So is resin the best material? I had a ceramic bird bath that cracked, and it wasn't even in the freezing weather. I do have a heated bird bath for winter which birds like, but it's not very pretty, just practical for freezing temps. I'm not find a lot I like to look at for summer time, though. The tree stump looks nice. I have a dripper the birds want nothing to do with, which I can't figure out. Probably has more to do with my neighbor's roaming cats...grrrr...

We recently bought a few Ralph Lauren towels on sale (unbelievable sale-something like $6 for a bath towel) from Horchow. I haven't used them yet, but DH has been using one and this morning he actually made a point of finding me to say it was the most absorbant towel he has ever used. Now, this is the man who NEVER comments on liking anything in particular in the house. Can't testify as to color retention yet since they are new and the ones I bought are white except for the one I got for DH.

Nope, no bleach. I thought about my face cleaner, but the discoloring was on towels I don't use on my face (hand towels that are only on the ring next to the sink). It really does have to do with vegetable dye. I don't even dump my detergent in the washer. I hold the cup under the water stream to let it flow into the washer with the water. Comments from Apartment Therapy: These towels (Restoration Hardware - Paradigm) are beautiful and dense, however (unless they have changed their dying process) discolor terribly. The store now hands you a lovely pamphlet on how to properly launder them... Unfortunately, I felt the best option was a return for credit. ********* Since they are made with vegetable-dyed Turkish cotton, the towels require different care than most other towels--pre-wash in cold water without detergent 3 times before first wash with detergent (to set the dye color), use only detergent without optical brighteners, machine dry without fabric softener (which limits the aging/mellowing of the plush cotton). The towels have actually gotten fluffier and softer with each wash/dry. The towels go on sale (20% off) a couple of times during the year. I was also told by the salesman that they have a pretty generous satisfaction guarantee policy on this line (but he didn't elaborate on the terms). ********* heads up on Restoration Hardware towels.. they're vegetable dyed, so you have to be careful with washing/care of them. they're the best towels i've ever had, and all my friends & family have them and love them! before washing when you first get them home, put them in the rinse cycle of your washer with just them and a cup of white vinegar (very helpful if you got the darker colors).. this helps to set the color in the towels. then you can wash regularly in cold or warm with woolite... other detergents you want to use: nothing with scents, preservatives, color preservers, color brighteners, special dyes, or anything special in the detergent.. get the cleanest free-est detergent! All free & clear works great.. Tide HD works great as well. Also, most kinds of organic detergent works also. also.. it'd be a great idea to get white (or ivory, or lighter colors) for your wash cloths or hand towels.. you have to be careful of certain chemicals in your cleaning products like benzol peroxyde or alpha hydroxy.. if they're good enough to strip makeup off your face, they're good enough to strip the color out of these guys too! Here's a thread on Apartment Therapy about the "Best Towels of 2008".

Liz, My DeBuyer pans are "crepe pans", though they also make skillets. You're right that induction brings out the brilliance of these, though they're good all around. They're just thin carbon steel that you season like cast iron, and use them like cast iron, except when you want a quickly reacting pan (because there's so much less mass) rather than one that's meant to hold in steady heat. Unlike the inverted crepe pans that became a fad some time back, these traditional ones (I have three sizes plus a blini size) have a turned up angled edge. This is the shape of pan I learned to make crepes in (though it was aluminum), which is why I bought these. I've used them for crepes, blintz pancakes (thick eggy crepes), fried eggs, omelettes, regular pancakes, etc. Anything small with minimal liquid, where precise heat and instant adjustment are key. You could cook anything that fits, such as a chop, but for a good sear you usually want a pan that will hold heat in the face of cool meat, whereas the chop would cool down the thin carbon steel immediately. These considerations about instant reaction to temperature range are what make carbon steel the favorite choice for woks. But, no, you don't need them if you have pans for the purposes.