You gals just have me cracking up reading this! I love the angels/fairies Karen is finding for all of us. Lord knows I sure can use one too since the old woman comes to visit here quite frequently too. She went off and left my garage door open the other day, and then this morning she even left the water running in the sink after brushing her teeth! I just don't know how to deal with her, so hopefully my angel/fairy will help! Nmgirl had me drooling over all those wonderful desserts she can make. Boy, talk about listing your qualifications. How could anyone say no to all that???? So glad you found an angel/fairy for her too. Susie, why do you get to hold the $$$$ and the chocolate too gal? And you thought no one would notice, huh? LOL Luvs

Hi, please forgive me if I'm out of line (newbie). I've never posted here before but I've lost trees to snow so wanted to say something. Although they can look beautiful, if you have trees/bushes with leaves and they get weighed down with snow the branches can break very easily. When we get snow here out of season I always go outside with a broom (or something) and shake the branches until I knock all the snow off. Trees that have lost their leaves and are used to snow don't suffer, but when they've leafed out and we get a late snowfall, it's awful when the branches break off. Again, I am just trying to help. :o) ~Missy

I tried posting this yesterday and got some kind of maintenance page, so I know this is late. AM, King Arthur Flour sells the cinnamon chips (see link below). I'm sure other online sellers do also, but that's where I usually get them. I've never seen them in stores. That doesn't mean they aren't available, but the selection of baking items is pretty skimpy in my neighborhood. Annie, we have 3 sugar maples along the front road, and if I were to guess, those are probably the only sugar maples for a 100 miles. My DH found them root-bound and neglected in an overgrown "no-man's-land" at the back of an old nursery owned by an elderly gentleman. I doubt tapping those would yield more than a teaspoon. Not to mention we've had almost no cold weather this winter. The crocuses are up and the ornamental cherries and plums are blooming. Hardly ideal for maple-sugaring. Thank goodness for Trader Joe's and the lovely (and well-priced) Grade B maple syrup they offer from our Canadian neighbors. Costco's I haven't tried. Since there are no children in the house, even with baking maple syrup lasts a long time here. Definitely OT, but I'm remembering the homemade pancake syrup we made when I was a child. I think it was some mixture of brown sugar, white sugar, water and Watkins maple flavoring. Karo has its uses, as Annie mentioned, especially for candy-making. I use a small amount in maraschino cherries to prevent the syrup from crystallizing and the same in some fudge recipes. Carol

Sandy - hello! I’m so nervous as I’m about to apply the more anti etch to my beautiful piece of book matched panda marble on a an 11 foot island. Thank you for sharing as your post has given me more piece of mind! I’ve always lived on my Italian honed marble countertops and enjoyed the patina; however this new home build / project, I wanted a modern design and this panda does the trick. I’ve never used panda and do not know how it holds up plus I don’t want the patina look unless I just have to - hence I’m jumping in and trying MORE. My applicator just sanded it down on Friday and let me know today that the shipment of sealer has not arrived yet. Oops. So here I am surfing for more reviews to make sure it’s what we want to do. I can easily have her hone it at this point since she has sanded off the polish. The panda has crystals and sparkles and this will be toned down I think with the MORE product; however I think it’s worth it as the design is so elaborate, and we will be able to enjoy it and live life on it. Questions for you due to some negative reviews: scratching. I’ve read some reviews that it scratches easily. My applicator says it scratches the same as marble. What is your experience with this? Do you feel it scratches more than normal or what is to be expected ? someone said theirs turned yellow. How long have you had yours ? My applicator said it can turn yellow but only if in direct sunlight all day. She is not at all worried about this for my kitchen Honed - I don’t like the high shine and look forward to seeing the honed finish as a starting point at polish time. Glad you like the finished look of MORE honed. do you still like to touch the countertop even with the MORE on it? I love tapping my fingernails on the marble and hope it still has the stone feel. Does it ? mine is a waterfall and my last concern is where the two areas meet - the sides will not be treated with MORE of course. She said it will look fine. my applicator said the near thing about MORE is that it follows the lines of the veins and fits and molds to the stone. Your post has made me feel so much better! Please comment on my concerns if you see this. I haven’t found many reviews on MORE and have been a bit nervous. Im sure many who love it probably don’t say anything. The positive is not often discussed - only the negative. Thank you ! Stephanie