You had to mention saltine toffee! Which reminds me of Jill and her Christmas bra post which is THE most hilarious thing I've ever read... And then I saw Amy in Orlando's name elsewhere and thought about her fantastic soaps (it's time to reorder - I can't believe how LONG a couple of bars can last!)... Why didn't I saw top ten, instead of top five? Can I post multiple times and list five each time? LOL

Oh, Pam, do you love hot pepper jelly, too? My dh has a friend who has a little cottage industry making pepper based condiments (jellies, sauces)... his pepper jellies are the best I've ever tasted! PM me your mailing address and I'll send you a jar. Serious. Robin

Your loss is our gain! I'm planning to go out of my way to get up there and meet Beth! Yoo hoo!! She's finally here! Robin ETA: That was kinda smug, wasn't it? I'm sorry you lost your friend to a move like that. I know you two were close and that you'll miss her terribly. I'm more sorry, though, if I came across as gloating or inconsiderate in any way... You're just going to have to come down here for a visit so we can all meet YOU too!!

Or could you call her and say that you are concerned about the way it looks after cropping, and that you'd like to show it to her and either get her approval or give her a chance to choose something else? If she doesn't think it looks bad, you might have to just let it go... I don't think I'd try to explain this in writing... I'd arrange to show her the pictures and how they compare to others, and they will probably be VERY thankful that you were considerate enough to contact them with the concern... let them decide if it makes an inappropriate suggestion, or if it would embarrass them in any way. You are very kind to consider them like this... I wouldn't make the judgement... I'd just involve them in the decision making. Good luck Robin

Sounds lovely! I hope you'll have internet connections so you can hop in and tell us how its going (and post some gorgeous pictures!) Have fun and a safe time! Robin

Oh, I'm jealous...where do you stay for such an extended time (if that's not too personal)... are you renting a place? Wish we were closer!

And I don't drink milk straight out of the jug when no one is looking, either.

Okay... this literally made me laugh out loud!!

With the sadness about the Chapman's dd last night, and the conversation today about satisfaction being a state of mind, and the discussion about what sort of community this is, I thought I'd take a few minutes to reflect on the positive impact this place has made on me. I decided it could take all night so in the interest of time, I'm going to list my top five all time favorite reasons why I love everyone here so much. If it wasn't for TWTM and these boards, I wouldn't... have found several perfect programs for my dd be homeschooling anymore (seriously... I think I would have quit by now) have a miele vacuum cleaner have eaten Marlboro Man sandwiches for dinner have discovered that a toothpaste ingredient caused the ulcers in my dh's mouth have met and/or gotten to know many beautiful, intelligent women who I now consider friends Okay, so that's six. I'm having a hard time cutting this off and sticking with five. But there's my start. Do you have a top five?

(((Peek))) I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I've sorta been through it twice... I don't have any specific advice but I'd be happy to talk to you offline anytime you need... for encouragement,for a shoulder to cry on, for someone to sit and listen to a much needed pressure release without fear of judgment... anything you need. These are hard times, but they can be sweet times, too. Whatever you do, try your hardest to not treat him like he's your dependent or your project or your ministry in any way. The loss of independence is probably themost depressing thing for an elderly ill person. They need to feel a sense of control, a sense of independence to some extent, and some sort of value to their life. You can accomplish that by giving him something to do around the house and make sure it's something that is really helpful and appreciated (for my mom who went blind, it was folding towels. Boy howdy, did she look forward to folding the towels... people from that generation were usually valued by the work they produced and she NEEDED to make a contribution to feel any self worth at all). Okay, I know this isn't answering your question, and I know you already know all this stuff... just thinking outloud here. There are a lot of social services available when you take in an elderly relative. I would suggest talking to a social services coordinator at the hospital for a start... sometimes they can be very, very helpful. The other thing I'd do is start checking out hospice organizations NOW. They are not all alike, and some aren't nearly as good/compassionate as others. When the time comes, you want to be ready with a decision already made... it's hard enough as it is when you get to that stage without having to rush into a decision about which organization you want to go with. Start asking about referrals now. Best wishes, and many hugs, and much love your way. Robin

Oh, ((Doran)), I'm so sorry this is happening to your friends. Certainly divorce is most painful to the couple going through it and their immediate family, but the collateral damage is underestimated, imo. Unfortunately, most people I know who have divorced have ended up moving on to other friendships altogether (both of them), or it was like they divided up their friends like they divided up everything else (He got the Millers, she got the Davidsons). I think it's hard to maintain the same level of friendship with both, because both of them will move on and start new relatoinsihps and they won't be comfortable coming to the same social events. I don't think you have to side with one... just hang on to the friendship that is the most special/important to you and let the other one go if it drifts in that direction. Naturally, you're going to be better friends with the woman, I would think. Sniff. Divorce hurts so many... Robin

I received one, too. I wonder if they are new? I've never heard of them before... wonder where they got my name and address.

Sahahamama - what's really fascinating to me when I think about the way my grandparents and parents lived in the 20's (the canning, the washtub), is not how self sufficient they were or more capable than I am... I am not captured by their lifestyle so much... what I *am* captured by is their attitude about it - they lived that way and thought they had it GOOD. *That* is what is missing today in my mind... not the self sufficiency but the satisfaction with the lifestyle. People today seem to be more concerned about what their life isn't instead of what it is. I'm sure my grandkids will look back on how I lived and will think my life was "rough" (already my dd is shocked at the idea of no computer, no cable tv, no microwaves, no central a/c)... what I'm really hoping is that when they look back on it, they will see me as someone who really appreciates everything I *do* have and that I was satisifed with my life. When people look back on past generations, and they think of them as simpler times, I think what they are referring to is not simpler day to day life, but a simpler mindset - a simpler way of finding satisfaction with honest work, a simpler appreciation for life, being genuinely entertained with simpler amusements. You can do that today, but I admit it's hard to keep all the stimulus shut out. I wish the poster with a vacation home in Maine would invite me up for the summer :). Robin P.S. I know you weren't romanticizing country life, but I think many do and it's sorta contagious,kwim?

Jessica, Ellen and Eliana have already expressed my sentiments... I'll just add that I believe that the CPS folks thought that they had to do it this way, or else they'd lose control of the situation because people would leave the state, etc. I think in hindsight, they'll realize this actually weakened their case, especially from a P.R. standpoint, and in cases like this you really need the public backing you up. But how were they to know? This was a tough call. I can't help but wonder if what the officials were trying to avoid was another Waco fiasco... you know, to just sweep in and grab them all before the men had a chance to hide anyone or barricade officials out probably seemed the wise thing to do. I,too, still don't know or understand where the men are. And I don't know for sure that this particular sect of FLDS participated in the early forced marriage that we know has gone on at the other compounds. Maybe it has and if so it should be stopped, but again we really have to consider the possibility of innocence in the absence of any evidence at all.

I have some of the same sentiments, to be honest. But here's a confession... one of the top executives of CPs in Houston is an old classmate of mine, and he was a pretty good friend, and he is really a nice, nice guy. Seeing him at our (ahem... cough... cough...) 30 year reunion a few years ago reminded me that there are very nice people behind the decision making of CPS, and that they really do want to protect children from harm first and foremost. I know a homeschooling mom who, with the help of CPS, managed to win a fight to adopt a child they had been fostering. So I know they can be nice. And I know they can be supportive of homeschooling. I think they crossed the line here, and I think it's good that technically, CPS's wings were clipped a little with this ruling, but you know what... that must be a very, very frustrating job... to day in and day out deal with abused and neglected children and to want to help them, and for it to be your job to help them, and to have your hands tied and deal with such a negative public image... it would be too much to bear. I couldn't do it, to be honest. But I'm glad someone *is* doing it. I think this whole thing was mishandled, and it needs addressing/correction, but I'm still hanging on to a sliver of hope that the majority of those involved truly were concerned for the kids... there might have been a few who just wanted a chance to bully the group, but I'm hoping those were the minority... people will abuse power when they have it, that's for sure, but I do think that most people in CPS at least start out with it for the right reasons. I hope so.

Dittoing everyone else's recommendation... 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3.

I am not sure that this is the best news for all the kids, at least not for ones that are forced into early marriage... but I'm hoping that it's good news for most the kids, and I'm pretty feeling pretty selfish here when I saw that it is most definitely good news to me as a Texan. I was hoping that this case didn't set a precedent for extending CPS power to remove children.

You know, that occured to me, too... but only after David C won. So I guess no matter what the outcome, I had a conspiracy theory for it! LOL

LOL!!

Oh no! Stay safe, and I will pray that your home stays safe, too. Update when you can.

I agree with Cindy in that usually, on this forum, when someone accuses someone else of being a troll, what they are saying is that they don't think you can trust the poster to be who they say they are or to be telling the truth about their situation... that they're in it for the reaction only... that they are not sincere, so don't take them seriously. They can be very sophisticated in their way of earning others' trust/allegiance - machiavellian (sp?) even - but in the end they always slip up and people figure them out. Eventually. It's really not that big of a deal, but usually when one is ratted out they end up going away (or reinventing themselves).

I'm so sorry, ((Heather)). Robin

You're lucky. By 44 I was at least 50% gray. Probably more. I started graying in my 20s.

Amy, this is great! My dd would love to have a mom like you :). I guess I'm in the minority... I liked GM last night. I didn't think he looked bad. I didn't think he sounded bad. I thought his performance was pretty darn good, considering the cold and all - I mean, he could hardly speak and he sang *that* well? ... and I thought he had aged pretty well considering everything he's been through. I just really, really, really liked him last night. Of course, I'm a little older than him and if people saw me today who haven't seen me since back then, they'd be saying a whole lot worse about me, so maybe I'm thinking in relative terms :).

Yes, the addiction was extreme in our house. Could just be my dd's personality, but I'm glad to hear she's not the only one with this problem. I will say that months after banning the game, my dd still has times she grieves over not being able to play anymore. I won't go into all the details about how frightening it all was (yes, what I witnessed frightened me... that is not too strong a word), but let's just say I rue the day she was ever introduced, and I rue the day I said yes, and I rue all the days that I wasn't paying close enough attention to what it was really going on and how it all affected her.