Just got a new job cleaning offices at night. I know..... not glamorous. But it pays about $400/month, and it doesn't take any time away from homeschooling. My kids are asleep while I work. I needed this money to pay for music lessons and other extras. I'm very happy with it.

Rosalie. My dd just named her newest heifer Rosalie. She's red, and she's so sweet.....

CONGRATULATIONS! That is so impressive! What a hero you are!!

I like this. I also like the idea of anonymously paying for someone's heat or something really necessary.

Yes, I see your point. I was just thinking that since that was the only store in town that had anything like what the person requested, I would get the gift certificate there. They do carry a ceramic vegetable peeler for $10, so clearly they do have some kitchen gadgets that the person might be able to afford. Last year, the person asked for toiletries, so I got them a gift certificate to Wal Mart, because that's where I feel you can get the best value in toiletries, and it seemed to me that the person would appreciate that. This person is not asking for anything that Wal Mart carries, and doesn't really seem to be interested in run-of-the-mill kitchen things. I thought that even if I couldn't afford the whole "set", that maybe I could at least help them to get a start on a set.... kwim?

Maybe you're right..... but maybe not. When I participate in these types of giving programs, I expect to be giving to people in need. I have participated in them for over 20 years and have never had a problem with any of it.... until today. Or maybe I should be signing up for these programs, lol. There are lots of things I would like to have, but cannot afford to buy. Granted, I make my own choices about how to spend my money, and I am happy with these choices. But I don't ask others to provide for my "wants". I think that our society as a whole does not understand true poverty any more. What do you expect when you hear that someone needs charity? Do you expect them to be needy in the sense that they are having difficulty making ends meet, and just need a little help? Or do you expect them to be looking for someone to fulfill their "wants"?

We also "adopt" 4 kids each year from the tree at the local DFS. We assume these children are actually needy since they are screened by DFS. We try to get each kid a coat, a set of school clothes, and a nice toy. About $100/child. Somehow that seems different than a "needed" kitchen gadget request from (I thought) an adult. Maybe all my assumptions are wrong..... Just needed to vent!

My bad for not looking on Amazon. Yes, I can get a single ceramic knife for around $20. But do you think that actually can be classified as a "need"? We live in a small town. I looked at Wal Mart and Kmart. They don't carry the knives in their stores (in our town). They're only available on-line. The specialty kitchen store downtown had a single ceramic vegetable peeler for $10. I guess if this person wants to start their "set" they can do so with the gift certificate they'll be receiving... Sheesh!

OK, so every year we take an envelope off of the gift tree at our church. Each envelope has a gift request. The expectation is that we fulfill the request, and bring the wrapped gift back to the church in time for Christmas. In the past, the gift requests have been things like, gloves, toiletries, sketchpad, things like that.... around $20.... not extravagant. This year the request was for "A set of ceramic knives". Huh? What's that? So I do an internet search and learn that a set of ceramic knives cost around $85-$90!! Whaaaaat??? I think that is an inappropriate gift to request on a gift tree. These gifts are supposed to be for needy people in the community. Nobody "needs" ceramic knives, which I learned today are special because they can be made to hold an exceptionally sharp edge. Beautiful. I would love to be able to have special kitchen gadgets like that. But I guess I'll just keep using my 30 year old Chicago knives!! Also learned today that once it is no longer possible to keep the sharp edge on a ceramic knife, the idea is that they are thrown away. Whaaatttt?? This whole thing irks me!! I am going to give the person a reasonable ($25) gift certificate to a nice kitchen products store downtown. I love the store, but cannot actually afford to shop there. :rant:

I love the new wording. I like the fact that the translation is closer to the original Latin. My 2 dd were translating bits of the Mass back to Latin today (for fun)! I also think it is much more thoughtful and poetic. I have always loved the Mass. Now I love it even more. :)

itunes??

This looks just like the recipe that I use. (I've never toasted the pecans, but that sounds like a really nice touch.) It's Yummy! Can't help you much on the cake part, though. I use a mix. Comes out great every time. Good luck!

That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of looking places like that. I wonder how hard a job this is to do yourself? I am not that handy. I can get things done, but it takes forever. Not great in a kitchen, with 4 dc to feed.....

I didn't realize it was just a paint thing. I thought you kind of laid a whole new surface on top of the old surface...... Paint sounds somehow less durable..... (and I can't help you with the picture :001_huh:, sorry).

Dh and I are upgrading the kitchen before we put the house on the market. Right now we have 70's era formica countertops complete with burn marks, gashes, chips, etc. Just got the estimate back for replacing the kitchen countertops.... $1,700. I just don't want to spend that much. I've heard that you can just resurface the countertops for a lot less. Do any of you have experience with this? Have you used this method and were you happy with it? We want something that looks good, is functional, and up-to-date, but that won't cost an arm and a leg. Thanks for any advice.... I am :bigear:

Well, I just glanced at some of the other posts, so forgive me if this is off..... but being infertile as I am, using or not using birth control is a moot point for me. But in answer to the direct question..... I always seem to want one more child than I currently have.... lol. :) It was true while we were fostering, and it is true now. Wish I had one more to love and hold and teach and raise. Always. I would take 3 or 4 or 5 more..... but I really just want one more, for now.

Agreeing with Remuda Mom. Stick to your guns. He'll either get better or get sold!

You know what they say.... "Never carry a pistol while training a horse or a dog!" I have stuck to that rule and it has saved many animal lives! :lol:

Nope. That horse is a twit. While it is true that a rider needs to learn how to dominate a willful horse, that's something that comes with a lot of experience. It is not appropriate for a young little girl to be put in that position. If they think that horse is fine, then they can just put their kids on it. Stick to YOUR guns. You would never forgive yourself if that horse landed a kick on her.

This is something dh and I have thought about quite a bit. We realize that our children are very sheltered, by design. We're careful about what they read. There is no TV programming in our house. We often rent movies, and are very careful about their content. When our oldest dd reached the 8th grade, it dawned on us that homeschooling through high school, and then sending her off to college was probably not a good plan for her. She was happy being completely sheltered. Although we participated in various activities like sports and 4-H, we generally hung around people who had the same philosophy as we did. We decided it was time for her to experience a bit of the real world while she was still under our care. She began attending the local junior high for a couple of classes. Just 1 class each day and she was home for lunch. Boy, what an eye opener. She told me that each day she felt like she had to literally "put on the armor of Christ" just to walk the halls at school. The language was horrible. The kids were disrespectful. Their dress was inappropriate in many cases. But then there were the "nice" kids. The kids from good homes that dd had met at gymnastics and 4-H. These were the kids she talked to. She enjoyed that. There were also the teachers; some excellent, some just terrible. Long story shorter..... she has learned a lot. She continued to take 1 or 2 classes at the local public school through her Sophomore year in high school. She participated in sports, which has been wonderful. She learned that there are good people and not-so-good people everywhere; ditto for teachers. She learned to be discerning in who she develops relationships with. She learned how to deal with attention from boys. She did all of this while she was under our roof, and with daily conversations between us. It has drawn us closer. I am so glad we did this, because now I feel more confident about having prepared her for life away from home. She also truly appreciates home and home schooling. This year, her junior year, she chose to come back home full time, with our blessing. Her reasons for doing so were sound. (She could get a better education at home, Hurray!) Being "out in the world" a bit has also developed her faith. She knows now that she wants to go to a Catholic college. She owns her faith more fully because she had to draw from it when she was in uncomfortable situations. I could never have provided that necessary tension for her at home. This is all probably a lot more than you wanted to know. ;) For our second dd who is now in 7th grade, our approach might be a bit different. She is not as mature at this age as our oldest was. She is not yet strong enough from a faith standpoint to be out in the world. So with her, we will wait another year or 2 or 3. :001_smile: But I will continue this approach with all 4 of our dc. They will all most likely go "away" to college. So they will really need to be ready. I feel that it is part of my responsibility to prepare them to go forward confidently, and with eyes wide open.

:lol::lol:

I wouldn't put put either of my daughters on a horse like that. There's no excuse for poor ground manners, which this pony clearly has. Ground manners are indicative of the overall "personality" of the horse, and this horse is a twit. Not to say the horse can't be turned around. What it probably needs is a lot of miles with a capable, experienced rider. But that's NOT the kind of horse that one should use for lessons. Make sure she gets a decent horse for her next lesson. She should be enjoying learning about riding, and the partnership between horse and rider, not worrying about getting bitten, kicked, or dumped. Good Luck, Jackie

Thanks to all who posted. I agree. He is shutting down. He actually ate and drank last night after I posted, because I brought the food and water to him on my chair. But that doesn't really change the inevitable outcome. I just thought I might be able to keep him comfortable here at home until it was over. I will call the vet today. You know, having been on ranches all my life, I'm used to seeing animals come and go. But, you know, this one is different. We've been through a lot together.

I've know for some time that he was losing ground..... looks like the time is near. Cosmo is somewhere around 15-18 yrs. old. I'm not sure because I got him from the animal shelter, and they really didn't give me an age on him. He has been getting slower and crankier and skinnier. He sleeps all day on my office chair. He still purrs loudly when I share the chair with him or pet him. Bless his heart, he hasn't eaten in 3 days. He won't even touch his favorite: canned tuna. He still walks slowly and unsteadily to his water and drinks. Here's my question (finally): What can I expect to happen going forward? And how do I keep him comfortable as he dies? He is not sick. He is not in pain as far as I can tell. He is just really old, and weak. I guess his time has come. Any advice for me in caring for my dear companion? TIA, Jackie

I have often thought that the best experience would be to shadow a vet. We use a vet clinic that is just south of the Black Hills. Both doctors are women! I think that's so cool. Both have figured out how to do the "heavy lifting" of a large animal practice without doing any "heavy lifting", kwim? I think that's so important for women who are in a male-dominated profession. Anyway, they are impressive, and have been so willing to share knowledge, tips, etc. with my 2 dd's. Is that too far away for you?? Also had a niece who shadowed a vet for a summer. She was sure she wanted to be a vet until she saw the actual work. After that, she decided to go into pharmacy.... but it was better that she learned that before college, rather than during college..... Best of luck to you and dd! Warm regards, Jackie