very interesting thread. Runningtrails your advise for ornamentals was right on the money!! My mother had a pond and she stocked hers with feeder goldfish which turned out to be HUGE fish. I did notice that she kept having these black babies and i was wondering why since all her fish were gold. We thought there was a black fish hiding somewhere that we could not see that kept reproducing. LOL thanks for clearing that up!! Two things I would like to add is that with any pond you have to make sure you have something to protect the top-an embankment or your pond will overflow with mud If you have a filter make sure you keep on top of debris falling in the pind as this will clog up your filter. Cakistani I notice one common theme you have in most of your questions. You want to raise things with minimal care, things that are self sustaining. Now matter what you decide to do there is going to be some work involved! Just my 2 cents from one peep to another. LOL

Hubby and I came together late in life (in our early/mid 40's). Due to that and a huge host of other reasons, we will never have children of our own. We talked seriously about adopting an older child or two, to the point where I was looking at the sites and contacting some of the local adoption groups. Unfortunately, our life has taken on other responsibilities that make this an impossibility. Hubby's Mom has (probably terminal) metastatic thyroid cancer. Hubby's Dad is incapable of managing things on his own. Hubby's brother (who currently lives with Mom and Dad) is seriously mentally ill and has physical disabilities as well. He requires pretty much round the clock supervision. As their culture is to take care of everything at home and only with family, our lives will be spent "parenting" them. It breaks my heart to know that Hubby and I will never get to be parents, that we will never get to see a child grow and thrive under our care. But this is the hand we've been dealt so we just have to do the best we can. On a practical note, at least out here in CA there are special programs for adopting older/special needs children. You get a lot more support and there is actually a mandatory "trial period".

Wow...I forgot about this post...glad someone brought it back to the front! I want to do this for cards and scrapbooking too, so I amn glad to hear it'll hopd up on the pages. It looks like fun. I need a new hobby.....my tole painting is kind of on hold for awhile, I have no time for it anymore. Jenni that is so nice of you! I saw a demonstration on TV a few weeks ago and years ago at Joann's and it looks simple enough. Not a lot of supplies either! I'd love to get into it. Guess I'll get some stuff to start this week end. Sounds like a favorite around the KT!

My Murgh Makhani is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's recipe in her Indian Cookery book. It starts with freshly made tandoori chicken, which I kind of cheat when making, starting with a ready-made masala I buy at my local Indian grocer. Tandoori Chicken: Combine 2 tbsp tandoori masala with 2 tbsp plain (really plain - no gelatins or other weird ingredients) yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp veg oil and marinate 1 kg skinless chicken parts for at least 6-8 hours. Cut gashes into the chicken flest and rub in the marinate for maximum infused flavour. Grill over hot coals until done OR bake on a rack in a 450F oven for about 30 minutes. Murgh Makhani: 1 recipe freshly made tandoori chicken 4 tbsp tomato paste + enough water make 1 c. 1 cubic inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 1/4 c. 10% cream 1 tsp garam masala 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste 1 tbsp chopped cilantro 4 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds Combine these ingredients and mix well. This can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed. When chicken is ready, heat 1/2 c unsalted butter in a saute pan. Once melted, add the combined liquid ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook on med heat for a minute or so, whisking in the butter. Add the still-warm chicken pieces, and serve as soon as everything is heated through.