[Hi!]

Hiya! Good to hear things are going well for y'all!

[Best boys underwear (no wedgies!)]

Seconding boxer briefs. My guys use FTL or Hanes. The fabric is similar to tighty whiteys and keeps things close to the body in the same way, iykwim. It might take a little getting used to feeling the fabric around his leg but even my dh took well to them after decades of the whites and now prefers them.

eta: oops--I see you've already mentioned he doesn't like these. Alas, all I can think of then is not just bigger undies but also looser/larger pants/shorts might help.

[What's in your mail?]

Right now it's all political flyers for the upcoming state elections/primaries. Bleah.

[What vegetable to service with fish tacos?]

For some reason I'm thinking pickled onions mixed with diced tomatoes, cucumbers and maybe avocado. I have no idea how to make pickled onions and have only had them on salad from Panera. Maybe I'm just craving that salad.

[Laurel or Yanny? Which do you hear?]

I voted that I couldn't answer because I had no idea what this poll was about. Now that I've read through and listened to a couple of these clips... If I'd known what they poll was about earlier I'd have voted Laurel because that's all I heard. I heard nothing that sounded like Yanny. But I'll leave my original vote. For science. ?

[How many classes is your 7th grader taking?]

My 7th grader attends a University Model School part-time and takes 3 classes there--English, History, Science. We do math, reading and Bible study at home. She uses most of her free time to draw. She has no other electives/activities as she gets easily overwhelmed when there is too much to do.

The kids who attend her UMS full-time typically take the 4 core classes and 2 electives such as art, drama, PE, music, robotics, videography ... things like that. 

[Any sock knitters here?]

Every sock knitter has their own favorite way of knitting socks. Mine is cuff-down, one-at-a-time on dpn's with a heel flap. (I do not suffer from Second Sock Syndrome. lol) I've tried other techniques and this one works best for me for the knitting and how it fits. You may have to try a few different techniques before you find the one that clicks for you. There is a sock challenge in one of the Ravelry groups I'm in, and one knitter calls out for help on knitting her first socks. There are quite a few suggestions there that might be helpful. (There is also a lot of chatter to wade through.)

A lot of the new-to-socks knitters in the group started with Rye by Tin Can Knits because it covers all the basics and goes quickly as it uses worsted weight. A similar cuff-down ankle sock in fingering weight is Rose City Rollers. Vanilla Latte is also similar but with a longer cuff and a little patterning.

Folks were suggesting David's Toe-up Sock Cookbook for toe-up. I've never used this pattern so I don't have an opinion on it. For the few toe-up socks I've done I've used the Fish Lips Kiss heel technique. The pattern costs $1 and is loaded with her discussion of how the pattern came about. Just flip to the back where she actually tells you how to do the pattern. Or you can probably find a free short-row heel pattern as FLK is a type of short-row heel.

I personally don't care for afterthought heels. A lot of people use it with self-striping yarns to keep the stripe pattern consistent down the length of the sock. You don't *have* to cut your sock--just use a waste yarn to hold the stitches on that part of the sock. I just don't like the whole bit about picking up the stitches to set up the heel. I found this video helpful for eliminating the gap that typically results with this type of heel.

Good luck with your socks!

[Ideas for freeze and reheat food?]

We've had the microwavable Red Baron single pizzas in the past. They're not too bad, though I have no idea if they're ok allergen-wise.

Seconding breakfast burritos.
Teriyaki chicken
Meatballs
Chili

[What recipes use any of these canned goods?]

I think I first learned of this recipe here--Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup

canned salmon = salmon patties; eat on slider buns. My mom likes eating plain canned salmon on salad.

canned peas aren't good for anything ?  but you could add the canned carrots to the chickpea soup. What the heck, just throw the pinto beans in too. Now you have soup and sandwiches with a side of applesauce.

edit: why did my emoji get replaced with a question mark? It was supposed to be a laughing face. *insert eyeroll*

[Wedding Registry ideas]

Some random ideas:

Door mats
Full length mirror
Shower curtain & rings
Artwork for walls
cutting boards in various sizes
extension cord (we seem to buy another one every couple of months)
flashlights (one for every room)
fire-proof box
fire extinguisher
food scale
 

[A question for you re: families & travel safety]

On 5/2/2018 at 11:13 AM, Jean in Newcastle said:

Oh I have another tip. If you are in a country where you aren’t drinking the water, don’t forget products that are made with the local water. We scrupulously drank bottled water and used it to brush our teeth but then I let dd have a local popsicle from a vender. She threw up for hours and hours. After that, we only got factory made and sealed food products. 

 

This tip reminds me of the time ds1 was little and we traveled to my IL's. He was on formula and was having tummy troubles there. My SIL recommended using distilled water for his formula because every water supply is just a little bit different and babies' digestive systems might not be able to handle those differences. That did the trick! That tip has been helpful over the years for traveling/trips when our dc were young.

[A question for you re: families & travel safety]

25 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

I keep a card in my purse that has our emergency contact on it.  If they can't unlock my phone, the hospital can use that to notify family of anything.  When my kids were smaller I used to have a card on their car seat that had a permanent emergency contact, blood type, and birthday.  If my kid was too young to talk, I wanted his medical care to be as immediate as possible if I couldn't answer those questions.

We're going to a theme park this weekend.  The first thing we'll do is point out the meeting point if we're separated (Guest Services).  The rule of thumb is to "find a mama" if you need help.  A lady with kids is easier to find than a park attendant when their uniforms all change.

 

Along these lines, my SIL used to write her cell number on her son's arm in case they got separated.

[The Georgia Autobahn]

I knew you were talking about 400 just by your thread title. I live in the other side of Atlanta but my dad drives on 400 daily. He's looking forward to moving closer to work later this year so he won't have to deal with that road.

[Baby name help.....Middle name to go with Lauren?]

Camellia

Juniper

Taiga

Talia

Amethyst

Lavender

Marina

 

[Cake for a crowd?]

37 minutes ago, JennyD said:

Are the Costco cakes any good, though?

I'm not a cake person and I think they're pretty good. I'd say generally people do like them well enough. And it would save you some extra time and work. 

[Steak that was left out overnight... eat or toss?]

Definitely toss.

[what have you noticed about the new forums?]

On 4/19/2018 at 11:05 PM, Storygirl said:

For me, the white heart in the circle seems to only appear on posts that have already been liked by someone else. And when I click on the heart, I only see the message "see who reacted." That heart does not give me the option to add a like of my own. Sometimes I can hover in that general area -- it seems to be slightly above where the white heart is -- and make a box appear that has reaction smilies to choose from. But sometimes I cannot make that box appear at all. And I am hovering over nothing -- no icons or buttons are there.

Jean and Targhee's posts right above this one, for example, show no heart icons for me (at this point, anyway -- I suppose it might appear if someone likes their posts).

 

Are you sure you're logged in when this is happening? I noticed the same thing the other day and was really confused until I realized I wasn't logged in. It seems this format logs you out every couple of days? I know I hadn't logged myself out, because I never do. And IIRC the board looked the same--unlike how the old boards looked different depending on whether you were logged in--which is why I didn't know I was logged out.

[When a woman replaces the man previously known as Headmaster]

23 hours ago, Daria said:

In the private school world and the charter school world, at least in my area, Head and Principal are different positions.

The Head/Headmaster/Headmistress oversees finances, and fundraising, the big vision picture, the 5 year plan, etc . . .  They are the staff member with the strongest relationship with the board.  In some ways they function the same way that a Superintendent of a small district would.

The Principal(s) report to the Head, and are in charge of instruction and teacher supervision and day to day issues with parents. Usually in schools that have multiple schools with in them (e.g. a high school, a middle school, and a lower school, or a school with multiple campuses), each has their own Principal. 

I haven't seen someone called Headmistress in a long time.  I've only seen Headmaster as a term in all boys schools, who place an emphasis on having male staff.  Otherwise it's all Head of School, or Head for short.

This--Head of School vs Principal--is how it is at my dd's private school.

[Hello- does anyone remember me?]

Good to hear from you? Thanks for the update. I'm sorry you're going through a rough time. 

[what have you noticed about the new forums?]

The reputation score makes me feel slightly unloved--mine is half my post count.

[what have you noticed about the new forums?]

56 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

The software change demoted me!

 

Ah, I wondered if you were still a mod as I didn't see any indication of that status.

 

[A wrinkle in time movie]

I haven't seen it myself, but dh took mil to see it and she walked out after 30 mins. Dh didn't get details on why she hated it, though. He hasn't read the book and just wanted to see how the story unfolded, but I guess now he'll just wait for the video release. I guess the rest of us will too.

[what have you noticed about the new forums?]

I haven't read through the thread yet but am excited that after much trouble I'm finally able to log in and post. So I'm posting just to see my own post. haha

[Favorite whole wheat recipes]

This banana bread recipe is the same as in my Williams-Sonoma cookbook. I usually use all-purpose flour, in which case I cut the sugar in half. It's been a long time since I used whole-wheat for this but I recall cutting the sugar down to 1.5 cups. Yeah, it's a sweet bread but it's also very dense and moist and delicious--people raved about it when I brought it to potlucks!

 

This works well as a muffin recipe--I half it to make 12 muffins, preheat to 400 then turn it down immediately to 350 when I put the muffins in (somehow it seems to bake better since I've been doing the two-temp thing) and bake for about 18-20 mins.

[Buying a new Minivan....likely Toyota this time...need advice]

We have a 2005 Sienna--white exterior, tan interior with fabric seats. We got this car when our dc were 11, 8, 1yo. The floor mats have some staining from mud (GA red clay!) and spills but the seats still look great.