We’ve gone to building supply stores three times this week so he can “work on the basement.” So far that means trying to find places to put his new toys. I drew the line at a barcode scanner, though it was pretty fun. There are a lot more uses than I’d thought at first. Maybe for his birthday.

In the end we decided to keep the ones we ordered. The dog ate half the last one, so even if we only use it for one bathroom it’ll need replacing eventually.

And yes, I realize that’s a stupid thing to fight about. But we’re lacking in serious relationship issues so this is all we’ve got. And do’t worry, we got over it quickly. Next fight will likely be about packing up the car tomorrow morning. Ah, love.

After weeks of arguing about which designer upholstery fabric would complete our lives, we decided to get different but complementary fabrics. And they rock. The room is painted and looks incredible. Someone should put it in a magazine.

Yes, it can be painful to shell out over a hundred bucks for a knife. But it will last forever, take sharpening well, and make the work you do with it faster and better.

And aside from being beautiful, cooking in le creuset makes the food taste better. I’ll never braise in cheap junk again.

Think about cookware like appliances. Investing in quality up front will more than pay for itself in quality and length of use.

So, the darling thing is making jewelery. She’s always been kind of crafty and this is an easy, cheap way to keep herself entertained. Plus, cute stuff for her friends and family (me). We bought a million cool Beads and chains and some other clamp/tweezer things that I have no idea about.

If you can do it, this is a wonderful way to get the perfect item for a reasonable price. No more wishing the chain was a little different or the pendant was slightly larger. Just make it the way you want it. And then discover Etsy.

A house is the most fun toy ever.

A blog reader (hi!) asked why I mention product reviews so much. The reason is simple. There are a hundred different products out there for any use you can think of. The best way to figure out which is likely to work best for your purposes is to see what other people say. So if you see ad advertisement for Lipofuze, you can find out what people who’ve tried it have to say.

Pretty simple, I think. Not that you will definitely have the same experience as anyone else, but it helps. Dig?

He’s an aimless wanderer. Like, even though hip hop clothing is not huge in his wardrobe, he’ll spend an hour looking at jeans. And maybe try one pair on. Silly.

I’m a heat-seeking missile in a store. I know what I’m looking for and where to find it. Even when I’m just window shopping I do it with purpose.

Suffice it to say we weren’t speaking to each other by the time we left the mall.

Like this morning she sent me an email because she’s looking for a new best prenatal vitamin. Hello? Asking for trouble, my friend.

I’ve sent her at least seven different articles and three suggestions already.

We’ve scheduled a follow-up call to discuss options. She loves it, so do I.