I get to stay home from teaching today, but I also get to spend the day in bed. I crawled into bed yesterday after school at about 4:00 with shivers. My temp climbed to 101.3 and I was down for the count. This morning I am up and about just because I am so tired of being in bed! I'm sure I will be going back there soon. So much for my flu shot...I see it really helped a lot. ;) This is already the second time this year I've been sick. The last time was a cold and I just endured it and medicated, not taking time off. I only get three precious sick days a year and don't like to use them needlessly. There have been so many teachers and kids out lately. It has been a very germ infested environment. I knew it was just a matter of time before I was one of the casualties. Let's party. Who's got the Advil?!

Absolutely. When he has to travel for work it is like part of me is missing. He is the center of my little universe.

I'll second that. Carbs sap my energy big-time. I do better if I save high carb foods until the diner meal and then only if I don't have to go out anywhere after dinner. This is especially true for any grains. If I can stick to proteins, a bit of veggies, and a bit of fruits during the day I am more energetic.

I don't know what you're talking about...plugging ears and humming so as not to hear anything bad about Target. I love Target. My ds has worked there for most of this year and has been employee of the month twice. :D Our store is great. The management is really good, the store is very clean, and they DON'T PLAY MUSIC! Also, I've heard that the employees are very handsome and helpful. ;) Of course, I am biased and I shop at Walmart too, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

:grouphug: Hugs here too. :grouphug:

Yes, thank you veterans and those serving now for your duty to freedom. Blessings to you on this day and always.

How precious! Happy Birthday!!!

A happy ending for dear kitty! Thanks for the update. One of our cats walks around with his tail tucked under him. I think his tail is long and he doesn't like it to touch the floor. He is our "scaredy cat" who is afraid of everything. Just a thought about the purring. It may be that he is enjoying the attention, but purring can also be a sign of stress as well as pleasure. They somtimes purr if they are in pain or feeling very anxious. It must help to calm them. You may want to let kitty come to you instead of picking him up until he is fully healed. Best wishes for kitty!

We have a similar set-up with a round table and four chairs in our greatroom. Our only tv resides there and we eat meals, do homework and crafts, and play games there instead of the kitchen or dining room. It is the most used area of our home. Everyone can be together in the same room that way.

My Rival was ancient too and not well used. I sure am glad of that now. I too despair that we have used it at all. Enjoy your new Fiesta!

Agreed, or should I say "a greed". Thanks for bringing this to attention. I like to live by the old rule caveat emptor, buyer beware. I think it is extremely important for us all to become self-informed. The government and corporations have their own agendas and we as individual citizens are not on the top of the food chain so to speak. :D

I requested you as a friend. I don't know why you already weren't?! Of course, now you will get another request and be odd all over again...

Since you are used to using acrylics on a wall, why not prime both sides of the bristol board with wall primer or gesso and then paint with your acrylics in the same manner you have on the wall. The reason to coat both sides of the bristol board is so that it will not warp. Another idea would be to purchase pre-primed canvas that is rolled instead of stretched onto a frame. You can cut it to the size you need and fold the edges back. Run a bead of hot glue under the folded-back edges to secure them and then fold the top edge back enough to leave a pocket at the top for a dowel to hang the piece by. Then, just paint on it with acrylics. When you need to transport it take it down from the wall, lay a large towel or sheet across it, and roll it up. I have used this process several times to make banners for our church.

I won't chime in on the round vs square issue, but I did want to point out that on this list of dishes that were tested for lead levels in the glaze, Waechtersbach did not fare very well. Just wanted you to be aware since the board has been discussing the lead issue lately.

Well, we don't enjoy driving on holidays, but we have done it. For years we have driven 2-3 hours on the holiday or the day before and spend the night with my sister and her family. Since all of my family was in the same city and we were not, that made us the travelers. On the rare occasion they came to us, but it didn't happen often. With dh's family we have traveled 11 hours on holidays. Most of his family are in the same state and it is not ours! The long trek there during holiday weeks and in holiday traffic was not fun, but it was worth it for everyone to come together. My mom and dad are no longer with us and my sister whom I am closest to has moved several states away. My brother and sister who still live in our state are in very poor health. We won't be seeing any of them this holiday season. On the other side of the family, we won't be traveling to their state this year either. Now that our kids are teens they have to work during the holidays and aren't free to travel. Dh's parents are in their 80's and we don't know how many more holidays there will be where the whole family can come together. All that said, yes, it was hard to do all the traveling. We barely stayed home for any holidays when the kids were younger. We begrudgingly made those trips. It was not easy. If I had to do it again though, I would in a second. Those memories and time spent together with family cannot be replaced. We will be staying home this whole holiday season. We will spend it with no family, just the four of us. It will seem very strange and lonely. It seems like it should be ideal, but in reality the holidays are about togetherness and that piece will be missing.

Thank you, Spy Car, for bringing this to light. I am gladly discarding my Rival crockpot along with my "made in China" Hometrends dishes which showed up with twice the acceptable lead level on a list of tested dinnerware patterns. I am happily reverting to my less than pretty white Corelle dishes and cherishing even more my old Pfaltgraff pattern that has been a mainstay in our household for twenty years and counting. These were both lead-free on the list.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Jesus restated this in Matthew 23:23: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Living out our faith is a heart issue that shows up in our relationships to others and to God. Do we indeed forgive others easily instead of looking for ways to place blame and hold grudges? Do we hold our own actions and thoughts up to the Bible to see how they measure up, or do we spend more time judging the thoughts and actions of others? Do we remember to keep an open conversation with God in prayer so that we can hear His voice and follow His lead, or do we go it alone and then wonder why He let us fail? Lastly, from Matthew 22:34-40 The Greatest Commandment Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Many happy returns of the day!

:grouphug: I could have written this exact post 15 years ago. Feeling your pain and anguish, Doran. Much love and prayers to you.

We budget $1000 a month for our family of four (two adults, two teens). This includes all food, all toiletries, all pet food and products (three cats and a large dog), all cleaning supplies, all paper products, and all eating out. We usually come in just under our budgeted amount, mostly because we seldom eat out!

Our public schools are open. My polling place is at a town hall, so it isn't even at a school. I left my school (private Christian school) a few minutes early today to vote. I figured I'd beat the after school crowd and it worked. I only waited behind two people. It feels nice to be home a few minutes earlier too!

How wonderful! Thanks for the great link.

My dd learned a bunch of Elvish at one point. I thought about awarding her credit... When I was a pre-teen I read every book on astronomy that our town library had. I devoured them. It just proves that we creative types must indeed come from somewhere else in the galaxy. Perhaps we are transplants from the Delta quadrant. Ah yes, Sam and Jack. We just watched an old episode tonight and marveled at Jack's humor and simple ways. Whatever you do, don't mess with the space-time continuum! ;)

Here you go, Deb. :D Klingon Language Institute I chose languages too. I would love to speak German, Russian, Chinese, Gaelic, and Arabic. I would also love to really learn Greek and Latin well. Klingon and Jaffa would also be nice, especially for one studying quantum physics and traveling the universe. I already like math and I adore astronomy. Dh has physics degrees, so I could bring him along for the ride. What say you, Deb? Shall we contact the Asgard to see if we can hitch a ride? As they say in Klingon, Qapla' ! (success)

My first was 8lbs 10oz, the second was 10lbs 1.5oz. I wasn't going to find out what a third would be! My grandmother had 10 kids and they were bigger as they went. The last was 13 lbs. I decided to stop at two and call it good. No diabetes involved and I started at 115lbs pre-pregnancy with each kid. Both were delivered vaginally with no meds.