I have alot of seeds to plant, some sitting in the fridge since 2005. I tried the rocks method with about 15 ketchup cups, the rest I soaked in the hydrogen peroide solution right in their plastic baggies, have been changing the water every 3 days. I am amazed at the numbers that are germinating. Some radicles/nubs started showing within 24 hours! Many look like they are plumping up [the older ones]. I am starting to plant now, and will do lots of planting this weekend. I have never tried the peroxide method before, just always soaked them in warm water and a bit of ivory liquid and always got some to germinate. The shoebox method would probably be easier, but it seems that presoaking would help germination, and it sure seems to be working. Do you poke holes in the shoebox/sweater box or just keep the soil damp and top mist it? If no holes are poked, it would seem the soil could sour and the seeds rot....would enjoy hearing more about this. Would also enjoy seeing photos of any seedlings growing and grow methods. Judith

FWIW, I know how your wife feels about that fixture! I fell in love with the Kevin Reilly chandelier---the rectangular one with the fake candles--and have seen it at an aquaintenance's house and in a kitchen magazine. After much research a year ago, I found it for $13,000 at one of the Holly Hunt showrooms. But just now (after 15 more minutes looking...) I found an old eBay listing it for $5,800. Ugh. So Restoration Hardware is another budget way to go for a similar look. It is perfection isn't it?! Here is a link that might be useful: candle fixtures at Restoration Hardware

I've always struggled to figure out what "style" I liked. I tried shabby chic as well but it just wasn't right. Even though I liked the rustic and shabby portion, all that white and pink made me want to scream. I tried French country, which was much better, at least I could have my beloved blacks and reds, but it wasn't quite right either. I took all those "what style are you" quizzes and they''d always say either traditional or cottage, which I guess makes sense now. This didn't really all click until I went to a moving/estate sale that had a farmhouse table advertised. I was still trying to do the country french thing but when I got there and she took me inside to see the table (she had half the stuff out, half inside). I walked in and it was YES, I'm at home!! Maybe a little too heavy on the Americana for me but still, it all felt so cozy and comfortable. I love antiques (and boy did she have some!) but never knew how I wanted it all to feel. I bought the table and a grocery bag of stuff - knick knacky stuff and left a happy camper. I would have loved to grab a couple of cabinets and dry sinks but alas, way out of my budget. The table is so cool. It's not a table made to look farmhouse / barn style, it's actually a table from a really old farmhouse. No faux distressing, this baby has seen some hard days. I love it. Since then I've made 3 trips to the thrift store, each time spending $20 or so, and have a huge stash of cool stuff. I haven't put anything together though because I've been stripping paper and getting ready to paint. It's all piled in my garage just waiting to come inside.

You are so right about that, Anj. I love that we all do different things, and that sometimes motivates me to try things I probably wouldn't have otherwise. There are so many wonderful designers and patterns--that really makes it fun--but hard to choose as well. I'm finally working on some of the older designs that I've had earmarked for many many years. It feels good to finally be doing some of them. My motivation for doing them was because I wanted to be able to weed out some of my stash of books and patterns--so many books had only one or two designs earmarked. Once I've painted those, I should be able to pass those books on to someone else to enjoy. Luvs