1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both but definitely more gift bags each year. 2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial for years. Real for about 10 years with DH, but I convinced him to get a prelit artificial one a couple of years ago after yet another bout of bronchitis (I swear it's an allergy to the real trees!) 3. When do you put your tree up? Usually Thanksgiving weekend. 4. When do you take the tree down? The first weekend in January. The Snow Village comes down in February after the Super Bowl. 5. Do you like eggnog? ahhhhhhhhhh that would be No! 6. Favorite gift received as a child? A plastic pretend hat box filled with plastic pretend makeup. It was definitely picked out by my mom. 7 Hardest person to buy for? DH...he buys for himself all year round. 8. Easiest person to buy for? Me!!! 9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it goes up first every year. Mail or email Christmas cards? I donate to a charity in honor of friends/family now instead of sending cards. This year, however, I'm making an exception for by Support Sistahs! Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My mother-in-law bought me a trashy leopard nighty with fake fur across the top. I am not kidding...did not know what to think, as DH and I were only engaged and I was well into my 40's! LOL!!!! Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life...I was named for Donna Reed. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Normally I'm finished before Thanksgiving. This year I have not purchased one thing and I'm not at all concerned. I'm in a great mood tho, so maybe I'll panic in a week or two! Have you ever regifted a Christmas present? Only for an annual, funny white elephant exchange I have with a professional group of friends...we are supposed to bring a gift we got but don't want. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? years ago? My mom's lasagna...the best I ever had. Nowadays, I really like spiral ham. Lights on the tree? Absolutely! Favorite Christmas song? Mariah's "Jesus, what a wonderful child"....followed by O Holy Night. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I love staying home. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes Angel on the tree top or a star? Beautiful Angel Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning, after DH's daughters come over. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Political Correctness....it's CHRISTmas time. Get over it! Favorite Ornament theme or color? Don't have a special one, but I have lots of ornaments from our vacations and from my support friends. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? see #15 What do you want for Christmas this year? I don't need anything besides good health!...I'm really blessed throughout the year. Thanks Patti!

John, be careful when you read about awards. 'Tuition' and 'Cost of attendance' and even 'scholarships' are different. For example, at 'Bama and Cooper Union you still have room, board, other fees - bringing the cost to about $15 to $20k/year. 'Scholarships' can be eroded by increasing tuition/fee costs. X% of tuition usually increases with price bumps so there is protection. Deep Springs is free.....$2,800/year COA....heh heh EJ strikes again... Of course the best thing she can do - if she is a National Merit Finalist - is get a full ride (tuition, room, board, fees, transportation, EVERYTHING) with a good number of schools looking to increase their prestige. Happy hunting.

Chicken rice soup was great, I made a big pot and it was all gone by nightfall. Made the stock from the chicken carcass, 1 hour in the pressure cooker, done as the meat was roasting. I diced the carrots, celery, and chicken breast into neat little cubes, and it really looked cute. Cooked some arborio rice in chicken stock and held it on the side, to be added to each bowl of soup at service (the rice gets mushy if left in the pot of soup). dcarch, that bike looks interesting. I have also seen e-bikes where the motor drives the crankset through an additional chainring, which allows the bike's gearing to act as the motor's transmission. Of course, your legs then have to pedal with the motor, so it is a more "active" sort of e-bike. Supposedly e-bikes are getting popular here in Portland, but I almost never see any on the roads. It makes a lot of sense for heavily loaded bikes - cargo bikes, bikes hauling kids and groceries. The type I'm most interested in use the motor as an intelligent assist - the bike senses if you are pedaling, and adds motor power to the human power in a constant proportion. The principle is sort of to simulate a very strong rider, rather than an electric moped. There is also a "stealth" system called the Gruber Assist that hides the battery and motor in the bicycle's seat tube, and drives the crank through a bevel gear on the bottom bracket, for an invisible and relatively light installation. But, reports say, the noise of the motor gives it away in actual use. This post was edited by johnliu on Mon, Nov 18, 13 at 10:38

My wife rides doing show jumping, show hunters, field hunters, eventing, equitation, and fox hunting. The hope is that she'll be a talented jumper with good scope and good form and good movement, with a calm, brave, accepting, can-do attitude, and will be suitable for several of the different type of riding my wife does. This is my wife at a field hunters trial about a month ago on her thoroughbred. He has a lot of "go" but not a lot of "whoa" :-)