Following the guidelines here, Greengardener! 1.) Seeds - Check! Yep! Got 'em 2.) Containers - Check! Ready to go! 3.) Tablet and pen - Check! Laptop is ready to go! 4.) Duct tape - Check! Got that too! Both white and siver! 5.) Sharp utility knife - Check! Sissors at hand! 6.) Permanent marker - Check! Sharpie is ready 7.) Soil/growing medium - Um, um, um...... Bag's open, all soft and fluffy! Rose of Sharon are seeds waiting for me to take my "Leap of Faith". They got wet last week and have been in the fridge ever since. They are begging for me to sow them... I need to shut them up today!! I have a 2# deli container filled with soil mix, some nice holes cut into the bottom edges. Soaked it down with the sprayer to check the drainage... One baby, two baby, three baby seeds, press 'em down a bit. Almost done... now get that container outside and then into the cold frame it goes.... NOT! Well, hells bells! What the heck?!? The dang door's frozen SHUT! I hear a quiet voice.... "Well Momma, why don't ya get the hair blower on that freakin' door and get us the heck out of this heat?" Well ya little sh%t... the hair dryer broken! One more word out of you and it's into the freezer ya go! and later that day.... "Hey Mom? When are we going to have that stuff in the freezer for dinner? I want to go to Corey's house for dinner that night!"

"The restoration company put me up in a hotel (that insurance would reimburse)." Did you get it in writing? Hope you don't get stuck with the hotel bill. Whose name is in? If it is in your name you are legally responsible to pay it in full if you contracted for the room. Don't rely on a verbal promise from the restoration company. Also check your insurance policy to see IF they even pay for hotel expenses and/or if there is a cap on the total amount they will pay up to. Stay in contact with your insurance company. Call them daily. Find out the lease laws in your area to see if you are released from your obligation. There must be a landlord tenant group in your area to call for quick info. No one here can tell you anything specific without knowing the laws in your city/state.

I think you can make some distinctions between "organizing" and simple daily cleanup that you might do as part of living in a family--doing the dishes, putting away laundry and so forth. --I know they're related in the sense that underlying order helps with maintenance and cleanup, but that's something for your own home; really, you don't need to clean out the attic in your parents' home or throw out their plastic containers. So it is definitely not healthy going into drawers and closets in attempt to "organize"--these actions are part of the parent-parent-child power struggle and you are seeing yourself in the wrong role. You might try a family meeting, but that could be hard without a neutral party such as a family counselor--it would be again, the 21-yr old being the family/marriage counselor. It could be done if you were able to use it simply to state your discomfort and what you feel comfortable doing vs. not, and to ASK for their support. You wouldn't be able to lay down any ultimatums, such as "you have to..." It sounds like you are already at a point at which you would need to have conversation with your dad alone, to some extent, in that you have identified him as a driving force requesting you to fix your mother--if you can't talk with your dad or if he doesn't "get it" in conversation with you alone, he won't get it in the presence of your mother. But, see, you would have to really WANT to stop being in the middle in order to propose to your father, here, I can do this and this, but I would prefer it if you would not ask or expect me to that and that. You could stay there if somehow you are able to change YOURSELF--to develop some serenity and distance from these struggles and just smile and fix an occasional meal, do daily and weekly chores as a good citizen of the family, and, if you really like organizing, graciously do so whenever your mother gives you a target drawer, etc (assuming she doesn't later accuse you of doing it wrong). Some people can manage a year like that. But, another approach as mentioned is to get out your pencil and paper and calculuate your way into moving out and continuing school on your own even if at a slower pace. You would be the one to know whether your father would be willing to discuss tuition or a loan if you move out. But, it can be done with or without their financial support. You could do either approach, and it's not completely wrong to stay to get tuition if you can manage all these other emotions and situations, but you can't really stay and stew about why your parents won't change. It isn't really good for your siblings to watch that dynamic, either, because it certainly won't be a successful strategy for them to follow as they get older. One of the reasons why protecting your siblings isn't a helpful rationale is that, under that reasoning, you would have to stay there until they all leave home.

Ahh chili! Every time it is reheated as a leftover, it gets better. My chili turns out a little different each time I make it. Its vegtable stew with chili seasoning and is a complete meal. Ground beef Italian diced tomatoes with other ingredients and sauce. or use tomato sauce. Carrots, diced (adds vetable bulk) Celery, diced (adds a flavor of its own) Bell pepper, diced Sweet Vadalia onion, diced Dark kidney beans, canned (other beans can be substituted, but dark beans is the best.) Chili powder mix. Brown sugar - My secret ingedient. Start by browning the meat with a little cooking oil. When the meat begins to turn, add the carrots, celery, and onion. These need more cooking time than the other ingredients. After the mix has reheated to the boiling point, throw in the other vegatbles. Let the mix reheat, then dump in the remaining stuff except for the chili powder and brown sugar. Add chili powder to suit your taste. Just keep adding until it has enough fire. Bring the mix to a boil, then let simmer for about 5 minutes, and now add the brown sugar by taste. CAUTION: Add brown sugar very sparingly and test taste after stirring in each addition of sugar. A little of this stuff goes a long way in modifying the flavor. It can quickly overpower and ruin the batch. Continue simmering until the vegtables are cooked (softened). if you like crunchy vegtables, shorten the cooking time. Serve hot with low sodium soda crackers and table salt. Note that I did not add any salt. Commercially prepared canned vegtables are over salted these days, and will provide plenty of salt for this base chili recipe. Diners may add salt as desired, but try it first as prepared without additional salt. This recipe can be varied by changing the vegatable mix. It can be turned into a chili flavored beef stew by adding chunks of beef and chopped potatoes. I have made this dish with turkey instead of beef due to a friend's food preference - no red meat -, but in my opioion, it was not as tasty. Some folks in my neighborhood use grapes as the sweetner. Enjoy