Jan, I know exactly how it is. I've been meaning to do the tipsy pots for years and just got around to it this spring. Julia, The tipsy pots were a fun project. You'll enjoy it. blue23rose, I've never seen a kit...cool! berrytea, I made mine by threading the pots over a long metal rod that I pounded into the ground. Just need to make sure the metal rod will fit through the drainage hole of each pot. Linda, correct...no need to lift the amaryllis here. I'm waaay to lazy to bother! Glad everyone enjoyed the pics - Kathy

I'm glad you enjoyed this little guy. He was supper easy to make. Belle, the biggest piece of wood is 6 inches, then 5 inches, then two 4 inch pieces and a 3 1/2 piece for hat. The brim is 1/2 inch wood and 6 inches long. But yes, you could make him any size you want. The blocks do get heavy though. I think I saved a picture of the pilgrims although I haven't made any yet. I'll see if I can find it to show you. Luvs

Thanks for the kudos. I found 2 sandwich plates at goodwill last week, the edge was flat and fairly wide. The very edge that I used around the edge of the mirror was thin, the rest was a little chunky. I have the same problem curb, most of what I find is too thick and I'm cheap - I just want pay over a dollar for a plate. Ideally I would love to find china that is the same thickness as stain glass. ladyronnie, wish I had a bowl of those strawberries. You're probably sick of them! I need to get started on that watering can also. I just wish I had a plan. :)

I am not a step-parent, but rather a survivor of step parenting run amock. In my experience, it was the step mother from hell that was the problem. She was so insecure about her place in all of this, that her only means to stability was to keep Dad as far away from his kids as possible and to be as mean to them as possible. All of this despite the fact that she knew he had 6 kids. She hated the ground we walked on and wished we had never been born. When our father had a heart attack, she did not let any of the kids know and I'm sure that if he had not survived, we would have never even been able to say our goobyes. Also, from experiences of friends ... the worst thing a new step can do is try to pretend that they are the bio parent. You would be surprised how many try to assume the role and the title of the bio because of their own insecurities about where they stand. If they entered the picture as just another adult that has love enough in their heart to encompass a child as their friend (child already has 2 parents), it would ultimately be so much easier to gain their love and respect and ultimately their desire to be around you and please you. Some steps are so darned pushy - no offense. You can't build a relationship over night and the relationship may never be that of parent and child and doesn't need to be in order to be a loving, respectful, fulfilling one. Some people actually marry thinking that they won't really have to be involved. Some like to pretend that once they marry they can play BArbie dream house family. There are all different types of personalities... all types of human fears and insecurities. It is not always the ex that is the problem, sometimes its the spouse, sometimes its the step. I laugh whenever I read these posts about how horrible the ex is. They are getting a lot of info from the spouse - which may or may not be accurate. My sister is now going through an acrimonious divorce from her husband of 30 years. She desperately wants everyone to hate his guts and tells us all kinds of horrible things about him. I have known the man for 30 years and I know he is not perfect and that he has hurt my sister, but I also know that a lot of what she is spreading is sheer bunk to garner support of her position. I still like the man and I refuse to say anything bad about him. I agree that he has done wrong, but I refuse to get into mudslinging. What will she tell some new love in her life? That he was a wonderful husband for 29 of the 30 years? Sometimes new spouses are so thrilled in their insecurity to be better than the ex that they grasp at what the spouse says as God's given truth. I think maturity, knowledge of yourself and the human element and realism go a long way to make step parenting work. Second marriages fail at a greater rate than first marriages for many reasons. However, I think many of the reasons are born of insecurity. There is probably nothing I can imagine that has the devastating effect emotionally, socially and financially as a divorce. These walking wounded need time to get their emotional strength back as an individual before getting into a relationship. Unfortunately, so few people give themselves the necessary healing time and use a new relationship as a crutch to show the world that - I really am still lovable. Then - enter an ex wife or ex husband that threatens your security and then add some traumatized children whose homes and family have been decimated and its a most frightening, unstable situation. It is so wonderful to read success stories where people have done the right thing for themselves first and then within a loving relationship that encompasses both stepchildren and ex spouse. It is amazing that it can happen given all the human frailties that are brought into any relationship much less one as complicated as a blended family. I can see that there are many rewards in being a successful blended family. One of my sisters is the step of a now grown young woman who has been the light of her life. Unable to have children of her own, she has been blessed to have this girl a part of her life. They have never had a mother-daughter relationship. They are loving friends related by marriage. The "loving friends" part is more important than titles and roles. Once the bio Mom realized that my sister had no intention of taking her place, but rather supporting the parents in the raising of their child - the world became a peaceful place for them.