Suzie, I'm not able to offer much help in the dessert category but I can tell you that if I were your neighbor, I'd love to come for a little dessert, but I would most definitely appreciate something 'not sweet' and 'not dessert'. That's just me, and maybe I'm not alone. Personally, I like a little something sweet once in a while, but not too much and not too often. So, I'd be delighted to come to your party for the friendship and camaraderie, but I'd be really happy if you had something simple like chips and salsa to offer also. (Doesn't need to be a lot or anything fancy, just something to cut the sweetness.) One of my favorite savory 'cookie' is: BLUE CHEESE WALNUT BITES (BHG 2000) 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour 2-3 teaspoons cracked black pepper 8 ounces blue cheese 1/4 cup butter 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 egg yolks, slighty beaten In a medium mixing bowl combine flour and pepper. Using a pastry blender cut in cheese and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add walnuts and egg yolks. Stir until combined. Form the mixture into a ball; knead until combined. Divide dough in half. shape each half into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, chill at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 425* Cut each log into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms and edges are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temp. Store tightly covered. Something else that is seasonal and easy and all you need is some chips or crackers with it: Posted by: Elvis (My Page) on Tue, Dec 3, 02 at 21:45 Here's a stunning looking, easy-easy dip. Almond Pinecones: 1 1/4 c. Almonds 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/4 c. mayo 10 bacon slices, crisp and crumbled (fake will NOT do) 2 T. minced green onion 3/4 t. dill weed 1/4 t. freshly ground pepper, any color Roast almonds till slightly browned (VERY slightly). Combine all other ingredients and chill several hours or overnight. Form the dough into 1 pinecone shaped (flat on serving platter side) mounds. Starting at pointy end of cone place overlapping almonds in a scaly fashion to make them resemble cones. Garnish top ends of cones with pine, if available in your area. Simply adorable, and delicious. Serve with crackers. Very seasonable. Tip: Don't store with the almonds in place for more than several hours, as they will become soggy from the dip.

In the years I have lived in my neighborhood, there have been many gatherings....some omre successful than others. One couple annually held a Cocktail party for the whole street. Because it was "cocktails" and mostly outside, children were not part of the party but generally in the neighborhood so they could have an eye kept on them. That worked very well...cocktails at 6 and people were mostly gone home by 7:30. She did all the work....had a buffet of snacks, like a salad or 2 and mini sandwiches and some cookies. Another type of party when the kids were mostly teens was a block wide cookout in the front yards. Several people moved their grills to the front yard and the host family set up tables in their yard and people brought their own meat and drinks and the host family provided sides. Another type was everyone bring a dish to share, hosts provided beer and soft drinks and if you wanted something else, bring it. Another family would have a christmas party, with cocktails, appetizers and cookies and kid drinks...that was like 5:30 to 7....and always fun even if your schedule prevented you from more than just popping in to say hello. frankly, I think if you are having a party....do it all. It's not a lot of work or expense to make an easy meal and provide drinks for a crowd. It can be something very easy like hot dogs on the grill, baked beans, slaw and potato salad....with watermelon and cookies for dessert....or much more elaborate like grilled chicken or a sliced ham if you wish. Frankly I really don't like a pot luck....either because I don't much like fixing a dish and then going out.....and as a hostess I don't like wondering what will come in the door. If I were in your place, I would have a picnic, outside, kids invited, borrow or rent tables, grill something, make a big pan of beans, another of pasta salad and a green cold something...slaw, salad...something, fill a cooler with white and red wine bottles, beer and soft drinks....and don't forget water....and perhaps have icecream bars for dessert. Easy....and trust me....people will be very happy just to come and have fun. Linda c

One of my daughter's friends had done exactly something similar to what you are planning. Her wedding ceremony was on a dinner boat cruise on a river and included only the wedding party and immediate family (and spouses/significant others of the bridal party) during late morning through mid afternoon. Maybe 40 people max total. She wore a formal wedding gown and veil, but she and her sister (bridesmaid) wore jeweled flip flops for shoes! The groom and father of the bride were also attired in formal tuxedoes. But after that, everyone cut loose! Her reception was an outdoor, beach themed reception which included inviting a lot of other friends and extened family. I think there were about 100 people at that reception. Everyone changed into casual clothes - shorts, Hawaiian shirts, etc. and they had leis as favors. They had a casual BBQ dinner. I personally was invited to both events, and I recall that her inviation was in two parts. The main invitation stated something to the effect that "You are cordially invited to a reception following a private ceremony of the marriage between....blah, blah. Then, for the people who were invited to the private ceremony, there was a separate small card enclosed with the details of the ceremony on the boat. It was a a unique and fun wedding and reception!

ronnatalie - Thank you for responding! I'll look for a GFCI breaker in each of the baths and push the test button in hopes of resetting it. Previously I located only one breaker with a reset button (labeled "BED") in the breaker box located in the master bedroom and I reset it a few times but it didn't resolve the shower light problem. Shouldn't the GFCI reset be located in the bathrooms near the shower light on/off switch? When I referred to three wires to the dimmer switch I included the ground wire in the count. There were two wires plus the green copper ground wire for a total of three. In the breaker box, the sloppily labeled printing using a wide tip magic marker is difficult to read and several acronems exist. Some I understand but others are hard to interpret or even read such as: "R. PLUGS" "F.A.U." "G.D.S.P." "E ELE" "M. BATH GFI" "J.W.A.I.W." ??? "TV - HUB" "CAR" P.S. This electrical situation exists in my daughter's home. It might be a couple days until I can get back there to work on this.