Heehee, the first new pic is the same hideous Adenium that in the earlier pics I 'found' its caudex! (Just shows that even if you think a seedling is ugly now, it may turn into something beautiful like this! Although I didn't think it was ugly at the time!)I think I chopped the top of it the next day after the pic was taken. My Adeniums seem to have branched with out any help but I think I took the top off most when they where about 2-3 months old, but only did about six to try and judge what was the best option, (to chop or not). As for my results, I'd say that the side branches grow faster and larger if you remove the middle one and when they are the age mine are they look nicer because they are more even. I will try and find some pics that show this. In summer I watered them everyday as they dried out everyday (I had them in full outdoor sun), and fertilized them with liquid cacti and succulent food once a week. Otherwise I don't know what made them branch, but the ones I raise from seed myself often branch quite early. Please remember that although I have done a lot of online research into growing Adeniums my oldest is just over a year old so I am no expert! Thanks deanie and kaktuskris, I've put a lot of effort in to my babies so its nice to have them admired :P. And deanie your babies will get there, I have no doubt yours will be just as nice! I couldn't find any pics that show good chopped/non chopped Adenium examples but here are some group photo's anyway that might be interesting to some :P. I haven't chopped the top off any of the younger ones (except for a few that had mites earlier) as it is winter here now. Eeeppppp, its so exciting sharing these pics with people all around the world whole love adeniums just like me!!! And I love seeing other people photo's too. So post away everyone!

I avoid chemical odor "treating" products like the heavily advertised ones, as I'm "sensitive," and many products just mask odors. There's an old wive's tale - always test a spot first, of course - spray vodka (some would say a waste!) on musty clothes or cigarette-y clothes & hang in fresh air. I'm a proud ex-smoker. Sometimes takes a few spritzes & airings. I have many pets and don't want to seem like I'm shilling for a product but if it's okay on here, let me know (I'm new) - this stuff got moth ball odors out of old baby clothes! Dry cleaner couldn't! I'm a big soaker in various stain removal powders & sometimes washing items in washer with double detergent (careful with size of washer, etc....it works in my washer well, but everyone has a different model) then run a full cycle without detergent to rinse. Just some of the stuff I tried for that moth ball disaster. My mother's generation! Ugh!

Here are two CF favorite appetizers which would be good for a large group. Linda's menu sounds fab for a more intimate gathering--crab quiche with gruyere, I would love some of that right now! Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites - Ann T. April 12/02 From Perfect Entertaining website These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive Easter menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat! 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese ¼ cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Makes 60 bites. SPINACH BROWNIES (Sheshebop) 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopPed spinach, thawed 16 0z. cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup flour 2 eggs, beaten 4 Tb. butter, melted 1 cup milk Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 12 pan with cooking spray. Drain spinach in colander and squeeze out moisture. Combine cheese, spinach and onion in large bowl. Mix. Stir salt and baking powder into flour and mix with spinach. Mix eggs, butter, milk, and stir into the other ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. You can also make these in mini muffin tins as hors doeuvres. Makes about 42. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

My DS's room is not brand new or coordinated at all. I'm a BIG believer in re-using and re-cycling things. I have a second hand crib, dresser, changing table and carved oak wardrobe. Paid $150 for ALL of it. I have refinished all the pieces so that they look nice. I have a really comfy upholstered rocking chair I got at one of those half-off of half-off sales. Paid $100 for it. Got a bookcase for free, from a school that my husband and I volunteered at. They were getting new furniture, and this one particular bookcase was going to be tossed out. They gave it to me, and I brought it home and fixed it up. As far as wall decor....I got some cool peel-n-stick things that have all kinds of fun, colorful images....bumblebees, snails, spiders, flowers, ladybugs. I can peel them off the wall and move to another location, if I want. $4 at the DIY (do it yourself) store in town. The curtains I got in a second hand shop. They are designer curtains (lined and everything) that have sailboats, stars and moons, houses, airplanes... They look awesome, and I paid about $15 for them. I went to some shops in town around Christmas, when they had all their xmas displays in the windows. I asked them what they were going to do with those decorations after the holidays. Most had plans to re-use them again next year, but one shop had extra decorations and just GAVE me some. What they are, are pieces of cardboard that have different colored metallic surfaces....purple, red, blue, green. They were hanging down - about 8 pieces of cardboard to each strand - in the display window, and made cool, different colored patterns on the clothes when they reflected the light. I took them home, and shortened them - 4 to a strand - and hung them from the ceiling in DS's room, near the window. The reflected patterns on the ceiling and walls are so neat, and DS LOVES to watch them. Again, the shop gave those to me, because I had the nerve to ask, so they were FREE. Other things - sheets for the crib (I have 4 sets), the rug -I got on sale (like, MAJOR sale) for a grand total of $40. So...all totaled (minus my own labor and refinishing materials), my kid's room cost me $309.00 . I had to squeeze all the work around my full-time job at the bank, but I considered it a labor of love.