I haven't posted on the boards for a long time, so first, let me say, "HI" to any of the old gang who might be still hanging around. I just discovered DA on Netflix Instant Streaming, and I'm swept away with it! I've never watched any of the Masterpiece series - are they all this good? I really have never watched a drama series, so now I'm wondering if there is a whole new world out there for me :). BTW, we got rid of our tv services, so the series would need to be on Netflix instant streaming, Amazon prime, or Hulu. Side question: is American Idol, my guilty pleasure, available on one of the above tv services? Good to be here! OKCyndi http://www.twoedgetalk.com

When my son had his out at age 18 a couple of years ago, I went into with a little trepidation because I was remembering my own experience at that age. I think that it must be much less grueling now. My son had his out that morning and then went out to rope cattle that same night :). Not that I'd recommend that, of course, but this is just to show that it's not debilitating! Peace be with you, Cyndi

Oooh, I'll try it - thanks!

bump

I tried to stop the machine and set it for the correct time, but it's not veering from my original settings. It's a 2.0 loaf, and I set it for 1.5 lbs. Is it just going to be underbaked a bit? I don't see any way to bake it longer, unless one of you guys knows how to "jailbreak" the machine :). Could I bake it longer in the oven in its pan? Remove it and bake longer? Do nothing? My husband is newly gluten-free, so this is my first bread experience, and I used Pamela's bread mix (if that's relevant to anyone). It doesn't seem very high in the pan - maybe that's the nature of gluten-free bread? Thanks for your help, hive friends!

My oldest, now a sophomore in college, has always had the best bedroom in the house with an attached bathroom. During his freshman year, we left the bedroom intact, even though it was a pit. He is busy at college and rarely home, except for school breaks. He won't be coming home this summer because he's been selected for a summer position that will require him to be at the university. My daughter, age 14, has been chomping at the bit to get the bedroom so she can have a bathroom that she doesn't have to share with her other younger brothers. It makes sense to move her to college boy's bedroom; she will make the best use of it, and I want to reclaim it and make it habitable again. I will re-do younger sister's bedroom to make it masculine, and college boy will have this bedroom when he comes home. Nevertheless, he feels uprooted and can't understand why I don't get why he's so upset about this. Am I being unreasonable to think that I don't need to leave the bedroom a shrine for a child who is home 30 days (at a maximum) a year? Thanks for your input!

I'll download the sample chapters - what a great way to see if my kids are interested! I didn't know those were available. Gotta love the WTMers!

My kids will listen to audio books while going to bed, and I love the thought of sneaking in a little history. If the language is too old-fashioned or stilted, however, they don't like it. Would Jim Hodges be in that vein? If your kids like these recordings, which were their favorites? Thanks a bunch! Cyndi

I see that that Homeschool Buyers Coop is offering the Brave Writer high school course at a reduced price. I downloaded the first chapter, and I wasn't sure if it seemed worth the price. Could she use the BW techniques to help with the essays she's already writing, or would she have to write stand-alone BW essays in order to really use the curriculum? Thanks for any experience you can offer! Cyndi

Gosh, I've scrolled back through (twice), and done a search, and I can't find the one from today. It had some great suggestions of lenders. If anyone sees it, would you mind bumping it or linking it? Thanks a million! OKCyndi

I see that the Homeschool Buyers Co-op has a good price on Streaming Plus, but still.........it's $199, which naturally makes me pause. Is it something that kids will gravitate to on their own and enjoy for fun (and accidentally learn something). Or, would I have to orchestrate its use (which would probably mean it would fall off my radar screen)? What's been your experience with it? Thanks so much! Peace be with you, Cyndi

I haven't posted in awhile, but of course I'll go to the Hive Mind for an odd question :). My daughter needs a science fair topic, and I'm wondering if our kefir could be used. Kefir, a "good bacteria" supposedly kills the bad bacteria in the body. To prove that, could we show two different samples of bacteria, one with kefir, and one with something else (perhaps regular yogurt without probiotics?). I hypothesize that the one with kefir present would show less growth of bad bacteria due to the presence of the kefir. My knowledge of bacteria and microscopes is limited, however. Would I be able to distinguish between good and bad bacteria with a microscope? We have a decent microscope but little experience - would this be a reasonable experiment for an amateur (I could find some help, however)? My science fair experience is zero, so if this is a flawed experiment, let me know! Any other suggestions for using kefir? Thanks, hive! Peace be with you, Cyndi

I've noticed that Galore Park is from the UK. Does the hive have a good U.S. seller that would be less expensive and/or faster? Thanks!

My search terms aren't coming up with anything..........in the last week, someone posted a link of a site of children's stories from '60's albums tranferred to mp3 format. I thought I bookmarked it, but I can't find it - anybody know the search terms for this post? Thanks! A bit ice storm is on its way to Oklahoma, so I thought this might be a great diversion.

I'm also going to deep clean one small area each day - how hard can that be?