Nope. We don't really celebrate it. He's been deployed for a good chunk of them, so we haven't gotten in the habit. Our last anniversary was spent in a lactation consultant's office. Does that count? ;)

I'm the same way...I grow way too many varieties of tomato. I try really hard to keep it manageable, but I never quite seem to be able to do it. I have never heard of Paul Robesons...where can I buy seeds?

I second Seed Savers! I love them! My favorites are: potimarron (squash that tastes pumpkiny-chestnutty) dragon carrot quadrato asti giallo (huge, thick green bell pepper) speckled roman (large and luscious plum/roma tomato) Another site I buy seeds from is http://www.italianseedandtool.com. Their san marzano roma tomato is my workhorse. I also LOOOOOOOOOOVVEE principe borghese tomato (the kind you find sun-dried and packed in oil). Holy moly, are those things prolific! And drying them concentrates and sweetens their flavor. They will forever and always be in my garden.

Bring a small first aid kit - bandaids, tylenol, etc... you can buy them on the ship, but they're expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Mode-Costume-Historical-Pictorial-Archives/dp/0486468208/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294189921&sr=1-1

I come across news articles periodically that discuss the positives, but imo b/c they're positive, they're not at the forefront of news. One recently was about the Christian band Jars of Clay who put in clean water wells for multiple villages in Africa. I believe they're lo-tech enough that if/when they break, the villagers can fix them w/o needing outside aid again. Another one, also in Africa, talked about how a group of ppl was experimenting w/the domestication of multiple plants/trees/bushes for agriculture. B/c they plants are native species, they don't require extra water or fertilizer. I think they had found almost 100 plants that would adapt (this was sev yrs ago).

A more responsible future is not connected w/the downfall of the US as supreme power. The US will still be a contributor, just not the biggest one anymore. I realized that was confusing in my response. :) I mean responsible in the sense that ppl are trying to work towards being green, or supporting local agriculture, or small-time entrepenuers coming up w/inexpensive solutions to help others, etc... I think it's only a matter of time before the ball gets rolling even more on things like these (in part b/c there will be no other choice). An example of this comes from a book I just finished (The Vertical Farm). The author discusses using self-contained, self-sufficient skyscrapers to do hydroponic/aeroponic farming (possibly aquaculture too). In places such as Africa, smaller mobile units could be created and deployed. This kind of thing is what I mean by more "responsible."

This. The days where the US is the supreme powerhouse are dwindling, so in that respect, yes....the future isn't looking good. The future as a whole, does look good. The gears are starting to slowly turn towards a more responsible future.

Communal.

We pick at things right now b/c we're in moving-halfway-across-the-country limbo, K5 doesn't start until this Fall. What I would like to do: OPGTR ETC Bob books / Nora Gaydos books D'Nealian handwriting RS A MEP R Other supplementals: MTM Artistic Pursuits Delta/Magic School Bus science kits possibly BFSU us history done through read alouds (possibly crafts as she loves doing them, but nothing serious) swim / ballet / ice skating lessons (all of them if DD had her druthers) I'm assuming that copious amounts of reading goes w/o saying. :)

Large red pom-poms, googly eyes, small black felt circles (use a hole punch), some pipe cleaner for antennae - and make some lady bugs. :)

Umm...DuckTales? DD4 loves Avatar as well (she spends prodigious amounts of time bending the various elements) . And she also loves DuckTales. ETA: went back and read the responses and realized that you'd suggested this already. ETA 2: Scrapped Princess? It's an anime series that both DH and I love. We let DD watch most of the episodes.

Oh ABQ...how I miss you! Repeating previous info...the public schools are awful. I was supposed to go to Del Norte and chose to go to the military school in Roswell instead. A lot of kids did/do that. For La Cueva, I did summer school there once and it was a very nice campus (this would have been mid-90s). After that, I realized why so many ppl in my neighborhood tried to fudge things to get their kids there (we were right on the border between Del Norte and La Cueva). My sister's best friend went to Sandia Prep, so if you're interested in more info on that school, let me know, and I can ask her about her experience. She went through all of the grade levels. I haven't lived there since '98, so memories are about all I have to offer.

It's a toss up between eating fruit leather while watching Star Wars on TV or watching the Polka Dot Door on TV. I was about 3ish. Though, one time I looked at a picture from when I was ab 6 months - parents had me sitting on a Native American blanket on a railing on our porch - and had swear I had a momentary flashback to that and being scared of falling. I don't know if that's a true memory or one my brain made up at that time.

I thought I saw something that they're not posting the schedule and such until March. I'll have to go back and poke around their site again. I would like to go, but it all depends on if we've finished our move yet. Can't help you w/the other parts of your question.

When DH's grandparents had their 60th, they did a destination anniversary at a place called Beaver Hollow for a weekend. Everyone came (60 ppl, coincidentally), we had a special dinner commemorating their time together, and the rest of the time everyone played.

My vacuum died today, and I need to get a new one soon. Of course it happened right before ppl came to look at our house. :ack2: Thankfully DH left his little shop vac before he left, so I was able to finish. Let me tell you...it is NOT fun doing a hallway and a living room on your hands and knees 5 min before show time when you have two kids wailing. So...recommendations? I know Dyson gets thrown around a lot, but what else is out there? I had a Dirt Devil (4 yrs), and I'm thinking I would like to avoid it.

I use it, but I've never ventured further than keeping track of what I read.

I prefer amazon as they only charge you a fee if you sell the item, while ebay charges you regardless.

Thank you! I have TONS of quilting fabric sitting around (my personal addiction). I don't have a serger, so I'll have to wait until I see MIL again and use hers. I do use a single layer of birdseye for unpapertowels. It's great for the microwave.

For those of you who make your napkins - what kind of fabric did you use? just plain old 100% cotton?

Baby - Fisher Price musical tea set (the amount of time she spends just opening and closing the lid is amazing) DD4 - her kitchen along w/food, etc... and a pair of brass-colored rings w/rainbow ribbons hanging from it (very useful prop in fire/air bending - from cartoon show Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Some of it depends on where you want to spend your money. I usually choose inside cabins (extremely dark!) as I want to spend the bulk of my money on doing things. If a window is available for not a lot more, then I'll upgrade. The opposite to this would be if you want to spend plenty of time on a private balcony taking in the views. Which line would depend on what your expectations are. And which one has really good deals. It's good to research multiple lines. I've only sailed w/Princess, but I love them. They are more sedate then say...Carnival or Royal Caribbean. What stops will the ship be making? That can influence what you do. If you have a oodles of cash to spend, I would do a helicopter/glacier tour. I've always wanted to do one...Someday, maybe. In Juneau, I've done both a canoe trip to Mendenhall glacier (loved it, would recommended doing an excursion that took you there). I've also just ridden the tram up the mountain and hiked (gorgeous scenery, bring bug spray). Skagway is a very small (I stress the small) village. The White Pass Railroad is expensive, but scenic and entertaining (we were in the same car as the guide, so we were able to ask him questions and get a more personalized experience w/random tidbits of information). In both Ketchikan and Sitka, we walked around.

I wore DD4 in an Ergo up until she was around 3. I would have worn her longer, but she wanted to walk, not ride. I'll do the same w/the baby as well - I'll stop when she doesn't want to ride anymore. :)

Off property - Tropicana Inn. We stayed there when we went to DL last Jan. We were able to get two connecting rooms for $99 each per night (middle of the week). It is pretty much right across the street from the entrance - 5 min walking tops). It does include breakfast, but it's pitiful. You're better off making use of the restaurants walking distance - Denny's, Mimi's (?), Subway, McDs... or the microwave/fridge combo in the room. Blue Bayou (near pirates ride) is a nice restaurant in the park. I do recommend making reseravations ahead of time - ask for a table near the water. If you have a car, Medeival Times is fairly close.