The Kitchen Cure

I wanted to sign up for the Apartment Therapy Cure again this spring to help with spring cleaning and sprucing up the house, but I knew I didn't really have the time to devote to it so I resisted the impulse. Luckily, I saw that the AT Kitchn Cure was kicking off this week and believe me, my kitchen needs a good scrubbin'. Since the Kitchn Cure is spread out over five weeks, it looks entirely manageable.

This week the assignment is to declutter and clean the fridge and pantry, which I spent a couple of hours doing on Saturday. I'll spare you the befores (though they're on flickr if you really want to see), they don't look that much worse than the afters below, except that the fridge and pantry are sparkling clean now and there is no expired food in sight.

So if your kitchen could use a good scrubbing as well, why not join in? Week two starts tomorrow, so there's no time like the present.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April Bulb Show

The spring bulbs are really blooming now and the tulips are starting to join the daffodils.

I love the combination of these tulips and the purple hyacinths. I've read about some gardeners who replace tulip bulbs every year, but this particular patch keeps multiplying and coming back stronger than ever.

Beautiful as tulips are, daffodils still hold the title of my favorite flower. These cheerful flowers always make me smile. Aren't the white frilly ones pretty? They came in a variety pack that I planted last year.

We haven't had to mow yet and I can't believe how many grape hyacinths are popping up in the lawn. I wonder who planted them and how long they've been here?

Want to see more blooms? Visit May Dreams Gardens every month on the 15th to see what's blooming in gardens around the world.

Beware Home Depot's Free "In-Home Design Service"

Yesterday we stopped at Home Depot so the boyfriend could visit the compressor he's lusting after. AGAIN. As usual I had to visit the kitchen area so I can indulge my new kitchen fantasies. So I was drooling over some new countertops when an associate asked if we knew they were offering free in-home design consultations where someone would measure and give us prices on countertops, cabinets, cabinet refacing, etc. I was mulling over the value of adding free measurements and realistic estimates to my kitchen dream plans when the boyfriend said, just do it.

So we sat down to sign up. The associate asked what we're interested in and I said countertops, cabinets, backsplash and floor. Would I be interested in cabinet refacing, he asked? Well maybe, I said, a price would be nice, but that wasn't something I was that interested in, because if I keep the cabinets we would fix them ourselves. Well we can do all that for you, he happily exclaimed. Then he called someone who would actually book the appointment. So again I was asked what I was interested in and again I repeated the whole shebang.

"So you're interested in cabinet refacing?"

"I'm considering it, but I want to know about countertops, etc."

"Ok, so is there anything else besides cabinet refacing you might want?"

"Um, yes, countertops, backsplash, a floor."

I was asked the same question aout five times in a five minute phone call and I began to see where this whole free business was going. Yes, there's always a catch. So I make the appointment anyway and we leave.

Twenty minutes later we're in the car and the phone rings, it's Home Depot to confirm our cabinet refacing consultation.

"But it's not just cabinet refacing right? I want to get countertop prices, etc."

"Oh, you wanted something else too, well then..."

"I went over this FIVE TIMES when booking this appointment. Can you just cancel it? This is already more irritating than it's worth."

"Sure, we'll cancel the appointment for you."

Today I got my confirmation e-mail from confirmation@cabinetrefacing.com. ARGH! I can't stand when someone tries the bait and switch. If you're just offering cabinet refacing consultations, that's great, but don't waste your time and mine trying to trick me into one when I'm not interested. I also can't stand when people read from a script and don't listen to your answers, but just keep asking the same question over and over again.

I still like Home Depot, but that's the last time I'm falling for any free consultations!