sueb20 I'm glad to hear your DH is feeling better after only a week. There's hope for me soon then! leel soft boiled egg is a great idea. I wonder if I can figure out how to make that (I can't cook at all so that complicates things). I guess I just boil the egg right? I will google. camlan I hear you about the tea! I normally have tea for breakfast every morning. Fortunately, it was 75 out today so warm enough that I didn't really miss my tea as much as I would have on a freezing morning. camlan the chocolate idea is great! I am definitely not sucking on the popsicles, thanks for the reminder :) olychick hummus is a good idea. I don't eat guacamole, nothing w/ avocados except in sushi for some reason. Thanks mtnrdredux. I am trying to make myself eat even when I'm not in the mood because I know that will ultimatly help me get better. kelpmermaid Dulce de Lche ice cream is one of my absolute favorites!! Dentist said no peanut butter because it is too gooey.

Joanie--Where do you live? There is a craniofacial pain center at Tufts dentistry school in Boston that is terrific for TMJ. Unfortunately TMK falls between the cracks " of medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, etc. And as someone said above, it has many different causes. Some of the things that a place like Tufts might suggest: - A night guard, but one specifically for TMJ. They're different from the ones made for grinding, although they help with that too. The TMJ guards have a protuberance on top that holds your lower jaw in a certain position. - Manipulative physical therapy. These are the folks who actually lay hands on you. For TMJ, the physical therapist snaps on some latex gloves and actually massages pressure points inside your mouth. There are several jaw muscles that are hard to manipulate and cannot be relaxed through stretching etc. This can be a huge help. (If you can't find one of these professionals locally, at least buy a book about trigger points.) - Posture work. Someone can show you on a demonstration skeleton how a problem with back posture, shoulders, hips, knees or even feet can cause you to hold the jaw in a bad position. For example, tilt your hips, and y our shoulders have to tilt in the opposite direction. Then your neck tilts sideways to compensate. It's the way we're built. Computer work is a particularly bad offender when it comes to posture. - Relaxation techniques. As someone said above, stress isn't a particularly good word here. You can be happy as a clam and get terrible neck or TMJ pain from working at a computer without good eyeglasses. There is lots that can be done.

How about a pot pie? Ina Garten's recipe is fabulous. The recipe is a lot easier than it looks and makes a lot. I have frozen hals the pies when it has been just the two of us. Chicken Pot Pie 2005, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved Serves:4 individual pot pies Ingredients • 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on • 3 tablespoons olive oil • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade • 2 chicken bouillon cubes • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter • 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions) • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup heavy cream • 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups) • 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves • For the pastry: • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening • 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced • 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash • Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Or maybe a Quiche and Salad? Or Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce and a salad? Both easily prepared ahead and re\-heated. Linda

Thanks everybody! "Make a counter offer" was my gut reaction but spouse isn't so sure. Keeps saying we should consider doing the fix-up ourselves so that we get to pocket the profit instead of some flipper. But I am soooooo sick of the whole construction thing. I'd rather spend my free time puttering around in my new home that running back and forth into town to supervise subs working on the old house. And, what if another family emergency should come along and whack us? Although I don't think we'd have any problems getting a loan to fix up the house - as I said, we own it free and clear - I'd much rather build back up our cash emergency fund than take on additional debt. So, any advice on negotiating techniques or how to pick a counteroffer number? I don't want to leave any money on the table but, if we're going to take the time to negotiate, I'd rather not scare this buyer off by initially countering with too high a value. A local friend who just got her real estate license suggested that we counter at 20% above their offer. But dearly as I love my friend and knowing that she has our best interests at heart, I also have to recognize that she doesn't really have much experience so may not be giving me the best advice. Can I expect a flipper - who sought US out, and has already made two trips out to see the house and now want to make a third trip on Tuesday to "take more pictures and make some measurements" - to be willing to pay at least the appraised "as is" value? I actually think the appraisal we got is a bit low because one of the comps used was a foreclosure sale which pushed down the avg value by quite a bit. BTW - buyer is saying that this would be a cash sale, closing by Thanksgiving, no realtors involved. And Lyfia - you guessed correctly that this is Austin. I suppose anyone who lives here would have recognized the description. Thanks in advance for all advice.