need to patch a hole in the drywall? More times that I can count. Our schools are just shoving needless information into our heads and not really teaching life skills anymore...and that's what we need!

I don't test anything that looks like a glasses cleaner to clean my bathtub or burned pots and pans. But for $4...maybe.

One 'as seen on tv' that REALLY works are the Debbie Meyer bags. I use only the green bags for all my produce and they really do keep things fresher for longer. It's crazy! Normally tomatoes go bad in about a week, but in the green bags they are still perfectly fine after 2. Cilantro and parsley don't go limp in them...they are great! I highly recommend them.

http://www.abbeycatchat.com

What an adorable little pup!!

Abbey Cat hasn't moved anywhere just yet, but we are excited for when we do move in a year or two because we will hopefully be getting her a friend of her own! We can't now for lack of room, but I can't wait until she can have a friend to snuggle with!

I've used all of these with great results:

1 cup buttermilk is equal to:
- 1 cup almond milk curdled with 1 tbsp lemon juice (to curdle: stir quickly for 30 seconds, let sit for 10 minutes)
- 1 cup almond milk curdled with 1 tbsp white vinegar (to curdle: stir quickly for 30 seconds, let sit for 10 minutes)
- 1 cup soy milk curdled with 1 tbsp white vinegar (to curdle: stir quickly for 30 seconds, let sit for 10 minutes)
- 1 cup soy milk curdled with 1 tbsp lemon juice (to curdle: stir quickly for 30 seconds, let sit for 10 minutes)

Good luck!
http://www.abbeycatchat.com

I'm totally guilty of this - When I am babysitting for my family friends and after the kids are sleeping I'll clean up my mess and then continue to tidy up as much as I can. I know they don't have time for it and appreciate it...but at the same time if I came home and the babysitter had cleaned excessively I would probably be more than embarassed and a little offended. I just LOVE to clean, and it seems so much more fun when it's not MY mess.

http://www.abbeycatchat.com