Yes, he was a lawyer - not a doctor. Matthew's father was a doctor.

Dh and I do not agree on politics. Election time can be a little challenging, but most of the time our differences just make things that much more interesting. I think I'd be incredibly bored if we weren't so different, and I love that dd sees there's more than one way to view the world and that you can have a healthy relationship with your spouse and not always be in agreement.

Today, theatre rehearsals. When we don't have rehearsals, we tend to plan fun family outings on Saturdays.

This is important to me, too.

We love Baker Creek. We've always had a good success rate with their seeds, and the produce is yummy. The company has great customer service, ships your items fast, and usually includes a surprise bonus packet of seeds.

We have both. The Fire is used for fun. The iPad is used for school AND fun.

Just sent up a prayer for you. ETA: Your love for you dad is such a beautiful thing.

You sound like me. Luckily, dd seems to need the recovery time, too. The majority of our friends are the exact opposite, and I'm afraid our need for solitude and home can be a bit frustrating to others at times.

Roof rats, maybe. We have them here.

nm double post

My favorite red wine of the moment is Belle Glos' Meiomi Pinot Noir. It's wonderful! ETA: Just saw your post about not liking Cabs. I can't stand them, either. I also am not a huge fan of Merlots, but I can tolerate them. In addition to Pinots, I also very much like a good Shiraz.

So very sorry.

Thinking about the other bldgs . . . Is your town a travel destination? You mentioned a college relatively nearby. Is it large, and does it have a well-known football program? If so, are hotel rooms hard to get during football season? If yes, you could buy the other bldgs and use them as a family inn or B&B type place - if you're able to put in the work of running a business, that is.

I would buy it and hopefully the bldgs next door. If you can't buy the other bldgs, though, could you plant a fast growing, dense screen to block the view?

Yes. The house ended up in foreclosure.

Yes, I would want my doctor to see me in such a state. I also suggest seeking out an experienced acupuncturist and hopefully getting in to see him or her while you're like this.

I have friends who roast an entire head and smear it straight on fresh, homemade bread. It's so incredibly good!

Vibram's Five Fingers are the most comfortable shoes I've ever had on my feet, but I don't know if they'd be acceptable within the confines of a dress code.

Most of our fun stuff has been add ons: Meet the Masters (not an add on) Horrible Histories Beast Academy LOF Happy Scientist Ellen McHenry's The Elements (not an add on) BrainPop Earthschooling (the crafts, stories, and recipes) Little Passports (for Geography) Reading Eggs (no longer need it, but it was fun at the time) Grammar Land The Sentence Family Mad Libs Childcraft set

Count me in, please!

It's called auto fill. I know I've seen an option for turning it off on certain devices, but I don't know about a pc. But now that you know what it's called, you could probably google a "how to".

Warning: not for sensitive stomachs . . . We have had an ongoing roof rat problem and traps weren't cutting it. Dh resorted to poison, so of course now we have rats dying in the walls. Not pleasant! We've tried all sorts of remedies for dealing with the smell with no luck. I was ready to move us into a hotel when I suddenly remembered hearing that coffee grounds are pretty good at getting rid of gross smells. We bought a few cans of cheap, strong coffee and placed them in the smelly areas this morning, and now the smell is totally gone except for the room where it was the strongest. Even in that room, though, the smell is BARELY noticeable. If you didn't know to sniff for something, you probably wouldn't notice it. Hopefully no one else here ever has a creature die in your walls, but if you do, maybe this idea will save you from the horrid smell!

What a great resource! Thanks so much for sharing!

That was disappointing. :(

Ack!