My son has been upset all day about this and we’ve spent a lot of the day talking about it. (Not depressed-upset, just sad because he was ds’s favorite artist). I didn’t really know much about him so I’ve been reading. He was only 21 and was open about his drug use. He mostly used prescription drugs and drank something called lean (not sure what that is). According to a few articles I read, it sounds like he was attempting to quit using. Of course they don’t know what caused his seizure yet, but I won’t be surprised if they determine it was drugs. I’m trying not to speculate too much in front of my son right now, as he thinks that I worry too much about drugs (of course I do!). He is only 15 and this is the first time that a famous person that he admires has died. It is sad watching him deal with this. And I’m also sad for Juice Wrld’s family...especially his mother. He was only 21 and had so much ahead of him. 😞

I also prefer the Oxford comma, but in this situation I would probably let it go. I am so sorry for your loss. (((hugs)))

well, my youngest is in seventh grade and if I stopped doing Santa, I would be crushing her hopes and dreams! (She knows...but she really really likes pretending. I’m the same way...she is my mini-me!). When my kids were younger, I got frustrated because they did believe that all of their Christmas morning gifts came from Santa. And then their grandparents got them gifts, aunts and uncles, family friends, etc. But mom and dad didn’t get them anything (or only got them something small). So I changed it to Santa bringing them one gift each, along with their stockings. The rest of the gifts were wrapped up and from mom and dad. Made me feel a lot better!!! Lol

Yes, Mark Bittman. My autocorrect hates me.

I see that a Mark Birman book was recommended in the other thread. Would his books work for me? ETA: autocorrect hates me. I meant Mark Bittman.

I found several used copies on amazon. I may purchase this. Thanks!

Reading the Mastering the Art of French Cooking thread, along with the goals and accomplishments thread, made me start thinking about future goals for myself. I’m not a cook. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking and dinner time often causes me anxiety because I don’t know what to make. The idea of using one cookbook to both learn technique and to cook through sounds intriguing. Is there a cookbook out there that could work for me? ETA: I’m laughing at my thread title and calling myself a “beginner”. I mean, I’ve been preparing meals for my family for 20 years! But I think I’d like to start with the basics. So maybe I’m not truly a beginner, but I’m certainly not at the level that I know many are at my age.

Welcome to the forum! How long have you been married? Since you say “new husband”, I assume it is a new marriage. Were you already familiar with your husband and stepson’s relationship prior to your marriage? The way that they interact really shouldn’t be a surprise to you. And I agree with the other posters that you need to just learn to love your stepson where he is and stop comparing him to to your grandson.

I was doing the EXACT same thing! My family’s cranberry salad also has jello in it. But boy, is it good!!! I don’t eat any other jello though and honestly, I never even considered my mom’s cranberry salad to be in the “jello family”. It is though. And yes, that cranberry salad alongside the dressing is just so yum!

I’be baked a chocolate chip pie and I’m baking the pumpkin pie next. Question...can I leave both pies on the counter overnight? Should I refrigerate? We are eating at 2pm tomorrow.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I’m going with the basic Libby’s recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

It is a Black Friday deal at Walmart. According to the ad that I viewed, the sale will go live online Wednesday night at 10pm EST. ETA: I guess I’m not sure if this deal is available online or if it is a doorbuster at the Walmart store on Thursday evening. I’m doing some more searching myself to see if I can figure it out.

My Fitbit Alta broke and I’d really like to replace it with an Apple Watch. The new ones (series 5) are so expensive...around $400 or more. I have a December birthday, along with Christmas of course, so if I thought that the series 5 would be worth it, I could get it for myself and call it a joint birthday/Christmas gift. But it looks like the series 3 is much less expensive. I even saw it for $129 as a Black Friday deal at Walmart. If you have an Apple Watch or know much about them, do you think the Series 5 would be THAT much better than the series 3?

My family is not that into pumpkin pie, with the exception my my dh. Normally someone just brings a store bought pie and dh is fine with it. This year, I thought I’d make one for him, but I’ve seen a few different recipes. Any favorites?

Sorry! I had to add one more. This was taken shortly after we got Teddy. She immediately took over the house...including our much older dog’s bed! When he was lucky, Teddy would allow him to share the bed...just a little bit.

Here’s our female pup, Teddy. She’s five now, so not a puppy. But she is definitely the baby of the family!!

I also have the basic and walk away the pounds. I’ve had them for a couple of years, but never gotten myself into a good routine of using them. Like you, I pulled them out after learning that Teresa had died, but watching the video made me sad and I couldn’t enjoy the workout. I may try them again too, as I believe that T-Tapp really is a good workout (and easy and fast!).

I like to roast them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I roast until they are starting to shrivel a bit - kind of ugly but good!

Dh and I just got back from Las Vegas, where we celebrated our 20th anniversary. I was pretty so-so on the Vegas trip, but dh really wanted to go. We only had give days, so that was pretty perfect for Vegas. We saw a Cirque du Soleil show, did tons of sightseeing (walked over 30 miles over the five days!), and even rented a mustang convertible and drove to see the Hoover Dam. Dh and I don’t have a ton of hobbies in common, so a trip where we were busy and there was lots to see and do was great for us. Not sure if Vegas would be your thing, but I think a cruise sounds like it could be a lot of fun for you. I’ve already told dh that I want to take a cruise for our 25th anniversary trip.

Are scrunchies popular with teen girls? I know my 12 year old dd loves them (she is obsessed with them right now), but I’m not sure about older teen girls.

Toss it all! Sorry ☹️

I’m 43 and have recently lost about 15-20 pounds, which puts me at a good weight for my body type. However, I exercise very little and I don’t do any strength training. Any suggestions for someone just starting out? I really don’t want to join a gym.

Thank you so much!!!

Thanks for the heads up! I don’t use Hulu often, so I think I will cancel. Anyone know when we need to cancel to not be charged the new rate?

I had the chicken pox when I was 9 months and then shingles when I was 3 years old! My poor mother...of course I don’t remember either.