Natesgram, I've worked in a NICU for 15 years and I can't tell you how much we appreciate those fleece blankets for our babies. We also have local volunteers who make isolette covers to keep the environment dark for our babies because it is developmentally appropriate (they shouldn't be born yet). Have you ever seen one? And when my late grandmother was getting chemo for pancreatic cancer, she was really appreciative of the person who made her a cozy fleece for when she got her weekly chemo infusions. I just want to send a big thank you to you for your work, because I know how much such those small things mean from the other side of the fence. Yes, I volunteer. I have volunteered in the medical tent for the NYC marathon for several years. This was before children. After 911 I volunteered making sandwiches for the rescue workers at ground zero. Before I started my career as a PA I volunteered at my local hospital transporting specimens to the lab and escorting patients out of the hospital. Currently I volunteer as a girl scout leader for my 9 year old's girl scout troop. I was never a girl scout as a child, so I am learning as I go. Even though I rolled my eyes when I was asked, I truly enjoy the girls and having a positive influence on them. We are currently involved in a project in building butterfly gardens in our community to restore monarch butterfly habitats. It is so much fun seeing these girls get involved. My mom is getting ready for retirement, she has been volunteering at our local animal shelter. I think she has always been involved in some sort of volunteer project for as long as I can remember. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. :)

K-4 I attended in California and it was great because there was a communal room in the middle for the kids in 3-5 grade. We'd sit in there and a male teacher, who had brown curly hair would play his guitar. I loved singing the songs together. We read from the Lippincott series books and I can remember the diamond pattern on the books. That's the place where I was being bullied so much I was afraid to walk to school by myself. What was my mom thinking?! But one day, she sat behind me and grabbed my braid and held on. I sat perfectly still and took what she dished out. Never bothered me again. I think it taught me a lot. I may have gone too far in the standing up for myself arena. We also went on field trips to the marina/wharf and looked at all the sea life. That instilled a life long love affair! That same school had a free summer school and it wasn't the kind that was a punishment. You could learn ballet, or it had book clubs, or all kinds of things! You signed up for it at the end of school and no one left without something fun to do for summer. 5-6 grade I got to go school with my younger sister, and my only sibling with whom I ever was able to attend. I stood up to her bully. She had some kid pouring milk on her sandwiches and poking holes in it. Until I said no more. I was leaps and bounds ahead of all of the kids at that school after my other school in a different state, they did things like put me in a very select program to do things like memorize the Gettysburg address, and I could go to a State Legislature meeting. That school instilled my love of law and it's one where I've done many things in my lifetime, unofficially. Many of my friends are lawyers. I liked the bathroom which had a communal sink and you pushed the lever to start the water with your foot, but it was circular, so it looked like a sprinkler system. It was cool. We had field day and I'd never done that before. You'd get two tickets for cokes (not soda, not colas, coke!!! even if you wanted a sprite) for the day, but by the end of the day, if you hadn't already gotten both, your second one would be a "suicide", which meant whatever was left all mixed together. Team work was fun, but so was sprinting the 100 yard dash and doing well on my own. Loved it there. 7-8 (the year after I left here, it changed to middle school instead of junior high and they combined 5-8 grade) I attended a small school with really great teachers, one of which everyone loved! that sang to me every day. In band, we would goof off in class before it started by singing and playing our instruments to Rockin' Robin. It was fun and when I tried out for cheerleading, I made it past the teachers, but didn't want to go on to the next level and try out in front of the students. Quickly changed my mind. I found out about juvenile diabetes since Pam had it, and she'd leave class to give herself a shot on occasion. She was a cheerleader at our high school. And a flute player! Our principal looked like Abraham Lincoln. Our flirty Vice Principal came to school with a black eye one day, saying a tree branch hit him. No one believed him and it was rumored he was "the other man". HA! We were probably completely off base. Poor guy. 9-12 we had ugly gym shorts, but those one piece deals were lying around in the locker room, so it must've just changed when I got there. My brother's class had had a smoking hall inside the school, but when I got there, it was outside the lunchroom in a spot that now has tables that always look abused. My son is in their marching band. His academic school is across town. Anyway, it was a great school and I learned loads, but the scandals were that my junior class English teacher was a Playboy bunny, and the janitor ended up being a cop at the end of the year. I don't think drugs were rampant there? I was never asked, or saw anyone with drugs, but he arrested people. It was a great school. I think my junior year was the year we won State Championships in every area but football: Academic Olympics, band, track, volleyball, basketball, and baseball. Maybe more! Mookie Betts graduated from my high school.

I recently made this for the first time, and it was very, very good. I did add some thawed and patted dry pearl onions to the remaining liquid before adding the thickener for gravy. I used a blade cut chuck roast. Rootitoot Rare Roast Beef Rare roast beef in the Instant Pot??? YES! This is not for a pot roast cut like chuck or blade roast. This is for a cut you would ordinarily roast in the oven: top sirloin, sirloin tip, top round or eye of round. You can dry-brine the roast ahead of time if you like: rub the roast with 2 tsp kosher salt 3 - 4 lb beef roast salt and pepper 1 Tbsp oil 1 1/2 cups beef broth (or part broth, part red wine) 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp soy sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp herbs of your choice (optional) 1/2 cup water 2 1/2 Tbsp flour Season the roast generously with salt (unless you have brined it – it has enough salt) and pepper. Hit the Saute button and when the display says Hot, add the oil. Brown the roast on all sides. Brown. Not grey. If you want a nice rich, beefy flavour, brown that meat. Transfer the roast to a plate. Deglaze the pot: add the broth and/or wine and the Worcestershire and soy sauces to the pot. Scrape all the browned bits off the bottom and into the liquid. Add the garlic and any herbs you like, rosemary, basil, thyme. Put the trivet in and the roast on the trivet. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Push the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and adjust the time using the + and - buttons to get to either 3 or 4 minutes. That's not a typo. THREE of FOUR minutes. Three for rare, four for medium-rare. When it beeps that it's done, leave it for 50-60 minutes on Keep Warm: 50 for a smaller roast, 60 for a larger one. Open the pot and check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. 115 for rare, 125 for medium-rare. If it's not quite there, close the pot for another 5 minutes or so. Transfer the roast to a plate and cover with tin foil. Whisk together the flour and water until completely smooth. Remove the trivet and hit the Saute button. When it's boiling, add about half the flour/water slurry to thicken. If you want it thicker, add a little more. Add salt and pepper to taste. The roast will be perfectly succulent and tender.

Hi, I keep eyeing the albas when I look at what to buy next... can someone talk to me about "Konigen von Danemark" and/or "High Country Banshee" and/or "Chloris" and/or "Petite Lisette" ? I'm in CO, it's quite cold in the winter, hot and dry in the summer, growing season is short (no roses around here bloom until about mid June and are done by mid Sept. frosts). Oh, and I'm new to rose growing and would love it if anyone was willing to teach me a bit about the alba class.