Yeah Denise! I can't wait to meet another GWer. :-) Big cheesy grin. AND FOR THE BIG NEWSSSSS... YEAH! I got a special early delivery (there were so many boxes that were large she had to come with an early delivery. Yeah!) We got boxes. She said there may be one or two more that will show up with the normal mail run. I already opened them all and started sorting them sooooooo.... Drum roll Please.... Here is a list of what we have so far... Tammy/Greenthumbgrow - Plants here :-) Sakura Komichi/CA - Box Recieved :-) Bhnash - flowergirl34/Vina - Box Recieved (hugh box by the way:-) Robin1962/Robin - Box Recieved Gardenmom2/Nichol - Zinaray/Toni - Box Recieved Kamiljablo/Kamil - Box Recieved Heatherbon/Heather - antiqueorchid/Denise - Stopping by Friday :-) NOTE on Fran - Sent a letter to let everyone know that she is without phone or internet until they can find another provider in their area. She said she misses everyone here and that she realllly wants to get online but DH won't take her to the library 'just for' GW. LOL. (He just don't understand. LOL) She said sorry she wasn't able to participate in the swap. Some of you sent her plants anyway I will go ahead do the postage for her and ship them out so she will get them. Just a NOTE: EVERYONE Did a wonderful job with packing this time. ALL Plants look wonderful and I am sure 99% of them will look marvelous when you get them (as long as the po and the weather cooperate) I will take photos of the piles before I box them up to give you all a previous of what is to come. I did sprites them with a little water from a bottle to keep them moist on the ones that were not sealed in the the paper bags (if they are sealed I found it best not to disturb them) Vina - Your plants are MARVELOUS. They are HUGH plants. Everyone will be more than pleased with what you sent. (I thought I was listed for one of your sedums? I may have forgot to hit submit on the post I am not sure but keep me in mind in the spring swap if you have more. I really love them.) Oh and fran sent your postage as you agreed with her so now there is double. LOL. Waiting on boxes from: Bhnash Nichol Heather Denise - Stopping By around 12ish. Hopefully the last few come in around 12ish. That would be so great to be able to get them back out today/tomorrow.

Lots of great suggestions for what to cook, but I don't think anybody has mentioned the 'paperwork'. Keeping track of what's in that freezer can be one of the biggest challenges. For this project to work over the long haul, you really need to set up some sort of system. Doesn't have to be real sophisticated -- just reasonably accurate. Most of these suggestions are just common sense and you've probably already thought of them. But it never hurts to have a reminder, right? :) First, you need to label each container so you'll know what's in there. After it's frozen, it's often hard to tell what it is, especially when it's an ingredient rather than a completed dish. Are those "nuggets" in the ziplock bag chicken or catfish? And did you brown that ground beef plain or with Tex-Mex seasonings? And if it's a casserole, you don't want to have to peel off the foil to see if you're having lasagna or pastitsios for dinner. Dating everything is always helpful since most things taste better if eaten within a few months of freezing. And in some cases, of course, dating is absolutely essential to avoid spoilage. Broth is a prime example. Like several have said, keeping broth in the freezer is one of the real secrets to staying ahead in the cooking game. But beef, chicken, vegetable and shrimp broth all should be used within a certain period of time -- and the safe point for each of them is different. So do date your containers! Also, it's *very* helpful to include cooking instructions on the label -- especially since you're anticipating that your DH will have to do a lot of this on his own. A sample label might read: Lasagna 2/08/08 Uncover and thaw on counter for 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top and cook an additional 10 min., until cheese melts. Allow to sit for 10 min. before slicing, meanwhile sticking garlic bread in oven. To avoid writing this out everytime, it's easy to set up for a label-printing program. The other thing I think is so important is to keep a master list of what's in the freezer. Maybe tape it to the top, and just mark off stuff as it's used. Otherwise, you're clueless as to your 'resources'. The record-keeping is a huge drag. But if you don't do it, I can almost promise you that you'll quickly get lost. Best of luck! sm

Wow - lots going on here, but in response to your reason for posting . . . . I can understand how exhausting it can be to deal with a roller coaster relationship with a birth mom - I've been on that ride for 10 years. I've been the one she wants to talk to because my DH is an "a$$", and then suddenly been 'your b!tch of a wife' whom she won't even say hello to. I used to beat myself up trying be 'friends' and keep the peace. We are now at the best place in our relationship we have ever been at, but I still wait for the other shoe to drop. Truly, if you love your SD, you have to let it go. You have to understand that her trying to make you miserable stems from feeling miserable herself. It's harder then many can imagine, but you have to find a way to rise above it. I don't mean to look down at her with pity over her miserable existence, but to remember that when she gets nutty that there is something in her life making her so unhappy that you feel the brunt of it. Then list 5 things to yourself that make you happy about your life, and don't let her nuttiness take those things away from you. Chances are you will never be friends in the sense of the word we all think of. But, you can be civil. If you open the door into your life by inviting her to the lake and such, though a wonderful gesture, it only gives her a way to slam the door in your face. Keep civil, but keep her at a distance. If you maintain that distance she knows what to expect. When she tries to be 'friends' just be polite, keep the conversation to a minimum and the contact minimal. When she tries to be nasty do the same. If she sees that her behavior does not ruffle you, she'll look for someone else to make miserable. Remember, misery loves company. My biggest piece of advice - don't say "we're through trying to be friends with you just don't say anything to us and we'll say nothing to you." You are then letting her know you're affected by her. Instead, say nothing. Be civil. Be consistent. Take the high road. As a side note, never let yourself or your husband be bated into discussing anything other than the weather in front of your SD. A nice response to keep in your back pocket is "I would like to hear more of what you have to say at a later, more appropriate time. Please call or email me." Then walk away. If exchanges can get nasty, do them in a very public place. Or better yet, a police station.

We have 4-inch tile counters in our current kitchen, and they are the only thing about the kitchen that I love. We bought the house this way and I probably would never have thought to choose this surface, but it has turned out to be great in the 11 years we have been here. The problems I had imagined with tile countertops (including those mentioned above) never materialized. They are sturdy, easy to keep clean, and provide a surprisingly smooth and level working surface. All that said, I wonder if the smaller tiles might magnify the issues of unevenness and grout to get dirty to the point that the problems that seem invisible to me now would be quite noticeable? I guess I'll never know, since we are going with soapstone in our remodel.