What a beautiful picture, Luna! Patsi has created one of the prettiest bottle trees I've ever seen. And the snow is just beautiful. Very pretty scene! Karen, we talked about you in chat last night (missed you too). Were your ears burning LOL?! We had so many good things to say about you, and we agree that this forum wouldn't be the same without you! Thank you so much for all you do! It really is appreciated, more than you could ever know. Your album touches many folks who don't even post their thoughts. Thanks and Hugs! ~tenderlee

Mary, I love that link that you sent, adorable. Now go figure, pre-1900 main house, turn of the century remainder..... Love the nostalgia, but want our life-styles....poker tables, neon lights, bar, game rooms, all with a complete respect of the old while injecting our current traditional lifestyle..... Hah....someone come up with a decorating term for that...ecclectic....duh. Jim, I think that is the look I'm envisioning for that tree! Gorgeous! I've run out of rooms.....but you have inspired me to find a corner SOMEWHERE to put up this 6' silver tree and make it work!!!!! I love looking at your inspirations! Alex

I wouldn't chance it. This is what I did one year wiith an old table top aluminum tree. I got a set of those lights that you turn a dial and they change frequency and sometimes blink and sometimes glow in different colors etc. This set came in a circular plastic frame that you have to pull the string lights from to get them out. I left the lights in the ring and then I was able to place the pole of the tree through this ring and then into the stand.That way the lights shown up from under the tree and it was kind of magical watching all the nuances of color on the branches.

bbstx, glad the lasagna came out well. I have a frozen one in a square foil pan in my freezer right now. I told DH about that discussion and he didn't remember ever having a leak issue with foil pans either. He thought it might be the brand or quality of the pans. I've bought pans at the grocery store and at the dollar store, but I can't be sure which ones were used where. With my picky eater off at college, I will have to try a savory bread pudding or two. Meanwhile, this is a great breakfast casserole that's very easy to put together if you want to try something different. 1 cup bottled salsa (I use Pace chunky and measure generously) 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I use the whole can) 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips (give or take one or two) Cooking spray 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided (seriously don't measure but probably use closer to two cups) 1 cup low-fat sour cream (have also subbed nonfat plain yogurt) 1 cup fat-free milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 2 large egg whites 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions Combine salsa and beans in a bowl. Place one-third of tortilla strips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and about 1 cup salsa mixture. Repeat procedure with one-third of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese, and remaining salsa mixture; top with remaining tortilla strips. Combine sour cream and next 4 ingredients (sour cream through egg whites); stir with a whisk. Stir in onions. Pour over tortilla strips; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dish from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (My experience has been that the total cooking time is closer to an hour, maybe even 60-70 minutes. You can serve with additional salsa and sour cream. Leftover reheat well. DH and I have eaten them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is flavorful but I've never had it too spicy for anyone. If stx is south Texas, you may even want that salsa on the side to be a bit spicier. Back to bread pudding - I'm thinking about a pasta dish I've had with sausage and pumpkin. I wonder if that flavor could translate to a bread pudding. I have some sourdough in the freezer I need to use, so I will see if I can get an idea to gel.