Karl bapst rosenut wrote: "Once the patent runs out, the rose is fair game. A new name can be Trade Marked but that only applies to the name, not the rose" ***Here I think Karl is on to a very important point. More and more hybridizers are "trademarking" the names of their roses. So when the patent (assuming there is one) runs out on their roses they will still have some marketing "control" over their creations. So I think we will see a lot of roses with "substitute" names in the future. And no doubt there will be look-up charts that show what different nurseries are selling old familiar Austins (and others) as to get around trademark issues. 'Lovers Delight' for 'Fisherman's Friend' will be just one in a long series of roses being renamed to evade trademark protections, from the way I see the future. Bill

Wow, Jenn thought I was Sol ! What a nice compliment to meeeee!!! Here's the Lavender Honey Ice Cream recipe, which I found on line! David Lebovitz' Honey Lavender Ice Cream 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers 1 1/2 cups whole milk (Susans note: I used half & half) 1/4 cup sugar pinch salt 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 5 large eggs (you will only use the yolks) Âroom temp Sooz's Notes: 2 T vodka (80 proof) to keep the ice cream from becoming icy A bit of gel food coloring to make it look lavender (or whatever color you want) Instructions: Pull the lavender flowers off the stems & measure out the flowers. Heat honey with ½ lavender, just until bubbles start to form in the honey (Sooz's note: I used the microwave). Remove from the heat, and let sit an hour or so to extract some of that tasty lavender flavor. It may look kinda funny, but it's okay. Put the cream in a bowl. Rewarm the honey a bit to make it runny and pour it through a sieve into the cream. Squish those lavender flowers with the back of a spoon to get out as much flavor as possible. Add 2 T vodka to this bowl. Meanwhile, warm the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve, and the milk is hot. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and beat the egg yolks into a yellow foamy looking foam. Add the warm milk to the yolks, a tiny little bit at a time, mixing constantly. You have to add the milk slooooowly especially at the beginning. Put the egg yolk mix back on the stove, and heat, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. Use a thermometer for this next part, as it will keep you from curdling the custard base. Heat to 175°F. Never stop stirring. At 175°F, the custard should have thickened nicely, shouldn't have curdled, and will be ready for the next step. Immediately pour this through a sieve (just in case there are any cooked egg bits in your custard), pour the hot custard over the lavender flowers (which are in the sieve anyway) and into the cool cream. Mix gently, and add the remainder of the lavender. Sooz's Notes: I used violet "gel" coloring and added it with the remainder of the lavender. If you add too little food coloring, it will look a sickly grayish color. Keep adding the gel coloring until you get what color you want. I used the end of a toothpick to add the color, then stirred with a spoon. Cool in the fridge overnight. Sieve out the fresh lavender, and run the mixture through your ice cream maker, using the directions for your machine (make sure you froze the freeze-y canister for at least 24 hours). Then, you slowly pour in the sieved ice cream mix into a the machine while the beater is stirring on low. If you pour in the mixture and then turn on the machine, it may cause a problem as the paddle may not be able to move. Churn for 25-ish minutes. Scoop into a cold container, and leave in the freezer overnight to finish hardening it. Enjoy! Here's the link for the recipe to the Amaretto Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. Scroll down and look for the big picture of it!

I'm so very glad that you brought this up. Someone here suggested that I lighten my frame (art over sofa). The only think I have found so far (& have not yet tried it) is 'Inka Gold'. Is it funny (ironic?) that everyone wanted to cover up their gold or brass with paint, and now we want to paint things gold? I have tons more questions on how to do mine, but won't highjack your post. If you do something, can you please post before & after pics, and tell us what you used? Here is a link that might be useful: Inka Gold site with video

Thanks for your nice comments! We actually used BM Advance paint (just had the store use the formula for the BM Aura color Paper Mache) on the cabinets because we wanted the look and durability of an oil paint but without the yellowing and the smell! The smell would go away in a few days of course, so it was the yellowing that was more of a concern (especially with a whitish color - I would not be happy if the color I spent so long picking out changed to a yellowish color!). We had the cupboards painted with a sprayer, and the painters said it went on really well, and we're happy with the finish - nice and smooth and with a really pretty sheen (not too shiny, not too flat). It was more pricey - but not Farrow and Ball pricey, and we figured for the small extra amount it was worth the investment. The trim will be stained to match the cabinets. The crown molding is the same as the cabinets. The backsplash is still up in the air - but the bottom part (the 4" or so wood piece) will most likely be painted the same as the cabinets, and the beadboard will be slightly darker (maybe same as the walls, maybe a little lighter). Best of luck!! I think it's great that you're painting boards...I would do the biggest boards you can - that seemed to make a difference for us (it's hard to tell on a little piece of wood).