I am intrigued. For one of my young adults (who are getting less this Christmas=) a donkey hair bracelet may just be the thing. How do I go about having something like this made?

I guess I am finding joy, but not happiness. Happiness is not guaranteed. I need to let go. Of my own expectations of being able to make everyone happy. Really, I hope it isn't a control thing. If it is, I need to nip that in the bud! My family does probably see me as controlling, but I think that most mothers look controlling to some extent. But, am I too much?? So, @May, did you just one year give less gifts? I know, I know, I am focused on number of gifts again. I think that, since everyone is still home on Christmas morning just like when they were younger, and there are no extra people involved yet, I find this change odd. We are doing all the same routine, but everyone is old LOL. Gift giving was really a blip between morning Mass and our feast together, but the rest of the afternoon was spent 'playing' with gifts. (Christmas Eve is really my favorite, because we feast on hors d'oeuvres and a new game ... I began that many years ago in anticipation of the end of Christmas morning together ... thanks to @Kareni and @creekland for game ideas through the years) I think I am stressed so much looking for the perfect gift to make the afternoon of Christmas a pure pleasure for them. I could focus on finding a 'fun' item and a coffee-table book for each to make the hours pass, but I do like the suggestions of giving to others. Maybe I can find someone for us to visit during the afternoon - even a nursing home or a shut-in through our parish.

That makes sense, especially during these transition years. I am so practical of a gift-giver, though, I was thinking simple block quilt in neutral pattern. But, as said up-thread, people can take that to extreme and be afraid to use handmade items.

I do love our relationship's Christmas tradition. Since dating days, we always waited until the evening to exchange gifts in privacy. We continued that through the years with quiet time together by the light of the tree. It does seem like my main Christmas association is gifts like @heartlikealion suggested. That is odd b/c so much focus has been on the carols, the games, the visiting through the years. Hmmm, having a revelation here ... I am focusing on finding just the "right" gifts, stressing over that. I am no longer keeper of their lives, their clothes, their hobbies, their time. This is becoming clearer with this discussion. This change (the difficulty of finding the "right" gift) is due to them growing up and not wanting/needing me to control the items in their lives. I need to let it go that I am not the source of everything in their lives anymore. This is all giving me food for thought.

When the boys needed feeding, it seemed like meat and potatoes was the go-to to satisfy. To extend the meat, I made what my mom called 'Poor Man's Supper'. A five-pound bag of potatoes diced, an onion minced, and a pound or two of sausage or combo of sausage/ground beef browned. Mix into a very large casserole dish with melted butter, onion powder, salt and pepper ... 'toss' together, bake at 350 for at least an hour. If I didn't want to brown the meat, I just added keilbasa cut into cubes. Smaller meatloaves (we made 4 for a hungry man-crowd) and a large pot of mashed potatoes. Also, a few bags of frozen beef ravioli with a very large jar of pasta sauce (doctored up with cooking wine and pinch of sugar). I would heat that in crock-pot all day. Often needed water added. As long as you begin with it a little soupy, it will cook up. Served that along with two loaves of garlic bread. Chicken breasts from the freezer in crockpot with cans of cream soup or gravy. Served with a large bag of noodles, smothered in garlic butter. These were frequent go-to meals.

I should begin a craft for each of them. It may take a few years LOL, but it is a worthy goal. With your talent (and need to create) you should certainly make one for each of them even if it takes one per year. Not that your friends don't deserve their own table quilts, but ... what a gift to give your family while stopping them from poking fun at your amazing gift. You must be very talented to whip out table quilts like that! I was 'laughing' at myself, @GailV when I 'laughed at' your post. I do see the potential for me to appear completely nuts in the young adults' minds. It is all happening so fast! I always pictured myself going with the flow and encouraging independence and responsibility, but now that they are demonstrating it, I find it hard to catch up and relate. I relate fine to their friends and even to them on a 'hanging out' level, but when I go to do something tried and true like Christmas planning, I feel sentimental and at a loss with the unfamiliar. So many of everyone's suggestions are awesome, focusing on others and just allowing things to be simpler. Perhaps it is also due to the fact that we are a quiet family (no additions, yet @Margaret in CO), so that makes me feel like all the 'entertainment' is on me. No one wants anything to be feel 'forced' and, there is a void where we all go our separate ways even if we are all together in the same house. This is hard to explain ...

My family is blessed, and everyone is healthy and happily busy, but ... This year reality is setting in for me.. For a few years, I have felt the difficulty thinking of coming up with present ideas for Christmas for young adults who have what they need (other than cash) and certainly do not have room in their lives for 'stuff'. I am waking up this year and realizing that the energy I put into sleuthing and searching for present ideas is maybe all about me -- my desire to present that BIG stack of presents under the tree. We have never been extravagant gift-givers ... books, a few clothes, useful items ... I have received many ideas from this forum for useful items that they are about to need. But, I am not talking about finding ideas, I am talking about giving up the need to come up with gobs of items just so the tree is heaped with presents! Homeschooling gave us the canvas to paint the perfect, affordable opportunity to 'spoil' our children with gifts from history encyclopedias to a Latin Picture Dictionary to Carcassonne. The food created excitement and anticipation - Egg nog? Oh boy! The pomegranate? Let me at it! Now, it is kinda, "Ho hum." Maybe these years are about looking forward to grandchildren? How has your family handled the trimming down of presents? The change in years when the family gets together on a different day? (I see that coming) I am thinking they will be disappointed to only open 3 presents rather than the 15 (again, they were not extravagant). Also, we are fortunate that everyone still comes home, eats together, and is willing to play games, but I feel like the magic is gone. Everyone is quieter, the excitement is gone. I'm just sad about that. I am sad thinking that, inside, they feel the sadness that the magic is gone, too. Maybe, as young adults looking forward, they don't miss it much. It is hard, in this instance, to accept that they have grown up. Am I the only one who feel this? I do not hear anyone IRL talk about it ...

Of course, haha only if she was not hurt, which your post inferred that she was not?

I am going with the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 2 quart saucepan and 6 quart stockpot. I just can't pull the trigger to spend the money on the AC for him. But, I prefer individual pieces that he can own forever if he doesn't become a pot & pan connoisseur. Now that I think about it, maybe I should buy the AC for me and give him my top of the line Cuisinart LOL

He cooked a lot for me/family at home as needed, but he is just venturing out on his own beginning slowly with spaghetti of all things. Makes an occasional chicken breast. I know he can do a lot more, but without mom's well stocked kitchen and list of steps written out, he is taking it slowly. Since he now uses some of roomie's kitchen items, I guess I better make sure he has a colander for that spaghetti! Completely agree with the above. And, I really appreciate your thorough description in the former post - really like quality here, and I am always amazed at the cooking I do with only three pans, Cuisinart 2, 3, and 6 quarts. Now, I do cheat once in awhile and pull out one of my dear departed mother's antique 1 quart saucepans ... the old-fashioned kind with the HOT brass handles. I guess I didn't jump straight to cuisinart for our dc thinking that maybe there was a latest and greatest. Now, someday, there will be the gift of a Le Creuset casserole!

I had not thought of costco @May, thank you! And, @Kassia, that looks like an awesome set at a great price. I never stick my pots in the oven, but like that I can. Those can't go in oven...wonder if that really matters.

So far, our ds has the GreenPan 10" Lima Skillet and a wooden spoodle. With these he has managed to fix a lot. It is time to expand, however, and I am purchasing; A Man, A Can, A Plan, A Second Helping by Joachim and Joseph, Joseph uni-tool (both recommended here ... thank you) I want to add a sauce pan and a 6 quart stock pot with lid. Please share your favorite pot/pan brands. Although he likes to cook, he is a minimalist, so any other items you consider absolutely essential? Thank you!

My vet has been recommending the bordetella vaccine. Does it prevent it or only if from a certain source? Thoughts?

I guess I have sympathy for those whose voices want to be heard more than they want to be first. Not that I know anyone like that ... I haven't read the other replies ?

Oh, that is terrible. Hope all works out soon, with minimal hassle and you get the fridge of your dreams!

Pie Crust - Quick and Flaky Notes: it seems complicated - but isn't. Just do it often, and you will get a feel for it, and your family will happily gobble up your practice attempts=) Without a food processor, simply cut up the cold butter in many pieces using a knife, and work in with your fingers quickly -really squishing it in. Then, use a spatula to smoosh in the ice water - flip and smoosh - until blended. I did it this way until I found it causes too much pain in my aging hands. If done this way, completely by hand without a machine, I do freeze for a few minutes b/f rolling it out. I want to note, when I go a little too damp, it just needs a lot more flour in rolling out steps, but, sometimes, more water means a lovely crackly and chewy texture...play around w/it, as long as it doesn't stick to the counter (see step 7) it can work fine. 1. In Food Processor with reg. blade, I whirl: 1 heaping cup of AP flour 1 tsp salt, I approximate in my hand 1 tsp sugar " " " (1 Tbsp if a sweet pie rather than quiche or pot pie) 2. Then, keeping dry ing's in bowl, I switch to large shredding disk and shred 1 stick cold butter into bowl on top of dry ing's 3. I quickly make ice water 4. Switch back to regular blade and everything's still in bowl. In three additions while I pulse the processor, I add a total of 'about' 6 Tbsp of the ice water. If it is forming a rough ball by then, it is good...otherwise I add a little more ice water. 5. Quickly sprinkle a lot of flour all over my counter in a circle, get out rolling pin, place pie plate nearby as well as keeping flour open next to me. 6. Gather with my hands the dough from fp bowl, not worrying about getting every dry scrap out. (remember - it should be a rough ball, so a little damp is ok, but not wet...like someone said, go for the playdoh feel) I gather dough firmly into a ball, then flatten into a disk - not being afraid to be firm. But, I do work quickly. 7. Place dough disk on floured counter sprinkle flour generously over disk and rolling pin and have at it. I really smoosh and keep tossing and rotating and rolling and sprinkling until I have a big circle - bigger than my pie plate. Lots of flour sprinkled! If, horrors, it sticks to counter during any rolls, I use a plastic bench scraper to pry it off and flip and flour more if needed. 8. Roll dough roughly around the pin, move into pan and ease down all around the pie plate. 9. Cut crust off about 1" more than pie plate, fluting the lip with your thumb on one hand and your thumb and forefinger on another - that is hard to describe, but easy. 10. I usually, if time, pop that in the freezer while I preheat the oven. It does make it super, duper extra flakey by doing so. 11. There are so many possibilities for baking that I will leave that to your recipe. I use this crazy often for dinner, not just dessert. Quiche of many kinds or skip putting dough in pie plate and put on top of a filling of tuna alfredo for a Friday meal or chicken & peas w/white sauce for pot pie. I find that for pot pie, it does better (and cooks faster) placed as a top crust only. Cook's Treat: I gather the scraps from the edge and either make a savory treat or sweet. Shape leftover crust into snake shape and roll flat. For savory, I sprinkle with salt, garlic and parmesan, for sweet: sugar and cinnamon. I twist these into long twists and bake on cookie sheet along w/pie...they bake faster ... they are the ultimate cook's treat! P.S. I used to work in a hospital kitchen and would watch the two full-time bakers we had. Those ladies could bake! I was intrigued by their pies especially, as they would not even watch while talking to me and rolling them out. They taught me to work quickly, but not to be so afraid of over-working or anything. After many, many years of failures caused by fear of too much flour or man-handling, I found that lack of those two things were the cause of most of my frustrations!

Do you have a food processor? I make really good pie crust - don't even measure anymore. This after years and years of every crust problem known to man.

A good friend of mine goes to France quite often. As a French native and friend of the local monastery, she has been asked by the monks to translate their wine pamphlet. It tells the history of the cultivation of the land for their wines through the centuries. It is fascinating! She is translating; I am editing her translation. An interesting first hand look at why translation is not at all simply word translation. I was really ignorant of this, although I have heard that. I am enjoying translating the French ideas that she has put into English words into an understandable form. And, I get to edit for grammar, which I love. I am slow and not always perfect, though=) On a side note, and related to my slowness ... I took, and failed, the Rev.com test for transcription. I do think I did the transcription accurately, but it.took.me.forever and a day! Also, the technical problems they helped me with during the test probably did not earn me brownie points. What was I thinking? I know I type only about 35 wpm! It would have come to something like $1.75/hr for me. Sigh! Thanks for the suggestions for editing jobs, though. I may just still find small jobs here and there. Perhaps one for pay!

I agree with this. I’m often surprised (and shocked) at how casual people dress these days! What you plan to wear sounds very nice.

Prefer these uses only: Hash brown casserole (Cream of _____ Soup/Sour Cream/Green Onion/Ched Cheese/chicken optional) and hash browns, fresh or frozen, as base for the breakfast casserole that others make with ((shudders!)) cubed bread!

I need to edit my post. I see how it was read - completely different than intended! When I said 'a man can place his hand...' I meant, "For example, IF a man places his hand..." meaning that even something seemingly that 'innocent', if unwelcome IS a violation, albeit, not exactly assault. And, by saying, 'disasters' I was referring to the disaster of complete breakdown of communication. I am sad about everything that recently happened in our country.

Since reading a comment on the other tread that maybe part of the problem is that men think of se# as 'good' or 'not so good', I have thought that that may really be the crux of the matter. I think women have a sense of personal space that men just can't relate to. At all! I've been contemplating this along with the discussion of teaching daughters to keep themselves safe. If a man places his hand on a woman's hand with an intent she just knows is wrong and unwelcome and an advance, it IS a violation. I am not saying that is to the level of se#ual assault by any means, but I just want to illustrate that I believe that women have a sense of violation that is valid and just not understood by men - and may never be. In the world we now live in, the lack of understanding of this difference in perspective, combined with the brand of feminism which attempts to make women just.like.men is just going to keep leading us to these disasters. There is less of an understanding in that case that there are differences between the sexes that serve to protect women. A deference paid to women that is gone.

I second the Remedia Publications workbooks. We did these over the summer. My vague memory is that they were recommended in my old copy of WTM.

Exactly, great color! And...those knives - yikes LOL!

I can make mean homemade pies, bread, and pastries, but Rice Krispy treats bring me to tears. I dirty a dozen items in my kitchen and eat at least half of the concoction off of my hands -- out of necessity, of course LOL, because wiping with paper towels or scraping with a spatula is just a mess. Of all the things to watch a youtube video of, this is the craziest, but I want to figure out how you (and many gifted women like you) call Rice Krispie treats easy!