Oh monica...thanks for asking. Long, long sordid story short, our electrician, mensch that he is, is coming out yet another time tomorrow to see if he can make a splice further down that will finally address the problem--involves sacrificing warm feet for a few sf, but we'd save the rest of the bathroom. He did connect the 5' mat and of course the cats have found it already :) It's really lovely and I just hope we'll catch a break on this and clear things up. Bill, thanks--can you give me a specific name of a nonsag thinset? I know you were mentioning one you were going to try -- gosh, was it last year already--? What's one that you specifically recommend? Thanks...and I'd *love* to hear about what you have in mind for the mural--as in small mosaic work? That's getting more up my alley :) Donna--I *hope* it will be beautiful. It will be memorable, at any rate :) We have the onyx slices up in two other places (and down on the shower floor) -- this is a third strictly decorative strip running up the wall next to one side of the vanity, and I figured I'd incorporate our love of --well, rocks :)-- by working some of the beautiful jaspers and agates, quartzes and granites we've found over the years we've been here (sliced courtesy of my lovely tile saw--man has that thing earned its keep :)) into the design. (side note for lovers of rocks, of which I think you are one, Donna :): yesterday I halved a jasper and honestly, there is a "picture" in it that jumps out at you of a storm at the coast. So real and somehow has light in it that makes the waves practically move when you look at them. DH confirmed it--he said you really don't have to give the benefit of the doubt and say "sure, yeah, that's a storm" or whatever, as you do with so much of what is called "picture" jasper-- it's just *there*...it's so amazing...it's not going on the wall :))

I hope so (about the birthdays). My friend couldn't find hers. As for the groups, I used to be able to search groups through the main page. I can't find that option yet, but I'll keep on looking.

Bestlawn, I can't answer that question for you but hang in there I'm sure someone will come along that can. ~Urlee~

There's also a top of page arrow. It's in a grey box in the lower right corner which appears when you've scrolled the links Ann mentioned off the top of the page. If using the back button gives you weird artifacts (which it can do on some browsers), use the arrow and then click "Cooking". Or if your browser gives you an option to make bookmark buttons, you can make a single button that takes you to Cooking and just click that.