A clear answer is just what I prayed for. You are inspiring. Jo

24 brownies. ;) It must be a misprint. There is no other explanation. Am I right? Jo

Wow! Congrats Rose. I'm so happy for you dear. Jo

Yippee, yahooooo, and yikes! Praying for the whole situation my dear. Jo

and they start to ferment...can they still be used? :001_huh: I have rinsed them very well, but they still have a little fermenty smell on them. These are black beans. Note to self- don't start a project you have no time to finish....;) Thanks in advance. Jo

Ha! My oldest son recently came to me very sheepish because he had been reading the Dark is Rising series and they also have a lot of swearing. He felt so guilty. He needed to tell me. It was very sweet. And to the OP- thank you for asking. My 12ds is in the same frame of mind as yours. Jo Oh, and I meant to say that it makes me mad too. It is completely uncalled for. The story could stand on its own without the cursing.

Have you talked to your elderly neighbor? Would they listen to your advice not to hand over the loot?

Oh good gracious! It's time to cover you and your family with prayer. Is there any way you can get one of those screaming door alarms? It's just a deterrent, but it's something. I'm just shocked you have to deal with this right now. It stinks! :grouphug: Jo

Oh for Pete's sake! Now you have me wondering what conversations and news I'm missing. :001_huh: I'm still opting out, but now I wonder.... I hear about facebook and other networkers mostly on these boards. Either it isn't such a big thing in my social circles, or they aren't telling me. Hmmmm? I can see how it is useful to some- communication with college age children, seeing your grandbabies, etc.- but I haven't felt the need personally. Then again I am late to arrive at all things technology related. I feel like I need a shrink to analyze my phobia towards participating in anything untested by time, but there it is. Have you mentioned the oversight to your friends? Jo

Thanks everyone. This friend *could* have her own business. She is excellent. I've been in her home and seen her work. She has taken photos of my kids at events and then sent them to me and I'm always so impressed. She does the type of photography I love- natural, unposed, capture the moment and expressions of children- but, no, she doesn't have a business. Her military-wife role is very demanding. I think you have all given me a better idea of what an hour or two is worth for a photographer, and that is exactly what I needed. Thanks, thanks, triple thanks. Jo

Ah gee, Crissy. You're sweet. And my friend is sweet. She is also a submariner's wife (a really, scary high ranking submariner no less...scary because he wears a lot of gold on his uniform, not because he's mean...he's really nice...he has a garden:D). Wow! $300 is more than I would have thought, but that is exactly why I wanted to ask. I want to be fair and not embarrassingly low in my offer of compensation. Is that just the photography? Or does that include prints/proofs etc? Your husband's rate is probably standard, but I haven't had photographs taken since my wedding...and my parents took the bill on that one. ;) Thank you for your kind words, and your experience in this area. Jo

I would like to bring a friend with me to the pier when my husband's sub returns from deployment. It will be the first time he holds his baby and I want to capture the moment. I have a friend who is an excellent photographer. Before I ask her I want to know what the going rate might be. I would think it would be comparable to if a photographer went out to the beach to do photos. I will probably just use her digital prints and have them printed on my own, but I want to compensate her for her time. She is also likely to say, "oh, no. It would be my pleasure to come and do this for your family. You don't have to pay me." It would be better if I just called and said, "Hey. I'll pay you X if you'll come to the pier and take photos of our family. Can you make it that day?" Any photographers out there? Any families have this done recently? I have never ever had a professional photograph of our family. I'm clueless. Thanks for your input. Jo

He is my computer kid. This very well could be a solution for us. Hmmmmm. Jo

It is the definition of "correct" I'm struggling with. He is a very diligent child (10yo). When he does handwriting exercises he does fine. But he this certain **default** setting that makes me crazy. I have had him rewrite many, many times. I just wish he recognized bad writing when it was happening.

Hey! I remember you posting that you resorted to a caffiene jolt to get them on this schedule, right? I still remember learning about your cool coffee maker after that post. Whatever it takes. I'm a believer.

My 12yo ds is the same. He tends to want to stay up late and is then sluggish in the morning. For a while I would prepare him a cup of tea if he made it to the kitchen before 7:15. Sort of an empathy thing. I like a cup of coffee before people start speaking to me in the morning. I gave him some slack for not really feeling awake. I also close the kitchen at a certain point because we school at the table. I really just wanted to tell you that you are not alone, it is an age thing, don't let it be a mountain to die on, and make it an opportunity for your son to feel understood. Well...that is of course, only my 2 cents. Jo

Clothes sorting and donating, bulk baking or cooking, shred or file paperwork.... My list is endlist.:001_smile:

Banging your head against the wall. Day after day after day after day....:glare: I'm here to admit that this particular child has done the Italic D workbook three times.:001_huh: Well, he is on his third go around. He does great in the workbook! But on day to day writing assignments he chucks all that *neat* stuff out the window. If you are blessed to have never encountered this, I hope you go through each day mindful of your blessing. :lol: If not? Can I get a big ol' "I hear ya' sista'!" Jo- wishing she could live on east coast time so she could sit back and watch Lost with a glass of wine RIGHT NOW.

Guilty! I'm guilty of overstirring. I'm so ashamed. Actually I'm guilty of putting the whole whing in the kitchenaide and getting distracted.:D Thanks. Next round will be better.

How do I keep my blueberries from drifting to the bottom of the batter. Me thinks it is the consistency of the batter (which is a wonderful whole wheat, egg white, honey thing). I stir well prior to putting them in the cups, but they sink during baking. Are there any tricks I should know about? Thanks. Jo

I just wanted to give you a big ol' Shaka Brudah for old times sake. I wish you were still here- whether or not either of us ever had time to meet up.;) I hope you are enjoying Japan. I need to PM you for details..... Jo

The fact stands. He is being called the first black president. And my family needed the proper definition for "black". All afternoon I have tried to extrapolate the data. Would we call a person with a black father and asian mother, if they were elected to the office, the first Asian president? I'm trying to work through the semantics. And honestly I feel a little icky, because it doesn't make total sense to me. And since it has been an enjoyable day in our home today studying MLK Jr., I'll just add that I hope Obama ultimately will be judged by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin at the end of his presidential term. Jo

I was thinking after reading the responses that this is true for me too. My friends who are bi-racial say so. The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm referring to public figures who are labeled as one or the other.

See!? I knew I should bring this question here! Thank you so much to you ladies who have first hand experience with this. I appreciate your perspective so much. I think the one-drop article will be insightful. I am going to print it out for later "rocking chair reading". ;) I really wish this weren't an issue at all...but I think we can all agree that the topic needs clarification. I rarely have any opportunity to bring up distinctions amongst my peers, but even my younger kids use terms of description when talking to each other about their friends on the street- "you know the boy in the cul de sac? The kid who rides his scooter so fast? The dark skinned boy? What is his name again?" etc. If they know someone's name then that is the last I hear about the color of their skin. But when my kids ask, "why is Barrack Obama the first black president if he is half white?" my answer will be slightly more informed because of the insight given to me by my experienced hive mind peers. Thank you so much everyone.

When I use my rice cooker I just use a bit more water than the measurements for white rice call for. It helps if I dot the rice with a few small pats of butter. Jo