OK, I'll wait a few weeks until PFW is over and I have something to post, and then I'll start a new summer thread. That's my favorite cart. My father had the bigger one for many years and now my brother is using it. I loved the big one, but it's a little hard to maneuver so I bought the middle size a few years ago (many different suppliers sell these or similar carts). The mid-size one has a removable gate and spent the winter on my porch under the overhang next to a plastic toboggan. If there was no snow cover I'd roll the cart down the steps and use it to carry big bags of birdseed from the car. In case of snow, the plastic toboggan got delivery duty. The cart is out basking in the sun today. The toboggan is getting dusty. Claire

Thanks My sister is a SM. She has such a good relationship with Bm and BMs family that when BMs mom was visiting (from out of town) she complained that we dont get to see [my sister) enough. I dont think my sister is a saint, but I do think that her SS would never have finished college wihout her help (and I think BMs family realizes that too). My sister would be the first to say she wasnt a mom, never tried to be a mom, etc. to the boy. He lived with them occassionnally. Bm and BF live close to each other. BM remarried before BF. SS now works in SDs business, in a job he could not qualify for without college degree. I think as someone said on another thread, it is OK for BM to acknowledge faults in child, but it is very difficult for BM to hear others (except BF), including SM, discuss same faults. I think a large part of my sisters success is she only exchanged pleasentries and said good things with BM and had the tough discussions with her DH. I think a lot of step problems result from DHs shirking parental responsiblies. I think a lot of them stems from typical family where wives take on more child care responsibilties, but it may not work so well with step children. I do understand that SMs dont want to hear about first wife, but on that point, I think they just have to tough it up (if it is coming from kids). They knew there were children involved from the getgo. I am bothered more by my DD telling me that X reminices about the good old days when we were first married, and that everything went downhill when DD was born. It bothers me becuase I dont like the message it sends DD. But there is nothing I can do. Other than buy a voodoo doll and stick pins in it.

When I vacuum and put the kids floor pillows on the chair Her Royal Highness assumes her position: I had a post written up this morning that i forgot to post and subsequently closed the browser thinking I'd posted. Much shorter now: Replaced our worn out sofa w/ a white machine washable slipcovered one. I purposely bought it so that the dog could be on it. I throw the slips in the laundry w/ a crap load of bleach and they come out fantastically and the only thing that I haven't been able to fully get out was the gel ink stain from a pen that exploded a few weeks ago. Oh well! I have a white metalasse' throw that I put over the back of it because Poochina likes to lay on the back of the sofa and observe what goes on outside. I currently have faux leather chairs that wipe off easily and cleanly. When they are totally trashed someday I will replace w/ real leather because I know it works for my needs. I gave up heavy comforters a few yrs ago in lieu of machine washable quilts that I turn down when I'm home and the gal is following me around and when we go to work I pull it up all of the way and she sleeps up there until we come home. On her white sofa: Proving that no space is too small for her to squeeze into and cuddle w/ someone.

I agree with tmy_jax, the forums are separate. If you hover your cursor over the tab "Advice" in the upper right corner, you'll see a drop down box, with a section for the Houzz Discussions and a section for Gardenweb Discussions. I know some people read and post in both forums, but posting a question in each of the two forums would probably bring responses from two (mostly) different groups of folks. (Couldn't hurt, and it might be interesting...!)