Oooohhhh...we had the best time as kids at church on hayrides! We would gather and get up in a big old farm truck with wooden sides that was filled with hay and we would go around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs! We nearly froze to death...even with all of the people and hay, but we would all snuggle up together as we went down the road....it was always funny how kids would snuggle up...even to people they normally didn't like...cause they were freezing and it didn't matter who was next to them! Fun times for sure! I'm sure there were a few stolen kisses along the way too!

A dime huh? Now is that a dime round wise or flat. I have baseboards around all the rooms and inside the closets. I'll have to recheck everything again. I haven't seen the little bugger in two days now. Hopefully he went back to wherever he came from. I still have yet to find any droppings so I'm hoping that's a sign that those two, now one since the other got electricuted by my nice box, where just passing thru on their way to never come back! If moth balls would help keep them at bay what about that ammonia. I imagine that smell would be much worse. I'm glad my be is up high if it weren't you would have me scared to death! Please no more talk like that! LOL It sits a full 38 inches off the ground and the legs are large so not easy to wrap around to climb. The wood side board is a full 15 inches from the ground. Anyway did laundry today and just removed the bedskirt and won't put it back on until I've had three months of no sitings. The men that came out to rodent proof the house are exterminators. My building is in like a little community type thing with shopping etc. They have regular maintenance that clean and such and then other departments for pluming, cabinetry, painting, exterminators. I actually had to wait over the weekend because the exterminators don't work weekends. Anyway thanks for all the great advice and I will be doing another check and visiting Home Depot for some steel wool and that foam stuff. Just in case I find anything. I've seen them do it so I can take care of it myself instead of waiting for them to come out. I actually got my phobia later in life( recently actually) My job had the biggest RATS I have ever seen except in the subway. I stepped on one coming out of the office once and well it was a scene for Americas Funniest home Videos. I was running in a circle trying to get away and it was runnign in a circle I ended up running into a pole because I was looking behind me to make sure it wasn't going my way. The thing that got me was they were around the office and didn't seem to mind us seeing them. Why come out when there are so many people around. Made me think they are not scared of us. Didn't help that a coworker then told me a story how a place were he worked a big RAT was on its hind legs screeching at them. She was protecting her babies. Yup since then I've got the big time fear!

Didn't like Paul's number. Seems like he's getting more "out there" every week and, to me, it's not good. Scotty did a great job, as did Lauren. Haley? Not so good. I just can't make myself like her. Casey? I thought his performance last night was awful! If he keeps on with the weird looks at the audience while he's performing he's gonna get a Constantine rep! LOL Jordan? Beautiful voice but just not an entertainer. (In that respect he reminds me of Pia.) Stephano had the best performance that he's had, in my opinion. Don't know if he's gonna redeem himself enough to stay though, or not. I felt sorry for him last week when the crowd kept booing that he wasn't going home but Pia was. Thought James did a good job. I hope his deciding to "stay true to himself" and ignore advice doesn't come back to bite him in the butt. All in all I think this year is filled with talent.

hi abufish.. I am in the middle of gelstaining some white washed oak furniture... I am probablly doing it all wrong, but I am more or less following the instructions on the General Finishes can.. I am applying it with a foam brush..I tried the sock method and it was too difficult for me. The foam brush is more to my liking. And I didn't wipe off...oopps...but I like the coverage and I am not applying it too thick. I let it coat dry overnight. So I was able to cover a dining room chair with just 2 coats of gel stain...and I will use a clear poly urethane top coat. I also just finished a china cabinet. With that one I did 3 coats of water based first, then 2 coats of gel stain and 2 coats of poly urethane. I think that was over-kill but it was my first try at it. The only sanding I did was at the beginning, just to take off the shiny top coat..I only hand sanded and I didn't get too crazy. I want all the furniture to be super dark... I'm happy with my results, but I am not a super perfectionist... So take my instructions with a grain of salt.. KA:)