Thanks Secret Pal, I received your package this afternoon! I certainly understand about "stuff" that gets one mind off the little things going on the side! However, I hope it was good stuff and not bad stressfull stuff. Firstly, I loved the card... I'm a big fan of Monet and the other Impressionists. A few years ago I got to visit Paris and visit the Orsey Museum which houses many paintings by the impressionists. I haven't guessed who you are yet, but now I'm able to narrow it down. This time the postmark was legible, so I at least know what state the package was sent from =) Thanks for the glad corms. This spring I got some itty bitty glad cormlets that I'm going to try and grow into flowering size ones. It's quite cool I'll actually be able to have flowering glads this year instead of just dreaming about when my cormlets are grown up! I've got the perfect place for the glads and the mums you sent. I will actually have to hang my hanging basket though. I'd been keeping a hanging basket on the ground in a bed to cover up a big bare spot. Oh... I hope YaYa forwarded the letter I wrote for you. Until I figure out who you are, I'm hoping she'll be willing to be the intermediary! Thanks and Take Care! -Stephanie

Thanks again, everyone. The goodies bags were a hit. I got them really cute little notebooks and mechanical pens, masks, mustaches, glow in the dark necklaces and one, plain Hershey bar. But I am actually writing to pass along a great idea. One of my daughter's class mates made up Valentines that were so cute. It was a little snack size bag of cereal (I think they are Golden Grahams). Stapled across the top was a label that said ,in script, "I cerealsly hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day". A clear plastic spoon was attached with a pink ribbon, and the child wrote the "to" and "from" names in pink marker. I loved it, and so did my DD.

I'm weird, I guess - I rarely wear my ring. DH and I were "shacking up" at the time, and one day I told him in no uncertain terms that if I was to keep living with him, I ought to at least have an engagement ring, for heaven's sake. He agreed. We were poor folks, and I had a credit card, so we shopped and put my engagement ring on my credit card. Romantic, huh? We bought the kind that fit into the wedding ring, which we bought at the same time, but he kept that in a box in his dresser. The engagement ring had one "big" diamond and one "small" diamond, and the wedding ring had the other "small" diamond to mirror the engagement ring. They're not worth more than $200 all together, but who cares? I'm not a materialistic person. We've got diamonds and rings. About 2 years later, we had a modest, but very nice wedding. I got the two rings soldered together. We bought a plain gold band for him. He wears his every day, and after these 9 years, he can't take it off without a lot of effort and hasn't really tried. I got out of the habit of wearing mine during my 1st pregnancy when my hands swelled. I bought a plain gold band to wear instead, and would wear it as a wedding ring now (it'd have to be re-sized) but he says no, it's not our wedding ring. I find the diamond stuff gets in the way, and I only wear it when I go out somewhere special or care that people see that ring on my finger. As I said, I'm not a materialistic person. We could afford to get bigger diamonds now, I guess, but who cares? Why spend all that money on a freakin' rock?

I guess what really roiled the mud was new Annie's statement that she thought scratch cooking only was snobbish....to her credit she said "in my opinion". We all "entertain" our families the way we think best expresses our love....unless we admit we just don't care....and I think we all care. I have a friend who is an awful cook....she really doesn't...but she does a wonderful loving family dinner....her DH puts a boneless rib roast in the oven, she washes some potatoes and wraps them in foil, he makes a lovely Ceasar salad, she buys rolls and a bad Costco cheese cake....and sets a wonderful table, with favors and all sorts of lovely things....shaped ice cubes in the glasses, molded butter, sprigs of herbs on the napkin rings and a silver punch bowl full of ice and bottles of champagne on the coffee table. Not much cooked by her but for sure her hand is in the party Not much "scratch cooking"...but lots of stuff done with love. Perhaps what so many of us are trying to say...is love is expressed by giving of yourself....and the more of yourself you give, the more love is expressed. We all know stories about parents who relegate the raising of their children to hired help. They say they are expressing their love because a nanny isn't cheap etc etc. we know that all things can now be bought....everything from home made cakes to pies to ready decorated Christmas trees. Do you thing you are "expressing love" for your family if you call the caterer and order a dinner....and call the servers and window dressers to set the table and decorate the house....and you simply stand at the door? Or does an "expression of love" involve a giving of soem of yourself...your time and energy and creativity? I think that's what us scratch cooks are saying, we give of ourselves, and that is our way of showing love. But on another plane, cooking and providing food is the very most primitive sort of nurture. So when we prepare food and place in front of those we love, we are nurturing them in the most primitive way. Whew! Got heavy for a while there! Linda C