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Re: What to do for 3 days in Chicago with a 3 year old? - 6 years ago

If you want to stay closer to Downers Grove, check these out: DuPage Children's Museum: Morton Arboretum Children's Garden: Sarah

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Blooz, can you relate to this? - 6 years ago

I live next to Springfield, right off of 91 near the CT border and it still seems hard for Boston/Cape folks to figure out where it is. It's also close to where the Mass Pike meets 91, so it shouldn't be confusing! Then again, I grew up in central CT and we took 91 north to go camping and skiing in the Berkshires and Vermont so I spent a lot of time looking out the window when driving through the

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Reccomended wine for September wedding-suggestions please - 6 years ago

I would consider boxed wine for a great balance of cost and quality. While red would go best with steaks or burgers, I would also offer a white. These wines should be available in the midwest: Bota Box Cabernet - Bota Box Malbec - Bota Box Pinot Grigio - Black Box Sauvignon Blanc - Sarah

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: USPS package from eBay likely stolen. Next steps? - 6 years ago

Had that happen once. I'd made the purchase with Amex so called them and they refunded my money under a purchase protection program. They didn't do a chargeback. Does your card offer something similar?

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Is the Nest worth it? - 6 years ago

Just want to mention that we got a $100 rebate per thermostat from our power company so it's not like we didn't get a deal or anything! Also, forgot to mention another issue. There is no way to receive an alert if the Nest service has been unable to reach the thermostat after number of hours, meaning that it might be powered down and no longer controlling your HVAC. Mike investigated their A

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Is the Nest worth it? - 6 years ago

I would proceed with caution. We got our first two Nests in 2011 and loved them! They worked together well, the software seemed great, and everything worked well. We even bought a few more for a vacation home. For years, nothing much changed (there was one major software update) and they did the job. Sure there were quirks and a few features that we wished we had, but we figured they'd address th

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Speaking of hardwoods - 7 years ago

Have you looked into screening and refinishing? Can't tell for sure if you are a candidate without pics, but it might be all you need... No, it probably won't match but a perfect match is elusive.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: payroll software - 7 years ago

I've had several nannies and also run payroll for our small business. I know that $240 per year *sounds* expensive, but I honestly think it's worth it. It's not just calculating a paycheck, but submitting the correct forms to the correct folks, electronically transmitting money to the proper entities (no one takes checks, so you'd have to log into multiple sites to accomplish this), and having so

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: 9.3 Bricked iPhone: UPDATE - 7 years ago

I feel your pain! I had this happen with a software update to my 4S about three years ago. My phone would hang right after boot (wouldn't even make it to the activation step). This was extra stressful, because I was a fool and upgraded right before I left for a trip. As soon as I arrived at my destination I headed straight to an Apple Store and they gave me quite the runaround, saying that it

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: So What Are We Doing For Razors Now? - 7 years ago

I'm really happy with Dorco, as is the husband. We also wait for sales and stock up. Prefer the 2-3 blade models, not the 5-6 ones, as they seem to lead to ingrown hairs.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: High-quality bed sheets - 7 years ago

Yeah, pillow slips all over so traction is an issue but the Costco ones are also mysteriously cold, like the opposite of flannel sheets. They just don't feel soft exactly, they are slick. Over time they haven't gotten softer, either.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Latex Mattress Topper? - 7 years ago

Latex bed person here. As long as your bed provides a firm, even foundation (no sagging or body impressions to overcome), a latex topper will make a big difference and could give your bed a total makeover. Keep in mind that latex can sleep a little hotter than a traditional mattress and it's hard to pin down the differences between firm/medium/soft for different companies in addition to dunlop vs

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: High-quality bed sheets - 7 years ago

Seconding The Company Store percale sheets. They have some new pima percale sheets that I'm sure are amazing but I don't need new sheets. I love Costco but their sateen sheets are slippery and not my favorite. They are inexpensive (relatively) and come with four pillowcases, which is awesome, but they are my third choice to my Company Store sheets. My first choice is a random organic sheet set I

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: External USB Time Machine drive is AWOL - 7 years ago

Try a different cable, then a different USB port, then a different enclosure.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: CCC questions - 7 years ago

I'm late to the party, but we have a longish blog post about progress indication. Hit me with any questions. Sarah

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Speaking of LED's... (any affordable 3 way LED's?) - 7 years ago

I've been trying out this one. Seems fine so far but paid $20 for one. Hasn't failed but hoping it won't since other Philips have been solid performers. Needless to say, the other 3-way lamp still has an incandescent for comparison. And, yes, I have a problem with wanting to compare and evaluate LED lighting. I admit it. Philips 453340 3 Way Bulb LED Light Bulb 5W/9W/20W (40W/60W/100W) Soft Wh

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Talking about LEDs - 7 years ago

I have a ton of LEDs of different types and brands. I have 14 Cree recessed LED downlight retrofits (all on dimmers) that have been in for 1 1/2-2 years, 10 more that have been in one year, and a 20 or so Philips and Cree LED A19 bulbs (all different generations going back 3 years). I live on the MA/CT border and the bulbs are heavily subsidized by the utilities so I've been buying them for $7 or

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Trying to get a BBC show - willing to pay but can't find a way to get it! - 7 years ago

Thanks for all the advice! I learned about some new things. @JEBB - We've watched the adult bake off on PBS but our kids want to see the kids' one and it hasn't ever aired in the US.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Trying to get a BBC show - willing to pay but can't find a way to get it! - 7 years ago

This holiday break we've been watching "The Great British Baking Show" (aka "The Great British Bake Off" on BBC) on Netflix and PBS with the kids. They love it so I did some digging and there are four more seasons that ran on BBC but there is a "Junior Bake Off" show that I'd *really* love to get my hands on. Junior Bake Off is available on the UK iTunes store but no

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: PSA: rsync trailing slash - 7 years ago

CCC uses our own, highly customized version of rsync, fwiw. Not the vanilla build. -s

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Lobsters for Christmas? The Euros slow buying. Are there deals here? - 7 years ago

Prices have been pretty steady at the Cape Cod fish markets - maybe down a dollar or two a pound - even in the offseason. I've seen $9-$11/lb depending upon weight. The lobsters are all very local and direct-from-the-boat so maybe they are protecting prices? Not sure...

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: hey cheapskates! where should i buy diapers? - 7 years ago

I've done both disposable and cloth and in my opinion, modern cloth all-in-ones were the cheapest and easiest. My oldest was all disposable, and blew out and leaked out of every diaper we could throw at him, be it store brand, Costco brand, top-of-the-line. Which meant we had to wash peed on or pooped on clothing pretty much every day, without a system for it, feeling like it was contaminating o

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: I would like a new French Door fridge, but... - 7 years ago

Had a bigger Samsung floor model with ice/water in the door and loved it. Bought a smaller LG without ice/water because it fit a particular space and it cooled unevenly (had a thermometer to confirm) and was just *loud*. So, based on two fridges, I'd say get the Samsung with the options you want.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Transfer 2011 to 2012 Mac Mini - 7 years ago

Transferring drives should work. From our support docs: If your "new" Mac is just different, but not really hot off the lines, then cloning another Mac to the new Mac may work fine. When cloning your source Mac to your new Mac, be sure that your source Mac has been updated to at least one later release than what came on the newer Mac. For example, if your newer Mac came with 10.9.3,

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Announcing the newest member of my family / c-section recovery advice - 7 years ago

Congrats! My first was a C and it wasn't the easiest recovery. I did lose a lot of blood, and couldn't get up and about for at least 24 hours, probably closer to 36-48. That said, I remember trying to walk to the back of a Barnes & Noble two weeks later (baby was early and I wanted to get a baby book) and I was so exhausted I couldn't believe it. Walking back to the car was even worse. So

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Anyone see any useful info in this crash report? - 7 years ago

Put in a help request through CCC's Help menu, be sure to include your logs, and Mike will check it tomorrow. The queue is pretty full but he should be able to get to it before the end of the day. I am not great at looking at logs (it's not my area any longer) but CCC will grab the system log in addition to CCC logs. Sarah

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Clone to SSD Smaller than Source HD: OK? - 7 years ago

Yup, totally normal. Sarah

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: WD Mybook woes - 7 years ago

Does your computer have native USB3?

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Kindle/public library loan question - 7 years ago

The Overdrive version, when selecting Kindle as the format.

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals

Re: Kindle/public library loan question - 7 years ago

The Amazon account name doesn't have to match the library card holder's name. I have loaded many books checked out on my son's card to my Amazon account without any problem. (I have also done so with books from my mom's library account and we don't even have the same last name...) Just log out of your Amazon account and into hers and then "check out" the Overdrive book. (Unless you alre

by FormerlySaleenl - Tips and Deals