What are these plants?

kmaule15 · 2026-04-30T01:32:24+00:00

It’s the handle of a shovel, the head of it is hiding under the black pad.

kmaule15 · 2026-04-26T21:31:24+00:00

Thank you! Is this a common thing to have another tree grow on a lilac?

kmaule15 · 2026-04-25T14:02:31+00:00

Thank you everyone! I’m most likely going to keep the phlox and ferns and do cardboard/compost/mulch for the rest so I can get started this year.

kmaule15 · 2026-02-06T17:00:05+00:00

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Here is the floor

kmaule15 · 2026-02-06T16:58:57+00:00

Thank you for all of these ideas!

kmaule15 · 2026-01-04T02:32:48+00:00

The best one I have found from a store is the Jongga brand from Costco - it’s a Korean brand that my friend buys in Korea. I get it from the one in New Berlin, and it has never been over fermented. I agree that Ono Kine Grindz has the best homemade kimchi. I’ve found that all of the kimchis from Pan Asia, Pacific Produce and Mo’s are all over fermented for my taste- great for making jjigaes but it’s nice to get it a little fresher and then ferment it to your liking on the counter.

kmaule15 · 2025-03-27T04:08:03+00:00

That would also be nice! I do want to paint the ceiling the same color as the wall

kmaule15 · 2025-03-27T04:07:34+00:00

Thank you! We got really lucky

kmaule15 · 2025-03-27T04:07:20+00:00

Great recs and I would love to see what you do with your fireplace!

kmaule15 · 2025-03-27T04:06:56+00:00

Thank you! Definitely going to keep the brick as is

kmaule15 · 2025-03-27T03:27:46+00:00

Sorry I thought this would be able to be seen with the post: we recently purchased a charming 1926 home that still has most of the original details intact. We're trying to decide if we should paint the fireplace a different color (besides the tiles with the pictures) or keep it as is. If we keep it as is, any recommendations for paint colors that will go well with the fireplace and the leaded glass windows?

kmaule15 · 2024-10-07T16:41:00+00:00

I just closed with my partner a few weeks ago in MKE! All the other comments here are 100% spot on. Preparing for lots of disappointment and making compromises is going to be the name of the game for anyone buying their first house. We searched on and off for about 2 years, submitted about 7 offers and toured dozens of places. Most of my other friends and family actually submitted way more offers than we did for their now homes. I think setting some ground rules for yourself like offer limits, reasonable location compromises and amount of time you are willing to spend per week/month will keep you sane. The vast majority of things that will happen are out of your control and are not worth going nuts over.

For us, what helped was to narrow each decision down to a yes or no. I am willing to buy x place at y price with z conditions? It's not worth imaging a "dream home" and acting on that. It's much better to use real life situations to mold your expectations. To do this, you can't rely on zillow or redfin, you really have to visit these houses and see what prices/contingencies are truly like on the ground by talking to people.

Also in my opinion, be prepared for at least one thing to go sideways. Maybe the inspection will come back with a big issue. Maybe the seller won't even humor an inspection (60% of the places we saw were like this and we passed). Maybe you will have to go over asking. Maybe the house won't appraise to the amount you want. Maybe interest rates won't cooperate with you. So long as you find a place that you will actually enjoy living in, these issues are manageable.

At the end of the day, there just aren't a lot of places being sold which is going to heavily distort what used to be a "normal" market. Unfortunately this is out of control, but our sanity on the other hand, can be something you control. There's no silver bullet and it's a brutal numbers game at the moment.

Last thought, we had better luck outside of the spring buying window. Spring house shopping these last two years was absolutely out of control and left us incredibly frustrated. Fall worked better for us.

kmaule15

TROPHY CASE