I agree. And, perhaps, instead of "repay", which implies direct retribution, you should consider that you "answered" abuse with love, in a much more global sense, by walking away and protecting others.

I don't think there's any "stealth witnessing" going on in my case. :D The books are generally on a topic we have discussed, written from a Christian viewpoint. I have also given such things as 'Mistakes Were Made, but Not by Me' and 'A Year of Living Biblically', both of which I would consider secular, because I thought she would find them interesting, not in an attempt to suggest she abandon her faith. That would be vulgar. (There would be a raised eyebrow if somebody gave me a bible, though, unless there was explanation attached.)

iTunes has a podcast that has audio directions and accompanying pdf visuals for poses. Audio Yoga has decent videos, level based. My kids enjoy doing exercises from the book Yoga Games, but there are a number of good books and videos. I originally bought the book to teach a class at our homeschool co-op and would probably have chosen something else for strictly home use. (No complaints, just the focus is a group)

I often receive books from a Christian friend that are clearly of a conservative Christian bent. I don't take offense or consider the gesture as some sort of attempt at conversion. I assume that they are given because she knows me well and believes I will get something out of the reading. Which I generally do, even if it is a deeper understanding of my friend. Perhaps your brother - based on your comments about your feelings regarding his change of views - feels as if the book may offer you some insight into him. Just a thought.

Excellent, thanks! I - can you believe this - MISSED the two last episodes of season two. Multiple times. I've been waiting for a marathon or something so I can catch up before the 26th. Is it just me, or is this two-season thing sort of cool? For a while, the networks kept cutting back the number of episodes per season (Cosby was, like, 30 per, more recent have been around 15) and just filling in with a lot of c-r-a-p. I'm rather liking this new trend to fall season and spring season shows.

I agree, it seems much simpler for me than FlyLady. It's a chore checklist. It's static. I can leave it on the counter and come back to it several times a day, instead of waiting for the next email. I can cross off items that don't apply before the day begins (like couponing... we don't do that) and do the rest of the items in the order and at the time that fits our house. There is nothing extraneous, like "testimonials" and plugs for extra stuff I certainly don't need if I'm struggling to take control of the stuff I already have. I don't have to make lists of mandated routines, nor maintain a "control journal" that I don't want and will not look at. (I'm feeling a little FlyLady hostility, it seems.) Really, it just seems to be a better system for us because we can look at the day, at our school and activity commitments, and fit the chores into that. Like homeschooling, it's all about what works for you. :D

Gorgeous! I love neckwarmers (cowls?) like that. They call to me, too. {bookmarking} That looks like DK or sport. Would you double the lace weight or just use it single and let it be light and more open?

My hair is knee-length; I usually wear it in loose knot. However, I measured my head last night and it's 21" (measuring just behind my hairline down around the nape of my neck, where band would be worn) so now I"m thinking that maybe I need to go with the fitted band, then figure out how to increase in pattern for the slouchier rest of it. Ack. I just don't want to end up with a gorgeous hat that slides off my head all the time. And I don't think my husband will be into wearing the pattern or the material. He thinks cashmere is itchy. :001_huh:

What Tap said. Happy New Year!

I'm loving the Tahiti Teal, Astrid. (And the lace, too.) Meanwhile, you have inspired my new project, Fern Glade. I'm just debating on fitted or slouchy... fitted or slouchy? FITTED OR SLOUCHY?!?! I'm channeling my Inner Kostanza. Heehee.

I would definitely check out the main management options in the Hale forums. There are a number of good options that are safe. Or, depending on your doctors / comfort level, get a copy of Medications and Mother's Milk to bring with you so you can collectively decide what the best route is. Like you, I prefer to be prepared for every possibility. :001_smile:

I think it happens naturally, as they start reading faster than they can talk. I would suggest letting him read in a quiet space by himself. Gentle encouragement and screaming sisters are annoying when you're trying to get your lit on, man. :D

I totally do not know what that means. Can somebody please enlighten the geezer? :001_huh:

The Playtex One-Step. Worked well, from what I recall. I didn't pump much with my twins and these weren't available when their sisters were young. Anyway, they have an adapter that fits the PIS and their own seals and then you just thaw and drop the liner into a Playtex nurser with the nipple of your choice. I have no advice on nipples. They've changed them between all of my kids, it seemed.

I second that suggestion. It can be very difficult for me (a very experienced knitter) to figure out a new cast-on method or stitch from a book. The videos are great. Some advice I would give to someone just starting out: Pick a simple pattern you would like to work up to, then get the needles and yarn that would go with that pattern, and learn the knit / purl stitches with those tools. It's hard to discover that you've mastered the stitches but can't make anything because the patterns that interest you call for different needles and yarn than you own. Work in wool or (gasp) acrylic that mimics wool. Novelty yarns look neat, but they can be difficult to knit and often mask your stitches, so you're not getting the visual feedback you need (e.g. right-side vs wrong side, dropped stitches, etc). "Furry" yarns can be a huge pain because the fluffies (the loose fibers that give it a "halo") like to knot together. Also, wool and acrylic-like wool have a lot of give. Cotton has almost no give. When you're first learning, you want something forgiving that is not going to be hard on your hands to knit. Once you can knit and purl, hit the dishcloth patterns. They are finite, portable and, no matter how off-gauge you are, useful. They can also be quite challenging, depending on the stitch patterns. (These you'll probably want to use cotton for) Remember that it's all knit or purl and combinations thereof. Once you can do those, you can rib, cable, make lace... the possibilities and personal challenges are endless. If you run into difficulty, look around (at your local yarn store, a.k.a "LYS" or book store) for knitting groups. The people who frequent these gatherings are happy to help you. Don't knit yarn you don't like. Life's too short. Now get some string and two pointy sticks and have at it!

:lol: That is brilliant. My plan is to knit a bit, sample my almost-ready mead and hit the bed early. I added "set up coffee" to my daily list, so I awoke this morning (at the proper time... I checked and everything before getting out of bed) to a full, hot pot. It was excellent. Happy New Year, everyone!:biggrinjester:

Not casting on, but I'll be finishing up a Tudora that I'm making for myself from a skein of Brooks Farm Harmony (wool/mohair/silk) in a lovely self-striping purples colorway. Tomorrow, I may cast on some socks, though.

I've always had really good luck using Cooking Light recipes to plan meals. They have a wide assortment and you can now create a My Recipes account and save the ones you like to that, rather than printing them out. I know they used to have specific recipes that were 2-meal type of things, so you would make, say, roast chicken, then use the leftover chicken for enchiladas verdes (huge favorite here) another night. Robin Miller also has five-night menus that coordinate so you cook off or prep parts of the coming meals each night, if that makes any sense. Those are on Food Network's website.

I used flat on our bathroom walls 9 years ago and nothing bad has happened, other than not really liking the color. And this was applied to pre-finished oak flooring that was applied to the walls horizontally, so if it was going to fail, this would be the application. We have no marks to speak of... our bathroom is not a high wall-traffic sort of area.

Yup, my experience exactly, especially about the firmer product part.

High GLA oils (like evening primrose, borage, flax) help tremendously with eczema. I'm not sure if they come in liquid options, but you can certainly pierce a soft gel and squirt it into his food or juice. (Cool food - heat damages these oils) The flavor difference should be minimal at most. Definitely avoid excess bathing. There is really no reason that a kid, in the middle of winter, should be dirty enough to warrant a bath daily (or an adult who is not engaged in heavy manual labor, for that matter). That's way drying and is always good for triggering eczema on me. I also find that my eczema (at the nape of my neck) all but clears when I use baking soda paste with an apple cider vinegar rinse (and final, chamomile rinse) instead of shampoo. Mine seems to be triggered quite readily by chemicals, not just fragrance and dyes, though. As they say, your mileage may vary.

The Ramsey books don't promise wealth. (I don't think any mentioned make the wealth promise) They promise no debt, if you follow the program. One of the things he stresses is it's "simple, not easy". I suspect that the big difference between all of the programs is mostly personality and how they approach the payoff - lowest balance versus highest interest first, etc. There's no magic, just methodical, hard work with a purpose in mind. Whatever method you end up using, that's the key. I know DR would tell you to first get health insurance and, while you're doing that, start an emergency fund of $1000. He points out regularly that, when you start getting debt free, you need that cushion or you're only one emergency away from racking up the credit card debt again. If you have more time to listen than read (like in the car), Total Money Makeover is $7.95 through iTunes. I'm sure some of the others are in there, as well, and may be less than the cost of the book.

Let us all take a moment and hyperventilate together, shall we?

Ooooh, nooooo. Bad dishwasher juju. Not good. I don't know how yours latches - mine has a little metal tongue that slides into a lock on the door and flips a little plastic doohickey. Could there be some sort of funk in the doohickey that is keeping it stuck in the open position? or is the doohickey already flipped to the latched position? Can you stick your finger in there and wiggle the parts around? I do that with car doors sometimes, for the same reason - the handle gets pulled just a bit when the door is open so the little doohickey (I'm sure that's the technical term) flips to the already latched position and the door just bounces back open.

I usually re-shelve them in the correct spot. In the snippy local library, though, the children's books are only loosely in the right section by author name. I almost go apoplectic every time I try to find a book there. And, apparently, it would be considered rude to rip all books from the shelves and order them properly. Yes, I've asked.