We moved from Hawaii to the Norfolk area last summer and have been adjusting to the cold. We're getting our coldest weather now. We've rediscovered the blessing of warm outerwear and hot chocolate when we come in from the cold! Have your DH bring some heavy "traction" with him in the car. My sister always gets big bags of dog food and/or cracked corn for wildlife and carries them in her trunk. The extra weight in the trunk helps w/ traction and if she gets stuck in the snow, she can use the corn/kibble for traction on the road and not feel guilty about littering because the local wildlife will appreciate the snack she leaves behind. ITA with the suggestions for taking sleeping bag/food in the car for the drive. Better to be prepared an not need the supplies, than to be left in a jam.

Okay, I've finished watching the episode. We recorded it, and it took us 2 nights to watch it because DH has to get to bed early so he can get to work while it's still dark in the AM. My prediction is that this season will be like a 70 hour version of the show "24", w/ them trying to gather everyone up to get them back to the island. Gotta say that Hurley showed some smarts (or at least I thing his choice was smart) when he ran outside. Nice to have you back Remudamom! I've been absent recently, too. 2 kids both shareboarding horses... we spend a lot of time at the barn.

We bought a drop-leaf Ikea table about 19 years ago, and have moved it 8 times! It was our dining table until we got something more "posh", then it became my sewing/craft table. It's still really sturdy and in great shape other than where dh, in a moment of genius, drilled a hole in it while trying to show the kids how to drill a hole in a piece of wood he'd laid on top the table!:confused: When we needed a classroom table we didn't hesitate to go to Ikea. We found another birch drop-leaf table, but this one has 3 drawers on each side of the middle (main) section of the table. That gives dds plenty of storage for pencils, rulers, markers, and some books.

Yankee Candle.com When it was looking like my order wouldn't arrive in time for gift-giving, they sent me another shipment, express, at their cost... no hassles, just wonderful, friendly service.

What qualifies as SW Virginia? And how are the housing costs in that area?

We took a trip back to the mainland this fall and drove from Seattle to near Sacramento. There were parts of both Washington and Oregon that interested me. But as one pp asked, we are interested in being at least close enough to a military base to allow for once a month commissary shopping, etc.

:grouphug: You have my sympathy and also my thanks for giving him a loving home and the support that he deserved. Pets are a gift... sometimes we only have them for a short time, but they touch us all the same and leave us with a little more depth in our hearts.

Yeah, we have friends who live in SE Virginia and while they'd love for us to live close to them, neither DH nor I can see ourselves being comfortable in that area.

We have a longer-haired dog. How do roombas do w/ that kind of hair?

:lol: my dad used to work developing paper pulp... as a kid we hated drives down south because Dad would suddenly stick his nose in air saying "I think I smell a pulp mill!" and we occasionally had to take a detour to determine precisely whose pulp mill it was! Those things stink in a major way! But hey, my sisters and I can all pick out the odor of a pulp mill from miles away now! ( And steer clear!):D

As I mentioned in my "Worst Place" posting, dh is nearing retirement from the military and we still have no real idea where we would like to live. We know a few places that wouldn't suit us, but no place that would be a truly good candidate. I'll post our basic criteria and perhaps some of you can make a few suggestions for us. 1. A change of seasons (preferably w/ some snow, but not buried under it!) 2. I don't want to be constantly dealing w/ small-minded, bigotted people. A poster on the "Worst Places" thread summed it up perfectly for me... I, too, am driven to tears by some of the cutting, heartless things people say/do to/about each other. 3. Decent COL... 4. Access to horses, we'd love to have some land, but I'd prefer to board the horses at a nice facility for the first few years. We ride English, and after living in So.Cal, I know that I need to have green pastures for them. 5. DH's work is pretty flexible, govt contracting, or perhaps a logistics-type job. He'll probably go to freelancing in a couple years. I will be returning to teaching (elementary) in a year or two, so anywhere there are schools I should do okay. So our work doesn't tie us down to one location too much. 5. Adequate shopping/library/restaurants within 20 +/- minutes. We are curious about the Charlottesville area of VA, but seeing as we are currently living in HI, there is little chance to explore. And all we know of Charlottesville is from a trip to Greenbriar and DH having been offered a job nearby. Being USMC, we have lived around the Quantico (DC) area several times and like it, although it is way to overbuilt for my long-term comfort. I'm guessing that we will need to be near a college town for my sanity and no more than 1-1 1/2 hours from a good-sized airport w/ International capabilities. Okay, so now that I've offered up my wish list is there anywhere in the US that might suit our wants/needs?

Bowling Green, OH... weirdest year of my life, I think... when we moved cross country a few years ago, DH insisted on swinging through BG just so he could see why I dislike it so much! Flat, boring, and oh, did I mention that some local kids decided to go out joyriding, taking potshots at co-eds w/ BB guns?! I was one of their targets. After that year, I decided to go to school in Philly, where, while it definitely has it's run-down neighborhoods, at least I would be expecting the need to be watchful. And yes, I agree w/ the pp about Philly, too, so my preferring Philly to Bowling Green might give you an idea of just how much I dislike BG!

Okay, I gotta admit that while we try to pay off the balance every month, I haven't been as good as I'd like the past 3 months. Our interest rate has also increased and I'm in a quandry... I like using the card and getting the cash back, but if I can't get my act together and pay on time, then the interest more than cancels-out any cash back. It's not that I'm really buying stuff I can't afford, I just find myself being postponing making the payment. So there is a part of me that recognizes my current lack of discipline and resents the bank hiking my rate. That side of me says "get out the scissors!' The other part of me wants to give myself another shot at making the payments on time and getting the. cash back.:confused:

We should be moving back next summer. I hope to be pleasantly shocked by the lower costs. I keep cautioning dds that winter on the east coast will be VERY different from here in Hawaii where they are riding in t-shirts and at most are complaining about the rain! One day I was wondering where I picked up the habit of really "cuddling" w/ the horses as I groom. Then my sister reminded me that all through HS and college I was working at barns in the NJ winter where the only source of warmth was the horse!

Okay, so you all have me in shock and seriously looking forward to when we return to the mainland! We share-board 2 ponies for dds and here in Hawaii that means $25/riding day for one pony and $235 +bedding costs/month for the other (riding 4x/week). Shavings are up to $15/bag, pine pellets are $16. Fortunately, both ponies are very good keepers, so they don't need any feed in addition to the hay that is part of their boarding costs. Board at the barn runs from $465-600 depending on type of stall/paddock. That does not include bedding, but the facility has 1 covered arena, several open riding fields, and 2 outdoor rings including 1 dressage arena. Shoeing runs $75-150 depending on what's needed. A few months ago I "donated" some senior feed to a horse at another barn that was in need. 1 bag cost $30! I think that I will be very happy w/ the costs when we move back to the mainland!

It does get a little easier as dc get older and can be given more to do. My parents are coming to visit, so I decided that it really was time that the kitchen floor got mopped. Problem is that dc drop all kinds of stuff on the floor, so the Floormate just wasn't gonna cut it. Time to call in the kids! I gave them a squirt bottle filled w/ cleaner & 2 scrub brushes. What I thought would be a struggle, turned into fun for them. They decided to dress as Cinderella (old ratty clothes, hair in kerchief) and got right to scrubbing! That floor is the cleanest it's been in about 6 months!:D But truth be told, I am a surface cleaner. Just today I was commenting that I'd rather be mucking a horse's stall than cleaning my house!

I had dcs watch Obama's victory speech this AM because when I heard it last night on the radio I was truly struck by the level of eloquence. I am always stressing to my own kids, as well as my students when I am in teaching situations, that to have a strong command of words/language is to be able to express yourself clearly and rivet your audience. Obama's speech was a wonderful example of all that I have tried to convey to my kids and students. The use of language was awe-inspiring IMHO.:001_smile:

Thanks for the help! Sorry it took me a while to respond to your suggestions. Since it's a blackberry pie, I guess that I'm looking more for texture than flavor. Cadam, Let me know how the combo of shortening and butter works out!

We are coming up on Thanksgiving, and I want to try re-creating the phenomenal blackberry pie we had on a trip to Washington a few weeks ago. I think I can do the filling well enough, but I want a knock-out recipe for pie crust!

I think that any teacher needs to take multiple learning styles into consideration or else it might have a negative impact. I remember my dad, who is *very* intelligent, trying to help my sisters and me with algebra & chemistry... he had only one way to see/explain things, and we didn't get it. The fighting and frustration was horrible.

That's part of my problem; technically, I am teaching Lit, not writing, but how can I just let this situation continue w/out saying something?! I get the feeling these kids are told that they are doing well, but the truth is they are going to struggle later in college. Meanwhile, my dcs are in shock at the comparison of their work vs their classmates. Fortunately, they seem to be taking more pride in their work rather than slumping down to the level of the other students.

This is my big fear... that these kids will have huge hurdles to overcome later in life all because someone didn't consider these things a big deal now.

I'm co-teaching a co-op class this year for the first time. MS/HS level students. And I have to say that I am in shock over the work quality/accountability issues that I am seeing with these kids! Not just little accidental typos, like hitting a wrong key, but major spelling errors on simple words... and it's constant! Or work that is not done ("My bad, Mrs.***). The other teacher/parent doesn't seem to have any problem w/ these things. I find myself telling my own dc who are in her class, "I don't care whether Mrs. --- doesn't ask you to proofread, I *do*" Yikes! Maybe I'm just too uptight, but I always stress to my dc that when you are not there to speak for yourself, your work/emails, etc. do the speaking for you, so you want to check your work. And spelling is stressed... it's such a simple fix, especially when poor spelling can leave such a lousy impression. And the late/missed work is just nutty! How can these kids be so blase about it?! The parents must be aware of their dc's quality-control issues, right? So how do I address these issues? Part of me wants to take 5 minutes of class time and do a "heads-up" about the impression they are making, explaining that now is the time to establish the work habits that will get them ahead later on in life. Or can I just do spelling bees for "fun" and let these kids rise to the challenge (I was thinking I could give them the words a week ahead and then they'd see the benefit of work/studying as well as gain some spelling). Any help or suggestions you can offer will be appreciated. I feel that I am not doing my job if I let these things slide, but at the same time, it's not the job I was "hired" to do.

New this year: Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings - I'm using this w/some expansion, to teach a co-op class Latin For Children A - dd9 was so anxious to follow her sister into Latin and this has been a great starting place. French Prep 1 - dd13 did so well w/ Latin Prep that we decided to try their French program. So far it's tres bien! MUS Gamma/Delta - got dd9 over her math phobia, so I'm sold! Geography Trails - World - A great way to end our day! Both girls love doing this! Something we continued from last year: Latin Prep 2 - dd13 loved Latin Prep 1, so we are continuing with it.