Thanks, you guys. Happy Birthday to Pattico and Sandra, also!! Going to eat lunch with a Ya Ya friend of mine in a little while. The sun is shining. Life is good.

So glad you all enjoyed this thread! RHome, we have a space above the island facing the cooktop....I was thinking about doing some word art there (a phrase or saying), but photos could be fun! Kate, happy anniversary! I *love* the scene you've described and agree with Caroline that this is a great movie to see with your DH/DW. I went with a girlfriend becaue DH was out of town but I am definitely going again with him! BTW, I haven't read Julie and Julia either but I can strongly recommend My Life in France. Judy, ah yes, the butter. I couldn't believe how much we used too, for the entire meal. The chicken alone is sauteed in one stick of butter, and when you make the sauce from the drippings (which of course has rich and lovely egg yolks), Julia suggests you add two to three tablepsoons of additional butter to the sauce! LOVE the fact that Julia and Paul both lived to a ripe old age. I also love some of her thoughts on food: "Eat well and drink well," says Julia Child, "everything in moderation -- and never snack." And this on butter: "If you're afraid of butter, as many people are nowadays," she said in one of her more recent television shows, "Just put in cream!" she proclaimed, with a twinkle in her eye. Apprently she believd that the secret to a long and happy lfe, along with the moderation, was red meat and gin. My kind of gal! :-) Regardless of what and how you eat, it really does make you realise that the act of sharing good food is really one of life's great pleasures. As she said..."Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal." Bon appetit to that! Eliz

Thank you to everyone who posts a birthday wish. Now that it is my birthday, I really appreciate seeing all the wishes. I have a fabulous family who treats me like a Queen, and a husband who only wants to see me happy. I am truly blessed. On top of all that, my new friends at GW make me smile. Thank you so much. Barbara

There are more and more names on the birthday post, of people I don't know. I mean as in posting here, as well as in person. However, today I can say: I met Marsha. Happy Birthday Marsha, Animal_farm, Nelles and Victoria! Moni