Thank you for sharing the link, that looks interesting.

I am sorry for the lost relationships, and I totally agree on the name calling (what do they think that possibly helps?) But really I loved the part I highlighted in red. If you only read material and talk to people that make you comfortable you can not grow and you miss out on a much bigger world.

I went from conservative-ish to liberal-ish :) I'm not sure if the change came because I got older and saw more of the world and learned that so many of the 'truths' I believed were only one small part of the overall 'Truth'. Or maybe I changed because I moved from the Southwest to the South and am shocked on a daily basis by some of the things I see and hear. I finally decided that I can only decide for myself and my highest goal is to never ever makes anyone else's life harder.

My oldest dd was diagnosed with gluten intolerance after mentioning brain fog, fatigue and insomnia to her doctor (diagnosis confirmed with testing). We saw a marked improvement in energy, focus and happiness after eliminating gluten. She never suffered the traditional digestive issues.

I have so many topics I want to study and skills I want to read up on that I just don't seem to get around to fiction books. I do read fanfiction online because I enjoy the community feel of fandoms sometimes. But then I rotate out and go back to nonfiction. Current topics are: knitting, fiber arts, fermented veggies and inventor diaries.

:svengo: I admit I was looking for a picture too. Also notice how everyone seemed to assume 'of course she has a microscope and will use it' ha ha ha I love homeschoolers and all those who are eternally curious. Would this case be 'internally curious' though? ETA: Changed 'no one' to 'everyone" to match my original intent. sigh

I will join the 'yeses' :) But if this is her first flight take the time to tell her ALL the steps. Check in - curbside or at counter - need ID and boarding pass ready Walk to security - again ID and boarding pass - take off shoes, liquids gathered into a plastic bag and outside of your carry on. Find gate - Open seating? (Southwest) or assigned seats? Have boarding pass out and ready, can put ID away. After flight - baggage claim etc. Walk her through the process and make a back up plan. Give her a number to call if flight is delayed or luggage lost. This is a great opportunity and a real adventure. :)

I will be hanging out looking for ideas. :tongue_smilie: I am looking for a few great recipes for freezer cooking.

See if there is a College Fair near you. You will be able to look around and the variety of options out there without feeling any pressure. I did this with both of my girls summer the summer/fall of sophmore year. That way if there was something they really wanted we had plenty of time to cover the requirements. I also second the Colleges that Change Lives book. My oldest girl went to New College of Florida which is one of the colleges listed.

Me too exactly! I also find sudoku soothing, filling all the little blocks with numbers :). And geometric, like zendoodles, coloring books. I usually do one of those activities while talking on the phone or watching tv. For some reason they help me focus better than empty hands.

My husband has a fairly long commute and likes to eat breakfast on the drive. Usually cut up apples, slices of cheese, chopped veggies or hard boiled eggs. Every now and then we get into buying granola bars. Not the super sweet General Mills stuff but the Kashi or Luna bar type. Even the 'betterish' kind have lots of junk in them so this week I baked a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for him to take. I used good quality oatmeal and raisins, brown sugar, egg and butter (not margarine). I think, even if they are cookies they are healthier than the granola bars. He thinks cookie = too much sugar. I will probably make homemade granola bars next, I found several recipes to try. In the meantime, fresh homemade cookie :drool: or nasty boxed commercial granola bar :glare: ? What does the hive say?

I just had to share. :) I just received an email from the Continuing Education Dept of the local University. They are offering a 'Transformational Listening" seminar, two day workshop for $995.00. :ohmy: As soon as I saw this I remembered this thread and had to share.

It did not strike me as icky or sad. It seems more like an extension of the time honored role of hairdressers and bartenders. A sympathetic ear with no connection to the issues in real life. At one point I was very frustrated with a family member, I vented to a close friend. Afterwards I felt really awkward every time I discussed family with this friend. I only needed someone to hear me, I just wish I had picked someone who didn't know the other party.

I hadn't thought about that JodiSue, but that could make sense.

oh...thanks AK Mom, that makes sense. I never thought about churning gift cards and credit cards :mellow: I am sure someone could figure out some kind of scam but it seems like it would be a lot of work. Of course, I was trying to get an extra 15% on my present I guess. :lol: Use credit for the 15% discount then pay it off with gift card. Maybe I could design a scam. :coolgleamA: Go me! but sadly, I have been foiled. oh dear

I rarely shop at Penney's but one of my daughters really loves the Sephora cosmetics. I went to the store and used my Penney's card to purchase some gifts, I used the card because it offered me 15% off my purchase. :) Since then someone has offered my a Penney's Gift Card. I would love to use it to pay the charge account but apparently this is not possible. I looked around and this seems to be the policy everywhere. It isn't a huge problem, I will just pay off my credit (happy with the 15% discount) and use the gift card to buy something else. Now I just want to know WHY? Is this some kind of credit law thing? Any experience in the hive?

Do not try to brush seriously curly hair, use a pick very lightly to straighten out tangles. Also try to cut back on shampoo, the more curly hair is stripped of oil the harder it is to manage. There have been times I was convinced that dd21's hair was sentient and we had angered it somehow. :lol:

I would not be upset. But I acknowledge that you feel what you feel. :) Do you believe she meant to upset you? because that would be a whole 'nother matter. I would not assume evil intent. (((hugs)))

Sorry, I gave up on TV news a long time ago. I read several sources online (mix of right and left leaning) and prefer to follow any big item on at least two sites in order to get a more complete picture. I often start with Huffington because they aggregate a large number of stories but I prefer to chase down a second opinion, :glare: I like NPR for radio and I get my local newspaper on weekends (sometimes they have longer background pieces for the national news). Even with that I do not really feel informed.

Is there an embroidery equivalent to Ravelry?

Thank you for the links the "Three Oaks" gloves from Julia Mueller are gorgeous. Way out of my knitting league but gorgeous

??? People sweaters with chicken designs or sweaters for chickens? I remember a few years back some folks were knitting sweaters for baby penguins after an oil spill, clean up had removed their protective natural oils.

okay this is my favorite post in this thread so far. Now you are giving me IDEAS, :( I have already raised chickens and plan to try quail this year. How much harder are rabbits?

Honestly, my first thought was to say "The Well Trained Mind Forums" :lol: I have an unfortunate bent to interpret questions too literally. IRL reading I have several gardening and knitting books open but no particular 'reading' book going.

I just looked up 'zendoodles', my mom used to do this kind of pattern work on scrap paper will she watched TV, I did not know it had a name. Now I want to try some. Thanks for the idea.