Nope. It is no one else's place to comment on your family size. Also, their god sucks. I'm sorry you had to deal with crappy comments from crappy people, especially when you were hurting.

I'm just angry. Unhelpful, I know, but it's the truth. And then a friend was assaulted the day after the shooting by some guy screaming homophobic slurs and threatening to kill him. He ended up with a busted face and some broken ribs. Why? Because he was gay. In 2016, because he was gay. Yeah, so I'm angry.

That's how I always understood it--that the water in the crock helped to keep air out. This is the butter crock we have. I keep unsalted butter (for baking and cooking) in the fridge, and usually keep salted Kerrygold out on the counter in the crock for spreading.

No, that's not how I ask people to get together. It's usually "hey, I was thinking about doing/am doing this thing on X day. If you want to come with/come over/do this thing, too, let me know." This avoids putting anyone on the spot--maybe they're busy, maybe they just don't feel like getting together/going wherever/doing whatever, and that's ok. Starting the conversation with "what are you doing X day?" for any other reason than making conversation/just curiosity is rude, and would exhaust me, too. It is a trap. This person may not be doing it intentionally, but that's stressful, nonetheless. My answer to that question, unless I've got something definite going on--like being out of town--is always "I don't know," or "I'm not sure." Leave yourself an out. You can be polite and not alienate her while also maintaining your boundaries. I know the relationship is important, but your sanity is important, too. :grouphug:

Lanny, my Dell E6400 preferred to tether, but didn't have too much trouble using my iPhone hotspot. My new E5550 connects wirelessly with no issues. Both are Windows 7. The E6400 was persnickety depending on what I did on the phone.

Wow. I'm just in awe over your hay prices and whatnot. And ability to travel. I don't have neighbors, and must pay someone to take care of our critters. $35+ per day. Assuming they can handle the horses. That's rare. Forget finding someone willing or able to milk goats. I will not feed round bales to horses. Cheapest hay here (worth feeding to horses) is $6+ per bale...if I'm really lucky. I generally pay $7.50-$10 for grass hay, $20 for alfalfa. There is no amount of grass that will keep weight on my ulcer-prone, off the track thoroughbred or my 27-year old mare. I spend far more per month to feed 4 horses than I do my family of four humans. Lol My only experience with beef cattle was at a farm I worked at. The escaped the fence and were promptly shot by the local cops. It was not a nice experience, as you can imagine.

A flight of stairs. She lives in a ground-floor apartment; we have the top two floors. My husband's parents live 7 miles away.

Thanks for starting this thread. This is a conversation that needs to happen. I'm an atheist. Humanist might more accurately describe me, though. Because while I don't have a belief in any deity, what I do believe in is my fellow person. And hell if I'm going to sit by and just watch while anyone, of any religion, is persecuted solely for which God they choose to hold their faith to. Never again.

I think Elf is the only Christmas movie I ever watch. We couldn't find it on Netflix last night, though.

No worries on the laptop thing. My current Dell laptop is actually my work machine, and they will replace it rather than repair it. However, if my company will let me buy it inexpensively (I think they usually do this), I might do so to keep it as a personal laptop. So the information is helpful, thanks! And yes, might be helpful to someone else. I really doubt I'll end up with SSD, but I will do additional research.

Thanks, Lanny. One of my Dells is actually the Latitude E6400. :thumbup1: It's been a decent little machine, but yes, I need a desktop for this one. I've outgrown the Latitude. Also, it's starting to break down--the touch pad no longer works, for example--and it did so within about the same time as any of the consumer models I own (it's about 4 years old, about the same age my last Inspiron was when it started to go). And to get a faster, more powerful machine within my price range, I might have to go with a consumer model. I did look at the Optiplex models, but to get the specs I want I'd have to go out of my budget. I want the Intel i5 or i7, 8 GB memory, and a 1TB hard drive. I'd really like to go SSD, but I can't afford it. I'd like the NVIDIA card or something comparable. In a Dell, that means I'm looking at the XPS 8900, which I can get out of the box with those specs and within my price range. That's definitely a consideration.

I assumed most manufacturers let you upgrade their base models. I was playing on the Lenovo website earlier doing just that. Unfortunately, when I added the processor, memory, and SSD upgrades to the $300 base model I priced myself out of my budget. Whoops. :laugh:

Ooohhh, never thought of that. I can and was planning on waiting until after Christmas, anyway. Thanks for the idea!

I agree that physical activity helps--at least, for us it does. One of the best things for my kids is the huge hole they've dug in the back yard. I had to limit it a little bit when eldest started measuring its depth with youngest, but otherwise, just letting them dig is a great energy burn and attitude adjuster. Eldest also likes to skate, ride his bike, build obstacle courses around the yard...you name it. If outside time is getting limited due to weather, do stuff inside. We have a large punching bag inside to get rid of excess energy when we can't be outside. I really want to get one of those mini-trampolines (the 36" round ones with the handle) for inside, but I don't think we have room for it. :( I think that would be great, though. My kids also love to do workout videos with me. I use Fitness Blender (online; all free) a lot.

My Christmas present to myself is going to be a new computer. I pretty much know how I want it configured, but I can get the specs I want from most any manufacturer and am having a hard time narrowing my search. I currently have a few Dells, an HP, a Toshiba, and an iMac. I've been more satisfied with the Dells than the other (I'd gladly use that HP and Toshiba to shoot skeet), and another Mac is out (I want a Windows-based machine). But I'm not married to the idea of another Dell. I just don't know much about what else is out there. I don't need a big, screaming gamer set-up, so something mid-range in terms of capability and price is what I'm after--just something that won't be obsolete in 6 months. Something configured with decent speed that is expandable. It'll be used for plenty of plain ol' internet surfing, but I also will be using Adobe products (PhotoShop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.). Desktop publishing, some web development, stuff like that. I want a desktop. I've got plenty of monitors and keyboards laying around, don't need another laptop, and can get more for my money in a desktop machine. Opinions on brands or models I should look at? Thanks!

I think I gained 5 pounds just reading this thread. I totally like getting those cookie (or other sweet) mixes in a jar. Then me and the kids can whip it out in February when we NEED a cookie, long after the gluttony of December has passed. I don't have a favorite, but I am sure Pinterest has enough ideas to keep you browsing for the next 48 hours or so. :D

Whoa, wait. Let's back up to this whole Jr. is getting his own mini-fridge thing. Jr. gets his own mini fridge? Can you adopt me? I'd like my own mini-fridge, too. My list of wants for my mini fridge is pretty easy. I'll give you a hint. Starts with a "v" and ends with an "odka." Momma needs a toddler fridge. It just might not be very appropriate for, you know. Toddlers. Ok, all joking aside, I think most everyone else has already suggested what I would have around for the little if I was organized enough to do so. Great ideas!

Huh. I guess my family's living arrangements would be "shameful" to you. I've always lived with my mom. Yup. And I'm pushing 40. However, no shame here. My entire family lives on a beautiful farm, has no mortgage/debt, and will always take care of each other. Always. My kids (and their future families, if they so choose) are always welcome here. My parents provided for me, now we support each other, and when mom isn't independent anymore, we'll take care of her (dad is gone). Along the way we've supported each other financially in times of need and *gasp!* in more frivolous endeavors. Yeah. Like travel. We enjoy giving to each other, what can I say. I don't come from a culture or religion that either promotes or discourages multi-generational living; it's just what feels right and works for us. I don't believe that people who don't live with relatives are doing anything wrong or shameful. I'm not easily offended, but the implication that I'm "mooching" is kinda shitty. We all worked/work/will work damn hard for what we have.

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a great story; it's also part of his new release, Trigger Warning, which is a nice collection of short stories (and a few poems). So unless you specifically want the version with the pretty artwork, get the compilation. More bang for your buck. ETA: definitely not a Disney princess story. I referenced it heavily in a recent paper I wrote about fairy tales retold/expressed with a feminist perspective, if that gives you any indication.

Anyone else wondering what Amira got up to to get kicked out of Mexico? I bet it's a great story. Lol

Sounds to me like another policy to isolate young people from their families--can't live with your parents if they're in a same-sex relationship, can only have very limited contact with your family if you're on a mission, non-members can't attend your temple wedding...seems like a breeding ground for spiritual, emotional, and other kinds of abuse. Quite frankly, it's creepy.

Not the OP of that post, but I add a small handful (1/3-ish cup I'd guess) of raw, old-fashioned oats to smoothies. No need to cook. It really makes a smoothie into more of a meal that sticks with you.

Outside of the front page/staff writers, no. It's largely community moderated. There are rules, but no one is going to check sources or delete a diary for hyperbole. The community can up rate (and by that process kick an article into higher/more visible standing) or down rate (eventually even get members banned, if enough negative ratings are given). It's really an interesting process. I'd love to have a peak at the algorithms that keep that place running. There are some talented writers and interesting perspectives there. And some very cool people. But there's no lack of material you need to take with a grain of salt, as you might expect in an online community so large.

Ok, I see what you're saying. I don't disagree that the article was inflammatory, and misrepresenting the original article(s) isn't helpful. (If you are otherwise a fan though, I would point out though that the article is not a Daily Kos article; meaning, there are only a handful of writers who are paid and/or contribute to the "front page" of the site, and this was not written by a staff writer. Anyone can write/post to the site.)

Yeah. I used to be an active writer/contributor on that site. Linking the Pope to the anti-Christ would get you crucified (no pun intended) and run off the site faster than you could rack up 200+ comments. That's not the vibe there, by a long shot.