And, as Shauna said, we don't have to limit our pictures to the gallery. Lots of times, we need to post some here to illustrate something - the nice curvey raised bed posted here today, for instance. Last year we started weekly picture threads and they got pretty picture-full! :) So hence the suggestion to keep these in the gallery. Had to laugh last year when we got these new areas. "Conversations" is supposed to be for non-gardening topics, but we all had one question - "IS there any topic other than gardening??" LOL

Here's one for Spinach Enchiladas which also received excellent reviews: Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas Prep Time: approx. 25 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 25 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 50 Minutes. Makes 6 servings. Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Ortega® -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 large peeled chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 3 cups chopped fresh spinach 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 2 (10 ounce) cans ORTEGA ® Enchilada Sauce, divided 1/4 cup vegetable oil 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas 1 1/2 cups SARGENTO ® Fancy Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, divided Directions 1 PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. 2 HEAT 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until carrot is crisp-tender. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is cooked through and mushrooms are soft. Stir in 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Pour remaining enchilada sauce in small skillet; heat until warm. 3 HEAT 1/4 cup vegetable oil in separate small skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pass tortillas, using tongs, through oil to soften; add more oil as needed. Place on paper towels to soak. Pass tortillas through enchilada sauce in skillet. 4 PLACE 1/4 cup vegetable mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam-side down in 12 x 8-inch baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

I generally don't express this opinion because I am in the clear minority and unlike Patricia Colwell I don't feel a need to convince anyone that I'm right. And right off the bat I will have offended the many people who have chosen marble-look quartz for their kitchens. It's not personal. Your kitchens are lovely. Bear with me, though, because I'm going somewhere with this. I don't care for marble-look quartz, and I have yet to see any that I thought looked convincing (note to Lauren--I'm interested to know what products you thought looked convincing, not saying they aren't out there, just that I haven't seen them). The porcelain products look convincing. You know what else does a pretty good job of faking the pattern of marble? Laminate. It won't pass Patricia's hot pot test, and it won't pass for real marble because the edges of laminate counters always look like laminate no matter how good the pattern looks. But they create the pattern by taking a picture of real marble, so the patterns are actually quite good. Maybe laminate is too low-brow for your mom. Maybe her kitchen is so big that the pattern would have to repeat, which would undermine the effect. But maybe it will suit her needs. Wilsonart Calacatta Lincoln I thought was the most likely fit (below) but you could also look at Wilsonart Drama Marble and Anzio marble and maybe Formica Calacatta Cava. Wilsonart Calacatta Lincoln close-up Wilsonart Calacatta Lincoln full sheet view

Thanks--as for style? Super flexible! Not too desky though. Anything goes. Midcentury-inspired styles in general work have proportions that work well in my small 1950s rooms and they do tend to be low. I was using a classic 1940s wing chair which was perfect until I needed a swivel. (It's now employed as my reading chair.) I'm currently using a generic barrel chair that is pretty good except I find I miss the back and neck support of the wing chair. Currently I'm in this (slightly different color): I can find wing and club chairs that swivel but the seats are too high or the backs too low. There are better quality desk chairs that get low enough but they aren't nice and cozy like a proper lounge chair. And they look like desk chairs which is the one style I'd like to avoid. Basically I can find lots of nice swivel chairs with high backs, but not with the low seat I want.