MIL and SIL have laminate, so that isn't an issue for us. We didn't like the look of cork as much... We do have a dog, and also track in a lot of farm dirt. Dents don't bother me as much as scratching. The samples we got yesterday :001_huh: They scratched SO easily!

We must pick out flooring. :rolleyes: I don't even want the WORD carpet to enter our new house..lol. We initially wanted laminate (price) but love actual hardwood. We were wooed by the woven strand bamboo flooring last night, but brought some samples home and they scratched way too easily. I really, really like the idea of the new floating vinyl planks, but haven't talked to anyone IRL that has them in their home. Most reviews are good, but I've seen a few that had issues with gapping in sunny areas. We don't want to spend a fortune. Anyone have input?

Not without exhausting every other avenue for finding out what was going on. Especially since I have a horrible interaction with any hormonal form of birth control I have ever tried, and I may have passed that on.

Glad to hear it went well! My BIL was the first in our area to have a similar surgery done (nearly 40 years ago!) He was even used as a teaching surgery with video and everything. Great thing is, he's never had any issues with it. One of his dds inherited the sunken chest, but thankfully it wasn't severe enough to warrant surgery.

I do the same thing, only mine is looming much closer as she was 41. 41 Will be a hard birthday.

:iagree: This pretty much exactly, except my dh is like your dad, in that he will sit on you :lol: I have MY chair too. His dad and mom had their own chairs too. My family growing up just spent most of our time avoiding each other in separate rooms.

Well, I have no idea when they will actually move out. They are welcome to stay here until they are married if they want. (as long as they are contributing) But, I will be 42 when my babies turn 18. I have mixed feelings. I dream of not have to clean up after them and cook for 5 every night. On the other hand, I can't imagine how much I'll miss them. I don't know what I'll do. My dh wants me to focus on my art then. We'll see :tongue_smilie:

I've always had dogs, but our JRT that we have right now is probably the most expressive I've ever seen. You can tell, easily, when she is happy, sad, irritated, or guilty. Her guilty act is SO cute. We call it "going Dobby". She'll do it if she comes into the dining room while we are eating, or if she has gotten into something she shouldn't (which is rare). She GRINS when my FIL comes over. She loves that man. She also can understand a LOT of what we say. It is almost annoying...it's hard to slip things by her :lol:

My twins have them. I was a little freaked out when I saw them, as my oldest dd and I never had that happen except around the hips a little. But Sarah and Miranda grew SO much last year. They had them come up all the way up their back, on their upper arms, and the backs of their legs :( They were self-concious about them at first, but they are fading a lot now. They just inherited their dad's skin...he was covered in them as a teen (from weight AND growth though)

Had cats (at least if it was obvious...I despise cat smell) Had a smoked in smell Had ANY mold issues, as I have a very allergic dd. Had foundation, water seepage or roof issues. Was in a bad neighborhood. Had any type of insect/rodent infestation. (large scale...minor occasional bugs don't bother me)

We are building, so we can adjust accordingly to some extent. Keep your thoughts coming!

We have to pick out our appliances for our new kitchen :D I've never purchased some of these things new before, so I would like input. What have you had and loved? We will need: A dishwasher (that will be used about 2x a day) A gas cooktop A gas wall oven A side by side refrigerator. OR if you love your french door frige, tell me why. A new dryer. (nothing fancy here)

I know nothing about this place, other than driving by and listening to my kids lament about not getting to go there...but they do have one of those waterpark hotels in Pigeon Forge: http://www.wildernessatthesmokies.com/ ETA: There are a LOT of great cabin rentals in and around the area.

Not posting a pic of the actual garden right now, as it is a wilty, yellow mess with all the record setting heat and no rain we've had :glare: But my tomatoes are coming in by the gallon right now :D I also picked a bunch of butternut squash last week. Our green beans are pitiful, but the okra has taken off. I hope our canteloupe makes it...it doesn't like this weather much.

We hold the same position as you. We get funny looks, but we are kind of used to that :lol: Our girls are being provided with a decent high school education. One that will enable them to go to college *if they so choose*. But we are against them going just to go. We have many people in our family who have no degrees but have had a comfortable life. They have found alternate routes to earning a living that usually involve something they are good at or enjoy. We also have a family FULL of stay at home moms that are very content with being there for their kids. We are raising our girls to gain a useful skill that can support themselves or help support their families. We do NOT want them to be career driven. We want them to be driven to have a good LIFE. We have one that wants to be a teacher...so that will entail higher education. She will start at a CC, and go from that point. The oldest wants to be a writer, but doesn't know what she wants to do for her "day job". She doesn't particularly like school, and at this time doesn't have the drive to do well in college. It would be much better for her to wait until she KNOWS what she wants to do before she wasted a dime on college. We will be encouraging her to find a job of some sort before long, and go from there. My third wants to be a chef or own a bakery. She may attend a culinary school, but has absolutely no desire to go to college. So, our end goal? To educate them to the point that they can go down the path God chooses for them. Hopefully we can do that while imparting the knowledge that there is as much worth in the stay at home mom, or blue collar mechanic, as there is in a degreed professional working in an office.

We went today to get a modular home priced out and it looks like it will be a go! :hurray: Now the fun part of picking out a bazillion color/style/etc choices. We are putting it on some family property. A few acres, with family on three sides of us. Now, just pray dh and I don't kill each other in the process.

Lily our Jack Russell Terrier. She is 3 :)

:iagree: We fight over it here...lol.

They aren't yet. It's a convoluted situation. Most of what I know is coming through the family rumor mill, but we are going to be in a position soon to be VERY involved. I don't have enough information first hand to do anything, but soon, if what I have been told is true, I will have no choice but to become involved. We are praying hard that we don't have to do anything, and that the adults in the situation will get their acts together and do what they should.

Thanks for the responses. Hypthetical children are still at home, but I kind of wanted to get an idea of what we would hypothetically have to do if such a thing happened. We wish/hope that such a situation wouldn't happen, but want to take care of the kids if it did. :crying:

Hypothetical question here.... If children are removed from a home by CPS, can family members take in said children without a home study in place? (If they are like 2nd cousin related, but are known well by the children) If so, would a home study have to be done after placement?

I would throw it back in, add a little fat (olive oil, bacon fat, fat from your other roast..etc...) and plenty of liquid of some sort. (broth, vinegar, beer, etc.)

:grouphug: Praying for you and your family as you transition into this new way of life. I also pray that you find joy in each day, even if it is only in the small things. :grouphug:

mmmmm.... Whichever of the above recipes you end up using, make sure the cut of pork has some fat on it. If you get a practically fat free loin, it will not be as juicy and tender.