I understand Deb. I started a flower garden afghan just in case you do a craft box #3 swap so I have enough time to finish it before it has to be mailed lol. also I saw in the houseplant swap you are looking for monstera cuttings I have a large one year old that I could take some cuttings off of if you dont find a trade soon I love philos this year I have added split leaf, pink lady, micans to my collection so far I would like to find black totem, lemon, prince of orange,and autumn this year Heather

Good afternoon, y'all! I've been up and out since 9 this morning for our sorority. A friend and I drove over to Kemah/beach area to the Hilton where our sorority was having an Arts & Crafts day and board meetings. We just went to sell ESA aprons that one member made. We sold a lot of them, and we shopped a LOT! Every chapter had at least one table and sold handmade items from small bags of snacks to fruit cakes, quilts, painted items and lots of Christmas gift items. I bought decorated gift baskets to hold my homemade fudge for neighbor gifts this year, goodies to include in my WV friend's Christmas box, and soup mixes, jellies, pickles, and chili mixes to include in stockings. One chapter was selling paperback and hardcover mysteries, and I really stocked up there! Once I read everything, I'll donate the books for our community Expo in January where we (ESA) have a table and pass out literature about St. Jude hospital and try to earn $$$ to send to them. We sell the books for 50 cents each, and last year we were able to mail St. Jude a check for $33.50! Viki and I stopped on the way to the event at a Tuesday Morning store and had a blast mostly just lookingm too. Once I rest a bit, I have to fix my corn casserole to take for the covered-dish luncheon at church tomorrow. I love that stuff, but it's terribly fattening, so I'll just make a very small dish of it for us and the rest for tomorrow. Tikanis, I like how you emphasized 'considering'! Happy puttering to you! Raeanne, you get to attend some neat sounding parties. Things aren't quite that upscale around here, but that's alright. It is what it is, right? Suzanne, that video was a hoot! Thanks for posting it. Glad you finally spotted your fox! The dr. told hubby to continue eating red meat because his hemoglobin count has dropped some, so we're having grilled steak and baked sweet potato (me) and red potatoes (hubby) and salad for dinner. I'm already hungry as lunch at the event wasn't all that exciting or filling. Once he gets that grilled fired up, I'll be ready to eat! Wishing everyone a relaxing Saturday evening!

G'day everyone! Kristene here from Australia. It was so much fun to read where everyone comes from. I'll have to mark you all down on my US & Canadian map. I grew up in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) but now live in a city called Orange - which is 155 miles inland from Sydney. Kate - Leura and the Blue Mountains are roughly half way between Sydney and Orange. Leura is a very trendy, touristy, craft village, with even a "Christmas Shop" all year round(not many cities in Australia have these).You are correct about the beauty of the mountains being similar to your Grand Canyon - only ours is covered in Gum Trees (eucalyptus).The eucalyptus leaves emit oil which mixes with the air to produce a blue appearance to the mountains from a distance - thus the name "Blue Mountains". The oil in the leaves also makes the trees burn so quickly and easily in bushfires. Regarding Quilting Fabric shops - they are around but NOT in Sydney CBD. That area is for businesses and tourists. The majority of tourists want regular souvenirs (I know we're different). Rents would be cheaper in the suburbs. If going anywhere, it's better to look online and get addresses first and google directions for ease of transport/access. Any proper quilting fabric store would have some Australian patterned fabric - birds, flowers, animals but not always the Aboriginal prints. I usually buy mine on-line from Sydney -needs a larger market to sell this fabric to. My city, Orange, is in the Central Tablelands of NSW where it snows (a little) in Winter and have lovely mild Summers. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, my seasons are opposite to yours, so I am now in Summer and we celebrate Christmas and New Year in Summer in the heat - often with picnics and BBQs. There are 40,000 people in my city and 4 patchwork fabric shops - all within 15 minutes drive from my house! To get Civil War fabrics or any other special fabric, I just go on-line to Sydney and have the fabric within a week. Muslin/Calico - Here in Australia we have both! There are many grades of both fabrics, but generally CALICO is of poorer quality and MUSLIN is of finer quality. When I was faced with using Muslin in a Birthday Block, I asked at my Fabric Store and was told it was similar to calico, but finer and referred to as "Quilters' Muslin" You can get bleached (white) or unbleached (cream) muslin and it's lovely and soft. I lived in Japan for 1 year teaching English, so I adore Japanese prints/patterns/blue dyed fabrics. I brought a lot of fabric home with me (and each time I visit). Batiks also appeal to me with their bright colours that can mingle and mix. We don't have Quilting Guilds in my city, just groups of friends who get together to quilt. My group came about because we all used to have group quilting lessons from the same teacher. When she retired 4 years ago, we decided to band together, find a hall and meet each week to continue our quilting and help each other. The fabric shops all offer classes too. Kristene

Thank you for your kind words, oldbat! Wow, I got lost for a while on your brother's website - gorgeous! As for our ceilings, only the dining/kitchen was totally gutted. I wouldn't have been willing to deal with the mess involved with coffering the other rooms. Not sure I'd want to anyway - I like that it's a special focal point. I took a couple of shots of the splash today, but the color isn't right. I'm including them here anyway. ETA PaperStone pic: AvatarWalt, you're too kind! But I don't know what to tell you about can lights. I love them in my kitchen and dining, but we added a few on the perimeter of the play room (grey couch at far end of the room), and I really don't like them there. That lighting makes me feel like I'm being interrogated every time I sit on that couch. We also need more light in our family and living rooms, but m not convinced cans are the solution. And it does get a little chilly when I turn on the MUA in the winter, so I'm careful to turn it off as soon as possible. I haven't noticed a big difference in the summer. Hi, a2! A new puppy? Please post pics!!!!! I miss seeing you around, but I'm not here much anymore either. I'm loving my sister countertop to yours! From the pics of your kitchen it doesn't look like you had to make compromises - functional and gorgeous, not looking sad for lack of an island! Good catch on the jam. :) Yes, it's spiced peach, plus a few others. I have a fig tree that's just getting big enough to produce, so I'm going to have to add fig/orange to my repertoire. Take care!