Rachel Ray has great 30 minute meals; I use several in our rotation. Some tips I use: I buy 5 lbs of hamburger at Costco and brown all of it then divide it and freeze it. This I use for chili, taco meat, in spaghetti sauce, etc. I also boil a double batch of chicken, shred it and freeze it for enchiladas, tacos, etc. I sometimes cook double and freeze half.

Hope you're feeling better after your nap, Jean. I had a nice Sunday with family and friends. My pulled pork came out of the crockpot perfectly and my angel food cake was amazing. I finished my book and have a rare day off tomorrow. I think I'll call a movie and pajama day!

I don't drink coffee. I won't pick breakfast either. I usually eat later in the morning after I've been up for several hours. I choose Coke Zero, my caffeine of choice. :P

Usually around 5:30. I voted 6. My dh is up by 5ish. I get up as he's leaving around 5:30-5:40 to workout and get a few minutes of alone time before waking the kids up at 7. I work in the afternoons, so we need to get going in the morning to fit in school. I like mornings.

So glad I didn't try them when my friend was having a FB party. They just seem so pricey to me. I work with my hands so I don't bother wearing anything and it seems like it would be a pain to do toes. I like to change my polish a lot. too. Glad I'm not missing anything!

A good dust mop will go a long way to help. My dh talked me out of dark wood when we were picking out new floors. We ended up going with a bamboo with a light cherry look. I'm so glad! I would have gone nuts trying to keep it clean.

We love Apples to Apples. I don't think there are lots of adult themes, but you can just go through the cards and take out the ones you might object to. We also like Fluxx games. We recently got the pirate one. It's tough to catch on, but fun!

Congrats!

I would let dd know that I would be dropping by a couple times a day to check on her and make sure everything is going ok. At least the first day. I would be upset, too, about the change of plans and would expect her to make more money. But, I understand there isn't much to do about it now without canceling. Things I would ask: Is she ok with making breakfast and lunch? Is there any aspect of this job she is concerned about? Keeping kids entertained? What to do with meltdowns/tantrums/missing mom? I think it's a positive commentary on how much your daughter is trusted so much by this family. Good job, Mom!

Hugs! Sorry today was a rough day for the two of you. I hope tomorrow is better.

Dh had already asked me, but wanted to do the formal, traditional thing. So, we got a teeny-tiny ring and he asked my dad on Christmas Eve, then we had a party at our teeny-tiny apartment. It was cute how nervous dh was. He ran out to my dad's van as soon as he got home from work. Poor Dad was ambushed! It's a happy memory.

Wonderful news!!!

I've had my paypal linked with my checking account for many years. I've never had a problem.

I love discussing names and thinking about names, even when I have nothing to name. ;) My first public speech as a sophomore in high school was about the meaning of names. My favorite aspect of working for a credit card company and as a file clerk was that I got to look at names all day. Do I have strong feelings about other people's names? Hmm. Sometimes. I have a good friend who is named after a prominent historical figure of WWII in the same class as say, Voldemort. He has started going by that name again after using a nickname for a long time. I can't call him by his given name. My mouth won't say it. I have very strong feelings that that name should never be used again. Ever. I feel pity for people stuck with cutesy, sing-songy names like Betsy Wetsy. Do I think about it and discuss it all time? No. I love learning how people got their names. I think the stories are neat. And an added bonus is that discussing names doesn't usually involve religion or politics. :P

Public? No. A little more special than what I got? Hmm. Maybe. It was one of those, "We should just get married" conversations. He did ask for my hand formally, but the proposal itself was a mutual decision kind of thing. I would have been mortified by a public proposal. I don't like being serenaded either.

I was almost named Blanche. I don't see that one coming back. (And thank you, paternal Grandmother for having a cool name!) I know a child name Lloyd. It's not my favorite. My grandfather's names were Willard and William. William is a classic. Willard (never shortened to anything) will probably die out.

Ok. If you're interested though, Happy Yoga by Steve Ross is one of my favorites. It's not available on kindle though. I've also been following Ram Dass on FB and find his daily post uplifting and inspirational, if you're on FB, that is.

Ds14 was 2.5 when he moved to a bed because we were expecting another and I wanted him to disassociate from the crib before his brother came. Ds11 was 1 yr. 10 months. The crib was falling apart and he was jumping out of it. We didn't mind a family bed and kids were welcome to join us during the night although they did start out in their own beds for the most part.

First kid: none at all, although I did have some serious food aversions. Second kid: morning sickness and again in the afternoon for first 3 months. After that, fine.

My dad's church has always had a large singles group. If you go to a large church, maybe you could suggest it? I know you're too busy to start your own group. They used to do Bible studies, but mostly it was for fun, so they went bowling and planned picnics, etc. FWIW, my best friend's mom and stepdad met in this group and were married 25 years when she passed away recently. There were many stories like that. I wish happiness for you!

:grouphug:

Glad you guys had a great party! Those bangle sets are great! I use them for tops of girls' gifts sometimes and fan them out like a bow. (The sets that are 10 or so.)

I would have moved too, Joanne. Great update! You are definitely on the right track. It must feel great! I'm not on here much anymore, but I'm glad I stopped by and saw your update. I think of you and many other boardies often.

I'm right there with you, betty.