Joyful Abode (the blog) has some really tasty options. Her regular chewy granola bars from a few years ago are a huge hit whenever I make them.

I react to all decongestants and expectorants like that. I avoid them like the plague.

I'm right there with you. When my husband mentioned the impending new pile, I threatened to have a nervous breakdown. He told me tough luck, he already has his planned and one of us has to remain stable for the children. Stupid man. :glare:

This. Also, a common thing that I see is that people try to jog by simply increasing the speed of their walking gait. If you're jogging/running with a heel-ball-toe foot strike, you're putting the breaks on every time a foot hits the ground, so it takes way more energy than it should with better form.

Yay! For tougher stuff, I find a very hot, wet cloth left on the spot will soften it enough to keep working it. I have no idea about why one shouldn't use oven cleaner on a self-cleaning oven (obviously not during the cleaning cycle... I'm sure that would have tragic results). For my stainless, I use Barkeeper's Friend (per Mrs Mungo's suggestion... That woman is brilliant!) for cleaning, and. Mrs Meyer's stainless polish for discouraging fingerprints and such.

Mr. Clean eraser? Not sure about the display, but the other stuff would be fine with that.

Oh good! Yeah, I suspect the kettle looks different, even to the clutter sensitive eye, than leaving pots or spoon rests about.

Ditto. I don't consider that "stored" so much as just where it belongs. I use it multiple times a day. It would be a pain in the rump to have to empty, cool, dry, and put away somewhere after use.

I have a Cuisinart electric one that I got at Bed Bath & Beyond. We love it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000MPA044

Well, I'm gluten-free for actual medical reasons (not because gf is a cure-all or a "healthy lifestyle") and I still love bread and pasta. We had lasagne and breadsticks on Christmas Eve, in fact, and rolls with the same dough with dinner last night. So, I'm not a hater, just make adjustments in the ingredients for my food. Diet zealots get on everybody's nerves, I think. ;)

I agree!

Just adjust the baking time by 5 minutes or so. Start testing at the longer baking time recommended by the recipe. The layers will be thicker, so you may want to consider slicing them in half and making a 4 layer cake. Really, though, it shouldn't be that noticeable.

I'm so sorry. :grouphug:

Yay! And, no, I think the whacking is entirely called for. You DID call. Little bugger. Grrrrrr,

Totally. I am your husband. When I was losing my mind with being "on" for three little kids all day, my husband started suggesting I go on outings and find people to visit with. The thought of that sort of thing made me want to cry. I just wanted quiet. Not somewhere to go. Not something to do. Just space to have a full, uninterrupted thought. I wasn't depressed, just strung out and exhausted from the constant input. If this is the way your husband naturally is - not a change of affect, which might certainly signal depression - give him space and find a social outlet for you.

I cut them in half lengthwise and roast then cut side down on a baking sheet with a bit of coconut oil in a hot oven. It caramelizes the cut side and steams off the skins. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll turn them over, sprinkle them with sugar and brûlée them before serving.

How odd. I've had a couple social groups disappear, but then I realized I wasn't logged in. :P

I think he's already gotten into the Christmas spirits.

I was going to suggest that, too. They're usually cheaper than a collection of device-specific chargers and you can use them for anything. While you're perusing Audible: my kids are huge fans of the BBC full vast radio productions of Sherlock Holmes (the ones with Clive Merrison). Of course, they're also huge fans of Dragnet, Guy Noir, and Fibber McGee & Molly from The Big Broadcast on WAMU Sunday nights, so... Also, Roald Dahl audiobooks are well done. Oh! And books read by Lorraine Montgomery for Lit2Go (free through iTunes).

So, this is an interesting thing. The Irving Berlin song "Happy Holidays" was composed in 1941. Obviously, then, "happy holidays" would be something that has been in use his entire life... It's interesting to me that 70-odd years later, it becomes a symbol of "what is wrong with society", especially when those "glory days" he longs for (I assume the 1940s-50s of his childhood fell in after it.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't think I've seen a single Hanukkah display, other than and end cap of Manischevitz goods in the grocery store. And Kwanzaa? Forget it. I would also assume that cards and other greetings with "Happy Holidays" would include New Year? Is that no longer a holiday? Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holiday-specific greetings are just that: holiday specific. My "holiday" cards wish the recipient a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Which would, indeed, be wishes for "happy holidays".

Evil geniuses. :lol:

The men deep fried a turkey and there were various creations from mixed cans of stuff. Notable was the two (!!) food service sized pans of cold canned yams with a handful of marshmallows tossed on top. In my mind, it remains "yam salad". I agree with the assessment of context. I have no issue when we have dinner with friends and my friend says she has tomatoes and cucumber but could I grab the rest of the salad fixings. We're building a meal together from our pantries, and then we cook it together while visiting. But, then, we obviously like each other and she's not making a statement with the lettuce request.

If it makes you feel better, Ranch Girl, I am the only one in my husband's extended family who cooks. At all. A few years ago, my MIL assigned me to bring Waldorf salad. You know, cut up apples and Miracle Whip? I brought it. I have no idea what it tasted like, as I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot fork. But it was definitely a WTH? moment. Bring the grapes and strawberries. Maybe pick up a can of coffee and some flour, too, since you're stocking the pantry. Have a lovely evening (with wine) before, since you don't have to make anything. And another one when you get home from the gathering, since you'll have no kitchen cleaning to do.

I'm doing that (the school part) now, with the eye toward the days when they're more independent.