I like all the ideas -- I tend to prefer the table runner to a wall hanging too, but then you know her very well so you may have more idea of her tastes. I like the home sweet home idea with a house, YOU KNOW, you could even make something like a square "table topper" that could be for a table or wall. ANYHOW -- Piece-0-cake designs does some adorable applique patterns and one of their houses immediately comes to mind. If you look at my link below, it's in the book "Applique delights" (which you could probably get for less on Amazon's used books...) but it is in the style you see on the North Pole book right below that. SO DIAN -- DO WE GET YOUR BREAD RECIPE???!!!! Years ago when I moved into a new neighborhood a lady nearby brought us two loaves of braided bread and oh my word I thought I'd died and gone to heaven it was light and fluffy and buttery and SO VERY GOOD. She gave me the recipe but I could get the bread to rise. -- but now I make sourdough and I think I can handle it! I would love to try it out, and I love your welcome to the neighborhood idea, I may adopt it myself! Here is a link that might be useful: piece o cake designs - home applique

Good news Granlan, so glad it's going well and pain-controlled. You'll be kicking up your heels soon! :) BTW, pixistix, you need to set your browser encoding to Unicode UTF-8 (on the View menu) and you'll see your posting as intended. I see the heart on mine.

I know you guys have tried to help me before, & hopefully this will be the last time for awhile. It's just that when it comes to this stuff, I am still learning, & I know you guys are the pros!!! We've done a little clean-up w/ the landscaping around the house (we will have to save up to buy the plants, though), & now we are ready to paint. A few months ago, several of you suggested nice ideas for changing the approach to my house, but for right now, none of the options are feasible for us (although I thought they were great ideas!). I *think* the colors I have chosen are Behr: Lost Summit for the body, Light Sandstone for the trim, & Cherry Bark for the accent (shutters). Our shingles are a medium gray color. I know it's hard to tell that from my pic, but do you think these colors will work ok w/ the roof? The other choice for the body is Rocky Ridge which is a little lighter. Also, being the amatuers that we are, we don't know if we are supposed to paint the underside of the eaves w/ the accent color or the body color. Also, wondering what it would look like to do the trim around the windows w/ the Sandstone, but the trim along the eaves of the house w/ the Cherry Bark (would that be weird?). Oh, & what about the garage doors - do we paint them the same color as the body or leave them alone??? Like I say, I really don't know what I'm doing here! Please help! If anyone would be willing to do me a mock up, I'd be FOREVER grateful!!!! I bought the Behr paint program that you can download onto your computer, but the colors are funky on it, & it doesn't seem to work right. Here's my home sweet home:

@NhBabs (4b-5aNH) Im in Ghana actually. no where near the States. so i dont have to worry about too cool a season even though its supposed to be the rainy season now. (thats the coolest its gonna get). They can get that large huh? thanks for letting me know. thanks pitcom...guess i was worried for nothing! @vgkg ouu....i shall do exactly that. can't wait for them to start giving sweet potatoes back. you make it sound simple that i have hope to cultivate a green thumb. such useful info ^-^ All i have to do know is look for a larger space in this house and ill keep you guys posted! :D Heres an update. the rooted one's sprouts are ready i think to be planted. i think the one that didnt root well isnt growing any further. so i'll just take the sprouts ive gotten so far and plant them.