My husband actually taught me how to cook. I wasn't allowed in the kitchen growing up, so he had to even teach me how to make mac & cheese and ramen noodles. He still does the majority of the big meals, like roasts, soups and stews, etc, but I have quite a few dishes that I am really good at. I rock at cooking bacon, I am really good at making spaghetti with meat sauce, and my salmon patties are awesome, for example. It was mostly through trial and error that I learned, and I did make a bunch of mistakes along the way. I wholeheartedly agree that a well stocked kitchen, as far as tools and equipment, makes a world of difference.

Personally, I think if my body is trying to get rid of it then there is probably a good reason and it needs to come out. I would just let nature take its course.

I completely agree with everything here. If she doesn't have time to print now, she should just give up on the idea of homeschooling, b/c no way eill she "have time" to do everything else beyond printing after this month.

I agree, just build one. Much cheaper that way. It doesn't need to be fancy, it just needs to do its job. ;)

Have you tried looking at Rocket Dog shoes? They have some nicer looking ones, and some more casual ones, and I find their shoes to be VERY comfortable. :)

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: To the bolded - I stress dose until I'm back to feeling normal again. If you are sick for a week, stress dose for a week. Your body will need it.

This is exactly how our pantry is. We lived in the middle of nowhere for two years, so we had to have a stocked pantry at all times in case something happened and we weren't able to make it to the store for however long. Where we lived, even big rain storms would prevent us from going to the store b/c the roads were so twisty turny, and sometimes would go over a creek (the issue was the creek parts, when it would overflow, then cars couldn't get past).

I refuse to use Amazon for anything other than Kindle books b/c of the stupid add-on program.

They can usually tell just by feel if the ACL is torn or broken, so if they think she will need surgery she most likely will. It does require surgery b/c the ACL is needed to walk properly. My husband jumped off the retaining wall in our back yard and snapped his ACL, tore his MCL and LCL, crushed the end of his fibula, and tore a chunk out of his miniscus. He had surgery, but they had to wait about a week for the swelling to go down. His sugery was laproscopic, but he did have a big incision on the back of his thigh b/c they had to use a portion of his muscle to repair his knee. The recovery is quite painful, especially if she has just a rebuild. They offered my DH a total knee replacement, which the recovery is easier, but he would have had to have it replaced again sometime in his 60s b/c the new knee would only last 25-30 years. The rebuild should be permanent, but much more painful and longer recovery. Definitely find a good physical therapist for after...it can make a huge difference. Good luck!

I would also worry that it is either bile, or my first thought was mastitis or something along those lines. Have you tried to express some milk to see what color it is? Depending on that, I would either take her in or get myself checked out. Good luck mama!

Sams Club also has really nice towels. Those are what DS uses and they work well. :)

I love my front loader. It cleans better than our old top loader, and I like the different settings. We have a Whirlpool Duet set. I LOVE the sanitize cycle, and any future washers we get will have to have this setting. I use it for our sheets, bath towels, and dish towels, and they all come out SO freash and clean. I never have a problem with odor or mold with my front loader, but I always leave it open when I am not using it. We have had ours for two years and I think I have used the washing machine cleaner twice, maybe? It just doesn't need it. I would never go back to using a top loader.

My cortisol tests were done by an Endocrinologist, and the blood test didn't show anything. I never had a saliva test done. I had to collect my urine for either 36 or 48 hours in a big jug, and they tested my cortisol levels in that. That, as well as a positive adrenal antibodies, was how I was diagnosed with Addison's Disease.

I always know b/c my skin hurts. Seriously. I am ALWAYS achy and flu like, but I can normally touch my own arm or side and not HURT. If I am really sick, my skin all over my entire body, HURTS, even with just the slightest touch. Does that make sense?? I ONLY get that way when I am sick, no matter what kind of sick it is. I think it is my body's own indicator, since everything else is broken. The thing is, cortisol levels, even if you have issues with your adrenals, can go up and down, particularly if you just had blood tests. My cortisol levels were always "normal" by blood. The only way I was diagnosed was by the 36hr urine test. I actually had to switch doctors b/c my first doctor would only look at the blood tests, and was convinced that someone as young as me (I was 26 when I was diagnosed) couldn't have Addison's Disease.

With DS, I walked up and down the stairs while watching TV (we lived in a multi-level, and each staircase had about 6 stairs, and the tv was at the foot of the stairs I was walking) for about 30-45 minutes. When I stopped and sat down, my water broke. ;)

Last night, out of the blue, DS turns to me and says "I asked a girl to be my girlfriend today." I was kind of shocked, but I asked him "What did she say?" "Yes." I'm thankful he was comfortable coming to me to tell me, but wow. I was totally not expecting this to happen so soon. I didn't have my first boyfriend until I was a sophmore in high school. I was a band geek, though. LOL We asked him to tell us about her, and he started to get embarrassed. We said, "Well, what does she look like?" He said "Well, she isn't exactly super skinny...not really super skinny...but not obese...she is just naturally a bigger girl..." My heart broke that he felt that he needed to defend her like that. He said she is REALLY nice, with long wavybrown hair. They sit at the same lunch table, and a week ago they started sitting next to each other. He started at this school a month ago when we moved back here from Missouri. He is absolutely thriving and making so many friends. Coming in as a kid who has been bullied and outcast at the other schools he has gone to (a big reason I started homeschooling him at the beginning of the year). He has never been invited to anyone's house, and has never been invited to a classmate's birthday party...ever. He even went to school with the same kids from preschool to 6th grade!! Friends I am prepared for...girlfriends, not so much. I'm not ready for this.

At our last house we lived on 5 acres in a very rural area, 5 miles outside of a tiny (i.e. 80 people, no stores or gas station, etc) and it was 35 min drive to closest real town (also where DH worked), with a grocery store that was so nasty we would only shop there if we absolutely had to. We had two Walmarts, each about 40-45 minutes away in opposite directions. The grocery store we prefered to shop at was an hour away. We thought we would love it. Turns out we couldn't have been more wrong. We prefer living in the city and the conveniences that come with it. Keep in mind...the closer you live to town, the higher the property value, typically. Perhaps if we had property that was more convenient to town we would have enjoyed it more, but we couldn't afford those properties.

Our last house was never meant to be a forever house, and we were only there for two years. The house before that, I thought it was our forever home, but DH didn't agree. We lived there for five years. We are currently living in a townhome until our house sells, but we both agree that our next house will be the forever home.

Odd Thomas is one of our favorites. We have all listened to it about a thousand times. Any of the Odd Thomas series are good, actually. The Lincoln Lawyer is good too.

I'm so sorry. (((((hug)))))

I'm so sorry. :( (((((Hug)))))

We just moved back to Nebraska from Missouri. We have yet to change our phone numbers b/c we need to change providers. My parents have our old phone numbers, but they will not be getting our new ones. You completely have my permission to change your number. ;) Sorry you are dealing with this! :grouphug:

Yes, that is exactly what the one we bought is like. :)

We bought ours at a furniture store, and it seemed really comfortable when we tried it. Definitely more comfortable than the pull out bed in our sofa, that's for sure. We didn't want to get a sofa, for one we couldn't afford one, and also it wouldn't be any different for him than staying at his mom's house. It doesn't have buttons, instead it has stitches, so no hard lumps thankfully. Thanks everyone! I think I will try to convince my husband to buy a cover. He doesn't think we need one. ;)

While he is here it will probably switch back and forth, but while he is gone it will stay as a sofa.