Yes, there are many people growing veggies in central VA. I don't have as extensive a garden this year as I have in most years past, but I MUST have some vegetables growing every summer. This year the garden consists of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and cantaloupes. Usually there is corn and at least a couple of kinds of beans and several squash varieties along with eggplants, kale, and okra. For a newbie, you are ambitious! Good luck with your garden! Sandy

I saw some Sandy Lion stickers at the Dollar Tree yesterday that had firefighters and trucks on them. They looked like they could be used on adult pages. I could see using black pages and running a 1" yellow stripe across the page about 1/3 of the way down. Use white paper mats behind the pictures to make them stand out. Write titles in red with white behind them to stand out. Something else that might look good would to use a white page. Cut black paper to fit the bottom 1/3 or 1/4 of page. I use online coloring pages a lot of times for grapics. Do a search on "color page" and "fire" or "fire truck", etc. Here's a fire station page I found http://www.abcteach.com/buildings/firestation.htm. Put your graphics on the black part of the page and frame your pictures with a black mat with another mat behind that of either the appropriate red or chartruse.

Again, not a GO but did two bathroom countertops. One I ripped off the formica and did it on the under base. I think you're better off leaving the formica. One I did on cement backerboard. Both times I used tile which was all the same thickness. I think you can do it but I would strongly suggest you break all your china, lay it out and check for differences in thickness, those slight curves plates and saucers have and footers because I think you'll want the countertop to be level. I think that will be your biggest problem. Even with the tiles, I kept putting a level across different areas and the whole width. Course, this storeowner I know had a fire and used the china in her store that was broken to do her countertop where you make your purchases. It is not even at all and it is charming. On an area that big, I spread mortar but I guess you could glue each piece down with GEII. I don't know if the mortar I used will work for formica, you might search this forum or the bath/kitchen forum for "formica" to see if anyone has any experience. Have you figured out what you will use for an edging? There are pretty cove tiles that might work if they are the right thickness. I cut and stained molding for mine. I try to not run my tiles right up to the edge so my molding will lay in tighter and evenly and I can grout any gaps. ladyronnie (I think) did an amazing bathroom countertop that you can look at here. I don't know of any book but this forum is invaluable for help.

I hear potatoes prefer acidic soil, and struggle in more alkaline soil. Maybe that's why someone was thinking pure compost might be good. (I'm not saying they were right about it being a good idea, but it might be acidic, anyhow.) People say they're supposed to like sandy soil, too (sandy soil is often acidic, though; so, it's hard to say if both are factors). I don't have that much experience growing potatoes; so, I'm just chipping in here with stuff I've heard.