That is just unreal how your new heart signs go so perfectly with all the colors in your kitchen! What a great find--it was just meant to be, right? ;o) How cute to have the puppies kissing. And all your blue vignette looks so pretty. Very refreshing to see blue for Valentine's. Lynn, I'm like you, need to pull my Valentine's decorations out and do a bit of decorating. It will be here before we know it--time goes by so darn fast! I think my Painting forum would appreciate it if I got busy on some new painted items--we are really dragging over there right now! I'll have to see what I can paint for Valentine's. Luvs

BP, I think your daughter has classic good taste. :-) I wear different fragrances for different moods or settings. I always wear Tuscany when I will be seeing my daughter as this is the fragrance she associates with me. There are a couple people who associate me with Ciara, so, like Tuscany, I wear Ciara when I'm going to see those people. I wear Chanel #5 when I'm feeling nostalgic and vulnerable. To me the scent is light and not too much of any one note. JenMonkey, I can tell you're a youngster (in comparison to many others at the KT) just by the men's colognes you listed. These colognes will bring back a few memories for the older folk... English Leather. Russian Leather. Old Spice. Polo (a bit newer than the first three). Back in the 80's I swear every guy I encountered wore Polo and my boss at the time, I'm certain, bathed in it. Jodi-

>Heavy black was worn for so many months, followed by 'half-mourning' for another length of time. Letters and envelopes and hankies had black borders round them, widows wore special 'mob-caps' and 'widows weeds'. Young people couldn't attend parties, weddings were held-over. I've heard many stories about these rules, and always thought they were hard hearted. People all grieve differently at different times. Setting up a set of rules and keeping people from enjoying life for a year just seems cruel. Tho perhaps the routine of the rules helped, much in the same way that people in mourning often return to work sooner than later, for it gives them some structure and reason to get up for the day. That being said, We follow rules of mourning in Judaism, and I am so used to them that I almost dont think of them as rules. You sit shiva for 7 days - you don't leave the house, you don't work, you let others serve you and feed you, take care of the kids, deal with relatives and such. Then each Friday for a year, you attend service to say Kaddish (mourners prayer). There is also a service at the end of the first month (and I can't for the life of me remember the reason for it...)At the end of a year you have a service at the graveside. I like the pattern of knowing what comes next, what to expect, and the slow way that you are encouraged to re-enter the world. Doesn't mean grieving is over in a year of course. Just a way of structuring the mourning a little. > He never understood how people could talk casually and even laugh at them I was 19 when dad died. After the funeral, we all were at our home to sit shiva. I remember running to my room in tears, because all of the family and friends were standing around talking and laughing. I couldn't stand it. It took me awhile to realize that such talk is what is done to share memories and bring comfort. But I don't think I left my room till most people left. I cry at movies and books, but otherwise am pretty unsentimental in real life. So I was sure I would be fine at my wedding. Everything was going fine, no major stress, I was happy and excited, and then my sis put a kleenex in with my bouquet. Told her, I don't need it. She only smiled. Well, as soon as I kissed my mom (who walked me down the aisle) and took my grooms hand, that was all she wrote. I was sniffling most of the service....

Kathy I only put a capital 'C' to emphasise the importance to the UK of the Old Empire. ;-) When we were children we thought bugger was the naughtiest word there was. Of course there is far worse flowing from the mouths of infants these days . . . Check out on youtube with 'Toyota ad' + 'bugger'