Well, there she is!! Miss Betsy Blue Eys! I could just eat that dog UP! I have to confess to being a dog lover, too. She is just adorable, and a little spit-fire, I bet. She has the sweetest face, and she is so tiny. Just a doll of a dog. And probably one of the most pampered pooches on the planet. And congrats to everyone who has a child graduating this year, be it high school or college. The parents deserve a big pat on the back as they watch their children take the early steps to fledging! Our daughter made it out of college in 4 years, but that SON ... we thought he was going to be a lifer. SIX YEARS for a four year degree. We had someone in college for over ELEVEN straight years. I am sure there are many of us out there who did the same or more. It was definitely worth it.....until they say something monumentally stupid ..... and then you want a REFUND on that tuition money! LOL! Malinda

I'm not one who really enjoys staying with others. A couple of nights with family or friends is okay, but no longer than that. We are very picky about hotels and it seems it is harder to find what we like. What we prefer are condos/villas, etc. or we have even rented a couple of small cottages in the last few years. Last year we rented two different small houses/cottages that were filled with antiques, etc. and LOVED each of them. We had space, privacy, nice bathrooms and kitchens and both of these cottages had scrumptious bed linens. In one we had a great, private outdoor space with an amazing view. It's more of a home-away-from-home feeling. Pampered. We often travel with our small dog, so that type lodging works great for us. Trips for us are most often the get away from it all type and time alone to explore, lounge, etc. And then on the other end of the spectrum, we enjoy camping in our travel trailer!! As mentioned in the other travel thread (Mt's), we are people who enjoy outside activities so that influences our choice in accommodations also. tina

To bzamp58 Hi, I make and decorate cakes. I have NO trouble at all with my recipes for doing cakes. I always use the roller. Just make sure you do the wet ingredients first. The add the dry. My cakes are light, moist, fluffy. (As with all recipes and the DLX the wet should go in first dry last). Thanksgiving...Whip Cream! My granddaughter is not too familiar with my DLX...was using white bowl and beaters, she said I can do the whip cream Gram. Huh well we had chunky almost butter whip cream! The look on her face was priceless. How we laughed! Just added a tablespoon of cream to the 2 cups whipped and consistency was fine for the pumpkin pie! And I am thrilled this year to have my DLX for all my Christmas cookie orders! So much easier! Last year I used my 1980 Kitchen Aid and did 3000 cookies in three weeks. I had been so booked with wedding cookies so got a late start! Still got a late start this year cause we did a total "kitchen make-over"! But now my wonderful DLX and new kitchen...I am so blessed! Time to get Pecan Tassies out of oven. May all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I went to the stone yard today to look at their marbles. I have to say I really REALLY dislike honed marble. In photos it looks great, but in person I found it to be lackluster. I did not like any of the Danby marbles either. I saw the most beautiful polished Carrara, but for me - nothing compares to the polished super white "quartzite" The staff took me into their kitchen where they have had it installed for 5 years. It has not been treated gently, was covered in coffee splashes and mess, but it looked AWESOME. Sure, if you looked closely there were scratches, there was some etching but it looked stunning. More stunning than a perfect piece of quartz could ever look. The small piece I had tested on previously I left lemons on it overnight. That's never going to happen for real so i'm not overly concerned... There is just no substitute for the real thing. I'm definitely getting the super white for our island :D (Double stacked but still to decide on the edge profile) and will do a black quartz for the perimeter counters! I'm so glad we are doing it. Sofibebe - your countertop is a dream, it's perfection. I hope that you are happy with your decision. I'm going to scroll down and look for your other post now.