As far as furniture is concerned, definitely ebay. I've purchased my kitchen island/table, my daughter's antique curved spindle bed, her bedroom furniture, a large cherry TV armoire, a PB side table for our BR, a PB round seagrass ottoman/coffee table, 2 handmade adirondack chairs and my son's bedroom furniture (all new or in mint condition) from ebay over ~ a 3-year period of time. Almost everything was located within 30 miles of my house so we just picked them up. So many times we would drive to these gorgeous, pristine homes to pick up a piece and it was just someone selling b/c they were redecorating, moving etc. I have also recently seen incredible deals on jcpenney.com - gorgeous chairs, dining sets, etc - some for 50% off. Right before xmas, all of their dining furniture was 50% off - you could get a whole set for Lastly, craigslist.org has some great stuff too. I recently saw a beautiful desk and hutch from ballard designs that was less than a year old and in perfect condition and the person had to sell it b/c they were moving. Great deals!!

I knew I couldn't be the only one with this question! I prefer the design & colors of the Kitchen Select over LC though I have to say I prefer the Staub design & colors over the KS. But the prices are wildly different & I don't have unlimited funds. If you keep going back to TJMaxx/HomeGoods you'll see Kitchen Select enameled cast iron in different shapes & colors. I just can't see a difference holding the LC & KS side by side. I posted to see if anyone owns both and knows a difference in use (cooking or cleanup). I'm interested in all the brands, any differences. jackidr, I bought the 5 quart round KS in a wonderful butternut color that cheers me up so much I feel free to plunk it on the table to serve. So I often pick up this pot over an old anodized round pot in the same size. A few weeks ago I saw the $40 KS piece you & I purchased at TJMaxx on Amazon for $35 plus shipping, today it's $50. Kitchen Select & Innova appear to be the same (are they?). I'm linking what looks like our same pot for $28. Why such a broad price range for similar products? Is it the price of a French product vs Chinese? What exactly are we paying for with the higher price tags or losing with the lower price tags? So confused. Anyone else? Here is a link that might be useful: Innova / Kitchen Select

Karen, I got this from Food.com. Elery and I both love it and the venison steak works very well here. It's fast, it's good, it's relatively healthy (well, high in sodium but low in fat), it doesn't call for any unusual or hard to obtain ingredients. I make it regularly. Beef and Broccoli 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided 1/2 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 lb boneless round steak or 1 lb charcoal chuck steaks, cut into thin 3-inch strips 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 4 cups broccoli florets 1 small onions, cut into wedges 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground ginger hot cooked rice In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth. Add beef and toss. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm. Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes. Return beef to pan. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Serve over rice. Annie

teeweeone: I think you're being rude. > Pretending to be a step parent is not the same as BEING one. Rosie: I am not married to my partner. Yet I wipe my SS's behind when he poops, all my paycheck goes to the family, I spend *at least* half the time I'm not at work with the boy, I help him make cards for his BD, I'm teaching him to read, etc ad nauseum. If I'm not a step parent, I'm either doing a very good impression or insane. Possibly both. True, my legal status is somewhat hazy. However, the BD hasn't seen his kid in 20 months, hasn't lived with him in 2 years -- since he was 19 months old -- calls once or twice a month. I've been here, constantly and consistently for 2 years. In the boy's eyes, I'm *at least* a step parent, if not a dad-replacement. And as far as morals go...enh. I think I'm pretty ok. Perhaps even safe to walk the streets among the general populace. :) In less flip terms, I think that I'm raising my child -- yes, *my child* -- in a way that he'll turn out nice, think helping other people is a good thing to do, and thinking that cleaning up his own messes is a spiffy way to spend an evening. Dah-doo-run-run.