I agree with ljpother - I think you'll always get a person asking off topic questions. I don't mind when people come to the WS forum with off-topic questions. I think it's a great chance to inform them about wintersowing and increase our numbers. I don't think anyone should ever respond to an off topic question in a mean way. We definitley won't get people to convert to WS'ing that way! :) As for the reasons one might ask an off topic question on this forum: I personally would prefer to ask an off topic question to those that I speak with often on GW. I myself have had some nasty experiences on other forums (where my question was absolutely on topic) and will never visit those forums again for that very reason. It seems that some people get so into their passion that they forget that others are still learning and will often "bite their head off" for not knowing something or asking it in the wrong way. I understand seedmama's approach in moving it to the convo side, but I still doubt that will work in the long term simply because you'll always have new people coming to the thread that don't have a full understanding of wintersowing or the true purpose of this forum. There are off topic posts here all the time anyway. It wasn't on topic when I posted the story about drilling a hole in my hand just because I was wintersowing at the time. That had nothing to do with my containers, seeds, etc. - it was just a tragic/funny story to share with my fellow wintersowers. I guess that should have been placed on the convo side too, but do we really want to regulate everything that way? My two cents....Diana

Calliope, I really like your quilt! Love the colors and the pattern. I always like to learn new things and I don't think I ever hesitate on a new quilting technique...I just dive right in! I also try to follow through to the end even if I don't like the technique or the look of the quilt. I just say I've tried it and don't need to do it again! LOL I can only remember giving up on 2 projects. One was a pieced pattern of a flower (pansy, I think) and the instructions called for cutting a zillion teeny tiny pieces of freezer paper, ironing them on to the appropriate fabric, then sewing a zillion seams with the paper still attached. The pieces were so tiny they wouldn't stick. I kept at it for quite a while then finally swept it all into the trash can. The other was a landscape-type quilt begun in a guild workshop. It was a street scene from Siena, Italy. In the workshop I wasn't happy with a lot of my fabric choices. The teacher kept saying to focus on value and color and when it was viewed as a whole they would all blend together. After the day-long workshop I put it away and 2 or 3 years later when I got it out to try to finish it I found I didn't have the instructions, most of the chalk outline of the design had disappeared, and it looked like a jumble of fabrics rather than part of a picture, so I cut off the black backing fabric that I could reuse and threw that one away, too. Donna

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I think the backsplash was the hardest decision in the kitchen. Grout color was a close second! Yes oldbat..it is a relief to have that decision made. It became just short or an obsession I think. ellendi..it's actually quartz. Cambria New Quay. Really happy with it. mpagmom..hope your install went smoothly today. Let us know.

What's that "LEAP OF FAITH" I see mentioned? Winter Sowing is more than an adaptable and easy means to produce a limitless amount of seedlings at a penny-pinching cost, it is ALSO a capable means of producing a more positive personal outlook. I am not trained as a psychologist but just from a layman's observation of reading the forum posts and my own emails I can say positively that Winter Sowing has shown to have an extremely beneficial effect upon mental health. Gardeners who previously felt trapped inside their homes during Winter and shut down from their outdoor connection are going outside into the fresh air on a daily basis and are staying connected with the soil and the natural environment. They're getting vitamin D and all the beneficial rays that keep our spirits up helping to prevent or lessen winter depression. Being creative by choosing seeds and making the little mini-greenhouses from recyclables is soothing. Sowing seeds at the sink is similar on a subliminal level to making mudpies when we were young....it's comfort food for the soul. Bringing seeds to life through our nurturing satisfies the parent in us. It's that reward for "keeping the faith" of seeing the emergence of green seedlings that is so stimulating to our minds and hearts. Faith rewarded feels incredibly good and inspires us to efforts that also produce similar feelings....it inspires (in an almost addictive manner) continued creativity and success. Trudi Davidoff