Ah! Agapanthus. No, I do not think CT is too cold to grow this; I think I've seen it in nurseries. I just never grew it myself but now I may have to start, lol! Ann, I meant it - using the stems of this plant is a nice touch. I just sell my bouquets with elastic bands wrapped around them. I looked into those bouquet wrappers but I hate to use plastic, so I decided against them. I guess it doesn't make much difference since some customers ask for a plastic bag for the bouquets anwyway, but some don't, and some put the bouquets in their reusable bags. There was a company that kept touting compostable wraps/bouquet holders but every time I check with them they keep saying they are "in the works" and will be ready soon. So I gave up on that! Dee

I found some free recipe books on the Dept of Human Health site. You can order the paper version or download a Pdf version or view them online in the HTML version they are all free. Healthy Eating I saw this recipe on my French's mustard bottle and want to give it a try. Tangy Ranch Chicken Ingredients: 2/3 cup Ranch dressing 1/3 cup FRENCH'S� Classic Yellow� Mustard 3 tbsp. brown sugar 4 to 6 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts Directions: MIX salad dressing, mustard and sugar. Pour 1/2 cup sauce into serving bowl. COAT chicken with remaining sauce in 3-qt. greased baking dish. BAKE chicken at 350�F for 25 min. until cooked. Serve with reserved sauce. there are pictures and a video on the website plus a lot of good recipes French's Mustard

What a very pretty room! I second all the advice to take your time and to get something temporary for the time being. do you have a rug you are going to use in that room from which you could pull a color for the drapes? My two specific pieces of advice are to ignore the window to the far right that is next to the fireplace. I would maybe do drapes along the long wall, and then blinds on the window next to the fireplace. I wouldn't do the same treatment on both as that would look a little awkward. the other piece of advice is to check out this blogpost. It is (almost) the best bit of design advice wrriteen anywhere about any decorating topic in my opinioin! http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/08/top-ten-design-elements-4.html She provides oodles of specific examples demonstrating why her advice makes sense. IMO nothing makes a room more cozy than drapes! good luck and keep us posted with what you decide. Here is a link that might be useful: Cote de Texas Curtain blog

Garlic-Almond Green Beans From Taste of Home Garlic-Almond Green Beans is her family's favorite way to eat this popular vegetable, writes Genny Monchamp from Redding, California. "The beans stay so bright and crisp. To speed things up even more, you could use frozen green beans instead of fresh." SERVINGS: 4 CATEGORY: Lower Fat METHOD: Other stovetop TIME: Prep/Total Time: 20 min. Ingredients: a.. 1 pound fresh green beans b.. 2 garlic cloves, minced c.. 1 tablespoon olive oil d.. 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted e.. Pepper to taste Directions: Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Drain beans. Add the beans, almonds and pepper to skillet; toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.