Hmm. It's nuclear-something. Nuclear power, maybe? ETA: I'm not sure where.

I clearly remember your posts from those lean years. And I couldn't be more proud and excited for you!!! Thank you for sharing your good news!

He's headed to boot camp. And then to a 2-year special training school. If I should take a gift, what would he need?

Thank you for introducing us to her. She sounds lovely. :grouphug:

I'd been resisting, but mine will be here tomorrow. :D

November to August. Nine months. Would have been sooner if we hadn't been coordinating my ps schedule (teaching) and his college schedule (student). We married during my summer break on the Saturday two days after his last class on Thursday.

Not only am I saving money, it sounds like I'll be saving more in the future!

do you wish you'd sprung for the one without? I'm trying to decide if the "special offers" will become an irritation or if it's worth the cost difference. Also, which generation is the one currently offered? Sometimes the available accessories state the generation they are designed to fit. tia

I don't like long commutes. I don't want dh to have a long commute. I have too many dc with dr's appts and orthodontists and therapists and lessons and church activities. That would really be a deciding factor for me. Hope you can find something that suits your family.

Somehow this movie wasn't released in America and I can only find it on ebay as a Region 4. tia

Yes. I, too, was surprised by the number of couples who split up after 15+ years. I think the answers vary widely by age as much as area. When dh and I married in our late 20s the only peer who was divorced was my sil. She had married her high school sweetheart just after graduation and it didn't last. Several years ago it seems we went through a divorce epidemic. 4 of dh's siblings (all of the married ones) divorced after a few (it was sil's 3rd marriage at that time), 13, 15, and 18 years. Some of our best couple friends divorced. 15, 18, 26 years. More recently, several of my cousins have divorced. I'm not sure of the time frame, but all had graduated at least their oldest dc from high school. Maybe 20 years of marriage? At least 2 of these were dealing with a youngest child on the autism spectrum. Dh and I certainly have scars from that particular stress . . . And I just learned last week that another childhood friend is separated. Their two older dc (out of 3) are in college, and my friend had been putting up with her dh's neglect of them all for years. I don't know if she finally got tired of it, but I can't imagine trying to please someone who said, "I don't know if I ever really loved you." :iagree::iagree::iagree: My sil? Everyone in her family is divorced. Some multiple times. She says all the women in her family "lost it" in their late thirties/early forties. I wonder if it might be hormonal or if their dc growing up and not needing the "mother role" prompted the split-ups. I know my sil puts up with way more than I would think humanly possible because she is determined to have a surviving marriage. It is sobering. The stresses of life can beat you (and a marriage) down. Don't take anything for granted!

LOVE IT! Thank you so much. That's exactly the kind of thing that will finish this well.

What type of edging do you think would suit a lazy wave pattern? http://thecrochetcrowd.com/baby-lazy-wave-afghan.html

That may be the best solution for this afghan. The yarn my ds chose is variegated, so I've thought that choosing one of the darker tones for a border might finish it best. Thanks!

I have never heard of a foundation chain! Thanks for the link! Now, a question: I am using a "lazy wave" pattern. http://thecrochetcrowd.com/baby-lazy-wave-afghan.html Do you work a plain foundation stitch and then begin your hills and valleys with the next row? I will definitely try this with my next big project. Unfortunately I'm 1/3 finished with this. Maybe I'll just add a border around the whole thing. Thanks so much!

I've started an afghan for ds. I'm really enjoying the project, but the first row, which always bugs me, is really bugging me this time. I don't like having an obvious top and bottom. The top is more stretchy and the chain is not. I don't like the visibility and inflexibility of the chain. The first row doesn't lie flat like the rest of it. In recent projects I've used a larger hook for the chain and it's helped a little. This yarn may be a little stiffer than usual. I'm considering working half of the afghan, stopping, and working the other half from the bottom. Is that crazy? Has anyone ever tried this? Would that flatten and camouflage the bottom starting place? tia

Helena Annelise

:iagree: When I was young, I used to draw up plans for minimalist homes. I was fascinated by everything tiny. Dh and I lived happily in a tiny home when we first married. :001_smile: Now? With 5 dc and 2 dogs? No way. We need room. For projects, for creativity, for musical practice, for concentration . . . Dh and I teach and spend time doing research and writing lessons plans and grading and I can't in the middle of the din. I wonder if I could revisit it later in life, but it's likely at least one of our dc won't live independently. AND I hope to have dc and dgc visiting regularly. We'll probably need a guest room or two for that . . . I think we're in our larger (2100 sf + enclosed carport) homeplace for the long haul.

Definitely praying with you for her complete healing. :grouphug:

You couldn't pay me enough money. With our dc, including some with attention issues, we need space. I used to try to do all homeschool work in our schoolroom. They could not concentrate with anything else going on near them. I guess it depends on personality types. My dh needs lots of quiet and solitude, too. It wouldn't work for our family.

I was using one, but I'm afraid it's the reason my computer started going s-o-o-o-o-o-o-s-l-o-o-o-w. I've uninstalled it. I use youtube and mimeo frequently for workouts and educational clips. I'd like to save them to a flashdrive and/or burn to disc for those times the internet is down or I'm traveling. tia

My teen ds with Asperger's calls himself "the next step in human evolution"! :smilielol5:

BTDT. It was the master bath, but with 5 dc, you can bet there was plenty of kidlet traffic in there. The overflowed toilet led to pulling it up THAT NIGHT. :glare:

I used to buy Neutrogena Weightless Volume before it was discontinued. :glare: My next try is a disaster. I have smudge marks constantly. I can't stand those sticky types that are hard to wash off. It needs to be a brand I can easily pick up at the grocery or drug store. Moderately priced would be nice, too. Can you help? :bigear: