I agree, Cindee... we do tend to baby our bulbs and other potted beauties! I think we spend more than we realize on medium and amendments, fertilizers, pots and saucers, support wires and little pot trellises, plant stakes... and then there are all the extras we use, like rooting powder, Superthrive, Captan, insecticides, miticides... not to mention grow lighting, shelving units and plant stands, decorative this and that... we put out a bundle to baby our favorite plant types! I can remember when I first began collecting houseplants... I would go to the local greenhouse/garden center and buy their specially mixed potting medium, and I'd pay more for it because it was so much better than what K-mart had to offer! Before the advent of Schultz and MiracleGro, there wasn't much to choose from! Now, I find it helpful to custom mix small amounts of potting medium, adjusting the ingredients depending on what type of plants I'll be using it for. I keep a small bucket with a cover just for this purpose... it holds about 2 gallons, and is the perfect size for mixing small amounts of medium. If there are leftovers, I put the cover on and save it for next time! I do really like the coco coir as a medium base, though... I'm so glad Maria told me about it! I ordered an entire bale of the stuff from a hydroponics store, and had it delivered right to my door! It cost a little bit more than regular bagged potting soil, but it's worth it! It's so much lighter and healthier for the roots of my plants, and I can add several different ingredients to change the "feel" of it to suit whatever plants I'm working with... The only thing I need to remember is that coco coir contains no nutrients, and fertilizer must be added... but that could be as simple as throwing a handful of Osmocote into the bucket when mixing up a batch of medium!

IRIS!!! I'm so glad to see you here, I lost your email address in the mess when I switched to DSL and no longer have Triton, now it's that yahoo email. WRITE ME!!!! No, maryanne, no date. I'm in no hurry and he's still on probation, LOL. Jessica, would that be the conversation about how maybe some people were just meant to be alone, and maybe I should just get used to it? I know, you disagreed with me then. As for the future, who the heck knows what will happen tomorrow. For today, though, I'm having a lot of fun! Annie

that's one way to look at it. It sounds worse the way you describe it... He/we borrowed money to pay off credit cards... which consolidated everything to one lower payment a month so then he figured he could afford a motorcycle payment. After I said we can't afford it, he got together with his parents & they discussed how it would save money on gas and all the pluses... he could get to work & home faster. Then his parents made me feel like a heel for wanting to deprive their son of having his own motorcycle... after all, he works so hard. His brother has one & soon after DH got his, FIL bought one... they said to go riding together, which hasn't happened yet. He justifies it because he works 40+ hours at his job, works at our business on his days off & in the evening, maintains the 6 acres during Spring & Summer. He does work hard, but I disagreed, his parents butted in (with his invitation of course) so when they complain he hasn't made his payment (on the debt consolidation), I ignore it or tell them how much he loves riding his bike... when it's not raining or cold. He doesn't miss the motorcycle payment though. No, it doesn't escape me that he is willing to buy what he wants & tell his daughter we can't afford it when she WANTS something. He does pay for the health insurance but I pay all the co-pays and other things because he puts his entire check toward the bills, including paying his parents back for the debt consolidation loan... and it was mostly HIS pre-me debt. He did sell his truck because it was only driven a few times a year & we wanted to get rid of that payment when the economy tanked. If she needs something, he will make sure she gets it. But, he'll take it out of our bill paying account & then tell me he needs me to cover some of the bills that he usually covers. It still comes out of my pocket... but it is really OUR pocket. I buy those things because it was what I did as a mother for my own kids... he thinks some of it is unnecessary ~ the extra's like school pictures, yearbooks & fundraisers, not the health care. He also doesn't like shopping & doesn't have patience... he used to go into the store knowing her current size & buy a few cheap outfits at a department store... sometimes the SAME outfit in different colors. That was when she was 5-6. She's now 11 & he would do the same.. he took her shopping for school clothes & dragged me along. It was a nightmare for me because he is so impatient & they argued over what she could get. (wanting low rise skinny jeans) plus she was upset that nothing fit her. Then he about had a heart attack at the register... until I told him that the last time I took her shopping, it was at least twice that much. AS for the update on MIL: We went to dinner at the restaurant last night & left baby at home with my DD. MIL sat furthest away from her parents (across from me) & SD between us at the end of the table. She interrogated... er, conversed with SD about life at our house & life at her mother's house.... anything to avoid her own parents, who seemed miserable. Then, MIL had planned us to come to her house tomorrow evening but I had plans so she moved it up to tonight. DH went straight from work. I took SD & my DS stayed at my house with the baby. By the time I got there, they actually had tried to cancel the whole thing... DH was upset that I didn't bring the baby because THEY WANT TO SEE THE BABY! So, I asked him WHO is making such a big deal about the baby being there? HIS MOM of course. I told him that first of all, the baby is not really related to anyone... he's a step-great great grandson at best. I doubt they really want to spend the night fawning over him as much as MIL wanted to see if I let SD play with him at HER house. Secondly, he wants the attention of the room. When people are talking, he tries to get in on it & gets noisy. I asked hi do we really want the evening to be about DGS or DH's grandparents & Aunt? So, since SD is having trouble in school (all F's & D's), I had her bring her homework. She took it out & MIL spent the entire time (along with MIL's sister) helping SD with her homework... focusing the entire evening on SD. I think that's the way it should be... SD is their granddaughter & SHE is the one that needs attention & help, not DGS ~ who would have demanded the attention & SD would have been ignored. MIL hardly said two words to me.. trying to remain pleasant for show but she was probably pissed at me. Oh well, I told DH that after what MIL did at the luau & the way she has been on me about SD playing with the baby, I am not putting the baby in the middle of that mess. He was sleeping at home anyways.

Never tried these, but someone was looking for grilled shrimp and these were shared: Grilled Garlic Cilantro Jumbo Shrimp 1 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined ý bunch of cilantro 4 cloves garlic 1/3 cup olive oil serrano chili salt and pepper skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes lime wedge 1. Grind everything but shrimp in a food processor. 2. Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes and add lemon pepper. 3. Then grill on the skewers, basting with the marinade. 4. Serve over rice. Mexican Grilled Shrimp 1 lb. large or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined Lime Juice McCormicks Mexican Seasoning 1\. Shell and de\-vein the shrimp and place onto skewers that have soaked in water for an hour. 2\. Sprinkle the Mexican seasoning onto both sides of the shrimp. 3\. Place the skewered shrimp onto the grill and squeeze the limejuice onto the shrimp to baste while they cook to a pink color. 4\. Enjoy! Spicy Tequila Marinated Shrimp Yield: 3 servings 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined Marinade à1ý cups tequila, preferably 100% blue agave à1ý cups fresh lime juice àþ cup extra virgin olive oil àý cup fresh garlic, finely chopped àý cup Louisiana hot sauce, or the Tabasco sauce of your choice àý cup sugar à4 Tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste à5 Tablespoons white pepper Mix all ingredients very well. Marinate shrimp for 2-3 hours in mixture. Cook over charcoal barbecue grill, basting 2-3 times with marinade. Thai Shrimp on Lemongrass Skewers A thin, firm stalk of lemongrass makes an aromatic skewer for shrimp. Serve these shrimp with a cucumber salad seasoned with rice vinegar and fresh cilantro. For the Thai brushing sauce: 1/4 cup lime juice 1 Tbs. Asian fish sauce 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 6 thin stalks fresh lemongrass 2 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 green onions, white portions only, trimmed to 2\-inch lengths Using a small, sharp knife, shape the root end of each lemongrass stalk into a point. Soak the stalks in water to cover for about 30 minutes. Drain. To make the brushing sauce, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, mint, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Meanwhile, prepare a medium\-hot fire for direct\-heat cooking in a covered grill. Position the rack 4 to 6 inches from the fire. Carefully thread the shrimp and green onions onto the lemongrass stalks and brush the shrimp with the sauce. Place on the grill, cover, open the vents and grill, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to individual plates and serve hot. Serves 6.