I'm glad you guys will be there. See you then! Sue are you and Marji coming up this way? If not I'll bring your sculptures down(if you're driving)

I was gone most of yesterday running errands. I'm glad you all liked my tablescape. Wanda, yes . . . that's what I was going for ~ Simplicity! I'm glad you noticed that . . . and glad it actually came out that way(LOL)! Trudy: yes, aren't they great . . . especially for $2 each! Party, that's not a dumb idea. I actually did roll the napkins originally, using the silver napkin rings and they looked very good that way. I think if I'd had more decs in the middle of my table, they would have looked even better but, rolled and placed above the plates, I thought they called attention to how empty it was up there (LOL!). Love your other ideas, too. I'll bet a pair of antique reading glasses would be great by/on the books. I'll have to keep my eye out for more possibilities for next year. Jeanne, thanks! I think OA's ideas for a Billy the Kid table are fantastic! I hope you'll do a table like that someday soon. Can I add a few more ideas? Blue spatter-ware tin plates and cups; horseshoes; bandanna napkins, rolled and tied up with a bit of thin, frayed-at-the ends rope; an old, rustic lantern; a battered tin or spatterware coffee pot filled with Black Eyed Susans? OA: of course I don't mind! I've already seen your table and it's fantastic! What you can come up with on the spur of the moment is amazing, just like your President's Day tale. My favorite, though, is still The Sandcastle Table. Kath/MMW: hello and welcome to our forum!! Happy Birthday, too! Cindy: thanks! Are you using the chargers in your latest table? I need to go look in a minute. Magpie, thanks so much. I agree with you on Washington and Lincoln. . . such great men! ****BTW, have any of you had a chance to see HBO's miniseries, "John Adams"? We originally rented ours through Netflicks, but it's rentable many places and for sale, as well. It is phenomenal, wonderful, beautiful, excellent, breath-taking and will make you incredibly proud of our forefathers . . . I can't (obviously) say enough good things about it. Even the music is fantastic. It's based on David McCullough's book of the same name, and follows our nation's struggle before and throughout the Revolutionary War and past Jefferson's presidency to the Fourth of July when both those great men (Adams and Jefferson) died within hours of each other. Paul Giamatti was incredible as John Adams; Laura Linney played his wife; David Morse played George Washington so well it was amazing. Both men should have won major awards for this piece. Anyhoo, it's really worth seeing, even if you're not a huge Early American buff. I bought it as a gift for the family at Christmas and can't wait to see it all again. Karen, thanks, I won't change it then. And an early Happy Birthday to your DH. What a great birthday to share! Luvs, thank you! Yes, I've often wondered that, too. He was an honorable, good man and a brave one,as well. Sometimes I actually have dreams that my DS is elected President someday in the future and the legacy, however distant, continues. Punk, thanks. Your comments are always so thoughtful and kind. I wasn't sure about the books but am keeping them because you all seem to like them there. The table's still set for at least the rest of this week. As for the napkins, they're the first I've ever attempted, but got inspired to make some from this forum. Jane: Yes, the tablecloth is really an old Matelasse coverlet . . . you have such a good eye for details! I do wish we lived closer. As it is, will you please plan another table soon, and/or reshow us past tables using your wonderful pewter? Your dining room is my all-time favorite and I always love seeing pics of it. Lynn

Breezy I went to Fireclay and Heath Today to finalize my own backsplash. Some info for your consider. Heath tile - several of their glazes have some copper in them. They are all about using traditional natural materials. But this also means that the tile glaze can etch! I tried it with some of the green tiles I had and sure enough I was able to etch a couple of them with lemon juice. I was really disappointed and even considered if I can live with it.. Patina and all that. But I could see the spots in the undercabinet light and DH hated the etches. So reluctantly I have given up the wide hex twist with 3 colors with glossy and matte that I had fallen in love with :( This is not to say that this won't work for you. Not all of their glazes etch. Depending on the colors you want, call Eric their tile manager and see what will work. One more thing - some of their tiles are dark clay body and others are white clay. As the glaze has a lot of dimension, the colors really work better if you select all white clay or all dark clay. Fireclay - Debris series is dark clay body and Vitrail is light clay. Again not advisable to mix tiles between the two. Debris is also a tad thicker tile. Vitrail depending on the color has some crackle in it. It is all organic and not exactly the same. As the tiles have a handmade quality to them, it looked like you can't really get a small tight grout line. Not sure how important this is for you. I finally have decided on backsplash tile from fireclay and have placed my order. They also have this thinner super large format tile that was just awesome. May work in a contemporary kitchen like yours. Lots of zen like colors and you can definitely get small tight grout lines with these. Yolanda who works there is very knowledgeable and helpful. This post was edited by GWlolo on Sun, Mar 24, 13 at 2:55

I won't go into who's better looking. Don't really care! And I agree that the voting public is very visually-oriented and visually-conscious, but I have to disagree with the voting public being well-informed. When I see the people relying on email, Twits, Facebook and texting to form their voting decisions, I shudder. Maybe we should go back to having only electors. I always encourage people to vote, but I should specify that they should be informed when they vote and from at least a variety of sources and hopefully some credible ones, not just one "news" channel, emails or something they heard or read in a book somewhere. It comes up most every election about the number of times the taller candidate is elected. Looks mean a lot. They concentrate hard on the looks especially for the debates. Special height podiums for the individual candidate, and if I see another "power tie" I'm going to blow chunks! I think it's sad to see them parade out their families and use them as a campaign tool. Gallagher had a great line about that. To be honest, I think a 5' tall woman could have trouble being elected. Voters look for taller women too. Height is a big thing in this country. For men and women alike. The "regal stature" applies to both men and women politically. Among the campaigns I've worked, I ran the campaign of a 5' tall woman. It was far easier to garner support when people didn't see (or know) how short she was. Qualifications and competence were on paper, but people still judged. And this was at the local level. That really surprised me. I knew being female would be a challenge, especially for the office sought but I didn't realize height was such a big factor. Looks are subjective of course but there's certain expectations that many people have. And people are hypocritical no doubt. And it's not just in politics. Fat and old are rare in broadcasting in major markets and major networks. Check out salespeople. Looks are a big factor in hiring decisions whether admitted or not.