I don't think going to a home boutique is much different that going & checking out a new boutique store, if I don't see anything I need I don't buy. Tupperware & other"gift" parties where hostess gets free gifts or points if you buy, puts you on the spot, but it is easy to tell the ladies that are having your sale, "lovely sale, so many beautiful things,wish I had someone to buy something for, thanks for letting me come"! I don't think any of you crafters are going to say anything but "glad you came, maybe we'll have something next year that will catch your eye!" Hope you get the other 5, with 10 crafters that should make quite a variety & fill up the rooms nicely!I did get a shock last year, went to Yardsale in a house,it wasn't, it was all new stuff, I was miffed but took the free scone & tea & said how good it was but didn't buy the mix or tea & they had lot of store bought type stuff. I only bought some recipe cards, told them it was arranged so nicely & left. Would I go back, no, don't like being deceived! Jan

The Hunter's Moon illuminates the world tonight, In an ethereal light that illustrates in back and white, Orion rises in the east alright, Signaling that it is a winter's night, Smoke wafts leisurely from chimneys aglow, Telling of faith and hope and warm hearts, Christmas light color the dark, The cold invites one to snuggle in a handmade quilt, With a beloved old pet by the hearth, Sipping hot toddies that warm the bones, Wondrous is the clear winter's night. copyright, by me....

Oh my friends! I have had to the most excellent morning here, much of it thanks to YOU and the lively way you describe the little snippets of your lives. Such fun. It bouys my spirit to know there are so many, warm, gentle, and thoughtful people out there. I am home today (duh)because there is nothing of great consequence going on in the shop, nothing that can't "keep" until tomorrow, at least. I assisted the helpmeet in hauling the remaining pieces of insulation up to the attic in the garage (fibreglass is nasty stuff). The drywallers are here and the installation is in progress (should go out and a "look-see"). The snow has stopped for now (more to come later on, I think), we have another 6" of very light powder. It's beautiful outdoors. And I'm particularly enjoying the snowfalls. It will be fun to mark the solstice and begin to watch the change in the morning sky until we monkey with the clocks again. ;) Denise, your bathroom walls appear to be in the very color family I have in mind for the salon. I rather like Ben. Moore #619, "Copper Patina" on the card before me. :) Another Chatty Kathy fan here! Mine had auburn hair and freckles over her nose (like me). Her dress was red and white and she arrived for my birthday. That was the same year my father presented me with a "party dress". It was apricot with a smocked bodice and a very delicate brown rosette with satin streamers at the waist. I grew up in a "neighborhood" and there were birthday parties around the block. The invitation would arrive in the mail and you either wrote back or called with your acceptance (Mary!). Girls wore dresses and "party shoes" and the boys got dressed up, too. Boys were ALWAYS on the guest list at that time. You played games, had cake and ice cream, the celebrant received small gifts, and then you played more games before going home afterwards. They were a TOTAL blast. Even though sometimes you had to write a thank you note. I can't top the drowning or Kathy being hurled out a car window. That's pretty funny stuff; was the "perp." the brother you just lost, V.? The Christmas shots have made me grin and guffaw with regularity. I think Michelle must be about the same age as me... the "mod" slacks looks like something I'd have worn. Mum made most of my clothes, too and she was game to try anything... . I love Deanne with her sidearm defending the tea set against all comers, LOL. Tim "on the 'phone" is a good one, too. Count me as another observer of backgrounds and going back to "look again" and what some other shaHp eyed person has noted. Good, good fun. Count me in as another who would move to Eden's house! You and Kathy and so many others share the same philosophy of giving that Mum and Dad did. Everyday was Christmas to them; if they spied something really special they'd just bring it home and present it, but there were only 2 kids at home, too! It was never about quantity anyway. I don't have Chatty Kathy any more but I do have some interesting toys from my childhood still (my Breyer model horses, Noah's Ark, Barbies, Ginny Dolls). I had big plans for Angela Lansbury! action shots with the snowblower, working on the Salon... you're wrecking it, Eden! :) And I howled over Soupy Sales with bad teeth... LOL. Anita, "helpmeet" is a term for a spouse that dates from the middle ages. Sometimes you see it as "helpmate", but I like the other better. I like what it says to me: two people who help each other and meet each other half way. MOST of the time. I like that it makes people think for a split second, too. ;) Homeschooling really does evoke connotations. To some it smacks of really, really fundamentalist religion and an effort to control the information a child receives. To others it is seen as a matter of practicality; liveaboards, for instance; homeschooling allows their families great freedom to do the sorts of things they want to do when they want to do them. My experience with homeschooled kids has been uniformly positive, but so much of how a kid relates to other kids is dependent upon other aspects of their home life and the social circles in which they and their parents move. (the drywallers left a bit ago because the foreman is going to his daughter's dance recital this afternoon. You should have seen him light up as he told me about her. He can't be much more than 24-25 yrs. old!). BABY BOUVIERS... do we know how many there are yet? I think spring '08 is going to be a really "big" year, you guys. Requisite cookware: 1.) good set of saucepans with snug lids a combination colander/steamer for a big soup/pasta pan. 2.) set of mixing bowls, measuring cups, and spoons, spatulas. 3.) cookie sheet, cake pans, pie plate, loaf pan, COOLING RACK. 4.) Pyrex casserole dishes and an oven thermometer. 5.) Roasting pan with rack. 6.) Potholders, oven mitts. We bought our pots for our second anniversary, shortly after the yard sale special's handle fell off. They're by Meyer and have a thick, heavyish bottom. There are 3 saucepans, and the soup/pasta pan with the drain/colander/steamer thing that fits snugly inside it. It was under $100 and they work great (so I'm told). They're easy to wash, too. ;) I agree completely that they can't be too heavy. And large pots should have good, sturdy side handles for ease and safety. I'm "big" on tools, anyway, you guys. Working doesn't HAVE to be drudgery if you have the right equipment to complete the "job" with relative ease. The helpmeet dragged out the ladder on Tuesday and put some right angle hooks above the second floor windows. It was a complete "indulgence" for me. I made a few more decorations for the house last weekend. He was up on the ladder, predrilling for them. "You know, 'hon., I never thought I'd see the day when I cursed Colonial Williamsburg". He did tell me they looked nice, though. What do you guys think about a "jabot" of roping for the sides of the windows next year? It really was a blast to make these and they didn't take too long once I decided what I wanted to do. I think this could be a fun project for an older child; good history and science lessons easily linked to it. As for "aesthetics", I've tried to stay away from using ribbon, though all the fruit is fake. I think it was Kathy who mentioned the need for red; I agree!, but I've had a dickens of time finding fake berries in bright red. I love the real ones (Ilex verticillata or Blue Princess) but they look terrible in a week (so does real fruit). I also do best with needled evergreens if the weather is really cold/dry; I do condition the greens for a day/3 before but broadleaf sprigs blanche out fast. My new boots have proven a real hit. Foolishly, however, I overlooked the purchase of some Yaktrax. My present cleats don't fit them, the driveway is a sheet of ice under the new snow, and the store is OUT OF THEM until January. Have to dig out a ski pole, I guess. :) But, walking carefully, I was able to get this shot: these two shots are from in the Salon: That is NOT my car out in the snow. This is the first time in my life I've not had to clean off a car after a snow. I missed all the hassle of the last ice storm and it was great. And, Wendy, I nodded in full agreement about removing the snow before it turns to cement, but leaving it on the cars because it's soft and easy to remove under the crust! A good brush and a couple of scrapers make it easier. The slush that remained here froze solid and the driveway is like a skating rink right now. I wonder what the rain for Sunday will do to it?

I have only read a few of the responses to your original post. I will tell you that when I had my DD, there were no registries. It would have been nice, but just wasn't the case. I have, however, hosted baby showers over the years for moms who did register. It is a way for places like Babies R Us to force guests into buying gifts chosen by the mom to be. I don't like it, but it seems to be the way things are now done. I did not, however, accept the store's recommendation that I use their (the store's) invitations. I think it is tacky. I personally never buy a gift off of the registry. I like to give something not so "cookie cutter", and give a gift of a Longerberger(sp) small lidded basket with the plastic liner. I put a disposible camera inside and the ceramic year marker that goes on the clasp. I usually include a note regarding what the basket is for - mom to take to the hospital on the day of the birth. The basket lid is the perfect size for the doc to put a "set of footprints" on the top of the lid of the basket. The camera is self-explanatory. I started this tradition with my SIL when she was pregnant with my godson. The docs/nurses are usually good sports about doing an extra set of footprints on the lid of the basket. It makes a nice gift for display in the nursery - it can hold keepsakes - lock of hair, first tooth over the years. Its great if the gift giver wants to just pick up a gift from the registry, but I think it lacks creativity. I'd rather give something a little different. As far as the larger gifts, my mom, and 2 MIL's took me out before my shower and we picked out things I would need for the baby, i.e.; highchair, swing, good car seat, etc.. Those gifts never came to the shower. I think it is unnecessary to bring the larger gifts to the shower. My point is - larger gifts from mom and MIL shouldn't be brought to the shower. They take up alot of room and then they have to be lugged away after the shower. My mom and grandmother both gave me crocheted (sp?) sweater, hat and bootie sets which I loved, and meant more to me than any high ticket item. Back in the day you received at least 2-3 handmade blankets - either knitted or crocheted. I was also lucky enough to get a handmade quilt "Box of Tricks" from a friend who did quilting. I love what you are giving your DIL. While I agree that your DIL needs to practice better manners, please do not make this an issue. Truth be told, she will ultimately decide the tone of the entire family relationship you have from here on out with this particular grandchild and any other children she may have. I hope all goes well and your DIL learns something when she becomes a mother herself. Congrats on your new grandchild!