I am joining this thread late - was out of town. I guess I'm going against the grain. I'm glad to be back. I can't imagine a winter without snow! We ski (my kids race, so we have multiple sets of skis for each) and all the equipment that goes with that. I have snowshoes, shovels, snow tubes, parkas and boots x 2 for when one pair gets wet, etc. Then we have mud season wear - duck boots, lighter clothes, and hiking boots for when it is not so wet out. I could not live in this climate without a mudroom! Ours is actually one of the most used rooms in the house. A few years ago I got a bakers rack and put all the plants that I keep outdoors in the summer on it. Then in the summer I take that out and replace it with buckets of outdoor toys. Just wanted to give you one thought, Talley Sue. Don't be worried about more clothes as your kids get older. If they are anything like mine, they wear less, no matter how cold it is out. If it weren't for skiing, they wouldn't have snow pants, and they don't have boots, even though they ski and walk through the snow. I don't bother buying things they won't wear. Ditto for the clothes in their closets. They like more expensive things, therefore we have less of them. With the wind chill it was below zero last night, yet when I took DD to soccer practice (indoor soccer), she refused to put on warmup pants - just went out in shorts and a warm up jacket. And most of the other kids there were the same! Must be nice! Also, my DD has a coat that has a removable liner, so It is actually 3 coats in 1. A parka, a windbreaker and a fleece jacket. Might be something to think about.

axmom, I did bargain on the rental and got what I wanted. How is that a game?? I was prepared to move on if he didn't come down. Its a buyers/renters market. Tons of places on the market and many sitting for over a year. I realized, as I was looking around there was room for a lot of negotiating. You wouldn't believe what landlords were willing to offer to get their places rented. Trust me, I wasn't playing games. I got a good deal. I am ignorant of the Korean culture, as well as many other cultures. Should I well versed in all cultures before selling my house? How is that 'redneck?' They buyers are lovely people, I allowed a long closing because they are renting and their lease ends in April. I wasn't in a rush to move, but did not want to move in Feb. because I feared weather problems. I was right as we got hit with 2 ft. of snow and no power for 2 days. Had I insisted on an earlier closing I would have saved myself a few thousand dollars. We close Monday, Mar. 1 and I went to see my home today and we have tremendous tree damage which I am responsible to clear up. My allowing a 4 month closing will cost us a lot of money and headache. I'm not even sure how this is handled. Buyers called me daily on both cell and home phones asking to do the walk-thru with some friends and construction people. No matter how I explained we were moved out and the roads were closed, I hadn't cleaned after the move and we had no power (electric and water), they kept insisting they see the house. We moved Wed. because movers were afraid of the impending storm. I was not prepared and had to pay extra to have an man help me box. Took all day to move out and in to the new place. It started snowing that night and by morning my neighbor called to say trees were down and the power was off. We are on well/septic and I had left many plants behind in the house. I thought I had 3 days to clean up before the walk-thru. The roads were closed, my husband and I spent hours yesterday trying to get to our house. Our Town declared an emergency and we were almost stranded on the road. We managed to get to the house today to assess the damage. Luckily the trees did not hit the house or pool but we have huge limbs all over the ground and dangling from the trees. During all this, the buyer and his agent continued calling both me and my agent insisting they wanted the walk-through. No matter how I explained I couldn't get to my own house, how there was no water or electric, he didn't care or he wasn't understanding. I didn't want to be rude, but my nerves were frazzled and I just wanted to see my house and whether it was still standing. This is my first time selling a house. We've lived in it for almost 40 years. I wasn't prepared for the stress and amount of work involved. I did pack in advance as much as possible but we were still living in the house. I was trying to sell furniture and other items which took time and we both work full time. Plus, we love our house and enjoyed the time it was off the market. Those four months before closing were like a vacation. Guess we could have timed it better, but we still would have faced the snow storm because we allowed a long closing. So we pay the price. Tomorrow we agreed to meet the buyers, their agent and construction people at 2pm. My house is a mess from the movers and I will have to try to clean it up before they come. They want to inspect it again and worry it was damaged in the storm. I understand their anxiety, but they don't seem to understand mine. I need to hire a tree service to clear the mess but no one is even answering my calls. It will be Spring before the snow melts and work can begin. We were told money will have to be held in escrow to cover any damages. The tree work will cost us a small fortune. My problems could have been avoided if we closed earlier. Azmon, there was no 'double-standard.' I could have refused any of their requests which was my right. Jane

Good for you, Toni. It's a macro, BTW. And not likely to be cheap. You might enjoy hanging out on one of the DPreview Canon DSLR forums to get an idea of the best lenses for your camera. I did the same thing on the DPReview Olympus DSLR forum. I made note of the lenses that were used in some of the best pictures, and also lurked in lots of lens discussions. I had to pass on those that were out of my price range, but ended up with several that I'm happy with. Bulldinkie, that sounds beautiful! Murraysmom, I remember saddles......yes, a major purchase. :-) Leann, I'll bet your change in mood opened you up to meeting (and recognizing) the love of your life. What a happy ending! Joyfulguy, are you sure you're a minister?? LOL Ravencajun, I'm familiar with those great tiles. I almost bought them (or a similar brand) for my laundry alcove, but eventually opted for rolled vinyl "wood" flooring. I never dreamed vinyl flooring could look like wood! I really love it, and if I ever redo my kitchen floor, that's the way I'm going. The contractor was impressed with the thickness and quality. Here it is going down. Looks weird, huh? (We redid the walls in white beadboard.) And here it is next to my 1860 real wood floor. Holly, that's a great gift! And Jannie, do plug in that heater. I'm sure you won't have to be persuaded when winter comes. If you don't watch out, Ron will borrow it for his next camping trip. :-) Toni, I agree--hooking does look rustic. It's a very old and often primitive art. Some people hook with very fine strips, doing a lot of intricate shading, and some use wide strips and a coarse hook. I'm somewhere in the middle. No shading, though. It's a good thing I enjoy anticipation, because I just received an email saying my frame will be shipped January 17. This is what happens when a product is made to order. I had told him I was giving it to myself for Christmas, and he said, "By special arrangement the Twelve Days of Christmas are being extended this year." I like his sense of humor!

Yes, language translations can be very funny! Going with a translate garble, any ideas what would be the stand in for the cheese since babies, children and pets are already listed? It must be just a single source for the warning mislabels, as all of the ones found online look the same. I hope it does not point to the product being counterfeit. Amazon is not very good about policing those, and counterfeits can look convincing. The Amazon seller had excellent ratings, and the socks look to be of good quality. But they are weirdly long in the foot area. I was trying to find a substitute for my favorites, Balega, that now have an absurd $13 per pair price tag.