Plain yougurt with a handful of homemade granola on top. Edamame, served in the pod. Platter of sliced fruit, veggies, and cheese.

As long as our boys lived at home they always went on vacation with us, their part time employers were always accommodating. Even after they lived away from us we would often all travel from different directions to meet up on vacation.

but for some reason they make me feel ill. I used to grind them and add them to smoothies but not any more; they just make me feel sick to my stomach.

Marva Collins' Way Hold on to your Kids Vocabulary for the College Bound Student a good assortment of classic children's books for various ages an assortment of titles from Yesterday's Classics (publisher)

It is a trade-off. We have clean air, tall mountains, superb views, sparkling clear spring water, and wonderful neighbors. In summer, the tourist trade flourishes and there are many festivals, restaurants, etc. In winter, the locals just hang in there and stick together. I have had to learn to be so much more self sufficient. Now I bake bread almost every day, make my own pizza, and just about everything else. My dh makes it to Costco every other month or so to buy meats and other items which we freeze. I have also learned to cook Chinese food so we can have that also. I can hardly believe that I am drooling over a tractor that I want to get this summer. I can't even believe that this is me, who was a city girl most of her life!

to have done much outside. But I can tell you what I am planning. We have 5 acres on a mountainside. I want to get a tire swing and a zip line. I also want to get a bona-fide teepee. When the kids have sleepovers (my teenager lives for these) I would love for them to be just outside our front porch in a teepee. I could have the security of having them nearby without any of the noise!

By size and subject. I keep a separate bookcase for science books. I keep a separate bookcase for oversize/picture books. I keep a separate bookcase for beginning chapter - regular novel size books. In part my system is dictated by the size of bookcase/shelves that I have available. As for *my* books, I have a large 4-shelf bookcase that has glass doors. I keep my books in alphabetical order by author. I keep a section of the bottom shelf for the few cookbooks that I own. I have several other places in the house where I stash my books but my main bookcase is where I concentrate my organizational activity. Books regularly get rotated out to be given away to others or traded in for other books that are more pressing. It is not uncommon for me to read a book, fall in love with it, and immediately mail it to my mother. Then I find another copy eventually in a thrift shop and replace it in my own collection. LOL. I am a bit fanatical about it. I have even alphabetized my children's books in at least some of their bookcases. LOL again. I must have a touch of OCD.

due to the fact that we have only one major grocer (Safeway). The next closest grocer is 75 miles away. I have in the fridge right now (and I shopped today) broccoli cauliflour parsnips carrots some old celery green onions parsley cilantro mushrooms bag of baby spinach green onions fuji apples nectarines bought at great expense and a bunch of bananas. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that we can get what we can, as it is all brought in from elsewhere. One nice thing about where we live is that there are no drive through restaurants, and we very rarely go out. During the winter there are only one or two restaurants that are even open so it absolutely forces me to cook at home, and we eat pretty healthy. Lucky for me my kids love vegs and fruits.

Actually 4 out of 5 of our dc are pretty small but one in particular is *very* petite, our 7yo dd. Several aunts/cousins on my dh's side are small like this and we have watched them grow up to be small but very healthy, athletic adults. It's funny because it seems that the kid either "gets" the small gene or not - other siblings have completely different body types. We have never been particularly stressed about it given our family history. On the plus side, my sister in laws get some great clothing deals on sale, (size 0-2) since often those sizes are hard to sell!

It looked wonderful but we declined. If we had lived within driving distance of D.C. (as we once did) she would probably have gone. But the expense and distance to travel (from Oregon) was prohibitive, and at the time she was 11 or 12 - very young to travel alone. I am hoping to have her participate in some other programs when she is in high school, for example some of the Hillsdale College summer study abroad programs where she can get college credit.

1. Jane Eyre 2. Selected works of C.S. Lewis (several are in one volume) 3. America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I don't have any ideas for celebrations but congratulations on the anniversary and tenure - wow - what a week!

camp would be off the list. It wouldn't be summer if we didn't make the trek.:cool:

His name is Moose, by the way, and I can no longer pick him up!

Mainly the classics and children's classics. My greatest treasures are actually bookcases so I will have more room to display my "collection." I wish it didn't take so much room.

but for baking, try using parchment paper. It is a wonderful thing. As far as frying pans, the remedy would depend on what you are using. If cast iron, you may need to spend some time re-seasoning it. Also, I was once told this axiom: "Hot pan, cold oil -- food won't stick." I try to remember this for stir-fry. Try to get the pan nice and hot before adding oil and then immediately add the food. Hope this helps some.

I think it's wonderful and appreciate your responses so much.

When I was a teen I was regularly scared silly by his writing - I think the first book I read by him was The Shining. I was scared of my shadow for a long time after that. I have always loved his character descriptions and dialogue. His book, "On Writing," is fantastic. That being said, I am not very "into" his writing in my adult years, and have not kept up with him at all. Oh, scratch that - I did listen to an audio of "The Green Mile" recently and enjoyed it.

I, on the other hand, have a mouth full of metal (from a young age). My vote is for sealants.

I am stunned. What a loss. http://www.nationalreview.com/

I'm ready to jump in now. Itunes lets you buy a song or two and then discounts the album they came from if you want the whole thing. And there are so many opera podcasts I want to try! A funny - now that I'm baking Artisan bread and started cooking my own marinara sauce, my kids have started asking me, "Are we Italian?" LOL. The opera in the background ought to be the final straw. When I was a kid my parents used to play opera and I would just roll my eyes, but I think somewhere deep down I know a lot of the major works, I just don't know them by name. Thanks again for the recommendations.

I would like to buy some opera recordings for my ipod. I am a novice and am overwhelmed! :confused: Recommendations would be welcome.

It really is the same sound, just can be made by different vowels depending on the word (sort of). Now I need to search for a list of words with the schwa so I can get a little more familiar with it. At least I will be able to say it correctly if I see the upside down e in a phonetic word. I can see how it could get *very* confusing if you were drilling for a spelling bee. Thanks for the info, everyone!

I am just not understanding this. It seems to be more than one sound depending on the word.

the first two books and TMs. It looks like a great program and I'm looking forward to using it.