Month: November 2011

Money Etiquitte Issues

Problem: Friends or coworkers who need to reimburse you for a group gift keep saying, “Yeah, I’ll get that to you,” and never do. What should you do?

Solution: Send an e-mail reminding everyone that you’re collecting and would appreciate it if they’d get their share to you by a specific date, suggests Susan Hackley, the managing director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. “If people still haven’t paid within a week, another pleasant e-mail―appreciatively noting the names of those who have paid―is perfectly appropriate,” says Hackley. If only one or two people haven’t chipped in yet, talk to them privately, says Spizman. “Ask if they sent it and by chance you didn’t receive it―don’t be accusatory. They really might have forgotten,” she says. It’s also possible that they’re short of money. In that case, you could compromise and say you’d be willing to accept whatever they can manage. If this puts you in a bind, you might ask some other group members (without revealing intimate details) if they’d consider chipping in a few extra bucks, since the group ran short.

CLICK HERE for 10 other money etiquitte issues.

Toilet Train Your Cat

Move the cat’s litter box so it is right next to the toilet, keep it like this for about a day.
Then gradually raise the litter box up by placing phone books (or something similar) under it. Repeat daily until the box is of equal height to the toilet. Whenever you raise the box take a little bit of the litter out of the box. You may need to secure the litter box to the phone books or whatever it’s sitting on so that it doesn’t move when the cat jumps onto it.

Move the box over 1 inch onto the seat. Repeat daily until the box is directly over the seat. Continue gradually decreasing the amount of litter in the box until there is only a thin layer (less than 1 inch) of it left.4Replace the litter box with a “training box”. You have a few different options here, but the important thing to remember is to make sure the “training box” can hold your cat’s weight if they step or jump onto it:
Lift the toilet seat and tape a piece of wax paper over the hole so that the toilet looks like a drum. Lower the seat over the wax paper. Add flushable litter.
Lift the toilet seat and tape a bowl or aluminum pan to the edges. Put the seat down so that it holds the bowl in place. (See video below.) Add flushable litter.
Use a commercial training device, sold specifically for this purpose. via

Make-Ahead Cranberry Orange Relish

The sauce can be prepared and refrigerated up to 4 days in advance, but do not add the cilantro. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 16 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup orange marmalade
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, orange juice, and cranberries.
  2. Cook until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in the marmalade to taste (depending on desired sweetness). Turn off heat. Stir in the pepper and cilantro just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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