My mother is German, so when I grew up, the tree was decorated on Christmas Eve. I still prefer that, but I'm outvoted by my family. This year the kids put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. I protested, but I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up, it was a done deal!

I use this recipe: http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-soap/ Walmart sells A&H Super Washing Soda. I got the Borax and the pink Zote there, too. They also sell Fels Naptha, but it is ugly, so I switched to pink Zote, Dr. Bonner's and Kirks Castile. I run the soap through the fine grinder disc on my food processor. I mix it all together in my food processor too, with the just the cutting blade on. That way I make sure it is all thoroughly mixed. I keep a container of my homemade laundry soap by the washer. Since I made it in bulk last time, I store the remainder in an airtight container. With 6 adults in my household, there is a lot of laundry to do, so making it in bulk makes sense for us.

Ketchup only on fries or cheeseburgers. Butter and/or mustard on sandwiches.

I have never heard of that trick. I use a thermometer.

I have always asked guests if they are allergic to any foods or if they have any dietary restrictions, or if they are vegetarians, or if there are any foods they absolutely do not like. 40 years ago, this was not normal to do, and people who didn't have any problems with food were surprised. BUT people who did have food restrictions were surprised and delighted to be consulted. When I invite people to eat a meal, I want them to be able to enjoy the food. That is one of the main reasons I like to cook; I like to see people eat food they love and that I cooked. The only glitch I had was at a dinner party when one of the desserts I served was German chocolate cake, at the request of of a husband. The couple were Jewish, and the wife threw a fit because I had served a German food. For the record, German chocolate cake is an American food, through and through. We didn't invite that couple again, obviously. I was pretty angry about her behavior, and another guest made things even worse by telling her I was born in Germany and my mother was a German, by way of explaining that I would know that the cake was not a German recipe. Her husband was appalled since he had requested the dessert. I do not serve German chocolate cake as one of the desserts at dinner parties any more. Problem solved! I didn't answer the poll because I didn't agree with any of the choices. My take on it is that if a guest is allergic to one or two common ingredients, then I will make sure that for each menu category, there is a food available that person can eat and likes to eat, by making it myself (unless they offer to bring it). Sometimes it is a fun challenge for me, and sometimes I make two of what I was planning and leave the offensive ingredients out of one dish. I have a vegetarian friend who loves lasangna. So I make one especially for her and she gets to take home the leftovers.

I would let the visiting dog owners know ahead of time that their dogs are not allowed on the furniture (including beds). I would be prepared, though, with sheets or blankets or a tarp or a canvas drop cloth ... just in case some dog insists on that and the owner isn't vigilant. Otherwise you will be spending all your time protecting your furniture and possibly having a distraght owner/guest being worried about the dog's feelings being hurt. I would make sure everyone knows my dog is a member of our family and his needs rule. So if a visiting dog causes him distress, the visitor will be crated.

The media's only goal, in general (IMO), is to get more readers, viewers, or listeners, in order to make more money from ad revenue.

http://www.amazon.com/Marcato-Atlas-Wellness-Pasta-Stainless/dp/B0009U5OSO/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1446988204&sr=1-4&keywords=pasta+maker I own this, but I haven't had time to use it. Just wanted you to know that it is a highly rated one.

I found these articles a veterinarian wrote for his blog, The SkeptVet about use of glucosamine in dogs to be interesting. Aug 7, 2015: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/08/evidence-based-veterinary-medicine-what-is-it-why-does-it-matter-2/ Feb 22, 2015 http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/02/what-you-know-that-aint-necessarily-so-glucosamine-arthritis-in-dogs/ Mar 16, 2014: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/03/legs-glucosamine-study-sows-little-evidence-of-real-benefit/ Mar 9, 2011: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/03/is-recommending-glucosamine-for-arthritis-evidence-based-medicine-or-wishful-thinking/ Jan 9, 2011: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/01/growing-skepticism-about-glucosamine-for-arthritis-in-dogs-and-cats/ Oct. 11, 2010: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2010/10/cognitive-dissonance-in-action-glucosamine-no-matter-what/ Sept 19, 2010: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2010/09/nope-glucosamine-and-chodnroitin-still-dont-work-in-humans/ June 5, 2009: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2009/06/veterinary-joint-supplements-glucosamine-chondroitin/

We did it, and we gave the books (5,000 boxed books) to Salvation Army. The kids went through the books first to make sure I didn't get rid of any personal favorites. Thanks to that brilliant plan, we ended up keeping all of the picture books, and I kept all the books that had a doll theme and those I would actually use or read in the future. The kids also kept whatever they wanted of their personal books which they keep in their bedrooms. I have not regretted doing that, although at the time it was difficult. The books simply sat on the bookshelves; no one read them. If I feel a tug toward a particular book, I can buy it again. My husband had a much harder time. He is a pack rat with books, ties, and sweaters. I am the anti-Pack Rat, the one all the pack rats run away from. 98% of my books are stored on the cloud at Amazon or on Calibre.

I changed my name to Lee when I was a teenager. At the time, I planned to do it legally when I turned 18, but by then I liked my original name better. My family didn't call me Lee, but everyone else did for a couple of years. It didn't bother my parents at all. It wouldn't bother me if my kids changed their names. They are what I call white bread names -- because my husband is not into unusual names at all.

My loads are: Sheets Towels, underwear, socks Light, including white and things that go into mesh bags Heavy dark - jeans, hoodies, sweatpants Lighter dark - Tshirts, etc. Throw rugs Blankets

http://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398 http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/why-does-cilantro-taste-soap-some-people

I like Point Six -- similar to Smartwool -- at Sierra Trading Post.

I have pet insurance for Aidan solely because vet expenses are very high for treating serious illnesses and injuries.

My dog unwraps the presents under the tree. The first year we had him, I put an ex-pen around the tree. That was a PITA to deal with, so now we don't put the presents under the tree until Christmas morning. Since there is plenty of room, the dog sleeps under the tree instead. Just in case, we don't use tinsel (which is a real sacrifice for me!), and we put unbreakable ornaments on the bottom half of the tree.

Well, it kind of depends on the damage that was done to the wrist. I have a friend who fractured her wrist and it was pretty horrifying. If she is lucky, she will have 60% use of her wrist and hand when she is finally healed, and she may require more surgery.

Center for Pet Safety 2015 Crate Study Results: http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/crates/2015-crate-study-results/ Crash test results for the Ruff Tough Kennel are on pages 13 & 14, here: http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015_cps_crate_summary_072215.pdf Because crates that pass the crash tests cost from $500 to over $1000, I have elected to get this seatbelt harness for my dog: http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/cps-certified/sleepypod-clickit-sport/

Assuming she had health insurance, if she had won, it is likely that her health insurance company would have gone after her to be repaid from the proceeds. Also, there are other damages: lost wages, pain and suffering, deductibles. I noticed that the news stories covered frivolous damages ... like not being able to hold a plate ... but there may have been more serious effects from her injury that we do not know about. The woman is still close with the boy and his father. The insurance company paid for the defense costs: legal fees and associated expenses. So for whatever reason she decided to sue, I think the parents agreed that she should do it. "The boy refers to Connell as his aunt, although she said he is the son of her cousin. The family remains close. Just a few weeks ago, Connell said, she took the boy out shopping for his Halloween costume." http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/13/us/aunt-nephew-lawsuit/ I think this story was irresponsibly sensationalized by the media.

In some states, the jury is not permitted to be told there is insurance coverage. "1. The vast majority of defendants in personal injury cases have liability insurance, but the fact that a defendant has insurance which will cover plaintiff's damages is almost always kept secret from the jury." http://www.hallinjurylaw.com/not_told.html We don't know enough about this case to figure out what happened. I looked at the docket, and nothing important on it is linked to a document. I gave a cursory glance at Google results to see if CT juries are informed about coverage during trial, and couldn't find anything from a reliable source that was not a law firm's website. Don't have time to research this further.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/13/us/aunt-nephew-lawsuit/ "This was meant to be a simple homeowners insurance case," she said. "Connecticut law is such that I was advised by counsel that this is the way a suit is meant to be worded." Connell said that an individual, not an insurance company, had to be named as a defendant.

I always fall asleep reading my Kindle. Now there is a direct link between reading and falling asleep (but only when I am reading while lying down). So when I wake up at 3 a.m., I read. Over half the time, I quickly fall back asleep. My Kindle has a cover, and it has never been damaged -- I figure it is an electronic teddy bear. I have a Paperwhite, and I read with the light off.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/

What stops me from canning my dried beans is that the process time is 90 minutes for a quart, 75 minutes for a pint. I fully understand the great desire to do so. I am hoping that I do not succumb to it because it is so time-consuming.