In stark contrast to bevangel's take on the economy based on the new postings, here is the reality for us in WV: nothing will appraise in this market, so it looks like we are done. We had one plan and got a low appraisal, so we downsized and cut back on the high-end items to make the numbers work only to be told by the bank (small regional) that they weren't writing construction loans any more (of course, after we jumped through their hoops). Took it to another bank who was working with our builder and said it would work, shouldn't be a problem, and now the appraisal is $85K less, in just one month. Despite our rebutting what we thought were obvious flaws and mistakes (e.g., using an 18-year old log house and not adjusting for age/condition; land value comps using small unrestricted lots advertising "double-wides welcome"; not using 2 recent MLS land sales at prices similar to what we paid), they mumbled something about it being a less than perfect process and the number was not changing. I guess those already building have a different market or more cash than we do. If you have a plan, but haven't had an appraisal done, better sit down and think about a plan B. In hindsight, I guess I should have done more due diligence than relying on the "experts", builder, banker, etc., who were all optimistic; never a "we might quit doing construction loans, depending on market conditions in the next few months". I have another builder friend who said he has had five new house projects also fail b/c of the low appraisals. So, we will have to decide whether to hold on and hope it gets better within 2-3 years, of course at much higher interest rates and probably build costs, or settle for a good deal on something for sale and eventually sell the lot we like so much to at least break even. Sorry for the Debby Downer rant, but that is our reality. Thanks for all the great advice, comments, place to vent, and maybe it will all work out. If anyone has any ideas on how to beat the system, I'm all ears. Good luck to all!

yoyobon, pretty similar. Here is our recipe: MAMA'S JAM CAKE 1-1/2 c. shortening 1 c. sugar 6 eggs 4-/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. soda 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. allspice 1 c. sour milk (I use buttermilk) 1 c. raisins 1 c. chopped pecans 2 c. blackberry jam Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to batter alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Dredge raisins and nuts with a small amount of flour and mix well. Stir in the jam. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cake tests done. Frost with Caramel Icing. My mother used home canned blackberry jam so there was more liquid than in jars from the store, and I think her cakes were probably more moist than mine. I've debated about using a little more milk but haven't had the nerve to try.

I just recently found out about Jolebokaflod too, and now I see references to it all over the place. I love it when that happens. Thank you for the link Vee. I shared this with my sister who just loved the whole thing. In our (small) family we'd be the only ones participating. Her DH and kids aren't big readers, my DH reads mostly research type information on the computer and our cats don't read at all. In my household I'd be the only one participating. Well, there's nothing wrong with that - maybe I'll do it anyway. Plenty of choices on my TBR shelves. (I could ask DH to pick some out at random so I'd be surprised) I might be able to find one for my sister too, although our reading tastes rarely overlap. Sadly, other traditions we kept in the past have dwindled in the face of a shrinking family and other perfectly normal factors. When we opted out of gift giving altogether a few years ago I had planned to add some new traditions of my own but really haven't done so. One that I tried to introduce was having Shepard's pie on Christmas Eve. I thought I was being quite clever but it never really stuck.I'm enjoying this thread and it's giving me some food for thought, so thank you all.

Christmas Day Ricky Ginsburg - Christmas, any year you'd like Nearly eight thousand miles south of the northern tip of the globe, yet only a few milliseconds flight by sleigh (nine deer-power, greased rails), on an island not much larger than your neighborhood, a content and well-fed deliveryman sat on the trunk of a fallen palm tree and peeled a banana. At the other end of an invisible eight thousand mile-long-string, a black woman with perfectly straightened hair and considerable girth lay naked on a bed of fresh goose feathers and straw, waiting for the driver of said sleigh, just as she'd done for centuries. Only this year, he wasn't coming home. Click to read the rest...