ME TOO!! I read it as "walking at 4.5 months" and thought TROLL!! TROLL!!! :-) astrid (whose Molly Cate walked at 7months 3 weeks! NOT ready for a mobile infant!)

Molly is 15 and I totally HEAR YOU! :-) So far I've got a Beatles iphone 4 case, some books, clothes, THIS portable ipod speaker, and a few things from Etsy. She LOVES the Beatles and I found a few neat gifty things-- song lyric necklaces, etc. Does she have any sort of favorite bands, sports, interests? I've found lots of great gifts on Etsy, reasonably priced. Plus i like the idea of supporting local crafters. Hope that helps; I"l lhave my eyes on this thread looking for replies! astrid

MINI BODEN!!! That's it!!! Thanks! astrid

The one that was smaller than normal size and had cute, funky clothes for kids, and also had adult sizes? Not Garnet Hill...... Can't think of it, and I don't get it anymore. Anyone know? Thanks, astrid

OOH! We've gone to dog shows in Frankenmuth and it's one of our FAVORITE places! We stayed at a the Bavaria Inn, I think? The Berner nationals were there one year, right at the hotel. ("Berner" is short for Bernese Mountain Dog) Enjoy your trip! astrid

I wish my dd had inherited my horsey gene. Alas, her horses are dogs, and my equipment languishes in my tack box. Sigh.... astrid

I could not agree more. And further, I'll take the EXTREMELY unpopular view that in my professional experience, Labrador Retrievers are NOT great family dogs. By and large, they tend to be VERY high energy dogs, bred to be in the field going at top speed all day long. They're totally in-your-face dogs, jumpy, mouthy, busy dogs and for a phobic two year old, that could just be mind-blowing. Add to the equation that this particular Lab is six months old and has VERY little training or human interaction and in my opinion, it's a recipe for disaster. If you do decide to give it a go, please do a weekend trial. astrid (flak jacket on--- I know there are tons of Lab lovers out there, and I"ve knot a lot of great Labs. But they're often quite a handful)

This is what we use. astrid

People who sell puppies on Craig's List and the Internet are puppy millers. They are. And if you buy a puppy that way, you will almost certainly be in for big issues. astrid

LOVE HER. And Ina. Dh calls Giada's show "Cooking With Cleavage." :D astrid

My neighbor has a little girl named "Tempe" and she is teased mercilessly: "Tampon! Tampon!" Just a heads' up..... Molly's oboe teacher is named Tamar. She's in her late fifties and is a lovely, talented woman. astrid

Thanks; I was wondering about this too. I like bright whites. astrid

Good idea! I didn't even think to ask that. If I decide to attempt making my own laundry soap I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the replies, everyone! astrid

That all looks so AMAZING! Especially the worms! They're so realistic! I can't believe they were that easy to make! The potatoes are adorable too.... I"m glad you had such fun! astrid

Are you on Ravelry? I'm a knitter not a crocheter but I know there are LOTS of patterns for matching girl/doll sweaters or jackets there. http://www.ravelry.com It's free-- sign up, do a search and try not to be overwhelmed by the awesomeness of Ravelry! :001_smile: astrid

Do you find that it fades the clothes more than store bought detergent? Or causes less fading? Do you find your clothes are not as soft as when washed with commercial detergents? How about cleaning power? We're not really dirty people, but my 78 year old mom lives with us and often drops food on her front-- we all do, really, so we do have a few stains to deal with. I usually use a pre-treating stain remover in combination with my detergent. I've never really considered making my own before, but I am intrigued by the link that someone provided in the thread this morning. Looks easy enough to do, and I wouldn't do it as a cost-saving measure necessarily but just because it seems better for the environment, etc. I'm concerned about long-term effects on clothing, though-- specifically fading and softness. Thanks for any input. astrid

EWWW!! Collect and TRADE??!! COOTIES! (or would that be "scooties?") sorry--- I live in fear of lice and bedbugs. I've never had either but I fear the clock is ticking. astrid

Molly is 15 and shops mainly at American Eagle, Eddie Bauer, Old Navy, and sale racks at J. Crew and Hollister. If we're in Kohl's shell look around in the misses department because she cannot stand Jrs department there. astrid

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. astrid

Hey Firefly! Stay safe! Evacuate if you need to--- the reports are getting scary! We're up her in the northwest hills and expecting to lose power. My office is closed tomorrow, but DH's isn't--- stoopid Hartford Financial! Hang in there everyone! astrid

I haven't read the other replies but it makes me immediately think of the FLDS sect and their "Yearning for Zion Ranch." To me, it has quite a lot of negative connotations. astrid

HI there, Molly saw the ped. this morning, who said just what one of the kind replies to my original thread on Wednesday said--- bacteria on the skin was causing the terrible infected pores. He prescribed a month of oral antibiotics (minocycline) and a topical cream containing benzoyl peroxide and another antibiotic, clindamycine to use daily. Our pediatrician is very cautious about antibiotics-- I think Molly's been on them maybe three times in her life--- but he said in these cases, it's the only way to break the cycle. So we shall see how it clears up-- I'll keep you updated! astrid

Haven't tried peroxide; it's one of the only things we haven't! :-) We'll try it tonight-- with dogs the size and hairiness of mine, I've ALWAYS got giant vats of the stuff at the ready in case of a midnight skunking! :ack2: Zinc didn't have much effect. astrid

Interesting!! Did he go off dairy originally because of a sensitivity or allergy? Molly has no dairy allergies, but maybe she's developing one? She does love her yogurt/honey/fruit smoothies for breakfast, and is a cereal or oatmeal girl. astrid

Could you explain this more? Molly was in the ER last winter for suspected appendicitis, but it turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst. EXTREMELY painful. No episodes since then, but she does often have painful blind zits on her chin. Hmmm...... astrid