Pammy; you should get something in writing; especially with all of these wacky storms we're having. The neighbor could easily go to a storage unit. You can bet most people would put a claim into your home owners. Raising my hand! Had a neighbor that baby sat my daughter; she liked a few things I had; kind of talked me into letting her use /borrow toys; table; sewing machine.. She turned around & sold it at a yard sale a few months later & denied table & sewing machine were on loan. We had a neighbor at our old house that we did a lot with. The tools they didn't have we did; what we didn't; they did. It was a great relationship too; my hub helped them & their hub helped us. When the neighbor helped my hub; I cooked dinner for both families & would bathe the kids so the mom could relax because I was appreciative of the help. To this day; I can't believe what happened over an iron. I do not iron much; but I'm pretty sure I'd recently used it with no issues. I normally wash the fabric; then iron & cut the pattern out. The iron at this point was probably close to 10 years old; but even the box was in great shape. I take care of my stuff & it lasts. Neighbor borrowed my iron & when I went to use it next; it didn't work. I was making bibs for the neighbor. I wasn't able to just jump in my car & replace it. I was still recovering from my huge back surgery; was down close to 8 months. I saw her come home from Walmart with a new iron. Here I'm not driving; making bibs for 2 of the kids; I would have gladly given her a $20 to pick up a similar iron to what I had but she never offered anything. I didn't expect her to replace the iron; I was more hurt that she didn't ask if I wanted her to pick up a new one while she was out. The story was that my iron didn't work when she used it. What I did not understand is why no one bothered to tell me it wasn't working. Wish I remember how I got to the store to buy a new one. It bites but if you break something (anything) you borrowed don't you replace it? The solution should be discussed. In the case of something expensive; neighbor should have at least offered to get an estimate on repairs; then take it from there This post was edited by roselvr on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 12:30

Whoa, if you get a degree in industrial arts you get to acquire carpentry textbooks along the way?!? Sweet! Kim, I've always enjoyed/appreciated your contributions; given the wisdom of trial and error that was behind them, I see why they stood out. My mom got us a couple of the Reader's Digest fixit books (have to run downstairs, one of them might be the very one you have); I like the way they are encyclopedic and detailed. I know Jane Powell but not the Small Houses books (do you mean The Not So Big stuff by Susanka, or the Small House anthologies from Fine Homebuilding?) Thanks for mentioning books; I think I might start a reference book thread for this forum. Hey Casey, THANKS for taking the bait. And you are NOT a bloody genius, you are an old house DEITY for crying out loud! Would you please start your own show on youtube? Or maybe just a house tour? Even Petch house has youtube videos. Or, do you already have a project blog and everyone knows about it but me? Actually for someone with a degree in historic preservation, I am impressed with how low-key your posts come across; they read more like an old friend who's "been there" and wants to pass along lessons learned along the way, it's really very nice and encouraging. But if you ever want to browbeat me feel free; I would take it as a compliment. To be honest if I post about something I'm thinking of doing to my house, and you don't opine, I figure one of two things is going on: 1) you're not on the forum; or 2) you're politely disapproving. Most of the time I assume it's 2 because you seem to be pretty consistent around here. But I just want to say, and I hope I speak for many, that I love love love your posts, especially when I'm searching on a problem I'm trying to solve and something from you pops up! (PS I finally got around to using that general finishes gel varnish you recommended and it was fantastic, thank you; I will post photos to the woodworking forum sometime before the next census.) Oh, and I love the way you "aged" the color tones in the new pine beadboard in your kitchen; reminds me of the pine in my grandmother's kitchen. When I was really little I used to look at the gleaming pores and think it was the closest wood could get to 24K gold.

Awwww... Most of my own woodworking tools pretty much came from a friend's father's workshop. He was too infirm to get up and down the stairs, and pretty much gave his tools to me. He was excited that I was teaching myself and was actually going to use them. He has since passed. I read this because I have no kids and no relatives not only in my area, but who have a clue about making anything with their hands. I worry about my extensive Japanese maple collection. My incredible collection of interesting, unique ornamental plants. I worry about my woodworking tools. I am sad that probably no one will like my home because my aesthetic is definitely not the norm. I have a file on my desktop titled, "If you're reading this, I must be dead." In it I'm listing how to contact people on the MidAtlantic Gardening board here for my gardens. Different boards where I'm very active. Where family heirlooms are, why they're heirlooms, and from whom. What artwork is valuable and/or family. Where the life insurance policy is to cover the care of my cats with a friend. Where to donate my life-long collection of quilting fabric. Online accounts and passwords. I was working on this today when I took a break this morning and read this thread. Sad, isn't it? That there isn't anyone lusting after the things that let you create.

Lars, the NYT recipe (below, since it is behind a firewall IIRC) was the only recipe I found with many reviews and a high rating. I liked it because it is not something you see people make all the time and so it is special, it looks pretty, but has flavors with a wide appeal. Not particularly hard at all, just need time to chill the custard. I'd give it a thumbs up, but again, DOUBLE the custard (even as I was making it, I said to DH, "it is no harder to make a batch of this than to make 2 or 3 batches"...wish I would have). And i did beat the eggs/sugar longer than the recipe called for, but someone in comments said 10min and next time I'd do that. I baked mine in a springform pan lined w parchment. Boston Cream Pie FOR THE CUSTARD: note: consider doubling this 3 large egg yolks ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch kosher salt 1 cup/240 milliliters whole milk ¼ cup/60 milliliters heavy cream 1 tablespoon/14 grams unsalted butter 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract FOR THE CAKE: 8 tablespoons/114 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan 1 ¾ cups/224 grams all-purpose flour 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup/180 milliliters whole milk 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract FOR THE GLAZE: ¼ cup/60 milliliters heavy cream 4 ounces/113 grams semisweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as safflower Pinch kosher salt Add to Your Grocery List PREPARATION Make the custard: In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well combined. Whisk in cornstarch and salt. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in milk and then the cream. Add butter. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, just until it starts to thicken. Immediately whisk mixture until smooth, then continue to cook and stir custard until it has come to a very low boil for 2 minutes, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Strain custard through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a small spatula. Stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface. Chill for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round baking pan, generously greasing the sides, and line it with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a simmer over medium heat. When the butter is melted, remove pan from heat. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick, about 4 to 6 minutes (note; consider doing this for 10 minutes). With the mixer running on low, add the milk mixture and beat until combined. Then add flour mixture and vanilla and beat until combined. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes. With a very thin knife, cut around the edge to release the cake from the side of the pan. Carefully flip the cake onto the rack, then turn it right-side-up to cool completely. Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake into two layers and place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Stir custard, and spread it onto the cut side of the bottom half. Replace the top half of the cake, cut side down. Prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat the cream to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and pour cream over the chocolate chips, oil, salt and let stand for 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Spread the glaze evenly over the top of the cake. PS We are on day 3 of Risk (albeit with many long breaks in the action). Still losing. Worse. Send reinforcements. Or pie.