I bought one of those incubator's too and had a tough time getting the temp right. Here's what finally worked for me. I had it sitting on my breakfast table in the kitchen so it was a constant reminder to keep the eggs turned. But with all the house traffic, the door opening and closing, the ceiling fan, kids in an out of the refrigerator, ect. ect the incubator simply WOULD NOT maintain a constant temp. So I moved it to my closet. No drafts. Dark. Quiet. Small but large enough for air circulation. Perfect. Plus it was in my way in the morning before work and in the afternoon afterwork to remind me to turn the eggs. Bingo. I hatched out a bunch of button quail. Also, I went to Lowes and bought one of those digital thermometers that has a sensor on the end of a long wire. You're supposed to put the sensor outside to keep track of outdoor temp and humidity, while the unit is mounted on the wall inside. It's about he side of a hershey bar. I put the whole thing in the incubator, and it worked like a charm to keep track of temp and humidity.

Nanny wrote: "So, when Natal, or I, or someone else added those cranberries or nuts to their recipes, it was not to disobey your request, but to show others how their recipes were prepared. It's very easy to omit ingredients from any recipe, which is what I presume these women expect you to do." Thank you for replying, I wasn't going to come back into the topic but it's been bothering me all day because all I did was jokingly say "Ick" to a food I don't like. What I notice here is that others have made rude comments about Miracle Whip, a food *I* use, but were they called out on their "rudeness" to me? No. Why is it ALWAYS me, especially when I go out of my way to let you all know I'm laughing, just as I would if you were sitting before me. I'm not laughig AT you, I'm laughing at an ingredient in food! I have to disagree with you about people adding the ingredients that I specifically asked NOT to be added. Just as everyone goes into other's topics and apologizes for "hijacking" it, this was MY topic, and MY question. I'm not saying this to be mean, but I was the one who wanted some recipes which do not use fruits and nuts. Unless it was a fruit salad. :) So yes, when I get a reply I expect it to be for ME, and others are more than welcome to chime in. It's no different than if you did a topic on the other forum asking for painting advice on any color EXCEPT black, and everyone replied showing you their black rooms. lol. So I don't see how it was wrong for me to RME when I got the recipes with fruits and nuts. When we do a topic asking a specific question, should others reply for the sake of themselves, or to answer the OP's question? Lastly, I cannot believe how the word "Ick" offended others when no offense was meant at ALL. You all don't know me, but I'm known as the "Peace maker". Sure, I get my feelings hurt just like everyone else does, and I hate arguments especially if they're so trivial as me laughing and saying "Ick." I find it extremely rude to correct people on something so minor especially when it's obvious there was no intent on insulting anyone. I said it good heartedly. Just as I said the word "Yankee." Others have been calling themselves Yankees on this board all the time, but when I say it, it's considered offensive? I just get the feeling that some people here, but not all and just a minority, love to nitpick and bicker with others ad nauseum. We were having a fun and fascinating conversation about sandwiches and Miracle Whip vs. Mayonaise, until... I even found a place that sells the Mayo the "southerners" here like that I can order it online. Now, as far as being southern, I think I said this before. Both of my parents were born and raised in southern Virginia, and moved here to Oklahoma after they married. My father is a graduate of VA. Tech. Every single person in my family except my brother and myself are from Virginia. My uncle had a tobacco farm. I grew up with parents dipping cornbread in Buttermilk. ICK!!!! lol. See? I'm laughing about it, I still laugh at it to my mom when she does it! It's not a derogatory term because it's FOOD. But if you were to serve it to me, I'd be polite and eat it and if I didn't like it, you'd never know. Talking about food tastes is one thing and to turn it into nasty, nasty personal insults is another. Which I know you didn't do. I do however take offense because you are insinuating I am not "sophisticated" because I don't like fruit and nuts in my sandwiches. What? You have no idea what I eat. BTW, if anyone even cares at this point, I decided to make some Vegetable Bars and Tuna Salad finger sandwiches. :)

If you don't have a clear vision of what you want, I would invest in a few home and decorating magazines, and go through them page by page, tearing out things that appeal to you, perhaps making a post-it-note on them as to what you like in the picture or ad. When you are all done going through a bunch of magazines, or printing off things that you see on decorating sites like bhg.com, then sit down and look at the pile of tear sheets. What things do you consistently pick out, or what colors are you drawn to, or what overall look appeals to you? You should see a pattern of things that being to appear regularly with regard to furniture or fabrics or color. Cut those things out that really appeal and paste them on a big piece of cardboard - your design board. Then decide what on the overall style you want - casual, formal, modern, country, etc. Decide what kind of budget you have, and what things are must changes, where you want to spend your greatest dollars. Then make a plan. If the cabinets aren't changing in the kitchen, likely the appliances have to work with them as far as size and placement and functionality. Appliances are also probably less affected by the overall style of the home, and more by price and features and color. So those can happen first if you like. Unless you make changes often, you are probably wise to keep the big things on the neutral side - flooring, major furniture pieces, etc. Bring in drama and color and fun with smaller furniture pieces, accessories (which happen way down the line) and window treatments. Also keep in mind that sometimes it is best not to try and finish every single item and every detail all at once. Get the major stuff in place, then live with those decisions as you pick out minor furnishings. Have fun!

Things should not be done in a vacuum. You need to get an overall picture of how you want the finished product to look, then make a story board to help you achieve your journey. If you have a story board, you and your husband will have visuals of what the finished product should be. What about a backsplash? What about lighting? What about kitchen sink? What about faucets? What is your budget? What about contingency plans? These will all need to be addressed before you begin your journey. The best thing you can do is research, research, research. Plan, plan and plan.