Thanks all! Jane, I know it would never bother you if we copied one of your ideas. You're not that kind of person. I do always try and mention it, though, where I got my inspiration . . . if I remember where I got it from (LOL)! I'm always a bit paranoid about my poor memory. When I was 6 months pregnant with Emily, I became pre-eclamptic and had to go on complete bed-rest. I got progressively worse and at 7 months, went dangerously eclamptic. My kidneys failed, and I quickly gained a huge amount of water weight from it. My feet and legs swelled until I couldn't walk, I had fluid in the pericardial sac around my heart and in my lungs. the worst was that my brain swelled the the increased pressure on my optic nerves caused me to go (temporarily) blind. This is what caused my subsequent memory problems. They of course, did an emergency C-section and everything eventually went back to normal, including my eyesight. But, I sadly lost a lot of memories and even today, my memory is still not back to normal . . . although at my age, I can now blame it on that instead ;^D I do get worried that I might come across as rude for not mentioning or remembering things. But, I'm extremely blessed that both DD and I are both doing great, so who can complain :~)

LOL, Teresa, you and me. I made my first loaf when I was 7, in the kitchen with Grandma. Let's see, that was 46 years ago.... Everything was mixed and kneaded by hand, but now I just toss everything into the bread machine then bake it in the oven. Somehow, I don't think Grandma would mind, and I still use her recipe. It's just as good as ever. Terri, I made the cheddar beer bread for today's office potluck, it's soft and good: CHEDDAR BEER BREAD 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer 2 tablespoons margarine 2 tablespoons milk 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons yeast 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 8 ounces reduced-fat extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons margarine, melted Grease two (9x5 inch) loaf pans. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm beer slightly. Stir in milk and 2 tablespoons margarine to melt. Pour contents into bread machine pan. Pour in flour. Make a well in the center of the flour, and sprinkle salt onto one side of the mound that forms. Into the well, pour the sugar and yeast. Sprinkle with pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Begin the dough cycle. Meanwhile, slice the cheese into pea-size crumbles. Avoid using shredded cheese, as it may clump. Once the dough forms into a sticky ball, gradually add the cheese crumbles. As the cycle continues and the cheese fully incorporates into the dough, the ball should still be somewhat soft and sticky. If it is too dry, add a bit of milk. When the cycle has completed, punch down the dough, and divide it in half. Place each half into a greased loaf pan, and allow the dough to rise, about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). When the dough has risen, bake for 1 hour, or until the loaves are golden brown and make a hollow sound when thumped. Immediately turn out onto a cooling rack, and brush with melted margarine. Cool completely before cutting. This recipe came from the Bread Machine cookbook that Momto4kids sent me. In spite of the instructions I used a package of pre shredded cheddar and it wasn't low fat, olive oil instead of butter and some Bud Light that was left from a couple of weeks ago when David was here and they were using the pool. I put the cheese in the machine right along with the beer. It could easily be made by hand too, dump everything in the bowl, mix and then knead, just like any other bread. Oh, and my machine has a pre-heat cycle at the start so I don't warm anything up either. Annie

Thanks guys. The idea of one book will work well for us. Since we will probably be moving, we are trying to aquire less "stuff". It would be nice to do handwritten, but people are all over the country, and I think I'll get more responses through email. There may be duplicates, but I think that's okay. I can space them out once I see all the responses. I like the idea of using pictures. Since his father and grandfather are doctors, I bet there are lots of pictures of him younger at their offices. we also have pictures of our kids playing doctor. And I still have his acceptance letter and other important documents. Good stuff. Thanks everyone.

The kitchen you found that you love, if I'm correct, is by Candice Olson/Divine Design. It was the subject of one of her shows about a family who all cooks together, even the teenaged kids. They have a family food business that they're all involved with. If I'm correct, there is an aisle across from the cooktop, leading out to a French-door patio, with storage cabs and a desk parallel to the cooktop peninsula. I'm not sure where the wall ovens are, they are either there or in the long bank of cabs/refrig that run parallel to the window wall. Now, I love Candice - her color palettes (I hate those gaudy Crayola colors the other HGTV designers love), her sense of architectural design (which most interior designers lack). But her kitchens, although very beautiful, to me have always lacked essential functionality. Her design for an obsessed baker with a good-sized kitchen that only had a single wall oven instead of a double, for example, or giving a busy working mother a fancy glass-topped island hood that will require somebody standing on the island to clean the back portion of the hood. Her design is a riff on the "Something's Got to Give" kitchen that created such a huge wave of interest a while back; just subbing full overlay Shaker cabs and glass-tiled backsplash. It's a classic look, so I think it will always be popular in one version or another. But when it comes to functionality, many people here have done a better job.