Deb2of9

Thanks for sharing the basic recipes. My daughter was complaining that her Uncle can throw a casserole together without thinking, but she has no idea how to do it. With the basic casserole recipe, I can give that to her and maybe she can figure it out. She likes to experiment with cooking but has no confidence trying new dishes. Spices she experiments with, but ask her to make something she hasn't made before and she is lost. She is trying though, and I think having her Uncle come in and throw things together out of almost nothing makes her want to do more. Her Uncle learnt alot of his cooking from helping out at homeless shelters and soup kitchens when he was homeless for 10 years. They had to get by with limited supplies that had to stretch so he learnt a lot of one dish meals and casseroles. I keep thinking about planning menus. As tight as the budget it lately, I should start planning the menus. The problem is that I work afternoons five days a week so I am not the one doing the cooking most of the time anymore. That means I would have to coordinate with everyone else and figure out what they can and are willing to cook. I will have to work on that.

I plan on trying to go. Money is an issue this year, but I will be able to get vacation time about that time, I will be able to get my brothers to care for the dogs so all I need to do is get the money for the trip. On the other hand, I have a few months to do that so hopefully my daughter and I will be there. I want to and it isn't that far from Ohio. Of course if my daughter will get her license, driving will be easier.

Love it. My daughter says that it sounds like a normal day at her house, and her husband also wants to know what she does all day with 6 kids.

Praying. Watching my sister go through this ( successfully 12 years ago), I know how hard it is on both the person going through it and their families. She and your family are added to my prayers.

I admit that I used them on my youngest. I breastfed and worked full time. Although I only used them when it was inconvient to breastfeed or for the sitter when I was at work. They were more convient because I could pump at work and then freeze the breast milk for later use. Also she wouldn't drink from regular bottles. A lot of the convience foods you mentioned have their place. I have used a lot of them. I try to save them for when I really don't have time to cook. When possible, I make extra to freeze for later. However some of the convience foods are good and for single people who don't cook they are helpful. Homemade is better, but then sell because not everyone have the means or the knowledge to make it themselves. I agree that most, but not all those informercial or as seen on tv products would get my vote for most useless.

I am not sure which part is more frustrating, waiting forthe next part of a story or suddenly realizing that the family or story that you have become attached to is suddenly done. It leaves me wondering well, what happened next. I know that a lot of the stories are works in progress and in some cases maybe they won't get finished, but I accept that. i may wait on pins and needles until the next instalment is there, but I wait. Years ago when they had the dime novels or novels printed in the paper people had to wait and the stories weren't finished when started then either. Reading in Fireside not only is fun and educational, it also brings a touch of the past when things were done slower and patiences was neccessary.

I may not have tried writing any of the stories, but I do look at what I have done so far based on things that I have read. Not only are they good reads, very enjoyable, they help me to think of other potential situations. I try to learn from what I read, what I see and what I experience. It has helped me to be prepared for more things such as the power going out or the snow we have out there right now, even if I never have to use it for anything more serious. I learn from the stories and fill in some of my holes based on what I read.

I have enjoyed reading this thread. I do not have any children at home, but it has given me ideas to use with my grandchildren. Too often I see my daughter being so busy with them that she does not take the time to use the opportunities that she has to teach them. My daughter does try, but with many health issues both for her and the children, I think she spends too much time doing it herself or just accepting without really teaching her kids how to do it right. Of course part of her problem is her husband. He will alternate with, "make the kids do it, they have to learn" and " how can you let the kids do everything, they don't do it right. It is your job to do the work and let the kids be kids". Even this would be not as bad if he was consistent. It is hard sometimes being the outsider looking in and trying to keep your mouth shut. I can use many of the suggestions placed here when the grandkids are here and I can teach them. I remember that when my youngest daughter was little she was babysat by my sister. She used to take her for walks in the woods and teach her about whatever they saw. Unfortunately at 20 she doesn't seem to remember any more of it than the good times she had with her aunt. I would like to do a lot more of that with my grandkids, only help them to get the information to stick. You have all had great ways to do that. I like the idea of not having to already know how to do something yourself. I am learning alot of this stuff myself. My daughter tells me she can't learn without someone who knows showing her. I want her and my grandkids to learn that you can learn to ways. First by having someone teach you, but secondly by getting the books or using trial and error to figure out for yourself how to do something. She can not accept that. I have learnt many things by following the directions and trying different things until I got it. I think that is one of the most valuable lessons that we can teach. I also like the find your way home or out of a store game. I think I need to do that. I am the type that almost has to drive or walk it myself to learn how to do something. I lived in one town and knew my way around several areas. However, I didn't connect how to go between them until I got lost one day. I drove until something looked familar and then was able to join the neighborhoods. I want my kids and grandkids to put two and two together like that without having to stumble on it like I did. I think having them find the way to get to places will be a good way to do that. Thanks for helping me see that.

I remember three of my grandparents. My dad's father left when he was only two so we never met him or any of his family. My Dads Mom died when I was 13. I remember her well. She had an apartment off the square in Haverhill. I used to go visit her and remember most brushing her hair. She had long beautiful hair. I also remember that she used to take us to a corner bar that served sandwiches during thte day. I also remember the day that she died. We hadn't heard from her in a while. One day we got a call from a nursing home. They had her there, but hadn't known who she was at first. Aparently she had colasped on the street, but had nothing on her to identify her. We went to go see her at the nursing home and she died that night. She used to tell us family stories, that have been driving me crazy from a geneaology stand point. I was only 11 when my grandfather on my mother's side died. He had been living with us. Before he moved in with us, I remember we used to go visit him at his trailer. It was out in the country someplace and I remember that he didn't even have an indoor bathroom. We had to go to the outhouse. We actually thought that was a fun adventure then. I remember too that he had us roll cigarettes for him. We would fight over whose turn it was to use the roller. My Mom's mother I remember the most. She told us that she was 39, no matter what birthday she was at. I remember thinking she was fooling no one when my mother was older than her. We used to go to cookouts at her place a few times every summer. She was always a part of our lives. I was grown with a daughter of my own when she died. She had remarried when I was little, so for a while I had my grandpa and Harry. Harry was more of a grandfather to me than my mother's father was. It is just that we were young when grandpa died and Harry was always around. Granpa and Nana divorced before I remember and Harry was my other grandpa as long as I can remember. He may have not been blood, but he was our grandpa all the same. My aunt followed not long after her, which left only my uncle. It was strange when he passed because he was the last of that generation and with him passing, we became the older generation. I remember the cookouts fondly and we try to duplicate that for our own kids. I spend as much time as I can building memories with my own grand kids. Family is so important, that I tried to foster family activities and memories to bind us together. Blood alone isn't enough. We also need to develop those emotional bonds, which only happens with contact. So we do as much as we can together as a family.

Yes thank you for posting that recipe. I can make up a batch to take with me to my daughters on Christmas and the two who are on glueten free diets can have cookies. Of course gs#3 steals whatever he wants anyway...at 2 1/2 he hasn't figured out that Mom has a good reason for saying no. I bet they will appreciate cookies that they can eat

I try to only send things that will stand up to heat. I also try to send a variety until I really know what they want. I belong to a couple of groups that you adopt a soldier through, so sometimes I don't have a clue what they may want as you don't often hear back from them. Along with basic personal care and non-cook type foods, I also send paperbacks and magazines, paper, pens or pencils and envelopes that sort of thing. They need stuff for free time. We have even sent those magic erase boards and etcher sketch which have gone over good. Getting creative is a challenge as is packing as much as you can in one small box. I do send foods that can be cooked, but unless I know someone has access to a heating source, I try to send things that they don't need to cook, well except for maybe things like coffee or hot chocolate. They can usually heat a little water. Gaterorade does get sent as well as those packets that you can use to flavor water such as lemonade or juice mix. You are right, they might get tired of gaterorade all of the time. Jerky also seems to be poplular, but not everyone likes the same jerky seasonings so it could be hit or miss.

Please do share after you convert. With two grandkids allergic to wheat, I would love to try those ones out on them.

Thanks for the recipes, I have added them to my collection. Now to get experimenting with them.

Okay, I know this has nothing to do with the thread, but I have to say, I love your picture for the bump.

That's right, I had to get one of those once just to change my headlights on a car I had once. I have a question. I bought one of those multi screwdrivers to get that one, but it was so cheap that it just wore down too quick. I do like those multi tools for convience to have in places that I wouldn't have many tools. Do they make good quality multi's like that. When I replace the junk that I have for tools right now, I want to replace them with good quality tools. I may not do much with them now, but I don't want junk when I need them. Besides, I know I really need to learn to be able to do more basic repairs myself. It is too expensive to hire someone all of the time and for some simple things, it would be easier to do it my self. I don't know if I would ever want to get into electrical work, but I have attepmted minor plumbing issues. (Have had to get help because I was too weak to get the pipe off when I needed to get something that was stuck in the trap. But I did change a washer myself.) I want to get a good tool box, but in my BOB a multi tool would be good to have. I might not be able to take a big tool box. But I want good quality, not junk

actually I do think I have seen one. Not that I knew it was called a roberts, or what to use it for.

Oh, and the one we liked the most had two rooms that my daughter claimed. It was two rooms with a bathroom between. I thought, yes it would be great for you to have that as a bedroom and a sitting room with your own bath. I also thought room to go in to enter the isolation area...bathroom for person in isolation and bedroom. Perfect isolation room. Could close the one room off to the outside and only go through the other....and would have a working toilet in the isolation room.

Have to admit. My daughter and I were looking at trailers and they have such huge closets in the master bedroom...I thought I don't need that much room for clothes..I can use this for storage....Linen closet...I thought...would work better as a pantry. I swear I was looking more at what I might do to find storage in the places than what the rest of the place would be like. I did think of space for family to visit...and stay if need be...but I really looked at the storage potential

This is a great section. I need to learn more about tools and how to use them. So far I know only the basics and my tool box only has a hammer, a couple of screwdrivers ( phillips and flat head) and a pair of pliers. My brother has more tools, but somehow almost all of mine have developed feet and walked. I need to replenish my tools before I move so I can fix something when I need to.