Good morning everyone! Aaahhhh Louie! Where can I begin? Since his arrival he has knocked over just about everything. Eaten 1 of our snakes (now, I can't confirm he killed it, but I did see him munching on it yesterday...can I say eeeewwwwww) And, he has single handedly mowed down almost all the flowers of my floating hearts. I did see him taking down my water celery last night. I want to be upset with him, but, I just can't. He's so little. Maybe a foot long. I told the kids he's like having another toddler running around. You just have to fix everything after he's finished with it. Bunzy (our paint turtle) and her two new paint turtle friends who showed up a few weeks ago, Bubba and Penelope (the kids named them, lol) all seem to be getting along just fine with each other. They were the only one's I was worried about. I'm going to try to get some pictures of him tonight. Last night I was feeding the fish and watching the turtles come up and eat the food. I was to zoned in on watching them that I started to get that weird feeling like I was being watched. I turn my head and there is LOUIE about 2 feet away from my feet munching away in the water. He is NOT afraid of people, lol! Sheri, LOL,I have no clue where he came from? We are close to the Seneca River. I say close, maybe a mile away, and our neighbors have ponds in their pastures. I don't know?? I can't imagine something so little traveling so far? Shirley, our "flying dinosaurs" have been making their nightly appearance as well. The herons aren't afraid of us either! The kids run at them yelling, they just walk to the other side of the pond. I put a couple of shepherds hooks down there with garden flags thinking moving things blowing around might scare them...nope. Hubby got me 2 beautiful heron statues last year for Christmas to scare them away. They stand right next to them, lol. The iris' did have a great spring! I did have some problems with rot afterward. I don't know if it was the crazy cold we had or what? I have a few die off completely. :( The ones that survived are multiplying like crazy. Your daylilies are so gorgeous! How large is Big Bird? I am picturing a very large flower head :) Col :) Yeah! It made it!! So happy!! I hope the Hawaiian Surf made it okay too? Since today is Friday, I've decided to call 2 BINGO WORDS :) THE BINGO WORDS FOR FRIDAY ARE: ALIEN'S STARDUST and OGON WOGON OH MY BINGO WORDS CALLED: 1. FLAMINGO TWISTER 2. DO THE MATH 3. TURTLE TIE DYE 4. TINTINNABULATION 5. ALIEN'S STARDUST 6. OGON WOGON OH MY'ERS: Shirley (brittneysgran) AND Alana (poisondartfrog) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER frankielynn AND Sue (sueguanzon) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~frannkielynn SENT~~~ Kathie (sinbadsmom) AND Jayeanne (pinkiris) SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~ Jayeanne (pinkiris) SENT~~~Kathie (sinbadsmom) REC'D~~~ Sheri (panhandle_seed_swap) AND Cinnie0 SWAP WITH EACH OTHER~~~Sheri 1/2 SENT :)~~~~Cinnie0 REC'D~~~ Suzanne(hibiscusfan) SENDS TO Colcol Colcol SENDS TO Vina (flowergirl34) Vina(flowergirl34) SENDS TO Suzanne (hibiscusfan)~~SENT~~ Tomorrow is the last day to mail for our swap. I hope everyone has been in contact with your swap partners. Or if you made arrangements to mail a little later. If you haven't heard from your partner at all please let me know. Have a super Friday! vina ps. Tomorrow is the 50 mile long garage sale around here. It's amazing!! Kids are having a pool party today and tomorrow its all garage sales, lol. Iris: Ambrosia Fool

Happy Wednesday! My littlest one Billy had Kindergarten Orientation today :( He's SO ready for it! I don't know if I'm ready to let him go...all day. First day of school I know they're will be tears...MINE. And, SO SORRY Bingoer's...I missed yesterday...so to make up for it...4 words today :) The make-up BINGO words for Tuesday are: LITTLE WART and GYPSY LORD The BINGO words for Wednesday are: HIGH MASTER and BAMA MUSIC BINGO WORDS DRAWN: SWAGGER AND STYLE BAMBOO SHADOWS WEEEE! YOU CAN CALL ME AL WHISPERING SPIRITS PALOMINO MOON LITTLE WART GYPSY LORD HIGH MASTER BAMA MUSIC Anyone getting close to BINGO? OH MY! PARTNERS: flowergirl34 (vina) & sinbadsmom (kathie) send to each other **VINA SENT**VINA REC'D**KATHIE REC'D**KATHIE SENT**COMPLETE****** poisondartfrog (alana) & illinoisdoglover (marsha) send to each other**MARSHA SENT**MARSH REC'D**ALANA SENT**ALANA REC'D**COMPLETE***** hibiscusfan (suzanne) sends to nikkieneel**SENT**REC'D***** pinkiris sends to hibiscusfan (suzanne) nikkineel sends to pinkiris This swap is almost wrapped up. Only a couple more swappers to receive. Please don't forget to post a rate and review for your swap partner. I wonder who has September to host? Talk to you later! vina ps. took the family to Niagara Falls. Had the BEST time :)

One way to handle putting an old self into a larger new kitchen is to draw a smaller old kitchen inside of it. All those things that used to live in the den? Or the basement? Or on the high shelves of the kids' closets? Those are still your least used things. It's great to be able to store them in the kitchen now, but you don't want to have the Christmas dishes and turkey roaster and martini glasses between you and the action. As much as you can, put the stuff you use the most away first, and do it in the tightest workflow area you can, best at point of use, designing your point of use at the closest comfortable place to the previous and next steps in the cooking process. If there's room leftover in your working path--like whole empty shelves or drawers, you can put in some of the least used stuff that makes sense in that location (roaster in the cooking zone, etc.) and put the rest of the overage in the more outlying areas, pantry, wherever isn't blocking you from using your kitchen efficiently. I think Buehl has winter dishes in her dish area because there was room (and she has a very efficient kitchen), but if you can tighten up your workspace by putting the Christmas china out, do it! And swap it in at Christmas time, if you use it all day for a month.

Has your contractor given you any references to call? When we were "interviewing" GC's, I asked for a list from each -- the one that got the list to me in a timely fashion, i.e. within a few days, ended up being the one who got the job - after calling references on their list and getting glowing reports. This was actually a good indication of how they have handled our entire project -- in a timely and professional manner throughout. Ask for references -- a good, confident GC should be happy to provide those. Finding a cabinet maker -- I looked at cabinets "out of the box" for weeks and could not find a style or finish that worked for me. I started calling folks who I knew had done reno's w/in the last five years to ask "would you mind telling me where you got your cabinets?" Sometimes they would say "do you know so and so, they did kitchen, addition, etc". I just called people and introduced myself - most were happy to share this info. and through this "referral" system I found a local cabinet maker (who I didn't know and never would have found on my own - GC was so impressed with his work that has since used him on other jobs) who gave me what I dreamed about (not without compromise along the way) within my budget constraints. Soapstone -- have it, love it, priced it on my own and saved significantly. Our variety is "softer" and although we have only been using our kitchen for about a month, I have chips in several edges, especially around the sink. At first I was heartbroken and then reminded myself that we chose this and marble for the "patinas" they would develop over time -- now I use a sharpie to hide them and move on. We are having so much fun cooking in this kitchen together that a nick or two is worth it!