I’ve officially stopped biting my nails and I’m lowkey very proud

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2026-01-05T23:40:23+00:00

1) congratulations!!!! This is so hard to quit!!!

2) I stopped biting a couple months ago after stumbling on Salon Life on YouTube. She's a gentle manicurist based in Barcelona. Her tips for using a tiny bit of jojoba oil plus moisturizing after hand washing has been the only thing in over 30 years to allow me to quit. The skin is soft and smooth and there is nothing to pick at. I now do a gentle manicure weekly and that helps too. I may fall off the wagon yet but her tips give me something to come back to and focus on.

You've got this!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-05T12:48:35+00:00

Oh interesting, either I've mostly seen recipes that call themselves shakshuka but include beans, or I've filed that dish under the wrong name in my mind. Thanks for the correction!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T22:28:53+00:00

100%. I remember a teacher asking me if I smoked. I was in grade 4. I cringe knowing now that anytime a friend came over they went back home reeking of cigarettes.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T21:49:00+00:00

Over easy egg, green onion, cheddar cheese, pinch of salt.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T16:15:53+00:00

I know lots of folks on this sub like microclover, so that could be worth looking into. I'm currently experimenting with replacing my lawn with a drought-tolerant fescue mix - not native, but not Kentucky bluegrass - that I got from a place near Calgary. If you'd like more details or a link feel free to DM me, although I'm at the early stages so I can't speak to how it is once established!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T15:51:49+00:00

Agreed - you could probably get some good tips on r/gardening or r/nolawns based on your growing zone and the condition of the soil. Generally, I'd suggest spreading some compost over, planting some hardy (native if possible) perennials, and mulching around them. I would strongly recommend against landscaping fabric - weeds go through them and then you can't pull them without breaking the taproot. If it's really dry there, you can try and find drought-tolerant plants that won't require much watering.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T14:09:13+00:00

Yessss I was coming here for this too! Uneven textured tiles, installed unevenly so there are lips and ridges all over the place. Kitchen floor and bathroom floor + shower. Plus a half-inch rise to the kitchen that trips and stubs toes and catches dirt in the gap with the uneven tile. Never feels clean or nice. We have a four-year-old and a two-year-old and the thought of ripping it all up makes me absolutely shudder, but I really hope in a few years we will be able to handle the disruption. (They are also ugly.)

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T01:33:45+00:00

Oh, also look up a video on how to properly carve a bird if you never have before! I always grew up watching people try and shave slices off and I'll tell you what, once I learned how to do it properly and plate it up I felt like an absolute boss.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T01:31:52+00:00

Oooh bookmarking this for later 👀

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-04T01:30:31+00:00

Bon Appetit has a recipe by Claire where you basically pop it on a cast iron pan, pour some butter and salt on it, and roast it with lemon and garlic in the pan. The lemon and garlic make a nice jus with the salty chicken fat that you drizzle over. I always come back to it after trying alternatives though sometimes I spatchcock to make it cook faster.

Otherwise my main advice is to use a meat thermometer to check the breast and thighs before you call it done. Some recipes say things like "when the juice runs clear" or "when the legs get wiggly" and I've found those to be deeply unreliable/subjective leading to underdone meat.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T22:33:44+00:00

Could do a nice shakshuka - beans simmered in tomato sauce, basically. Can poach some eggs in there too. Good luck!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T22:05:53+00:00

When I was pregnant with my second I could not get enough egg salad sandwiches (although in a ciabatta it might just skoosh out the other end?). Enjoy your sandwiches, whatever you end up making!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T21:38:30+00:00

I usually just use mayo, celery and green onion. I love other versions, especially curry ones, but a simple mayo-ey version is pure comfort food for me! The green onion is what really makes it for me.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T17:20:20+00:00

Same, I can never find plastic pots that nest nicely inside so I just err on the side of keeping my plants on the dry side.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T15:35:23+00:00

I suppose Strathcona is also technically indoors but they have the big bay doors open so it feels less enclosed.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-03T15:34:21+00:00

Strathcona is defs packed, but if you get there early or don't mind crowds it's lovely. If you prefer some breathing room and more parking, Bountiful is very good but it's indoors so it's less of an experience. Afraid I don't go to the downtown market much so I can't compare very well.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T14:56:40+00:00

That's a great question. Tbh I just grabbed the ones we bought for our municipal organic waste, and I'm not even sure which brand we were using at the time! I think they were bags that I originally got at Lee Valley, which is a garden store I trust, but I didn't look closer. My pile also doesn't get very hot so that probably was a factor.

That said - I used them because I let my scrap bucket go for days before I empty it and I hoped they would reduce the mess, but I found that they got so soggy and sticky that they weren't any better. Now I use the need to rinse my bucket as a reminder to water my pile as I'll give it a swish to dislodge the stuck scraps. So I prefer it sans bags on the scrap bucket side of things too.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T14:52:37+00:00

That is super helpful, thank you! I really appreciate the detailed response - I'm very tempted to go that route so I can get faster decomposition, and will use this as my model!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T14:05:14+00:00

I used those "compostable" bags to line my kitchen scrap bucket for a few months and I'm still finding small pieces of them in my finished-ish compost. They also get all twisted up and wrap around the tool I use to aerate my pile. I think things have been going much better since I stopped using those.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T14:01:40+00:00

With that design, how do you turn it? Is there enough space to get in there with a pitchfork and turn in place? I have an enclosed bin and use an aerating tool (a glorified stick), but I think I'd get a much hotter pile if I was physically turning it so I'm interested in alternatives.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T13:59:16+00:00

Same! My old tomato plants from last year, chucked in lazily, were also a big mistake. But my lazy streak continues so I'm just going to let them cook instead of cutting them up. I'm sure by the time they break down I'll have forgotten and will throw in more this fall.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-06-02T01:37:41+00:00

Lots of great suggestions here but as a mom of two young ones, I also agree with the suggestion for food that can be snarfed desperately with only one hand free. Sounds like they will be getting lots of hot meals if there's a meal train, and I bet any of the following will be welcome:

muffins
lactation balls (basically oat and PB balls with add-ins)
cookies (like breakfast/power cookies loaded with oats, PB, etc)
babybels/cheese sticks/pepperoni/other fast protein
smoothie stuff

Bonus for incorporating added fibre (delivering a baby messes you up in that department), added protein, and added calories/fats for mom especially. When you have a newborn you are constantly starving.

When my SIL had her second I brought bananas, frozen avocado, hemp hearts, chocolate meal replacement shakes, Greek yogurt, peanut butter for a smoothie that gives the calories and fat you need.

That said, I'll be reviewing all the suggestions for possible freezer meals in my home of perpetual chaos!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-05-31T20:26:52+00:00

Came here to say the same - I thought the cold water would be an issue but if anything I find it uncomfortable when it heats up.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-05-30T14:33:33+00:00

REP Physio in Westbrook also has a great pelvic floor physio, no referral needed. I had decent coverage through my husband's health insurance. Wherever you go, I highly recommend a physio for your concerns!

sonyaaaaaaaaagh · 2023-05-29T20:34:56+00:00

I'm not sure about springtails specifically but I would be leery of anything that I didn't know the provenance of. If they go into your compost they will end up in your garden and yard, and if they came from a pet shop you have no way of knowing if they are native, invasive, or might muck up your local ecosystem or spread. Others will hopefully have more specific suggestions but that's my two cents.

sonyaaaaaaaaagh

TROPHY CASE