she's noticed that the kids notice the presence or absence of goody bags, and is trying to be a good mom and hostess. FWIW. If goody bags are "expected" in your area, she should try to do something. It depends on the type of kids in the area Niece is crazy over the Jonas Brothers (heaven help us), and will be getting a JB pinata, and the kids can carry home whatever candy they collect in little bags. We're also going to look for the aforementioned pinwheels, or something equally inexpensive and relatively entertaining for the kiddos to take home when the party ends. I love the idea of crafts - in fact, on niece's last birthday, the kids decorated crowns and took them home (it was a princess theme), but there probably won't be enough time. The party will be scheduled for only a little over an hour, though, during which time cake and ice cream will be served and the pinata will be the primary entertainment. Don't the JB's wear 80's style sunglasses? I think they wear vests too. Maybe adding those to the party, take digital pics of everyone in their JB shades & get one vest that everyone uses for their shot, print them out and give on in a pre-decorated JB frame? Too bad the party isnt longer, she should be able to find cardboard type frames.. they can paint their names on them or something JB.. maybe glue JB pics to the frame? I have seen parties where one of the activites was their take away gift - like painted t shirts, decorated wooden frames (take pic of whole group to include), wooded vehicle sets you put together (Michael's has a bunch for $1). I love this idea For her, it isn't just a party bag -- it's a thank you gift to the friend for attending her party. If you ask her opinion, she probably think it's totally uncool not to have party bags. That's how I've always looked at goody bags as a thank you for coming Wow...never would have crossed my mind to give out goodie bags. My kids didn't, and I honestly can't remember them getting them. But then, my kids quit having kiddy parties over 10 years ago! haha. I can tell you that its a different world these days. My son is 24, gift bags weren't a big deal but these days it's all about the gift bag. I think we have Hollywood to partially blame for this.. Think Paris Hilton, star parties where they get gift bags with the latest phone or video game system. Lots of celebrity mags talk about gift bags, win the gift bag from such & such party, it's like a status symbol to get the best gift bag.

"Capital Culinarian or a Bluestar shouldn't be sitting in front of combustible drywall." Drywall is not considered combustible. Any gas appliance listed for home use will have required clearances to flammable surfaces in the installation instructions. Most are 'zero clearance' meaning the sides and back of the unit can be directly against flammable surfaces (like your wood cabinets on each side). Many of the larger stoves also have a requirement for cabinets on each side of the stove and above the top surface to be at least 18 inches above the top of the stove (not from the grates but from the top of the stove). A back-splash behind a stove (especially a larger one used top cook a lot) should be something easy to clean. Commercial kitchens often have tile walls, but they can use a garden hose to clean up with (and many do at the end of the day, with HOT water from the hose). The commercial stoves are not usually zero clearance (and handles and oven doors can get hot enough to burn you) and often have room on each side to make cleaning easier. The tile is not flammable, so the clearance rules are met (ceramic tile on even cement backer board is very heat resistant and a lousy conductor of heat also).

@paintguy22 --- just got an update on this topic and saw your reply. Pre-Cat lacquers are different and better. We have had our desk lacquered and honestly the look and finish versus our latex cabinets is SO nice. Cons are that if it chips there are no easy fixes. @judycp I definitely think that it's worth it to use a pro to paint your cabinets. Paint has come a long way but the painter matters. I've seen a lot of mistakes and had to fix a ton too. As far as doing it yourself, i'm all about DIY. So with any service it's best to weigh the time and effort versus the $ you can spend. Cabinet jobs can take anywhere from 3-5 days for us depending on how big your kitchen is. But DIY and it can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks depending on how fast you are. It is a pain to put cabinets back up and you will need a large amount of space to spray and dry the cabinets and move anything out of the way. We have yet to have a set of cabinets that weren't loved by the customer. A sprayer and a good primer should help you out! good luck!

seeds will ship tomorrow to, Globe trotter, Devi, Jeremy, MTwind and Queenie. chances are excellent that you will get at least one of the following, parsley, fennel, dill, carrots or yarrow. The swallow tail butterflies use these as food and nursery spots and they are my favorite butterflies. Read up on them and be watching for the bright green and black worms that will become the next batch of butterflies. There should be enough for you to share with the caterpillars and it is fun to watch them. On the other hand, if you got cabbage DO NOT tolerate the plain green worms that will chew them to pieces. They are an imported pest and are best used as food for your chickens or smooshed or whatever way is easiest for you.