This is a duplicate of what I just posted on the older thread. Thought I'd better catch up and let the newer folks know a bit about me. Married, all kids are too, and altogether there are 7 grandkids. We have no allergies but a few dislikes or aversions: DH loathes olives, the fruit. I dont like florals very much and definitely dont heavily many scented things. Like handmade or homemade just about anything. I dont lean towards things Victorian or very ornate Love metal, wood, stone, ceramic, organic looking things Neither one of us is fond of the blood-sausage-type things. We both like nuts, chocolate (mines dark, his is lighter but he is changing), spices, sweet and savory things. I love lemon, We eat at home often, I love to set a pretty table, linen napkins everyday We divide our time between NYC and a small town in CT. We are moving in the fall to and down-sizing in NY. CT: The country home is eclectic leans towards the whimsical or lyrical, my color palette is basically established by all the things that I own. You can check it out on picturetrail.com under bubbeskitchen. It is the Sherman House album. NY is contemporary and traditional. We are changing our color palette when we move from the neutrals with dusty peach to spicy colors: saffron, ginger, paprika. My new kitchen is right out in the open; the counters are slate, the cabinets and appliances are wood-grain and the sink and stove are stainless. So I guess my new digs will be more contemporary to modern and streamline if I can do it. Here is a link: http://cielocondos.com/home12.html My kitchen layout is like the dining room picture link on the bottom of the "great spaces" page. I kind of have a free-wheeling thing going on and an opportunity to try new stuff. I do intend to reduce visible clutter by containerizing a lot. Thats what comes to mind right now. Hope that it helps. Bubbe

The internet is a wonderful tool for a cook. I use it frequently, much the same way as I use cookbooks, for ideas mostly. I get itchy just following a recipe, though I will if it is a dish I've never tasted or one using ingredients I'm totally unfamiliar with. I prefer my cookbooks, because I can take them into any room of the house, including the kitchen, without having to print out recipes. Plus, you get to know a cookbook. You know which ones mesh with your cooking style and your taste. You get to know which ones you can trust too. However, sometimes I want a recipe I don't have in any book, or one I know I have but I can't remember in which...I have lots of cookbooks! Or, I get on a roll with something and want more recipes for it than I have. I do this when I'm teaching myself unfamiliar dishes from other cuisines. I want to capture the essence of a dish, and learn to just make it, the way I just make the American foods I grew up with. So I will cook the same dish many times using many different recipes, and eventually I end up feeling comfortable just winging it. For a kid going away to college, I have to agree, they probably won't be bothering too much about cooking. For one, if they're living in dorms, their ability to cook is generally pretty limited. If they live off campus, sharing an apartment or house with friends, they may cook sometimes for parties etc, but most will not break out the cookbook to cook an omelet for breakfast, they'll just grab something out of the microwave or eat a slice of last night's pizza. But, on the occasion they DO decide to cook, a tried and true, basic cookbook (my pic is Fannie Farmer's) with simple, easy to follow recipes is something they'll likely use from time to time and then keep for the rest of their life. I still use my FF, when I can't remember how many minutes to cook this or that at what temperature or want to refresh my memory about some basic dish I don't often make...like meatloaf. I don't make it often, and when I do I'll check on the proportions of meat, bread & egg, as well as oven temp & cooking time. What the heck temp need I cook this meat to? How long for a baked potato? Things like that. Anyhow, maybe buying the kid a cookbook might just start something, who knows?

Taking the $200 isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. That happens a lot more that we would think. If that did happen, it's worse because it happened on an American military base, and American soldiers did that crime. I would report it, but it's probably more like "your word against mine". I used to work for a landscaping company that hired several Hispanics. The owner of the company was African-American and tried very hard to hire some of the inner-city kids to help out. Many appeared to be lazy, but they actually hadn't been exposed to this type of work. The Hispanics had much better work ethic, except for one that stole everything in sight. They didn't speak English and stayed together. Since they couldn't say anything, they never complained - if they didn't want to do the work, they just didn't show up anymore, until they needed more money. The owner treated the Hispanics better than the other kids, so they wouldn't work as hard as the Hispanics. I complained about that all the time - what's the difference? They were paid more and got the better work. In my area, there is a lot of support for the Hispanic community. Until recently they were allowed to have a "voice" for community and social issues, without question because they have representation in the way of organizations, etc. The African-Americans here cannot have that. The Hispanics can congregate to pick up jobs, when others would be arrested for loitering. That's changing now though because the places where they are loitering are close to some upscale homes. Major news here. I do know of many Hispanics, even Mexicans that would love to be legal, but it costs so much, especially if you want to bring your family. A former neighbor is African and sponsors people coming here from his country. I couldn't believe the costs that some are having to pay to stay here, and /or bring their family members too. A women here was indicted for illegal activities related to sponsoring Hispanics. She acted as a go-between, and found places for them to live. They would pay her to process paperwork, etc.and obtain legal representations. But, she kept the money!! I'm for equality for all. But the immigrant situation is truly a pickle. How do you handle something so complex, is beyond me. There are too many variables and human rights considerations. But, wrong is wrong, and poor treatment is wrong. Your co-worker should have some rights. Unfortunately, many people in jails aren't treated properly or legally - even if not yet convicted. I do believe that he should carry his papers at all times - that is the law, for now. Hmmm, that sounded like something that would have gone on in Nazi time or American slavery years. Unfortunately, many don't understand or trust the legal authorities. Life does sometime get in the way...

For people who are concerned about their items not being appreciated at a thrift store, I live in a rather crummy area of the country and even our Good Wills and Salvation Armies have appraisers who come in and volunteer on all sorts of things from furniture to jewelry. If you are curious, go on into a few thrift stores in your area and see if they have a "boutique" area or a lot of glass counters to display items away from hands, or cordoned off shelves near the register. You might be surprised at what they have on display... Be careful not to find any new treasures though. For those of you who enjoy your stuff, KEEP IT! Enjoy it and love it. That's the whole point. I talked about my Dad having items that we knew he loved because he had so few and was obviously choosy, but one thing I didn't mention was the stuff that he kept in excess that could not have provided much value to him or anyone else. We hauled off so many old magazines, household chemicals and products that were so old that they had gone bad, old paperwork that he didn't need to keep, cardboard boxes, old broken tools, etc. For those not interested in getting rid of sentimental items, at least do your family members a favor and organize/toss the type of stuff mentioned above. I'm constantly surprised at how much outdated stuff I find in my own house (this morning a box of old paint cans- it was good when it was put away a few years ago, now not so much). It can be hard to see even when it is right in front of your eyes. Interesting thought about designating items to people in your will. My father was not a person who had much of $$ value, but he had listed a few items in his will to go to certain people. They were things that obviously meant a lot to him, but when the executor tried to hand those items over to people, nobody wanted any of the listed items. That left the executor a little bent out of shape because he felt Dad's will wasn't being honored. That's a double edged blade as well. Then also consider that Dad did not designate even one item specifically for me... my feelings aren't too badly hurt, but for some people designations could be very devastating.