Perry and OH Homeschooler nailed it for me, too. astrid

Is it so hard for you to believe? And why does it matter? I am a Christian. I was raised a Christian. But more and more, I'm thinking that teachings I was brought up with in the Christian faith are not what Christianity is anymore. astrid

Yes. Isn't that unfortunate. It won't do much good if (God forbid) more lives are lost, for we Americans to stand over here, hands on hips, and assign blame after the fact. With rights come responsibilities, and we have the RESPONSIBILITY, especially as Christians, to act in such a way as to not bring about harm. Don't we? Or am I missing something? astrid

NO ICE! That can damage the tissue! Just cold water! :grouphug::grouphug: So sorry for you guys--- that's a crappy way to start your day! astrid

Well, you know.....it makes for great press, what with all the hoopla at Ground Zero and all. Plus, fodder for the pundits. :glare: Sickening, the whole thing. astrid

:grouphug: Nope, sorry....it's felted. I do this on purpose with things I knit out of 100% wool -- purses, slippers, etc. The best you can do now is cut it up, sew it together and make a tote bag out of it, which would be really cute! Warm water + agitation = felted wool. astrid

WOW....I've been lost on that website for an hour! Thanks for the link! astrid

You are posting exactly what swirls in my head every time I see an ad for the show or see her name in print. GAG. astrid

:iagree: Yup....what she said. Enough already. astrid

LOL! PERFECT! We are both 40, and truthfully, my list contains a WHOLE lot of the songs you listed!!! Since one good turn deserves another, here's a sampling of OUR list; maybe there are one or two you could add to your fabulous list! Feel Like Makin' Love by Bad Company Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison (our wedding song) True Companion by Marc Cohn (LOVE LOVE LOVE this song!!) In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel Crazy Love by Van Morrison (again, AMAZING song!) Endless Love by (Lionel Richie and Diana Ross) True by Spandau Ballet Waiting For a Girl Like You by Foreigner Keep On Lovin' You by REO Speedwagon Take My Breath Away by Berlin Eternal Flame by the Bangles Faithfully by Journey I"ll Stand By You by The Pretenders Fields of Gold by Sting I Run To You by Lady Antebellum True Colors by Cindy Lauper Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You) by Van Morrison

Care to share your ipod playlist? I have a playlist of that sort too and I'm always looking for some new titles to add to it! Thanks so much! astrid

We have an old Victorian home with a large porch that has an octagonal wrap-around section at one side. We're currently in the midst of scraping and repainting all the trim-- spindles, railings, overhang, the works. All the trim is white and the floor (old tongue-and-groove flooring) is painted a dark federal bluish grey like the main house color. The ceiling has always been white. It's kind of traditional for porch ceilings on old homes to be a very light blue, however. I think the tradition originated in the south, which we are NOT, but it's not unheard of around here as well. I've seen some lovely examples of painted porch ceilings and am thinking it might be nice to switch things up and paint our porch ceiling similarly. We are thinking of "Atmospheric Blue" from Sherwin Williams Does anyone have a porch ceiling painted similarly? Have you ever seen this done? I'm kind of diggin' the idea, but a bit hesitant (it's the New England Traditionalist in me!) Thanks, astrid

Oh how sad. Thanks for sharing the link. astrid

I wish you luck. I just don't understand how it's tied to schools. Most of my FB friends (adults, but some kids) don't list any affiliation with a school of any sort. I hope you find some answers. astrid

Actually, Calico Cat said "Hmmm.....and used the "big ear" smiley, indicating she was waiting to hear more. As others weighed in, the OP continued to post new information. There wasn't much of a need to ask for more info, I didn't think. Links were posted, portions of email exchanges were submitted as proof, etc. Didn't seem to be a dearth of information, nor a dearth of sympathy for the OP's situation. But then again, I"m probably misreading it. astrid

If you are referring to ME, I'd like to point out that I did not question the OP's situation, I simply suggested that it didn't sound like something generated by Facebook, and that it sounded (to me) like some sort of hacking scheme. Having been hacked myself recently, it's something that comes to mind quickly. You know--- like the emails supposedly from Bank of America stating that your account has been closed? But whatever. Call me what you like. astrid

Are you sure he didn't get hacked? Or encounter some sort of virus? This just doesn't seem to be legit-- too many grammatical errors, etc. It just doesn't seem to add up to me. Something's fishy, IMHO. astrid

That just doesn't sound legit. Are you sure it's because he's a HOMESCHOOLER?! I've never heard of such a thing! :confused::confused: astrid

LittleKeets: LOL! I know! I think that's my problem--- I sit through SO many boring speeches that I'm petrified I'll do the same thing--- glass-over the entire audience ! I've got a personal story to start, then the true story of a Somali woman I taught to read in an adult education class who was never allowed to go to school because in her village, only boys were educated. Thanks for the great "roadmap." I'll definitely use that format. Mergath--- I'm focusing on how illiteracy rates among women lead to poverty, drug addiction and child abuse, and how adult education can target the female population in order to begin to make a difference in these social ills. Mostly among immigrant populations, and here in New England. Old Dom. Heather--- thanks for the book recommendation! I'm going to look for it and see whether I can use some of it; I'll bet I can pull some!

I was asked to give the keynote address at UNESCO World Literacy Day here in CT. It's an even attended by many adult education professionals and state officials, as well as many adult education students and their teachers. I'm very flattered to have been asked, but I've procrastinated too long! I've got to write the speech THIS WEEKEND and give it on Wednesday!! So help a sister out here and send me any of your thoughts, musings, links, etc. on LITERACY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN Thanks tons! Astrid (staring blankly at the computer screen!)

LOVELY dolly! I left a comment--- "Astridrobi" on Ravelry, but I use the same avatar everywhere so it's easy to tell who I am! :-) I'm a stress-knitter too. I lay in bed tossing and turning and thinking, "What a waste. I could be up getting a TON of knitting done!" Yawn, astrid

Have you recently used a topical flea and tick remedy, like Frontline? Based on the location you describe, it makes me think about an allergic reaction to the medication. Just a thought. In any case, here's our tried-and-true hot spot remedy: Trim the hair around the area. If he won't let you near him with the clippers, try trimming the surrounding hair short with scissors. Just do the best you can. Wash with betadine, castile soap or a similar mild soap. Blow it dry with a blow dryer set to "cool." Make sure the surrounding furry area is dry as well. Blot with witch hazel, blow on it to dry. Douse liberally with Gold Bond Medicated powder. Hopefully your poor guy will get some relief soon! Astrid

Me too. I was just wondering about this the other day...... Hmmm..... astrid

Wow, Mary, that was snarky. This is a ridiculous p***ing match. Who cares which company is worse? Lives have been lost, the planet harmed, and it seems that NO oil company is lily-white. We need to end our dependency on fossil fuels. Period. astrid

SO funny! Steve Martin rocks---- Thanks so much for sharing; I've passed it along! astrid