My original business plan was to publish a gardening newspaper for this immediate area. I spent years compiling all the data. I worked up samples and walked them around to local garden themed businesses. Plenty of people were impressed (I was shy of my goal, but close to half of those approached supported the idea of a newspaper). After a few months of investing heavily into it the interest from the businesses waned. They weren't making much money selling such a low priced item (and it featured ads from their competitors). Within two years I was shutting it down due to lack of distribution points, not intrest from the public. I had to have places to sell it to the public in order to stay in business and every month or so I would lose another distributor. I might add that I was doing all the work - so even if little money was being made, they weren't extending any effort (I stocked, delivered, collected, billed with a S.A.S.E., heck I even dusted the counter tops). Another disappointment was that the gardening publics interest was insatiable during the spring but non existant during the heat of summer. In addition to the newspaper I had printed up a gardening calendar with week by week advice on what to do in your garden. I had a truckload of them to get rid of and hated to just throw them away. So I got a "drop in" spot at the local flea market and tried selling them. They moved a little but my bigger success came from selling the plants I had brought along to decorate the booth! So my business name stayed the same but I shifted gears into plant sales instead of publishing. In my fantasy world I would rather be the garden guy at the market with edible food crops for backyard farmers. Seedlings, rooted cuttings of herbs, fruit and veggies from around the world. But the market that is the most convenient for me to sell at doesn't have enough of those types of customers. The result is that I sell a lot of ornamentals and not many functional plants. I believe it will change and that it will only take time. The one component that no one told me when I started all this was the amount of time it takes to build up a clientele. You have to be patient, there are few overnight success stories.

Hey, Toni...we're the opposite black sheep here. My dad had 11 brothers & sisters, mom had 6...so everyone one of THEM decided to have no more than 3 each. I only have 2 brothers. But hubby and I have 6, with #7 on the way. LOL Everyone thinks we're nuts. The first in our family since the grandparents to have more than 3 kids. Even grandma thinks we're kinda insane. But, we don't plan on stopping any time soon, so who knows? I'm only 31, hubby's 29. Lots of child-bearing years left for us. :D

I will probably hear many voicing disapproval, But I have purchased some rugs that I consider to be nice from Home Depot. They are not hand made many 1000's of dollars nice but they are very nice for production rugs. They carry several brands and several price ranges. We have purchased 8 or 9 for in our 112 year old home. I have had many comments how nice they look, and they have been holding up well. HD often runs rug sales with free shipping to boot. I have purchased one or two that were store stocked, but most have been ordered on line. I have also purchased rugs for one bedroom from Amazon, and the ones I purchased were not the quality level of the ones i purchased from HD, how ever for the price they were and the lighter foot traffic in this bedroom, We are pleased with our purchases there as well!

I am Jewish and am married to a non-Jew; my first DH was Jewish, as are both our sons. They are also inter-married. We've worked it all out over the years! First, I don't think I'd call her. She might well feel obligated to say "Oh please, don't do anything." I can't imagine her saying, e.g., that one gift would be nice. You are receiving excellent suggestions here! I would send a card to her. As some one else mentioned, this is an 8-day holiday, and cards and gifts can arrive at any time. I'd also send a gift, something simple, wrapped in appropriate paper (blue or blue and white). That would be very nice for someone who is non-practicing, but enjoys reminders. Then carry on with everything you do for Christmas (a holiday I love). At some point in the future you could consider sending them a menorah (I am thinking that theirs is really simple) for Hannukah. There are beautiful ones available and they get prettier as the designs advance. Our menorahs are part of our decor. Mazal Tov on the wedding!