I've had good luck renting with two cats, even with landlords who normally don't take pets. One, I always volunteer to pay double the security deposit. Fortunately, my cats are not destructive and always hit the litter box, so I always get the whole deposit back. Two, I tend to rent from landlords that own a few units, not from large complexes. I arrange to see the apartment before I mention a word about the cats. I want the landlord to meet me and realize that I am a good potential tenant. Then I mention the cats. Most landlords have been willing to work with me. I also offer to produce vet certificates if I think it would help. Nflifer has a point about vacant units. My current apartment is hard to rent--its a large studio, about 1,000 sf. It's large enough to be a three bedroom apartment. But because its only one room, it is really only suitable for a single person or a couple that gets along really, really well. A unit this size in my area, with a university in town, would normally have three or four roommates to split the rent. So in order to rent the place, the landlord has to charge lower than market rate rent. It had been vacant four months when I rented it. So I get low rent and a great space and the landlord has a free mouse-removal service in my cats and everyone is happy. (He says that my first winter there was the first winter no one complained about mice.)

I recently hung draperies for DD and used the plain white curtain rods. Since she needed 6 separate panels, rods w/finials would have been too much. The rods say 18" on the package but they're only 16", not counting the 'bend'. They can be purchased just about anywhere. ;o)

Hmm, interesting. I'm all for the tiny house movement, but anyone who's so snotty about building a nice small house (mini-mcmansions!) would have more credibility if she weren't touting those particular constructions. I'm sorry, but stapling rusty tin cans on the outside of your house is just trashy--it's been around a loooong time (not a new brilliant idea) and it's the sort of thing that caused municipalities to come up with all the restrictions that make it so hard to build a tiny house most places. If I were anti-tiny-house, I'd love that video as ammunition for why we should keep the old laws and not allow them.

emmarene - thank you so kindly! We are definitely rescuing her from the cliff of abandonment and it is a hard-fought but good battle. And although I've often been charmed by painted brick on other homes, I've never been tempted to do it myself. The almost-calico brick here is unique and lovely, and has stood the test of time for a reason - so we would never cover that up. See also - why turn a non-maintenance item into a maintenance item? :-)