mbalavage's Profile

@MarieD, must you drink smoothies cold? I actually won't drink a frozen smoothie - it makes me cold and upsets my tum. I let mine warm to room temp before drinking anyway - you might try it and see if you like it! (Although if you use protein mixes, you'll be able to taste the fakeness much more prominently.) Another option is to snag a cup of ice from a local restaurant or fast food joint when you're ready to smoothie it up.

@notpallavi: should be totally fine, but why not save yourself some time and just blend everything else you want in your smoothie in with your greens and liquid and freeze those in ice cube trays?

I bought that print (row 2, far right) when it was last featured here, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. Wish I knew how much those poofs in the first pic are - I have no room for them, but they are amazing.

As an introvert with social anxiety, if an RSVP is required I give an immediate no. Any sort of stringent party that requires that sort of planning is going to result in a Xanax-infused evening. I certainly appreciate the type of person who can throw such an organized party, but that sort of social setting is not my cup of tea. I am far more likely to attend an open-house setting where I know I can leave when I need to. That said, I always respond yes or no, and I always bring a hostess gift when appropriate.

It was a temporary situation, and I knew I could live with basically anything for 4 months, but it ended up working out fabulously and was genuinely sad when she moved out. We holed up in our rooms and rarely saw each other most days, but went out together and had a great time a few times a month. We did each other dishes, shared food (which I have never been comfortable with before or since), never stepped on each other's toes. When she left, as a goodbye present, she planted me an herb garden in the backyard, complete with a miniature white picket fence. We still keep in touch and wistfully recall our perfect roommate situation.

Urg, have definitely felt that frustration of being unable to get a callback. I generally took it as a sign that if they can't manage their business enough to call me back or get me a written quote in a reasonable amount of time (2 weeks!), they wouldn't be able to complete the project to my satisfaction. I also went off recommendations from my real estate agent (she gave us a super-helpful vendor list, and everyone I've worked with on it has been fantastic). I also found it useful to ask the contractors I ended up working with for recommendations for projects that weren't their specialty.

@fulinlin: Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fats/

O electric kettle, I do love you so. You give and you give, multiple times a day, quickly and generously, and save for a bimonthly shot of vinegar, you ask nothing in return.

The banana boats my mum and I used to make growing up: roasted bananas, melted chocolate chips, and broiled marshmallows, to be eaten straight off the foil-wrapped cookie sheet the very second it was just cool enough to not burn our mouths. For pure deliciousness and nostalgia, nothing compares ... not even the time-stopping chocolate chevre donuts I had the other night.

I also have one ice tea spoon that mysteriously appeared! I much prefer it for ice cream.

@ellenx: I, too, JUST discovered how sweet steeped cinnamon is! I made a cuppa with ~1/2 tbsp each of vietnamese cinnamon, ginger, and whole cloves, and it was so deliciously sweet that for a moment I thought I had absentmindedly added honey.