DD8 has complained on and off that she has sudden surges of sadness for no reason. I've asked her if it's sadness or anxiety/nervousness, and she said it's sadness. She can't explain a cause but says it kind of overtakes her. From the sounds of it, it's rather fleeting - a few minutes or so. Is this the right age for hormonal changes? Could this be some kind of anxiety or depression? As background, DD is bright and fun - but has a love of drama. Picture a real life Anne of Green Gables. So it's hard for me to sort out what is really happening. However, I don't want to dismiss this if it's something really wrong. Her annual physical is scheduled for early December, so I plan to bring it up with her pediatrician. I'd appreciate any thoughts or ideas.

I read that one earlier this year but didn't care for it too much. I get that being in jail isn't fun, but her main complaints were the dearth of dark leafy greens (how many times could she say she didn't care for iceberg lettuce on the salad bar?) and a cranky boss. It also sounds like she spent the entire year entertaining visitors. And I was sick of her tone implying that she was the enlightened one who could non-judgmentally overstep cultural, class, and racial boundaries. It came across as patronizing to me. I didn't even realize it was a TV series. I'll have to look into it. Wonderful news! Congratulations! My only book recommendation is Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. It got us through many frustrating nights. Best wishes to your family as you welcome your daughter!

I voted other. Our church doesn't do background checks, and I happily send my kids to church school, but it's not because I necessarily trust each and every other member of our church. I actually just trust our church's process, which doesn't allow for one-on-one time. We don't always have two adults in the room (sometimes it's hard to rustle up one teacher to lead each class), but we never have one adult and one child. If only one child shows up for class, then either the class is merged with another grade or the child joins his/her parents in the main church.

If anyone is interested in listening to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on audio, I can recommend the reading by Dick Hill. His drawl and different voices capture Huck's youth and Jim's humanity beautifully. Haven't finished anything this week. Listening to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton in the car and reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley on my Kindle.

Finally checking in this week with last week's completed books. I hate it when I actually have to work at work and can't get to these important matters... 45. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton - Already discussed here, so won't go on, but thoroughly enjoyable. Great audio reading by Caroline Lee. 44. By the Time You Read this I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters - Well done novel about a young person contemplating suicide without relying on the cliche to achieve pathos. 43. Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella - Was looking for something mindless to pass a couple of hours, and this fit the bill.

This one is incredibly good. And it only has a quarter cup of shortening and a cup of sugar for the whole thing so it's not terribly bad for you. Plus it's super easy. As a side note, I've also subbed plain veg oil for the shortening and it came out fine. Even easier than creaming the shortening/sugar. http://www.cooks.com/recipe/rk3r45vx/mrs-cheneys-nobby-apple-cake.html ETA: You can also use 3 tablespoons of butter instead of the shortening or oil. Also works very well.

I'm no connoisseur, but I usually order sauvignon blanc. Kind of tart and crisp. I think it's the type of wine that you don't need the most expensive glass for it to not taste yucky.

Sounds to me like DD is envisioning a grand homecoming where she left as a child and returns as a woman. Her siblings race to greet her. She gets to be the grand poobah and host a movie outing while her siblings are grateful and awed by her maturity and generosity. She is a guest rather than a child. I think it's a bit of a fantasy, and having it play out differently will be eye-opening for her. I wouldn't try to spare her feelings by intervening and encouraging the other kids to play into it at all. If she's disappointed, it's unfortunate, but hat's part of being an adult, too.

Wow! Just looked both of these up, and they seem incredible! I love when creative people come up with ways to make a better mousetrap.

Try AC More or 5 Below for knock-off versions of the bands. DD actually likes them better than the ones that came with the loom. I think they run 3 packs for $5.

Another vote for LL Bean. I've had this set for several years now, and it's still going strong after several international flights and a few cruises. Like a PP mentioned, it's good to have light bags so they don't eat into your weight limit. These are nice and light but still sturdy. I have them in red (like another PP said, to stand apart from all the black at the baggage carousel) and it has got many grease stains from the abuse that goes on behind the plastic curtain once you check the bags. Finally, my only comment on the complete set is that while it may seem like a good value to buy the set, the carry-on shoulder bag is pretty much worthless. Tiny, unwieldy, and frankly ugly. It may be better to buy pieces separately to get bags that will actually be used, even if it seems like more of an initial expense.

My thoughts exactly. The same is true for the competitive students at DD's dancing school. They invest several thousands of dollars per year in their 10-12 yo's dance lessons ($300+/month), costumes ($70 each x 8 or more), competitions ($1,000+ entrance fees/year), gear (huge rolling wardrobes and makeup boxes, shoes), etc. Unless your kid is going to grow up to be a Rockette or something, it hardly seems worth it. I know there are some dance families on this board where the children have gone on to be professionals, but I'm sure they're the exception and not the rule.

I grew up fairly poor. My mom was widowed. We lived in an affluent community, and I know my mom sacrificed to give me everything she could, but I still often felt like all the other kids had more. I went to a small private college (on scholarship), and again I was always aware of the difference between me and my wealthier classmates. Now my DH and I are quite comfortable, thank goodness. We're not rich by any means, but we can definitely afford many of the "extras" like activities for the kids and whatnot. However, I find myself saying no to so many of them. No, DD can't have the rhinestone-studded dance team track suit for $150 (seriously?!). No,we're not springing for horseback riding lessons and all of the fees, equipment, etc. No, DD won't be the top seller of the school wrapping paper fundraiser at $8 a roll. No, DD won't get an Ipad just because her friends have them. No, DD will not get Uggs or a North Face jacket just because her classmates have them. The sad thing is, I know my mother would have scraped and scrimped and sacrificed to try to give me many of these things, and she would have felt terrible if she couldn't. Why is it that when we can't have something it only makes us want it more? It is so much easier to say no (without feeling deprived) when we can choose to as opposed to when we have to. It makes me feel awful for having asked my mom for more than she could easily give. ETA: Being able to financially afford some of the extras often comes at a huge cost of time. DH and I both work (him full time, plus a second job during summer; me 32 hours/week). Sometimes I have to say no to activities for DD simply because we cannot transport her to them. Girl Scouts meet after school, so she cannot participate as I can't get out of work early to pick her up. She has been invited to join the school's spelling bee team which meets after school for practice. Again, cannot swing the pickup. It feels just as bad to say no to those things as I'm sure it does to say no to things due to finances. We all want to give our kids everything we can.

The day Royal stops making lemon pudding is the day I make my last lemon meringue pie.

Sounds good. Just ordered it on inter-library loan. I hope my DH doesn't pick it up at the library and read the summary; he might think I'm using it as a tutorial and will be bitterly disappointed.

I still buy frozen bagels at my local grocery store. The brand is Lenders, and like a pp mentioned, they are a far more normal size than bakery bagels.

DD - Anne of Green Gables with an extravagant custom-made costume from Etsy DS - Fox costume purchased at the Carters store Last year, DD was Pippi Longstocking and it was a big hit (even in our local newspaper!). I just bought a denim jumper at the Salvation Army Store and sewed on a couple of red patches. Added a red turtleneck and mis-matched knee socks. Braided her hair and added a couple of those long balloon sticks to make them stand out straight. Eyeliner freckles. Seriously cheap, easy, and cute!

Style hairspray in natural hold. It was a cheap-o aerosol spray but it held perfectly without being sticky or stiff. Pretty pathetic but my grandmother actually used it, to give you a sense of the type of product it was...

I guess the only thing that would motivate me to start preparing for DD's exit so early would be if I found things that were really unique. For example, a plain old Farberware spatula would not be worth tucking away for 20 years, but maybe a hand-thrown and painted pitcher from someplace we'd traveled would. Or if I were handy, I might start to embroider special fingertip towels or something. One thing I liked having when I left home was a collection of Christmas tree ornaments that my mother had assembled over the years. She added at least one ornament each year based on what I was interested in at the time or places we had traveled during the year. It was a great start to our first Christmas tree.

My mom had a heart attack a couple of years ago. She had been suffering from pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism (like that isn't enough trouble). Then on Christmas Eve she fell and didn't know why. We had company so she just got up and carried on. A few days later I insisted she go to the Emergency Room because she looked horrendous: gray skin, swollen ankles, could hardly stay awake. An EKG revealed she had had a heart attack. The doctors suspect it was on Christmas Eve. Like a PP's mom, they put in the stents, and she recovered quickly and has been fine for two years. Then a couple of weeks ago, same thing. Another fall without knowing why. Overwhelming exhaustion and she looked terrible. Another trip to the ER, more EKGs. Not a heart attack this time, but she needed a pacemaker. She's doing much better now, but the cardiologist said if she hadn't been treated she would have been dead in 10 days.

Also not a huge fan of Salem. Many of the witch things are kind of honky-tonk and pretty cheesy. This may not be your cup of tea since you're interested in history, but I'll put in a good word for the Peabody Essex Museum. It's not huge, so very approachable and has some neat ship artifacts and maritime art. The museum shop is also very nice!

I'm listening to The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton right now, and it is fantastic! This is the first time I've tried one of her novels, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The reader on the audio version is exceptional and really adds to my enjoyment of the book. I've already reserved a couple more Kate Morton audiobooks at the library. Finished one this week: 41. The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes - This is the memoir of novelist A.M. Homes, in which she explores her adoption and attempts to meet and consider having relationships with her birth parents. Sadly, there are many unfulfilled fantasies and unmet expectations, and she finds she doesn't actually like either of her birth parents, leading her to a long and laboriously documented study of her ancestry concluded by a lengthy diatribe against her birth father in a pseudo-cross examination style. There is so much anger and sadness here, but it doesn't make for good reading. Not a book I'd recommend.

Make them yourself. They are seriously easy, and you can make tons of bows and clips to match every outfit. You can buy nice grosgrain ribbon for a dollar a roll at Michaels and then the alligator clips or barrettes from Sally Beauty Supply and make TONS of bows for the price of one boutique bow. A glue gun can be had for a few dollars at Michaels or Walmart. Here's a link to a great site with lots of free instructions: http://www.girlythingsbows.com/index.html Or google around for free bow tutorials, free clippie instructions, etc.

At first I was thinking my history-loving DD would go crazy for it. Then I looked more closely and was like, "What's up with the colonial beefcake?" Yes, definitely weirdest fabric ever.

I've been researching Ikea kitchens extensively. Many bloggers/designers have incredibly creative ideas to make the Ikea cabinets look more custom using molding, trim, lighting, etc. I highly recommend googling "custom Ikea kitchen" and spending some time on houzz.com and the gardenweb forums. They have some brilliant ideas that I plan to shamelessly steal when we finally get around to doing our kitchen. ETA a link to a pretty good blog about installing/customizing an IKEA kitchen: http://aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.com/2012/09/tips-tricks-for-buying-ikea-kitchen.html