When my dd got her license at 17, our insurance rates increased by 80%, and we didn't even add a car. I asked the agent, "You know she's a girl, right?" and the agent made a comment to the effect of "yes, just wait until your son gets his license!" He's got his permit now - they don't increase the rate for that - but I am NOT looking forward to him getting his license. :(

Just downloaded Goodreads! I added a few books; some from my Wishlist and I scanned one from my bookshelf. What fun. :)

I didn't really like my Keurig, so I wasn't heartbroken when it broke after a little over a year. I babied that thing - only used filtered water, and periodically descaled it. And it didn't even get used a ton. But it stopped brewing w/ a message that it needed to be descaled. I ran about a gallon of vinegar through before giving up. What I didn't like: the price, and the taste. I like brewed coffee better. What I did like: the convenience when we only needed 1 or 2 cups. My parents' Keurig broke after a year also. :(

Oh, I love the Amazon Wish List idea...I realized I'm already doing this to some extent, with separate wish lists for books & other...I just need to update it. And I like the downloading a sample to my Kindle idea, too! Not so much for keeping track, but for just giving something a try.

Last year I kept a spreadsheet of books I wanted to read in 2011 (mostly suggestions from posters in the "book a week" threads!). I didn't like it because I couldn't access it when I was away from my home computer - for example, at a library when I actually wanted to get a book! Are there any websites or Android apps that are handy for this purpose? I just want to list the book & author name, and maybe a memo for who recommended the book or if it's available at a certain library (since I have cards for 5 different library systems...) I just started a Cozi to do list named "books" but was hoping for something better.

We are in agreement on this. I guess where we differ is on what's edible & what's not. ;) The bulk of the food our food bank distributes comes directly from grocers. I think it's great that the grocers can pull food that has reached its sell-by date but is perfectly safe to eat, and the food bank can get it to the people who need it. At our food bank at least, individual donations are a drop in the bucket. So I've never seen anything donated that expired in 2008. I guess I would have to also agree that anybody who did that is at best, clueless.

Our food bank repackages beans, rice, and baking mix. We have participated in the packaging process. It doesn't seem 100% sanitary to me, but, I'm sure they are meeting all regulations. I'm surprised that so many get their knickers in a knot over the donation of expired foods. Our food bank hands out "expired" food. For perishable foods, they have very strict guidelines. For example, milk can only be 2 days past the "sell by" date. I don't know what the date guidelines are for canned & packaged goods. I know we toss any opened packages. For example, if a box of crackers is crushed, we keep it if the interior bag is OK, but toss it if the bag has a hole. FWIW, when we worked weekly in the sorting of perishable foods, I finally asked if I could take home the 3 & 4- day old milk. It drove me nuts to toss it. I brought home dozens of little cartons of milk during that time. We just sniffed them after opening to make sure they were OK. I only had to throw away 1 or 2 out of the dozens! For anybody who's interested in the topic of food waste & distribution, and a discussion of the dates used on food packages, I highly recommend American Wasteland.

I absolutely would. I've been on the Jack Daniels tour in Tennessee a couple of times (my grandparents took me while I was in college, and again after dh and I got married). It didn't turn me into a whiskey drinker. :) I wish my kids could go on that tour; I'd have taken them at any age. *love* the guys in overalls who lead the tour. :D

Me, too. Mine was found last year on my second routine mammogram, when I was "only" 43. I almost waited another year; so glad I didn't.

I know...why do I keep opening them??

I thought the buyer canceled within the time frame allowed by the contract. I feel bad for the OP - it sounds like the buyer is a jerk, and the realtor is incompetent - but the contract says the buyer can back out. What am I missing?

I hope the guardian ad litem calls you back with some good news. I don't think it's possible that they can legally force you to store items until your children are 18. You can pretty much make any decision for a minor child. If they insist you take possession of it - put it on Craig's List the same day, and then put any money you get in your dc's college funds.

Me, too...

Yes, that's the impression I got, too, which is still alarming. The friend is reading the book and coming away from it with guilt that she hasn't given her girls enough "hidings"! Poor girls. :(

When I have large quantities of veggies to chop, I use my Kitchenaid food processor. It's done in seconds. I wouldn't recommend a Vitamix for that job. I tried using my Blendtec recently, and it gave very bad results. To get everything chopped, you pretty much need to puree it. I tried the "water chop" method with onions with no luck. I also tried to make salsa and it got too frothy.

Thanks, everyone. In my dh' defense, he was just so upset at the last incident...you know a guy hates to see his wife cry...so he just thought I should talk to someone about it. Oh, how did you know about the tidal wave thing?? :D Nope, not you. :) Hey, I think I'm moving closer to you; I'll let you know next week as soon as I know & then it will be easier to meet for Starbucks. Maybe if I meet my friends over coffee more often I won't need counseling. :D

Julie's thread about asking for help got me thinking about a disagreement my dh and I have. I have someone in my life who has treated me *really* badly in the past. I have forgiven this person - although that doesn't make me want to spend time with them, KWIM? So most of the time I am just fine with it - I've moved on with my life. However, when I do spend time with them, I end up with full-blown anxiety attacks, hyperventilating, crying, etc. My logical response to that is to spend even less time with them. Problem solved! My dh thinks I should see a counselor to find out if I can deal with the stress of this person, instead of just avoiding them. It seems to me that I am giving them more power over me if I do that. Why should I have to take my time & money to see a counselor if my problem is solved by just avoiding the situation? I hope some of this makes sense...trying not to give too many details! What would you do?

:grouphug: I'm glad you have an action plan.

No, not money. Sometimes I offer food, but it's almost always turned down. :confused: My family gives of our time and money to charitable organizations that help the hungry. I don't think giving money to strangers on the street is a wise use of our money.

I would love to be able to live in Lucy, Lululemon, & Athleta. Sadly, I don't have unlimited funds. :) So I only have a few "sale" items from them. I mostly buy my active wear at Costco and the discount department stores like Ross & TJ Maxx. They carry name brands such as Champion, Nike, Adidas. They fit well and wear well and look nicer than the C9 stuff at Target which is the same price-point.

There is a shopping center near us with a HUGE electronic flashing sign that advertises the various businesses in the center. One is a salon called Alexander's. My ds noticed that the electronic sign advertises: "Alexnader's". We thought it was hilarious when we first saw it. 4 months later, it's STILL wrong! How can no one have noticed and fixed it by now?

If you haven't already, I suggest you read over your policy documents with a fine-tooth comb. (you might find these online if you don't have a copy). I was charged for a non-network pathologist at an in-network hospital where I had surgery last year. My policy had a section under covered network charges that said certain specialist services at an in-network hospital would always be charged at an in-network rate. I printed a copy of that page and sent it along with the appeal form and the explanation of benefits. The insurer adjusted it within days. Good luck to you with this.

I work out several times a week for an hour or more. I see your kids are older, like mine, so that makes it easier. I run with friends almost every Saturday morning for 1-2 hours, very early. I am usually getting home in time to eat breakfast with the family who hasn't been up for long. :) During the week I schedule my workouts based on ds' schedule. For example, he was in testing this morning so I did a 9:30 class - I don't often do those because I prefer to be home with him while he's getting most of his schoolwork done. Other days I might take him to the gym in the afternoon. He is in a running club 1-2 evenings a week, so I run during that time also. I guess what makes sense to me is to look at what sort of schedule would work best for you and your family. When do they not *need* you? And work out during that time.

My dd and I both enjoyed Summer Sojourn to the Grand Canyon; The 1898 diary of Zella Dysart. It's hard to find - we got it through ILL several years ago.

:iagree: When we had a Keurig (it died after 18 months) I used it only when we needed just one or two cups of coffee. Otherwise, we still used our brewed coffee maker. It was a) cheaper, and b) better tasting! I had k-cups on hand so if a guest needed decaf we could easily make a single serving.