Hello ladies, I was not able to go to church today because we were at the hospital getting my broken foot x-rayed. So when you all get back from church, tell me how your service was. I can live vicariously through you! :)

Yep it's broken. Had X-rays this morning and it is broken near the top of the 5th metatarsal. They taped it, gave me crutches and ibuprofen and told me to stay off it for a week or so. The doctor said it sometimes takes up to 3 months to heal but it is not displaced so that's good. Thanks for all the advice!!!

Exactly! Their international shipping costs a fortune but I can get things from amazon that I can't get here so I am grateful!!

Our quick, easy, go-to meal is chicken and rice casserole. You need 4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded A pot of white rice, cooked Chopped broccoli and carrots A can of sliced mushrooms Chopped onion Two cans of cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom works too) Shredded cheddar Throw everything except the cheddar in a big bowl and stir. Then spread into a casserole dish, top with cheddar, and cook on 350 for about 20-30 minutes. We also add chopped red and green chiles but that is because our amah is Indian and she puts chilis in everything! :)

Sometimes reading this thread gives me anxiety... not because of the weekly goal... but because there are SO MANY books that sound so good and I want to read them all! What if I die with an amazon wish list full of books I never got to?? Ahhhhhhh!!!!! So many books, so little time. :)

Has there been a change in his environment? My first year of teaching I got strep throat 11 times (I think I just had one long case of strep throat) because I was suddenly exposed to so many new people and new germs in close quarters. It took me a while to build up my immune system.

I just woke up and the toe itself is really swollen as is the side of my foot. The whole area is blue and it is very painful. Ridiculously so. I am actually most aggravated by the fact that an area so small can hurt this much! I can't walk on it at all. Not even a little pressure or pain shoots through my foot and toe. Dh wants me to get an X-ray and our insurance covers it so I may do so. After I drink my coffee and whine a little more. :)

We live surrounded by some amazingly wealthy people and some of the most poverty stricken. We are in the middle. I agree with what most have said: - life is about choices. Each choice you make has its consequences. People in our community travel a lot... On every school break. We do not. That is because we chose to adopt a baby girl and that took up a great deal of our finances, time and energy (and who wants to explore third world countries with an infant?). When my boys asked questions, we would tell them that we made a choice and we think it was a good one but it meant we had to give up certain things. All you can do is decide if it is worth it to you. We all agree that it is worth it. Now she is getting a little older and we may travel more. - my kids actually have quite a bit more things than many of their MK friends do. That has been tough for them as the MKs have openly expressed resentment towards their parents in front of my boys (about always being poor, being forced to live in a dorm, etc.). It makes my boys uncomfortable. It seems some of these parents might need to have more discussions with their kids about choices and consequences.

I am certain I broke my pinky toe/ metatarsal (I had to look that up!) this evening. I hit it hard and I heard it crack. The pain is actually a lot more severe than I thought something like this would be. It is quite swollen and feels "off" ... like it is slightly crooked (if that makes sense). I cannot put any weight on it at all and I cannot wiggle it. It actually hurts slightly further down the side of my foot rather than the toe itself. Of course it happens late on a Saturday evening! Figures. So the question: is it true that "there's nothing they can do" for it? I have never broken a bone before but I've always heard that they don't cast this kind of break and there is nothing they can do so it isn't worth going in for an X-ray. At this point I am going to bed (after popping Tylenol and attempting to stabilize it with tape). If I wake up and it is still this bad, or worse, should I have it X-rayed? Or just skip it? I am not entirely sure how I will get around until it heals. I can't believe how bad it hurts. I feel like a big sissy!

No matter what happened, it sounds like mother AND son could use some prayer. How about we all focus on that rather than "who is more at fault?"

You can borrow ebooks from your library with a free kindle app as well.

I find them redundant. I, too, would rather have a big anniversary bash or go on a second honeymoon. That feels like "we are celebrating how far we have made it despite the curve balls life throws at us." Renewing vows seems more like starting over.

Thank you for the explanation. And I like your signature. Our IT dept is staffed by THREE "Johns" but we just call them "the J crew". :)

At my school, we have kindy through high school on one campus. Everyone starts at 8:20. Grades k- 4 finish at 3:05 and they get a 45 minute lunch/recess and a 15 minute afternoon recess. Grades 5-12 end at 3:45 and get a 45 minute lunch/recess. Grades 9-12 often have a study hall during the day which they can take anywhere on campus. Once a semester we have a no homework/ no activities weekend. All sports and other extra curriculars are canceled. We also do not allow any school events including sports on Sundays.

Absolutely. Look, you're gonna turn 40 either way. You might as well do it with a degree under your belt! I am 42 and am tossing the idea around of going back for PhD. People think THAT'S crazy!

This sounds lovely. Do you mind if I ask what city you live in? Is it very cold in the winter?

This works for me in Malaysia. I read 95% on my iPad. Books are so expensive here and the selection is not great. I would be lost without ebooks!

This works for me in Malaysia. I read 95% on my iPad. Books are so expensive here and the selection is not great. I would be lost without ebooks!

I have to admit that I did chuckle just for a second at how worked up Lord Grantham got because Dr. Clarkson said "urine" in front of him and his mother. Oh, and when the good doctor said "womb" and Cora told him to stop talking about medical details in front of her husband. Sheesh. What a pansy.

Yes! Except that it is daytime for me so I can only access them now late at night (my night hours). I wasn't all that worked up about changing to the new boards but now it is starting to bum me out. Oh well.

Yes, we eat dinner together, at a table, every day of the week. I think it is very important.

Michigan (southeast near Detroit)- gray, cold, depressing, boring. Guns, drugs, crime. I was born and raised in that area but I can't imagine choosing to live there. North Carolina (western)- beautiful, lovely weather. I can't get enough of the Blue Ridge Mountains! And Lake James... happy sigh... amazing. On the downside, not very diverse or educated. People are pretty close-minded. My Korean ds stuck out like a sore thumb and people made rude comments all the time. The employee at Chuck E Cheese actually accused me of kidnapping him because "y'all don't look nothin' alike." I was floored. Still, I'd probably like to live there again but maybe closer to Asheville this time. Malaysia- where would I begin? Tropical, amazing weather. Delicious food. Eye-popping culture everywhere you look. Lots of money on this island, lots of progress. A bit crowded and the driving is HORRIBLE. But the people are warm and friendly and it is very safe, much more safe than Michigan. We love our life here!

Or is it just the wonky Internet on this side of the world? It seems the boards have been going down a lot lately and usually during my day time hours while most of you are asleep. Honestly, it's pretty annoying. I have been on these boards for ten years and I don't ever remember them being this unstable. But maybe it is just Malaysian Internet?

I have a full time maid so my house is spotless every day of the week. I could not live in a home like the one pictured. I couldn't even visit a home like that. I think being OK with that kind of filth suggests a possible mental issue.

No, I do not "hang out" with men who are not my dh. It would not even occur to me and seems inappropriate. This always cracked me up (and rings true to me):