aemorgan's Profile

I agree with some of the comments about the appliances. Do you have a scratch and dent place near you? We have gotten some incredible deals at the Sears Warehouse. Our stove has a dent on the back where no one will ever see it, same with the dishwasher. And the dishwasher was missing the silverware rack. But the savings were crazy - as much as 50% off sometimes.

I think backsplash could be helpful, but if you do it, keep it neutral. Backsplash is so easy to install but a pain to remove. It might be nice to find an alternative so the new owners can add whatever backsplash they like.

Whoa whoa whoa. You only put the filling on half of the tortilla and then fold it? I have been doing this the stupid way for years. I use two tortillas and then try to flip the whole thing over. It frequently makes a mess, although I will say I've gotten better at it over the years. But this fold method certainly seems easier and makes a lot more sense!

Our 60 lb dog has pretty much destroyed our pine floors. Not everywhere, just in the living room where she tends start her run toward the kitchen when she hears her food bowl. We refinished them ourselves and only used two coats of polyurethane. Maybe a different finish, or more coats, would have been better.

SCRAPPLE???? Are you serious? Who eats that? Seriously!! Poor Nebraska? What about poor PA? Because Scrapple? Seriously? The outrage! I'm sputtering over here. Ugh.

I have bamboo flooring upstairs and the original pine flooring downstairs.

The bamboo is great - but EVERY floor type will scratch! The bamboo stands up great to my 50 lb dog, but if you scrape a piece of furniture, it will scratch. However, the scratches aren't deep, and as the bamboo has a light-colored finish, the scratches aren't noticeable.

The pine floors on the other hand - nightmare. Total nightmare. Ours are over 100 years old, so when we refinished them (ourselves) they turned out gorgeous, with this stunning reddish patina after a few coats of polyurethane. However, there is no amount of polyurethane that will protect this soft wood from our 50 lb dog. It does not have a shabby chic look at all. It looks neglected and sloppy. If you use softwood with a finish that is the color of the actual wood, it might be okay, but the red patina on our floor is just the outermost layer, so all scratches show up bright yellow. Seriously, softwood is for people who do not own pets, never slide a chair out to sit down, and never accidentally drop things.

THANK YOU for reducing the scavenger posts! There's nothing more annoying than seeing pictures of awesome things that are impossible for you to buy (either because your city isn't covered by AT or because it's on craigslist and therefore already gone).

Omnidora - if you can see the frozen foods, either through the packaging or by peaking inside, you can usually tell if they're freezer burned. Excessive frost is a sign. Food will also look sort of dried out and almost bleached. That's not a very good description... it's hard to describe! I threw out some shrimp with freezer burn a few days ago, I should have taken a photo for you. The shrimp were pretty frosted over, so I figured they were probably ruined. I put a few in a bowl of cold water and they stayed white and weird looking so I knew they were burnt. Long story short - you can learn how to tell they're ruined just by looking at them.

No amount of organization will make my husband actually stop leaving random piles of mail around the house. I have tried every trick in the book. I noticed where he normally leaves piles of things and placed baskets there, and he would just put the mail somewhere else. I've tried nagging him, yelling at him, and threatening to smash his guitar if I find one more piece of junk mail sitting on the table NEXT TO the recycling bin and not IN the recycling bin, and still nothing. I have demanded that he leave the mail in the mailbox for me to get, and that worked for about two days. Let me know when you devise a system that not only organizes the mail, but also administers an electroshock for non-compliance.

My two biggest criticisms of our home - not enough natural light, and a small yard (we're in a row house). But I've learned to embrace them. Ultra modern designs won't work in my cave of a living room, so I'm going for a deconstructed gothic victorian cozy something or other - embracing the darkness, so to speak. I miss having living plants, but coming to terms with having only a few crowded around the few windows that get enough light. And the small yard is going to be a challenge, especially the lack of privacy, but I'm dreaming up a way to make it more secluded with lots of big plants, vines, etc. It really is about learning to work with what you have, instead of fighting it.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the great responses. Although a number of you seem to like your countertops, there are too many issues here for me to feel completely confident in concrete. I like the appearance of concrete, but to be honest, I don't think I'm the type of person who would regularly re-seal a countertop, which I think would cause me to be disappointed in them. Your comments have instead encouraged me to reconsider stainless steel. I think they can stand up to the most abuse, and I like the industrial look of steel.

Thanks again,
Amber