Cathy, I got your email but was unable to reply to it, and so I sent you an email from here so that you can reply to that with an attachment. Thanks! Dcarch, I have been collecting thermal bags for some time now, and so I have quite a collection already. I saved all the ones that Kevin brought back from Seattle when he bought the salmon, lobster, and crab. I also have gel packs that are supposed to substitute for ice packs after oral surgery, and I keep those in the freezer as well. I am planning on storing stuff in the new freezer that I will not need in case of power outage, so that I will not have to open the freezer door. Although I am storing water in there, I would remove that only as a last resort, and it's always better to have more water than necessary. We have a storage container that holds several gallons of drinking water, which is way more than we will need, and we have the hot tub, which has water that can be used for cleaning, if necessary. Oh, and I will also be storing my ice cream innards, which should also help retain cold in case of power outage. I'm going to have to sort through what I already have in the two freezer compartments that I already had. I am going to be very happy to have open space in the freezer in the kitchen again - it filled up very fast, and I need the open space for chilling things from time to time, such as chocolate molds, bowls & beaters for whipped cream, butter for pie crusts, etc. I probably will buy extra butter just to store in the freezer now. I'm going to keep flours in the kitchen freezer, and I will probably put them in plastic mayo jars. I guess they would be okay in glass containers, however. One of my main plans for the freezer was to store more vegetables so that I can eat more of those, as part of a diet plan. I also will store more fruit and eat more of that. I forgot to mention earlier (in my very long post) that Kevin and I had planned to go to the Lebanese market on Venice Blvd just down the street from Best Buy after appliance shopping, but since we had the freezer on the truck, we decided to go straight home. We managed to get the freezer unloaded and installed in the garage much more quickly than I expected and had time to go back to the Lebanese market, which has very cheap produce plus Middle Eastern specialty products. I bought a large container of Za'Atar (now I won't have to make my own) plus some garbanzo flour, fresh dill in bulk, some carob molasses, falafel seasoning mix (may not need that), more Tahini (They have a huge selection of that), and some Jallab Syrup (made with date molasses and rose flavour--their spelling), which I was unsure about and still am. I does have a strong rose flavor/fragrance but I can also taste the date flavor. I think I might like it better without the roses, but I also might get used to it. We had it on pancakes this morning. I'm going to finish making the falafel this afternoon, and I want to freeze some of the dill. I was thinking I might want to store the dill in lemon juice with some garlic, since I generally add those to dill when I use it. I also need to plan what containers to use for the freezer, and I am thinking I want to get some plastic bottles for hot sauce. I have a lot of plastic containers that I'm not using, but I thought I would save those for leftovers. I like the idea of storing index cards in freezer bags!! I'm definitely going to do that! I have a feeling that the seafood section of my freezer is going to get the most use, but I will also be on the lookout for a cheap turkey. It's going to be nice to be able to shop and not worry about freezer storage space - at least for now. I'm hoping also to be able to cut down on trips to the market. Lars

Congrats Linda!!! I have the Monkey Shines embroidery for the quilt and I want to make it for myself! I fell in love with it years ago and have yet to make it. I think it is a gorgeous quilt that will be loved for a long time. Too many in my family want the baby quilt with the date, name etc. and they use it for a short time and put it in the closet. I want mine to be used before they dry rot lol!!!! Looking forward to seeing pics of the quilt and the baby. Rosa

I know. I just didn't want anyone to get the impression that WM didn't contribute to mandated payroll taxes. Now, the senior employees who are already on SS & Medicare are usually parttime employees who do not qualify for the WM medical plan because of that. But, in all honesty, I don't know how many of them really want to work full time anyway as the usual jobs available are standing on your feet all day and much better suited to PT or younger employees. (Don't get all het up folks. I'm not saying all seniors lack the stamina, just that most probably would not want to do that.) Most employers medical policies stipulate that only full time employees qualify for coverage. Now, having said that. Younger employees who are restricted to PT and not allowed coverage on the company plan would have to provide their own insurance or use the public health facilities which are covered by medicaid. Most of those facilities require a payment of some amount based on ability to pay but I'm sure if you're homeless and have no income you would not be denied services. At least I would hope that this is true.

Obviously my criticisms of Hallmark over the years found fertile ground in my kids as I don't always get flowers or even a card. However, over the years they have proven their love for me many times by actions for which I am always grateful. Two out of 3 will visit in the next 2 weeks so that will be lovely. There is a family function tomorrow to which most of the family will go but it's too far for me this year so I will celebrate by thinking good thoughts of previous Mom's Days, dress in a favorite outfit, let other non-family cater to me, and have an enjoyable day regardless of all the media hype. I'm old enough to not let other people's expectations, or even my own unrealistic expectations color how I feel. I have so much to be grateful for. Does anyone else remember dressing up for church, always wearing a hat, and a carnation corsage whose color signified whether one's DM was still alive. White if she had died and red or pink if still alive. And we'd usually go to a restaurant for lunch which was less common than today. None of that generation are here now. That day was very special when I still lived at home with my parents. After my marriage my late DH always made it special by giving me carte blanche at a garden centre and either eating out or doing all the cooking. It was one of the things I missed the most after he died, not just the buying of plants but the love that came with them. Hope all Mothers here have a wonderful day whether or not they have to DIY or someone does it for them.