Dee, you've passed the packaging test with flying colors!! Your box arrived and everything will make it just fine! I'm so happy with what you've sent: A very nice card and note Creeping Sedum - new for me Heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine' - Love the foliage on this!! Columbine songbird 'Cardinal' - LOVE this columbine!! Scabiosa pale yellow - I've been wanting this also :) Dianthus 'Telstar' - There is even a flower blooming! Viola - pretty colors that I don't have! Sweet William 'Heart Attack'- I love the color of this! Daylily 'David Kirschoff' Daylily Siloam 'Fairy Tale' Daylily 'Bela Lugosi' Daylily 'Nefertiti' I've googled these daylilies, and will absolutely love them blooming in my gardens!! Thank You soooo much Dee, for all of these wonderful flowers!!! I will get them planted and watered immediately! It's a nice cool day today. Last night we were in a frost advisory, and I've not been feeling well, picked up some kind of nasty cold virus, so I decided my plants were on their own. Didn't have the energy to go out and take care of them. Everything looked fine this morning. Tracy, hope your water situation was taken care of! Sassy, your granddaughter just keeps on getting cuter and cuter!! Have a good day everyone! Karen (still smiling from ear to ear)

I would never visit anyone who keeps a wild animal in their home! Here is an excerpt from a NY newspaper... DAILY NEWS (NY) STAFF WRITERS Thursday, February 19th 2009, 2:12 AM Woman mauled by ape in critical condition after surgery 911 tape captures chimp owner's horror. The shocked family of the chimp attack victim said Wednesday a team of doctors is working feverishly to save her life as the extent of her horrific injuries was revealed. Paramedics say Charla Nash, 55, lost her nose, eyes and jaw as the crazed simian ate her alive in the driveway of her friend's Stamford, Conn., home Monday. His voice shaky, her twin brother, Mike Nash, thanked the four teams of specialists who performed more than seven hours of surgery. "The team of doctors and staff battled around the clock to stabilize Charla," he said inside Stamford Hospital. Charla Nash was listed in critical but stable condition yesterday, and her vital signs were improving, doctors said.

I ♥ all of you! (Thank You deedee99 -- you are a generous teacher.) Today we had a two+ hour IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting for my almost four year-old who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and it was great -- he is so well taken care of and our district is just phenomenal in terms of the services it is providing him. But it took it out of me. Even though I knew the meeting would go well I was a nervous wreck last night and slept barely a wink. I dipped strawberries in chocolate and made chocolate chip cookies to take to the meeting instead -- they were delicious but I could've used the sleep .... (We also took sembei and mochi as a nod to our multi-cultural family, and the folks loved the sembei but not the mochi. Luckily my children like the mochi [I do not] because it is mochi-city 'round here.) To come online and find all your warm fuzzies makes me want to cry, in a good way! So many hugs and kisses to all you beautiful people. I was feeling so depleted and you all filled me back up. Thank you!!! Okay, so, eclecticme -- I am so excited about all your different projects! Any primer made for plastic will work, but be prepared for it to be a one-use brush -- those sticky primers ruin brushes. I just looked and Rust-Oleum makes a plastic primer. I used lynninnewmexico -- Thank You! You were the first person I "knew" (through the Kitchens forum) to get a microwave drawer, so I feel a history with you. Those Rick Pohlers chairs were the v. first pieces of furniture my partner and I purchased together, a dozen years ago (how did that happen?): we call them our Thrones. prill -- Thank you for the work you do on behalf of Cavs! Our girl is 2.75 years-old and a Therapy Dog -- I'd like her to be a Service Dog but she loves me too much (meaning: when I'm around she leaves my "special" son's side -- which is fine as a family pet but is not acceptable for a Service Dog). I take her to visit other "special" people (clinics, groups homes, schools) and hospitals; everybody loves her and she loves people. I think this breed is superb. Thank you for your rescue work! We got our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from KC Cowtown Cavaliers in Douglas, WY. They were the most ethical, responsible, loving breeders I could find. Marlene_2007 -- I am so so so happy to see your kind name! You and I are Calacatta twins. Because my youngest son is in (inclusive) preschool four mornings a week I have more time for doing advocacy work. I joined a state DoE commission recommending Early Intervention strategies, a local school district panel assessing special ed preschools and a state-wide group mentoring / advocating for children of all abilities. I know you'll understand my passion because of all the incredible work you do on behalf of children. Bless you, Marlene! ♥ redroze -- I'll contact you offline, although I do want to say on the record that you are going to be an AWESOME mom! Your son is so lucky to have you. My one "tip" will be that your son will love trains and the most incredible toy for boys in the summertime is AquaPlay -- it's a water canal system, like a water-based train set. We got ours in Germany (don't ask) and every single family who comes over asks me about it -- it is a H-U-G-E hit! Summer 2011 I guarantee your son will love it! The fabrics on the sides of the sofa are paisleys -- I went paisley (piano shawl) crazy in the late '90s and hunted down like fourteen incredible examples. (I am a textile junkie. I guess better that than street drugs!) Now I look at all of them sitting in mothballs in a box in the basement and think I am one big nutjob. They actually are the cornerstone of my "things to sell on eBay" pile. But I'm so lazy! Maybe once my younger son starts kindergarten and I have more hours to myself. Maybe. loribee -- I love validation. Thank you! cooperbailey -- Our nextdoor neighbor's sweetest, most regal Golden is named Bailey and our backdoor neighbor's cute little Poodle is named Cooper -- you could be my neighbor! Thank you for understanding the biggest thrill is the fact that we did it. In some respects I love that bathroom more than my kitchen because I did the bathroom. (although I spend tons more time in the kitchen!) louisianapurchase -- I am so conflicted. Thank you, of course, for your incredibly kind and generous words; I appreciate them so much. My heart aches for you what you are facing -- not because autism is a big bad wolf, but because hearing that something is "different" about our children is so hard. It's so hard for me, at any rate. When I first heard the ASD diagnosis it was bittersweet: I knew it but I'd still hoped that it wouldn't be the case. I love my son: I know him and I live with him and I supervise / coordinate all his therapies. To me he's My Son, not a diagnosis or a label. Intellectually I always know we are so insanely lucky to live in this day and age when so much is known about ASD and the sundry disorders along that spectrum. (emotionally I have to remind myself of this at times) The therapies and biomedical treatments are astounding! We don't do any biomed but I know others who swear by it. The good news: we as a society are becoming more aware and therefore more knowledgeable about ASD, autism, Asperger's, Rett Syndrome, PDD-NOS, etc. It's still a heartbreaker -- please don't hear me as being a cheerleader, like "ASD's great!" It's okay -- some days it sucks and other days I forget to realize this isn't "typical." I try to see the glass half-full. I love my anti-anxiety pill, too! Please please please let me know if I can do anything, be of any service to you! I'm here for you. ttodd -- Thank you for the nice words about my Lack transformation. I really love those pink tables. kitchendetective -- I am SO happy to see your name!!! I've missed you. I found the most divine table at a store in Austin and I thought of you. I know you're not in Austin but it still made me think of you. (The table is much too large for our space but I love it, so I'm trying to figure out how I can approximate its feel in a much smaller size. Hmm.) This is my younger son, doing SLP (speech therapy) hippotherapy (on horseback). This is pertinent to nothing in this thread, but he loves riding and I love seeing him on his horse.

Thank you all for your concern. I'm absolutely fine and will call the doctor tomorrow first thing. I know everyone says don't wait but I think this was really caused by stress. DH and his 2 surgeries in 2 1/2 weeks. Plus he can't drive or do housework so I am doing "extra" duty. DD with a C-section during the same time. Trouble getting my car from being serviced. They kept promising it would be ready "tomorrow". "Tomorrow" took over a week and they still didn't get everything done. I just demanded my car back. My mother is in one of her moods and won't return my phone calls and usually won't pick up the phone when I call her. I have to take her to the doctor Thursday so she can get refills on her meds. Oh, Joy. I'm trying to keep tabs on her sister who lives in S. FLA. She's 88 and recently had a heart attack. We have new software at work and are still trying to work out some issues with various reports etc. Our IT is useless so the rest of us are in "do it yourself" mode. I'm the one leading the charge and trying to fix everyone's problems or at least teach them how to do it once I figure it out. (I'm NOT an IT). The dogs are driving me crazy. I'm stressing over my weight. I'm also stressing over my doctor. I don't feel comfortable taking this to him. I plan to call BC/BS in the morning to change my primary doctor to the one DH just chaged to. This usually takes until the next month but I know they can and will make a one time exception that goes into effect immediately. Then I can call the new doc. When DH was seeing my current doc they just couldn't get this BP down and it was very high. New Doc was much more aggressive in treating the problem and got it under control in no time. He told DH, "We WILL get this fixed." And he did. He is also very good about staying in touch with DH's cardiologist. They both document everything and send each other reports. I could go on but you get the idea. Linda