Karen - do you want the tomato seeds I harvested from my grape tomato and Stupice fruit last year? I've got about 3 trades' worth I could send you. I accidentally spilled them on my desk so they may be mixed together but once they take off, you'll know which is which--the grape tomatoes (from Diane's Flower Seeds) grew 9 ft. tall last year. I think the seaweed extract/worm poop tea I fed them might have been part of the reason they grew so tall. Anyway, they're yours for postage.

Thank you so much. We have been through so much for the past year and a half. It's so nice to see the finish line. I just realized I said I met with the cabinet maker in November 2010. I meant NOVEMBER 2009!!! When I say they're not high-end, I don't mean the craftsmanship of the cabinets, I guess I'm talking more about the floors, the countertops, and the appliances. We've become quite humbled through this situation, and we've learned we can live without "things". That doesn't mean I don't have dreams or plans for the future. I am a girl, and.....we love to dream! ;) I'm going to try to post some pictures of our journey. Here's where we started. We've lived here since Dec. 2000. Life was pretty simple. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now the nightmare starts... Yes...that's snow in my foyer. Builder took roof off and basically took off. Standing in our living room looking into dining/kitchen. New kitchen was built beyond the tarp. Hired new builder to take over the mess, and get the house closed in. And here's what kept me focused, so I didn't have a breakdown. They brought the happiness to our lives when we were at our lowest point. Love 'em!!! Oh, and of course my big bear who never complained once.

What about just removing the dots? I can't quite visualize the new plan, but it seems like putting 2 more in, in between the current rows, would actually draw more attention to the asymmetry, by making the dots themselves a more prominent part of the pattern? Will your eye be drawn upward, looking for 2 more dots above the top row to balance it? (Oh dear, am I being a troublemaker? I'd better take my OCD symmetry-obsessed brain and tiptoe out of the room. And counting my tiptoes to make sure that each of my feet touch the floor the same number of times...) :-)

Thanks again everyone. It was a great success. Everyone seemed to have a good time. There were lots of kids which made it feel really special for me as mine are rapidly growing up. Way too much food as most of you predicted but my mom has a big crew of grandkids over at her cottage so I sent lots over there to be eaten today. The weather held. It was a bit cool but kids still swam and there were no bugs (very surprising for this neck of the woods). Burgers were good but I do wish I had taken advice to do pulled pork in a crockpot just because some guests came and went all afternoon and I felt like they would have eaten if food was out. There were about five families here for burgers and dogs and there were lots of snacks and appies for those who left early. My stove up and died this week (it was also celebrating its 52nd bday) but I didn't really need it. One friend brought a great appetizer. I think I may start another recipe thread and post it there Sadly, it gets dark so late here, no one was awake for fireworks. We agreed to have everyone back later in the summer when the sun sets earlier for a big show. All in all a success with such great suggestions from everyone here.