Bwahahaha, Boxo, the Stalker just needs to do her midnight-1:00 a.m. STALK, BWAHAHAHAHA! so that she can wiggle to the first in line VBEG :D Hint, hint, hint! I love it!!! Darbyshire pudding, whoo-hoo, what a yummy serving, yum, yum, yum! I feel like I'm experiencing Cozy Christmas in England with that D'Arby! And yeah, serve me more helpings of the Dinnerplate Clematis, and strawberries and cream Lyda is putting on such a pretty show... On the other hand I had to giggle at the mushroom lamps because they showed so much humor when they are stacked against the ajuga. With the verticals of the ajuga and the peony stems, the mushrooms look like jolly big mushrooms. Oh, my goodness the beautiful kitty has grown very plump! It must have eaten tons of too many goodies at your house, lol! I bet the Kitty has been living in the Lap of Luxury and has been tailing the Momma. What she needs is a herding Border Collie to keep her sleek...Also the compositional shot of the Rhodies with the Kitty is a brilliant photographic angle. Wow, that has got to be the most glorious tangerine color of Livin' Easy. Beautiful, Boxo!!!! And Woooowwww, the Hansa is exploding like fireworks!

I found the tax shelter in this posting when searching for a gift for my brother. He is a tax preparer and has everything. So I just had to share what I did for him. I took one of those woodcraft houses from Walmart- removed the two screws from the base. I cut a 1" block of wood that fit into the bottom of the house. I glued this block onto the base thus allowing the top of the house to be easily lifted off the base. I cut a 1/2" groove in the center of the block with the table saw so I could set a card of thumb tacks into it. This was hidden in the house until the top was lifted off. I wrote a poem for this & read it to him while my daughter did a Vanna White presentation of the house. Everyone got a good laugh out of this and I finally did a complete craft project! It's been a while. Hope you have as much fun with this as we did. Here's the poem: I drew your name for Christmas It's an honor, don't you know To get my brothers name for Christmas Ah! ashopping I will go. But then I started frettin After searching high and low Whatever will I get 'im (Twas wrong to worry so!) I went into an office shop Maybe something for your desk? I talked to the clerk a lot She tried to aid me in my quest. He could use a tax shelter Is what the lady said It seemed a bit off-kelter But there was nothing left instead. So here's your little shelter All painted so very nice The foundation has been mended The roofs' been polished thrice. The flowers are all blooming In the big pot by the door The bumblebees are buzzing And there's no sawdust on the floor. It seems to be the perfect place I do agree she's right It sure beats a plain old case And your tacks! They're finally safe at night!

Lori - If you and your DH enjoy road trips and don't mind gravel, IMO you might think about driving the Alcan Highway. We took a week and a half up, three weeks in Alaska, and a week and a half back (my parents were both teachers, so they had summers off). No blown-out windshields, but at one point the road was washed out and the crews were using bulldozers to pull the cars through the flowing mud. They told my father that it could break the axle on our car. He said "Go ahead", and the car made it intact. We had camping equipment for meals on the road, but only slept in motels and lodges, not at all fancy, but very colorful and rustic. We also had good rain gear, as it rains every day from the northern Yukon into Alaska. The rains aren't so bad, usually brief. Also a LOT of bugspray, as the mosquitoes are fierce. We saw so much wildlife - bear, moose, deer, and all sorts of small critters and birds. People were very, very friendly, went out of their way to be helpful. When we got to Fairbanks we checked into a "hotel" that my mother had reserved in advance. It was, ah, "primitive". The next morning she went down to check something at the front desk and rushed back in a huff and told my father and me to pack up, that we were moving out, as the "hotel" was off-limits to military personnel. I asked what that meant and she and my dad looked at each other, and my dad had a big grin on his face. As I wrote before, you will never forget this trip. Just plan it carefully, know where your stops are, keep your tires in good condition, and take everything you think you might need. I hope you go and that we'll read all about it here on KT someday! Sable

The past week has been peaceful & loving every minute of SD not being here (despite my holiday disappointment with my siblings). SD called DH on Thanksgiving night and interrogated him about what we did, who was there, what we ate, etc. Then, DH and I went shopping at some black Friday sales. I saw an ad for MP3 players for $24.99 (because SD asked for an iPod but DH said she isn't getting one, maybe an MP3). DH informs me he already got her one for $50 a few of days ago. ~nice of him to tell me he started shopping last week~ Then we went to a midnight sale & he decides he needs to buy a laptop. I ask him why, he doesn't have much money nor a use for one. He says the sale is a really good price and besides, SD can use it to do her homework when she needs to. So, he put it on a credit card. I let it go... even though we agreed in counseling not to make any purchases for a year on "luxury" or unnecessary things. I think it's unnecessary when we already have two computers to use. But, whatever. I see that he is determined to fulfill her ridiculous list... he's already gotten her two of three expensive things. (granted the MP3 isn't the iPod she wants so it's not that expensive) Then tonight, he jokingly suggested buying her a phone... not with service, just a phone because she asked for one but said he didn't have to give her one with service. He laughed, I did not. She currently a D and an F in the only two classes reporting grades for the trimester that started two weeks ago. He bought her a portable TV to use at my office because she had her grades up to mostly C's (1 was 69% but the teacher gave her a C) which lasted about a week. So, I am at the point of "I don't give a sh!t" what he does... just don't bother me with having to listen to it when she's flunking or has an attitude. He's been bugging me to help him shop for other things for her... clothes, etc. NO WAY!!! I want nothing to do with shopping for her. He isn't wrapping up the laptop to give her (at least he says that now) so all he has to wrap up is the MP3. I am refusing to help him shop & he is lost. I told him that I am tired of wasting my time finding clothes I think are cute & appropriate for her, only to have her "lose" them or let them sit in her closet until she outgrows them. I told him he should give her gift cards & HE should take her shopping later. lol, it's a challenge for him to take her shopping because he hasn't backed down & let her buy the kind of clothes she wants to wear so he ends up with a headache & hardly anything at the checkout when he takes her. They battled it out a couple of weeks ago when he took her to get winter clothes. I took the baby & went to the other end of the mall... I want nothing to do with it. He found me a couple of hours later when he was too frustrated to go anymore. I relented & picked out a few things for her to try on & while he waited for her to try them on, I left to another area. She didn't like any of it.. it didn't fit.. whatever excuse to not buy them. He was frustrated beyond frustrated (had a horrible headache), after several hours they left with one pair of jeans & two tops. As far as I'm concerned, as long as he's going to bend over backwards for her, I am going to have nothing to do with it & he can continue the headache of trying to please the princess. Not my kid, Not my problem. I got myself a couple of cute outfits & DGS a cute holiday sweater & PJ's. and took him for ice cream while we waited for DH to finish shopping with SD.