What a neat feeder Lucy I love it. Yesterday we had to repair the wiring in a lady's care where a squirrel had chewed threw it so we clean out the nest repair the wiring change the headlight bulb and call her to pick it up. She says can I see what you did and we open the hood and out flies this bit fat red squirrel, lol. She was still in there hiding through all that work and we didn't know. You should have heard all the men squeal. I laughed so hard then the dogs ran the poor thing up a tree. I told the lady she had to go get her squirrel and take it with her or there would be an extra charge, lol. I don't need her eating wiring in all those cars at the shop. Eloise don't be surprised if that pumpkin doesn't sprout all over, lol. I threw out a bag of squash that I had grown in the garden that had been frozen but thawed out during a long power outage in my compost pile back when we lived in the country and had squash alllll over the yard, lol.

Sounds like you have a good plan there. Don't know why guys shouldn't have a 16 party, too. Just make sure you arrange so that he is totally captive to you for transportation so he can't duck out of going to the aunt's house.

It is a bizarre gift. But my SD's mother started a custody battle on her 8th birthday, abandoned her later that year, did nothing for her 9th birthday (after she promised she would.. she actually went out & left SD with a babysitter the day that she had told SD they would celebrate; yet she celebrated her BF's kids' birthdays which are in the same month as SD), she actually got her on her 10th birthday but didn't do any of the stuff she had promised, left early & had SD's grandma drop her off to us in tears, and for her 11th birthday I sucked it up & invited BM to the party I made for her... BM was 40 minutes late (we had the room for 60 minutes), didn't bring her a gift & when SD asked her to spend an hour with her after the party, BM said no. It's heart wrenching to watch a mother hurt & torture her child like that, yet I have to grasp onto the positives... like her mom actually came to her party. It's hard. I come here & vent, it must seem like I hate BM & she will never do anything right in my eyes... but I know that's not true. It isn't MY eyes that matter... and her relationship with her daughter is HERS. She is making it what it will be & there's nothing anyone can do about it. Yes, it still makes me angry to see the pain she causes SD. It really makes me angry when SD's reactions to it, cause ME grief & it affects MY relationship with SD. Again, there isn't a lot I can do about it. I would look at the flowers as a positive... at least she gave an acknowledgment. How he feels about that, is going to determine his own relationship with his own mother. You and your DH can make the day special for him but you cannot make up for his mother's shortcomings by making a bigger fuss. Make the bigger fuss because it's his special day & you love him, but you can't do anything about what his mother does or doesn't do. I know that's hard... sometimes we have to stop & keep reminding ourselves of it... daily... minute by minute.

I want to make these yet for Christmas, I hope I have time cause they sound right up our alley! Coconut Balls 2 -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 pounds powdered sugar 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cup coconut 1/4 cup butter -- softened Coating 6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips -- (could be up to 18 ounces) 1 tablespoon shortening -- (could be up to 3) Mix together all ingredients, except coating ingredients. Chill. Form into 1-inch balls. Chill again on waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Dip in a chocolate coating. Chill for another hour. Melt chocolate & shortening over low heat; stirring constantly. (Use 1 tablespoon of shortening for every 6 ounces of chocolate.) When mixture is smooth remove from heat. Dip each truffle into coating. (I found dropping them in the chocolate & then fishing them out with a spoon worked best. But work quickly or they will melt.) Then either place them on foil or in paper candy-cups (they look like muffin papers only smaller) and allow to harden. Mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar & 1/2 teaspoon of milk. Drizzle over truffles in various designs