Hi Carmen! I hadn't played in a round robin for about a year when I decided to join in on one this past May..Oh boy, what a mistake. I think that I received the lousiest box that I have ever received or read about on the garden web. I posted a picture of what she sent me to the thread and got a couple of emails from players that were shocked..The host didn't respond. this was posted by the person who received my box, I always try to send a nice one! Lisa sent me one of the best boxes ever! Kobi is doing pawstands! He loved the Doggylicious chew bone. He was not as thrilled by the doggy doo pick up baggies and dispenser, but I was. I was just talking about that this morning, actually. When I take Kobi to the park I always carry a doo bag. Lisa sent a trio of exfoliating and grooming implements as helpful tools for me to use when I am through in the garden. She must have seen the dirt around my cuticles. She also sent some Schultz Plant Food to get things growing and some citronella candles so that I can relax and enjoy my work. There was a paw written note from Remy from the canine trio and their mom; very nice. Best of all were the plants: Sedums Autumn Joy and Dragon's Blood and Angelina Heucheras Firefly and Palace Purple Bellis perennis, Galaxy Pink Tiarella Sugar and Spice Perennial Geranium, Larry's Peony, Pink Lisa, You have pretty much furnished a new shade bed. Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness. I have to go-lot's of digging to do! When I got outside and started to plant I realized that I had missed two cool items: a weeding fork and some poly bags for seeds. I just collected my first seeds for fall trading so I will be using those very soon. Thanks again, Carmen, The person who sent to me was still playing in round robins, I wonder if it was the same person???? Lisa

liz, I've always just asked for "soup bones" and that's how everything comes labeled, whether they are actually marrow bones, knuckle bones, the very bottom of the shank portions, neck bones, whatever. The processors usually cut the bones into pieces that avoid sharp edges that might perforate the shrink wrapped packages, so they don't have to reprocess. When I tell them I make stock from the bones, they gladly leave some meat on them as it is less work than trying to remove it all (or mostly) so I don't have to add the beef scraps, they're already there. I tell them to limit the bones to no more than 35 or 40 pounds, that gives me 6 or 7 good batches of stock, but there are a lot more bones than that in half a beef. If I take only the best, I don't get things like the big joint in the shoulder, parts that are unwieldy and large. There are a lot more than 35 pounds of bones in half a cow, though, even if you keep the short ribs and the porterhouse. You might also consider asking for the heart and tongue to add to your stock, and don't forget the tail. I found this website, it might help answer some of your questions. It says 146 pounds of bone, fat and waste from an 1100+ lb. lean steer. If it's very lean, there might be 20 or 25 pounds of fat trim and waste (sinew, ligaments, etc) leaving you with 120 pounds of bones, or 60 pounds in half a beef. That might be a generous assessment, but I'd figure at least 50 pounds if you take them all. Annie Here is a link that might be useful: Ask the Meatman

Welcome to the Cooking Forum, imscattered. I know what you mean, I have a couple of stepchildren who are adults but will not eat meat with bones in it. It confuses me. Even KFC now has boneless chicken, customers "demanded" it. People don't want bones, and they want easily portable food that they can eat in the car. I, however, raise grassfed beef, heritage turkeys, chickens for meat, my own pigs. We cure and smoke bacon, render lard, all that good stuff. I cook from scratch, not from a box or a can. I even roast my own coffee and occasionally grind wheat for flour. Many of us here cook fresh vegetables, bake our own bread, and yes, eat meat with bones in it. Annie

First off, do not be pressured to decide on the tile. You have learned the same as all of us here who went through this step. Your lighting makes all the diference when picking tile. You need to get a sample board or lots of samples lined up and view them at all times of the day. White or off white, is not easy to get right, but you will if you take the time to do it. Grout is a whole other animal. Depending on the look you want. Either you do what jillandmatt did and have it contasting to see the grout lines, or you match it closely to the tiles so it all blends in. The third option is what you said about using white grout, but I haven't seen too many examples, if any on here like that. Know this, the backsplash is the least functional and some here (raising my hand and waving) have taken months and even years to get a backsplash. Talk to the contracter and get more time!