Domestic Intellectual's Profile

As a crafter loving person from way back (realized last year that I've been sewing for over 20 years!) I recently found a wonderful way to thin my fabric/yarn/textile stash-- IBOLs! You can send boxes to needy individuals and sewing coops in northern Iraq. Please check out their website: http://ibol.wordpress.com/. Last year I sent 12 and I am hoping to send some more. It is better for your materials to get used than to languish in your cupboard or storage area....

I've hosted via the Couchsurfing website and they have been uniformly positive experiences. I am a single woman, so I only host women. I've done a variation of couchsurfing my entire life, often staying with the friend of a friend of a friend when I am traveling. If you are interested in an older crowd and you are a woman, you can always check out JourneyWoman or Women Welcome Women. Both sites use this idea to encourage international relationships.

I spent almost a week in Scotland with a woman that I meant through JourneyWoman's Hermail networking website and spent some quality hours with a delightful woman in Copenhangen during an 8 hr lay-over. If you think about it as a community building experience, it doesn't seem so strange.

That said, I have a long family history of hospitality to friends, soon-to-be friends and strangers, so this doesn't seem weird or scary to me.

Another note--with couchsurfing, or any other situation where you are meeting strangers and thinking of inviting them into your home, it is common practice to meet in a neutral space--online, in-person, or both--before you actually let someone into your home. This allows either party to decline if it seems like a bad fit in any way.

Another wonderful source (where you can go in person if you are in Chicago) is Orange Beautiful-- http://www.orangebeautiful.com/. They were highlighted in an apartment tour a few months ago and their home home was just as lovely as the store! Their cards are simple, witty and beautiful and they have been doing custom work for years. Please check them out!

Note to those looking for recipes: almost any oven or stove top recipe that requires simmering can be adapted to a crock pot. Most Crockpots cook at about 325* on high, so just adjust cooking time for baked items. My roommate and I use the crockpot all the time and find it is one of the few things that allows us to eat real meals after a long day at work.

Suggested recipes for warmer weather: any baked pasta (pasta Alfredo is a popular one with us) or casserole dish (tamale pie and enchiladas are always good), rice pilafs (on low so they don't burn), also great for "ethnic" foods like tandooris and other long-cooking recipes.

@LitNerd. I don't think you have to worry about your classes. Unless you have an exceedingly heavy period, you shouldn't have to empty the DivaCup more than every 8-12 hrs. I just switched to the large cup (being now over 30) and find that I can easily go from wake up to bedtime without leaking, even on my heaviest days.

I urge you to try the DivaCup. It is silicon, soft and flexible, and I love it. I've been using it for almost 6 years and would never go back.

Do you know if this recipe can be done with goats milk? Do you have any recommendations for raw or less processed milk in the Chicago area?

Do you know of anything that is made to sit on top of a stove for added room? I have a full-size stove in my little studio kitchen and a lot of the time I am using the sink for other things but my 12 x 12 counter space is not enough.

I peeked at this post because I have a print from Chapon of St. Martinique too:-) My favorite mementos are usually textiles--I buy scarves for myself and others, but I also enjoy yardage of fabrics, especially if an area is known for a particular handicraft. I have block-printed handwoven cotton from Thailand, an electric pink muumuu from the Philippines and silk scarves from Paris, just to name a few. They are easy to transport, lightweight, useful and don't take up a lot of space at home.

I work in the Financial District and I love walking to the garden on the south-side of the Art Institute and eating my lunch by the fountains. It is quiet and cool even though it is right off Michigan Ave.

Aside from Corona with the tacos, my favorite summer beer is 312... but I am a Chicago girl and probably a bit partial.