Yep Menards is where I went. We had a lot of snow and they did not shovel. All my favorite promix was hidden behind 2-3 feet of snow... lol Now that we are melting I am going to go out there and get some snow or not! My menards had all the dirt/soil outside in an area where the snow blew in all over. I plan to check it out tonight or tomorrow to get some of the awesome promix! I loved it last year. Karen

Jeatonne you're so nice to start a thread ;-) I wish you all the luck with your seeds...you will have a fabulous garden. I did start winter sowing a couple of days ago as we have finally seen our last warm days....winter is truly now here. We've had several good hard frosts and it "feels" like winter, and as I was rarin' to go I did some perennial flats. It was nice to get started again. I did "A" perennials and posted them over on the GFS forum, I will be doing my winter sowing alphabetically this year, literally going front to back in my seed boxes, and I'll post the update to the list as I go along. Next up is "B" and it's going to be river birch, boltonia, buddleia, and balloon flowers. You may notice I'm consistently inconsistent in that I (myself) have no problem with filing my seeds by botanical or common name, so the list will be made as such also.....anyone can simply use Hortiplex and type in either the common or botanical name and get full info on the plant. I'm going to put in the winter sowing link, and if anyone has any questions please let me know and I'll do my best to explain something that might not be clear. For me this is year number three with winter sowing and I am looking forward to it....I need it this year. Really. I found it's a good way to "connect" with mother nature (and/or ourselves) and creating a little bit of life goes a very long way in making big personal inside smiles and right now so many of us truly need that. Good luck to everyone whose going to give it a try.....it REALLY works! Trudi Here is a link that might be useful: How to Winter Sow Seeds Outdoors ~ 2001

Nancy, I make soy candles. It's a fun hobby. I have a few friends that "help pay" for my supplies. LOL In fact today I'm trying to decide what scents to make for the house, and I need to make a travel tin for my mom, as she's going on the road (she's a traveling software consultant) the first of March and will be living out of a hotel room for weeks on end. That flexible cutting board is nifty. I need to go back to the store and get one for myself.

seriously Patti.. :o) What I do is mix all the dry, cut in the shortening or butter, then stir with a fork the milk or cream, until it's about 3/4 mixed. Then dump it out onto a lightly (just enough not to stick) and knead the dough until smooth, about 10-12 times. Folding over itself and using only the heal of your hand to push it into itself. Then gently push/pat it to a circle to cut out the biscuits. The Big Daddy Biscuits need to ONLY make 6 or 7 to get big ol biscuits..and make sure your baking powder is not old. and I say butter and cream because I follow AnnT (at the Cooking Forums) Scone philosophy too.. Flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and butter, mixed like biscuits but using cream or half and half as the wet. Cream Scones~byAnnT 2 1/4 c AP flour 1/2 c sugar 2 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 6T butter 1 c cream extra cream and sugar Add ins: 3/4 cup of fresh or frozen berries, dried currants or chocolate chips Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, stir in cream. Turn out on lightly floured board and knead to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Pat into a 7" round and cut into 6-8 wedges. Place on baking sheet and brush with cream and sprinkle sugar. Bake at 425F for 15-18 minutes.