This. And does he have regular chores? Especially if you can find some heavier ones- chopping wood, trash and recycing, or some kind of 'manly' work. Not that he shouldn't have regular;y scheduled household chores, too. Am and pm. I think the taking charge of a meal a week is a great one. He'll have to feed himself someday. Now's a great time to learn. Several times, I took the television away years ago. You had to earn time reading (not school)books and get your chores done. You could do something similar if necessary. Saying I'm bored just gets extra chores, so he'll find some hobby! What's a list of things he used to like doing or wanted to try?

Please share what you're doing for the stockings! I just started doing them for my folks last year, and they love them, too. I need ideas, Love the Advent calendars, too! I was going to suggest a Christmas centerpiece. I got one years ago and enjoyed it. I don't think you could go wrong with fruit...

I've always been a music person. Any country or christian artists from Canada I might also know?

So, wintermom, are you going to tell us where they're all from??

Cut and paste the list below and add in: a) have you heard of this artist, b) where do you think they are from, and c) when/how did you learn this. P.S. (They are not all from Canada.) - Gordon Lightfoot, If you could read my mind, Cotton Jenny **Loved his music! Yes, knew he was Canadian. - Bryan Adams, Summer of '69 ** Loved his music, too. Did not know - Kim Mitchell, Patio Lanterns - Trooper, Boys in the Bright, White Sports Car - Rush, -e Chris De Burgh, Lady in Red, A Spaceman Came Travelling ** Know, but don't know where he's from - Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah **Know. Thought he was American - Celine Dion - Titanic theme **Well known. Unsure - Tom Cochrane, Life is a Highway (he's the original, NOT Rascal Flats) ** Know, Unsure - Dire Straits, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life **listened to a lot! Unknown, but not Canadian? - Doug and the Slugs, Too Bad, Making it work - Barenaked Ladies, If I had a million dollars ** have heard the name, but not familiar - Chilliwack - Tragically Hip, - Sarah McLaughlin, In the arms of a stranger ** Know. Irish? - Jan Arden - Bay City Rollers, Saturday Night **Big hit here. Unknown - Huey Lewis and the News **Well known. Unsure - Glass Tiger, Man in Motion (about a Canadian wheelchair athlete, Rick Hanson, travelling the world to raise awareness and money) - Michael Buble, jazz, crooner **well known. American - Neil Young, stuff with Eagles **well known. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. American - Joni Mitchell, ** well known English? - The Guess Who **My first album haha. American - Leona Boyd, classical guitarist I guess I don't often think about where the artist is from. You forgot Anne Murray from Canada. 🙂

Done

I make these for work every couple months for a 7 am meeting. Never thought of freezing them! Like that idea. I'm up early to put them together and bake before the meeting now!

The stockings are just getting so hard as the kids get older! I hope you'll share your best ideas.

I just replaced my Tupperware measuring spoons with some I found at Home Goods. Love the new ones, and it was in the back of my mind that old Tupperware items weren't really safe items anymore. BPA or such...

Beautiful! She'll love it!

I've been hanging onto a hand me down copy of Moosewood thinking I'll find something I love, but maybe I just need to check out the Broccoli Forest. haha

The phones and mail box are jammed here in MN, too. I was thinking the census was where they got some information, and about the timing of the census years.

My sister or I have Mom email or text us her grocery list every week. My sister then does any ordering with delivery from Walmart or Cub Foods. Mom's lists are often short tho, so I do the shopping myself on my turns both because they don't always substitute if they don't have something (they didn't have the particular kind of bread she wanted, so didn't send any bread), and because I always get items she didn't ask for. I pick up things I think they'll like that will be easy to fix or to provide variety in their diet. For example, some pre-cooked item or something I know they like but haven't had for a long time. They tend to keep a very small diet if I don't do that. Sometimes it's a new product, such as sugar free canned fruit.

Yes, this has been a big thing for me for work.

I was giving Kenny Loggin's Return to Pooh Corner CD, but don't know how many use CDs anymore. My kids have gotten their own copies as they loved it so much. Wonderfully soothing and easy to listen to as a parent, too. 😉 Books? Hands down my favorite to give is Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman. Hardly any words and the kids love it. I was excited to see she has another book, 10 Minutes Til Bedtime, that I ordered for Christmas for my grandson.

My phone has been in the shop for several weeks, so FB has been my only connection with most folks-- don't have memorized phone numbers anymore. Timing was bad, but a way to connect with others at church right now was paramount. For the most part, happy not to be so addicted to the phone! We've discussed this with our kids and agree that communication IRL is much harder for younger people due to social media.

There's an old Abbott and Costello, but I don't remember the name offhand.

Keeping Faith and Acceptable Risk.

Since married ds wanted to borrow a Dutch oven for camping, think I might go that way. They are also using the blanket he had in high school, so I think a new blanket might be nice. Middle ds- no ideas. He's not settled anywhere, so can't really get him things or I'll be storing them. 😣 DD- Not sure, but she'll almost ready to move out. Think I should be able to find something she'll need for that. Grandson #1 has so much stuff, so I have no idea for little brother. Clothes I guess. I have a wooden puzzle with hinged doors and some stickers I got out West for him so far. I try to not overload them with gifts.

I would check with a custom cabinet business. We got them to fit the full area we had available- and they were installed-- for less than cabinets from Menards would have been. In fact, we used them for cabinets for the entryway, too.

Check out Keepers of the Faith. They have a boys and girls version. Like Scouts except you can do whatever badgework you want, and then buy the badges you choose to earn. Lots of topics, just like the Scouts or Trail Life. Work on single sports, learning tennis or other non-team sports, learn wood carving, wood burning, or wood working like building some bookshelves or other items. Could your husband do car care or put together a small engine course- like fixing mowers and such? Does your husband have any skills to share with them? Astronomy or aerospace they could learn together? Seems like Nan in Mass had a great list years ago, but I can't seem to find the thread.

Wanted was good! Thought another season was maybe coming?? 800 Words

The birthday person gets to pick what's for dinner for the family that night- or whatever night you can get together is what ours has evolved into. Or we eat out together as a family. Now that they're all adults the only gifts are at Christmas. Unless dd and I are shopping together. haha. Actually that's when I pick up some of her Christmas gifts! We did always have the kids' favorite cupcakes--the funfetti ones. I never got to learn to make cakes from scratch like I wanted to for this reason. 😞 But it's a family joke/tradition, especially with ds #2. I apparently went too far on being casual about the date when mine were growing up. We'd celebrate another night often. And there was one gift . I'm seeing oldest's wife make a big deal of birthdays with lots of gifts. Guess every family has their own way of celebrating. Happy birthday!!!

Second Chance and Lethal Weapon, with dh Vera, Agatha Raisin, Midsommer Murders, Foyle's War. Looking online, looks like I need to check out Acceptable Rick, Jack Irish, Jericho of Scotland Yard and Above Suspicion. All Acorn. And more... Enjoyed Netflix's new movie The Lost Husband. a 'hallmark'.

There was one about things you could make with one yard of fabric that had lots of projects...