I don't understand the purpose of the drop cloths, and like Larry, I'm concerned about the fire risk. Raising seeds indoors will lose its appeal really fast if your light-shelf set-up burns down the house. Tomato seedlings should be grown on at cool temperatures after the seeds germinate. The ideal temperature for them is 65 degrees. Leaving seedlings on a seed germination mat is risky and can damage them. I have a seed germination mat and rarely use it. If I'd known how easily 95% of the plants I grow from seed would germinate indoors without a germination mat, I never would have bought one. Some years I don't even dig it out of storage and use it at all. When I do use it, I move the entire flat off the mat once 50% of the cells in the 72-cell flat have germinated seeds in them. About the only vegetable seed I'll use the germination heat mat for is pepper seeds, particularly older seeds I've had a few years. I often germinate my tomato, pepper and other seeds in zip-lock bags like George mentioned. As long as I remove them from the zip-lock bag before the plant stems and roots become intertwined with one another, they don't mind being moved from the bags to the flats of soil-less mix. I find it very efficient because I'll have full flats with each cell filled with seedlings, instead of having flats with some empty cells because the seeds in them failed to germinate. I prefer to grow seedlings on for a few weeks in conditions that are fairly cool. Because the guest room where I put my light shelf faces the south and has big windows, I struggle to keep the room from getting too hot for them. To keep it cool, I close off the HVAC vent in that room so that it isn't getting any heat when the heater is on. I let them have a couple of hours of early morning sun and then close the drapes so that the room doesn't heat up too much. I keep a fan running 224/7. When you raise seedlings indoors in a room that is too hot, they quickly grow into monster plants, and that's not good for them. When they grow large quickly, they outgrow the available space under the plant lights. When that happens, what are you going to do with them? I used to move mine to my screened-in back porch, but once we built the greenhouse, that became the place I put them when I kick them out of the nice warm house. They might get warmer in the greenhouse than I'd like during the day, but then they get very close to freezing temperatures in there most nights, so that keeps them from growing rampantly like they would indoors. It is so early to be starting tomato seeds indoors that I get a headache thinking about it. You only need to start them 6 to 8 weeks before your recommended transplanting date. The OSU-recommended planting dates for tomato transplants are April 10-30, with the April 10th date being intended for folks in far SE OK and the April 30th date being intended for folks in far NW OK. The rest of us have to chose an appropriate transplanting date somewhere between April 10 and April 30, based on where we live in the state and on our local soil temperatures and air temperatures. Sometimes, in a really hot winter with an early last freeze, we can put tomato plants in the ground up to a month early and get away with it, but years like that are few and far between---maybe once or twice a decade, and it just happened in 2012, so I don't know if we'll have another year like that any time soon. I usually start my tomato seeds on Super Bowl Sunday, and that can be far too early for me in years when the air and soil temperatures stay cold deep into spring. And, it can be almost too late in a year like 2012 because it means my seedlings will barely be big enough to be transplanted early. So, I feel like it is the exact right time to start them since it isn't precisely right for long, cold springs or short, warm winters. It is right in the middle. If I started tomato seeds as early as you have, my husband would lock me in the cellar until the insane urge to start seeds now had passed. That is because he knows all too well how crazy it makes me to have big, healthy plants indoors that cannot go into the ground for another month or two. Because our weather is so erratic, even when I start them on time, I sometimes cannot put them into the ground for another 2-6 weeks beyond the preferred transplanting date. The last time we had a year like that, it just above drove me crazy, and I just about drove him crazy. So, since you started your seeds so early.....welcome to the insanity! Dawn

Also a fan of Xochitl chips-- they are thin and so crisp! I will be making buffalo chicken nachos. I salt and pepper skinless chicken breasts then add a few pats of butter and completely douse the breasts in Frank's Hot Sauce. Bake until cooked through then shred with a fork when cooled enough to work with. I mix a little more hot sauce into the shredded chicken and refrigerate overnight. Right before serving I assemble blue corn chips, chicken, finely diced jalapeno, scallions and a mix of cheddar, montery jack and manchego (or a mix of whatever I have!). Bake on a lowish temperature (300ish) for about 15 min. I drizzle more hot sauce and some ranch dressing on top (I don't care for blue cheese) and serve with sliced cucumbers around the perimeter.. and extra ranch dressing. Black bean nachos are also a favorite-- and now that I've thought of them, I may change my mind and go with that instead. I assemble with all the same above-- but I add diced tomatoes.

Buns are rising. Tea sammies made, cut later. (leftovers un-cut will be lunch tomorrow) About to grind meats. Most came out of the freezer so pretty easy....tamales and pulled pork. And the sauces. And the quart of chili for the dogs. Made sauerkraut last month. It's fun. Woke up timing and planning. Most was prepped yesterday. Roasted chickpeas last night for a nibble with pecans and pepitas and adding dried cranberries. I used za'atar type blend with urfa biber. After grinding,.... spring rolls, guacamole, pico. My two cheats are the bought corn tortillas and the ice cream sammies.

Since it's an art show after party, I wouldn't do chili, or any messy food for that matter. (reminds me of a football gathering) . I like the idea of a cheese/salami platters/crackers/grapes. A veggie platter with a dip. Small wraps cut in quarters of either turkey, veggies , mozzarella and pepper, fried eggplant. You can look into the gluten free wraps for the model. I would do a mini pastry platter too. Drinks. I agree people with drink what you have. Flavored seltzer, a red wine and a white wine and a sparkling cider. I wouldn't do beer unless you know it will be used for other gathering in the coming months. I would have a selection of frozen hot appetizers (from TJ's) in the freezer. If it looks like a larger crowd, you can easily pop them in the oven and pass them around as well.