Morz8 - I need to get myself a pair of hip boots! I never thought of that. I'm covered in mud all the time and I am sick of mud stained knees. I've tried kneeling on cardboard, plastic bags, placemats... but I still get muddy. Today the rain stopped for a while and it was only misting. Although it was only 46 degrees, the wind wasn't blowing for the first time in days. So I put on my rain coat and went outside. With all the rain in the forecast, I figure this is a great time to do some transplanting. I'm a fiddler. I am compelled to move my plants around from year to year. I feel comforted knowing the temps will be low and the plants will have plenty of water while trying to re-root. I moved Goldstrum Rudbeckia sown last year to a sunnier spot. I didn't get any flowers last year so this year I'm looking forward to them. I transplanted Shasta Daisies sown a few years ago. I also moved a whole bunch of ajuga. My backyard is so water logged the ajuga was under 2 inches of water. That stuff is tough! I dug up and divided hosta. Last, I moved some Asiatic lilies too.

As long as children are not obese, and yours certainly are NOT, Maria... children shouldn't even be thinking about how much they weigh or what shape they have! They should be playing and learning and having a good time just being young! Then there are the parents who can't be bothered to teach their children good eating habits, and just keep pushing junk food at them so they shut up and leave "mom and dad" alone! America has the highest number of obese, unhealthy, diabetic and asthmatic children in the world! America is horribly screwed up when it comes to food, health, proper parenting... and the media perpetuates everything that's bad with junk food commercials, videos of skinny girls, diets, etc... no wonder children are confused! I love chocolate and a lot of foods that are fattening, but if I learn to treat myself with these foods instead of making them every day things, I won't be overweight and I'll still get to have treats. Don't forget, I just lost a lot of weight by completely changing how I eat... I eat meal replacement shakes during the week, with yogurt and fruit for snacks, and on weekends, I eat what I feel like eating! My body is not starving, so it doesn't hold onto fat... I am healthier because the shakes are complete and balanced, and I NEVER feel hungry. Maria, your girls are gorgeous! It's very obvious that you make sure they eat properly! Soultan, if you are seriously dieting, then you need to make sure you are feeding your body what it requires, while at the same time eliminating the stored fat. Athletes and bodybuilders intake fuel to keep muscle mass, and at the same time, burn fat. I swear by Optimum Nutrition diet products. I've been trying to drop about 35 or so pounds for years, and keep it off... this is the only way I have found that really works. Go to Optimum Nutrition's website and check out what they have to offer... I have two shakes a day using whole milk and "Complete Protein Diet" shake mix... and two "Diet Boost" capsules. (I also take purified fish oil calsules, Vitaimn B Complex, Echinacea, a women's one-a-day, and Glucosamine Chondriotin CSA for joint support.) I lost all the fat at a nice even pace while keeping my muscle. I look good, feel good, and no one is paying me to say these things! :-) The link below is for Optimum Nutrition's page showing the Complete Protein Diet shake mix... check out their website and see all the different products they have available. It's not cheap, but it just about equals groceries to have the shake mix instead. There are lots of companies out there that sell products you'd think would be the same... they are NOT all created equally! Larry learned years ago about proper nutrition, not just for our dogs, but for people as well... and he found two companies making balanced products. Optimum Nutrition is the top company. So, if you are serious, Soultan... check out the website and read about nutrition, and give their diet products a chance. You won't be sorry... Here is a link that might be useful: Optimum Nutrition - Complete Protein Diet

We, in the Madison, WI area have also been getting rain; about 4" or so for the month of April. About 95% of my hostas have eyes poking up and Sagae went from nothing less than a week ago to 4" tall! "Our time of idleness is over" - Connie Connie, is THAT the truth! So much to do I can't believe it! Now that we have sunshine in the forecast for the next solid week, I gotta get out there and spray the burdock (nasty weeds) before they get any bigger, fertilize, spray the ammonia solution for the slugs and finish preparing two new beds I started six weeks ago! Today we're going to the Farmers' Market in Madison (sure hope Deb Sharpee, our local "Hosta Lady" is there!). On the way home, gotta talk my DH into stopping somewhere for bags of potting soil! And oh yeah, I forgot to mention that yesterday I went with our local garden club to some Amish greenhouses and got about 7 flats of plants! At $10.50/flat and 80 cents for a WAVE petunia...I couldn't help myself! I gotta go take my vitamins and eat my Wheaties!... Char

Ingrid, that's a good idea for really bringing your beautuful collection to life! I like the idea of choosing a color from one of your porcelains OR the most obvious, the wall color. Whatever you decide, IMO is something you should definitely do. Read below before you start. ;) C_and_J, great minds think alike~I suggested craft paint in another thread, how bizarre. Compared to samples, you can save a lot of bucks on paint you are never going to use and it just dries out. My DD recently spent $ 120 on paint samples since I hadn't thought of the idea. Keep in mind you can always mix to get what you're looking for, and if on sale, only have to spend a buck! Take your sample(painted on a piece of wood/foamcore/cardboard))to your paint store, ;)