I am allergic to corn, wheat, rye, barley, soybeans, oats, and mushrooms. I just bring along whatever I can eat and usually bring enough to feed everybody a couple of meals. People who don't have food allergies tend to think it's really difficult to live without wheat or corn syrup, and it's old hat to us anymore. Bringing along a bag of rice flour pasta or canola mayo or homemade salad dressing educates them a little while accomodating your needs. What about bringing your own food and helping her cook? It's not that we want to invade their kitchens and offend them, but we just don't want them to be nervous. Usually friends and family have more "edible" food there for us than they think. I want to make my friends comfortable with my allergies. It's not a reason to panic, but a chance to explore new recipes and unusual ingredients--and gives them a hint of what we go through every day.

It's just like what Tom Hanks said in You've Got Mail: "I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." It's this time of year that has me sniffing scotch tape, myself...:tongue_smilie:

Usually by the time the flour starts to brown a little the chop is done all the way through. I'd say 3-4 minutes on each side--I crank the stove up to med-high to cook them. Yum! Just thinking about it is making me hungry...as my uncle would say, "You done flung a craving on me!" :001_smile:

I have tons of food allergies so we use rice flour here, but we usually bread our chops with a mixture of flour, salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and just a dash of cayenne for a kick. Then we pan fry them in canola oil. I'm actually never allowed anymore to cook them any other way. The boy and the tall bald guy like them this way the best. :D

I'm just a beginning gardener here, and we've gone condo, but I planted a couple dozen green onions, some sugar snap peas, a pepper plant, and some cherry tomatoes in the 2' by 6' box the tall bald guy gave me as a graduation present. The name Super Sweet One Hundreds was the right name for those 'mater plants, because there has to be at least fifty green ones and fifty more blossoms on those 2 plants. I finally have one green pepper growing, but I'm not counting on it, because the plant itself is so thin and spindly they keep falling off. I've supported everything with sticks I found in my boyfriend's brushpile so I wouldn't have to go out and buy tomato cages...of course, now it looks like tomatoes grow on trees over here! :D ...and the Bionicle scarecrow is doing an excellent job of scaring away any miniature critters that might invade my miniature garden! Plus, we have picked and frozen as many raspberries as we could from the bush that grows wild at the tall bald guy's house (before the rabbit came for his fair share) and we are eagerly watching the blackberry bush behind the barn for signs of "ripeness."

I don't get motion sick at movie theaters, and I don't get carsick, but I have the hardest time watching my son play video games. Just about any game does it--the only time I'm okay is when I'm watching him play his ancient sega and the motion just goes up and down. The skating games and the racing games are just too much for me. I can watch for a while, but J knows that "I feel barfy" means he'd better let me leave the room. :ack2:

You are not stupid, only unaccustomed...and that's not such a liability. I'm sure they're used to students losing it--there's probably a lot of turnover in nursing homes for that very reason. You're not out of control, you're human--a wonderful thing to be in that very place, where so often there's a lot more doctoring and nursing and feeding and changing going on rather than compassion. I had the same experience in my psych class where I had to interview a classmate. We had a certain number of questions to get through, but when she said that among other things she had COPD my mind just stopped dead in its tracks. My dad had COPD, and all I could think of was that six-foot-three, 120 pound shell of a man in that casket with my father's blue suit on...the constant snick-snick-snick of the portable oxygen he eventually had to carry...the way he hunched over just to try to get a little more air. I had to copy the transcript for the assignment and I almost didn't do it. I cried that whole evening trying to get through it. Even though I didn't finish the assignment, my professor told me I learned something much more valuable. You will never forget that wonderful little lady, and it may be raw now, but years from now you will be able to recall that story for an up-and-comer who just happens to show her humanity.

I guess it all depends on what you deem "necessary." I haven't been on a vacation in almost 20 years. We don't eat out because we don't have the money and I have a million food allergies anyway. We have cable because my mother is paying for it, but I'm considering taking it away again because most of the shows I like I can watch on the internet and I hardly think graduate school will allow a lot of time for channel surfing. There are other things I enjoy doing with my son. For example, we take bike rides together and check out movies from the library instead of rent them, and I've figured out how I can go to the grocery store once and buy the food I need for the month (except for produce and milk). Like Melinda, I drive older cars, and I also cut down on errands whenever possible. I and lots of other people here hang their clothes instead of using the dryer and turn up the thermostat a couple of degrees to save on the electric bill. I really believe it's the little things that add up, not just the drastic things like turning off internet and cable. Vacations would be wonderful, even if I have to stay with family, but knowing that I'm living within my means and still enjoying my life is okay too. Perhaps I'm just a homebody.

and he is allowed to fix whatever's wrong with the house, within reason, like storm windows, roof patching, and new stove and refrigerator. He always buys new (except for the stove and fridge, with okay of the landlord) and always sends receipts with the rent check. In return, he gets to take the amount off the rent, and they love having a semi-handyman living at their house--especially after the previous tenant left it trashed, with all kinds of junk in the yard. They're overjoyed to have a tenant who actually mows the lawn and cleans up after himself, especially since they live in another state. But if anything major should come up like replacing the roof or installing new flooring (anything that costs more than half one month's rent), he will write to them and ask first--it's their house, after all, and they may have preferences. :001_smile:

Just saw this today--just listening makes my skin crawl. http://www.space.com/php/video/player.php?video_id=080627-earth-sounds

Registration for fall here starts in April, and only the seniors can register for the first week, followed by juniors the second, and so on. That way the students who are about to graduate have first crack at the classes they absolutely have to have to get all their credits in. I hated that as a freshman but really enjoyed it as a senior! :001_smile: Definitely hang in there that first week, though--maybe someone will drop it.

I am allergic to corn and will do this if I get too much. :iagree:

I too have an unemployed ex husband that my 13 year old son spends every weekend with. My worst nightmare is that J will want to decide to live with him permanently and go to the substandard schools there, and that in 10 years, J will end up sitting on his butt on the couch next to his dad whining about how he never has anything and cannot find a job. I am praying over here Joanne, and wishing that things turn out well for you. On the other hand, I see where Tammy is coming from. My ex feeds all in his life a line about how his foot hurts too much to work, yet he can drive, ride a motorcycle, and mow two lawns a week, every week, all summer long. Everyone feels sorry for him while I shudder to think that that's what my son thinks a real man is. A friend of mine has four children in another state. He has had at least one of them living with him most of the time; they decide on a whim to stay with Dad and go to Christian school, attend church and other activities, eat healthy food, receive clothes that fit, and are deloused (yes, I said deloused). Then they visit their mother for the summer, who, among other things, refuses to delouse the house, refuses to work for a living, promises jobs and cars if they come back, introduces them to drugs, provides them and their friends with a place to drink and have sex (sometimes with adults), and at one point actually drove around and trolled for a hooker for the boy who needed to get some "practice." They think this is really the life--no boundaries, no rules. A lawyer told him that in the state his ex lives in (West VA), as long as there is a tarpaper shack over their heads and Cheetos on the table, there's not much they can do. The kids have decided. That doesn't keep them from fighting. We never know what the ex will say, and it's frightening, but we keep fighting just the same. I'm praying for everyone--that this entire family, even the ex, and the courts will see what is best for this child.

At my Kroger there's a mix called Pamela's Products Baking and Pancake Mix--it's wheat and gluten free, and is made of rice flours and almond meal. http://www.pamelasproducts.com It's lovely stuff, behaves just like pancakes (and if you've ever used rice flour, you know what I mean! :D) and they have recipes on the package for cookies and muffins and such. I personally add some cinnamon to the mix before I make them because like most pancake mixes, they're a bit bland for my taste. When I can't get to the store I grind rice in my Whispermill. Works perfectly, and pays for itself in no time. If you're looking online, you might see if Namaste has a pancake mix. Their spice cake, white cake, and brownie mixes are a bit pricey but well worth it.

It creeps me out too...there's something very Michael Jackson about Depp in this movie. Plus, once you've seen the original, the modern version pales in comparison, though every time I see the first Charlie I think of him as I saw him last in that "Where Are They Now?" show--as a vet!

thinkgeek.com actually has one printed on a shower curtain... http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/8a2f/ :001_smile:

My grandfather used to say the same thing! Whoda thunk it would be a successful marketing strategy in the future?:001_huh:

A lot of people recommend neti pots to help with allergies--you may find those at a health food store. One doctor also told me that extra vitamin C helps with allergies as well. Saline spray is also a quick remedy to help rinse out all the pollen and junk from your sinuses when on the go... I haven't been pregnant since 1994, but doctors then told me I could take sudafed and tylenol when my allergies got bad...you might also check with your doctor about mucinex--just the plain mucinex. It's an expectorant that you will have to drink lots of extra water with, just like an antihistamine, but won't make you sleepy. And definitely, the more you drink, the better to help with the pressure in your noggin. The Benadryl will dry you out, and you may sometimes feel worse than ever. Hang in there, girl!:001_smile:

I've seen t-shirts around that say "Your mom goes to college" and my son wants one that says "My mom goes to college!" I've not done any online classes, but attend the campus 5 minutes away from my house. J is 13 now, and my mom lives a block away to help out when needed, but now that he's older he's much better about my being gone during the day. I've heard that online classes have much more work involved as far as reading and writing--not so easy to listen to a lecture like when you're on campus--might want to take that into consideration when deciding whether to continue to homeschool. This past year I gave J Switched On Schoolhouse and SOTW and told him to run with it. The software allows you to schedule lessons on the days you prefer and to delete lessons you don't deem necessary. That has helped me a lot as far as enforcing deadlines as well. When I started, J also thought it was pretty cool to sit at the table and do homework together. :thumbup1: With your hubby's support, you will be fine. It's just J and me here, and we do okay, though I can't say there haven't been a few hiccups here and there. Trust me, you'll love it!:001_smile:

You might try your local AmeriCorps office. Here they have a campus coordinator that works with a couple dozen different organizations and helps students and adults alike find volunteer opportunities. http://www.americorps.org

A few years ago when my dad died my mom decided to move closer to J and me, and she came to Terre Haute and found a place here. I moved in about a month later--for a while I was one of the youngest ones here (at 35!). Most everyone here is retired and they seem to either have a white car, a bicycle, or a dog--or some combination. They spend evenings walking the neighborhood if they are able, and sitting outside in lawn chairs if they're not, while walkers stop to gab for a few minutes. Many have small dogs that they walk every evening--we see the minpin, the pug, and the dachsund every day. Others take a relaxed bike ride on the private drive which really doesn't seem to have a lot of traffic at all. It was built about 30 years ago, and is directly adjacent to an assisted living/nursing home complex. People here have first priority for nursing home care, and many older people move in with the intention of going directly there when they can no longer care for themselves. There are people who take care of lawns and outside maintenance for us, and many do their own landscaping and flower gardens. We are known as the girl in 620 with the boy that zips around on the red bike and the big black dog. It's about 5 minutes from Indiana State University, and on the other side of the neighborhood is the former Elks club that some doctors have purchased and are turning into a city recreation center. All in all it's pretty peaceful, even if I do feel out of my element here at times.

I like the fact that one can't say laugh without smiling...at least, this one can't. Slartibartfast was almost the name of the dog we got a couple of years ago, simply because I giggled so much at the way the man said his name in the movie (Hitchhiker's Guide). It's a good thing I gave him an easy name like Fiver because I wouldn't have been able to train him at all with all that giggling.:D I have to say my mantra is Haagen-Dazs. You can't say that without exhaling a nice cleansing breath. Everything about it is relaxing--especially the eating!:w00t:

At the little league ballfields here they have a special sensor that goes off if lightening strikes as much as 8-10 miles away. That thing goes off, and the game is postponed, no question. I can't believe that at a swim meet of all things they would pull something like that.:001_huh:

I had a little cousin who said the same thing, and was especially enamored by the garbage truck. Said cousin was in the yard one day when the garbageman came, and he shouted that particular rendition of the word while pointing directly at it--and the garbageman. God bless that man for simply smiling and waving...he must have heard it before.:001_huh: You know what I mean.

I can't say I've ever purposely smelled books before, but I will admit that freshly minted license plates smell like scotch tape to me...or does tape smell like license plates? Yeah, I don't get out much lately. :blink: