After an exploding sweet potato incident (try to get THAT out of your oven!) I always poke holes and wrap in foil.

I was sitting in my home in the city, surrounded by concrete and listening to the sounds of the interstate and general city noise. Tonight I am sitting in our new home in TN, listening to nothing but the sound of the blower on our wood burning stove. Today we got our chicken run finished, and I have gotten the majority of our things unpacked. The kids and the dog have run and roamed the 15 acres until they are exhausted. They have spent days prowling around this old farm finding all the typical leavings of a farm at least a half century old. They are in love with the barn :) My dh got to use the tractor all evening bush hogging the field that we plan to clear for cow pasture. We are tired and it is good :D I'm glad that, in spite of our worries, we made the move. There are pics on my blog if anyone wants to see.

I dice them, add a chopped onion, season and then bake in a covered casserole with several pats of butter until tender. Sometimes I will also add some cheese on top after it is finished. You can also do it in the microwave.

I love my glasses, and I actually think they make me look younger. (hides my tired eyes!) But if you are wearing outdated frames, then yeah, they can age you!

This year will be 20 years for us. It wouldn't bother me one bit. BUT...for the first 15 years of our marriage, travel was a huge part of his job. For about 5 or 6 years he was gone every other week. So, I am very much used to him being gone.

My twins were Mo-Di and I was monitored EXTREMELY closely. I had them at 34 weeks (natural labor), but they told me early on that if there was even a hint of trouble they would take them earlier. If they had been mo-mo my chances of early delivery went up even more. Thankfully there was no transfusion.

Generally, if it has been properly canned you'll know when it is no longer fit to eat. Bubbling in the jar, a bad smell, popped lids, and unusual discoloration are all indicators. Usually it is just a quality issue with age.

My 15 year old has had a queen bed for about 3 years now...but she got it by default. For various reasons, we ended up with an extra bed in queen size and it was too nice to get rid of. Her sisters, who are the size of adults, sleep in twin bunks. I had a twin until I was married.

Thank you! I just joined.

#1...you aren't crazy! My dd and I are both that way. #2...I often will sketch on paper with colored pencils to plan. You can also make large canvases inexpensively (the first one will cost more to set up, but after that it is cheap). I've made them by making a frame with 1x1 lumber, stretching canvas dropcloth (can be purchased at Home Depot) over it and stapling with a staple gun, then coating with a couple of coats of gesso. After your painting is finished, you can remove it from the frame and reuse the frame. The one and only college art class I took, that was the first thing we had to learn to do. Another thing you can do, if you are using acrylic, is to buy the craft paints in the bottle to play with. They quality isn't as good as the "real stuff" but it can be much cheaper if you are just playing around. Also, don't limit yourself to canvas. You can also paint on masonite boards from Home Depot as well. Just give it a good coat of gesso first. Mostly have fun! Oh, and on the blending. You can buy a retarder that slows down the drying time of your paint, but it doesn't extended it an incredibly long time. You might try oils if you are looking to do that type of painting more.

Yes, I forgot the mention the different parts of TN. I wouldn't live in Memphis if you paid me. I just don't like it there. I grew up in Middle TN, and it is ok. Lots of farmland once you get out of the Nashville area. Knoxville/East TN is where I have spent most of my adult life, and it is by far the prettiest and friendliest, I think. It really is like three different states.

My dh is 100% for me being a stay at home home mom and his mom was mostly a full time stay at home.

Tennessee is awesome. We are just moving back after being away for 2 years. You get all the seasons. UT is a good school. Snakes and spiders really aren't a big deal. If you live in the city, the odds of you seeing snakes are pretty low. Even out in the country you mostly see the non-venomous ones. Spiders, you just have to get used to..:001_smile: But really they aren't bad.

Hi. We are moving back to the Knoxville area this week. We are looking for a teen group, or to get one started, for kids 11 and up. Mainly we are looking for families that get together just to have fun. We are Christian, but are looking for an eclectic mix of people. They enjoy hanging out with girls and boys, so that doesn't matter. My dd 15 is in to manga, writing, books and drawing. My twin dds are 11 and like video games and playing outside. I like photography, scrap booking, art, gardening and anything crafty. I am also thinking about teaching art. Now that this has started to sound like a personal ad..lol. Anyone in our area?

What's for breakfast/lunch today? I had a PB&J Sandwich for breakfast, and will probably head to Costco for lunch. Our kitchen is packed up, so there are slim pickings here. Got anything good planned for the weekend? Tomorrow I head out at 4AM to make a 15+ hour drive to TN, where I will promptly turn into a popsicle. (I've been spoiled by the mild winters...it's going to be 13 degrees when we arrive :glare:) What's the best book/movie you've read/seen lately? I just finished Galore by Michael Crummey. It was different but pretty good. Had an interesting twist. :)

Thank you....I needed this :) I've moved so many times in my life....but this one just seems harder.

We move tomorrow back home to TN. Although the move is needed, it isn't what we all really want. I'm sad to leave a great group of moms that I actually fit in with. My kids are sad to leave their friends that THEY fit in with, only to go back to an area sorely lacking in homeschooled teens. My husband is sad because we are sad, and because of all the trauma and everything that has led up to this move. I'm struggling a bit this morning. I guess mostly because dh is feeling so down. His health has done nothing but go downhill since we moved here. He sees his ability to function normally slipping away. He's probably feeling defeated with this move. We are going to a smaller, not nearly as nice house. It bothers him, and it bothers him that it bothers him. Then I worry. We are pursuing moving to an area where we can have a mini farm. I know that making it work will likely fall to me, because unless there is a dramatic upturn in his health, he won't be able to. I'm not worried about the work...I'm worried about how that will affect him mentally. I'm just a wad of emotions this morning. And that time of the month isn't helping :lol: We are spending the day bowling with our friends, and then having ice cream. I'm looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Then we are leaving at 4AM...likely never to return.

I'll play... I have to have the house packed up and ready for the movers by tomorrow night. I am sick of packing. Actually, I'm mostly sick of moving. This is the 5th time in 4 years, with another likely move in a year. It is also the 26th(ish) time for me personally to move. I'm tired! I'll come clean your house, if you'll come pack mine! :lol:

I've had functioning migraines and non-functioning ones. There are ones I can function with..I'm usually on some sort of med, and it has been tamed to a dull roar with brain fog. Sometimes there is nausea. These are the ones that I can still act like a normal human and carry on with my day. (although I am not usually very friendly :tongue_smilie:) I also have migraine pre-cursors that aren't painful, but I still consider part of my migraine. I get stupid. I cannot think clearly, I make poor decisions, and my speech gets garbled. I usually get hit with a major migraine within 24 hours if I don't realize that I need to pre-treat with meds. Then I have some (rarely thankfully!) that I cannot do a thing but lay in a dark room, put pressure on my head, and pray to God that he'll ease it soon or kill me. Those are BAD. I still consider both migraines, and one is a lesser form. A headache to me is just pain in the head, without auras, nausea or other sensitivities.

My 11 year olds just read the sample for scoring a 3. Their words: "I hope that didn't get a good grade. It didn't make sense!"

:001_wub:

DD15- A Writer above all else. Perhaps something else to make a living, but she mostly wants to write. She would also like to do some mission work. DD11- A teacher. At an orphanage. DD11- A baker. The kids loves to cook.

I think I took up to Algebra II. It is a little disturbing that I can't remember for sure. I remember my last math teacher, but I can't remember what class it was. I remember taking Geometry at a different school, so I'm assuming it was Algebra II. :001_huh:

I know nothing of Houston personally, but my friend and her family SWEAR that Flying Saucer Pies has the BEST pies ever. So if you want dessert..:lol: (Seriously, they have gone on and on about how good they are...made me want to drive to Houston for a PIE!)

If I include 4 years of college after the twins graduate, I'll only be 46ish.