Sunny, One of the things that my husband agreed to early on in our marriage, is that if one of our kids wants/needs the step parent to do things for them (because the parent can't), then the child has to ask the step parent, not the parent. When my son wanted a co-signer on a car, I couldn't help him because I had just started my own business. I talked to my husband and he agreed to help but I felt that my son should ask him, not me. My son did ask him and got the car with my husband's help. My husband does the same with his daughter. If she wants something from me, she has to ask me. She still asks him all the time and he tells her, 'you have to ask SM'. My sons got angry a while back because they don't like when my husband has an opinion about anything. They think he should stay out of 'our life' but then I remind him that he's my husband and he is a part of 'our life' and I remind him of the things my husband contributes and that they don't mind when he does something where they benefit. They don't like it but they know it's true. What your husband should have told his daughter is that she would need to ask you to cook the food because he doesn't know how or can't do it all by himself. It really is up to the parent to expect their children (even adult ones) to respect their spouse enough to ask for themselves instead of going through the parent. It's much easier for kids to let themselves believe that their parent is doing everything for them and they don't need the step parent if all they have to do is ask the parent who then asks the step parent. Then they don't really appreciate the step parent because they can tell themself that their parent is the one doing everything for them. It's funny that my son will ask me for something and when I say, you need to ask stepdad yourself... he'll decide 'I don't really need it.' He has been giving my husband a hard time and would rather go without than ask my husband, well, that's HIS problem, not mine.

Thank you,Eld and to all you mothers on KT, have a wonderful day. Hopefully, the last two days of rain will clear up enough to have our mothers day dinner at my daughter's new backyard entertainment area.

My DD and her fiance came out, and my dad treated us all to lunch at one of my fav local Mexican food restaurants. I’m still thinking of my veggie chili relleno with queso fresco. Ahhhh. I wish I could eat it every day. :) I tried to convince them to move in with us, but they won’t. I’m not doing Empty Nest Syndrome well. I want to be with her every day. It’s been years since she moved! She’s 27! When do I get used to it?!

Moses,I love your Gardenia story! You did a great job with that gardenia and it sounds like a beauty. I agree August Beauty is one of the better varieties. I had a few at my old house and they bloomed a lot and were easier to care for than some others that I had killed lol! I don't know what variety this one is. It is by the back steps. There's another huge shrub right next to it, that I have yet to identify. That other shrub grows monsterous and tries to shade out the gardenia and I have to continually whack it back! The first winter we were here it rained then froze to 10F one night! Very unusual for us. This gardenia had branches burst open from the freeze. I had to cut it down to a couple feet high. This year it has come back enough to produce several blooms which have begun opening for Mother's Day! Diane, I too, wish you could smell her heady tropical scent! So heavenly.