I hope that link works... You probably didn't find him in your search a) if you're not on Ebay.ca (is there an Ebay.com?) and b)apparently there's an underscore in his name which I forgot to include...dunno if Ebay's really that picky when searching or not. The most expensive pack of seeds I ever bought from him was Ariocarpus for $6 and that's 'cause I got in a bidding war with someone else...however it wasn't much of a war 'cause I just put my max bid pretty high and the other bidder never outbid me...guess they just didn't want it as bad as I did. And you're evil JoJo...now that you've got me on his list of things to sell...I must shop....yargh....but oh how I love it. Just don't tell the hubby. >_ Here is a link that might be useful: kenni_koala on Ebay.ca

Aw, this thread had me cracking up right up until the deaths in the family. I'm sorry, John! Reality crashes down yet again. However, if you're still auditioning meatloaf recipes, this one might not touch the cheesy bacon versions, but it's the only meatloaf this non-meatloaf-eater has ever liked...and my meatloaf-loving, late FIL said it was the best he'd ever had (of course, he was probably just happy to have someone cooking for him). ;) I had to find this online since my DH packed up my cookbooks. My preference is for the mustard topping. Great flavor, good way to hide veggies (but not strongly flavored veggies like spinach), and still recognizable as meatloaf. Doesn't hold it's shape as well as some (possibly because I tend to over-process the veggies). S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d Meatloaf from "Cheap, Fast, Good" Cookbook 2 large eggs 1/2 cup tomato juice (or tomato-vegetable juice such as V8) 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup dry bread crumbs (packaged or homemade) 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant) 6 cloves fresh garlic (or 2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic) 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, optional (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley) 1 medium-size carrot 2 ribs celery 1/2 medium-size green bell pepper 1 large onion 1 pound lean ground beef, defrosted if frozen (85 percent lean is recommended) Cooking oil spray Mustard-Brown Sugar Topping or Ketchup Topping Mustard-Brown Sugar Topping 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup prepared mustard Ketchup Topping 1/4 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Cooking Directions Preheat the oven to 350�F. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Stir in the bread crumbs and oats. Set aside. Peel the garlic cloves, if using fresh. Turn on a food processor and drop the garlic cloves, one at a time, through the feed tube. Process until finely minced. Then drop the fresh parsley leaves (if using) through the feed tube and finely mince. Peel the carrot and cut it into roughly two-inch pieces. Cut the celery into roughly two-inch pieces. Core and seed the bell pepper half and cut it into roughly two-inch pieces. Add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper pieces to the processor bowl and pulse until the vegetables are cut into very small pieces (but not soupy). Transfer the vegetable mixture to the mixing bowl, along with the bottled minced garlic and dried parsley (if using). Peel and quarter the onion and place the quarters in the processor bowl. Pulse until the onion is cut into very small pieces (but not soupy). Add the onions to the mixing bowl and stir to mix well. Add the beef to the bowl and, using your hands, thoroughly combine the meat with the vegetable mixture. Spray a large loaf pan (about 10 x 6 x 3 inches) with cooking oil spray. Spread the meat mixture evenly in the pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread the topping of choice evenly over the meat. Bake, uncovered, until cooked through, about one hour and 10 minutes. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Mustard-Brown Sugar Topping Stir the brown sugar and mustard together in a small bowl until smooth. Ketchup Topping Pour the ketchup in a small bowl and add the vinegar. Stir until well blended.

Hot air rises, cool air settles. That is a law of physics. Open staircase for three floors sounds like a chimney effect to me. The hot air will rise to the seldom used third floor which doesn't need the a/c on if no one is there to benefit from it? So, try an experiment. Open some windows up there (keep the old one happy) and see if the hot air doesn't rise and exit thru the open windows. Ok, some moisture will come in and the lower unit will have to remove it. Big deal. I guess that you can afford the extra $ this will cost. Set the lower unit tstat at a comfortable setting and see what happens.

"From what I understand, parents who have joint custody need to agree on children's medical treatment, including psychology. Is this correct?" Sometimes, but not always. Frequently the agreement is worded so that either parent has the right to consent to whatever medical treatment he/she deems necessary and appropriate. "And for that matter we really don't see a need for SS8 to continue to see the therapist. They are both very happy and well adjusted boys." I have no trouble believing that. You probably DO see two happy and well-adjusted little boys. But please also consider the possibility that this is NOT what BioMom genuinely sees during the time they're with her. I say this because I have been in exactly the same position BioMom is in, where I thought counseling was needed and BioDad and StepMom didn't. I had DS for 90% of the time when he had homework to do, laundry and chores. I saw the difficulties he had focusing on his homework, the struggles to read. Daddy had him one evening and every other weekend, and they did not spend that time doing anything that made DS unhappy. (Like homework or reading.) If DS wanted something on Dad's time, Daddy ran out and got it for him -- So guess what? DS was never unhappy at Dad's house. At age 13, DS went to live with Dad and our custody/visitation time reversed. And guess what? Then I only saw the happy kid and Dad and StepMom finally saw the kid who had learning and attention difficulties. (Maybe I should have agreed to a change in custody early on so DS could have gotten the help they insisted he didn't need...) The irony... "we are beginning to think the psychologist is not a neutral third party with the children's best interests in mind. We would like to put a stop to the children seeing her." Not hard to see why you would come to this conclusion. And in fact, she might not be impartial, because she has only heard one side of the story. But I do find it hard to believe that she doesn't have the children's' best interests at heart. She just may have a biased view of what those 'best interests' are. Of course, you and Dad also have a biased view... Rather than seeking to terminate the therapy (which wouldn't be hard to twist against you), what about horning in on taking an active role in the therapy? In other words, what if DH were to call the therapist to express his concern that whatever issues the children are having, couldn't they be better handled if both households were on board? He could legitimately express the concern that she is only hearing one side of the story, and that the children seem to have been instructed not to tell him anything -- which has him concerned. That surely if she is going to work in the children's best interests, that she will want to hear a balanced account and a perspective from the other parent... That the parents, if working together with an independent expert, might be able to better help their children?... Just some thoughts from another angle...