Thanks for all the ideas! They all sound good. Not sure about doing something hot. I think it is a good idea, but I'm going to be at the dinner too, so I really need to have everything except coffee and tea pretty much ready to serve. I'll have to think about that. I would invite you all if I could. :-)

Yes, you can and in fact are encouraged to write to the child. They ask for 3 times a year. I guess we get 3-4 letters a year, plus always a thank-you letter for birthday and Christmas gift. Some people I know write monthly and I wish I could manage that, but I haven't been able to. In my experience the level of interaction varies. We have sponsored two children. One was a boy from Peru. He wrote long chatty letters full of questions. He answered our questions too. That was a lot of fun. Sadly for us, after a couple of years his family moved to another area where that program didn't operate, so that relationship was severed. We have been sponsoring a girl from Uganda for about 15 years. Her letters are much more rote. For a long time the letters were written by a translator, but then it became obvious the girl was learning English, so she wrote them herself. For a while the handwriting was almost illegible! That resolved, but still, it is a little harder to feel a connection with her. I do recall her telling us how she spent the money we sent for her 8th birthday: among some relatively inconsequential items was a goat for the family! That was exciting to us (my kids are 2 and 3 years younger). And it showed what an impact we could have. Don't get me wrong - we enjoy the letters and are happy to be involved in her life! But, just being honest here, it adds a lot when the child can really respond to the letters. When this child ages out (I think at age 22 which will be next year) I may take a break from sponsoring, though I will still donate $$ regularly.

We have been sponsoring a child through Compassion International for quite a few years not. It is fun to get letters and such, and see how the child is growing up. We've done one or two animal "adoptions" and that was kind of fun, but speaking only for myself I can't imagine bringing 12 stuffed animals into my home in a year. :-) ETA: we also donate throughout the year and don't focus on anything in particular for Christmas, other than that's the time there are coat/hat/mitten drives, and opportunities for special gift giving like Toys for Tots and giving trees.

:grouphug: :grouphug: I often feel like I am sitting on the sidelines of Christmas shopping, whether I need to or not. Some years have been very tight, and some years, not so much. But we have never bought lots of gifts for our kids or anyone else, really. There can be much more meaning in little things - like a handwritten postcard - than in big things. Well, there can be meaning in both. I know a family whose kids are delighted by things that my kids have always taken for granted. Like, hot cocoa. Marshmallows are such a treat! My kids don't see that as a treat - there is always hot cocoa makings available in our house. There is no delight anymore. I pray you will find a way to delight your family and yourself within your budget this year!

My church is having our annual dinner this week. For some reason it starts at 5:30 pm so will most likely be over by 8:30 or so. I'm inviting the people at the dinner to come to our house afterward if they want to keep the evening going a little longer. Also people who can't (or don't want to) be at the dinner but might be available later in the evening. Anyway, maybe 45-50 people. At that point everyone will have eaten dinner and dessert, but I need/want to have some food anyway. For one thing, I'll be serving alcohol, but also... people like to eat. I have tons of ideas and recipes for appetizers but I'm trying to figure out what is the best kind of thing to have for late-night snacking. I don't want a ton of leftover food that won't keep. So far I'm thinking of: - Warm brie with some sort of topping - Two (three?) other cheeses (cheddar, maybe manchego, maybe a plain goat cheese) - Muhammara (roasted red pepper dip with walnuts - clearly marked for nut allergies; this is also dairy-free) - Bowl of roasted mixed nuts OR a bowl of nuts in the shell with tools - give people something to do? - Bread or crackers, and celery sticks, red pepper strips (or mini peppers?), maybe cucumbers as vehicles for cheese and spread - Cheese straws - Some sort of plainish cookie for a bite of sweet - shortbread, maybe, or a tin of cookies from the store, like the Danish butter cookies that are everywhere - Dark chocolate, such as a bowl of wrapped Dove pieces or Hershey's kisses - Bowl of clementines That looks like a lot but it is all stuff that will keep and/or my family will eat if it doesn't get consumed on the spot. There is one person who has a non-life-threatening nut allergy, and one person with celiac who might or might not be there but generally brings his own food anyway to be safe. There won't be any kids. I don't want to use utensils other than spreaders and cheese knives. :-) I will have red and white wine (prob Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc), decaf coffee, tea, sparking water - I've found a grapefruit one that people seem to like - plain water. Maybe I'll bring out the amaretto and kahlua to add to coffee if people like. (There is no alcohol at the dinner, so people won't already have been drinking.) Whew, long explanation but anyway, party planners, what do you think?

How old are your kids? I found them to be OK but not great for up to about age 12, I think. (After age 12, forget it.) They were well-organized and there were a lot of books, fiction and non-fiction, and a lot of them were cheap, but there weren't a lot that were really useful for us. The only specific memory I have is of getting a novel that turned out to be one of our favorites. But other than that my general impression is "meh." This was 7 years ago so things may have changed. Certainly it's worth a look if it's convenient. LOL at first I thought you meant you were working on your relationship with your mom and this was an event to help you with that. But it's your library relationship, right? That's better. Oh, I am in the US.

I think it can have a positive or negative meaning. Since he gave a compliment (did a great job with your son) and followed it with "but," then the next part was not meant to be a compliment, I don't think. But you never know. Is the guy generally a decent sort; do you get along OK with him and all that? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. Could be just a compliment gone awry. Well, either way I wouldn't worry about it! :-)

A lady walked up to me in Walmart and said "are you a coffee drinker?" (We were not in the coffee aisle.) Not sure what she was looking for, I said "yes, but not a coffee expert" because I didn't want her to ask me for advice. She showed me a jar of instant coffee and told me that it was the best instant coffee and for only $1.60 for that jar, I should go get some for when the power goes out. "You just stick it in the back of the cupboard till you need it!" She was so sweet. I could imagine her picking out people to give that piece of wisdom to. I was kinda glad she chose me, kwim? It seems like a good thing to have a face that inspires such interaction. :-) I guess?

This reminded me... Sometimes around town I see this guy who looks to me like a grumpy, creepy old man. Something about him just creeps me out. One day I was driving with my daughter and saw him walking. I said "Oh, there's that guy who creeps me out so much." She said "Oh! That's Jack! He comes into [cafe where she works] a lot; he's so nice! Why do you think he's creepy?" Now, she wouldn't accept a ride home from him or anything like that, but at least she saw him as a real person and not as a type, and a negative one at that, like I did. (Not that he has ever offered her a ride home or talked to her any more than was appropriate for the situation.)

I don't understand the intense dislike of interaction. (Please note I did not say I judge or condemn or dislike anyone for it, just that I don't understand it.) I am introverted, and very shy. I don't love talking to people I don't know, and even when I do know people, I prefer to have conversation groups of three (rather than one-on-one) so I don't have to talk as much and carry the conversation. But still... saying hello and engaging in a little chit-chat with people in stores or cafes or whatever is so innocuous but often so helpful to people. Especially during the holidays (at least here in the US where after Thanksgiving, people just get madder and madder till Christmas arrives), I think it's important to engage with people. I often ask cashiers how their day is going and when I'm leaving, tell them I hope they have only happy, pleasant customers for the rest of the day. I don't like complainers who obviously hate their jobs, but most retail workers I run into like their jobs, but don't always like the people they have to deal with. (I started my working life in retail as a Christmas worker, so I know how awful it can be.) Chatting with fellow customers in line can help ease tempers when the wait is long. I don't mind self-check and will generally use it when available, but if that method disappeared tomorrow it wouldn't bother me either.

Just one thing on the Amazon gift card (a gift I love to receive!) - unless you know the family has prime, be sure to get a card for at least the amount that gives free shipping. (Last time I needed to know this it was $25, but that was a long time ago.) Sorry if that seems obvious/insulting to mention, but I have received many gift cards that don't cover much of anything once shipping is factored in, so in my experience it isn't obvious to everyone. (Not just Amazon but other places.)

Thanks. Vegan Cuts is one I had seen and was thinking about, so it's good to hear about your experience with it.

DK has a lot of cool books. Well, they are popular in my house. Lots of photos, some text. For ex: Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide (amazon link) Here is the DK site: https://www.dk.com/us/books/

Recently I saw here a reference to Birchbox, a cosmetic sampler subscription box. My daughter would love something like that! However, she has been insisting on using only cruelty-free cosmetics so I don't want to get her something she's not going to use. Anyone have recommendations for cruelty-free subscriptions? I've done my googling so I know some exist, so what I'm looking for is personal experience, good or bad. Thanks!

My kids would have felt that the gift card was really for the parents, not for them. I agree with giving a gift card to a local bookstore.

Ugh. How awful. And I get it. I am old enough to be my kids' grandma, and many times people would assume that's who I was, so I had to correct them. And they'd be mortified. Once, at the orthodontist, the receptionist (a young man) asked me "are you grandma? Or mom?" I said "I'm mom" and he was horrified. He said his mother would be so mad at him for that. I said "just always assume it's mom. If it is grandma, you've made her day, and if it's mom, you haven't mad her mad." People just don't think. They don't mean to be rude, but they just don't think.

Yes, have your daughter take him. That is great for everyone involved. You can go to another game another time. A 13-year-old I think could understand the situation.

Maybe they believe they are adding value that a larger or online store can't provide. Here's another example of a small store providing good service/value. I was having some problems that seemed to be related to the cheap, worn-out walking shoes I was wearing. A friend recommended a store that specializes in waking and running shoes. I resisted - I don't like spending a lot of money on shoes - but finally went. The store clerk spent at least 30 minutes with me, watching me walk, asking me questions about the kind of pain I was having, what type of walking I do... then brought out several pairs of shoes for me to try. She showed me how to properly lace them, watched me walk in each one... you get the picture. I walked out in my new shoes. Yes, they were cheaper online, but I wouldn't have known what to order if I'd gone online first. And no online store could have given me the service that store did. I was the only customer in the store during that time. I hope that was an unusually slow time. I'd hate to see that store go out of business, because I'll want to go back when my shoes wear out. But in any case, you are probably not the kind of shopper we are talking about. You are free to choose how you shop. I also don't think it's a problem to go in and ask a few questions and not buy if they don't have what you want. There are a lot of reasons people don't buy. What people are objecting to is going in, taking up a lot of time, trying things on with no intention to buy (like the REI example above). There is a difference. Shopkeepers know that not everyone who walks in is going to buy something.

I enjoy getting mixed baskets or boxes. We send a mixed box to some friends every year - small containers of tea, coffee, chocolates, cookies. Once someone sent us a fancy cookie mix (not a homemade one in a mason jar, but a commercial one) along with some nuts and other little treats. An assortment of little things is fun, I think, and if one or two of the things don't "fit" it usually doesn't really matter. It just really depends on what people like and can use. Someone once gave me a basket of lotions and other personal care products. It was very nice - but I couldn't use the stuff as it made my husband sick (allergies). But it's usually not too hard to know if people like coffee, hot cocoa, and other things like that.

I think it is. If I am browsing and I find something there that I want to buy, I buy it there, because I wouldn't have known about the book if it hadn't been for them. Sure, Amazon may carry it, and I could save a few bucks on it. But Amazon didn't bring it to my attention. They didn't have it on a shelf where I could peruse it. B&N went to the expense of stocking the book. Unfortunately, their selection has gotten smaller and they seem to be focusing on games and toys more, which is understandable. But still; if I'm there and discover something they stock, sure I'll buy it from them. It's the same thing with smaller, independent bookstores; I know some people who work for one. They are in competition with Amazon - Amazon carries all the books this store does. But Amazon doesn't send out an email newsletter with blurbs of the books, or highlight them on their facebook page or home page of the online store. Most people wouldn't know about those books if it wasn't for this small store. And sure, it hurts them when people use their resources to explore and find new books, only to give their business to Amazon. Now I am a big Amazon shopper. I do buy books from them sometimes, among (many) other things. I also don't have an unlimited book budget. But it's still worth it to me to support the stores that help me discover new books.

What method did you follow? I've seen a few different recipes with different times - 5 minutes, 8 minutes... I just did my test run and am ready to do eggs!

Here is how I found it: http://instantpot.com/new-anti-block-shield-september-2016/ It was so hard to get off! My daughter did it, and then once she got it off I was able to pop it back on and then off again.

Moxie, I just posted about this in the sale thread. You and I must have the newer type pot. It is hard to snap off. My daughter got it for me the first time, but I've been able to do it since. ETA: Here is where I found it. http://instantpot.com/new-anti-block-shield-september-2016/

Well I am peeved already. The inside of the pot does not match the diagram in the manual. Turns out I have a different kind of anti-block shield. But, I can't find any help on getting the thing off. I have a low tolerance for fiddly appliances so am ready to pack it up and send back. Ok, while I was typing madly my daughter got it for me. Moving on...

I came home today to see my IP on my doorstep. That box is big! Now I feel intimidated and I haven't even opened it yet. And I am a fairly confident, or at least adventurous, cook! So sure, I'd join.