Not exactly the delicious, satisfying lunch I had in mind. If anything, it conjured more of a gag reflex than hunger pains. As I scraped the sorry remnants out of the pan, a series of flashbacks of prior mishaps appeared before my eyes. In reality, this panini pan has plagued me since the day it arrived. I didn’t return it after the first stick-tastic catastrophe, thinking it was just a fluke, or I was doing something wrong. A year later, I’ve determined there’s just no amount of grease sufficient to prevent this pan from destroying everything it touches. And, as you might expect, clean-up is – well, not a breeze. But I spent so much money on it…you know how it goes.

We all have them. Those appliances, gadgets or tools in the kitchen that we absolutely despise. Something we probably shelled out a good chunk of change to buy, with hopes of it transforming our culinary lives. Only to discover, once we put it to use, that it’s an utter horror to have around. Yet for some reason, you just can’t bear to throw it out.

As for me, I’m finally ready to admit defeat. I’m sending this pan off to my local Goodwill, complete with the residual PB&J crud I couldn’t free from its clutches, where some poor sap will undoubtedly discover it and think they’ve hit the thrift store jackpot. That is, until they get it home.

Please…tell me I’m not alone. Do you have any gadget wreckage cluttering up your kitchen? –Becki S.

Living in a city full of small spaces for big price tags has at times led me to scorn small-space living (remember my tiny bedroom, anyone?) but recently I’ve learned to value the unique challenges that frugal floor plans present. With the right furniture, some research and an inventive, enterprising attitude, anyone can make even the most miniscule space into a cozy, uncluttered haven. No one knows that better, perhaps, than Jay Shafer, owner of an 89 square foot home, and founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Purveyor of adorable box bungalows, portable homes and cottages ranging in size from 65-837 square feet, the company specializes in small space living without skimping on style, detail or functionality. Perfect as (very) tiny weekend homes, the units also boast footprints small enough for use as guest houses on an existing property, or, my personal favorite, as free-standing office or studio spaces like the ones we’ve been dreaming about. How cute are these? — Sarah C.

I’m always remarking how much safer I felt living in the city rather than the ‘burbs. On dark and stormy nights, I miss being in close proximity of other apartment dwellers and having only one point of entry into our home. I also miss sleeping in a 12-story brick building that I know can’t be toppled by a falling tree. This weekend we were figuratively blown away by an extremely rare October snow storm. It was cold, wet and dangerous: The still-green leaves clung to tree branches, catching the damp heavy clumps as they fell from the sky, adding tons of weight to branches. Isadora and I sat inside, watching the spectacle out of the windows. POP! Down a limb would come crashing, just missing our neighbor’s car. Luckily no serious damage was done, but now I can’t help but look at the massive oak tree in our front yard with trepidation. It seems criminal to chop down a tree that’s been around hundreds of years. How do you know when it’s time to say good-bye tree, hello chain saw? This slide show, How Safe Are Your Trees at iVillage, offers some handy assessment ideas. Be on the lookout for warning signs like dead branches, splits in the trunk or even mushrooms growing out of the roots. — Angela M.

Have you ever had property damage caused by falling limbs or trees? Share your horror stories here!

Image from iVillage/Getty

We spent a lovely day in Charleston, SC last week, admiring its historic churchyards, cobble stoned streets and shuttered row houses. Little did we expect to find such a mod decor idea there. At Kaminsky‘s downtown, the smell of wafting french roast mixed with baking cupcakes, while our eyes soaked in the these clever wall coverings. From across the dining room, they had a undulating texture that cast soft shadows in the morning sun glow. On closer inspection, we realized that this expensive looking treatment was really just rows of wall trim. The moulding that most homes use around the base or in decorative accents was glued onto the walls row after row, in creating a texture that was both organic and organized. Replicating the same effect in your home would not be too difficult; the hard part might be deciding your level of commitment. If you glued them on, it would be impossible to remove without destroying the wall. Another option would be to drill them on, and then spackle over the holes before painting. We’re thinking it’d be fun in a small room (like a half bath) or perhaps on just an accent wall. The white color used in Kaminsky’s allowed the shadows to take center stage, but it also might be interesting in a pale clay or grey. If you’re ever in Charleston, but sure to stop by 78 N. Market Street for a piece of red velvet cake and a look around. – Angela M.

The back yard at my house has always been a bit of a problem. Well, a disaster, really. It’s cloaked in full shade, and I have two dogs, which means that when the rainy season hits, we’re dealing with a (probably) malaria-ridden swamp pit for most of the winter. It also means I spent much, much, much too much time with my Swiffer, cleaning up all those muddy paw prints.

Finally, I’d had enough – and this summer, we decided to pave over it. Except that paving over a yard is expensive, and tricky. So, we went cheap and opted to install landscaping gravel instead. I was actually really nervous about how this would turn out, but after spotting these photos in Sunset Magazine, I had to give it a try. I had visions of an awful urban jungle, devoid of color and personality, but the end result is so fantastic, I can’t believe we didn’t do it sooner. The whole project took one day, and was under $500 to complete (including labor!). The new yard is so incredibly liberating – no more mowing, seeding, digging around in piles of mud. And it’s much prettier than I imagined, even calming. The borders are edged with soil, so we can plant a few shade-friendly plants around the perimeter, and the rest is totally, 100% maintenance-free. I can hardly wait to throw an outdoor rug underneath my patio table (which can finally come out of storage), and have a little end-of-summer barbecue to celebrate! The only down side I can think of is that one of my dogs isn’t so crazy about walking on the gravel (you can see her scoping out the situation in that photo). But she’s coping, and my other dog loves being able to lay on the warm gravel in the sun…so I’m calling it a trade-off.

Have you ever considered eliminating the grass from your yard? –Becki S.

I love to eat pasta and vegetable salads in the summer, but I hate to steam up my kitchen to make them. It seems so counter-productive (when the AC has been working hard to keep things cool) to leave a boiling pot on the stove. But then a friend of mine told me a little secret to making pasta in the summer that saves a little heat – turn the heat off once the water has come to a boil! This sounded pretty silly to me, but I thought I’d give it a try. Here’s what I did: brought 2 quarts of room-temperature water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil, added a box of medium-sized pasta shells, waited for the water to return to a boil then covered and turned off the heat. Ten minutes later I had perfect al dente pasta, with much-less-steamy kitchen! I would imagine this would work with most dried pastas (just add one minute of cooking time), but perhaps not fresh pasta where the rolling boil helps keep the noodles separated. Regardless, there’s a rotini and grilled vegetable pasta in my future. Give it a try! — Rebecca F.

Photo credit: Rebecca Firlik.

I don’t know about you guys, but this summer is kicking my butt. It’s hot in Chicago and, as the season marches on, the mercury continues to rise. Sure, I could spend all day in the air conditioned bliss of the movie theaters, but, eventually, I’ll have to venture out to the hot, steamy streets. I only wish I had some of this futuristic cooling foam from Japan. Hokkyoku Monogatari translates to “Tales of the North Pole” (hence the cartoon polar bear on the can) and is a foam that turns pliable and mold-able when sprayed. It acts as an ice pack and provides a five minute cool down- perfect for quick jaunts in between precious air conditioning. –- Katie D.

I absolutely adore this story I just read in the newsletter of a local Seattle salvage company, Second Use. When the salvage team removed a lintel, they found a note dated 1973 and addressed to “Future Man” from Jack Barbour, the man who originally worked on the space. The website doesn’t share the whole story, which is that Jack was a first-generation American from Belgium who passed away 20 years ago. Before moving west, my husband and I did a major home remodel, and we did in fact leave notes (in our case, written on the boards that were later covered by drywall) detailing how we literally put sweat, tears and blood into the project — a board fell on my husband’s head mid-construction that required stitches! I love the idea that in 20 years’ time, someone might uncover our hello. If you renovate, do you leave notes for your own “Future Man”? — Mary T.

Ok friends, here’s a challenge: try to rethink the way you do one commonplace task. That has been my mission lately, and I’ve had a few revelations. The first, and most obvious, has been that just because appliance instructions say to do something, doesn’t mean it’s a steadfast rule (unless it’s for safety reasons). For example – let’s take the clothes dryer. I air-dry the majority of my laundry with the exception of a few things, and those things get tossed in the dryer on Auto/High for 30 minutes.That’s just what I do, and have always done. But, what if I didn’t? What if I tried another setting? I know, crazy. But what I’ve discovered is that I don’t need to use that high setting to get good results. I’ve actually found that using the “delicates” setting (which is less hot than the “auto” setting) dries equally as well, and in some cases, results in softer clothes. I didn’t realize that the highest dryer setting was actually toasting my clothes and making them feel a little crispy! With the exception of my thickest bath mats, the delicates setting has worked just fine for a medium-sized load of laundry, and I bet even saves a little energy to boot. What everyday tasks can you rethink? — Rebecca F.

Image courtesy of flickr user Aurimas Rimsa.

Last week, Angela asked for help solving the issue she was having with squirrels rummaging around in her porch planters, and many of you suggested using cayenne pepper to deter the digging. At my house, our biggest problem involved squirrels poaching birdseed from the feeder and scaring the birds. We solved this with a squirrel baffle years ago, and we considered our pest issues solved, that is until a black bear lumbered into the backyard last week and bent the birdfeeder (steel pole and everything) in half. Needless to say, we had a birdfeeder-heavy Father’s Day at my house. While bears aren’t a normal occurrence or your typical garden pest, we would get a stray bear or two every few years in my hometown in New Jersey growing up and it got me thinking. Usually our biggest pests were squirrels, rabbits, garbage-crazed raccoons and the occasional misguided skunk, but we did have to mind the occasional bear. At my aunt’s in Arizona, her biggest problems involve coyotes drowning in the pool. Each region seems to have its own pest issues, and some that wouldn’t occur to me growing up on the Northeast, so do tell: What kinds of pests issues do you have in your neck of the woods, and how do you keep them at bay? – Sarah C.

In this photo: Flickr member [Christine]’s birdfeeder met its demise at the hands of a bear