We've had Spring & Autumn Swaps in Ft Worth for a number of years now, & they've evolved over time from simply getting together & trading to our latest one, an absolute extravaganza of trading, visiting, prizes, & a rose-propagation demonstration. The first element you need is the facility; Since yours will be a Master Gardeners event, you may be able to use their meeting room/picnic area/whatever. The Belton Swap last summer was held on the grounds of the facility (can't remember exactly what it was!) where the MGs had their greenhouses. That was wonderful: we got to tour the greenhouses with a MG who told us about all the plants & their needs & habits. Gardenweb member xtal organized that one; you might email her for tips particular to setting up a swap sponsored by MGs rather than just a group of us gardeners from gardenweb. Some facilitating tips I've learned are: post often enough to keep the threads on page 1 of the appropriate gardenweb forum so more people see the info. Post photos of "photogenic" plants that you'll bring (or whose seeds you'll bring). On Discussions & Conversations, refer to the Exchanges post; ask people not to reply on Discussions or Conversations, & keep everything on the Exchanges page. Post the date, time, & place. Give simple, clear driving directions & maybe link to a map. mention & encourage others to mention what plants they plan to bring. encourage pre-trades: people will be more committed to attending if they know someone else is counting on them, & they'll be more excited about coming if they know that they'll come home with something they really want. Post a *minimum number* of simple, loose, clear "rules" & foster the spirit of sharing. Rules like: don't take anything unless the person who brought it says you can (seriously) no selling (or some selling, or whatever, as long as the rule is the same every time for every attendee) no rules as to what can be traded for what: a fair trade is what the traders agree on. if I want to trade an 30" tall shrub for a package of tomato seeds, that's fine. no alcohol, no glass bottles clean up your own mess In addition to "rules", there are "hints" or "suggestions". like Put pre-trades in cardboard boxes clearly labeled with the recipient's name. You might also put on the label the names of the plants that that trader is bringing for you. Put things that are available in one place, & things that are committed to a pre-trade or that are to go home with ou in another place. Folding tables & chairs & garden carts are extremely handy! (You can put "unavailable" things under the table.) Take along a notebook, pen, & camera; these really help you remember what you're supposed to do with that plant! Encourage newcomers to attend, even if they don't have plants or seeds; growing gardeners is an excellent way to grow gardens! We've always shared potluck, but it isn't mandatory for every person to bring something, & we don't ask for money to subsidize the potluck; asking for money at a swap sort of contradicts the basic premise of sharing. But...at the Spring 2007 swap, one clever gardener, whose garden is too new to have enough to share, brought her husband (got a nice rose for him, too-snork!-I'm kidding!), & they made lunch for the group in exchange for plants. It worked out beautifully! I've tried to keep things as simple & loose as possible, to make the swaps undemanding & easy for anyone to enjoy. At first, we didn't go in for games & prizes, since our swaps are "come & go" affairs: People often bring their children, & you can't wait around a plant swap for a game or prize if it conflicts with, say, a soccer game. At the Spring 2007 Swap, we did have prizes, brought by anyone who felt moved to do so, & we drew tickets for them; We put all the prizes on a table, put our names on tickets, & when your ticket was drawn, you picked the prize you wanted. It worked out great, & it was loads of fun. Other than that, the swap takes care of itself as the traders get into the groove & visit & share experiences & tips, so be sure to follow the prime rule of hostessing: enjoy your own party!

There are "Other reasons" to panel a DW or A Fridge, instead of just to "Hide It". I watch a lotta Home & Garden and DIY Network too. You may have seen the posts in "Kitchen Forum" where somebody asked, "Do I need a DW in my new kitchen"? The answers were "almost" universally yes!! So I don't get this "Latest Fad", Hide the appliances (it will pass). I have looked at probably thousands of pictures of Kitchens both on GW and elsewhere! I have not seen a single (not a single picture) where I could not walk straight up to the Fridge or the DW (Regardless of the "Total Integration" which as mentioned, You will pay "Dearly" for. Both our Fridge and Miele DW are built in and wood panelled. We did that for 2 reasons, One is, we were tired of trying to keep stainless steel "Spotless" The DW is a real problem , you get a drop of water on it, and it instantly "Morphs into a difficult spot to remove". The other reason we did it, is we like the look of wood, and I "Personally think" that the Miele label above the wood looks great, and I like seeing the readout so I know what the DW is up to. "Semi" integreated appliances are quite a bit cheaper than fully integrated ones, and this 67 year old has no desire to "Design to the latest Fad" which as I mentioned is a farce anyway, and most ppl want a Fridge and DW in their Kitchens, so why "Pretend" to hide them????? Gary

Sorry this isn't the best pic...when I get a chance, I'll update. Back in the 60s, Mom and her GF would go on weekend trips up to VT and NH to see the foliage. They saw an old house that was being torn down. At the time, Mom was looking for old fancy moldings for Dad to make into picture frames for her. So she went in and asked if she could look around. The guy said sure. She came across a pair of stained glass doors and asked how much...the guy said $10!!! So Mom bought them and brought them home. They sat in the garage for all these years, and when it came time for us to build, I definitely wanted to use them. One was really badly warped though. But we managed to salvage one and get the new door made. This is the door to DH's study.....obscured from view by co. if the room is a mess, yet lovely to look at. Thanks Mom! You done good!

HU: Pull out a drawer please. Look at the bottom of the top. If there is a long black line of block letters with numbers and it says "Corian", you'll know what you have. If you have Corian or another solid surface, you're in luck because abrading away the spot is easy compared to estone. Your picture of your sink edge looks thicker than 1/2". You may still have Corian, but it may be old 3/4" thickness. I bought my last 3/4" Corian sheets in the mid 90s. I'm a Certified Corian Fabricator/Installer with over 25 years experience. I refinish solid surface with Scotch Brite pads and other abrasives regularly. If you have a gloss solid surface finish you probably don't want to use a Scotch Brite by hand. No way will the use of a Scotch Brite pad by hand or even under a random orbital sander harm your top if it's solid surface.