I don't know the answer to the pear and apple questions. I used red delicious because that's what I had a bunch of (they had bags of them on sale cheap at the grocery store). If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to use any kind of apple I had on hand. I might use pears, not sure how they cook though because I don't have much experience with that. If the pears were really soft and juicy, I think that might affect the bread, but again, that's totally a guess. Carol! Nancy! yooohooo! :) Any comments?

Justgotabme - Ha ha! Sadly I wasn't much better before I had kids. At least not about getting organized and staying that way. But I did have more energy to just stay up an extra half hour and tidy up so it didn't get quite so crazy. The good news is that after I wrote my pity-party posting last night I did get up and pick up the scattered mail, any trash on the floor, DD's books and got the toys back to her zone. Some of the stuff is gone off the couch too, mostly just the trash stuff though. Looking at what I just wrote about not being able to get organized and stay that way... I'm not sure that's true. I don't think I have EVER been organized. I have gotten my house neat and clean, but I think I can't keep it that way precisely because it is not organized. On the other hand, I think my kitchen is fairly organized and everything there that belongs there has a home... but it doesn't stay neat because other things like to camp out on the kitchen counter and table. I don't think most of my house is unorganized because I have too much unloved stuff (though that's certainly true of the garage), we do haul stuff to Goodwill several times a year and there's an ongoing goodwill pile in the garage. But I'm sure if I started digging through my closets I could find more to haul away.

Please let this thread lapse. I've started Part 4

I'm not very surprised. Not many remodel projects indoors or out ask how the person is going to be using the space. Bathroom remodels rarely ask how/who is using the space, outdoor living spaces rarely ask how entertaining or who is using the space, lots of landscaping often neglects to ask the purpose of the landscaping, many gardens fail to ask what you want to eat. Also, sometimes there can be assumptions. Like in a kitchen when the assumption is that there will be multiple cooks and so need multiple work stations. Or a garden grow saying tomatoes when one does not like tomatoes. Or that the point is for future resale rather than other. The questions of do I need or actually want X when the mainstream is assuming it is needed or wanted is not often raised.