My tip is not to use your breadmaker to bake the dough, we just can't handle the thick crust. Use the dough cycle, then shape the dough into a light metal bread pan, let rise again, and bake.

The recipe I use for whole wheat bread. It does the sponging thing too. It is the fluffiest wheat bread ever! It also keeps the best of any bread I've ever made. We like fresh bread! http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-new-favorite-whole-wheat-bread.html

Could you do semmetrol (spelling probably off and there is a generic). This works for flu a which my ds has. So far the rest of us have not caught it even without a flu shot and no antivirals. He bounced back the next day.

I'm pondering a fitness tracker, not sure if I want one on my arm. Pondering the misfit shine. It's good to hear you all like your choices, anyone want to persuade me?

I like my vivobarefoot Kali's.

Yeah, I'm guessing he is just more resilient! We're waiting to see if anyone else falls prey. Company is waiting to decide! My back feels a little achey and I feel tired, but I wonder if I'm thinking about it too much. And I didn't sleep too much last night worrying about him, etc (even though he slept just fine!). I'm not sure that this child has ever had a flu vaccine? We have only had them very rarely. Hmmm, maybe we did, I vaguely might remember getting him one and me one his first year, so that would have been late 2009. I bet the other kids didn't get one though (though maybe they have had 1-2 flu shots in their life).

So, yesterday ds (4) started running a fever and very lethargic, and even took a nap (never happens!). I made an appointment to go to the dr at 5. He started complaining of a sore throat before we went. They did a throat culture and flu swab. He came back positive for strep and negative to flu. But the dr said if he left the flu it might come back positive after an hour or two (the fast test frequently was coming back negative for them). He gave me a prescription for the strep, and for flu (semmetrol) and for nausea (ds threw up once at the doctors, I think more as a gaggy on adenoids thing, he never complained of stomach hurting and has been eating just fine). Anyhow, they did call me back an hour or two later and said the flu test had turned positive. But, pretty much as soon as we left the drs he has perked up. This morning he is acting completely fine. His throat doesn't hurt, he isn't lethargic, I'm guessing he isn't running a fever. I'm wondering if they screwed up the labs in the office (they did have to redo the strep swab cause someone threw it away before they had cultured it). He just doesn't seem sick enough to have the flu. Woudl the antivirals start working that quickly (he had one does before bed last night). I believe the strep, his throat was nasty and the fever was more on strep level than flu level (101 or less). Why I'm probably more curious and questioning is we are supposed to have family coming to stay at our house Wednesday for 5 days. I'm just not sure what we are really dealing with here! Could he really have the flu and feel this good?

Avocado and coconut milk or cream from a can.

Which one? And then you need to update when you've used it!

It looks like amazon also sells the air bake with prime shipping.

I've always thought this honey lime version looked good (poppy seeds optional). http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/04/honey-lime-fruit-salad.html

Best pan ever (assuming quality is what it used to be, my pan must be over 10 years old). http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Air-Bake-reg-Ultra-trade-Insulated-9-Inch-x-13-Inch-Covered-Cake-Pan/1016794155?Keyword=AirBake

I was looking at a breville that was 150 and you could get 20% off. I wasn't concerned about the convection feature though. Mil grandma actually gave me her old black and decker she never used and so now I can't splurge!

What about a store like Spencer's gifts? You could call if you have one locally.

Did you buy self rising unknowingly?

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/12/homemade-hot-chocolate-mix-another-simple-gift-idea.html You add it to hot milk, but it tastes better that way!

If you live near an ikea I really like this pan, and I put the same amount of dough in there are my other load pans. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90133053/ The whole wheat bread recipe I use (I grind my own wheat). I normally halve the recipe though, we don't go through it so quickly. http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-new-favorite-whole-wheat-bread.html

My husband is getting a canon elph 330 for Christmas. Best deal was from costco if you are a member $130 with an sd card and case.

A friend of mine has had some issues with her bosch recently, she even got a new shaft (they have changed the design a bit to make it sturdier) but still had to send the machine in cause the new shaft didn't totally fix it. Its only a 3 year warranty. She has done some digging and some machines from five years ago have had some problems. She has been borrowing mine to keep herself in homemade bread.

This is my tip, it doesn't really matter what breadmaker you buy (you can even go to the thrift store), just use the dough setting, take the bread out and shape it and put it in a loaf pan, let it rise again, and bake it. We don't like bread that has been baked in a bread machine (the crust is too hard and thick, even in my mil's expensive zojirushi).

I totally agree ripley. He is being lame and wants to impress my grandma and aunt who will be here and wants me to have something good (in his opinion, my something good would be a picture of what I want with a coming soon right next to it too!).

So, my husband spent too much time buying himself things with his Christmas money (from my parents) to have thought about what to get me (and he insists that I have something) to get me something that I really want (etsy jewelry). I'm a little ticked. I don't like buying things to buy something. So, if you know of something I should want for Christmas, let me know! Haha! Just a little irritated! We do have amazon prime. I like cute fun rings/pendants. My problem with rings is I'm solidly a 6.5 which can be tricky.

Publix I think has a their brand in that flavor if you live near one.

Edenbrooke and Blackmoore both by Julianne Donaldson are my recent faves. Light and easy and clean.

Edenbrooke and Blackmoore both by Julianne Donaldson. Excellent!! Clean romance reminiscent of Jane Austen. Love!