Taking dd14 to an overnight camp in Charlton, Massachusetts; we are coming from Philly area. DD13 (joining us for the ride) and dd14 would like a pit stop - overnight- at a beach. I was thinking Connecticut. Something "beachy" enough for them - boardwalk maybe. But not too busy and tacky. I hate the beach!

DD17 has a Spanish tutor - they use Skype - for $80 an hour. Worth it to us, temporarily, to pass a certain exam.

Thank you! I will read it at the airport!

Oooh - I will check it out! I agree with Emily Post - our wedding was perfect. :) The girls picked out their own dresses; I just asked that they be ivory. I had no idea what the boys picked! Thanks everyone for the kind words and congratulations!

:lol:

My oldest just sat on my bed and asked if I was happy. Of course I said yes; everything was exactly as I had hoped. He asked me my favorite parts and I asked him his. He told me the beaming smile on my face all day. I knew I was happy, but seeing the pictures really says it all. I know how lucky I am. And I weep every day from sheer happiness. I have been given an incredible gift and will not waste of moment. Thank you for sharing in my joy!

Everything was so personal, so intimate. Encourage your daughter to find those things that are uniquely their story. Each of our kids read something. The first one read something that began, "This is a love story." The second read the story behind our ring inscription. One read a letter the girls wrote to us in the very first week, saying that we make the perfect couple and should get married. Two read love letters from him and me. The last announced us as husband and wife. I think the best part for me was cooking and taking care of those people we love the most. Waking up early to start coffee and set the table with a bountiful feast was lovely. Serving them dinner after the ceremony was incredibly special. So many of our family helped and gave and loved us. Truly remarkable.

I would love to cross post this thread because so many of you have been there for me in so many ways. I would love to share my joy.... So many of you gave advice on flowers and food. And I am thrilled to say that every single second of my wedding was a dream come true. We rented a property for all out of town guests for four days. I made most of the food and did the flowers and the weather was beautiful. We had a self-uniting wedding, which is legal in PA. But...the perfect property was in NJ, so after our "real" vows in front of friends and family, we crossed the bridge into PA, where we got married front of Starbucks baristas - who knew nothing about this. Our first kiss was at a Starbucks and my beautiful husband still had the same gift card he had from that day. It was more than I could have hope for. Here are a bunch of pictures!!! My sister in law took the amazing photos! If you make it through the third page of pics, you get to see the Starbucks wedding! Let me know if this link works. https:[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>/r6923U

Thank you all! It really was just so perfect. And I have married the most amazing man on the planet. :) I am a lucky, lucky woman.

How do I get the link to work? I had trouble posting my downloaded photos too!

So many of you gave advice on flowers and food. And I am thrilled to say that every single second of my wedding was a dream come true. We rented a property for all out of town guests for four days. I made most of the food and did the flowers and the weather was beautiful. We had a self-uniting wedding, which is legal in PA. But...the perfect property was in NJ, so after our "real" vows in front of friends and family, we crossed the bridge into PA, where we got married front of Starbucks baristas - who knew nothing about this. Our first kiss was at a Starbucks and my beautiful husband still had the same gift card he had from that day. It was more than I could have hope for. Here are a bunch of pictures!!! My sister in law took the amazing photos! If you make it through the third page of pics, you get to see the Starbucks wedding! Let me know if this link works. https:[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>/r6923U

DD14 loved that course. You will want some John McWhorter to go with that!

Thank you all! The redness is almost gone; I am now in kitchen making another practice dish for the wedding. My Man is taking price tags off of all the dishes we got for our guests. There is soooo much to do! And I am excited! ETA: The dishes are for dinner; not for guests to take home!

Thank you for this post. Got the aloe vera. I am always conservative about using lotion because of that reason. And...thank you for the note about the bleaching cream. I have my prescription and wondered if I should use it this week. I haven't need it for a long time. Thank you all! And poppy - thank you for making me laugh. My wedding will be fabulous because I am marrying the most wonderful man in the world. I am a very lucky woman indeed...red, peeling face and all!

Thanks Sparkly. I usually don't even wear makeup, except for my tinted sunscreen. I need to buy some now!

Thanks for the well wishes. I took ibuprofin and have yogurt on my face. I am willing to try everything. :) I will leave in a few to get aloe vera. I have good lotion. I am such a stickler about sunscreen and avoiding the sun. It is my number one piece of advice to teenagers. Sigh. I get hyperpigmentation on my face so easily if I am not careful. The rest of my body (which of course had sunscreen and long sleeves, buttoned up ha ha) is perfectly fine. It was definitely that retinoid. We are not having a photographer, other than my sister in law, who used to be in her former life.

I NEVER get sunburn...ever. I slather sunscreen on me all year long. Today was no exception. But I put my retinoid on first without thinking and then worked in the garden on a sunny, 93 degree day...with my BIG garden hat on. Is there anything I can do to minimize the results? This is SOOO bad for a lady my age, let alone a bride. I am so sad. There are no words.

Oooh - very nice! Thank you!

Oooh - I don't think I would have ever thought to freeze hummus. Thanks for letting me know.

Good to know about meatballs! Thank you!

My wedding is almost here! Vietnamese food (Banh Mi) one day and Middle Eastern (Israeli - mainly based on Ottolenghi and Solomonov) the next. I would love to make a meal or two ahead and freeze, although I NEVER freeze and I am so unsure as to how it will taste etc. Any ideas on what I can make a week and a half ahead? "Moroccan" flavored meatballs? Some kind of curry? I need this to feed 35 people. Thank you. It's keeping me up at night.

Just bought Art of Reading with the Memorial Day sale. DD and I love Great Courses. :)

Thanks Katilac. That's comforting to know. She may return to school; we are taking it year by year Her freshman year will definitely be at home. She is currently reading How to Read Like a Professor and finishing up Great Courses Analysis and Critique. They are good complements to each other and she is really enjoying both. I have been waiting for The Art of Reading to go on sale; she prefers videos. Thanks again!

Dd14 is finishing up 8th grade. She has read a lot and we have discussed a lot. She has come a long way, but she has a problem with annotating in any way. I know this is a skill that is practiced heavily these days. I have always done it naturally. My books are filled with notes. Is there something I can do to spend these final weeks going through the process systematically...as an introduction? Or is this a skill that I am overrating? My DSD just returned to public school and she has to annotate everything and gets graded on it.

DD14 just completed this class. She liked it a lot and did well; however, as far as I know, it doesn't cover mechanics. It teaches diagramming. She did it all on her own, so I could be wrong. Each week, there is an hour class, a homework and quiz assignment. She probably spent three hours a week on top of class time. If you have a high schooler, maybe an SAT grammar book is enough to cover the usage and mechanics you are looking for?