denisegk's Profile

We have an expensive made in the USA ply dollhouse and you know what? It's not holding up too well. Those little tabs that stick out where you fit two pieces together? Well, if you stub your toe (or kick, maybe, in the case of this playhouse) on one it will break. And even if you use a special glue with wood bits in it the break will never be as strong as the rest of the house. And kids dropping things, or being too rough in their excitement, will really beat the heck out of a ply house. Dropping $650 repeatedly isn't sustainable for my bank account. Getting the company to make these over and over for the same people isn't sustainable for the earth (though it would do the company's bank account plenty of good).

are there really water tanks in attics in some places? I've never seen that before, and it seems like such a bad idea should there ever be a leak.

Anyway, on topic, we just had to redo the ceilings of our bathrooms due to mold and I would say that even more important than the efficient fan is getting a fan that has a properly closing damper, and also getting a good roof cap that has its own good quality damper closure. I was floored at how not a single one of the bath fans available at the local Lowe's or Home Depot had a damper that would close completely once I stopped blowing on it (I am not exaggerating). Had to purchase something more expensive online (we went with fantech for the exhaust fan and the roof cap, but there are other brands). You're not going to see any savings if your high efficiency fan system lets conditioned air flow through the ducting to the outdoors all the time it's off (and/or lets outdoor air in).

Anybody know if an old slab foundation house can have its floors ripped up, a radiant heating system put in, and then some kind of concrete skim coat put over the top?
That's sort of growing into my new fantasy for our house after reading this article and most of the comments.

(Hey, Charlotte, your prejudice is showing. Since when does a spelling mistake mean the writer must be a Southerner? Perhaps when we say "do" it sounds like "due" to you, but that doesn't mean we spell them the same way. Plenty of us are excellent spellers as a matter of fact.)

@citychik & hyzen: I think it may have its own bathroom. See on the backside, where the solar panels are? That bit has wall paneling as well, so it's private. It looks like you'd have to go outside to get into the bathroom though, if that's what it is.

But yeah, there's surely a bathroom nearby since I don't think a designer would forget something like that! :)

we also have done without, though not because we're against them. There just isn't room in our house for most of what's available, and even though some collapse or fold down for storage, we don't have much in the way of storage space either so that's not too helpful. We've gone with a fun, textural rug that's brightly colored on the girls' bedroom floor, it's the most baby-proofed room. In the living room, I put down a folded blanket and some toys.

also, if the concern is what to do with baby2 while kid1 is trying to use the big kid potty, you already have a safe place to put them, and it's probably modern and minimal if that's your thing: the crib. I put #2 in her crib with toys when I need to just stash her without worry while I deal with accidents on the floor, etc. She's not sleeping, so I don't worry about causing sids. and when she is sleepy, well she's already used to not sleeping with toys so it's not been a problem. Might be something to try, to take advantage of money that's already spent.

I can't wait till android's available for touchpad. I think I'll get mycookbook and the epicurious apps.

Every time this topic comes up on an AT site I think of the many other cultures around the world in which giving something of yours is valued more highly than giving something newly made or purchased for the recipient. Do people not realize that their attitude towards regifting is heavily influenced by the culture they grew up in? I've had to be careful what I compliment in my Asian relatives' homes, or what I mention to visiting missionaries because they will try to give the item to me when I leave. That's just part of their culture: to give away something of your own is a sacrifice (NOT because all non-Americans are poor either, sometimes it can be the sacrifice of giving something they themselves cherish) and shows how much you care about the recipient, about being a hospitable host, and about generosity (which is a highly revered concept in many cultures).
Would anyone involved in this discussion do or say anything to let the giver know, in the situations I've mentioned, that the gift is not well though of? That the giver is seen as cheap, tacky, or lazy? Or would anyone restrain themselves to only gossiping behind the gift-givers back?
Or how about this: how about we realize that even within our own country (America or one of the many South American or European countries that a sizeable portion of the AT readership is from) there can be cultural differences among citizens? How about we take time to be thoughtful *ourselves* before adopting a poor attitude and judging someone to be in the wrong because they did not purchase the gift?

We have nice henkels 4 and 5 star knives and I put them in the dishwasher all the time. I *don't* use the cutlery basket, I put them across the top, taking up space that would be used by glasses and bowls. This way they don't touch anything and get treated more gently.
Of course, the reason they aren't to go in there is not because of banging around, but because dishwasher detergent is too abrasive and dulls their cutting edges. It can also cause tiny scratches and nicks. Well, I just don't worry about that frankly, YMMV. As for the cutting edges, we got a professional knife sharpening station and I re-sharpen and hone the blades with it at least 2x a year. Plus, I've become very consistent about using the steel. So far, I'm still pleased with how the knives are holding up and how there's no handwashing for me.

LadyJ: your neighbor makes his own choices certainly, but you aren't positioning yourself very well if your main complaints are all the things he does to make noise. You only participated in making your own life less enjoyable. You need to complain about what is really the problem: he does have rugs down as required in his lease. That is what you should complain about, and not let up until its taken care of. Complaining about upstairs neighbor noise is tricky, often people are doing regular things in a normal way and can't help the construction of the building that makes it sound otherwise. If you make your objections about something objective and factual, rather than something that could be subjective, you may find you get better results with both you neighbor and landlord.

But, I do feel for you. I've lived upstairs and downstairs, in buildings new and old, with neighbors I knew and those who were unfriendly strangers to the end. And it's hard when you're the one whose living situation is the short end of the stick.

I think some of the attitudes being expressed are way crappier than a box of chocolate wine you won't drink. Seriously, if someone who doesn't know you brought a hostess gift to show thanks and you don't like it, is it really that hard to trash it or donate it? I have trouble believing either of those courses of action would be an actual hardship on anyone who's commented here. And if the guest is a friend who tries, but isn't the most gifted gift-giver, maybe the host/hostess should be thankful in return that they have a caring friend? Are any of us so perfect that everyone who comes into our orbit must be perfect at all times in every way too?