Many thanks to you all for your kind words! Kathleen, the glasses are part of the crystal we got when we were married, almost 26 years ago. I love the pattern and am always happy when I can use it. Superchick, you're in NM, too? How wonderful! What part? Sheesharee: I got the runner several years ago. Can't remember where, as I have many of them. I'm a bargain hunter, though, so it had to be at Marshalls or TJMaxx, etc. Karen, I'm honored that you think it's nice enough for our Inspirations album. DD, I was thinking about the placemat situation, too. Just today I saw Slinkey's Thanksgiving table and got inspired. I love her lace placemats and think they'd work perfectly for my own table. Especially if they were in an ecru. If I can't find them like that I can tea-dye white ones. I love the inspiration I get here! Lynn

I did tiling for the first time when I tiled my backsplash and I can give you some advice from one beginner to another (not meant to replace the advice of a pro, but just might be some things that a pro takes for granted since they are good at what they do). IMO the way to get a professional looking job is to: 1) take your time. It's not going to go quick, that comes with practice. It took me a week to do my backsplash, a pro would have done it in a day, but I got a professional look. 2) use spacers. If there are no lugs on your tile to give the proper spacing, use spacers. I will never forget watching some DIY show, maybe weekend warriors, where the guy was like "I don't need to use spacers, I have a good eye." Oh what a crappy install THAT turned out to be. Again this is a practice thing, someone who does this all the time might be able to do it without spacers but you don't have that much practice so use them. 3) never work with someone who doesn't have the same standards you do. Tiling is not necessarily a 2 person job. 4) Try out one of those cheapie tiling kits at home depot - the one that comes with a cheap, half circle shaped piece of tin for spreading thinset. I have kind of small hands (definitely smaller than the average man) and found that this tool was MUCH easier for me to control than the larger trowel. Sure, you can't spread as much at one time but see #1. Even with the trowel, the thing is notched to make sure you get the right amount of thinset on the walls. Use the right size notches (maybe bill can help you with that and also some tips for applying). 4) Buy more extra than you'd need for a pro and don't be afraid to use it... to re-cut anything that needs to be re-cut etcetc.

My Xhusband is severely bipolar, however as this disorder doesn't normally manifest itself until the late teens-early adulthood, I'm fairly certain he wasn't when we got married, and by the time we divorced it was just kicking in. He's fine as long as he stays on his medication--which he never does! He is an addict, fully addicted to the "manic highs" of his disorder, which he can only acheive by using his "drug of choice", and for him that means NO drugs at all! And when this happens, he becomes a danger, not only to himself, but others as well and usually only goes back on his medication when he is forced to, usually as a result of being institutionalized, either in a mental hospital or jail! I hold such fond memories for example, of the time he broke into a stranger's house locking himself in their closet, and when the police arrived he told them he did it in fear of his life because he believed the nearby campers were drug lords who were plotting to kill him! He spent 2 weeks in a mental institution for that stunt. My personal favorite was the time he was arrested, on federal felony charges of counterfeiting! He convinced me he was being "set up" as part of a government conspiracy--and I actually believed him! I even went into serious DEBT for the next 5 years to hire not just a good attorney, but the very BEST, and kept on believing my husband, right up until the day I sat in court at his inditement and the prosecution held up a sample of the evidence, a $1 bill that had been artistically altered to look like a $20. Right then and there I KNEW he was guilty because I recognized his artwork! So I went to the attorney and told him the truth, along with all my husband's bizarre behavior and stories. That attorney was worth every penny too, because he went straight to the prosecution and managed to convince him to drop the charges completely on the basis that my husband had no malicious or illegal intent--he was just NUTS! Thank God he cheated on me because I never would have divorced him for any other reason. He remarried and had 2 children with his current wife, and what he did to me is NOTHING compared to what he's done to them, oh like, almost killing his one daughters trying to force the alien "pod" out of her, setting their neighbor's house on fire to stop him from developing biological warfare weapons, and his wife hasn't just caught him cheating on her with other women--but men as well! He commits these acts while in his "manic phase" followed by his "depressive phase" during which he suffers extreme remorse for his actions, to the point of becoming suicidal. Everytime I see his current wife, who is now confined to a wheelchair with MS with HIM as her only caretaker, my heart goes out to her and I say to myself, "there but for the grace of God, go I." Bipolar disorder is unpredictable and can "ebb and wain", sometimes the symptoms can completely disappear, even for years at a time, other times can result in a complete psychotic break from reality, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, and even hearing voices similar to a schizophrenic. It is a scary, scary disorder. So in my personal opinion, your DH has GOOD REASON to proceed with extreme caution in dealing with his daughter--who could disappear with her child tomorrow, or worse, and how would he protect grandbabies then?

Hi, Calibean! Beautiful table! IMHO, I'm not seeing those chairs as being your best choice either. And the original ones you wanted with the nailhead trim would likely be a cleaning nightmare if your kids are as messy as you describe. I think if I were you, I'd keep a watch on CL for chairs where you might find a great deal. In this economy, I'm always a little reticent to advise someone to spend much money if DH doesn't agree. Sometimes they're truly worried about how to keep the family budget fiscally sound. So first of all make sure you're both on the same page there. Perhaps using the dining chairs even longterm isn't such a bad idea. Many homes now only have one eating area (at least out west where I live) even in the 2400 sf range. Perhaps we're more casual than other parts of the country. Good luck with your choice! BTW for you and many others who don't seem to notice, right below the message box is a place to post links so they're clickable. Just copy the address you want to link, then paste it in the Link box, then type a name for your link below it. It's simple and makes life easier for us to see your link without having to copy and paste.