Oh my gosh, what a surprise to see my old thread pop up! It was, all in all, a great trip for them all. What worked? Just about everything . . . and thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice! ~ Sleeping arrangements: DD and 2 of the girls fit nicely in DD's room (bed, window seat bed and single mattress on floor). The two other girls slept out on our living room sofas. That room closes off with 3 sets of French doors, so they had a bit of privacy, at least. The 2 guys slept in our guest room. Bathrooms: I decided before anyone arrived that, with seven 18 & 19 year olds in one house, there would be no long baths; only quick showers. So, I put 2 wood tv tables in the bathtub with a laundry basket on each. One held big stacks of folded bath towels and washcloths. The other was for the used ones. I told them not to hang the damp ones. The nightmare of many wet towels hanging everywhere inspired that decision. Great one on my part!!! I just washed and replaced the towels every afternoon while they were out sightseeing. I also had stocked both guest bathrooms with a box of essentials: from travel-size tubes of toothpaste, deodorants, Kleenex; small combs, Tylenol, Tums, Chapstick, toothbrushes, girl essentials, sunscreen. Thank goodness, as they were pretty much all used! ~ I put a supply of local postcards, stamps and pens in each bedroom for them to send postcards quickly and easily. Also a supply of local travel books to inspire their daily outings. ~Food/Meals: as I expected, they ate like they were all starving. They loved my meals . . . even the vegetarian. I'd stocked up on enough snacks to keep them all happy. Thank goodness! ~Sightseeing: LOL LOL LOL!!! None of them had been to New Mexico before and their expectations were funny, to say the least. We have small herds of wild horses, but they're wild, not kept in pens. Our visitors wanted DD to drive them , wherever they were so that they could "pet them" and take pics! That didn't happen (LOL), but they did see some occasionally here and there. Same with coyotes. DD had to warn them not to make a big deal about any Native Americans they saw. They tried to speak Spanish to people here, which was met with patience and kindness (thank goodness!). Our chile was "too hot", but they loved exploring Santa Fe and Albuquerque. And Madrid, NM, where the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed. What didn't work? Well, getting 7 college freshmen to agree on anything, such as where to go exploring next or what movie to watch, was a PIA for DD. One gal turned out to be a hypochondriac, which frustrated the rest. And, DS & his girlfriend decided at the last minute to cancel their hotel reservations and sleep on a queen-size air mattress in our foyer (the only place left!), as they stopped by for a few days on their way to his new job in Tucson, AZ. So, we ended up with a real houseful . . . but it was a lot of fun. Would we do it again? Yes, if DD asked. Would DD do it again? Absolutely not. She said it was fun but exhausting. This Spring Break she's bringing (just) two of her close friends/sorority sisters here to celebrate her 21st birthday. They'll dance at some of the higher end (read: safe) clubs. Shop Santa Fe and ABQ Uptown. Visit Madrid and The Tram. Eat out at some favorite spots and generally spend all the money their parents promised them for this year's Spring Break on themselves instead of an expensive hotel room. Their first choice, Austin, TX, was pretty much already booked up, as South by Southwest will be there at the same time. They were looking at $500/night for modest hotel rooms and super-inflated SbSW ticket prices! So, we'll be entertaining again, but on a much more sane level! Lynn

Some thoughts... Cooking for yourself can be boring and almost painful. Ideally get a roommate (or gf or other) who loves to cook or for whom you'd like to cook, if that's an option. Cooking for one can be expensive, but sometimes better than eating same boring fast food too. I enjoy a good sandwich to this day. Some deli meat, decent bread or bun or even some whack-a-tube biscuits. Flame type grills are banned in a lot of apartment/dorm situations. An electric grill might be allowed. Foreman type are appliances and seldom not allowed. I've never had a Foreman type but see a lot of people talk about putting a couple wet paper towels in the unit when you're done and let it steam the gunk off while you eat, then wipe it down. And, I know from experience, just because stuff is dirty doesn't mean it won't get used! Especially by college kids, bachelors or the like! :) An electric frypan is a versatile appliance. Cook, bake, steam and more. Easy to clean up. Is there an issue with roomies helping themselves to the food if he puts up a "stock"? That could be an issue. Much depends on what he likes so I can't really help with recipes, more trying to give ideas. I also know if you don't like to cook, are busy, don't like to eat out, don't feel well or whatever reason you might not eat well, especially if eating isn't a priority with you. The last couple weeks, I've averaged eating every 2-3 days. Doesn't hurt me to miss a meal but a college kid needs nutrition too. So there's a concern I'm sure. One organizing idea is some meal planning help. Sit down and do a menu for a couple weeks, helps with using the stuff too. For example: Sunday: Pot roast, potatoes, veg of choice Monday: Roast beef sandwiches Tuesday: Soup/Salad Wed: Store bought roasted Chicken, instant Mashed potatoes, salad Thurs: Leftover chicken etc One thing I thought of is country style ribs or baby backs for that matter. Braised are simple and good eating. Lots of meat and little waste, well no waste on CS. Deli slaw or make his own from a bag of slaw mix and a bottle of poppy seed dressing with a little extra seasoning. Suggestions on organizing and things like that might mean more than just some recipes, but a few recipes he likes, even if adapted from canned, deli or the like could help. Tater tot hotdish is easy enough. Quick chili. Chunky soup in a can ain't all that bad either folks. Yes, it's not gourmet fare but then again it beats a a McSlider anyday. Quesadillas are easy and you can do a variety of things. I like a "pizadilla". Tortillas, pepperoni, cut up brown & serve sausage, pizza sauce and cheese. I usually do a double decker. Into the electric frypan, do one side, flip, then add the next layer, then flip once more. Good eats and quick. There's always toast and peanut butter. Peanut butter and celery sticks. Crackers, cheese and summer sausage. Brown & serve sausage & eggs with some toast and maybe some Simply Potatoes or fry some canned sliced potatoes. Hash brown casserole? Toss in some meat. Hamburger/macaroni hotdish is easy and tasty. You can do a good garlic bread and top it with some pepperoni and cheese. None of these are overly time consuming but sometimes if you just don't feel like it, you won't do it. Hope you're getting some ideas and hope he doesn't starve to death! :)

Kim called me from Pittsburg tonight and we discussed the program a bit. She said she is not sure of the exact name of the program but as soon as she gets home she will bring the contract by for me to see. According to her, she can work for any company in the state, providing she is working in a field related to her degree. Like you, I mentioned that she might like to consider checking other companies to see what they could offer her, but she say's no way. While she was still attending school she had to primarily work out of the local lab here so she could be close to the school, but now that she has finished school the company has promoted her to a full lab & field service tech with a substantial pay raise. She says she much prefers to work in the field taking samples and working field analysis. On top of that she says the company she is working for has operations in all 50 states and since she is single, she is free to travel at will. She says that when she works in the field if she is more than 100 miles from home the company pays a generous mileage rate on her vehicle plus they provide nice motels and give her a daily per diem rate for expenses that is nearly equal to her salary. She says she will be in Pittsburg area for about two weeks, then she is off to Colorado and Wyoming for a couple months. OH yea, she says she got rid of that old beater pickup she was driving and now she has a Ford F-150 4x4 extended cab with all the bells and whistles, and she got that at a fleet price and financed through the company.

That is a lot of changes. Congrats on the new kitchen. That can often be stressful. I still cook for an army even though it is just the two of us. But it is often planned since i have the 'while i'm at it' attitude. When making a lovely beef stew last weekend i made a veg stock at the same time on the back burner using the veg cuttings. I always make more of everything with plans for the freezer or for another dish later on. I'm making a fish stew tonight and is not a big production as i have a pint of fish/shrimp stock frozen, smoked corn from summer harvest, salmon and scallops, wild caught. Cod we caught. Being Sunday i will start the miropoix from scratch with a nice fresh leek. A small packet of sliced tomatoes frozen from the garden. Cherry tomatoes freeze well and stay loose in zip-locks so just a few can be taken out at a time. Nice for a fritatta. I still often buy bulk veg for the lower pricing and usually have a plan. Like red peppers. I use fresh but will roast, then freeze in a flat-pack method so i can just take out a few slices and re-seal. A whole avocado is too much for the two of us so i often also make a dressing with the other half but more than one purchased often gets over-ripe. They freeze ok if all the air is out of the zip-lock...i add lime juice. I do use the food-saver system for many garden produce. Air is the enemy in the freezer so it works great for that. I felt terribly/embarrassingly domestic when i bought it but does make a huge difference in the quality of frozen foods. No going back. String beans i like fresh. Every harvest from my garden i try blanching and freezing but we never eat them. They go in the juicer or the blender throughout the winter. As plllog mentioned, paying attention to quantity while shopping...so many things are by weight. DH does most of the shopping, (with my list). When i say 12 grapes i mean it, lol. I like the dark skinned really black big seedless. I use them for a few special salads. They freeze nice but i don't really need that big bag. He has learned to shop by weight. We eat a ton of greens. Kale, collards, chard. After cooking...even while plating for our meal, i stuff the leftovers in waiting quarter pint containers. Top with a bit of water and into the freezer for later soups. I must have 20 1/4 pints of greens and beans in stock or water in the freezer that i can pick and choose for a very quick chowder or soup. I even put my chili in the 1/4 pints to make a richer tomato/veggie soup. (most in qrt containers for immediate heating after a 1/2 in the sink to thaw just enough to get into the pot). Two appliances i appreciate for quick healthy eating is my juicer and my blender. The Blendtec blender and the Breville juicer. Clean easily and go in the dishwasher if i want a quick cleaning. Great for morning juices and blending soups. and so many other things....i juice my kale and collard stems with lemon and ginger, celery, carrots and beets...