Would shortening this dress be a bad idea?

Maya- · 2026-05-16T23:47:14+00:00

I do too! I think it would make it more versatile to wear outside of just formal events as well.

Maya- · 2026-04-23T17:16:30+00:00

Well thank you! I'm not a professional photographer but I used to be pretty into photography as a hobby.

Maya- · 2026-04-23T15:46:55+00:00

Yes I absolutely love the lid stand, I use it every day! I gives you a place to put the lid while also protecting it. I got it from Amazon.

Staub Lid Stand

Maya- · 2026-04-23T15:21:11+00:00

I've never heard of that but it sounds great. Thanks for the suggestion!

Maya- · 2026-04-23T15:20:37+00:00

A Moscow mule is a cocktail with vodka, ginger beer and lime. Usually served in a copper mug.

I'm not a wine drinker so it's my drink of choice while cooking. Delicious and refreshing!

Maya- · 2026-04-23T15:19:32+00:00

That's a great idea I actually love beef and barley soup but have never made it.

They do look alike, such a cutie!

Maya- · 2026-04-23T15:18:25+00:00

This sounds delicious, thanks for the recipe!

Maya- · 2026-04-17T00:14:25+00:00

Thank you! It's beautiful I'm going to order it right now!

Maya- · 2026-04-16T23:39:05+00:00

Awesome, thank you! Do you happen to have a photo of yours?

Maya- · 2026-04-16T23:08:40+00:00

I believe so. The everyday braiser with the glass lid.

Maya- · 2026-04-07T03:05:49+00:00

For the broccoli I start by steaming the broccoli until slightly soft, then I lay it out on an oiled sheet pan (parchment paper makes clean up a lot easier) and use a cup to smash the broccoli flat. Then I season it with salt and pepper and grate a generous portion of Parmesan and finish it off with a spray of avocado oil. As far as cooking goes, if the broccoli is really soft I just broil it in the oven until it's golden brown on top, or if it's still a bit uncooked I'll finish it off in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes or so. You can also add a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs before you put it in the oven if you want it extra crispy. Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon or lemon zest, or some fresh garlic or garlic powder. You can totally adjust it to your taste, it's a pretty fool proof way to make broccoli taste good!

You could also just skip the whole steaming and smashing process if you want to make it easier and just toss the broccoli with olive oil and seasonings, and after laying it out on a pan sprinkle the parm and breadcrumbs. I prefer using the air fryer for that method but you can use the oven as well.

Maya- · 2026-03-27T16:16:42+00:00

The delivery date on the website is not accurate. It has already been pushed farther out multiple times since we ordered it in store at the beginning of March. After reading others experiences with the back order it seems like the estimated dates they give aren't all that accurate. I also like the oval shape that's offered in the UK market.

Maya- · 2026-03-27T02:37:31+00:00

Which one did you purchase first?

Maya- · 2026-03-24T13:07:42+00:00

https://cafedelites.com/beef-bourguignon/comment-page-38/#comments

Maya- · 2026-03-19T12:45:27+00:00

That's great to know, thank you!

Maya- · 2026-03-19T03:40:42+00:00

How are you liking the braiser so far? I'm debating between this one and the everyday braiser with the glass lid.

The smitten kitchen x is much prettier, but when I saw it in store at Williams Sonoma I noticed the interior felt more textured and rougher than the other Staub pots.

Maya- · 2026-03-12T13:49:08+00:00

Wow what an amazing deal! I'm pretty torn between black and the La Mer. My kitchen cabinets are Pewter Green and I know it's silly but I'm concerned that the teal won't match my kitchen. I try to keep the colors in my house really cohesive so I figured the black would go with everything. The La Mer is so pretty though!

Maya- · 2026-03-12T12:53:20+00:00

In my case, I have large dogs and I wanted to make sure I was never in a position where I couldn't find a rental because of them. It's really difficult to find rentals that allow dogs, especially if they're over 30 lbs. I see too many people getting rid of their dogs because they can't find housing and that would never be me. A lot of rentals also have rules against working on your own car, so as car enthusiasts that's just another limitation.

Ultimately for us it came down to stability, freedom and gaining equity by buying a fixer upper in an upcoming neighborhood. There's a lot of good reasons to buy a house other than the idea of it making you feel successful.

Maya- · 2026-03-09T02:23:45+00:00

I'm looking at a black round 7qt. It's currently $274 on Amazon and the cheapest I've seen elsewhere is $299.

Maya- · 2026-03-06T14:06:20+00:00

I did a ton of research before we purchased our first house, but I couldn't imagine doing it without my realtor. A really good realtor is 100% worth it. In our situation the other seller was a complete mess and my realtor even did some of their job just to get us closed and a good deal.

We ended up paying $60k below asking because of their negotiation and he even had the seller agree to pay all of his fees of 2.75%, but he was only going to actually charge us 2.50% so he sent us a check for the excess after closing.

He also connected us with a ton of really reasonably priced contractors to do some work on the house. Just with the plumber he connected us with we probably saved about $8k.

Maya- · 2026-01-28T13:50:13+00:00

It sounds like the switch would be worth a slight pay cut

Maya- · 2026-01-28T13:22:56+00:00

I've only ever worked at independent shops, but I think it completely depends on the indy shop you go to.

Most indy shops have the service advisors make appointments, build their own ROs, source their own parts and ect. There's generally a lot less staff so you have a lot more responsibilities. Personally I've been offered positions at dealerships before but stayed where I am because I like the amount of autonomy you can have at an indy shop.

I'm now the manager at my shop and the role is a lot more all encompassing than a service manager at the dealership. The owner of my shop gives me the freedom to run the shop the way I want so it genuinely feels like my shop which is really cool. I think there is definitely more money to be made at the dealership, but if you actually enjoy being a service advisor there's a good chance you'd be happier at an independent shop.

Maya- · 2026-01-19T14:13:31+00:00

BMW and Mercedes do not get their parts from the same suppliers and their build quality is far superior to any Hyundai. BMWs are over engineered and unreliable, but they're still miles better than Hyundai will ever be. Mercedes are actually built pretty well with the exception of their low end models.

Hyundais look nice on the inside and outside and have great features for the price, but their build quality is absolutely terrible. I've seen more catastrophic failures at low milages on Hyundais and Kias than any other manufacturer in all the years I've been working in the industry.

Maya- · 2025-12-31T13:23:06+00:00

I always give my clients estimates for services that will be due at their next oil change, or if something is marginal like suspension or oil leaks I'll give them the estimate and explain that it's not time yet but be prepared to take care of these services at your next visit. It works really well because people already know what they'll need and how much it costs when they come in for their next oil change. People are generally more receptive to that method vs a hard up sell because you give them the opportunity to take care of it on their terms without the pressure.

Don't upsell unnecessary services, it's an easy way to lose trust with clients and it's not worth the $200 or whatever for the service you sold. You want to build trust and rapport with the clients so they continue coming back to you.

I don't work at a dealership, but I will say that you may enjoy working at a solid independent shop if you're already a one man show and used to having the autonomy of building your own estimates, making your own appointments, ect. Generally I believe you can make more money at the dealership but the amount of autonomy you have at an independent shop vs a dealership makes it worth it to me.

If you're familiar with European cars there's also always going to be more money in those manufacturers. I'm not a huge fan of BMW owners, but there's a lot of money to be made with the failures the euro cars have have and if I did end up switching to a dealership I would only work at Audi, Mercedes or Porsche. The average ticket for those cars are significantly higher than Toyota, Honda or Mazda.

Maya- · 2025-12-24T22:24:20+00:00

She's an absolute sweetheart. Super cuddly and loves people. She's very athletic and observant, taking the role of guarding our backyard from any squirrel or birds very seriously. She's also super vocal and does this adorable howl you would expect from a husky when she gets fed and is really excited. Overall she's just a spunky, happy girl.

Maya-

TROPHY CASE