Not to worry Gandle because alot of us missed the other sewing machine thread. I could also talk sewing machines (and knitting needles - metal vs. bamboo) all day long. My mother sewed lots of clothes for us when we were kids, like you said including coats!! Sewing holds so many memories. My mom and I took the train down to Chicago to shop Marshall Fields fabric department for just the right material for my prom dress. I didn't have to be worried that I'd see anyone else walking around the prom in the same dress. I never had home ec. in high school so as a young married woman I begged mom to teach me how to sew and I was off to the races. For awhile when the kids were little my sewing machine was a revenue generator, the dolls, clothes and Christmas decorations created on that machine allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom. In the mid-70's I invested in a very pricey electronic Singer. But as electronics have the habit of doing, it fried out sometimes in the 1990's. I've been sewing (sometimes daily for years) on a little Brother machine I picked up at Gag-Mart. The older machines such as Leona's are far superior because all the internal parts are metal. You could literally drive over them with a Mack truck and they'd keep on going. I'm holding my breath on the Brother because many of the internal parts are plastic. It's funny you posted this today, because as soon as I'm off the computer here I'm into my sewing room to construct an evening jacket for the cruise we're taking at the end of the month. It's a Vogue pattern by designer Guy Laroche. I love the process of clothing construction, it's actually quite interesting. I'll try and take a picture when I'm finished. Thanks Gandle. Maybe I'll look for one of those older Singer's on EBay. Awwww...the shipping would kill me though.

champagne mangos are one of my favorite, they are an asian mango so should produce true from seed. for some reason the ataulfo/champagne variety is not a popular dooryard variety here. i was told for some reason they dont produce as well as in Mexico. hard to believe because its an asian variety.

barb_roselover_in- How much tomato powder did you order? If it's a small amount (8-oz. or less), then store it in the refrigerator. It hardens because there are no fillers (ingredients) to keep it free-flowing. So any time you open it, get in and get out quickly. The moisture in the air can cause it to clump, or even harden. I tuck a few moisture absorbers (leftovers from bottles of supplements we take) in the top of the jar to absorb any moisture from opening the jar. Your frost-free refrigerator is a very dry environment, which is why it works to keep your powder dry, so to speak ;-). If the tomato powder gets hard, you can usually break it up with a spoon or grate it on a fine box grater or microplane back into a powder again. Just don't leave the lid off for any length of time. If you purchased a large amount, like a #10 can, place it in user-friendly amounts - pint or 1/2-pint canning jars - and vacuum-seal them shut with a FoodSaver using the jar attachment. Kept in a dry, dark and cool environment (vacuum-sealed) it has an indefinite shelf-life. I've suffered with arthritis since I was 14-years old, so you have my sympathy.... You may get some relief if you limit foods from nightshade plants, so you might want to research that. I decreased inflammation considerably by eliminating wheat. I have a flaker mill so I can make flakes from a large variety of soft grains - rye, spelt, einkorn, barley, wheat, kamut, quinoa, oat groats, triticale... Check Bob's Red Mill for a variety of flakes. Unfortunately, nothing tastes like oats. Many years ago a local mill made "heavy bran" from hard winter white wheat, which was made like oatmeal, and worked in recipes just like oatmeal - but that wonderful taste was sorely missing. I was part of a small group challenged to use heavy bran in recipes, but the product was too work-intensive to be put into production on a local basis - after I used 25# of it in experimental recipes. Heavy bran is generally used as the base product for making flaked cereals. You may have better luck if you soak your oats, rather than consuming them raw in granola. Or soak and dehydrate them first, if you want to use them in granola-type mixtures. Oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain. I generally soak and dehydrate nuts before I add them to granola so they are easier to digest and have more available nutrition. If you aren't familiar with soaking gains/nuts/seeds, check your library for a copy of "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., and you can find more information on-line. When it comes to chia seeds, I purchase them 5-pounds at a time and have used them for 7-8 years. They are my #1 health food. -Grainlady

Duane, I have only ever used unbleached all-purpose flour. But italian pasta is made from semolina, isn't it? The dough really is just pasta, just made a bit moister than I would make pasta to run through my pasta machine. I actually have made this pasta with a little less water and run it through my pasta machine to make linguini. If you try it, let us know how it works! Oh, and you are right, you can stuff them with whatever you want! Kind of like making kolache, there are traditional fillings (prune, poppy seed, apricot) but noone has ever turn up their nose at mixed berry, pineapple, or even pecan (like a pecan tassie). Chase, I reheat them a couple different ways. I either just put the number I want on a plate and nuke them from frozen (doesn't take long, you don't want to make the pasta tough), or I set them out to thaw for about 45 minutes to an hour then (as mentioned above) I pan fry them in a bit of butter. They taste good both ways! We have always frozen them cooked so the hubbies (none of who are interested in spending time in the kitchen) can go heat them up themselves whenever the urge stricks. For my hubbie the urge stricks often! All the talk about cheese pierogi and fruit pierogi are making me want those, but I really don't want to make any more just now! Joanne