Yes, common lilacs are all over this area. Some are blooming abundantly this year, but do not have the same massed flowering every year. I remember a long time ago watching a TV sequence where the director of the Seattle arboretum, the late Brian O. Mulligan was being interviewed along with another man in charge of a collection in the Midwest or back East. When asked about differences in conditions and results here Mr. Mulligan mentioned that lilacs were not in Seattle what they were in the other region. Since they do grow and bloom here, at the time I wondered what he meant. Probably the same thing you meant, they do not show an exuberance here that they show in continental climates. Blue Colorado spruces and white firs look much better in Spokane, too.

Ok, so I took this paper piecing quilting class in March. As we finished the class and were heading out the door, the teacher said, "Oops, it looks like I made a mistake in the pattern and she reversed all the "lefts and rights." So today I finished putting together the rows, laid it out on the bed to match the pattern and sew the rows together and it doesn't match. :( Evidently she shouldn't have changed the design after all. Now I have to rip apart 48 blocks, iron the seams, re-sew and re-iron the seams flat. However, I am telling myself compared to what much of the world is going through right now, this is nothing. It's just that I hate to rip! Always have. And I was looking forward to going to buy the border and backing fabric and hand quilting maybe this weekend when I go to visit my daughter. Sorry, that's enough whining for me. Since everyone has now sent their charms, why don't we call this thread closed and everyone start positing on Dan's part 2. See you there.

I remember another discussion about your DIL over on Discussions...something about doesn't everybody like potato salad? Maybe, my memory is faulty? You noted above, "I finally got home around 8, and discovered they'd had popcorn for supper. That's okay for adults, but it's not much supper for a child. I immediately got out the left overs and heated some up for Chris, but his appetite had been ruined by the popcorn and he barely touched his supper. So, I know now that if I'm not home to feed this poor child, he's going to starve. I guess it's one of those things that they've been doing all his life, but now that it's in my face, I don't know how to handle it. I'll just feed him as best I can while they are here, and hope DIL learns something, but I doubt it." Sally, I don't think you should assume Chris has popcorn most dinners of his life. I know your DDIL has different eating habits with likes & dislikes very different from your own; but that doesn't mean Chris is malnourished. Maybe, try rotating schedules where she cooks one week & you the next? That way, you have more free time to spend playing with Chris & both families would have an opportunity to eat familiar meals. I know DDIL has tastes very different from yours but different doesn't always translate to bad or unhealthy. I just don't want to see your relationship strained beyond repair over what's for dinner. I see that as a useless & unnecessary power struggle. I'm glad though that you're having this opportunity to spend time with Chris. Enjoy the moments. Try to remember, your DS loves this woman & she's the mother of your DGS. Please don't put your DS in the position of having to defend either one of you over popcorn for dinner. He has enough love for you both but; if pushed everybody will lose including Chris. Maybe, now is also a good time to reach out to DDIL, get to know her along with Chris, & love her as much as you do your DS. (Not necessarily saying you don't...but I do detect a bit of "her versus us" in your words.) For instance, would you feel as strongly if it was DS that had the different food likes & dislikes? If not, maybe there's other feelings involved? /tricia

One of my local old-school movie theaters has the lobby faux-painted in green marble. It's pretty fabulous, and I'm not bothered in the least by the fact that it is faux. But I would feel like a poseur if I were to do something like that in my own home (a table top, maybe, but I would never paint the wood column in my living room faux marble). The thing about stone-look laminates is that they often seem like the second best choice, that what the owner really wanted was stone, but they couldn't afford it. Not that there's anything wrong with being on a budget, and sticking to it. But for me, I would rather have Formica that is unapologetically what it is (boomerangs!) than have a stone-look counter (even a convincing one) that reminded me on a daily basis that I had compromised on what I really wanted. Now for some people, maybe it isn't a compromise--they wanted the look of stone, but they wanted it to be warm to the touch, or more resilient, or quieter. That's kind of like the resin planters. I like the look of terra cotta, but it's nice to be able to move the thing once it's full of dirt and plants. Terra cotta planters are freakin heavy. So yes, definitely plenty of double standards for me.