I have never organized one but the ones I have attended went like this: Everyone brings in a couple of dozen of their favorite cookies along with copies of the recipe for everyone to take. The cookies are displayed and people graze to their hearts content.

Smile and nod. That is the rule I try to live by.

I hope it went well.

I cull my friend list all the time. I tend to keep my friends list to, well, actual friends. I noticed recently that my list seemed a little large.

I agree that most shows should end by their 3rd season but I did not find Serenity a satisfying wrap up to the series. I wanted more, dang it.

Depending on what time we have to be out the door for a field trip my must do's are math and grammar.

We spent many years without a single credit card. We cut them all up in 2001. My dh lost his job right after dd was born. He was unemployed for almost her entire first year. I am thankful we had the credit cards. I was still working full time at this point but my salary was not enough to support us. Without the cc we would have lost the house. That said, we did get deep in the whole. Car repairs, groceries, unexpected medical bills, etc. As soon as dh was working again we cut them up. It took 5 years to get out of that debt. During this time we relearned the joys of "cash on the barrel" and continue to live that way. It still amazes me that I veered so far away from my budgeting when dh and I got married (but that is another story). If we don't have the cash then we go without until we do. A few years ago we got one for emergencies-when the furnace gives up in November kind of emergencies.

I will admit that my initial reaction would probably be anger. If I was being honest with myself anger caused by embarrassment. If I was not being honest, I would take that anger out on you. The reality is, your note was reasonable and polite. If it was me, after I had calmed down I would take steps to keep my dog inside when not home. I may never speak to you again because I am embarrassed. However, that would come out as misplaced anger towards you and I would avoid you at all costs.

I don't think I will ever forgive my dh for getting me hooked on Firefly. It is just no fair that there are no more episodes.

Basically, Words with Friends is Scrabble. You play with your friends.

spaghetti and meatballs.

Mostly: Words with Friends. To be honest, I prefer the Scrabble interface but everyone I know uses Words with Friends instead so I accepted that resistance was futile. I go through phases with: Bejeweled Blitz (I like that it is only a minute) Zuma Blitz Mindjolt Games-Bouncing Balls

My dh: Sleeps Works Maybe runs an errand or three If I am lucky, he will do something on the Honey Do list.

My dd went through a phase when I had to explain the clean underwear concept. We are now experiencing "If you wore those socks yesterday then they are not still clean." It is my dd who thinks fart humour is da bomb. It is my dd who can burp on command. It is my dd who can burp part of the alphabet. It is my dd who forgets to flush. For all you moms of boys, it is not just a boy thing.

I googled the sports thing and it is true. Which is timely for me because I was getting ready to jump through hoops next year to get my district to agree to let my 9th grader participate on the high school swim team. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2011/11/homeschooled_nj_students_can_now_play_public_high_school_sports.html If your child was enrolled in school you need to send a letter stating that you are withdrawing your child to homeschool.

I think it depends on the job being performed by the telecommuter. For example, is the telemarketer in sales? As long as they are making their numbers then they would not be terminated.

My tried and true recipe: I give them to the dog.

Life is too short for high maintenance friends. Friendships wax and wane. Sometimes, you have to let go of a friendship because you are no longer meeting each others needs. That is okay.

If you can't use banana peel, saturate a small piece of cotton with apple cider vinegar and cover the area with duct tape. It will take a few weeks but the wart will come off.

My mother made a wide variety of foods but I was a very picky eater when I was a kid. Now I will eat almost anything.

You reminded me that dh's aunt caught on fire at my sil's wedding. Well her dress did. We were seated and the aunt came over to talk to us. She is regaling us with a story when I notice her sleeve caught on fire. I interrupted and said "*****, you are on fire." And she said "No, Kathy, the story is not that good." and I said "No, you are on fire" at which point dh realizes that she is on fire and reaches across the table to pat out the flames (mind you there were water glasses full of water all over the table). Since, it wasn't serious, we all laugh about it but now I am thinking that flowers on the buffet table would be a better option.

Arrested Development: It is not Sci-fi fantasy but it is quirky and witty. Reaper

The going rate around here is $12-$15 an hour for 2 kids.

Perfume and cologne give me a massive headache if I am near them too long. My dh applies cologne after he leaves the house because of my sensitivity. People want to smell nice so they wear a scent. Most of the time I am fine with it. I do not care for cloying floral scents. I think those make me react the worst. However, someone walking by wearing some Drakkar Noir. That can still make me weak in the knees as I flashback to college.

Well done steak does not compute. Our family joke is that you should put the steak on a plate and walk past the grill and then hand me the plate. I like my steak black and blue. However, if you are going to insist on shoe leather, I recommend you marinate your steak overnight. I like to use Teriyaki and garlic. Lots of garlic. Sometimes, I will add a little grated ginger to the marinade. I think they come out best on the charcoal grill.