I had second thoughts before posting... should have been enough to stay my clicking finger, eh? :laugh: The smell of marmite is somewhat beefy though it's not a meat product at all. Tricks canine tastebuds very nicely.

My kids love to test their new friends out by offering a taste of marmite. If you don't love the stuff as a spread then you can use a teaspoon of it in beef dishes for an extra rich flavour. (A little smear is also wonderful for getting a dog to swallow a pill.)

I did enjoy Faceless Killers and plan to read more of the Wallander series in future. It is a bit OTT with the drama at times (I'm used to classics where the reading is so much slower and action consists of perceived slight from a misspoken word with high drama being a slamming door, lol), but the pacing is good and characters are generally interesting. I also enjoy reading fiction from other countries for the different cultural references and a perception of the world. Australian is becoming one of my favourites as I see hints of British humour and American as well as what I assume is a uniquely Australian view as well. I'll need to read more Swedish work before making up my mind there. I hadn't realized Mankell had so many other books out until I checked his listing onfantasticfiction.

I just finished listening to his first Wallander book, Faceless Killers, yesterday. It's not my usual thing, but I'd recently enjoyed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. A friend then recommended Henning Mankell. I hadn't even realized he authored the WAllander series which I had enjoyed watching on PBS awhile ago.

Your idea of stewing the chicken with green salsa sounds good. There's a nice recipe called Country Captain's Chicken or sometimes American Captain's Chicken that we all enjoy served over rice. It's basically green bell pepper, onions, chicken, tomatoes, small amount of curry powder, and (optional) sultanas. Few other seasoning things depending on the actual recipe. I made etouffee last night with leftover roast chicken. (I sometimes use turkey if instead. And shrimp is nice with it, if you like shrimp).

It's so easy you'll wonder why you never used the feature before. Remove the racks, and be prepared for the cleaning cycle to last a long time. My oven actually locks itself for a few hours as a safety feature.

Blocking is really easy for smaller items that aren't overly lacey. Dampen the smaller mitten or spritz it with water and pin it to something ( I use a cardboard box for small items). You can adjust it as it dries if necessary and use the larger mitten as a guide for how much to stretch. I'm not sure if I'd want to try shrinking the larger one in case it came out too small. Blocking is reversable, shrinking/felting isn't. HTH

Yep!

I'm suppose I am my own step-first cousin. My dad is my uncle and my uncle is my stepdad. To make it even more... 'fun'... my dad/uncle and uncle/stepdad are identical twins. :blink:

I'd love to learn more about both sides of my own family and my husband's. I know there are a few people looking into the heritage on Dh's maternal side of the family. That USA line stems from two Scottish brothers who moved to NC from the Highlands during the clearances. We're not been able to trace their story back through their Scottish history yet. When we visited Scotland a few years ago we traveled to the area the family clan seat is from and visited an old kirkyard to see all the headstones with the family names and dates from the 1700 & 1800's. Our children laid a flower on each gravesite bearing the family name. A cute story from when Dh interviewed his grandfather a few years before he died was telling of his own birth. The family were very poor, living in a rural part of central NC. When his mother went into labour, one of the children ran for a local midwife who came to their home and helped deliver the baby. The midwife received a piglet as payment for her services. On Dh's dad's side, a few generations back they moved to this area from somewhere up north and owned a fair amount of farmland. (We still live on what was then their land). Over the years it was split between children again and again and sold/built on as the town expanded. A church a few hundred yards down the road has the family name because the land and some of the building costs were donated by the family. On my side I know very little about my dad's side of the family. I keep meaning to get more information out of him but it's difficult being so far away. He's estranged from both of his brothers and his parents died before I was born. A lot of the time his response to direct questions is "we just never talked about that". I know my grandfather was in the navy aboard the Ark Royal aircraft carrier(forget which #). I don't even know my grandmother's maiden name let alone her history. On my mother's side, I know little about her father beyond him being born and raised in London and had a few sisters. Interestingly, my mother was looking through old photos she'd never before seen at my grandmother's home a couple of years ago and found a picture of my grandfather and two of his sisters. He looks to be about 3 or 4 years old. They're standing by a street sign in another area of London from where my mum grew up... and it's the same street my mum's brother has lived on for 30 years. My mum's mother was illigitimate. My grandmother's mother, Molly, was Irish, having moved to London to be a nurse during WW1. Story is she met a Canadian soldier and when she became pregnant he was quickly transferred because he already had a wife at home. I have a photograph that we're fairly sure is of him. Molly then met and married another man who was a widower with a couple of small children but she died a year later in childbirth. We don't know if the child survived, would be my Grandmother's half-sibling. Obviously this guy didn't want to raise my grandmother who was then aged 2, so she was adopted by her mother's aunt. (A large group of the Irish family having moved to Settle, North Yorkshire.) The family was close knit but life was not always pleasant. Stories of being locked in a dark cellar for hours because she was little more than illigitimate, yet other stories describe a loving family. Understandable why my Grandmother has had 'off' moments over the years!

Wow, Orhan Pamuk, I am impressed! I tried reading 'The New Life' about years ago when it was first translated to English and it's one of the few books I've not been able to finish. Cleverly, I then forgot both the title and the author's name and spent years trying to remember which book it was that drove me insane. Especially as my only words to describe the story itself were "Guy, bus, book, nothing else happened." :lol: I mean to give the book another try in the future... maybe... perhaps... if I'm brave enough. :tongue_smilie:

My list is fairly long and I often forget a few when asked this question, however the authors who come immediately to mind are: HG Wells Robert Louis Stevenson Markus Zusak Val McDermid Kazuo Ishiguro Thomas Hardy Oscar Wilde Roald Dahl William Horwood Sarah Waters Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series, haven't enjoyed her Lord Grey books at all)

What is it with disappearing canned pumpkin? I had a difficult time finding any around Christmastime. I use sweet potatoes as a substitute for pumpkin in cakes depending on which I have to hand at the time. There is difference is subtle.

A vinegar rinse might help. My dog has always smelled so I had to come up with a way to tone it down. Using a vinegar rinse seems to help the odor and makes his fur nice and soft.

There is a Barnes & Noble near the mall, a Borders down the road, and a used bookstore called "Edward McKay" near to Borders. Just down the road from Borders/Edward McKay's is Reynolda House which is a historic home and American art museum. You can walk the gardens for free but have to purchase a ticket for touring the house. Old Salem is a nice place to visit especially if the weather is pleasant as the forecast calls for this weekend. You can walk around for free but have to purchase tickets to enter the buildings. HTH

Ravelry.com has a huuuuuge selection of patterns, both free and for purchase.

I toss some fresh herbs into the vinegar and let it sit in the fridge a few days before using it. Helps remove some of the vinegar smell and herbs such as rosemary are great for your hair as well.

My daughter had an Australian Shepherd. Beautiful dog both to look at and in temperament. She was very gentle, playful, intelligent. Only thing I can think might potentially be a downside to some is the dogs coat. It's quite thick, will need regular grooming. HTH

If you're looking for a cheap set of dpn's you might want to check Amazon. I bought a complete set of bamboo 7" for $25 (US sizes 1-15). They're not my favourite needles as I prefer metal, but it's wonderful having any size I need available.

I do sub categorize and budget each amount accordingly but that's what works for me, it wouldn't be necessary for the system to work if you didn't want to do it that way. The hardest part is starting out. We needed a bit of a boost for that first month, and since then it's run very smoothly. My dh keeps up with the overall outgoing expenses in whatever money program he uses, but I am the one who knows how much I have for groceries or clothing at any given time. He looooves that it's as simple as saying "I need a new pair of jeans" and the money is budgeted and already saved for that moment. He is able to focus on other outgoings such as mortgage, power bill, etc.

Dh and I split what we're responsible for. I cover groceries (food/household/pets/etc), gifts, clothing, and also budget a small amount of ready money for myself. Dh covers everything else, bills, vehicle expenses, eating out, etc. We set this system up years ago by averaging out how much we spent on each of my categories and now he 'pays' me an amount each paycheck which I then assign to each category. It's similar to the Dave Ramsey method I suppose, though we don't use envelopes or cash only. I don't spend over what I have assigned in each category.

Stratego! I recently discovered it was his favourite childhood game. I'm really looking forward to seeing him open it. Wish I were as excited about playing the game with him, I'm useless at strategy games. :tongue_smilie: A utility light and retractable extension cord for the workshop/garage. Boring but things I know he wants. Gift certificates to a massage place across town, (no, not THAT kind of massage place!) He was in a vehicle accident day before THanksgiving and suffering residual hip/neck problems. Chiropractor and GP both advise massage in the coming months. Maltesers and other sweeties for his stocking.

:lol: How funny to see a picture of MY HOME TOWN on these boards. wow! I wish there was a decent picture of the magic roundabout full of rush hour traffic. The pictures here show the road and markings clearly but it's more difficult (I think) to see how it all plays out for drivers. It's a crazy scheme but it works brilliantly, there are rarely accidents on the roundabout itself. I feel like a proud mum seeing the roundabout grow and gain fame :tongue_smilie: . I remember it when it was first introduced as a temporary idea and had old tires in the centre as markers. (Swindon is a test town where governmental ideas are often put into practice.) Last year they plonked the town's Christmas tree right in the middle. Odd idea, but thankfully one they seem to have forgone this year!

My parents, usually a small individual gift (2) Dh's parents usually get a joint gift (2) or should that be (1..?) Dh's Grandma gets a token gift, she loooooooves junk and knicknacks so she's easy to buy for! (1) Our 3 teenagers (3) I buy for Dh from my gift budget (as well as those noted above) (1) He buys for me from his own budget, shall I count him here? (1) Total: 10 If I have any professional photo's they get sent out according to how many I have to give. Grandparents are top of the list, then Dh's aunts/uncles, then my siblings, etc. I don't think of those as gifts and we rarely have the kids photographs taken professionally anyway. If we have something to give to extended family we do so at the Christmas gathering. One year I had tried my hand at candle making, another year the kids and I made a lot of different cookies, and a couple of years ago Dh transferred a video'd interview of his Grandfather onto dvd's for all his aunts and cousins. Best gift ever! More often than not we don't give anything. I did send two of my friends a small gift each this year. I didn't count them because I don't usually exchange gifts with friends and don't plan to do so in future, however I just taught myself to knit and needed a couple of victims to pawn my efforts onto. ;)

I have the Knit Picks Options (metal). I like them but they are very slick and pointy. I have a few cheap metal needles, Boyle brand I think, and they just don't glide as easily, and the tips are much blunter. ONe thing to consider with the Knit Picks harmony is the colouring. I have the 4" dpn set and I find it very difficult to see yarn against the woodstain unless I'm sitting in very bright natural light. The tips are pointy on those as well. I also have a cheap set of bamboo dpn's and one pair of straights. I don't like the feel of the grain when one needle slides across another but they are very light and it is helpful for a newbie knitter like me to have the yarn grip the needle sometimes. L