Just to throw something else in here on how ignorant we as Americans are and how with out question we will buy and consume products just because we trust the source or we just do not care. Thankyou to those concerned about this issue who have posted here. I am proud to be a certified Organic grower therefore I want nothing to do with GMO for me, or my familiy ,or my customers. The link below is an article on GMO potatoes. I tried to find another article about a law suet with Mcdonalds but I couldnt'. Bottom line Mcdonalds and Burgerking have been serving GMO potates for nearly 10years in America till it came to light thanks to concerned groups which sued. Mcdonalds as a settlement in the suet to squash the issue before it became too public decided to stop using GMO potatoes rather than have a public backlash. If it were not for those who are concerned you would still be eating GMO potatoes. GMO potatoes that contain a herbiced tolerant gene (roundout) and a bacterial pesticide(BT). It is one thing to spray or coat our food with a toxin. I use BT the organic natural bacteria. But I at least have the option to wash most of it off, But to put that same pesticide in each and every cellof the plant I intend to eat I can not handle. I have not eaten at any national fast food chain in over ten years and am proud of that fact. I also will not and have not shopped at any big box store in nearly two years. I will not be a hipocrit and say one thing and do another. I want to know what I am feeding to my grandchild and family and I want to support my country by buying American and local grown food. and products. Rodger

Sevin degrades completely in about a month and the products of this decomposition are not poisonous. You keep citing UK this and EU that but I am not all that interested in regulations in the UK other than as a curiosity. They really have no bearing on American law. There are a lot of bans and restrictions on EU citizens that do not apply to Americans. I think you need to do a little more homework, particularly looking outside the formal tests in the US. You appear to dismiss the research done by other governments out of hand as a 'curiosity' which implies they have no real world value. I suppose this is a viable position if you believe the US rules and everyone else drools, but of not then... The US is one of the most capitalist nations in the world and as such is more influenced by corporate lobbies than most other nations. (No, I am not some Marxist, in fact I lean more toward libertarianism (particularly civil libertarianism) as a political philosophy than any other). I simply recognize the undue influence corporations have on US policy makers than they do in other nations. Sevin is flat out illegal in many countries, but available for you and I in the US to spray on our food. MMMMM... Sevin seasoning. It's a known human carcinogen, but the EPA/USDA say it is OK if used as directed. Trouble is every time the under funded and under staffed USDA/EPA test they find produce with much higher than approved pesticide residue. They simply do not test much due to funding issues. Sevin is also known to be a cholinesterase inhibitor which means it screws with insect, mammalian and human nervous systems. I would like to link to a study done by Cornell which starts off poo-pooing concerns over the use of Sevin, but frankly admits it causes reproductive issues in dogs Here is the quote: "We do know that carbaryl is quite toxic to honey bees, certain beneficial insects such as lady beetles, and parasitic wasps and bees, certain species of aquatic insects, and some forms of shellfish such as shrimp and crabs. Care must be taken when using carbaryl in areas where these organisms exist." Extensive evidence indicates that carbaryl does not cause cancer or genetic changes in animals(in spite of it being listed as a carcinogen and reproductive disorder causing chemical). Carbaryl has also been extensively tested for its effect on reproduction and the occurrence of birth effects (we call this teratogenic potential). Experiments have been conducted on various strains of rats and mice, and on hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, sheep, and monkeys. Adverse effects have occurred only in dogs." Hmmm.. so is the average homeowner/gardener more likely to have a sheep as a pet or a dog? Having lost a golden retriever at the age of seven to a pesticide company using a product known to cause tumorous cancers in dogs I don't just look at the estimated human toxic effects (and in the US they are all estimated or use applicators), I look at the effects to other living things I have on my property from good bugs, to pets to kids. I have found the US EPA/USDA to list things as perfectly safe to humans that other countries consider *known* to mess up humans and have thus banned. While the US studies are damning enough, other nations with less corporate influence are reaching other conclusions. Canada found that Sevin: It causes birth defects in mammals, especially dogs. It worsens the condition of people with hypertension and people on anti-depressant drugs. It impairs the function of the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, and the reproductive system. It causes hyperactivity and learning disabilities in mammals. It could increase the chance of heart attack in people with weak hearts. The main break-down product, nitrosocarbaryl, which is easily created in the human gut, is a potent cancer-causing agent.(this contradicts your information that says:"Sevin degrades completely in about a month and the products of this decomposition are not poisonous.") (note: I am quoting a Canadian government study) It causes irreversible chromosomal damage to human DNA (the genes in our cells). Assuming one is the type to believe the US regulatory agencies are the best in the world, there are plenty of reasons to avoid Sevin. Assuming one understands how extensively the US government and regulatory agencies are influenced by corporate contributions one might wish to take a look at the determinations other nations such as Canada and various European nations have reached. Like I said, in many nations outside the US Sevin is flat out banned. In the US it is considered safe to spray on food. Go figure. Ultimately we will all do as we wish. My only hope is we will all do so with sound information at our disposal so we can make reasonable, educated, informed decisions.

I'm feeding my cat Purina and so far none of their catfood is on the list as far as I know. But they just added Purina's Alpo (dogfood) and they already had another kind of their dogfood on there. I also heard that the first kind of dry food has appeared on the list...can't remember what, but it wasn't a Purina product. I'm getting paranoid about this and am considering switching to the kitty foods at the health food stores or something. My congressman is going to get a letter about this mess! And I think everyone who loves their pets should do that also. I love my kitties and every time I buy catfood I think...could this kill them? Could it make them sick? It should never have happened! Sooo entirely preventable! If I had known that the petfood companies allowed stuff from China in their products, I'd have realized how dangerous that would be and I'm not a genius. Now, why didn't THEY know? Or DID THEY KNOW?

Oak, her room is the brightest one in the house, so I think it would work? I will have to play around with it and see . . .though everything is so dreary these days! Jersey, love your dresser suggestion. I didn't know what it was but once I looked up some images, it made perfect sense. I l looked for something with clean lines but a little softness, and not too precious to paint. This is the CL pic (sorry!) but I bought this dresser: and, come spring, we are going to paint it white and add simple brass hardware. best, yes, support was the issue. We ended up letting her pick out her own mattress and she wanted a box spring. I know many people say what you do . . .firm is better. For me, it gave me a backache (too firm), but later I heard this is only because I had to get used to it? crl, yes, I think clean white is the way to go for the same reasons! I agree that the art would not be the actual headboard . . .just something to anchor the space. funky, I do sew a little so a duvet is very likely. I love your idea of letting her help make the pillows! That would be fun! And, IS it easy to paint a dresser? DH cringed when I said it was our spring project. pal, I love the idea of stretching the art on a canvas. And a yellow headboard would be fun . . .happy yet simple. How neat about the hotel headboards. I'm going to see if I can find some images of them! Annie, I was so on the fence with the captain's bed. It is definitely the right look, but I had a bed with no box spring growing up and I did not like it! I missed my box spring, but maybe it was just not the right mattress and I've unfairly crossed beds w/o them off my list. prickly, I didn't know/think about the idea of just painting over the canvas. My daughter is very drawn to art (hahaha) so I think she would love doing this yearly, as you said! dee, yes, my 2 younger daughters are more like your granddaughter! What a good idea to bring in some yellow pottery. She is pretty careful so I think it would work! Thanks so much, everyone. When I was shopping for her dresser on CL I kept coming back to this thread. We surprised her with the idea of her own room on Christmas (I had to be sneaky to find out what she liked!) but are letting her sort of live in it for awhile before we make changes, like the paint.