My mom monogrammed the set of towels she gave me before I left for college. A popcorn maker? I used mine to make mac and cheese. But that was a much older popcorn maker. lol

And thanks for introducing me to this jewelry! State charms would be good for me and dd. ;)

What hobbies does she have that there are different choices for here in the states? Something she'd use but not be able to get at home. Or just something she liked at a gift shop you were at together but didn't buy herself? I like to collect tea towels from the different states I visit. Or I've gotten tile coasters from some cities/states, too. Definitely something that screams USA or your state, so she thinks of you when she sees it. :) American teas or coffee? You can always send the photos or photo book later. Perhaps special photos of her and the kids, with some things they did together.

Amblesideonline.org

Yes. There are books out there on careers without a degree, careers with apprenticeships, etc.

I would pressure him to finish, but I would head the unschooling route, too. Maybe he needs to do a 'class' where he researches starting his own business. What does it take? Are there places to get help starting out? SBA or ?? Map it all out. Research options for becoming certified as a personal trainer. (My sister did this online, I think.) What other career options could he find based on his interests? Physical therapist, etc? Sally Clarkson has some books you could check out for other ideas.

I am married to a great guy, and can't imagine starting over with anyone else. We have had a great life together. And it should soon be retirement time. And as I think about my folks,married very young- 16 and 27-- now 80 and 91-- I see the freedoms my mom would have as a single. She has so many things she's interested in, and would love to spend more time on those hobbles/interests. I think there comes a point where the freedom to do as you want- hobbies and things you never get to do, cook the foods YOU like, be in charge of the TV- haha, etc.sounds really good. My mil had several male friends in her life after she was widowed. From this vantage point, I see why she didn't remarry. It would take someone pretty special to make the blended life sound appealing again.

I'm so sorry! Praying for you. Keep us updated.

I'm sorry-- memory issues big time! Picaboo! Picaboo is where we've gone to make them!

We've used Picassa for probably 5 years. They also have given the students several free pages if the books are purchased by a certain date.

We sell a lot of heat pump mini splits in our area. They work very well here, saving you money on your heating/cooling early in the seasons when you start using them. There are also systems with multi heads for several rooms as an option. And can I suggest switching to a gas furnace if possible? Much cheaper to run--at least here. :)

Congratulations!! My dd was the only girl after 4 grandsons. :) Enjoy your time with the little sweetheart!

Well, Wilder turned out to be a boy yesterday. lol Always wished I'd used mil's middle name Irene for dd's middle name. Instead I went with my first choice after a family middle name was vetoed by both people who had the name. Not that I really liked it either. lol But I would have done it for family.

Never had the book, but know I'm a jewel toned person. I always peruse the racks for my colors when I'm shopping. The color is what leads me to buy. lol

A niece is about to go with Wilder for a first name, whether it's a boy or a girl. And someone just used Violet. When I was a kid there were twins Valerie and Violet.

Sloppy joes and some buns are easy, and you could fix the meat GF.

Foyle's War left before I could watch much of it! Finally decided to savor a show and they pulled it! I've watched all on her list and the few suggested. I switched to lots of British crime shows. Or Australian ones. They seem better quality. ;)

Do you have a shawl or loose fitting jacket to wear over it? That would draw the eye away from the middle.

Will visit with my folks and at least one sister, and then we have a wedding Sunday. Maybe back to the office- just dh and I on Monday? Oh wait-- he may want to be in the local parade first. We'll see. We're not big planners.

You could check on Sparkpeople.com. You do have to join, but there are lots of workout videos of all sorts on there. I used lots of them a few years ago.

Went to the dentist. Turns out the tooth under the crown has a crack. Got my drugs for the short term, but need to make a plan for long term. sigh. big bucks. :(

I had a tooth pulled a number of months ago. Took longer than usual to heal. Month or to after it closed, the next tooth had an infection in the gum line. Cleared up with Propolis, hydrogen peroxide rinse, and staying away from sugar. Was fine for a few months, then I did the same thing and it 'cleared up' again. Hit me again this weekend, and now bottom tooth is irritated too. Any ideas?

My kids all made great friendships through the hs co-op we belonged to. Ds will be in one of those friend's weddings next weekend. All of them have at least 1 best friend from there. This was a wonderful investment of time for us. Most every other Friday everyone went to someone else's house. We all did monthly field trips together. Sometime we invited one or two families with similar ages for ornament making or cookie decorating, or poetry reading times. There are also Scouts and sports teams to make friends at, tho the sports friends were seasonal in our case. You can also set up some things as ways for the hs community to get together. We had a monthly sport day, and anyone could play. Summer's one of us moms gave tennis lessons or ran baseball games. Winters two moms were goalies weekly for the teen boot or skate hockey games. Youngers skated or went sliding. Lots of things you can dream up. And yes, some of my best friends are/were homeschool moms. All our kids are done now. :(

How exciting! I had my last at 42 and have about a dozen friends who've done the same. One friend had hers at 45 and she's a delightful girl. Yes, they keep you young! lol I think dh is kind of lost without the soccer games and basketball games to attend this year. lol

The classics, so I can share them with the grands, and also the sets each child loved. The Little Critter series , Skippy Jon Jones, and Busytown. Also some authors/illustrators I love like Diane Stanley and ... Who am I kidding. If I think it's a keeper it's staying. lol Also-- think dil will homeschool!