hey everybody...first off, thanks for all your responses, including your condolences. We will be ok, in time. Secondly, if any of you are wondering why it's taken me so long to respond, it's because for some reason my computer friend here does not seem to want to open any threads I have posted on and keeps popping up an irritating little "operation aborted" box. I am guessing it has something to do with the anti-spam/anti-cookie program we run occasionally, but I am not sure. Anyway, some days opening my treasured forums site slows to a crawl and I don't always have the time/patience for it. Now, back to the topic at hand. I did order some pepper spray, but the company I worked with advised me to not go with the bear formula but instead order a police-issue type because the bear formulation is way too much for a human and could in fact be a lethal dose. I could just see her trying it out when we were gone and having it drift back in her own face...eeeks. I was WAY put off by the cost: which came up to 84$ and change for an 8 oz canister and two purse sized ones. I could have gotten three gallons of GAS for that much money!! :) I will just keep that bit of info to myself, and besides, she is pleased with the whole plan overall, and that is worth a million dollars to me anyway. I am willing to bet that she never once has to use the stuff, but knowing she has it and that it does have stopping power will be a huge confidence booster. I wish I could explain her personality in words that don't make it sound as if I am disdainful or disrespectful...her siblings have told me that she was raised "the baby" and as a result led a pretty sheltered life but that's all over now and it will be really really hard for her. Her son and I need to be as supportive as we can without becoming her security net.

I am not Meghane (I know you were waiting for her to answer), but will try to help nevertheless. I am very sorry that Fred is going thorough this set back. Prednisolone on a long-term basis does cause side-effects (suppresses immune system) and has bad interactions with other drugs such as NSAIDS. Maybe your vet can wean Fred out of Prednisolone slowly. Be careful with pain meds. As I mentioned in your previous thread, those white 'spots' on her lungs may indicate metastasized cancer (from somewhere else)as you are well aware of. At any rate, I just hope she perks up before you leave or you may not have any peace of mind. Boarding her at the vet's would be best in her current condition, but ...I could not leave her! What a hard decision! My very best to your lady, Anne-Marie

I'm pretty sure there is more to it than what has been said. It's almost impossible to put it all in one post. What I interpret is that he doesn't have a problem with your daughter's kids, but that if you had custody of them, he'd have to deal with your daughter, which he has washed his hands of. You seem to agree that he has cause to feel that way so at least you are on the same page there. If she's that bad that her own mother has had enough, then I feel really sorry for those kids. Yes, they will always be tied to their mother, even if you have custody. and so you have to choose between your grandkids and your husband of 17 years. OUCH! Perhaps you could seek legal advice on getting guardianship of the kids and a restraining order on her? I don't know how bad she is or if you just don't agree with her choices. But, if it's hurting your grandkids, you have to put them first. They are kids and need someone in their corner. If it has to be you, then it has to be you. If he can't deal with it, then it's unfortunate. It sounds like a real mess if there are accusations from your daughter (of what?) that your husband doesn't want to deal with. I feel like there's a lot more to it than what you've said. If he just stuck around to help raise your kids, then they are raised and now he is going to leave because you 'might' get your grandkids. It's really a no win situation.

You are to be congratulated....BEAUTIFUL JOB! The contrast between counters and backsplash is perfect! The way you accessorized your countertops just brought everything together wonderfully! I will tell you what I've been using for the last five years. Maybe the lighting is different in your home, maybe the colors in your home won't work the way it does in mine. But for us, the perfect tan....not too dark, no undertones,no pinky, no green....has been Pony Tail by Pittsburg Paints but we've had it mixed in BM and SW. Computer monitors vary so here, the color might not look as good (or might even show undertones-which it doesn't have) as it does in the rooms where we've used it. Here it is against Dove White Door in our bedroom mid-afternoon/blinds open, with ceiling light and table light on: FOR DIY TILE PEOPLE: Our first bathroom: we tiled everything except what needed to be cut. We took those to Ho-De and since we are on a first-name basis with some of the employees, we asked about having them cut and they cut those tiles for us....I think we were charged 35 cents per cut. After the fourth cut the nice employee just cut the rest for free. While we were there, another employee wandered over, chatting with employee that was cutting our tiles. Second employee told us to buy a $15.97 tile cutter (only does straight cuts but that's all we were doing anyway) and told/showed us how to do it ourselves. These inexpensive Straight Tile Cutters are called "Snap and Score" tile cutters. By the time it came to doing the second bathroom tub tile, we decided we'd try the tile cutter. It's nothing fancy, my 11 year old grandson was helping with the cuts. The second bathroom used 4" x 4" Travertine squares and we had no problem making straight cuts with the little tile cutter. Line up the tile on the board/bar, score it with the little sharp thing attached to the running handle, then put a bit of pressure with the handle on the scored line and snap...easy peazy! I know there are the pro tile cutters with the water that runs to keep the blade cool. But for us, the few tiles we had to cut, the little $15.97 tile cutter paid for itself 10 times over! Buy some extra tiles and practice and I know you'll get the hang of it! IMPORTANT: make sure the tile cutter you buy is big enough for the tiles you want to cut, and that it will cut the thickness of your chosen tile. Then there is the grinder. We have several grinders....4" 4.5" and 5 inch. You can buy special blades, buffers, sanders that will make straight cuts on granite and those types of stone. Just measure the stone, draw a light mark in pencil where you want to cut and run the grinder blade over the pencil line. In less than half a minute you have a cut tile. Then switch out the blade to a sanding disc or buffer disc and smooth out the rough edges you just cut. Again, 11 year old grandson helps with the sanding/buffing and is getting pretty good at it. lol The little bit of $$$ you spend on the tools....they really do pay for themselves. If you want professionalism and perfection, then you might not want to do the tile cutting yourself. Reason I say this.....the more we did the better we got and we can now look back at rooms/areas where we first started our own cutting of tile and see where we could have done better. Mr.Amity's Motto: "It's not professional, but it's passable and presentable (just don't look too closely)." :) Grinder: Here is a link that might be useful: YouTube Video: How to Straight Cut tile