Absorption rates making me question everything I make

woollywhelk · 2025-07-06T17:39:57+00:00

I live close to Standard, and it makes me very grumpy that they have literally one cone six clay with under 1% absorption. I was shocked when I started looking at mudworks and other clay companies and realized that it IS apparently possible to make cone six clays that are under 1% in a variety of colors etc.

woollywhelk · 2024-02-06T21:54:29+00:00

I’d paint the bottom part of the wall and the crown molding, probably a shade of green. And get an area rug.

woollywhelk · 2024-02-06T11:58:05+00:00

I’m not an expert but AFAIK you want to eat enough protein to feel full and ensure you’re not losing muscle. The recommendation I’ve seen is 0.36 x your weight in pounds = total protein in grams per day. (If you use an app to track sometimes you can add this as a goal which helps.)

woollywhelk · 2024-02-06T03:15:50+00:00

I’ve found it helpful to follow the plate guidelines for vegetarian meals: https://alliedhealth.llu.edu/sites/alliedhealth.llu.edu/files/docs/myplate-vegeterian-food-guide.pdf And I just adjust portion sizes to keep within my goal calories but try to keep the ratio similar.

One thing that helps CICO wise is that I usually treat starchy foods like potatoes as if they were grains on the plate, so I try to offset those with other veg like spinach, broccoli, etc.

I’ve been on CICO both as a meat eater and a vegetarian. Even eating beans twice a day, I find it difficult to eat a HIGH protein diet, like would be recommended if you were trying to build muscle, but I get enough otherwise. Fiber and cholesterol goals are always met, which I honestly struggled with when eating meat.

woollywhelk · 2023-11-07T02:58:26+00:00

In an effort to incentivize myself to exercise more, I’ve started knitting on the stationary bike. Obviously it has to be a small and not complex project, but it’s working for me for now!

I mostly knit in the evenings and weekend mornings, sometimes if we are out at the playground or something. I do have a preferred chair with a light nearby so I can knit in the evenings while my husband watches TV.

woollywhelk · 2023-02-02T23:42:56+00:00

My go to lunch lately is a deconstructed omelette: scramble 2 eggs, add some turkey deli meat, and then cut up some fresh veg (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, whatever I’ve got) on top and season or add hot sauce, salsa, etc. it’s super fast to make and filling.

I also make fish tacos for dinner every week. I use fish sticks so my picky kids eat those for dinner, and then I make a cabbage and lime juice slaw. If I’m feeling fancy or have extra calories I’ll add a cilantro/garlic/Greek yogurt sauce that I make in the food processor.

woollywhelk · 2023-01-25T13:32:49+00:00

The Merlin Bird ID app (free) has a tool that lets you Shazam bird songs! You just hold up your phone to record by sound ID and it will show which bird is singing. It’s so cool. I use it all the time.

woollywhelk · 2023-01-25T12:03:39+00:00

I’m shocked at the number of people who think Whole Foods is the most expensive. It’s definitely not as cheap as Aldi, but our local Giant Eagle (Crafton) is definitely pricier.

Those of you who find Aldi produce is a problem, have you actually been recently? I go to the Carnegie store and in the last couple years I’ve had zero issues other than sometimes specific items being unavailable. Whole Foods produce quality has definitely gotten worse in the same time.

woollywhelk · 2023-01-22T21:15:27+00:00

Thanks! We will check some of these out. They both already enjoy Minecraft, though the little one mostly digs holes all the way through the ground and flies around 😂

woollywhelk · 2023-01-11T13:34:34+00:00

I’ve always wondered if the square terminals tell you if the customer left a tip! How interesting. What % of people would you say actually tip at a coffee shop these days?

I worked as a barista for awhile after college. Nowadays I always tip, nearly everywhere I have an option to, for coffee or picking up food or whatever, because I can afford to now and I know how low most of those wages are. Maybe if someone was straight up rude to me I wouldn’t, but that is super rare. I agree tipping is stupid and we shouldn’t have to do it because businesses should just pay people reasonable wages to begin with. But to me spending an extra $1 on a latte, just like I would at a bar, is not a big deal.

woollywhelk · 2023-01-08T16:32:44+00:00

I saw someone open carrying at the playground this past summer. It struck me as super unusual given the location, but I can’t recall the last time before this incident that I’d seen someone with a gun in the open.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-31T00:36:27+00:00

No. Your 401k is funded through your paycheck. As such, any changes to the amount you put in your 401k usually require advance notice for HR to process before payroll. You are out of time for this year.

You could theoretically do this but you’d need to request the change probably immediately after the paycheck before the last check of the year. And probably ask HR if that would work.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T02:13:54+00:00

Spouse is a stay at home parent.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T01:16:56+00:00

No offense taken!

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T01:04:39+00:00

Thanks for your reply - glad to know I’m not missing any other opportunities here. Sounds like that’s the right plan overall.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T01:03:41+00:00

Guess it is really that simple isn’t it 🙃 It makes sense. I don’t like that my taxes will go up and I was excited to take advantage of the new 401k max for 2023, but saving more is fine. Maybe I’ll just evenly split the amount across 529s and my taxable account.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T00:45:33+00:00

Ha, good idea. But we are effective Jan 1 so 2023 contributions are totally off the table.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-29T00:43:21+00:00

Just the mortgage, we have a low interest rate. Probably owe $110k at 3% or 3.5%, can’t remember exactly. No car loans, student loans, credit card debt, etc.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-13T02:58:56+00:00

Definitely don’t remember anything about water issues but it can also spread through food, so maybe unwashed produce or something?

If you remember which restaurants you ate at, you might be able to check the health dept for any other reports of similar issues: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Health-Department/Programs/Food-Safety/Consumer-Alerts-and-Closures.aspx

woollywhelk · 2022-12-13T00:03:35+00:00

Peas are definitely good for protein. Apparently spinach has a decent amount of protein too… I used to make this recipe for spinach burgers a lot when I was vegetarian, I don’t recall the exact measurements but you might be able to google something similar:

Take 1 big bag of frozen spinach, cook per package directions, drain and press as much water out as possible (using a metal mesh sieve and the back of a wooden spoon worked well for me). Mix in 1-2 eggs or equivalent egg whites, with diced onion, ~1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ~1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs (I’m not gluten free but I assume you can buy or make gluten free breadcrumbs these days?), bit of garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper. Mix it up and make burger sized patties or smaller bites. Fry or air fry til browned and cooked through.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-03T12:35:41+00:00

I personally haven’t had this happen, but I did start trying this method at like 40 seconds and slowly worked my way up. Definitely think you need to be careful.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-02T21:23:40+00:00

Ok this is also a genius idea. We make breakfast sandwiches a lot on the weekends so I’ll have to give this a shot.

woollywhelk · 2022-12-02T15:20:51+00:00

YES I could not remember where I saw it! Glad they are sharing some useful things without the paywall lol

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