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Re: Using high efficiency tide in a non HE washer?
you just need to use a little more in a regular machine ...
you just need to use a little more in a regular machine
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Re: Where to buy inexpensive glass punch bowl?
Definitely check a thrift store, there are always punch bowls at my local one, and you will get one that is much better quality than...
Definitely check a thrift store, there are always punch bowls at my local one, and you will get one that is much better quality than a Superstore cheapy.
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Re: Anyone selling their house right now?
Sunshinemom, I sent you a message on FB! Update from us, still nothing on our house in Winnipeg. Our agent is a total idiot and...
Sunshinemom, I sent you a message on FB!
Update from us, still nothing on our house in Winnipeg. Our agent is a total idiot and I would love to fire him. It seems he knows nothing about how things work and has no idea about marketing other than lowering the price!
Our trip to Victoria was great and we bought a house! It's really nice but near the top of our budget so we can't afford to lower our price here in Winnipeg much more, we dropped it $10,000 last Sunday and will be taking offers again tomorrow if anything comes in. We are under the gun though and need to have the place sold by June 15th or our deal in Victoria falls through.
I just don't know what more we can do, we had to tell our agent to have an open house this weekend, he wasn't going to and since the price drop there were only 2 more showings... it's really frusterating. I think our house is very fairly priced compared to other places and other than dropping the price there isn't much more we can do than wait and pray.
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Re: Our New Deck *PICS*
looks great! ...
looks great!
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Re: Anyone selling their house right now?
Well our offer date came and went and we got nothing. I can't believe it, the market is hot here but our house is in...
Well our offer date came and went and we got nothing. I can't believe it, the market is hot here but our house is in a bit of a higher price range, not really something that can be bought on one income so there are fewer qualified buyers. The open house was great and brought in 85 groups but those were all just nosey people, coming to snoop - what a nightmare. So now we are just waiting. We had about 7 showings on the weekend, no offers yet but apparently some who are thinking about it. I know it will sell but I just wish it was over, so tired of cleaning and recleaning and poor ds can't really play with his toys, it sucks. We won't drop our price though, every agent that has been through says the price is right, just need to find someone with the means to buy.
On a fun note, we are off to Victoria on Thurs to buy our new house - that's the fun part!
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Re: Semi-Detached (duplex) home questions
Thanks for this post, I asked on FB and the convo went off on a tangent! LOL We are also looking at a newly build...
Thanks for this post, I asked on FB and the convo went off on a tangent! LOL We are also looking at a newly build semi-detached as we will only be in this home for 2-5 years. I think it might be the right choice for us.
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Re: New Mattress
Sleep Country. ...
Sleep Country.
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Re: Anyone selling their house right now?
Rinstah, it is going to kill me to leave the house we brought both our babies home to. ODS took his first steps in this...
Rinstah, it is going to kill me to leave the house we brought both our babies home to. ODS took his first steps in this living room and YDS loves to cat nap in his seat by our big west facing bay window in the afternoon. But alas we have to go. So we do.

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Re: Anyone selling their house right now?
Update on us, we are in the throws of showing, we went on the market on Thurs and had 5 showings, 4 on Friday, an...
Update on us, we are in the throws of showing, we went on the market on Thurs and had 5 showings, 4 on Friday, an open house today that had 18 groups come through and an open house and showings from 1 - 5 tomorrow. I told the agent nothing after 5 tomorrow, we need some normalcy. Now this week I'm sure we will see all the 2nd looks and hope for some solid offers on Thursday. I can't wait for it to be over!
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Re: Outdated house in older neighbourhood or New house
Location, location, location. The house in the established neighbourhood will be more valuable when your renos are done. ...
Location, location, location. The house in the established neighbourhood will be more valuable when your renos are done.
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Childcare options - so frustrating!!
My ODS is in a centre and has been from the time I went back to work at 12months. We put our names on the...
My ODS is in a centre and has been from the time I went back to work at 12months. We put our names on the list when I was about 7months pregnant and I called/emailed a couple of times throughout my mat leave. We were told that it likely wouldn't happen and so we found a dayhome spot but a month before I went back to work we got a call from the centre that they had a spot for us - so we cancelled the dayhome. We had to start paying for the centre a couple of weeks early but that's ok, it allowed us to transition and it has been great.
So just a little story to say that sometimes it does workout and you do get the spot but for sure make sure to call a couple of times just to see where you are on the list and let them know you are very interested in supporting the centre any way that you can once your child is there. We are lucky in MB that centres take infants at 6m.
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Re: What color would you paint this book shelf?
i was going to say the teal too ...
i was going to say the teal too
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Re: Anyone selling their house right now?
We are selling right now too - I also have an 11 week old baby and a toddler. It sucks balls. I have been going...
We are selling right now too - I also have an 11 week old baby and a toddler. It sucks balls. I have been going flat out all day as much as I can decluttering organizing and cleaning. You have no idea how much stuff you have until you have to clean up. In our area it is a sellers market and houses show for a week to 10 days and then you take offers, often resulting in mutliple offers over asking price with few conditions. So we are really hoping it all goes quickly. We are listed but don't start showing until Thursday and then will have two open houses on the weekend and offers presented Thursday. Really hoping to at least get asking as we are moving to Victoria where prices are nuts.
Good for us is that our neighbour listed this week too(we had no idea) his house is very similar to ours but he is listed for 100K more than us... and he is taking offers before us. So we are thinking it will work to our advantage. Anyone who looks at his house will likely think it is over priced and show interest in ours.
But this cleaning and keeping it clean is going to be a nightmare.
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Re: Any ideas(UPDATE BELOW) painting out Fireplace
in the meantime, you should panit the mantel/shelf, it looks terribly out of place with the white. ...
in the meantime, you should panit the mantel/shelf, it looks terribly out of place with the white.
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Re: Nail Holes and Wall Conditions when moving
Yeah, not something I worry about when moving. I also tend to leave things that might cause damage if removed (like curtain rods) ...
Yeah, not something I worry about when moving. I also tend to leave things that might cause damage if removed (like curtain rods)
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Re: Tiny Kitchen Help! *with pics & floorplan*
I was going to suggest some sort of buffet, hutch, cabinet, sideboard (whatever you call it)to the right of the patio doors. Then you can...
I was going to suggest some sort of buffet, hutch, cabinet, sideboard (whatever you call it)to the right of the patio doors. Then you can store some of your less used items over there. That, together with an island and baskets up top would give you plenty of space.
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Re: Buying a bicycle
Oh I will be watching too - we are moving from Winnipeg to Victoria and we are getting bikes. We have already bought a trailer...
Oh I will be watching too - we are moving from Winnipeg to Victoria and we are getting bikes. We have already bought a trailer to haul the kids but we need bikes. I think what I want is a hybrid.... but besides that I'm not sure what else I should look at.
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Re: Would you change this colour?
Oh no, I don't care about staging - I am talking about repaiting/ new curtain for his new bedroom at the new place. ...
Oh no, I don't care about staging - I am talking about repaiting/ new curtain for his new bedroom at the new place.
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Re: Would you change this colour?
It is too long, this is before I hemmed it What kind / colour of curtain? ...
It is too long, this is before I hemmed it

What kind / colour of curtain?
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Would you change this colour?
This is ODS's big boy room. We painted it as the guest room when I was pregnant with him and he moved in there last...
This is ODS's big boy room. We painted it as the guest room when I was pregnant with him and he moved in there last year when we took the nursery back for baby DS. It is BM Gossamar Blue - it took me a very long time to find just the right blue that wasn't babyish or obnoxious. But we are moving and will likely repaint, he will have the same room set up in our new place. Also, should I keep the green curtain or something else?


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Re: Tips on cleaning/organizing for sale with kids?
Thanks ladies! We had a big garage sale on the weekend, made $435 and took a whole car load to the Value Village so we...
Thanks ladies!
We had a big garage sale on the weekend, made $435 and took a whole car load to the Value Village so we have done a lot of purging... but there is still more that I am going to get rid of - plus junk that can go in the garbage.
I like the idea of the emergency box and taking it with us. Like you Humber, we should be sold in about 4-6 days, that's just the way the market is here - showings, offers, done - definitely a seller's market.
I think with the cosleeper, we will take it down for the open house but leave it if people are coming in the evening. We are also still toying with the idea of staying with my sister the weekend of the open house.
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Tips on cleaning/organizing for sale with kids?
We are selling our house ASAP and I have until Saturday to get it picture ready and then a couple of days to get it...
We are selling our house ASAP and I have until Saturday to get it picture ready and then a couple of days to get it totally ready for showing and open house - the glitch, I have a newborn (11 wks) and a very wild 3 year old.
My plan for the week is decluttering, purging and cleaning every room, I also have a couple of walls to paint and the carpet cleaners are coming on Friday. After that I hope we can do the deeper cleaning like the fridge, pantry, cupboards and closets. But how do I keep it clean? Will it be easier once it is organized? There is always going to be toys and laundry and dishes to deal with.
Also, how do you show your house with things in it that you can't live without? Mainly I am concerned with our co-sleeper (snugged up against the bed) and the swing. I guess I am going to have to take them down and put them somewhere every time someone comes over but man, what a PITA. Also, where can you "hide" some things when all areas are under scrutiny? Typically you can throw stuff in a closet and not worry about it but when people will be looking in there - what can I do?
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Re: Moving into a 'New' Resale home - questions
Kitchen for sure! That is the one spot you will want to unpack asap. Bathroom doesn't really have a lot of stuff to unpack so...
Kitchen for sure! That is the one spot you will want to unpack asap. Bathroom doesn't really have a lot of stuff to unpack so you can do it after. Carpets in the first week but after the move in.
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Re: If you go shopping...
Just use your credit card - your credit card company will give you the posted rate for the day - no extra fees. Also the...
Just use your credit card - your credit card company will give you the posted rate for the day - no extra fees. Also the new amounts are not in effect yet.
When we go, as a couple plus small kid we usually spend close to $1,000 for the weekend - that's 2nights hotel, meals, gas and shopping.
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What's the verdict on slivers
DS had one last summer that I didn't really know he had and it turned into a big hard pussy thing that I have to...
DS had one last summer that I didn't really know he had and it turned into a big hard pussy thing that I have to hold him down to pop and dig the splinter out - it wasn't fun!
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Pre-school co-op?
Just wondering if there is anyone who takes part in a pre-school co-op. We are moving and right now my ODS is in FT daycare....
Just wondering if there is anyone who takes part in a pre-school co-op.
We are moving and right now my ODS is in FT daycare. When we move we obviously won't have childcare anymore and I know he needs some sort of socialization. I see that there is a pre-school co-op in our prospective new area and think this would be a great option to keep costs down and meet new parents in the area. With my DH working shiftwork it will be easy enough to find the few hours a month to contribute (he can watch YDS or he can do a shift too).
Anyone have any insight? do you do it and love it? did you try it and hate it?
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Re: Home appraisal vs market evaluation
Thanks tweet, that makes sense. I honestly think it will be very close to what our agent has already done as he pulled all the...
Thanks tweet, that makes sense. I honestly think it will be very close to what our agent has already done as he pulled all the comparables in the area. The market is hot in Winnipeg right now so pretty much anything sells for more than it should - it's Winnipeg for crying out loud! LOL
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Home appraisal vs market evaluation
We are moving this summer with the military and the relocation service they use requires a home appraisal. Just wondering what what the real difference...
We are moving this summer with the military and the relocation service they use requires a home appraisal. Just wondering what what the real difference is btwn that and a market evaluation. We are pretty confident about what our home is worth in this market and already have an idea of what we will list it for based on a market evaluation done by our relator.
Is the appraisal just needed for the relocation company, just a standard practice incase you can't sell your house? It will be done by someone completely separate from our real estate agent.
So how does an appraisal factor into the sale of your house? Also, how important is it to have little things done before the appraiser comes (like painting, staging, deep cleaning)?
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Re: Organ Donation!
Agree!! I have made it very clear to any and all family members that if anything can be used it should be. I feel really...
Agree!! I have made it very clear to any and all family members that if anything can be used it should be. I feel really strongly about this too.
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Re: Just got really bad news...need to tell somebody
So sorry to hear this. I will keep you in my prayers, hoping they caught it early and that treatment will be quick and effective....
So sorry to hear this. I will keep you in my prayers, hoping they caught it early and that treatment will be quick and effective. Sending you big hugs and lots of strength for you to beat this.
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Does anyone drive an Equinox?
Thanks! thats great to know! ...
Thanks! thats great to know!
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Does anyone drive an Equinox?
We are still searching for a vehicle and are seriously considering an Equinox. I am just hoping to hear the good and bad from people...
We are still searching for a vehicle and are seriously considering an Equinox. I am just hoping to hear the good and bad from people who drive it. We also need the back seat to fit two carseats and a bum on occassion - have you done it?
I never thought I would want to drive a Chevy, but they get great reviews from Consumer Reports and LemonAid and I have a good friend who sells Chevys and would get us a great deal so I would love to hear more - is this a good vehicle for a family of 4 (sometimes 5)?
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Re: Tell me about Victoria area
Where the hell is bay street? LOL If he works at the base is he going to have to cross it regardless of where we...
Where the hell is bay street? LOL If he works at the base is he going to have to cross it regardless of where we are? Really it's going to depend what is available on the one week we get to come out and buy a house! Oy! Not looking forward to that part.
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3 year old bedtime/sleep troubles
Ugh Nikki, I feel you. DH went and laid with him tonight and he was out in 10 minutes, we have the little airmatress set...
Ugh Nikki, I feel you. DH went and laid with him tonight and he was out in 10 minutes, we have the little airmatress set up beside the bed and if he comes in we will let him sleep there.
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3 year old bedtime/sleep troubles
ODS moved to his big boy bed in November and was really good, would go to sleep after a story without a fuss and stay...
ODS moved to his big boy bed in November and was really good, would go to sleep after a story without a fuss and stay in there all night.
He had a baby 2 months ago and ODS also decided to get rid of his soother about 3 weeks ago - and now sleep has gone to crap... it's bad, the 2 month old sleeps better!
ODS will scream and cry and use every excuse in the book not to go to bed, we will spend at least an hour walking him back into his room - all the while listening to him howl about something (last night was "I need my Daddy, I need my Daddy") - we have tried comforting him, ignoring him, rationalizing with him - nothing works until he is just exhausted. Last night I finally told him I was going to get rid of his easter basket and tell the easter bunny not to come if he didn't get to sleep.
Also, he is waking up all.night.long. Last night he was in our room 4 times. I can see that he wants to come in there b/c DH, YDS and I are all in there - so he feels left out, but I just can't deal with him in the bed, it's just not big enough for 3 of us (YDS is in a beside the bed co-sleeper).
I just don't know how to make this stop. I am up at all hours nursing the baby, DH needs his sleep as he has to drive a car and carry a gun all day - something's gotta give here.
I have a little blowup airbed that I was thinking i could put on the floor in our room and if he really wants to sleep in there then he can... and just hope that if he does it a couple of nights the novelty will wear off and he can get back to his bed.
Any ideas? I'm pretty AP so i can't just let him howl for hours or lock him out of our room - we coslept with him alot when he was little so I'm sure it's a regression/ attention thing.
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Joint accounts
If you have a joint account with your SO, did you have to open a new account together or were you able to add each...
If you have a joint account with your SO, did you have to open a new account together or were you able to add each other to your account and get a second card.
Sorry if this is stupid, we only have a joint savings account and we are really hoping we can just add DH to my account (b/c it has no banking fees but maybe it's not that simple).
Enlighten me!
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Re: Shoes for a mom
Thanks ladies, I think I will get the Naturalizer ones. When I need to wear socks I can wear running shoes - the sketchers really...
Thanks ladies, I think I will get the Naturalizer ones. When I need to wear socks I can wear running shoes - the sketchers really are just runners. Done deal!
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Shoes for a mom
*can I even post this here? I'm on mat leave right now and need to get some easy slip on shoes, I feel I everytime...
*can I even post this here?
I'm on mat leave right now and need to get some easy slip on shoes, I feel I everytime we are going to go out I look at the shoe rack and nothing seems like it works for what I am wearing. I have dressy shoes (from work) and have runners but nothing in between.
I wear yoga pants a lot (taking the kids to the park, dropping DS at daycare) and then when i go out for lunch and such I tend to wear leggings (black ones or denim ones). I also like to be able to wear socks, I'm terribly prone to blisters.
SO what is "in" for shoes and what is comfortable enough that I could walk a little ways in them?
Toms (could I wear these with yoga pants and socks? these would be ok with leggings right? can I walk a ways in them?)
Or something like this from Naturalizer (at least then I know they would be comfy?)

Or what about Skechers? Could you wear these with leggings or would these only be ok with yoga pants?

I know this is a little rambly but please tell me what is most fashionable/ acceptable.
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Re: Best soy/rice/almond etc milk substitute?
DH also prefer's the Silk to any of the others. ...
DH also prefer's the Silk to any of the others.
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Guess What Ali Did???
YAY!!! Congrats Ali!! ...
YAY!!! Congrats Ali!!
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Re: Jobs for ex-SAHMs
Hotel or spa reception, casino (dealer, cashier, housekeeping, customer service, F&B) etc etc. ...
Hotel or spa reception, casino (dealer, cashier, housekeeping, customer service, F&B) etc etc.
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Re: Where Can I Buy Round Pretzels?
Aww I'm not on pinterest, can you share the link? Are those kisses in the middle or chocolate eggs? ...
Aww I'm not on pinterest, can you share the link? Are those kisses in the middle or chocolate eggs?
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Making a chalkboard
Just wondering if anyone has made a decorative chalkboard. I got a large frame at the thrift today and plan to turn it into a...
Just wondering if anyone has made a decorative chalkboard. I got a large frame at the thrift today and plan to turn it into a menu board in my kitchen.
I need to get a piece of wood or MDF to put inside. Can I get it cut somewhere? Like if I buy it from Rona can I get it cut down to size?
What about chalkboard paint? What brand do you recommend? Where can I get it? Michael's?
In the end I hope to have something like this:

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Re: Tell me about Victoria area
Ok is there something wrong with living in Langford or Colwood? Zolly - where did you go? ...
Ok is there something wrong with living in Langford or Colwood? Zolly - where did you go?
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Re: Do you keep something on your dining room table?
A napkin holder and the S&P grinders. ...
A napkin holder and the S&P grinders.
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Chairs for my new table *fixed pic
I bought the table I was in love with today (yay for a perfectly timed sale) but now I need to find some chairs. Currently...
I bought the table I was in love with today (yay for a perfectly timed sale) but now I need to find some chairs.

Currently we have a expidite shelf used as a sideboard (this is an old picture but you can see we have wine glasses hung in it etc)*please note, this is not the room it will go in - we are moving and the new place will be less formal looking - this is from before we had kids!

The goal is to be able to seat 8 at the table if needed which will be totally doable with normal sized chairs, but nothing oversized. We also have kids (hence the need for a new table, ODS trashed the other one) and we will have a highchair and a booster strapped to the seats, so I don't want cloth and not even leather. I was thinking to get chairs that match the sideboard to tie it together.
Perhaps these from Ikea (the colour would be exactly the same as the sideboard)

or maybe these from sears

(I actually would have bought chairs similar to this from Urban Barn but they didn't have 6 in stock :()
or maybe I should put the highchair and booster on our old chairs and get 6 like this:

Ok opinions and other options welcome. We will likely wait until we buy the house to buy the chairs but I do want to sortof get an idea now so I can keep any eye out for sales or styles.
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How big is your house?
Right now we live in a 4 bedroom house with 3 bathrooms and a finished basement with a rec room. We have two kids and...
Right now we live in a 4 bedroom house with 3 bathrooms and a finished basement with a rec room. We have two kids and a step-child who only visits once a year (he is on the other side of the country). Our current house is a 1350sq ft bungalow with another 1350sq ft in the basement with the rec room, 3pc bathroom, a huge bedroom and 2 storage rooms.
We are likely moving in the next bit and are wondering if we can make due with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. When DSS comes to visit I'm sure he can bunk with MDS so I'm not worried about it but I have other concerns.
1. Where do you put guests when they come to visit if you don't have a dedicated guest room?
2. If you craft or have another hobby, where do you do that if you don't have a dedicated space? (right now our spare room is also my sewing room)
3. What about not having a rec room? Do you find you have just accepted that your living room is filled with toys or do you always wish you had an overflow area?
I'm sure lots and lots of people live in smaller spaces than ours so tell me how you make it work. I think we could definitely do a smaller space, it would just have to be laid out right.
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Re: Urban Barn sales
Oh! I never thought of that! I could go see if I can pick up in June, great thinking! ...
Oh! I never thought of that! I could go see if I can pick up in June, great thinking!
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Urban Barn sales
Does anyone know how often Urban Barn repeats their sales? We just picked out a new table on Wednesday and as luck would have it,...
Does anyone know how often Urban Barn repeats their sales? We just picked out a new table on Wednesday and as luck would have it, they are having a sale on dining furniture. Problem is that we were planning to hold off until we sell this house b/c we need the room for staging.
So does anyone know how often they repeat their sales? Am I going to have to wait another year for it to go on sale again?
Oh and as an aside, does anyone have a plank table and have trouble cleaning crumbs out of the grooves?
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Re: Tell me about Victoria area
I might need to live in your van down by the river..errr...ocean? ...
I might need to live in your van down by the river..errr...ocean?
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