Hello Friends ~ Well..I guess I would be considered an 'oldie' and I too remember the days of Spike! I believe it is beneficial for a member, any member, to occasionally remind everyone of the rules (and 'yes' they are the rules of Garden Web) to keep some semblance of order! If a member is unsure of where to post a topic, just ask! We are all here to help and learn from one another. Also, if you notice your post has been moved from one side of the board to the other, do not take offence rather look upon it as a favor from a fellow Junker! While I do not want to revisit previous situations, I believe that Wired's post regarding two members needs to be clarified. I cannot address the member 'Brenda' as I do not remember her nor that situation but I do recall the member named 'Connie' and too insinuate that members were "Jealous" and "Ran her off" is to misstate the situation. Connie did indeed have some great Junk and was a creative person as Wired states but she began posting pictures of her interior design skills, which would have been appropriate on the Conversations side of the board but she insisted on posting them on the Discussions side. The more members tried to help her understand this error and ask her to move her postings, the nastier she and the situation became! Unfortunately, it culminated in her leaving on less then favorable terms. I come here, not as often as I would like to as of late, to learn from other members creativity and experience. I believe both sides of our board have merit. If a member chooses not to share on the Conversation side of the board, that is fine but it is where those of us that want, to get to know each other a little better and share more then just our passion for Junk! *Good order is the foundation of all things.--Edmund Burke (Reflections on the Revolution in France)* Della :)

Hi, lavender, I feel as if we're old friends from Smaller Homes/Old House sites, so I came looking for you, after reading your current threads in discussions. Thank you for the 'shout-out' about my hood. It was kind, as every post of yours that I've read has been kind and helpful. Also--keep your chin up! We've done what you are proposing, on a very small budget, 'paying as we go', although that did involve refinancing our home several years ago, for the biggest project, a 30'x12' story-and-a-half addition, with a partially covered concrete porch. In all it's taken 16 years, and I'm not finished yet! When we bought our house, it had been a rental for 10 years, on the 3-acre remnant of an old dairy farm. Many potential buyers had viewed it and said that it would take too much work. But I had a vision (actually not my vision at first--my parents saw it and convinced me that the property would work for our then-young family). The yard had been neglected, and sadly all the original woodwork and trim had been removed, but the structure was basically sound. As our family grew, we added rooms and made other improvements (new roof and septic system, as needed). We are DIY'ers, and have an extended family-and-friends network of contractors, woodworkers, excavaters, and painters, so our projects have been made much more affordable than if we'd had to hire out all the work, but you may have the same resources, too. I just want you to know that I understand your dreams, love your ideas and pictures, and I know it can be done!!

Yes, FOAS, I agree about multiple servings per meal. But, the next time you order pasta in a restaurant make a guage of how much is on the plate knowing that 1/2 cup is 1 serving. Here, a plate usually has 2-3 cups (I've had plates with even more than 3 cups). That's too much pasta & it's also likely white pasta. I'd be surprised to learn that Americans are not getting enough grain in their diets. Whole grain? Yes, not enough but white flour products...no. Many people who eat the huge plate of pasta for dinner also have had a large sandwich for lunch (likely a roll that's more than the 2 servings of bagged sandwich bread) and possibly more grain for breakfast (English muffin, toast, cereal, donut). Also, with the pasta dinner...often it is served with a crouton containing salad & garlic bread...more grain servings. I eat 5 meals/day...always have. I started doing that when I was young because I was always hungry. Eventually, found out I had thyroid problems, had surgery, but still continued with the 5 meals/day just much smaller. I was fortunate in that my jobs allowed me to duck away somewhere & eat pretty much whenever I felt the need. I know/understand that not all jobs have the benefit of flexible schedules. Still, mid-day snacks can quite easily be upped to mini-meal status. Something like hummus/pita crisps & a piece of fruit. One benefit of more meals/day is to help keep blood sugar levels even & not get ravenous unless you're a lumberjack, or equivilent. Piling all your grains (carbs) into an evening meal is also not condusive to weight loss. Better to have that restaurant pasta meal at lunch. My point is that I believe that due to supersizing many Americans do not realize what's a "serving". Our perceptions are also supersized. While I'm ranting (and I'll quit after this)...people also eat too fast! It takes our bodies about 20 minutes of chewing to feel satiated. If we gulp our meal in 12 minutes we'll likely still think we're hungry even after an appropriate amount of food. If we just stop eating though our bodies will eventually catch up with our forks & register that we're full. So, just slowing down is a great weight management tool. Eating too fast is a pitfall of many singles & families that don't eat meals together. Eating together around a table & enjoying a conversation naturally slows down our eating. My DH is struggling with this issue now. After 6 years of living apart Mon-Fri he had started gulping his dinner down in front of the TV. Now, together full-time he's being forced to slow down because I'm talking to him. He'll still gobble a sandwich when he's alone in 3 minutes flat. :) /t

Ae2ga- It's at the top of the page (well, almost the top) where it says gallery and conversations. Here's a link to the post...would love to hear about your gardens and maybe see some pictures! :) Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Conversation side