Aww,thanks Sue.i feel very honoured and humbled by your compliment.And trust me when I say this"no matter how much we think we know,we all are always learning".from our mistakes,ours successes,each other and even by accident.i have learnt so much since I came to this forum and have even been able to shear with my other friends from home.i sometimes say to myself"what took you so long" lol.i am just happy I finally figure it out.its one of my greatest pleasure to just stand in my green room and admire my plants,now my DH thinks I might be going off the deep end just staring at them,BUT they are one of the reasons keeping me from the deep end(our secret)ðÂÂÂ.Velleta

Thanks so much for all your kind words. I was both very happy and very sad all day long yesterday. Happy because my son is doing what he wants to be doing and enjoying it very much, and that he was alive and healthy; sad because I worry so incredibly much about him over there and was wishing selfishly that he was safe back home again . . . that they all were. But, his unexpected call (just as I was typing the last words of my post here) was fantastic! We actually had a nice long chat. It was so good to hear his voice and to know that he was OK. Afterwards, I headed down to Albuquerque so that I could meet up with his birthmom near to her office. We had a great lunch at a place called Brava Bistro and while we ate (gazpacho and bruschetta . . .yumm!), I filled her in on family , DS's call and passed along the message that he'd be calling her later that evening so that he could talk to his (half)sisters, too. It was a good seeing her again. I love that she and DS look so much alike. Same coloring, same beautiful pale blond hair, same features, same smile. She and her two young daughters (she's divorced) have become like family to us over the years and have even spent some holidays here with us. I both love and admire her very much . . . plus, she's a lot of fun to be with! As usual, we had someone take a couple of pics of us to send to our (hers and mine . . . we share him now) son. But, please don't think I'm some kind of saint about all of this, I'm not. If she had turned out to be some nutcase, I wouldn't have this kind of arrangement with her. But, she's a wonderful, down-to-earth, very good person (awesome, actually) and everyone of us has benefited hugely from this openness and sharing. Anyhoo, it was a fun lunch. Below is a (cropped) pic taken of us at the restaurant. It shows my special ring. I had them take one to show DS I was wearing it once again. Lynn And here's a pic I took of DS on his first birthday. I gave his birthmom a copy of it. he had a Cookie Monster birthday cake, hence the bright blue icing. Not the greatest idea for a birthday boy in a white outfit (LOL!):

"My DH is pretty livid that I want to use the table, he thought I had dragged it out b/c I was ready to be rid of it. He thinks it's hideous and it doesn't hold any sentimental or aesthetic value to him. Maybe with a cover and a little catch-all basket on it he won't be so annoyed LOL!" Melle, from what you've shared here you have an item that is in terrible shape, that you have no use for, no obvious space for and that your husband desperately wants to get out of the house....so why hold on to it?!?! I have always liked that Willliam Morris decorating philososophy 'If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.' I know how easy to get into the mind trap of what you COULD do with something. You could paint it. You could stain it. You could sand down the top. Or replace it. Or sew a cover. Or move it....and if after all the years an item has been sitting you haven't actually been motivated to do any of those things, then for goodness' sake, it ain't happening. I am still wrestling with getting rid of my own sentimental attachment: my dining room table and chairs. They belonged to my mother, who died young. The first nice furniture she and my dad ever bought etc. I even purchased a hutch from the same furniture company many years later to finish the set. And guess what: I really don't care for the style and several of the rush chair seats are again falling apart--years ago I already went through an expensive nightmare fixing them. Although I would like to replace the furniture I get a pang thinking of getting rid of this stuff, as if I'm getting rid of my mother's memory which is silly of course. So I'm as guilty as anyone of hanging on to sentiment when function and style are long gone from the items. Good luck! Ann

Hello my dear Idyllers! More lovely sentiments and eye-candy to wake up to today, what a treat! Thank you so much! Devin cleaned up at Monopoly, and my lovely neighbor Dianne came over bearing a gift for me, then Glenn and I watched War of the Worlds on the dish. All in all a very pleasant birthday. Ei, that's not me at 20, that's Sienna Miller!! My 20 something hairdresser was trying to tell me yesterday I look like her! I've been 20, but never been blonde, though have my moments. ;)Between my hairdresser, Glenn and you guys my ego is getting a much needed boost, thank you all! I also adore It's a Wonderful World, perfect choice of birthday tunage! jain SO GREAT to see you here! Hope it continues! Mary so glad you got back in to GW, and thank you for the lovely card and compliments. What a pain in the bum for you trying to get back here, but so glad you perservered. Speaking of bums, Babs I'd recognize Eden's front yard and several of those bums including my own (no guessing!)anywhere, lol, but how did you do that???? Can you crop mine a bit smaller? LOL! Janie, yes it WAS a riot! 'The Moose' as it's known locally is across from Toyota and always packed! We had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for a table, but kids loved it because it meant they could play in the arcade that's across the lobby, while Glenn and I sat at the bar enjoying a drink and watching the electronic poker matches and football, while munching on fresh peanuts, then tossing the shells on the floor in true Moose tradition. They give you a pager that vibrates and flashes when your table is ready, which the boys thought was really neat. At the tables there is brown craft paper and crayons for the kids, plus the kids menu has a mini colouring book they can colour. Portions are HUGE and really, really good, and not expensive. There is another Moose Winooski's in Brantford, not far from where Janie lives and 25 minutes from where we'll live if we get the house we're trying to buy. I said to Glenn yesterday if my back would take it I'd love to either bartend or waitress there part-time, which I did all through university. It would be a lot of fun to work there, plus being packed all the time the tips would be great too. Speaking of buying a house, that would be the best birthday gift of all. The sellers just dropped their asking price by 15 grand and I know it won't be long before another offer comes in. They are willing to take back the mortgage, but we are not willing to end up in their position carrying two houses. So have to hope my Ebay psychic was right and we sell this place close to my birthday. Well gots to go. Extreme Home Makeover, then Desperate Housewives, then Grey's Anatomy is on, my once a week TV night. Can compare haircuts with Eva's, lol! Thank you again everyone for the lovely birthday cards and sentiments. Here's a few more from last night. Taryn Here is a link that might be useful: the moose