Nancy, it's going OK. I didn't get around to post an update because we spend all weekend at a soccer tournament. Spot is settling into the routine of just being allowed out to do his business and coming right back. We went to the vet Sat. morning and he had another acupuncture treatment. We discussed surgery options and decided to try a brace first. It will be custom made and support the joint and give the muscles time to strengthen around the joint. It is kind of hard to describe, but I will post pictures after we get it. It will be probably a little over a week. It is designed by a "human" orthopedic surgeon who had a blown acl on his dog and was less than thrilled with the surgery result. I was asking the vet about TPLO and the other surgery and he recommended not doing the TPLO. He said that it has been advertised as the best thing to prevent arthritis later on, but people are finding out that the first dogs with it are getting arthritis now (6-7 years later) anyway. The vet tech told me that the had the ligament connecting surgery done on a couple of her dogs and they are doing just as well as dogs she knows with the TPLO. But we are not at that point at the moment and are taking a more conservative approach. I'm having a hard time to convince my husband to even do anything less alone surgery. He thinks it is just a dog and when he grew up they just put them down when something like that happened. Over my dead body, is all I can say. Here is Spot sharing his new pillow with one of the cats. A few minutes before both cats had been laying with him. And he is not overweight, he just looks like it in this picture. Katharina

Everything is looking great so far! Love your cabinets and obviously, that granite is stunning. Add me to the club on finding the backsplash decision to be very daunting. My granite is pretty busy, and initially I was all over the place regarding what I wanted, from plain subway to crackle to accent pieces to...well you get the idea. We finally settled on plain, quite plain, and I am happy with the choice. We went with 3x12 porcelain tile with the thinnest grout lines possible. In contrast with you, I was fine with it steering more contemporary, and was actually looking for that with the shape I selected. In reality though, I don't think that it looks so contemporary, but your opinion may differ.

My grandson is 5 now and I remember asking here a few years ago about food ideas. I care for him 4-5 days a week (when not at school) and provide either a breakfast or dinner meal each day and lunch once a week. His parents do NOT cook and feed him only processed foods. MAKES ME CRAZY! No fresh fruit or veggies (veggie fries chips in a bag are what they count as a veggie). Apple juice they call a fruit, which would be fine if he got other things that were fresh, but he doesn't. I make a big batch of meatballs, no sauce, mildly spiced, that I brown and cover in a skillet until done. I freeze those in freezer bags so that I can grab 2 or 3 for a meal. I try to give him beef (always organic) often because I'm sure he is iron deprived, but you could make with ground turkey if you prefer. I thaw at a low power in the microwave so they don't get tough. I only have to make a batch once a month or so. One of my go to meals for him when in a rush that he loves is Amy's Organic Black Bean Chili. It's not spicy and I will either add some cooked ground beef from the freezer, or a meatball or two and mash it in. The chili is vegetarian, which is healthy, but he needs meat, imo. I buy organic cheese tortellini and put it in the freezer, then cook a serving for him and add frozen pesto that I put up every year in serving size portions. It surprises me how much kids like pesto! You can even sneak some fresh spinach into it. Baked yams are another favorite. You can do them in the micro or in a steamer, but my grandson LOVES the oven baked ones. I poke them and cook for about an hour at 375c. They get mushier that way and some brown, sugary bits that make them taste better. He loves broccoli and I've been buying fresh romanesco cauliflower and I tell him it's broccoli from outer space, which is a big hit. He'll eat regular cauli, too, along with steamed asparagus, green beans, corn, and peas. He prefers raw carrots over cooked and I've been buying the organic rainbow carrots at Trader joe's. Nothing like a purple carrot! He won't eat anything with tomato sauce, but he LOVES spaghetti ( I cook it in chicken broth) with butter and fresh Parmesan. He's underweight, because of his abysmal diet, so I put butter on all I can. I cook a batch of organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs and freeze them individually. I can pull one out for dinner with broccoli and a yam. I roll them in greek yogurt, then in whole grain flaked cereal and bake on parchment. He loves them. Again, I micro on a low power setting so they don't get tough and overcooked. I cook fresh salmon for him and feed him fresh avocado every meal. I keep organic blueberries in the freezer and fresh when I can get the organic ones. For breakfast, or another meal, I buy organic chicken/turkey sausages - I found a spinach - feta one he likes from Applegate Farms. I keep them in the freezer individually frozen. Because I don't have time to make waffles or pancakes when I have him, I buy the frozen organic whole grain ones...some from TJ's and others from my food co-op.

Okay, I gotta run to get some cedar planks. Could not find "my" recipe for cornbread with cheese and onions, so I did what I would have done to make it and pretty sure this is how it would work: Disclaimer: 1 - I am not a know-it-all nor a chef or whatever. This is what works for "me".. so if I sound like egotistical or I have all the answers, please forgive me.. it is a process I am always working on (cooking.. not being egotistical, I mastered that a long time ago).. so, easier to type it out than beat around the bush). 2 - Like I will explain, no matter what I cook or how many times, this is a process I do every time.. half the fun imo...and helps you refine things. Okay, Cornbread with Green Onions and Cheddar Cheese. Rules you cannot budge on when making cornbread: The quality of the cornmeal and flour WILL dictate how it tastes. "Good cornbread" can be made out of a box, "great cornbread" takes "great cornmeal" Don't skimp. If you are in a pinch, Aunt Jemima cornmeal works great and anyone that snubs their nose at it is just too picky. I prefer that or Pioneer, but there is a mill in Arkansas I think that makes it and if you are out to really kick some butt, look at the backs of each and find a local meal that works for you. Either of those first two will be plenty fine. Flour, any all-purpose will do. Second thing.. CHECK THE DATES. Out of date, heck, if it is not stored correctly, baking soda and/or baking powder can kill your cornbread. Always buy small containers so they are not stored away for a year before you use them. I keep 2-3 cans of clabber on hand and if it is halfway to the exp date, at 60 cents a can.. it is gone (that is what is left.. heh). Again.. Clabber Girl and Arm and Hammer.. name brands. You get what you pay for and rising is a must for the right texture. As for the rest of the things, the thinner the pan, the more likely to burn. Also, let everything sit out in the open for an hour or two. Bring it all to room temperature. Cornbread, like any other bread, is picky and cold spots can cause it to cook differently. So, I never stick to one recipe and, when creating one, I always make 2 or 3 small ones first to see which one I like the most. Cornbread is cheap to make.. cheaper still if you find how you like it and then never have to figure it out again ;) So, I found a couple recipes I like and would combine (remember, I never follow one recipe as they tend to make it a certain way and I am, after-all.. a know-it-all.. lol https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread-50000331 That one starts well and has most of what you need. The part about that one I am not sure about is the bell peppers. If the one you did not like did not have bell peppers, when you leave that out, they will need to be replaced with something. This one is closer to what I would enjoy: https://nancycreative.com/2011/10/19/cheddar-and-green-onion-cornbread/ Now, looking over a few other recipes, something I have done in the past and I saw in another skillet recipe (this would be a northern thing I assume) is I saw someone use a little maple syrup. Now, this part would be a little expensive because you cannot get the flavor or the consistency unless you use real maple syrup from the NE... so.. just want to post this link as if it is done in moderation, it can be pretty darn good. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016965-brown-butter-skillet-cornbread?mcubz=1 Note: Some people frown upon sugar in cornbread and so would do the same with maple syrup. Cornbread was "bread" in the southern states and bible belt as well to some degree, so adding sugar is like a "desert" to some...I say ignore folks and have fun. Avoid adding cheese to the tops of the cornbread unless you do so in the last 10 minutes of cooking. It will brown quicker and make you think you are burning it. Summary: GOOD cornmeal Fresh baking soda and baking powder Room temp on eggs and butter etc quality baking pans Experiment in small quantities and with both convection and non convection if available. (I would use the second link.. and add some jalapenos finely diced) If you are not experienced in how to choose a jalapeno, it is very important.. and, once you learn, you find yourself loving them again. Jalapenos can be bright shiny green, then dull green with brown veins, then dark dark green, then red. Each stage has a different flavor. Want heat? leave the seeds. BRIGHT shiny smooth green is what you want for flavor without as much heat. The brown veins show the acidity age and can get hotter, dark green to red has a more "sweet" but hot flavor. Always, when baking, get the fresh smooth with no veins, cut out ALL the seeds etc just like you would in a bell pepper, and then finely dice them. This is from before the house.. but I love cooking cornbread in a skillet ;) just pre-heat the skillet before adding the cornbread mixture . Russ