:grouphug: Prayers and peace be with you in the days ahead.

:iagree:MrTea's rule of thumb for vacations is "Take twice as much money and half as many clothes." One nice thing about the internet is finding the cost of admittance or dining before leaving home. Once I have the cost of my sleeping quarters, I budget $100-150 per day on top of that for similar sounding vacations, OP. We usually have a good balance of frugal activities and minor splurges. Edit: Have FUN at the beach, OP!!

Yes, I try to do a lot of prep all at once, similar to the blog you linked. For example, when I come in from a shopping trip everything gets put away EXCEPT for most produce. I used to be such a food waster and I finally figured out that if I do all the washing/slicing/dicing right away then we actually eat what I buy. Bonus is we snack healthier, the tools/mess/clean-up happen one time instead of several, and when it's hot or we are running around we can grab and go instead of making a burger run. See how the blogger has a stack of plastic dishes with grapes, etc? That's basically what I do. I wash, spin and bag the greens. Slice the peppers. Prep radishes. Cut up the entire stalk of celery. Note: Not every kind of produce holds up washed and prepped this way - I don't precut watermelon, for one - but many foods are fine for up to a week. Once the produce mess is cleaned up, I'll tear into a couple packages of tortillas to make wraps, assembly line style. (We use a lot of turkey breast and spinach for our wraps.) I like the blogger's bagel sandwiches and muffin ideas, also. Her ingredient list would be easy to adjust for personal tastes. Other things I do: Never cook just one chicken breast or part of a pork loin! Cook the whole package, and dice or shred it before freezing. (I put some of the broth in each freezer container so it's not dry.) I'm always so happy to find my precooked chicken! Chicken Caesar Salad, anyone? Black Bean Chicken Salsa with Chips? Instant supper!

May peace be with you. :grouphug:

Congratulations! Cross that item off the bucket list, eh? :thumbup1::cheers2::hurray:<-- the audience at your next gig

Oh, Audrey! :grouphug: I'm sorry your son and mom didn't get to know each other. My youngest and my dad never had a chance to meet, either, and it can make me...wistful, I guess, thinking about what a grand time they would have had. My oldest daughter has a daughter of her own now. It melts my heart to see them together. I am in awe, actually, when I see them interact. There's something sacred going on there, a relationship that is just for the two of them, and I am happy to observe from the sidelines with a goofy grin on my face. It's not about me, it's their little family, and I respect that. My daughter works long hours and is also putting herself through school. Her days seem long and hard to me, and she must be exhausted at times. But when she is reunited with her child, she absolutely zeroes in on their relationship and nothing else seems to matter except the two of them. Goodness, pass the kleenex already! I am picturing them together and I am absolutely crying. Am I proud of my girl? YOU BET I AM. Edit to add more: I missed that last part of your question, about what I feel for my daughter's first child...Are you kidding? I am NUTS for her! As Papa and Grandma we are on our best behaviour when she comes to visit. We want our place to be one of the magical places she gets to visit. She helps me to feed chickens and cook meals. We planted the garden together this year. She has a swing and sandbox at our place, and a big ol' pile of her mommy's old books to read. With any luck, she will have siblings or cousins someday to share all of this.

We saw it off and on between clouds this evening! We did the backwards-binocular viewing method and it worked like a charm. :001_smile:

((Chris and family)) Thinking of you.

Ah, perfect timing! The local meteorologist just mentioned using binoculars to view the Venusian transit, but failed to show us how to set it up. Thank you for the quick tutorial! We ended up viewing the recent eclipse as a reflection in a window with our backs to the sun. That worked out fine as we had quite a bit of cloud cover at the time, and so didn't feel in danger of burning our retinas. Today, however, is looking to be bright and sunny so didn't want to chance staring at a bright reflection. Binoculars are going back on the tripod. Looking forward to this afternoon! ETA: FaithManor, you must be on the east side of the state. It's clear in the midwest. Maybe it'll blow over?

Actually, it's the opposite here. And I would say they ride dangerously, not annoyingly. I'm shocked a few of them are still alive, because they take risks I never would (like riding at night in the middle of the country road with zero reflective clothing or lights).

I answered before reading past the OP. Now I'll go back and read a bit before deciding if I should be embarrassed for not getting the reference...

I'm in for the double dog dare...

hmm

Beets, eggplant and hominy because of the taste/smell. Tapioca, linguini and regular spaghetti because of the texture. I can eat angel hair pasta only. I get weirded out texture- and taste-wise with most corn dishes, also. I need it plain and visible. Hidden corn is unfair and scary. :)

Goodness, yes! I wouldn't even be tackling highschool without this forum. You people are all I have for a reliable resource. I may not be posting, but when those big ol' roundtable discussions start around here I am definitely listening in and scribbling notes like a madwoman. Thank you to those who answer questions. And thank you to all who start the conversations rolling by your willingness to worry and wonder (and dream!) outloud.

My meat bird chicks (French Freedom Rangers) just arrived this morning! We raise just enough for our family's use. We have laying hens that are going strong, and I give away my extra eggs throughout the year. In return I am given lots of garden produce come July and August. In the past I have received enough peppers and zucchini to freeze for the year, and plenty of tomatoes, green beans and lettuce to supplement what I grow. We'll eat what we can, and find ways to freeze the rest one way or another - including spaghetti and pizza sauce. Other veggies are grown, but not enough to "put up". I just bartered my extra hostas this week for more perennial flowers. (whoops, that wasn't food, was it?) We are on the long road to amending our poor, sandy soil. Pumpkins grow well here so mashed pumpkin is a freezer staple. I grow spinach, basil, and parsley. These are used to make pesto for the freezer. Chives are chopped and frozen. Rosemary, too. Chocolate mint is a new one for us this year, so I'll be looking for ways to use that. I'll hit the local farm market several times. I'll get peaches to slice and freeze (peaches in lemon juice, although I love someone's suggestion to put them in orange juice!) Apples are made into pie filling and apple sauce. A local person travels a bit to pick blueberries for a few of us. I get in on the "u-pick" price without actually having to go pick, because of egg trading. I'll freeze 30#. We have 4 blueberry bushes but they are not producing fruit yet. We also have raspberry plants that are looking great in their second year. Strawberry plants are looking like a big fat fail (buried too deep) so I'll go pick somewhere and try again next year. We've bought 1/2 pig in the past, but are more interested in beef. Still looking for a source. Gosh, so many great ideas in here! Can you imagine what the Well Trained Co-op would look like?

I was pregnant with my first when little Etan disappeared, and for the longest time we all held out hope that he would be found. Kids just didn't disappear back then; it made no sense! We thought Etan must've gotten on the wrong bus and surely one of the neighbors or school personnel would help reunite him with his parents soon... The Patz family tragedy, sadly, was a cautionary tale for many of us. They lost their precious son on an innocent walk to school in his own neighborhood - and all of a sudden the world became a little scarier. We all realized it could have happened to any of our families. I believe the parents are off celebrating the college graduation of their daughter right now. May that family have some measure of peace with this recent news.

Congratulations to each of you on all your hard work and ranking so highly in Nationals! (The TARC site had standings up early this morning, and I had to take a stab at your team name :) Yup, sure enough, there you all were near the top of that huge list!) Sounds like some great networking was accomplished, also. So very, very nice. Try to stay on top of that anemia! Sleep well tonight.

Awww! Way cool.

I think I learned early through osmosis, as did my brothers. We all cooked alongside our mom and could make several family staples (goulash, tuna casserole, fried meat, fried everything) by the time we were 10 or so. We weren't called on to cook out of necessity very often - just if Mom was working late - but I know we all enjoyed being in the kitchen enough to volunteer cook. I still don't mind cooking, and my brothers forward enough of their recipes to me that they apparently are still at it, as well. I think it was handy to know how to cook early on (and I helped my kids learn some basics), but I realize not every person gives a rip about learning to cook. Nothing wrong with that. Most people have other options to keep from starving. ;)

1. Fade to Grey 2. Video games

Tucker Parker Preston Harrison Garret (sp?)

Woo Hoo! I am back in business! Thank you so much, MomatHWTK. While I did not end up reinstalling the flash video driver (because I haven't yet been able to locate mine :blush:), your lead gave me a new way to google the problem. I ended up at an Intel troubleshooting tool, that told me I just needed to update the driver I have. I never knew to check on the driver. (Double blush) I just checked all my favorite online haunts, and the videos are working like a charm and the text stopped being all wonky. Oh my word, I owe you a cup of coffee at the least! Thanks again.

I am having trouble viewing khanacademy videos, among other things. Here's what I know: The computer is <1 year old. Internet connection is satellite (HughesNet), and usually serves my needs. It's extremely windy today - which, theoretically, can be a factor - but weather has never been an issue before AND the trouble began before the wind kicked in. Satellite dish and all connecting cords seem solid and secure. I'm not over my HughesNet kb "allowance". I never am. I have a solid antivirus program in place (ESET) Websites I have been able to view in the past, but I'm now having trouble with include: khan (audio is perfect, video is "patchy" or non-existent) Google maps (satellite or map views are perfect; street view is patchy) news and other sites with short (imbedded??) videos (again, the audio is there, just no complete pictures, and sometimes there are lines of text missing) What I've done: Cleared the history of cookies, etc. (Because sometimes I don't know what else to do!) Went through the entire Adobe Flash troubleshooting guide, following instructions (to a "t"!) to download the latest player. Is this possibly still a flash player problem, though? The reason I ask is because youtubes are not a problem, but khanacademy is. And no matter how I google my problem, the best hits direct me to Adobe Flash troubleshooting. Ack! Add another "symptom" to the list. I just noticed that not all of my text is the same size. Might I just have a sick monitor?? I will be calling HughesNet in a bit. Do I describe my problem as "good audio, bad video", or what? I'll take any ideas you have. Thank you!

Potluck banquet for 4H Shooting Sports awards night. It's the same thing every year. 30 families bring cookies. 30 families bring chips. One person brings a handful of carrot sticks. I've heard that if you are one of the first 100 people in line there are things like cheese and venison sausage, but I've never actually seen them. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not by much. A few of us bring dishes that call for forks. I'm bringing pasta salad loaded with veggies, and there will be plenty of that left when I go through the line with the rest of the old people at the end.:D It's a fun night, and it's obviously not just about the food. My family can eat differently tomorrow. Tonight, we enjoy the cookies with the rest of the folks.