First, Congratulations Carol! I have always felt it would be really difficult to go back to school. I did well in school and one year of college but that was SOOOO long ago. Janice, I forgot to send you pictures of my sisters jewelery. I'll do that soon! One comment about cookware. I have to mention my Braun Coffee Pot. It's an old, white, not very attractive one. It's probably the third or fourth we've had in 30 years. Everytime we tried anything else, it never made good coffee. A couple years ago after renovating the kitchen (still not done) I got a DeLonge stainless steel beauty with points from Visa. It really was great to look at but it made terrible coffee. I tried everything, grinding the coffee even finer (I already ground it on the 2nd to finest grind available). I used more coffee. I had the machine to a rapairman. I finally got a replacement unit. Still made awful coffee. Finally the repairman and I figured out it was the heat of the water. There was no way to adjust this. It was what it was. I had coffee made in three or four different coffee makers this winter when I was on my little vacation to see friends and family. None of them made good coffee. I ended up giving the DeLonge to a neighbor who didn't care if her coffee was weak. I should say here that I like French Roast, ground fine and strong. One friend declined my coffee and commented that, personally, she didn't drink tar! I drink 2 cups in the morning and that all, but it has to be good. The other day I was trying to get some replacement parts for my Braun Food Processor and found out Braun doesn't sell kitchen appliances anymore!!! I panicked. I went straight to Value Villiage and found another old white Braun coffee pot.

blueiris I have an 18 qt roaster and it's to big for just the 2 of us, that's why I'm buying the 6 qt. I borrowed the 6 qt from a friend to try out the size and see if I'd really use a roaster since I have only used my slow cooker a few times. The slow cooker is going out the door as soon as the roaster gets here. Besides the slow cooker cooking to hot, I just don't see using several pots just to get things ready for a slow cooker. Why dirty a pot to brown ground beef for chili, then put it in a slow cooker when I can just do it all in the same pot. The roaster let me brown the beef, add the ingredients then slow cook the chili, plus I didn't have to watch the stove top all day. I'm excited, but now Walmart is saying it won't be here till the 17th. :(

My DH buys different types every few days because he's always on the quest for the perfect coffee. He hates to grind too, so he just buys the 12 oz bags from supermarkets. The other day he found a brand at a local close-out store-it was around $4/12oz-he bought it for the kid who works for him, and I tried it-it was quite good. But given the source, I know we'd never find it again. I've found that McDonalds coffee brand is actually pretty good for a grocery store coffee. I do not like Dunkin Donuts or Gevalia. A regional brand, Seattles Best is pretty good, and I like Starbucks Blonde blends. I agree, the Tanzania Peaberry is a good coffee, but DH doesn't like it. My favorite is also from a local roaster, but I have to buy it in 5lb bags of whole beans.

I guess I don't see the reasoning for a double run. Suggests to me that your coffeemaker isn't working right. My percolator has NO problem getting the coffee hot enough! Even my le-cheap drip unit gets the brew plenty hot. I'm with you Jasdip. "Cans" of coffee are disappearing, although it's funny that even Keurig has realized that most people want more than one cup of coffee and are making a pot brewer! Sad part is so many have to have the caramel, vanilla, turnip and roadkill flavored "coffee". Never made sense to me, if people don't like the taste of coffee, why drink it? Trying to fit in I suppose. But these days people have to have sugar on/in everything. Meat, vegetables, beverages, medications, everything. And they wonder why they're overweight.