Something bad happened that actually was a very, very good thing... After following breiaj's instructions to the letter, two of the floor tiles in the bathroom popped up a couple of days later and wouldn't stay stuck. When I pulled them up the rest of the way, I found a leak! If it hadn't been for those tiles unsticking, we wouldn't have found that leak until it did a LOT more damage - like made a big ole mess of the kitchen ceiling. So here's one way in which vinyl tile might actually be BETTER than sheet! A few notes WRT breiaj's instructions... I admit to dropping back to $3.99 paintbrushes because they became unworkable so quickly - the glue would start to dry up in the bristles while we were working and it would become more like a paddle than a brush! We didn't have any problems with bristle loss. 2" flat-ended paintbrushes were just the right size, a wider brush seemed like it would save time but was really more awkward to work with, especially with cut pieces. Don't bother wearing rubber gloves in hopes of keeping your hands clean, they stick to the tile's adhesive and to the adhesive you're spreading on and just generally irritate the crap out of you. :-) The adhesive - Armstrong's anyway - is kind of hard on your hands though, and contrary to the label does not wash off with soap and water! We ended up using a "painter's wipes" product we had on hand to clean up our hands about every hour because we would get too sticky to work effectively, and our fingertips were pretty raw and sore afterward. Even though it costs a bit more it's a lot easier to work with the smaller containers of adhesive using this brush-on method, because the bucket gunks up something awful. If you're laying more than about 100 square feet, seriously consider coughing up for the vinyl tile cutter (homedepot.com has one for about $50, or you can rent a superduper heavy-duty one for about the same for a weekend)... scoring and snapping with a utility knife sucks after a while, it's slow and hard on your hands. Make sure you have a comfortable utility knife no matter what though, and a LOT of blades. Stanley makes a really nice knife in their FatMax line, with a rubber-cushioned handle. A jamb or undercut saw ($15) makes dealing with those door jambs SO much easier than trying to cut the tile around them! We removed the baseboards; we were going to replace them with vinyl cove but the damn stuff just would not cooperate so we patched the baseboards with wood filler galore and put them back, and it looked SO much neater than butting the tiles up to the baseboards. deeje, I've checked around with several manufacturers of vinyl tile and the biggest deal WRT moisture is not to slop around too much water when you mop - contrary to popular belief, you don't need a gallon bucket full of near-boiling water and some vile chemical to get a floor clean! Try a well-squeezed-out sponge or terrycloth/microfiber mop instead of a sopping string or rag mop instead. Those microfiber cleaning cloths fit on Swiffer handles really well, if like me you are too cheap to buy the Swiffer cloths. :-) ctaylors6, the instructions in the Cryntel box agree with the Lowes guy - wash well-secured vinyl very well, rinse well, allow to dry thoroughly. I'd use something like TSP that would destroy any gloss on the existing floor. Our vinyl was trashed so we couldn't leave it, so I can't speak to the adhesive method on top of vinyl. We still haven't gotten the kitchen floor laid down yet. We had to tear out some of the subfloor and replace it, and then do a lot of leveling and sanding on the rest, got diverted with a day of electrical work, and to top it all off DH has been sick as a dog. :-( Cross your fingers for this weekend!

Your dad's friend did he call the breeder to let them know he was getting rid of Sheba? Responsible breeders make you sign a contract when you purchase a puppy. That puppy must go back to the breeder if you need to find them a new home. They don't want their puppies being dumped off in shelters. Why would your parents even think about breeding Sheba, she is just a puppy. So many pups in shelters being PTS everyday, its so sad. I'm not a breeder but I love dobermans. They have several health problems, DCM cardio is their number one killer. Responsible breeders show their dobermans, put titles on them. Health test their dogs and study pedigrees before breeding. Do you know where Sheba came from, how long did the other dogs live, what health problems did they have, and the list goes on and on, they just don't put two dogs together just to have puppies, please spay her and just love her. I had to laugh when you talked about her leaning on you. Dobermans love to be with you all the time. They follow you from room to room and when you turn around you usually bump into them. They do need a lot of exercise or they drive you nuts. I've always had one at a time but a few months ago we got a female. They two of them play all day and its a lot of fun just watching them. I take them out for a couple of hours, no running just long walks and when we get back I don't see them for a couple of hours. Females mature a lot faster than males. I've noticed that my males slow down when they're two years old, but always a puppy at heart. Good luck with your girl.

Kelleg: I've oiled the soapstone once, with mineral oil. Took about 5 days for it to totally 'dry'. My husband didn't want to touch it because the oil grossed him out (even though I told him this oil is safe for consumption as it comes from the pharmacy). So, I'm going to let it darken naturally. I would probably get the soapstone in KC, because they'll have a local installer. The installer in STL is in Illinois so unless you want to install it yourself, you should probably buy in KC. Your local HD should have it. It was mixed in with the granites at the Sunset Hills HD. It was a tiny sample and looked horrible. The salespeople knew nothing about it, so I educated them a bit. I suggested they get a finished piece... seriously, I took their sample to the installer in Illinois and they couldn't believe it - looks nothing like what they install. I found that most kitchen places, designers, etc in STL (and probably the midwest) were either uneducated about soapstone or tried to talk me out of it saying it was too soft (somewhat true compared to granite, but it's still pretty hard - much harder than laminate) or too porous (not even true, esp compared to granite). So my suggestion is to stand your ground, and use this forum. I was close to switching to a honed granite, but this kitchen forum saved me. :)

I understand wanting to feel "normal" again after your spouse dies. I knew I wasn't thinking straight, and I had 5 little kids to take care of, so I became a victim of a man who "threw me a rope" from the abyss I was in. I have to believe he heard about my husband dying and saw dollar signs. Our marriage did not last. I didn't come out of a fog until about 2 years. I didn't understand about waiting at least a year before making big decisions. Family and friends didn't object, but I think no one really knew what to say or do. Your father in law is clinging to what he has had. That love and closeness, sharing his life with someone. It's possible he is avoiding you because he understands what he is doing is not right, he may be under the "guidance" of this woman and doesn't want to jeopardize the relationship, or he really isn't thinking straight and is focusing on this woman and his old routines have gotten dropped from the huge rift of change from his wife dying. You might suggest very gently and only once, that this is a huge adjustment for him. Having a list of things widowers go through from a professional would be best. He is being led, and he will allow it. It is possible to lead him to a difficult, but better grieving process. Because of my marriage within a year of my best friend and husbands death, I didn't actually grieve until after my divorce, 6 years later. Take care. I wish people would discuss these situations more, instead of trying to deny that death happens. It is such a horrible time and any help through it would be nice.