dallasbill, I just checked with DH who tried it both ways, and he said the chain saw as you described it worked best for the wires, but the hot knife was easier for him when doing the boxes. DH also said to be sure your HVAC guys run a Manual J before determining what size furnace/AC you need, or it will be oversized. Almost all of the HVAC guys we talked to based the size of the unit on square footage, even after DH explained how tight the house would be. He said if they won't do a Manual J, use someone else who will. He also said to be sure that the drywallers don't glue the drywall to the ICF foam. If they do, and if you ever need to remove the drywall (leaky roof?), the foam will be pulled off in chunks when you pull the drywall off. Good point about the holes needed through the ICF walls. We had professionals do most of ours, since the largest were 6". We were the GCs and weren't sure exactly where they all were going to be, so we couldn't preset them before the concrete was poured. It was MUCH cheaper to have them come out just once to drill, since they charged per visit and per hole. We had: --4 hose bibs --2 make up air (1 for woodstove, 1 for HRV) --exhaust air for HRV --hood duct --dryer vent --2 geothermal pipes (preset before pour) --well pipe (drilled by installer) --gas line --2 electrical lines (due to geothermal) --central vac exhaust --central vac to garage --septic/sewer pipe --sump pump pipe --gas pipe for patio grill --telephone/cable Anne

I'm not an expert, but the Monkey Princess, Bruvver and I always bake cookies. This is the recipe I usually use, although the kids like a different recipe that's "puffier". It's harder to frost the cookies, though, if they are puffy, and they don't hold their shape as well. These rise, so they don't hold indentations and such as well as a cookie with less leavening, but they have a nice flavor: Sour Cream Sugar Cookies 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. Combine baking soda and sour cream. 2. Cream butter and sugar. 3. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each. 4. Blend in vanilla. 5. Blend in sour cream and baking soda. 6. Combine baking powder and flour and add to sour cream mixture. 7. Refrigerate until easy to handle, usually at least an hour. 8. Roll out dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes. 9. Bake at 325º for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown. I just use a powdered sugar type icing for decorating with the kids, but if I wanted something very precise I'd go with a royal icing so I could pipe an outline and then fill it in. Good luck, those cookies in that link are very cute. I can't imagine doing all the writing on that "accepted" letter, though! Annie

For anyone years later who is looking for the same info: I recently left flooring as a store manager and sales rep. First, understand that NO flooring is scratch-proof. They are scratch-resistant. I know someone else recommended staying away from it in case your basement floods but the truth of the matter is that if it floods and you use your homeowner's insurance (recommended), they will insist on the entire floor being replaced no matter what you have installed. You can choose a commercial grade if you are really worried about the flooring holding up to abuse. They are often glued down. Your installer will probably want to skimcoat the floor or use a leveler. This is good practice. Urethane with ceramic bead and urethane plus with aluminum oxide particles are the strongest choices right now but there are some higher ratings Like AC 5 which is stronger than say a 20 mil wear layer. There are also a few in the 30 mil wear layer range. You will often save money hiring your own installer because stores make money from the cost of installation. Hire your own and have them buy your materials. If they have an established relationship with the store, they will often get a significant discount on your materials. The store I worked for had a 55% profit margin but when they sold to installers/contractors they lowered it to 30-35%. Stores have to make a profit and so do installers. You may save some cash if your installer charges a smaller profit margin. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance on the installer. If their installation is bad or unfinished, their insurance has to cover it. Stores should have a warranty to cover poor workmanship as well. The manufacturer will cover manufacturing defects but not workmanship. Before you hire someone, ask if they do moisture testing and what is their procedure for it. ALWAYS have a moisture test done and documented when they come out to measure. If it is too high they should recommend what to do to get it and keep it at the appropriate level. ALWAYS have it done again before installation. This is the number one thing that causes manufacturers to deny a claim.

Hopefully you can untangle them. You could soak the rootball for a while, and then set it on some newspaper or paper towels to soak extra moisture off. They may be easier to pull apart. If potted in to much peat and it was allowed to dry up, it could be more difficult - peat could be as hard as rock. If needed, some roots can be trimmed off. Jades are very resilient, and should grow more roots easily. I always loose some when repotting, and it didn't kill any plants yet. Even if all roots are gone, just pot it up and treat as rootless stem cutting: pot into well draining mix, do not water for a while (no roots - no water :), and it will grow new roots. I prefer 1 plant per pot, but some like potful of stems.