Dorothy, I never thought of it that way. Although, I have to admit that I enjoy watching DS deal with a two-year-old and it does seem like 'payback' (hee hee) for all the grief he gave us when he was little. So, I guess I'll get to enjoy watching him be on the adult side of the adult-teenager conflict one of these years. Paula, I remember that age well....."dumber than a box of rocks" pretty much sums up what most teenagers think about their parents when those kids reach that age. LOL Aren't you glad they outgrow it? You're raising some little gardeners too, and it reminds me of the old saying "If I'd known grandkids would be so much fun, I would have had them first." Isn't it just the most fun to share those home-grown pumpkins with the kids? I always get the greatest sense of pride from eating/using anything and everything we raised ourselves. And, you should be proud because your grandkids are learning early on just where their food comes from AND how they can be a part of the whole process. Mandy, If your mom says that your daughter's behavior is a little more "intense" than yours was, well, you know what that means.....it means it is your DH's fault because she got the entra fiesty genes from him! LOL I vote for having chickens. We have had them ever since we moved here and there's nothing better than farm fresh eggs. However, you absolutely must have a 100% predator-proof chicken coop and securely fenced chicken run or your kids' hearts will be broken when predators get your birds and your eggs. Every child that comes to our place is simply 100% fascinated with the chickens and their eggs. I know of at least one young boy who wouldn't eat eggs at all until he got to start gathering eggs at our house and taking them home with him. When I hear the name 'Felicity', two images come to mind. One is the TV show, 'Felicity', which was on in the late 1990s-early 2000s and starred Keri Russell in the title role. The other is the American Girls doll, Felicity. So, when I saw your daughter's name, those two pleasant images came to mind and now that you've described her, I can picture her in my mind and I see a darling and spirited young girl who loves to garden and who will, later on in her teens, give you every gray hair you have. I love traditional names too. Dorothy, Love the iron hand in the velvet glove reference. I think it is true, too. As long as those kids know there is an iron hand inside that velvet glove, the iron hand doesn't have to put in an appearance very often because just knowing it is there is quite a deterrence. You know, everyone, raising kids is a lot like raising a garden.....and don't we all know it! Dawn P.S. Mandy, I linked the American Girls website to show you their Felicity. One of our nieces had the 'Molly' doll when she was younger because Molly looked just like her and that was her favorite toy for years. Here is a link that might be useful: The Felicity Doll

I finally got this thread to load and it has left me absolutely floored! Everyone is SO talented! MrsMarv and Whitdobe, I'm thinking about making a couple of ottoman. Dealing with the bunching of fabric at the corners scares me a little so two might be getting some questions! Great projects! Cloe, love the shades. They turned out really well. AJ's, talk about whipping out the projects! I really need to get after things and cross stuff off my list. Your pictures are very inspiring. Iggy- that photo of the three bolts against the wall is beautiful. Your house looks wonderful even empty. Aktillery, I would hang that in my house in an instant! Do you do all of your art? ---- LOL, I just noticed. Is this happening on everyone else's monitor? Above each post, the title of the thread isn't quite how I intended! :OD

Hi, Adam: Hey, it comes through that you are struggling with what's going on with your parents (dad and stepmom, I think). It is hard to do sometimes, but it's OK to scroll on past unhelpful posts - AND not all shared here has been about your marriage status. Also, I am honestly confused about the topic of babysitting ---- maybe for some here having kids picked up at school by 'non parental units' equates to baby sitting while for you and others (and you) it equates to visits. I think that distinction doesn't have to be important. And agree with you that these two issues are clouding things and keeping the people from reading carefully (I do see posts that refer to your two as boys, etc.) I am just one voice. Your work to build / keep the 6 of you a strong family is important - so very important. You are right on that. And not unusual - friends have a daughter whose significant other has two kids from a previous relationship and the couple now have two of their own. These friends (the grandparents) do treat all the kids as family and have fun together and help out as much as possible. I thinkit odd for a grandparent to exclude siblings of their grandkids. A lot of grandparents do work at the relationship. Others don't. I never had a relationship with my grandparents - spent a lot of time at their house, but it was all during big events. Us kids were enjoyed, but at a long arm's length. Don't ever recall a gift from them. No trips to bowling alleys, out for ice cream, and so forth. I do think I did help with picking blueberries from their hybrids (big bushes). I find it odd that your father did that awkward thing about sharing a motel. (It would have made so much more sense for him to make that a 'boys get together'.) I find it odd that your dad wants time only with your daughters. But I suggest including your parents in family events - formal and informal - and often. But on your terms -- and you should be with them during visits now so there's total confidence on your GF's part that her boys are being well treated. I hope I've helped -- just ask if I seem to have muddled things a bit. Being a grandparent is a gift to me. My kids may owe me, but they don't owe me grandkids. My grandkids - it's all about them.

I was mostly taught to cook by watching, but Mom did pass a couple recipes on to me. Not that my family cares all that much... she never was the best cook. Too Irish I suppose. My Gran, on the other hand, took her recipes with her to her grave. Dad is still bummed nobody can make her rolls or cinnamon buns. Regarding working in a restaurant... I suppose I learned more there than I did at home. Especially about prep and food storage. It taught me new methods that my Mom would never attempt. It also taught me to rely less on salt and to use actual seasonings instead such as herbs. ... And I think a stint as a prep kid should be mandatory for high school graduation. Kids here have to have volunteer hours to graduate and while that's great there's no comparison between shelving books at the library and learning how to feed yourself.