Spiced nuts are always a hit too. I would probably keep it simple and put out a plate of cheese and crackers, a small bowl of nuts, and some fruit.

Cheese and crackers Hummus and pita chips Puffed pastry things with pesto or other toppings Mini-quiches Spinach artichoke dip with bread cubes

Oh yeah, corrective goggles are the best. They make swimming so much more enjoyable (and I love swimming). Mine are -7.5. It doesn't give me perfect vision but good enough that I can walk out to the pool without tripping on things. No need to spend more than $10 a pair. Goggles wear out (and get lost) so it's not just a one-time investment. I buy 2-3 at a time.

Adjustable measuring cup for gloppy stuff like peanut butter, sour cream, etc. The silicone lip scrapes the sides so nothing is left behind and there's almost no mess to clean up.

The only reason I would do this is if I lived in an area where all students wear school uniforms, and the uniform would help kids avoid attention or suspicion when out and about. Or if I had kids who thought it would be fun or helpful. I could see my ds years ago going for a Gryffindor cloak. :)

Wow, I'm just super impressed with your system. So organized and logical! Years ago I read in the Tightwad Gazette that she had a three-shoe system and I sort of adopted that for workout shoes. First pair is used only indoors at the gym. Second pair is for outdoor walking and running. Third pair is for gardening. When the first pair wears out, they get bumped to second position and the second ones get bumped to third. Unfortunately I waited waaaay too long recently, trying to save money. I would guess I probably put well over 1000 miles on my shoes and started having major foot pain. But I finally got a new pair in December and won't make that mistake again. My old pair are in such bad shape I think I need to move them directly to gardening shoes or maybe just the garbage.

Please don't discuss it with her.

Don't feel dumb. You are in today's lucky 10,000!

If I need to do something important, I put a post it on my laptop. So old school but it actually works. Then for following up, I would put an entry in my google calendar in a month or so: "Check cc account" or something. Like Angie, I leave the papers in my mail basket until the thing is resolved, but that might not be enough to help me remember to take an action.

I have no idea what the bolded sentences mean. The rest of it seems like a fine apology. I'm sure it is hard for her to remember. I think the easiest solution would be to create a new facebook account with the sole purpose of following that group. You don't have to friend anyone or even check the page. Just set your settings to get email notifications from that group. I'm sorry your son was late for his meeting. I can see how that would be upsetting.

I don't think his point of view is uncommon at all. In fact, I'm surprised to see so many people agreeing with the OP. In most houses, the master bedroom is the largest and in most families, the parents use that bedroom. It's "the way things are done", and many people would find it strange to consider any other arrangements. I agree a different arrangement may be more logical, but I don't think it's unusual for someone to assume the parents "deserve" the biggest bedroom.

I would renew it if there's any chance you will be in that 3 month window. My aunt was denied traveling to Italy a couple of years ago because of this issue. She was at the airport and had planned the trip for months. So disappointing!

Hi everyone. What a great thread. Hope it's okay if I jump in. I initially wrote way too much. Thinking better of it now, and sorry if you waded through my long post. I have saved it for myself in my journal, which is where it really belongs. Goals for this week: 1. Keep up with daily routine (I'm already decent at this but I should start earlier in the day). 2. Clean the clutter out of the kitchen or find ways to make it look better (winter boots, ski boots, etc.) 3. Vacuum the whole house. 4. Try to fix the dryer. 5. Add some beauty somewhere in the house. 6. Finish organizing receipts and tracking expenses.

That's a good idea. Normally I'm against single-purpose appliances, but if he's doing it 4-5 times a week, and the mess is that extensive, it might make very good sense. Does a foreman grill make good hamburgers?

I think it can make sense in some situations. Children use their rooms for lots of different activities, while adults mostly just sleep in them. Adults store their possessions all over the house, while children have one room to store them. (Obviously families differ, blah, blah, blah.)

Easiest is baked, marinated tofu. Cut a block of tofu into cubes, then put in a baking pan (I like to use a glass 9x12). Mix up your marinade and pour it over the tofu. Let it sit for awhile (an hour?) or bake it right away if you are in a hurry. Then bake at 375 until most of the marinade has been absorbed and the pieces are browned. We like them pretty well done, so I bake them about 45 minutes. Serve with brown rice and stir-fried veggies. They keep for several days and are great to add to salad. This is an Asian marinade from Isa Chandra Moskovitz: 1/2 cup mirin 3 T soy sauce 2 T. rice vinegar 1 T. sesame oil 2 t. chili sauce (sriracha) 1T. minced ginger 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

I've thought about doing this (and have done it sometimes but not consistently). But then all of the recommendations seem to say eating breakfast is a must for losing weight, healthy lifestyle, etc. How do you square that? Or do you just ignore the recommendations?

Yeah, selling the other house seems so obvious, I'm guessing there must be a reason it's not listed as an option.

That makes sense, but it doesn't mean that other family members know this. Even if they have gone to church services with you for 20 years. They may be thinking, "I've done that for twenty years. That's plenty." It does sound like your sister is rather thoughtless. But still clear communication can really help. Instead of making it a "requirement" for your guests, I would phrase in terms like, "The only gift I want for Christmas is for us all to go to church together. It would mean so much to me." And then work on making peace with the choices that others make.

Sure, use any onion -- white, red, yellow. Probably not scallions, though who knows? You could invent something new and even better.

Did she have any idea how important it was to you for family members to be at the church service? Things like that are often obvious to us but not to others. I remember a couple of similar situations in my family and in dh's family, where it was unstated but VERY VERY IMPORTANT to one family member for the family to come together and do something together (often a church service) but where that was never clearly communicated. It can help a lot to be clear about your feelings. Something like -- I know church isn't a big deal to you, but this church service is really important to me. It would mean a lot to me to have the whole family there together as my daughter performs X duty tonight.

Is ground turkey less cold than ground beef? Interesting hypothesis. Actually, I've made meatloaf from a variety of meats (beef, pork, and turkey) and find them all equally frigid. Thanks for all the tips, everyone. I will try using gloves, and I will definitely try with a mixer (once I get one).

My ds once made meatloaf and it took him three hours to get it in the oven. It did not even involve sauteeing onions or anything fancy. He just was cruising around at 12-year-old speed with major hormonal brain fog. I was dying inside, even though it really didn't affect me. OMG so slow. He cooks other things but he has never made meatloaf again. :lol:

I would never have thought of this! Sounds like another good reason to get a stand mixer. I don't have one (or even a hand mixer for that matter), but dh "gave/promised" me one for my birthday in September. I just have been dawdling about picking out a model and color. Time to make my decision!

In the winter meals thread, several people mentioned meatloaf. Here's my problem with meatloaf -- it's so cold to mix all the ingredients together. I've tried using utensils, but it doesn't work nearly as well as hands. As I've gotten older, I find that my hands really ache when they get too cold. So making meatloaf is actually kind of painful. I cook a ton and handle lots of cold and hot foods without a problem. But mixing meatloaf is just the worst. SO COLD. Is it just me or do other people have this problem?