Most of the soaker hoses I've used, the higher you turn up the water, the more the water tends to shoot out in direct spray jets from the myraid slightly-larger-than-regulation holes that there tend to be. If that makes any sense at all. I've had some success in the past rectifying this by covering said holes with electrical tape, but there are usually quite a few. Hence, your 'hard rain' would be interspersed with tiny shooting jets of water in various spots. Also, in my limited experience, water coming off of a soaker hose tends more to run down the length of the soaker hose and eventually drip off, rather than falling in neat, patterned 'raindrop' style drips. Though I admit to never really observing it in an elevated state with this thought in mind.

Many hugs! My husband just got laid-off 2 weeks ago. His company was small-- only 50 employees, and 25% were let go. This was not due to the economy, but because of a Canadian company suing Microsoft and winning. . .his product was based on the feature Microsoft could no longer use. It is sad around his former workplace, I'm sure, too, as there are no more plans for expansion. But anyway, that's not my point! I remember coming home with my DDs from piano lessons (this was at 10 a.m.) and seeing DH getting out of his car. I immediately asked him, "Do you still have a job?" Nope! The baby (2 month old) was crying, it was cold out . . .felt like a scene from a made-for-TV movie. But you know what? Even though this was NOT due the economy, we all talk about it enough to know, it could happen at any time. So, I wasted all those months worrying, and, guess what? It did NOTHING! Worrying didn't protect his job! It just depressed me! So, at this time, I have been able to push all negative thoughts out of my head. Coincidentally, my oldest daughter is learning about the Great Depression with her history group. It's made me realize, as long as a person isn't dead (!) he/she just keeps on going. We survive, we get through things-- we find a way. I am not saying everything in life always works out (I'm thinking of illness, violent crime, etc. are part of any big plan) but "most" things do. My best advice is to live like there's no tomorrow, because "tomorrow is promised to no one." But, at the same time, get proactive and think out-of-the-box. Remember that whatever decision you make now isn't for forever! What do you like about retail? Could you keep your current job and become an online retailer, either a reseller or something like etsy? Obviously, you don't want to sink too much in to start, but while you still have some hours, this would be a great time to do something different! Here is an affirmation you might enjoy: There is One Power, Which is perfect abundance and fulfillment. And I (your name), am a perfect manifestation of this Power. The Power, working for me and through me, provides for me all The abundance and fulfillment which is rightfully mine. I draw to me and create in my life all that I need in the World of Form To fulfill my needs; This may come specifically in the form of money. I hereby release all cause, effect, manifestation, form, and essence And any channel within me, Which may have been preventing the appropriate flow of Abundance in my life. I draw upon the balance of resources in the Universe, For the good of all, According to the free will of all, And I affirm my own wisdom in understanding my needs, and how To fulfill them. I call to me just enough resources, Knowing I deprive none, And am not deprived myself, I have just enough. And so it must be.

I just went through this in our newly renovated kitchen. Contractor installed ALL handles at the wrong width and it was causing the drop handle to hit the drawer fronts and take off the paint! AAAARgh! I literally spent hours trying to find new hardware that would fit the unusual size. I finally had two of the drawer fronts holes filled and it was repainted. The rest I ended up getting hardware for. I did find out at a store called "Finishing Touches" that there are a couple of manufacturers that will custom make your hardware to any size.... One of these is Anne at Home (beautiful stuff by the way). So... maybe you could have the holes filled and stained or painted, or get custom hardware. The other alternative is to get a backplate for your new handles to cover the old holes. Hope this helps!

Thank you everyone! SS had a tolerable weekend - little yelling and no spankings; it sounded like he was pretty much ignored again all weekend. When he told her we went to Disney she asked if he had brought her a present; when he said no she told him that if she went, she wouldn't buy him anything than either!!!! I suggested she might have been teasing; he said no - but this didn't faze him because as he pointed out, she very rarely buys him anything anyway. And she, again, tried to send him home with a kitten from the latest set from one of her half-feral, unspayed cats. So just the usual stupidity and nothing egregious by her standards. So I think this will a very good day to try to start implementing all of your suggestions. I went over the whole weekly schedule with him this morning, and which special classes he has today (art and science). I think today the big one will be the homework. I don't think his homework is usually too difficult for him and it's more to get attention. So, DH and I talked about all of your suggestions this weekend. First he had been doing his homework at the dining room table while I was usually in the living room (which connect); this will change to homework in his bedroom while I am upstairs in my office. I'm still close but not sitting right there. Secondly, I am going to check homework once, mark wrong answers, and then that's it. Since his pattern seems to be to get them all correct but then decide that he doesn't understand the last one or two, they will be marked by me and either he corrects them or he takes them to school that way. Homework is graded for being done, not necessarily correctly, so it won't affect his grades to have one or two wrong - hopefully his pride will cause him to correct them once he realizes that I am not going to help him (unless he is truly at sea on something). Mom2emall, SS will pick helping me to clean! He loves to help around the house. Of course what he does not like to clean is his own room - so that has been my counter-offer before and I think will be so again. :-) lovehadley, one would think that young children can only visit a relative in prison - but that's not the case at the one he's at. Maybe there's too many BF's or Dads who aren't on the birth certificate or something, I have no idea. I don't really think she's going to take him there because I can't imagine she'd want him there as a distraction from her visit but DH really worries about it. PO1, I have this suspicion that the schools are becoming so accustomed to parents "helping" their kids with homework that they're basically doing it for them that half the homework is designed that way anymore. SS would come home last year with regular nightly homework that involved inanities like "Collect leaves from five kinds of trees" - due the next day! Seriously?! It's a city school - half the kids are in after-school care until after dark; were they supposed to be set loose in second grade to wander the streets alone at night looking for trees in second grade? We'd manage to get things like that done but he's one kid; that's impossible if you've got three or four.