LOL Annie, little man liked that Michigan Sushi idea. I reminded him of his experience from the past year but he didn't seem to worry. When I asked him "What do you do when one of your friends tells you that you have bad breath?" He said, "I will say 'it's too bad that you don't eat fish.'" I am so proud! Jim, I have never tried lox myself so can't say if it will be less smelly or not. Since fish is one of our favorite foods we never have any leftover fish from the night before. Our mornings seem to be very short and we always end up rushing out of the door so canned fish is what we will settle with for now. Tami, little man has never tried mints before. I personally don't like them so I have a feeling that he may not enjoy a mint in his mouth. He loves tic tac. I bought him some tic tac in little colorful containers with the pop-up lid. So I won't have to worry about school people mistaken them as pills. Terri, lucky you. At least he can still take peanut butter to school. It's an absolute no-no to bring any nuts or anything that contain trace amount of nut to school. Little man loves peanut butter banana sandwiches. I don't want him to eat PBB sandwich every day but once in a while would be nice. I definitely will make the rolled fish bread for him tomorrow. In fact, we have already planned for the rest of the week... Thursday will be sardine sushi. Instead of using nori I will use sesame seeds on the outside. Friday will be BBQ seitan strips with raw carrot and cucumber. It's gonna be a good week for him. Al

My quartzite, which is Marine Blue or Starry night or any number of other names has similar areas. In the picture, they’re the areas that look pale blue. They worried me too at first, but seem to make no difference in keeping it clean or with wearing. It’s only been in since December though. I assume it’s just the nature of natural(and beautiful) stone.

Your concern for your hummingbirds is understandable! Based on your description, it sounds like you're dealing with a native species of praying mantis in Pennsylvania. The absence of wings in your photo indicates that it's likely a young mantis, as you mentioned. To be certain about the species and potential threat to your hummingbirds, you might want to reach out to local entomologists or wildlife experts. They can provide accurate identification and advice on how to manage the situation without harming the mantis, which is beneficial for natural pest control.

Here is some great news. I have been in angst about this for months. Met today and tried to be kind and matter of fact. Stated that ansi standards had not been followed (running bond max 33% overlap, no tile slivers visible, caulk not grout in corners, flaking in cut tile edges, non uniform lines etc etc. ). Evidence of grout overwatering (holes, discoloration). I continually referenced my photos which were the design that was to be followed. It was clear that they couldn’t see any other way to do it without tile slivers etc. in the end he changed his tune and was incredibly gracious. We agreed that I will pay for the work I was satisfied with (cabinet repair and paint). He will come back to fix improperly installed shower control, doors that no longer close and shower drain that is clogged. He does not feel that he could redo the tile work meeting the ansi standards so he will refund me that portion and let me hire someone else. I am so thankful God answered my prayers! I did not expect any concessions given his initial posturing. I know most times it will not happen this way! I am thankful and I learned so much. I wish I had known about the ansi standards before! It made me feel like I’m not crazy and gave me confidence and words to describe what I was seeing. Staying up till 4:15am reading everything I could find was well worth it. My first bath remodel I was apparently lucky, but now I have the info I need to communicate in advance next time. I can’t prevent lying, but I think a good grilling and asking for plenty of photos will be extremely helpful. I was able to state that 1/32” is the maximum lippage tolerance and I was able to measure it (well above that) using credit cards. Grateful for old posts here that helped me discover the ansi standards and recognize what a good tile job should look like. It will be a pain to start over but I am soooo relieved.