Hi , I am so glad you posted your hosta picture. I made a new garden on the side of my house and I purchased this type of hosta but it came with no name. Thanks to you I know the name ! Thanks much !!! The reason I choose it was due to the contrast it would have with heuchera purple palace! Today I picked up two hydrangeas , one of them is going to be placed in the side garden close to the hosta! Your combination looks wonderful!

Just this morning I spent what I consider a small fortune on doorknobs. I blame my DH though (who will probably have a seizure when he finds out how much they cost), as I was more than happy with the less expensive Emtek rectangular handleset, whereas he preferred the Baldwin Boulder Rustic w/interior egg knobs. Of course, we also wanted the more expensive distressed ORB finish. The mortise lock upgrade for our front entry doors was pricey, but recommended since our doors are so large. And of course, I wanted matching egg knob handlesets with a rosette backplate for all of my interior doors, so I didn't want to switch to a less expensive brand for these doors - again bumping up my total cost. With a 10% discount for ordering from the manufacturer rather than taking them from the shelf, my total price from a local dealer came to approximately $1700, including tax. This was the lowest price I could find after receiving several quotes from different online sites (although my local dealer also offers his products online). I saved some money by choosing to pick up my order rather than have it shipped. These are my choices (except with the knob rather than the lever) - I can't wait to get them!

Wow, thanks for the information- I've never had that kind of luck with getting ModPodge to harden. You may very well be right-- it could be it was either too damp or not warm enough in the house. The nice thing about sealing over ModPodge or other glue products is that if you get enough layers over it, the decoupage has a sort of recessed/inlaid feel to it. If you get a chance, you can see a couple of the past decoupage projects I've got online: http://web.mac.com/thriftshopromantic/iWeb/The_Thrift_Shop_Romantic/Decoupage_Footstool_Purse.html http://web.mac.com/thriftshopromantic/iWeb/The_Thrift_Shop_Romantic/Greeting_Card_and_Lace_Guest_Tray.html I ended up doing these with Aleene's Craft Glue, and then a topcoat. But now you've got me thinking I just wasn't using the ModPodge under the right conditions! --Jenn

Annie, you might try this recipe for lamb. It's one of my favorites. It's a great cold weather dish. (And I apologize to anyone who's tired of me posting it, but it really is easy, delicious, and the long slow braising does dissipate a lot of the slight gaminess that lamb sometimes has). FWIW, my dog goes absolutely crazy when I cook it. There is a French bistro dish called "Gigot de sept heures"--yes, that's "Seven hour leg of lamb". I first ran across this in Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles Cookbook". The first time I fixed it there were two teenagers in my house who claimed they didn't like lamb. Suffice it to say there were no leftovers. Bourdain makes the comment that when it's done, you should be able to cut it with a spoon. Like all common recipes, there are variations: but it's basically a braise in a heavy casserole dish. I used a deep cast iron Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, and it worked great. Season the lamb with slivers of garlic, sear it, add liquid and vegetables, cover the pot, put it in a slow oven and DON'T PEEK for seven hours. Omigod, is it good--and easy!! This is a perfect dish for a day when you have a lot of laundry or housework to do. You gotta be in the house anyway, so may as well have a no-stress supper cooking while you're doing other work. You put it in the oven after brunch, then do whatever you need to do, and after seven hours you have some juicy and scrumptious lamb. A half hour before serving, cook up some noodles or something to catch the juices. Here's Bourdain's version. The only liberties I take with it is to brown the meat prior to putting in the other goodies, and since I have a very tight fitting casserole I don't bother with the flour seal. You can also use a little more wine if you want. The garlic cooks down so its not overpowering; do use at least the amount it calls for. GIGOT DE SEPT HEURES 1 leg of lamb, about 6# 4 garlic cloves, sliced, plus 20 whole garlic cloves 1/4 cup olive oil salt & pepper 2 small onions, thinly sliced 4 carrots, peeled 1 bouquet garni 1 cup dry white wine 1 cup flour, 1 cup water Preheat oven to 300 F. Make many small incisions in lamb, place slivers of garlic in each incision. Rub lamb well with olive oil, season with salt & pepper. (At this point I would brown the lamb on all sidesÂbut thatÂs not necessary.) Place it in Dutch oven and add onions, carrots, bouquet garni, garlic, wine. Put lid on Dutch oven. Combine flour and water, make a 'caulk' and use it to seal the lid to the dutch oven. Place it in the 300 degree oven and cook for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. NO PEEKING--leave it alone. Remove the Dutch oven and break the seal. You don't eat the cooked flour paste. That's it. About a half hour to an hour of prep, then you leave it the heck alone for 7 hours. It's nearly foolproof. Serve it with whatever else you want, and a medium bodied red wine goes quite well with this (say, a nice Zinfandel) but a dry white (such as the remainder of the bottle you opened to get the cup of wine in the recipe) is fine as well if that's your preference. Bon appetit!