Disappointed In: Towels

I always write “show and tell” posts about what I got at the thrift store recently and whatnot, but I thought I’d start a series. I’m not saying this whole week will be “Disappointed In” posts, just, whenever I write one I’ll tag it the same way, that way you can see all my bad purchases >:o

Actually, this inaugural Disappointed In post isn’t something I bought myself, which takes the sting off a little bit, but it is something I picked out (it was on my wedding registry) so, the fact that someone else spent money on something that hasn’t held up is still a bummer. Plus, if the whole batch was like this, hundreds of people probably got some bum product.

This towel is from Target’s “Home” collection circa May 2010. As you can see, the hem totally failed. And I think two out of four of our towels did this, but this is the worst one.  Thing is, before you say “You’ve had it almost a year!” I didn’t use them until July and this happened after two or three washings. Sad face.

My Kohl’s “Sonoma Lifestyle” towels, however, I got in 2007 are still goin’ strong. Still plush and absorbent, and the color hasn’t faded or anything. It’s that’s definitely the brand I’m going to stick with from now on.

On a happier note, we’re doing a little hallway bonding activity.

Here are our brackets, along with Adam (#1 commenter here on MFS) and our neighbor to the west (his wife didn’t fill one out). There’s a new guy moving in across the hallway soon and we’ll give him one as a welcoming present. These are taped in the hallway and Doug’s pumped about meticulously tracking the winners and losers of every game. I am the only one here who didn’t pick KU to go all the way. Gotta stand out, right?

Got any bum products you’re disappointed in? If you email me a pic or two, you could star in a guest blog!

Who’s gonna win the College Basketball championship?

Reading

Every year I have the personal goal of reading 50 books, and I usually get somewhere around 25-27, but this year I haven’t finished a single one so far. This is distressing. So, yesterday I got two books from the library! And somehow I’m already halfway through the first one. I’m impressed with myself, mostly because lately it’s been hard to focus on one thing for such a long period of time.

Right now I’m reading Empress Orhid, by Anchee Min. I read Min’s memoir, Red Azalea, after I heard her speak at PLNU’s Writer’s Symposium By The Sea a few years ago and I like her writing style. She uses detailed descriptions but doesn’t let it bog down the movement of the  book.

Click the book to be taken to the Amazon page.

Next is a book I saw reviewed a while ago in Vogue or Vanity Fair or some magazine, it’s called The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan. Evidently it’s a peek into Monroe’s life through the eyes of her dog. Sounds cute and I can’t wait to finish Empress Orchid to begin this one.

Again, click the book to go to Amazon.

What are you reading these days?

A Tale of Two Cabinets

First, I know I showed you the preliminary “after” of my chalkboard cabinet but never showed what it looks like with chalk on it. My camera isn’t as crisp as it used to be. Does anyone know if they get fuzzier when they start wearing out? Or maybe I was just shooting too close….

My regret is not using a roller. By painting with a brush, there are brush strokes in the dried paint which means it’s not as smooth as a regular chalkboard and a little harder to write on.  Still, I like how it turned out and I think it’s really useful.

Secondly, this is a quick little fix-it I did over a month ago on my first snow day. The inside of my tall (broom sized) kitchen cabinet was dis-gus-ting. Cleaning with harsh chemicals didn’t even really do anything, so I just covered it up with some kitchen-colored paint I found among our 40 cans that came with the apartment.

before = gross.

clean= much better.

Plus, I added a shelf about a foot from the top of the cabinet to hold trash bags, etc. By doing that, I freed up some real estate under the sink!!

Painting this with “regular” paint makes me even more happy that we used Valspar low VOC paint for our living room and dining room color changes. It’s been a month and when I open up the broom cabinet it still smells like “new paint.” The rest of my house, however, even the freshly painted dining room, just smells like “my house.” The cost is the same so I don’t see any reason not to use low or no VOC paint.  For those who’ve heard the term but don’t know what it stands for, VOC stands for volatile organic compounds–aka the stinky smell of fresh paint, new shower curtains, etc. Evidently someone finally figured out that those offset gases are bad for you (who’da thought) and technology has been changing so as so be safer for all involved.