Thanks for the feedback. I think I heard all this somewhere too. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some information I wasn't aware of.

I've always cooked my corn before cutting and freezing, but I've heard some people say it's better to cut and freeze, and not cook it until you're ready to eat it. So, what say you all?

We just had our (overweight) cat to the vet. She said that an adult cat only needs 1/4 cup twice a day. I know your cat is only 10 months old, but she is almost an adult. I think 1 cup a day is probably too much, even at that age.

London Broil is a low-end cut and is very tough unless marinaded and grilled/broiled. I don't think it would do very well stir-fried, although I've never tried it. It definitely would not make a good roast. I agree that you need to grill it rare and slice it thin as well. The good news is, when prepared properly, it's delicious!

Thanks!

I have a 5 qt Rival that is almost 30 years old and is still doing the job. I prepare my crockpot with cooking spray. Cleanup is very easy. Make sure you get all the way up the sides to the lid.

We just moved back to PA 3 weeks ago! We are in Lancaster and so far loving it. Dh is originally from the Altoona area and my family was in Germantown.

Me! Personal responsibility, and not making someone else pay the consequences for your life decisions. The right to private property, including not confiscating my money. Helping the poor and disadvantaged through private sector charities, not a system of forced income redistribution that ends up not helping but enabling. People have a right to use their religious/moral beliefs when determining who to vote for. The first amendment limits government, not the private citizen.

I have been using KA flour and some of their other products for about 15 years and don't use anything else. I mainly use their unbleached all-purpose, bread and white whole wheat flours. Their whole wheat is good too, but my family prefers bread made with the white whole wheat. I also love their harvest grain blend, which someone else has already mentioned, and I use their colored sugars for the holidays. I agree with what some others have said about their baking pans and other supplies. They are pretty expensive and you can usually find them on Amazon. I love the flour wand and got it much cheaper there. Same with Chicago Metallic baking pans. I buy the commercial series which doesn't have any nonstick coating and I love them. The quality is such that I'll be passing these down to my great-grandchildren! If your local groceries don't carry it, you can request it. I did this at my local Kroger. They were somewhat hesitant but agreed to order the all-purpose as a trial. Now they can't keep it on the shelves and carry about 4 different kinds. I've also noticed that Walmart is now carrying it for an even lower price than on sale at the grocery. I just paid $3.19 for a bag of all-purpose flour.

I inadvertently gave the link to a summary. Here is the link to the original report: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2009/09/Obama-to-Spend-103-Trillion-on-Welfare-Uncovering-the-Full-Cost-of-Means-Tested-Welfare-or-Aid-to-the-Poor Go to the bottom of the page and click on "Read the Entire Report". It contains all the statistics and sources.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/03/Expanding-the-Failed-War-on-Poverty-Obamas-2011-Budget-Increases-Welfare-Spending-to-Historic-Levels

Actually, I have been there. I grew up in poverty. My father died when I was 4 and my mother did odd jobs here and there to keep us from starving. Family wouldn't help unless my mother agreed to turn over custody of me to them. I had two outfits to wear to school and have eaten more ketchup sandwiches for dinner than I care to remember. No one has to tell me what it's like to live in destitution.

Actually, anyone who is using federal assistance should examine their life choices that got them to this point. How else can they determine what they need to do differently to change their circumstances? After all, they are taking money that someone else has gone out and worked for. In that same line of thought, there are a lot of taxpaying families not on assistance that cannot afford chips, soda, and steak for their own families because they pay so much in taxes to support these programs. The average taxpaying American family pays $630 a month into the welfare system. That's a huge chunk of any family's income.

I have several pieces of Staub. It is comparable to Le Creuset. The differences are that Staub has a dark interior and Le Creuset has a light interior. Dark is suppposed to be better for browning and doesn't show stains. Light is better for seeing how brown your food is getting but shows stains, especially after several uses. There is a cleaner LC sells for their cookware but I don't know if it removes all the stains or not. Staub also has little spikes under the lid that helps return the liquid back into the pot, thereby keeping the moisture in the food. That's the theory, anyway. Other than that, the only differences are the shape and color selection. Even though I only own Staub right now (mostly because I found good prices in the sizes I needed), I have my eye on 2 Le Creuset pieces. I'm just waiting for a sale, like the one they had right before Christmas that I missed! :glare:

You may need to do it more than once. I use the "tub clean" feature on my washer. Because it uses bleach and I'm the paranoid type, I always run it a second time without the bleach just to make sure it's all rinsed out.

I use an electric knife and a bread guide. I have perfect slices every time. The one exception is when the bread isn't cooked enough and is a little doughy in the center or if I don't let it cool enough. I know you said you didn't want to spend the money on a bread guide, but, honestly, they aren't expensive and if you make a lot of homemade bread it is well worth it. Mine is a wooden one I bought at a home store and it was $10. My electric knife came with a detachable guide but it doesn't work as well as the bread guide, which holds the whole loaf in place as you cut. I just apply a little pressure on the end of the loaf to steady it.

I also have an LG set. No stain issues here either. Just really clean clothes using less water. Very gentle on the clothes, too, as is the dryer.

My ds16 is doing rhetoric this year and loves it. It has really helped his communication skills, both written and oral. Between that and logic he has learned how to analyze, formulate, and debate. It's also the culmination of the benefits of the classical model of education - how to take everything you've learned and communicate it effectively.

We are also under an umbrella program. It is absolutely the easiest way to go. They will also often be a good source for connecting with other homeschool groups. In our area we have some cooperative schools that meet 3 days a week. If you join their umbrella school they give you 2 options. You can go it totally alone except they take care of the legal stuff and the yearly testing, or you can pay a little more and your child can go on field trips, attend class parties, take part in the science and history fairs, etc. Since ds is in high school, he is required to test yearly and the umbrella requires him to keep a portfolio, which the state does not. I think they do it partly to protect the integrity of their program, and partly to protect the families in case the state ever comes after them for some reason.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. Anyone else?

We are in all probability moving to Lancaster in a few months. Would you include there in the list?

Dh has been offered a job near Harrisburg, PA but we would live in Lancaster. We actually spent a few days there last summer so we are somewhat familiar with the area and were able to talk to one family that has lived there awhile. I would be interested in hearing from some more people who live there or have lived there. We really loved the conservative, family-oriented atmosphere but we have a few specific concerns. I guess first is cost of living. We know that housing and property taxes will be higher but are there areas that are better than others? We are probably looking at the north part of the county, as far from the city as possible. The second concern we have is the crime rate. We have been told by the company that wants to hire dh (their main office is in Lancaster) that crime in the county is nothing to worry about, but in the city it's bad. I have a hard time believing that some of that city crime doesn't run over into the county. Apparently there is a problem with illegals and drug running/dealing and all the stuff that comes with it. Any feedback anyone can give us would be much appreciated!

I have had a Whirlpool Gold for 6-plus years now and no problems. It does a great job cleaning, but the silverware basket is on the door which for me is both good and bad. It frees up space in the dishwasher, but it is a bit of a pain to load. I load the silverware last, and keep the door halfway closed so the basket is sitting up. It's easier to load that way. That being said, I have the latest issue of Consumer Reports that rates dishwashers (Aug '09). Bosch was rated #1 and #2, with Asko third. The top-rated Bosch was $1,550. The second rated was the Bosch Evolution 500 series and was $850. The Asko was $1,600. The CS "best buys" were the Kenmore 1374 at $720, the Bosch SHE33MO at $600, and the Whirlpool God GU2300XTV at $550. Bosch and Whirlpool have the best repair records, with Kenmore a little lower down and Asko was near the bottom. Hope this helps.

I just got the new Consumer Reports a few days ago and they rated refrigerators. All in all, the bottom-freezers were the highest rated, with the side-by-sides second. Top-freezers were a little lower. You didn't say which models or size you were looking for or what your budget was. If you tell me I will look it up for you. Overall, however, the Whirlpool and Kenmore had the best repair records. Models with icemakers had worse repair records than those without (bummer!). Side-by-sides had significantly worse repair records than the top or bottom freezers. When all is said and done, it would appear that a bottom-freezer model is the best choice.

The original place that opened up is defunct, as you say. However, two of the members opened up an even better site. They got together and created a well-thought-out forum that covers just about everything. It's http://www.thehomeschoollibrary.com. It's not as active as here, but it's very civil and supportive and the mods do a great job of keeping it that way. I feel that it's a nice complement to the WTM forums. It's also compatible with any type of curriculum choice.