Well I am way behind you Annie...and always will be. Don't think I'll ever graduate to pressure canning, heck it's a battle to get me to HWB! Been at the cottage for three weeks but came down to make 24 jars of dills. Hope I can find more dill sized cukes 'cause that won't do it. Also did a bunch of Carol's, without an e, (Readinglady) Bread and Butters, excellent recipe and a bunch of Linda Lou's Sweet pickles. My 10 year old nieces helped me can Linda's pickles and took some home as a reward for their efforts. Both girls loved them but Sara really, really loved them. She was pulling an "Ashley" and eating them out of the container as they brined, even hot!!! LOL She says she wants to make them herself next year...that would make me smile.

My gut tells me she is lying to her BF. It's too convenient that she has been with him two years and he is finally confiding in his ex wife that he made a mistake and regrets everything he's done, and that is the exact time that BM gets pregnant? Too convenient, plus she told DH a few years ago she can't have kids anymore. If she is pregnant, then she was lying to DH and judging by BF's reaction, it was not planned. (at least not a plan BF was involved in... BM may have planned it) It will be a real mess because SD already feels her mom ignores her. The other thing is that BM's older DD14 just moved up with her after living with grandma for two years. We figured she moved her other DD there because we made sure the court knew she has full custody of her DD but she lives with grandma. So, we thought she moved her in to show the court she now has her DD with her, but now we think perhaps she just needs her to babysit when the baby is born? (if there really is a baby) As you can tell, I really think she is lying. Maybe I am in denial.. I didn't think she could do anything crazier than she already has but she just keeps going and going and going and going.... For me the worse part in what BM is doing, is that BF's kids were already just dealing with their parents divorce... they divorced a few months before he met BM and now they have been told dad is marrying BM... they have set a date two or three times... BM has bought two different wedding dresses and shown the kids her dresses... BM has asked SD to ask me to bake her wedding cake... BM has actually bought wedding stuff on ebay and posted a blog on her myspace announcing her wedding to all her friends. So, BM has been, for the last two years, kept this charade up that she is going to marry their dad... and kept her daughters pumped up over it. Her older daughter posted a picture of BM & BF on the internet saying "my mom and soon to be stepdad"... SHE IS STILL MARRIED TO HER OLDER DAUGHTER'S FATHER!!!! I don't think BF would be telling his kids he's marrying BM if he really knew she was still married. So, that brings the question: Would he tell his kids she's pregnant if he wasn't absolutely sure? Well, he is either still believing what he is told or he has gone with her to the doctor and it's true. I tend to believe he is taking BM's word for it because she is very convincing... even now, if we didn't know all the lies she's told & been caught in, she might get one over on us still. So, I think while he's at work, she is saying she's been to the doctor, etc. Only time will tell if that's true or not. If she ends up saying she had a miscarriage.. it will be really hard for me to muster up sympathy (which I have for anyone that suffers that) because I really think she is lying and of course if she really is pregnant and has a miscarriage, then my indifference would be sinful and that thought bothers me. I just have a hard time when it comes to her... If she weren't such a liar!

You know, the BM saying that sort of thing to the skids is exactly what made me very angry one day. I posted about it in March this year. SD13 started going on to FDH how he doesn't pay BM enough, and because of that they have to miss out on 'this and that etc'. FDH gave the usual reply; that he does pay BM child support and always has, but it's up to BM what she does with the money. They've had this conversation a million times over.. But this time SD13 did not leave it at that. She told FDH that child support is not even real money because it goes in the bank (??) and why doesn't he pay cash to BM? And all of a sudden I saw how the dynamics had changed, it wasn't just SD13 relaying BM's message, she had made it her own opinion and she was having a go at FDH. This made me very angry and I went off at SD13. How dare she accuse FDH of not paying enough money, she should know better by now than to listen to BM's crap, she shouldn't even be involved in any discussion about money!! I was angry and I went on about it. SD13 and SD11 stood there stunned for awhile and then they went to their room, got their mobile and called their mom, asking her to pick them up. Looking back now I understand they would've been scared to see me so angry, it never happened before (or since). I also understand BM coming to the rescue, even if this was exactly what she was after, causing problems at our home. We weren't aware skids called BM and she was on her way, and FDH had already calmed situation down. We were going to all sit down and talk about what happened. BM rocked up and FDH tried to explain we were dealing with it, no need to take the skids away. BM then called the cops and went hysterical. The cops assessed situation and had a talk to skids. They then advised skids to stay with us, but skids just walked out and got in BM's car, and they took off. It was awful. By getting angry I gave BM exactly what she wanted, it is part of the reason why she says these things to the skids, I'm sure. I just wanted to share my experience with you, you are not alone in battling this kind of nastiness. The best approach is to keep your cool, as you are doing. We also point out to the skids that we are not going to discuss adult issues with them, it's not appropriate. And one more tip; (it's been hammered to death on this forum, but for a good reason) buy the book Divorce Poison by Richard Warshak. It's very helpful and gives great practical advice.

Funnelweb, I like your approach! We have a similar attitude. I remember a few years ago we had a snake in the backyard. I only saw it partially once in the old chook shed as it scuttled away very quickly. I thought "god what the heck is that" and then figured it must have been a blue tongue as we had quite a few of those. Then one day my son's school friend was here and they got a good look at it. The friend was all for killing it as he used to live on acreage down around Berry and reckoned that when it gets to breeding season they (snakes) get agressive.. but I reckoned it wasn't doing anyone any harm and indeed it had only even been seen the once, and frankly, I'm flattered it likes our place, so I issued a protection order for it. we have some frogs and some water and the old chook shed has a nice northerly facing concrete floor and stuff in it to hide under. Sounds like pretty good snake apartments really! There used to be an aviary and chooks in nearby yards, and these attracted the mice, but those are gone, so the food supply may not be what it once was, and I don't think snakey is till around. I have been doing a project re family photos recently and had a disappointment. We have an old family story about my grandfather walking along and stepping in a taipan which was curled up asleep minding its own business in the long grass. Snake jumped up into the air in fright. Granfather jumped up into the air in fright.. the family story went that snake went one way, grandfather the other.. but then going through my mothers photo album, there's a photo of my grandfather holding up a dead snake. Mum says, yeah, that IS the snake from the story. .... sniff... I liked that story better when I thought the snake lived to tell the tale. As far as I know the only fauna permanently living in the old chook shed at the moment is a rather large and impressive red back. When I found her she was a beautiful specimen. Red backs made excellent pets. They are quiet, timid and provide food for blue tongues. Sure you don't want to go sticking your finger in their gob, but I reckon that's about what you'd need to do to rile one up.. and im our experience the red backs aren't stupid, they do their best to choose places you don't interfere with too much and set up their web out of the way there. They are lovely little creatures.