Ah, that's so cool. Please promise me you will *plant* them when you get "there"! (I saved seeds when we made a big move once and never planted them, lol). So I need to know someone will be more faithful than I and follow through on this, 'k?

I would make a cheese sauce (white sauce plus parmesan) and put it all over pasta, mushrooms and sauteed vegies. Slice pancetta over the top. Much like you said!

In addition to pluggedinonline.com (as mentioned above), I also use IMDB.com (internet movie data base) from time to time.

Well, thank you very much for the warm welcome! Full disclosure: I haven't lived in a Spanish-speaking comunidad for many years, but I can get by. To answer your questions/comments ... Yes, I understood what you were saying! You have five horses and like to drink coffee while reading the morning paper. :lol: I am, too! My husband is fluent in Spanish and I just follow along. It's strange how much you forget after so many years. and Okay, I'll 'fess up. I mentioned tea because I've seen the posts on the board from time to time, but I never did see the original and don't know what it's all about (is there a link?). So hopefully I didn't stick a big foot in my mouth or get put on some kind of "watch" list, lol. Should I have a red face? :blushing: Hola tambien! Et aussi, je suis bien ... And I'm not a full blooded Spanish speaker, lol. (See above) My husband is wanting to do some Spanish with the kids, he's so busy with his art work that we'll see how that works out. Maybe I'll kick it up a notch (BAM!) and at least get the basics going. Our kids have said they want to learn French, Italian, Greek, and sign language (go figure!).

now's your chance! Hello, I'm Chika and I've enjoyed chatting with you and reading some great, thought-provoking posts (well, and some funny ones, too. Four words: Cheap, wood-framed couches!). I thought I'd make an introduction: I've been homeschooling our children for a few years, and we enjoy the lifestyle. Our "method" is pretty eclectic with a favorite being field trips (we're urban homeschoolers). My husband is a thinker and an artist and for the most part we enjoy our life together. We love to travel together and just the same we love staying in and watching movies. I have some wonderful heart-level friends, and our family is actively involved in our local congregation. Chocolate is my friend, as are french onion soup, a well-prepared chicken piccata and homemade macaroni and cheese. I'm trying to make acquaintance with tea (but little success thus far). Okay, all together now: ¡Hola, Chika! :D

Lol, me too. In fact, even though our rep DID vote "nay" (which surprised me quite a bit), I'm still going to vote for his opponent in November despite the fact that he's from a different party than the one I'm typically affiliated with.

I found the quote from a certain Congressman, when he said that the representatives in the House shouldn't be moved by the emails from their constituents in their voting, to be more patronizing. I read the article yesterday and cannot find a link this a.m. -- but he went on for a handful of sentences about how the reps needed to vote for the bailout even though they probably had received thousands of emails from the folks in their district about voting against it. :glare:

We introduced chess by ... just playing chess. Start a game and then explain the rules and moves as they come up. Very natural, no pressure. Strategy can be introduced as you go, but can be focused on later. And checkers isn't a pre-cursor to chess -- it's just a different game played on the same board. A *great* chess-related movie is Searching For Bobby Fischer. It's one of our family faves (it's a based-on-a-true-story about a 10 year old or so boy who is a chess phenom; the movie also stars a younger Laurence Fishburne!).

I've tried it twice, and dropped it twice. I go into it with high hopes that it will help me stock my pantry and save money -- but the items that I would save on aren't items I would normally purchase for our family to eat/use. So I don't think I'll go back again.

I enjoyed taking the time to do this a few days ago. I mentioned to one of our congressman that I would be voting for his opponent if he voted "Yes" -- and lo, and behold, he voted "No." It really surprised me (not that he listened to ME, lol, but that he voted No). I love seeing it noted in the news reports that the emails of the public made a/the difference.

Chocolate chips yet? Ah, yes, I see that someone has .... I've got 30 bags ready to be picked up. If we're going to have a time of shortages, chocolate sure isn't one of the things I want to be without! :)

I've enjoyed reading your blog. Wow, what a challenge and how interesting to read the details!