I don't have any big things on my list this year. Just an apron, and some books and CDs. My big gift to myself will be my annual trip to Disneyland in the spring with one of the kids.

Your link didn't work for some reason, but yes, cajons are awesome! My ds16 has had one for several years and plays it in church. People are always fascinated by it, and it's pretty amazing the variety of sounds you can get from it. Anyway, I hope Santa grants your wish!

:grouphug: BTDT with my second oldest. At least yours let the orthodontist look at his teeth. I've only had 1 child need braces so far, thank goodness. Of course, this is the child who managed to lose her retainers after just one month. Yep, $300 down the hole. *sigh* I think we should just sign dh's paycheck over to the dentist.

Came down sick with something last night - ugh. Feeling a bit better this morning but I will probably go back to bed later. Shower √ Drop off ds √ Grocery shopping Laundry School work Crochet? Dinner? Pick up ds

(((Jill))), I'm praying for you. That sounds so painful :(

I just wanted to add that this has been the best year so far in terms of retaining new families. I think we've only had 2 families drop so far, and neither of those were because "it's too much work". Good luck!

Happy birthday, Luanne! Hope your day turns out well. I'll be 49 myself next month :)

Oh, yes, you are right! Well, must be nice to be royalty, at least for the clothing perks. I shudder when I see pictures of myself at my oldest's baptism.

Well, I can tell you what is working for our 4-H club. Ours is run as a co-op, meaning ALL parents have to participate. Unless it is your first year in the club, you must lead or co-lead at least one project (and most of us lead more than one). Every parent must have at least 2 other jobs, i.e. setting up/tearing down potlucks, assisting with registrations, picking up/returning club supplies from the storage locker, etc. Every parent must help clean up after the project days, along with their kids. Every family must help in some way with the fundraisers. Yes, it is a lot of work but if it is all split up evenly (more or less) then it's not too bad, and no one feels taken advantage of. We changed it up a bit this year before new member sign up day, and we had a meeting with all the new families and explained the participation contract and what would be involved before they signed up, so they knew what they were getting into and what would be required of them. We found from past experience that families were all gung-ho about having their kids do projects, and underestimated what kind of work was involved and how much time they would have to put in. It may be too late for this year, but for next year, before any family (returning or new) can register, I would sit them down with a participation contract, and a list of all the jobs that need to be filled throughout the year, and have them sign up. And it is like you say, if no one volunteers, then you as a club can no longer offer that activity. Too bad, so sad. We do try to work things so that families can trade off, i.e. if one family needs child care, another mom can watch the kids so the other mom can lead a project or whatever.

Slow start to my morning. Get coffee √ Send kids out to rake front yard √ Shower √ Drop off ds School work with kids Laundry Clean out toaster oven Prep dinner Drop off Trunk or Treat stuff to friend Work on crochet Pick up ds Tomorrow will be a major cleaning day.

I think George is absolutely adorable, and I loved his expressions during the ceremony. Kate looks great - must be nice to be a countess and have a wardrobe at your command. Love Camilla's coat. The Queen looks lovely in her favorite blue.

Oldie but goodie: National Geographic. I love the great photography and the articles are always interesting. I don't enjoy most women's mags, but maybe there is a good one out there I haven't discovered yet.

Wow. That sounds like a determined hawk. My SIL had problems with birds flying into her large plate glass window a lot. Decals didn't prevent it, so she hung up some large flashy windchimes and that stopped them.

NEprairiemom, are you asking about the Rachael Ray ones? They sell them lots of different places - amazon and RR's own store online. They do come in a bunch of different colors. I don't own them myself but they seem to have lots of positive reviews.

I finished my first ruffle scarf last night. It came out pretty well, after a few false starts. I'll probably make a few more for Christmas gifts. Will try to post a pic later.

The best of both worlds? (Rachael Ray's Round & Square Dinnerware)

Cute hat, Terri!

To do: Take ds to school √ Mail book √ Get coffee √ Laundry √ School work √ Clean microwave √ Buy rabbit food and cat food √ Dinner? hot dogs and salad with some extra veggies thrown in √ Pick up ds √ Finish crocheting beanbags, start on scarf Watch The Amazing Race My ds is going to be the death of me. I love him and he is such a great kid but such a terrible student.

Debbi, the scarves are gorgeous! The recipients are very lucky :) The blankets are adorable too.

:grouphug: Jean. I'm sorry you're feeling poorly. :( To do: Take ds to school √ Mail book √ Get coffee √ Laundry School work Clean microwave Buy rabbit food and cat food Dinner? Pick up ds Finish crocheting beanbags, start on scarf Watch The Amazing Race

Lord have mercy. So sad.

Debbi, I am leading a 4-H project this year on honeybees and part of the project is doing some crafting with beeswax. So far we made beeswax lip balm. I experimented at home with the recipe and then we made some in the project. It turned out really nicely. Next month I want to try some beeswax molded candles, but I will experiment at home first to see what works best. I've read that the wick is usually the problem with candles that don't want to stay lit - I need to shop around and get a really good quality wick. Anyway, this will be an ongoing thing throughout the year.

I am starting to get back into crafting for the fall. I've crocheted a bunch of bean bags that I'm going to give as Christmas presents to my little nieces and nephews. I still have a few more to go. I also crocheted some snowflakes with yarn to see how they would turn out, and they look pretty cute. Now I want to do them in crochet thread and hopefully make enough to send out in my Christmas card swap on another site. Next month I want to do some ruffle scarves with the Starbella/Sashay yarn. I've been working on some different beeswax projects too.

Congratulations, Kathryn! :hurray: I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Yes, you will feel crappy and yes, it will suck, but it will end sooner or later, hopefully sooner, and no, your children will not be traumatized. Lots of videos and audio books and picnics on the living room floor. Praying for a healthy happy pregnancy.

The Money Manners column in yesterday's newspaper had a situation kind of like this - I will copy and paste it: Dear Jeanne and Leonard: When my mother died, my father wanted to put me on his checking account, so I said OK. I’m worried, though, that this means that when Dad dies, I’ll be responsible for his mortgage. He’s a great guy, and I love him, but I don’t want to have to pay off the loan on his house. For one thing, the place isn’t worth what he owes on it. Also, it’s a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, and I don’t want to live in it. What can I do to get off the responsibility train? – Elizabeth, Santa Cruz, Calif. Dear Elizabeth: Being a co-signer on a checking account (which is an asset) is a lot different from being the co-signer on a mortgage (which is a debt). If you are only on your father’s checking account, you should have nothing to worry about. The money in the account belongs to both you and your father now. And when he dies, it probably will be yours (check with a lawyer, because there are exceptions). In any event, it’s your father’s estate, not you, that will be liable for the balance on his mortgage. If, however, you co-signed for the loan, the responsibility train has already left the station. If that’s the case, we hope for your sake there’s enough money in your father’s estate to cover the debt.