You have 6 days left (including today) to mail your used Christmas card crafts, in order to be in the contest. The Post Office is closed Monday for M.L.K. day. Thank you! Just so you know... I'm sticking very close to the mailing deadline (for the contest). Voting starts in the early morning of the 29th or sooner if all the used Christmas card crafts are sent. Sheri Sheri (Panhandle_Seed_Swap) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Erica (EricaBraun) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Nicole (bluee19) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Shirley (brittneysgran) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Dawn (dawn1972) - Sent and Received ???? SENDS TO: Mary (cottonwood468) SENDS TO: Christine (christine00) - Sent SENDS TO: Tammy (mcc371) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Dawn (dmkelly) - Received SENDS TO: Margo (smitties) - Sent SENDS TO: Susan B. (skyblue52) - sent (today) SENDS TO: Sharon (toomanyanimals) - Sent SENDS TO: Faye (nottougly) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Jeanne (sandlapper_rose) - Sent and Received SENDS TO: Sue G. (sguanzon) SENDS TO: Suzanne (hibiscusfan) SENDS TO: Annie (canyonwind) SENDS TO: Jamie (patton40) - Sent Please check-in and follow-up on the new thread if you haven't, yet (link below). Thank you! Here is a link that might be useful: New OBF Thread

Hubby is feeling better this morning he says. Thinking maybe pancreatitis attack. It happens with the surgery he had. And yes I do keep a running journal of issues between visits. Not as detailed as it used to be but I guess I am going to have to do more of that. It is very helpful. I was given up for adoption as a baby so was not raised by my birth family. I found my Mom when I was 32 and father shortly after but he denied me for 14 years. Finally he agreed to the DNA test and he was 99.42% positive to be my father. But he was not a very nice person and his sister and her kids were not willing to be friendly so I let it go. Funny I salvaged photos and school yearbooks and hauled them home on a plane for them to send to them. I thought I was doing a nice thing. I called to let them know and left message on answering machine and next thing I am getting a letter from an attorney demanding all I had of THEIRS in my possession. Well Screw that. I sent the year books and a few photos and called it good. I do not think I really wanted to try harder to be friendly with a family so angry and mean. Not sure my red hair had anything to do with it.I was well into grey by the time my father accepted me as his daughter. He dies a couple of years ago but I had not spoken to him in a few years before that. It was never a close relationship. My Mom and I have a good relationship. Our 34th anniversary of my finding her was Feb 12th. We had a nice phone visit.

Update. Family vetoed going with a bright white. I put white upstairs and everyone but me wanted a color. Found that the old color was pewter tankard And new color is jogging path. It comes off more green than grey in the room, is much lighter, looks nice with bar and ok with exsisting carpet. Now that I’ve lived with it ( constantly it seems) for the last 10 months I’m liking the color. Still no decision on the wall Between the windows....

I think both ideas of sandbox and fish pond could be fun and enjoyable for kids. But with pond, small kids could never be there unattended. I wouldn't hesitate to clean it and let my own little kids use it for summer wading pool fun. But I'm not sure I'd recommend that for someone else. If they were the kind to do that, they would just do it. I'd probably make a little slide and ladder so they could operate the fun by themselves (while being watched.) I also like the idea of filling it in a making it paving, as that's useful in this small space. Another possibility ... it looks like it's begging to have a statue placed in front of the niche. While that wouldn't be a play thing, kids do enjoy statues. (I remember as a 4-year old being in love with the dark red velvet drapes in our church. For me, it was the real reason to go to Sunday school.)