I always left that clip down, just in case. Every instructor I ever had advised it. I never had a problem with the leather coming off accidentally, even when jumping, and I did a lot of jumping. Even when I fell, that leather stayed on.

When we camp we always bring our Coleman camp stove and our cast iron dutch oven and skillet with accessories for cooking in coals/over a fire. You can bake just about anything in a dutch oven! I have made pizza, pies, biscuits, stews, casseroles, you name it. You can use regular metal pie plates and cake pans (for biscuits) inside the dutch oven. I also usually bring a regular skillet for the campstove. If you have access to electric at your campsite and you need to cook for more than 4 people, an electric skillet is really nice to have. You can fit more food in it than a regular skillet. Think one dish meals. You want to minimize cleanup. I would recommend you get a good dutch oven cookbook. The site someone else posted is really helpful too. Now I'm in the mood to go camping!

I think what the minister probably meant here is that if someone professes faith in Christ they are going to be drawn to and have a desire to fellowship and worship with other believers, and if they don't have that desire then perhaps their profession of faith was not of the heart (i.e., genuine). I don't think he meant that going to church is the path to salvation.

We have done the video series but not read the book. Have you tried to contact Ligonnier (sp?) Ministries?

Way too much, all taxes considered. I don't mind paying for defense. That is the one thing the government is charged by the Constitution to provide, and overall the cost is worth it. I'm not saying I agree with absolutely everything the military is used for, and I want to see the money used wisely, but I want a well-funded military. Our freedoms are worth preserving. I do believe there needs to be a total overhaul of entitlements. We think there are huge, huge, huge amounts of fraud and waste there, and we believe they end up doing way more harm than good. The government also has no Constitutional authority to provide them. ETA: I think the answers to this poll will depend on the responders philosophy on the roll of government in our lives.

Here's one of the big problems: ""We have the seventh-highest population, and it’s estimated that illegal immigration costs our state $2.4 billion annually," U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, a Republican from Savannah, said in one news release. Kingston’s office said the cost estimate came from a report by the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform. The 102-page report says it costs the state of Georgia and local officials $2.399 billion a year to assist illegal immigrants. That’s a substantial amount of money -- the entire state budget is about $18 billion." I would suspect the same story is being played out in nearly every other state as well. Perhaps before talking tax increases, the states should be looking at taking care of this issue. Glad to hear the libraries were saved, though!

My dh has noticed the same thing. He works for an engineering firm. He says the younger people that come in have an attitude of "you owe me this job, I'm entitled to it". He said the workers that are his age have more of an attitude of gratitude for having a job, that it's a privilege that you have to earn (and keep earning if you want to keep your job). The younger workers also seem to think they should have all the privileges the older employees who have worked their way up the ladder and paid their dues have. We are quickly becoming a nation of 2 basic beliefs. One says you are born entitled to everything under the sun whether you have earned it or not (everything is a "human right"), and the other says you are born entitled to nothing and should work for what you have (you need to earn your place in society). I don't know how these 2 vastly different worldviews can ever be reconciled. We have worked hard to instill work ethic in our boys and all 3 of them are hard workers and more mature in this respect than most of their peers, and even many older adults.

I'm not "patting myself on the back" here. I just think there are too many people receiving assistance who never think about where it comes from. We also pay a great deal in taxes; way, way more than we get back in any "services". In fact, next year we will lose our last child tax credit and will probably, when all is said and done, be paying out almost 40% of our income to the government. My dh is a civil engineer with a degree and over 30 years experience in his field. He does not own his own company; he is an employee. Nowhere in my post did I exhibit any hatefullness or "scorn". I simply stated that those whose money is being used have a right to ask for some accountability from the government and the recipients. That's not "scornful". It is being good stewards of our money. I also believe I am done with this conversation.

See, here is where I have a problem with the "don't judge" argument. If someone is asking to take part of my family's income, we have a right to ask if our money is going to someone who really needs it, and to be assured that it will be used wisely. It's just like when someone asks you for a loan or one of our kids asks for money for something. Do you just hand it over and not ask what they will use it for? If the person asking for the loan then uses it to buy beer and cigarettes instead of food or to pay the electric bill, I have a right to make a judgment about their behavior and whether or not to loan them any more because it's my money. Just because the government is taking it from me and redistributing it doesn't mean I still don't have the right to question where my money is going. Please don't say to me, "just hand it over and be quiet, what I do with your money is none of your business". I also think that assessing the situation will better weed out those who are taking advantage of the system. Please have a little respect and gratitude for the taxpayers who are footing the bill, especially since we have no choice in the matter. It would be so nice to hear a "thank you". As far as who should be classified as being in need, I think if someone needs help providing basic food and shelter needs for their family or they will go hungry or be homeless, then obviously that is real need and they should receive assistance. Beyond that, I think it depends. I do think there needs to be better oversight and the rules need to be refined so that the help only goes to those who truly need it and the system isn't abused, which works to everyone's advantage. There are so many variables involved here, I don't think there can be one flat answer to the question.

This. Is it me, or is the atmosphere on this board become increasingly hostile to conservatives/Christians? This convention controversy has led to an awful lot of offensive statements and borderline "bashing". I'm starting to feel more and more uncomfortable and unwelcome here. In fact, I already know of more than a few moms at our classical Christian group who no longer come here not because of the controversy, but because the whole discussion has degraded to the point where they no longer want to be a part of this forum at all.

Wow. I know you probably didn't mean it like it sounds, but as a conservative Christian I found that offensive. That follows the old stereotype that only ignorant, uneducated people who can't think for themselves would believe all that Christian stuff. Please tell me you didn't mean it that way? :confused: Most Believers I know have college degrees, are or have been employed in demanding professions, are very well-read, and are anything but non-thinkers.

Well I haven't seen admirable behavior on either side. :glare:

Ds took 2 years online with Veritas Press. We found it to be an excellent program. Many of the teachers also teach at the school in PA. www.veritaspress.com It is reformed in doctrine and conservative. ETA: If you do decide to enroll, don't wait too long. Many of the classes, especially Omnibus, fill up quickly.

:iagree:

This episode really bothered me. I didn't think Amanda should have died either. Kind of pointless, which maybe was the point, but there could have been a lot of storylines involving her. I honestly thought it would be the dh of someone at the party like someone else said, or the dh of one of the wives (the one that somebody else mentioned as well). It looks like the next few weeks are going to be pretty intense as well, focusing on this theme, which I guess makes sense. I don't know, I may stop watching. Things like this tend to really effect me even though it is fiction. Not quite sure I can deal with it over an extended period of time. Life itself, including real losses, is hard enough, KWIM? To add some perspective, I have a ds that just got out of the army last summer, so I guess I'm a little more sensitive to this kind of thing.

:iagree:Apparently the terms "bigotry" and "intolerance" only apply to people who disagree with those doing the name calling. Christ told us we would be persecuted for our beliefs and that the world would hate us. He also said the time would come when good would be called evil and evil would be called good. I guess we've gotten there.

We recently went to health savings accounts, but before that our co-pay was $35. It was $50 for specialists. Prescriptions were of course extra along with any tests. We would just get billed for what insurance didn't pay. With the HSAs we don't pay anything up front but have to wait until it's submitted, then get a bill for our part. Some things go right to the regular insurance, like mammograms, but most regular stuff comes out of the first $2,500 in the savings account part. Dh's employer puts half of that into our account but we have to come up with the rest. I think dh has budgeted some money every month to contribute our part. Our monthly premiums that cover the "regular" insurance have gone down though. Malpractice cost are a big percentage of what you pay in office visit fees. This is why we need tort reform, which will result in those costs coming down, probably significantly. Allowing insurance to be bought across state lines would help with rising insurance costs, as it would provide more competition resulting in lower premiums. Along with the rising costs, I'm also concerned about availability. I keep hearing about practices which are considering closing due to high costs. My physicians in TN, where we just moved from, were no longer taking medicaid or medicare patients, or any state programs as well. They said if they were forced to they would just close. Our pediatrician there said the same thing. That is very scary.

I think you should be able to cook acidic foods in cast iron. Just don't store any leftovers in the pot. Extended contact with the cast iron will interact with the food. This is why I used enameled cast iron. You can cook and store food in the pan without any concerns. I would add, you can't cook over an open fire with enameled cast iron, or at least I've always heard you can't, so it might be a concern if you have a gas stove. We have regular cast iron we use when we go camping.

We have always carefully scrutinized our bills. When I had my first one, the urologist charged me $700 for a 2 minute ultrasound the nurse performed with a little portable unit in his office. Insurance would only pay about half of it. We complained and he removed the rest of the charges. When I had my second one, we received the bill and realized they had charged us for procedures done on my roommate. She had complications and required a stomach tube, x-rays, etc. and it came to thousands of dollars. We told the insurance company and they handled it. It's not just insurance companies. I think there are many hospitals and doctors that will over bill patients just to see if they can get away with it. I think they know that many people don't even bother to look at their bills.

Consumer Reports recommended 4 products in this order: Finish Quantum (79) 30 cents per load Finish Powerball Tabs (77) 22 cpl (CR best buy) Cascade Complete All in 1 (74) 28 cpl Cascade with Dawn Action Pacs (74) 23 cpl I am currently using the last one because that's what my Costco had at the time and I had a coupon, but I will probably switch to the CR best buy. We have soft water, and the gelpacs did a much better job than the powder. I didn't get why the Powerball finished second because it had 3 excellents and a very good, while the Quantum had 2 excellents and 2 very goods. Not sure about the reasoning behind that rating, but the best buy seems to be the cheapest and the best. The above options are more expensive than powder, but still cheaper than using powder and adding a packet of lemonade mix.

When you are looking at houses, make sure you check out property/school taxes. We tend to have rather exorbitant school taxes here in PA.

We used to grow hybrid tea roses. We had several like Mr. Lincoln, Double Delight, Queen Elizabeth (climber), etc. However, we found them to be too labor intensive and decided to switch to antique roses. My absolute favorite is New Dawn. It is light pink with a beautiful scent and the blooms are suitable for cutting. They are especially pretty before the bloom opens, IMO anyway :). Antique roses are low maintenance and tend to be a little more tolerant of drought and cold than the hybrid teas. I get mine through Antique Rose Emporium. They have a catalog and I'm assuming a website.

I have been through Harper's Ferry but haven't really spent time there. I can tell you the area is very scenic but it appears to be a very small town. I would just do a search to find out what's there. Maybe someone who is more familiar with the area will respond.

Thanks everyone. All good points and food for thought.

Oh well. I guess with all the budget problems though I can kind of understand it. I'm wondering if our headmaster realizes this.