My Presto el-cheapo Poplite has been well-used for the past 21 years. To turn it off, I have to pull the plug, and I've never experienced sparks (four different homes). The only thing in my kitchen that's lasted longer was a small Black & Decker food processor.

I don't mean it that way at all. The books are fiction. I love the books, I love the stories. I'm not sure if they were ever meant to be a real representation of LIW's life. There are varying accounts as to exactly how involved Rose was in Laura's writings. It's not a "conspiracy theory" or anything sinister. Laura was a writer by profession, but Rose's career easily outshone Laura's at the time. (Not meant as disparaging, just true.) As a child, I was confused by the books, not understanding there was an order to them. As an adult, I loved them and have read everything I could regarding Laura, including Caroline's (fictional) early years, most of the Martha books, of course the Rose books, and as many non-fiction books as I could. I was not, however, interested in reading anything that Rose authored. (And The Wilder Life easily made my list for one of the worst books I read this year.) I think the problem comes in when people think the LH books are true biographies. They're just not. But they are wonderful books!

Along with electronic and book items, my 13yods is getting: pj bottoms flannel sheets learn to solder kit (heard about it here on the boards last week) Lego MAKE Magazine (yes, heard about that one here too) Possibly considered electronic, but I count as accessories: rechargeable battery set computer case/wireless mouse I like the Tebow jersey that someone mentioned today, but I'm done buying.

Yes, and yes. From everything I've read, Laura gave copious notes to Rose, and Rose is the one who really penned the books. Rose and Laura seemed to have a difficult relationship. Rose, even as a grown up, seemed sadly self-centered and not very kind toward her parents.

LOL, well, yes! But I was going to say Blue Like Play Dough stands out in my mind.

You didn't ask for opinions, but it may be helpful to someone else. This is the same style as the Moen faucet we had (the one that broke within two months). I hated the faucet because I had to consciously think about how to turn on hot and cold water. It looked great; every time I used it, I had to take that extra step, which gave me one more opportunity to loathe it. I also did not appreciate that every time I turned off the water, my wet hands would drip water on the counter space behind the sink, and I'd have to wipe it up yet again. I'm tall (5'8"), and the top of the faucet neck was level with my breastbone. The water would spray out when it hit the sink bottom because it was such a long drop. It was a happy day when it broke. I'd been hoping for that since the second day we had it. Oh my goodness, I sound so horribly grumpy. I had issues with the faucet beyond those listed. Dh liked the way it looked and refused to change it, even though I'm the one that uses it 75% of the time. That played a big part of my unhappiness, honestly, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

Dh recently bought a Moen, nicer than what we've had in the past. Like you, free labor, and a new faucet is not unusual. It's the only faucet, bathroom or kitchen, we've EVER had that broke. It was similar in looks to what comes up when I google "kohler simplice." Just the head pulled out, and it cracked within two months. Actually, I was quite happy, because although it looked really nice, I hated it from the beginning. He replaced it with a Kohler. Instead of just the head pulling out, about 8" of the entire faucet head pulls out (similar to a shower head). Moen. I was not impressed and would be hesitant to purchase in the future. We've usually bought Kohler (several houses, several remodels) and we've never had any issues even after several years of use.

If I were P1: Geez, I hate whenever I ask you something, you blow me off. Why can't I just ask a simple question and get a simple answer? What is it that you find so irritating about me, because you treat me like this (crap) on a regular basis. If I were P2: I seemed a little abrupt, and an apology on my part might go far. If I were P3: Hmm. Exactly how worried are they about my gift? I'll be a little disappointed if it doesn't arrive on time, and I hope they didn't procrastinate too long, making any delay their fault.

Praying here! What an amazing Christmas this would be for their family!! :grouphug:

:grouphug: I won't kick you in the pants (!), but there's no point in wallowing. Your life sounds pretty good. Would you really trade anything with your sisters? Your space is tight because you have a piano and a tree? You have a daughter with you that means more than anyone to you in the world, you have food and you have a car (for now). Your parents are close by, try to be supportive, and you see them often. AND you were able to enjoy fostering that kitty, blessing its permanent owner! I'm a glass-half-full person. Okay, I'm a Pollyanna. This life isn't "perfect," but it's mine. I wouldn't trade it for anyone else's--ever. Have a brief pity party tonight if it will make you feel better. Invite your three besties ("me, myself, and I"), drink wine, share chocolate. Don't waste an entire portion of a day though. Put the blahs behind you, and embrace the rest of your weekend!! :grouphug: :cheers2: :grouphug:

Well, this might not be quite what you are looking for, but this mug was mentioned on the boards several months ago. I've kept it in my basket since then and ordered it for dd for Christmas. I'm sure she'll find it quite handy.:D

I would have ignored her first comment about my hair. My dd is usually so pleasant and agreeable that I can let occasional grumpiness, rudeness, whatever you'd like to call it, slide. I don't take it personally; I would assume that she must be stressed about the company, or overtired, etc. I don't agree. I didn't believe you gave her a choice. I have found that fighting a big battle over something small in the scheme of life (you said she's usually pleasant) will only serve to harm your relationship. If it were my dd, I'd just have dropped it.

Standing rib roast, and this is the way to cook it. It turns out PERFECT every time, no worrying about the temperature or a thermometer, no chance of overcooking. We've cooked it this way for years. A few weeks ago, I made pork roast similarly, just different temps and times. PERFECT.

I am used to larger companies paying postage on returned items, particularly if it is their mistake. I'd expect them to pay return postage, either providing it in the original packaging, or by sending you a link to an address label with prepaid postage. In this case, I'd insist. :)

Well, bless her heart. :glare::tongue_smilie:;):D I've never heard of such a thing. Thankfully.

I bought dh a ceramic knife. I'd never heard of them until they showed up on a thread recently here. Nutella (okay, I really bought it for my kids) ear buds pens nail clippers hand lotion

Yes, I think you are right. Could it be coming from the drain? Small dead animal in the wall? Something stuffed into the tub faucet? Did you look in the toilet tank? :( I'm so sorry for you!

I'd use a rotation for breakfast and include oatmeal and pancakes. Baked rice is also good, at the bottom of this post. Lunch or dinner: We had breakfast for dinner tonight, a giant omelet cut into slices, a bag of potatoes, fried, and smoothies. Shredded bbq beef/pork/chicken sandwiches. Whatever meat is on sale, cooked in crockpot, shredded and served on buns. I'm happy to give recipes if you are interested. Meatball subs. This is how I fixed them, but I used a bag of frozen meatballs from the store, cooked on the stove in jarred spaghetti sauce. I fit 4? or is it 6? meatballs per sandwich. Homemade soup. Homemade macaroni and cheese, and cornbread. Burrito bar. There's a great recipe somewhere on the boards for Chipotle-style rice, and I have a wonderful, simple marinade for chicken (or beef) that I'm happy to share. Taco bar. Dirty rice, "Caesar" salad (chopped romaine, bottled Caesar dressing), garlic bread. And the all time, easy favorite, spaghetti. Round out your meals with plain garlic bread and some sort of veggies or green salad (iceberg lettuce is relatively inexpensive). Buy a 3-5 lb. bag of assorted fruit, or whatever's on sale, to have on hand for people to snack. Provide kool-aid for drinks (we make ours with 1/3-1/2 the sugar). (And Ginger, WHERE is an Aldi's? Is it 30+ mins. south of you? I've only heard of them, never been.) ----------------------- BREAKFAST RICE (from an old WTM post): per serving: 3/4 to 1 cup cooked brown rice (or white, freshly made or leftover, either one) 2/3 c. milk 1 T. brown sugar 1/4 t. cinnamon fresh blueberries, strawberries, or other fruit of your choice (or bananas, or none) In a saucepan, combine rice, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy. (Mine seems to take more than 10 mins.) Remove from heat, pour into bowl, and serve topped with fruit.

Could it be a leak in a pipe and you are smelling sewer gas? It likely won't be present all of the time, but when it is, it's horrible. Disgusting. Puke-worthy. We noticed it after we moved into our new (to us) house last year. We could only smell it in our bedroom. With some investigation, we found that the pipe was broken in the attic, and we were able to have it repaired and sealed. It was sooooo bad.

I'd respond with a serious reply. We get your sarcasm here, but seriously--based on their first response (which sounded like they just pasted in a stock reply), I think this would go right over their heads and they would truly believe you are happier. And I would continue to respond. It's reasonable to assume that these would fit your dd, and you should not be out any additional money because they have a poor website search/design.

I don't know. I think, said in the right tone of voice, this might be a good response. It might not go over super well, but if you say it innocently enough, it's hard for someone else to get really mad. The person probably would not make that comment again . . .

I am so glad you posted! We don't have any plans for our kids (17 and 13) to attend public school, but we don't know what the future holds. I still find this an encouragement on several different levels. It's a positive hsing story (with the successful integration into ps), and it's encouraging to me as a mom because I often have those doubts about whether my kids would be pushed more in ps. :party: And I don't underestimate the importance of your repaired relationship too. What a great "share" on the boards!

Ds is under the impression that it may be a special SD card only. Won't any SD card work? ETA: further searching indicates yes, any card will work. :) It may need to be a small gig, but that's fine with me.

Yes, I think you should scrap it. I don't have much to offer in the way of advice. We struggle here at times with math, and my dd took a second year of Alg 1, using Lial's (Introductory, I think). Lial's was great. She's using something else this year for geometry but will go back to Lial's for Alg 2. I kept hoping dd's first year of algebra would click (she used Life of Fred), but it never did. I don't want to say it was a wasted year, but I should have stopped and switched early on.

Lynn, I just saw this this morning. Did your ds get home safely?