Deedee, you might want to rename that trend as the word-- with one very minor vowel change--- is already universally known as a secret religious group working against the Roman Catholic church as well as having members of the church working from within, and is associated with conspiracy / cabal theories, sensational journalism, Dan Brown's dreadful writing and nutcases in general. A less culturally burdened term would probably be more desirable! Edited for clarity--- I made it sound as though the organization was part of the church, when the popular lore is about the people within the church working against it from within.... Even describing it makes one sound crazy, lol! This post was edited by kswl on Sun, Feb 9, 14 at 12:29

I've been a member of a big switch of a group that was much more tightly tied together than this one. About half the group didn't make the switch. Only a few stayed on both. Both groups thrived, but the cultures changed vastly. One thing that I think is good about this system is that we don't actually have an archive of really good threads. People generate new conversations when they come in and ask the same old question. That way they're brought into the fold, and made welcome. And new opinions are added. Example: cast iron vs. stainless steel sink. I've personally answered this at least a dozen times, each a little differently, targetted to the specific way the question was asked. If we just had sticky topics, or different topics with subthreads for sinks, we wouldn't have that kind of immediate welcome to the big ol' group. Instead, if a thread is good enough, someone will have it saved or something and provide a link, but people will still answer the question. I think it's also good that our social questions are mixed in with the Rixi tile questions and floorplan reviews. More modern software wouldn't do that. BUT...I wonder if the page losses happen when people make coding errors using HTML in their messages. I did that once where it affected how the preview page posted. I wonder if it's possible for something to get through and screw up the works?

Well, this is dropping and so it's time to take a moment and thank everyone for their feedback. I got a big kick out of everyone's comments. It's interesting to look at the photos through someone else's eyes (in a manner of speaking). I appreciate all the kind words and compliments. I can't wait to have our shelves in. Then the pendant and hood will both look better and less "stranded". I can also then get things put in their "right places" and get some additional color into the room with displays of my pottery collection (a growing thing). I really appreciate all the help BEFORE the big reveal. If I had been left to my own devices I would have had stools at the end of the stove run out in the way of the aisle. I would have missed out on soapstone. I would have never heard of NeverMT. I would have lower cabs instead of drawers and pull outs everywhere I could. I would have done uppers instead of open shelves. I never would have shopped around for cork flooring. I probably would not have heard of Schoolhouse Electric (this impacts my front and back porches and my carport as well). I would have never driven all the way across the state to get my Domsjo and Numerar from IKEA. I would not have ZONES. I would never have dared to sink my fridge in the wall so it was flush with the counters. I would undoubtedly have a 4x4 square backsplash (but I hear those are coming back "in"). :) I have learned a ton here. I have seen a lot of really cool ideas. I will have some more of them before I am done. I will have a charging station and a pet center in my back entry way if it kills me. This forum is filled with great people. While we don't ALWAYS get along, who does? I don't get along with my family all the time. I don't see eye to eye with my coworkers all the time. This community has been very helpful and welcoming. I hope to pay some of the kindness back with DIY knowledge in the future. Got a DIY question? Hit me. Thanks again to everyone! Ne

It's healthy to unplug from time to time. The last 6 months I've noticed people being more snappish than usual and not just on the forums. I attribute much of it to the election. There's been a lot of turmoil, whichever side of the aisle you're on and I think it's bleeding into non-political aspects of our lives. Peruse the Hot Topics forum for a few minutes for perspective and you'll see how minor this disagreement really was. Bill's forgiven you, a classy thing to do from someone who values your opinion. I hope you'll miss us as much as we'll miss you, Tom and that you don't stay away long. Regroup, do what you need to do and jump back in when you're ready. We'll be here. Barb