I would think the best thing is to compare the bags and see what is in it. it may just be different types of manure, or simply different brands. composted manure is not the same as compost though, compost is a mix of organic materials that have been composted, whereas composted manure is manure that has been composted to make it useable. what you should be doing is starting your own compost bin or pile and then you will know you are getting the best quality compost for free ;)

Laurie, its hard to find words. Yes, two very beautiful couples. Your gown was beautiful, and you did a wonderful job. There is a lot of love in your gown. Your daughter and her husband are stunning. Sorry I don't have any pictures but ended up with three outfits from Ann Taylor Petite. Didn't need but two but loved all three, Of course, I have already worn the other one that I didn't use for the reunion. My most exciting news was finding the featherweight machine in our garage. I had totally forgotten about picking up the cabinet, only reason I picked it up was for the cabinet. I was just rambling around in our garage back at our other home , and when I opened it, was surprised to see the machine. We won't go back there until June and I will get the numbers off the machine and that way we can figure out if its a featherweight. Its black, with the gold, and a silver plate on the side, I looked back at yours, it looks very close but once I get the numbers we can figure it out. So happy for you and yours, know everything was perfect, and thank you so much for letting us tag along in the excitement of the beautiful wedding.

So good of you to visit your MIL. Funny story how you ended up with a different dog than you had in mind. Goldens are known for their gentle nature & Shepards are very intelligent, so I'd say you got a great mix : ) Today, I tried making tailor tacks as they're called in one of my books (with red thread). I took pictures of part of the pattern (the back) so you can see all the dart lines. They are curved in some parts and I don't know how to transfer the lines for sewing. The front pattern piece looks similar. On the front fabric piece, I have already cut (slashed) along the solid line to the square. Step 2 says staystitch front edges 1/8" from solid lines, ending opposite squares. I'm skipping that part for this practice dress. Next, it says to fold front right sides together, matching circles, then Stitch. I'm going to hand baste this dress first..to see how it fits. If you look carefully, you can see where the dart starts out wide (1-1/4") near the armhole narrows to 5/8" fairly quickly, then widens near the waist to 3/4", then narrows all the way to the point. I'm thinking of basting this dart as best I can without lines drawn on the fabric to guide me. When I get to the waist, I will not increase the width, just keep with 5/8" or a little less. What do you think? I have not done anything more on the skirt, yet. I'll keep you posted this weekend. My absolute favorite tv show is on tonight at 9 in our area, Channel 10. It's a British sitcom with Judi Dench called As Time Goes By..either of you watch this? If not, give it a look. Size 18 Vogue Dress You can see the white paper where I raised the neckline

Re: pressing seams flat. Don't forget the technique (maybe you're doing it already) of pressing the stitching (laying the sewn pieces flat on the ironing board) just after you've sewn it and *before* you press it open. I made my wedding dress out of dupioni, and the seams pressed pretty crisply. But I think I did press the stitching first. Then I pressed the seams to one side, then to the other, and last of all, pressed the allowances open. And then I pressed from the *right* side.