I read somewhere that the kilt originally was just a length of cloth that was used as both a blanket at night and a garment during the day. The description of the phillabeg or little kilt here sounds like what I've read and heard before. It really depends on why you want the kilt. If it's just for dressing up in Scottish style, this would work and you could probably find directions for how to wrap it. (I've found them online before, but don't have time to look now.) If your ds does Highland Dance, it won't work for that. Oldest ds has his dance kilt--one of those "cheap" $70 ones--in his keepsake box. They don't have as much fabric and aren't as nice, but they were a lot more affordable than a regular kilt.

Blame it all on my roots, I'll show up in boots... Just kidding. I sure would be more comfortable in nice jeans and cowboy boots, but then I also wouldn't be because I'd be worried about whether or not I was dressed appropriately. I did read all the replies last night, then tore my closet apart, then tore my kids' closets apart, then made dh take pics of me in different outfits, then took pics of the kids in different outfits. I planned to post the pics and ask for opinions again, but I think we've got it figured out. I'm going to wear the black slacks with the pinstripes and either a white blouse with red cami underneath or a black sweater with a little glitter in it. 16yodd is going to wear black slacks. I remembered she put some up in the garage sale pile. After she tried them on and decided she liked them she said, "Hey! Where'd you get these?":001_rolleyes: She's either wearing a black sweater with those attached fake collar and cuffs to look like a shirt underneath or a similar red sweater or a red blouse. 12yodd is wearing black silky gauchos she forgot she had and either a lavendar top or burgundy tank with little black shrug. I bought ballet flats for all of us at Payless (BOGO sale). I've got to have the girls finalize this all with me in a few minutes. 14yods has khaki slacks (not dorky) and a nice dark green, short-sleeved, button up shirt (a slightly more casual outfit) or black slacks and long-sleeved black shirt with white and grey stripes (slightly dressier outfit) that he can wear. I'm leaving the choice up to him because I really think either is nice enough for the occasion. If he wears the black, dh will be the only one not wearing black, so maybe he can help balance it out. Anyway, thanks again. I don't know why I get so stressed over what to wear to places and events with which I'm unfamiliar, but I nearly have a breakdown every time over this stuff. I've never been in the business world. We've always attended home fellowships. I am a jeans person who usually only dresses up for date nights, weddings, and funerals. SIL called me from California today while I was out buying shoes. I told her all I had left to do really was figure out what to wear. She said, "Oh yeah! The best part!" She does not get how this can be such torture for me.:lol: She promised that next time if she's in town she will come help me pack.:D

Dh's folks took the family to see it for dh's b-day. We all loved it even though the reviews we've seen aren't very good. I cried three times during the movie. There's a particular scene with the little boy where I knew he was going to be okay, but it was just TOO intense for me. I needed a little release even if it wasn't such a sad part. I may get a little too involved in some movies. My family thinks this is hilarious. Oh well.:D The kid was fantastic! He did such an excellent job. I was worried that Nicole Kidman would annoy me. I haven't liked her much in the few movies I've seen starring her. Far and Away is the one exception I can think of. At the beginning of the movie she did annoy me, but that was what her character was supposed to do. I just didn't want to have to laugh at what an idiot she was all the way through the movie. I wanted to like her, and it didn't take very long into the movie for that to happen. Hugh Jackman was, well, Hugh Jackman. Need I say more?;) I thought he did a very good job playing the character and I especially liked the way they filmed certain scenes to show off his, ahem, assets. Really, was there any other reason to frame a shot of Nicole in the center with his backside off to the right in the foreground and very much in focus? I don't think so. Well done film people. Well done! There's also a very nice shot with him dousing himself with a bucket of water. There are others, too, but, yes, his acting was also very good. The filming (in regard to things other than just Hugh Jackman) was beautifully done. The storyline made me want to research more about Australian history and reminded me that I need to look for Rabbit Proof Fence as has been so often recommended here. It did not feel like a 2 1/2 hour movie to me, either. The one thing that bothered me was that Jackman's character is called "Drover" throughout the movie by everyone, including Nicole's character. That didn't seem quite right. I can't imagine calling my husband "Cowboy" or some other job description. I think she used his first name once during the entire movie. Okay, one other thing. I could have done without my family's (especially MIL and dh!) snickering and rather too loudly joking in the lobby after the movie over King George's naked backside at the end of the movie. Can't take them anywhere!:lol:

Dh always gets a big stick of pepperoni or pepperoni slices. He loves pepperoni and getting a stick of it in his stocking is a tradition from his childhood, but he prefers the slices since the work is done for him:D He also likes cheese and crackers or beef jerky. Cologne is a good idea, too. Drakkar Noir, Lagerfeld, and Polo are my favorites and it's a little more subtle than putting something from Victoria's Secret (for me to wear) in there;) A personalized CD of some of his favorite tunes would be nice. Maybe you can put together some songs that would be good for him to workout to if he works out at home. Or maybe an iTunes gift card and some song suggestions if he has an iPod.

Help! I hate figuring out what to wear! And this time I need to help figure it out for the kids, too. We have dh pretty much figured out. Probably. We are leaving early Wednesday morning for oldest ds' graduation from Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. The recruit parents website says "business casual" is appropriate attire, but the definitions vary and are a little vague. Here are some things to consider: Temps in the 60s, which is warmer than here but a little cool for a dress and bare legs We will be sitting on bleachers We will likely have to do a fair amount of walking according to the website. I can barely stand in heels. I don't want to be overdressed, but I don't want to embarrass ds (though he probably doesn't care much) I don't want to spend a lot of money if I do have to buy something. Looking through our closets, I see: There is one pair of slacks that either 16yodd or I can wear. They are dressier black slacks with a faint white pin stripe and are more stylish than they sound by that description since they used to belong to 23yo SIL. I have some khaki capris. Both dd's have dresses that would be suitable but may not be warm enough. I have a knee-length black skirt that could work. I have a dark pair of jeans and a nice blouse that might work. I don't know if I can wear the heeled boots I normally wear since I may be walking more. Ds has plenty of nice shirts and either nice jeans or light khakis (dd says the khakis are too light and "dorky"). Please tell me what to wear! Photos from catalogs or websites would be especially helpful as I'm finding the descriptions on other websites a little vague. TIA, Jenni

I agree that dinner is a confusing word, and can be used interchangeably for lunch or for supper, whichever is the main meal of the day. Sometimes it's a regional thing, too. Now, as for confusing one word for another, youngest dd only recently stopped confusing the words "ketchup" and "syrup". She used to always ask for ketchup for her pancakes. If she thought about what she was saying more carefully, she didn't confuse the words. I think it was mostly a case of not thinking before speaking and because, to her, the words were closely related.

I think I will buy a special candy bar for each kid. 14yods likes white chocolate, so I got him one of those big bars from Aldi. The others all like milk chocolate, so I'll get them something in milk chocolate that's a little fancier than a Hershey's bar and bigger. Then I'm going to get some of the Babybel cheeses (big hit last year), pepperoni slices (a pack each), Slim Jims, and beef jerky. They will probably get some fruit and a few more candy items as well and a new ornament for their collections. There will probably be one or two more small gifts--possibly a homemade gift certificate redeemable for a trip to the movies or bowling alley or something similar.

I have a budget for each person that I try to stay within. The kids usually get one big gift each. I try to stay within $100-$150 for each kid. If I can do less, that's great, but it's not as easy as when they were all little. When they were little it was more like $50-$75. Parents is $40-$60, siblings $25-$30, and then $15-$20 for grandparents and the big family gift exchange. Dh and I usually do not get each other anything except maybe a stocking stuffer or two.

Wait, I'm confused. Were you Threelops before? If not, I'm sorry I got the wrong poster. I served the leftover soup to dh's parents and a guy from our fellowship who were over at lunch time today and they all liked it too. MIL said she would add corn and black beans to it. I would do that too, but then dh wouldn't like it so much.

So far the only thing that hasn't been bought online is a gift that dh found and picked up. It was a used squat rack from Play It Again Sports for 14yods. I wouldn't have known what to look for. He got a fantastic deal on it, too:hurray: I'm almost done. All I need are a book for each kid (amazon.com), and maybe one other thing each and stocking stuffers. Oh, and I need to pick up supplies for a gift exchange gift the girls are going to make and dh is going to buy some kind of guy gift for the same gift exchange. Other than that, I'm done. Ahhh, it feels so good! And, though I know this is nothing to some of you, I haven't put anything on the credit cards yet, nor do I think I will need to. The garland is up. The ornaments are on the little alpine trees that stay in our living room year round. We waited until today--the day after dh's birthday, and he seems happy with that. He even finished building and hanging the doors for the basement and installing all the hardware and stops. (That sounds strange, but we built this house and have lived for 3 1/2 years without doors in the basement so dh could build them all rustic like I wanted.) I have a few more things to put out, possibly a few more things to make and order. It is all coming together so easily. Wednesday we leave for oldest ds' boot camp graduation and then he comes home for 38 days instead of the usual 10. This is the relaxed holiday I've been praying for with focus on family and time together rather than money or lack of it (though there is still taxes and tuition to pay) and stress and crowded stores. I haven't enjoyed a holiday season or even the month of November so much in, well, ever. I know the budgeting and not racking up more debt has something to do with it, but the prayer is the bigger part. We certainly don't have any more money than usual. It really helps me let go of that stress that creeps up on me so easily and remember that God is my sufficiency in all things. I know you didn't ask for all that buy I am just so incredibly blessed with how things are going. Excuse me now while I do a little happy dance.:party:

Tom Brown books: Guide to Wilderness Survival, Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking, The Tracker We have several titles by Larry Dean Olsen and some by Bradford Angier. I've never read them cover to cover, but I've skimmed and used things from each. They have very useful info and I think both authors include diagrams and sketches for how to build things. At Home in the Woods by Bradford and Vena Angier is their personal story and a very enjoyable book. For something a little different, try Give Your Heart to the Hawks by Winifred Blevins. It gives true stories of the first mountain men as well as chapters with historical and cultural background. Some of the stories make great campfire reading, though not all are suitable for children. (There's a chapter on "mountain mating" or some similar title that you might want to skip and stories should be pre-read before sharing them with children as some are pretty gruesome.) You'll read about Jedidiah Smith, John Coulter, Hugh Glass and others who were the first white men to explore the Rocky Mountain region and beyond.

If he is a good reader, perhaps he isn't challenged enough by what he's been reading. Or maybe the books he's been finding on his reading level are above his maturity level or not of interest to him? I don't know. I remember having a hard time at that age. I often didn't like books that were recommended for kids my age. Either they were too easy or they kinda freaked me out (Are You There God? It's Me Margaret) or both. Nancy Drew was appropriate for my age and social maturity, but I had figured out that they were formula books and lost interest. There was something about Sherlock Holmes that didn't click for me. I didn't "get" those stories although I was perfectly capable of reading the words. Agatha Christie fit the bill. I knew I liked mystery stories, it was just a matter of finding the right fit for who I was and what I needed at that time. Have you had his eyes checked lately? I've been having a hard time getting almost 12yodd to read. She's been a bit of a reluctant reader anyway, so I didn't really think much of it. The other day she told me her eyes have been hurting when she reads. The quick exam at school said she has 20/20 vision, but it sounds like it's time for a visit with the optometrist. If he's just having trouble finding books he's interested in, I would suggest looking at things he likes to do. Oldest ds loves camping and wilderness survival, so My Side of the Mountain, the Hatchet series, and Tom Brown's books were all good fits for him. Youngest dd is very athletic but she is getting into that pre-teen girly stage too. She recently found a series about girl surfers that have just a little teen romance and suddenly she's more into reading.

I think I just made a huge mistake. I sent the link to my daughters. Now I'm going to have pleas for miniature horses. I watched some of the other clips, too. They are so adorable! Are they inbred to the point of having a lot of health problems as happens with some dog breeds though? I've always wondered about this because of their size.

Today is dh's birthday, and, as on all birthdays, I asked what the birthday person would like for supper. He chose tortilla soup, a recipe from this board. (Threelops, was it yours? I thought I had a name on it, but I guess not.) It's a quick, easy meal and a great way to use up all those broken tortilla chips left in the bottom of the bag. Last night we had Sweetpeach's Honey Baked Lentils with rice. Oh. My. Word. Lentil dishes are often just a little blah. Even those I like are not usually well-received by my family. This was a winner for everyone. I had two helpings for supper last night and had to stop myself from having a second helping at lunch today. It's just so good! And it's cheap and easy to make. I'm including both recipes here in case anyone missed them. What are some of your favorite recipes from this board? Tortilla Soup Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp) 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use chicken breasts) 2 tsp hot chili powder 2 tsp oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 can (14.5 ounces) jalapeno-flavored diced tomatoes (rotel) 3 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 avacado, peeled & pitted, cut in chunks tortilla chips -Heat broiler. Drizzle lime juice over chicken; sprinkle with 1 tsp of the chili powder. Coat broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Broil chicken 5-6 minutes per side of until done. Remove, set aside. -Heat oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add garlic and remaining tsp of chili powder. Cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with their juice), broth, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and cook 10 minutes, covered. -To serve: tear chicken into small pieces and divide among 4 bowls. Divide tomato broth among the bowls; top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips. (I've usually add the chicken to the soup and let it simmer until I'm ready to dish it up). Honey Baked Lentils To make 6 main-dish servings, you will need: 1 cup dry lentils 2 cups water 2 Tbsp. honey 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 tsp. ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 small onion or 1/4 large onion, diced salt and pepper to taste It will have a soupy consistency, suitable for serving in bowls or over rice or in a baked potato or squash. If you prefer a more solid, casserole-like consistency, add: 1/3 cup rice Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Bake, covered, at 350F until tender, about an hour and a half. We baked some squash at the same time to make a complete meal with no additional energy use. It was a tasty combination of foods.

Honey baked lentils and rice. I copied the recipe from a post here. I think it was Sweetpeach's recipe. If it tastes half as good as it smells, we've got a winner.

That is hilarious, Pam! You know, we had a neighbor once who was a "nurse". Cutest little nurse's uniform you ever saw--the kind nurses don't wear except in Halloween or lingerie catalogs.:rolleyes: Anyway, back to the topic at hand. You don't want to know about the drawing I found in a book recently. Oldest ds had drawn it. I would guess he was somewhere between 11 and 13 when he drew it and then he stuck it in a large book about space shuttles that someone had given him and no one else would ever read. It was during a stage when he was...curious. It was during this stage that he got caught looking at a few objectionable websites and a cousin gave him a magazine from his dad's (cousin's dad's) stash in their garage. It was...interesting. I can't tell you how glad I am it fell out of the book as I placed it into the garage sale pile. This is a small town. I don't want to be the talk of it. I put the drawing in ds' school file with his other drawings. I think I'll give it to him when he comes home for leave after boot camp.:lol: I don't know if I can actually do it or not. This is the same ds that I remember drawing himself a little differently and separate from the family. He told me about a year or two ago that he went through a phase of thinking he was adopted because he is so much darker than everyone else in the family. Of course now that our youngest son is older, he looks almost just like his older brother and they both look like dh and me and other people in the family. He couldn't see it when he was younger though and people always commented on his dark complexion. When he was a baby I had a stranger come up to me in the store and ask if his dad was black. (Excuse me? Why is that any of your business? Why does it matter?) She insisted that his dad must at least be Mexican. He's not. He's been asked if he's mixed race (by people who are and people who are not), Mexican, Arab, and Native American. People of all different races seem to want to claim him for their own. He is a handsome kid;) Maybe you could show your ds pictures of you or other family members who he bears a resemblance to.

Approximately 20%. We built this house ourselves and dh got contractor discounts for materials, so that helps. And we've had help from his family. I feel like we're in a good place as far as how much we owe on this house. Property taxes, on the other hand, are killer. They keep hiking them up, up, up. I'd like to know when our roads out here will be paved with all those property taxes they're collecting. The answer is that they probably will not be paved in my lifetime. There are streets in Wichita that are still not paved.:glare:

You know, I think kids are capable of understanding a lot more than we give them credit for. Every Christmas I can remember from my childhood (and I've got a great memory!) was similar to what you're describing. We often did not have a tree, we almost never had turkey or ham or anything else traditional, our gifts were few and often came from thrift stores. Not having the same things other people had is not what bothered me. I hated how depressed my mom would get around the holidays and I could see through how she tried to make having "untraditions" seem like fun when it was really out of necessity. I would have preferred simple traditions at low cost than trying to pretend we just wanted to be different. How I wished my mom could just enjoy what we did have and our time together during Thanksgiving and Christmas! My brother and I knew 365 days a year that we didn't have much money. Not having money and things is not the worst thing in the world. There are far worse ways in which you can be poor. We had riches that could not be measured in dollar amounts. Now that I have children of my own, I try to remind myself of the truth that my childhood self new so well. It's hard because we want to give our children everything. Sometimes that isn't what's best for them at all though. Rejoice in the blessings which you do have. Do not stress and fret and worry and certainly do not allow yourself to become depressed over what you don't have, what bills you don't know how you're going to pay. Do your best and give God the rest. The worrying won't profit you one bit anyway. Be honest with your children both about your lack, but don't forget to be honest enough to point out their many blessings as well. Talk to them about people in other countries and in this one who are not even as fortunate as they are. Enjoy special time together as a family. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how well your children can handle this and how much it can strengthen their sense of compassion, thankfulness, and creativity. Look at it as an opportunity to grow, both individually and closer as a family. And, yes, I will pray for you, too!:grouphug:

It gets better as they get older. If you're a control freak like me and the kitchen is *your* space, then it may never be completely okay, but it does get better. My three youngest kids helped me get some things ready for Thanksgiving dinner. It was easier than having my mother-in-law in the kitchen. She is a great mother-in-law, but we have very different personalities and styles. Gosh, I'm getting stressed just remembering it.

The oldest apparently competed in chute dogging in a Missouri 4-H rodeo and also won in the Missouri lottery. The second mention (only one of three with first and last name together) is actually a mention of him in one of last year's school newsletters. My 16yodd is a male fire dancer (about her age) in Arizona. She is also an Acme Construction supply regional vice president and a champion swimmer. I think all are male. Then, at the bottom of the first page of search results is a news article which mentions her horseback riding accident two years ago. That one is really her. The next page has more results for other people with her name. I knew her first name was fairly popular. There are four girls in her small high school with the same first and middle name. I didn't know our last name was so common. 14yods made the dean's honor roll somewhere in 2003 and has made some short films for YouTube. My middle two kids race hot rods together (NOT). Josh attends several schools in various grade levels. The first page of results contain two entries that are actually him. One is an honor roll listing and the other has something to do with a wrestling tournament. The youngest, well, dagnabit! The very first result is her myYearbook page, though it's set to private so you can only see her name and a photo. I thought I told her not to use her real full name though. It looks like she attended College View Academy in Lincoln, NE before I was born. The first page of results has six which are really her: the myYearbook page, four pages of gymnastics meet results, and an honor roll mention from last nine weeks. If I googled her middle and last names I'd get a supreme court justice. __________________ I googled my dh once, btw. It was very disturbing to find that he had died in Iraq just a week before the search. I sat at my desk and bawled. It was very spooky.

Those who suggested throwing in curry powder, you wouldn't use like a yellow curry powder like the kind used in Indian curry would you? I'm thinking red curry like Thai curry would be better, but I have limited experience making curry since I've only tried 3 recipes (2 Indian, and 1 Thai).

Could you post pics? I don't have a poem, but I love seeing people's crafty ideas:D

No, but mine are all in ps now:D It was always like this after a break when we homeschooled though. That's understandable. It's hard for me to get back into a routine after a long weekend when it's just me and no one else around.

As if! That would never, ever happen in my house. I made 20 lbs. of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. 20 lbs.! There was a pretty good sized bowl left after everyone ate and some leftovers were packed up for family to take home. (Only MIL ranked getting mashed potatoes to take home.) The kids scarfed them within 2 days. Mashed potatoes are 16yodd's favorite food and the other two kids were a little miffed that she ate more than half that big bowl. Okay, so this is not the case in your house. I agree that shepherd's pie is the best thing to do with leftover (:lol:) mashed potatoes. I brown some ground beef, make a little brown gravy to go with it, pour the gravy and ground beef into the bottom of a casserole dish, add a layer of green beans, top with mashed potatoes, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Sometimes I turn the broiler on for a few minutes to brown them slightly in the last minutes of cooking. Season to taste while cooking or let each person season their own.

Just thought of this. Youngest dd is more of a girly-girl though also kind of a jock. She did not like the My Side of the Mountain series as much as the other kids, but became more interested when Sam's sister showed up on the scene. Likewise with Robin Hood. She liked it, but not as much as books with girls as the main character. The Little House series and Because of Winn Dixie are her favorites so far, so I think she's drawn to girl characters who are a little more tomboy than princess. Lately she's been getting interested in stories that have a little more romance in them though. The book she is currently reading is The Princess Diaries. If it's like the movie, the girl isn't such a girly-girl but she still gets to experience all that glitter with a touch of romance too. (Sorry, I haven't read the book.) This sounds so much like her personality overall. She loves clothes and shoes and glitz and glamor, but she's very athletic and loves animals and being outdoors too. I think she wants books with characters who reflect both sides of her personality. Hmmm...lightbulb moment on what direction to look for books for my reluctant reader!