Isn't that nice of them to answer. I can understand their objection to eBay - not so much against people selling their used stuff, but I can see not wanting their stuff flooding auction sites. It devalues it.

You can download them from Microsoft. They have them for earlier versions, still. Here.

You mean simple syrup? Just sugar and water? Sure. Freezing shouldn't change it at all.

Thyme? Herbs de Provence? I think thyme is classic with white beans, though, and savory? (I totally eat soup any time I please, regardless of the weather.)

Non-iodized salt water was what was recommended when I had my nose pierced earlier this month. I just made a little jar of it and used a cotton swab to dab around it (pushing the stud up a bit to get it into the hole) a few times a day. Then, I used some comfrey salve to encourage healing (do not use comfrey with an active infection). It was never even red.

Interesting. So, who would they hold financially responsible for lost or damaged books?

:lol: I laugh. HA! They are probably weevils. Those little... <ok we all know the word I'm not typing > can chew through ziplock bags (but not hard plastic containers). The eggs were likely in the rice when you got it. The little <that word again> can hide under labels on cans. They attacked a couple bags of organic cake mix I had bought and the paper looked like it had been shot. I battled them from the summer we moved in (and brought them in with some ramen noodles) until we ripped out the kitchen last year, nine years later. And, when I ripped out the "problem cabinet" the little... <that word again> were sitting on TOP of bay leaves I had scattered around, like they were riding a Mardi Gras float. :glare: Freezing the dry goods kills the eggs, though.

Sing it, sister! As the mother of children roughly the same age as the Gosselin kids (except 1 and 2, not 2 and 6), I often can see myself in her in the earlier episodes. Sleep deprived, overwrought... we didn't have a great deal of energy to expend on nice. If I allowed him to post here, my husband would totally agree that I was a lunatic during those early years. <- That is a joke, my husband posts wherever he likes, with no interference from me. HOWEVER... she has obviously slept recently. She has even spa'd, multiple times. And has full time help. Shrew appears to be a baseline trait for her. High order multiples can stress the most stable marriage. But when you have high order multiples after strong-arming the other parent who didn't even want to try for ONE more after the twins? That can't be a good starting place. Gee, I wasn't ready for one, but eight is delightful? :001_huh: I do enjoy the tv network therapists who like to pick things apart based on what they're witnessing from film clips, though. Like the one talking about how Jon's car is clearly a sign that he's stepping away from the family. Or, he has a non-kid car. So do we. Why would anyone drive around in a second 15-passenger van by himself?

Indeed, she has told someone she can trust. You. Now, together, you need to call authorities who can help. Poor thing. :sad:

:iagree: Macy's sales (or wedding registry) rock. We have towels we got when we were married and they still look (and feel) new. (I know because I just found one of the deep purple washcloths in a file cabinet drawer I haven't opened in 8 years.) They're Royal Velvet (though not velvety - they're all loop) by Fieldcrest. I have others that felt great new but are now drek.

Oh. Yikes! May I just say how happy I am to live in an area where I chase snakes out of the yard so they're not traumatized by the children or the dog, and not because they're venomous?

You can download Thunderbird (free, also Mozilla, and more robust, like Outlook, rather than Outlook Express) and it will recognize Firefox as your default browser. I'm sure you can set Outlook Express to do that, but I haven't used that in so long, I have no idea where to change it. You can also set Firefox as your default browser, and it should automatically open when you click a link. (Tools-Options-Advanced)

I left Explorer in place. There are some instances - Netflix instant watch, for instance - where stuff won't work with Firefox. Those are rare, though... in fact, Netflix instant watch is the only thing I use IE for, other than to do some browser compatibility testing for our own website the other day. I've had no issues with Firefox that were specific to Firefox. (As in, the Netflix issue is due to the way they've set up their video system - I can watch trailers on their page with Firefox, and I can watch video from all other sources) Google Chrome is new. I want to like it, but it's been a little glitchy. It's a beta version right now, though, so they're working out the kinks.

We have a pretty broad range, classical/opera to punk... Alas, I am finding we have to be selective when picking music to share: Madama Butterfly is not so child appropriate (well, the music is fine, but the story, not so much for 8 and 4 year olds). Dead Kennedys? Yikes. Mostly, they stick with the middle ground - Grateful Dead, Beatles, Lenny Kravitz, Bob Marley, J.S. Bach, Chopin, Cat Stevens, Talking Heads... I can take certain "kid" music. I like Ralph's World ok, and the Barenaked Ladies kids' cd. (I think their ABC song is my new favorite... somebody set up an intervention!)

Yep, I'm one of those. The vinegar in this case is apple cider vinegar and, while it has a conditioning effect, it's really to neutralize the alkaline baking soda. I also use white vinegar as a laundry rinse, especially for cloth diapers since detergent residue can cause them to stink. It's also nice on towels, perhaps with a drop of some pleasant smelling essential oil, especially if they're line dried. I fizz the salts off my vaporizer heat widget with vinegar periodically during the winter and then before storing. Baking soda is great for deodorizing the doggy smelling rug, or sprinkled into the cat litter (and I don't think there are any ill effects, since our cat is now 18 and perfectly healthy). Apple cider vinegar, in a bottle, is a great way to trap fruit flies - you just make a little funnel out of paper and out it in the neck of the bottle. They fly in, get stuck, and die. ETA: Baking soda is also a great personal deodorant. It works better than any other natural deodorant (and some not so natural) I've tried. (I whir mine in the coffee grinder with lemongrass and clary sage essential oils. My coffee grinder is stainless and the cup/lid can go in the dishwasher, though)

What if your kids also went as "Charlie" (not "the UPS guy") for Halloween and, since he was on vacation, the fill-in driver, "not-Charlie", took a picture and texted it to him, and he spent a while wondering when he gave me his cell phone number? Because he recognized the four-year-olds, but not the number. Is that not a good sign?

Is this the infant version of the smoking jacket, or lounge clothes? Are new moms living in a 1940s movie? :001_huh:

Yup. I'm not sure how one could have a "bad" experience with any of the programs that have you paying off debt and budgeting... unless they just didn't stick with it. And, then, that's not really a reflection on the program, is it?

That is exactly how I would use such an apology, as in "I am sorry my actions caused you pain, that was not my intent". This, of course, is a totally different "apology" than "I'm sorry you feel that way", which, in general, implies the offended party's feelings are invalid. My mother likes to use this one. :glare:

Um, no, dead ends are still dead ends. You're driving along and the road stops abruptly in front of you. Cul de sacs are enlarged and rounded at the end, and are usually marked with a "no outlet" rather than "dead end" sign - you can turn around without doing a 37-point turn. ;) Oh.Yeah.

I've re-used knit/blocked/worn wool without an issue. I can't imagine bamboo would be any different. (There are some things, like mohair, that can be a real beast to frog because of the halo, but that wouldn't apply to bamboo) Yeah, I'd just frog it and wind it into hanks. If it's really badly kinked, "block" it in the hank, then twist it up. Or, just twist it up anyway and see if the kinks work out.

{flying my "liberal" flag, just in case anyone has a question as to where I sit after my response} There is absolutely no way that it is ok to permit pornography on a public-access computer. It simply violates every law regarding minors' access to pornography out there. Yes, general filters can be problematic; they scan for "key words" that aren't always specific to questionable sites. However, they can be temporarily disabled or over-ridden by manually allowing, say, WebMD. There is (and I wish I could remember the source) a database of known porn sites that one can use to block by specific IP address... at least there was in 1998 because my company used it for the "inside the firewall" computers. I'm pretty sure it was updated frequently. Our library requires patrons to use their library card to access the computers and has a no adult site policy. They certainly have a way of tracking the use of any given machine and cross-referencing it with the logged user. Ironically, the one person I have ever discovered inappropriately surfing porn (at work, when I worked in a technical support call center - we lived "outside the firewall") was also engaged in what sounded like a Christian marriage counseling conference call at the time. :001_huh: If that isn't vulgar, well, I just don't know what is.

I don't ignore that fact, but that I was battling against the implicit - and sometimes explicit - message from "official" (public school) teachers that grammar, spelling, etc. just doesn't matter is one of the primary reasons we chose to homeschool. I think Cin was simply pointing out that, even with learning disabilities, one should make a concerted effort to make sure the communication is correct.

:iagree: Also, the occasional funny, like finding "The real value of this board..." "carpal tunnel" in the list is always good for a smile, too. :D

One of my 4 y.o.s woke up this morning and vomited. In my kids, it's fairly common for them to vomit if they've had a lot of sinus drainage during the night, particularly if they had a relatively empty tummy. (He's had some toast and feels much better.) So, at least for us, this is more a sign of high pollen and changing barometric pressure than actual illness.