Oh! Note to self: do not make mac and cheese for ElizabethB when she gets stationed at Hickam AFB and we have a WTM gathering.....:D That is a lot of allergies. I can't imagine.

Chick peas? Black beans? Kidney beans (okay, they might be the least appreciated by the family). I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen anyone add beans to their mac and cheese. I've seen hot dogs and beef, why not beans? I don't think I've ever seen it done. Anyone?

because we homeschool our boys can take care of all your stuff while you are away. ;) We are happy to help the neighbors, but honestly I think they take advantage. I get called routinely to do this or that because a neighbor can't be home in time, etc. We do have one neighbor who has asked the boys to walk her two goldens 2 days/week. She has suggested a rate, but I'm wondering if you would A) think it is unnecessary, you would do it for nothing or B) think it is an acceptable rate. What would you think the going rate for a dog sitter is? Jo

By the way.... My dh isn't thrilled with facebook. He is a very secure fella, but having blasts from the past pinging me doesn't thrill him. He would like the entire website to disappear. Of course, he deals with the negative consequences at work all the time too. Some people have no self-control. Not me though......:tongue_smilie:

I can't step away from the wall! It emails me when someone posts. Colleen, save yourself. Don't go towards the wall. Whatever you do, don't look at it. It's evil. Or....... give yourself a free two or three day period (because I'm sure those pop up now and then:D) and get it all done at once. Write up your profile, invite your friends, accept the invites, and *then* step away. My problem is I wasn't prepared, and never should have signed up while trying to get anything else done on the computer! Jo

I think I have further clarification about what I'm looking for/asking/thinking out loud about.....:D I have never had less time to sit quietly before God and I have never needed it more. The need is for, as Jean said, *meditation*. Richard Foster calls it solitude. I have time studying the Bible with the kids, I even get a reasonably good amount of time studying God's word myself. I even get chances to pray- you know...with the family at meals, in the shower, folding laundry, etc....;) But it takes me such an incredibly long time to slow my mind down and quiet my spirit! I think I need to retrain my mind to enter into that rest again. I appreciate everyone's comments so much. It all adds to my thought process. Thanks. Jo

I appreciate your thoughts. I didn't give an entire synopsis of the book. I'm sorry if I misrepresented the theory this author gives. She is very strong in her opinion that God should be first, however she doesn't think in this season we should comparmentalize. That is too simplistic of an explanation, but hopefully it redeems her reputation a little. I am not in her camp in this area, I just wanted to use her notion as a jumping off point. And although I value your input it may be hard for you to relate entirely considering the ages of your two children.

I used to really try to have a morning quiet time of Bible reading, prayer, and sometimes even journaling. As time has worn on and the kid count has grown I have been more unconventional-by my standard of course- in my time with God. Honestly, while my husband was gone and the baby arrived I didn't give it much thought- I was on the minute by minute plan.:D So I recently read a book by a Christian homeschooler (don't ask, the book will remain un-named) that suggests abandoning the notion of set quiet times away from our children- primarily because we are rarely, if ever, away from our kids and it isn't realistic- particularly for large families. Instead we should bring our selves before God in the midst of our daily tasks- this seems very Brother Lawrence as he wrote in the Practice of the Presence of God. I appreciate this. But I also like the thought of discipline in meeting with God alone and in quiet, even if it rarely happens. Soooo....... I have the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster in front of me as well as Brother Lawrence's small book. I'm at a crossroads. I would love to know your thoughts and how you have handled this as your demands from home and school have increased. Thanks. Jo ETA: Obviously stepping *awaaaaay* from Facebook is where to start....because it. is. evil. :lol: I am off to run errands and will look forward to reading the responses when I get back. You can also PM me if you would prefer to make your opinions known there.

It's not the weird people, its the great people! Weird, obscure people in my past won't make it past the gate. But the wonderful community of friends I had in college that I really have history with and have simply lost touch with? I can't ignore them.

At least when you first sign up. People are coming out of the woodwork. People I have known for 20 yrs are contacting me. I don't have time to manage it, but I don't want to be rude. It is taking over my life (okay, really just the past 24hrs...but still). All I wanted to do was get contact information from a friend who recently moved so my son could write to one of her children. Pandoras Box I tell you!! :lol:

YOU. ARE. MY. HERO. Thanks. Jo

I just want the print cards (or 8x10ish). That is it. I have been searching for entirely too long. How can I just get a set of art prints from the great artists? I don't particularly want a curriculum. I have been to Amazon, AllPosters, Art.com, etc........ Argh. Help me. Please. Jo

What would you do to make this a cold pasta salad? We are having friends over to grill burgers tonight. I don't have tomatoes (most online recipes call for tomatoes). I have a lovely basil bush in it's prime. I have italian dressing and olive oil. I don't have real lemons, but I have that bottle lemon juice stuff. I'm also tempted to do something with the slivered almonds in my pantry (I love almonds). What do you think? Jo

allow the other three at your house to play with your children? This friend has a different philosophy about sick kids than me- I'm hyper-vigilant about not exposing other people to sickness, probably to an unnecessary level. I'm wondering what your philosophy is. This is a good friend, but she is willy nilly about when her kids are sick. Jo

I get you. What if we had a project room? I wonder if I had even a corner of space that I could leave those projects out and do them in little bits if I could make it happen? Photos, recipes, putting all birthdays/anniversaries in a perpetual calendar, etc.- it is the longer term clutter and organization that prevents me from starting. By the time I had those photos stacked and labeled someone's little chubby fingers would have them across the floor. I keep thinking I'll save that project for when I have several days alone....:001_huh:....like I'm going to sort photos if I have several days alone! Like I'll have several days alone, ever, in the next many years. :tongue_smilie: Shall we talk about the garage organization/clean-out possibilities? ;)

Jean, I'm so sorry. You aren't alone- even if no one in real life knows. I'm praying right now. Jo

Humor me. I know it has been asked before, but I'm writing a very general schedule for myself and you may inspire me. My dh is not an option for anything other than the occassional milk or beer run on the way home- his schedule is too full. I'm really looking at how YOU fit in the big grocery trips. Thanks. Jo

(tin foil hat alert):D I'm standing at the crossroads of "responsible planning town" and "chicken little-ville." :auto: My dh and I are interested in doing a little more food storage, water purifying, off-grid type of research. I'm a little scared of the blogs I've looked at so far.:001_huh: I may get that fanatical eventually, but for now I need to ease into this information. We just want to be more informed about how to get by if we were to go through prolonged power outages, etc. Can we get some recommendations on where to start? Thanks. Jo

Drew said, "You never know." If we did, we would absolutely be taking a road trip. But in the meantime- one of us is having delightful weather right now. And I don't think that would be you! ;) Come on over! Aloooooooha. Jo

I need a nice piece of jewelry as a gift. This lady can pull off eclectic styles. She has flare. Any ideas? Btw- this is for my friend, the photographer. She won't take money. She deserves something, and honestly it wasn't an easy task to negotiate these photos. I want to get her something. Jo

Oh dear. It. was. precious. My friend who took pictures showed me a glimpse of her shots. Ahhhh. It was so lovely. Him on the pier, with the baby over his head smiling down on him. I'll post when I get the disc. Jo

I'm just so very, incredibly happy. Thanks for all your support during this deployment. Jo

"$50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts" :blink: Reading the details hurts me physically. This plan is NOT about the American economy. If it were, less than half of what is in there would be included. I'm disgusted. Jo edit: Sorry, I'm jumping the gun on moderator approval. It was a reflex. :tongue_smilie: I am more than interested in hearing how others may feel the details in this altruistic sounding plan are going to actually help our economy- especially by creating jobs.

Yes. The recipe was defective. I'm sure of it. ;) We have solved the problem though. We have cut the pieces into the suggested 24 pieces and authorized a 4 brownie serving size. It's all okay now.:D Jo

Chocolate chip cookie bars are my most known for recipe. Remember Kahlua cake? I'm pretty well known for that one too. Rolls, breads, muffins... I bake. I don't cook as well, but I try. Jo