Hi, I'm new to the area and don't really know anyone yet. I have one almost-four-year-old daughter who has been begging to play with other children, but we live out in the country and there are none around! At this point I don't even care about finding like-minded mothers -- I just want nice kids for my daughter to play with!

Hi,

I joined this board back when my daughter was born and apart from the group ownders, have heard nothing from anyone! Not sure how active the board is. I am near Danville and would love to meet another Mom .... sadly my daughter is only nine months old so not the solution for your daughter ... unless she wants a living doll lol. Would love to hear from you tho. Hope you have more luck than me - I am living rural too and it's pretty lonely at times - I don't know people here either, not do I drove so it sucks being stuck on your own!

Hi,

I joined this board back when my daughter was born and apart from the group ownders, have heard nothing from anyone! Not sure how active the board is. I am near Danville and would love to meet another Mom .... sadly my daughter is only nine months old so not the solution for your daughter ... unless she wants a living doll lol. Would love to hear from you tho. Hope you have more luck than me - I am living rural too and it's pretty lonely at times - I don't know people here either, not do I drove so it sucks being stuck on your own!

Sounds as though you're in the same pickle I'm in! I also do not drive at this time and will have to rely on my husband to take us to meet other mothers and children. Are you married? Would your spouse be interested in a family get together? I don't mind meeting mothers with children younger or older than mine, and she doesn't seem to care, either -- she loves babies.

Wow!!! I thought I was the only person in America with a child who can't drive lol I totally rely on my hubby too - we do everything together because I am so dependent lol Not that I mind hanging out with my husband ha ha ha. It just would be nice when he's at work to be able to get out and about too .... I know I don't have to explain that to you lol. I'll message you some more info - your plan sounds like a good one :)

Hey ladies...just a thought...would you 2 be interested in us all getting together before xmas for a cookie swap?  I wouldn't mind picking up/driving one of you ladies.  I wasn't familiar with a cookie swap until 2 years ago - if you're not familiar with one...each mom bakes 2-3 kind of cookies (we should all bake different kinds) and bakes enough to 'swap' with other moms cookies.  that way each mom leaves with 6+ new kinds of bakes yummies.  It is a great way to get toknow one another and for the kiddies to play while we have tea or coffee.  When I was invited to one, one mom hosted.  I would love to host, but it seems ya'll aren't driving.  Also, if you know other moms, grandmas ect... to invite. Let me know what you think and we can start planning.  It seems all 3 of us could use a lil mom support and friendship  :)

Oh for goodness sake, why does this site keep losing posts?

I was just laughing my head off because I think I've confessed to both of you that I cannot cook and was just saying that my husband is laughing thinking maybe a bikini contest or 10k marathon are two things I am slightly less qualified for than cooking for you girls! I said I think you two get the short end of the stick but I am game if you are :) Honestly tho, I cannot cook but will try my hardest ... if nothing else it'll make you feel good about your own skills and laughing at someone is a great ice breaker and I wont get a complex honestly lol

Good idea sarah. can't do next week sadly, but can the following one :)

I'd rather have chat than cookies, personally (although I'd like the cookies very much, too), and making people laugh is at least as important as fattening them.

Does this site keep losing posts? Does it lose messages? I know I've had some trouble with mine.

Oh that's good then - the laughter I can definitely supply :) And you have to tell me to stop talking so the chat wont be an issue either lol

I have trouble with this site sometimes - I answered Sarah's post hours ago and then it just never appeared! Not the best of things when you're purpise is to encourage friendshops ... make people think you're ignoring them lol. I was wondering if the 20th is too close to Christmas to get together?

Lol - I am so tragic ... I am really excited even tho I should be ashamed of reaching this age and not being able to cook the basics .... but I am going to try .... it will be a sort of initiation ...... if you eat and survive, whoo hoo - new mates! If you can look at my efforts and say Er, no way and not hate me, we'll be friends forever. If you laugh at me and pat me on the head for trying, we'll be friends for beyond forever :)

cookies or chat...either way works for me.  The 20th is fine by me.  As I mentioned, I know you ladies are housebound and I can drive/pick up/drop off if needed.  Abi - you had tears running down my face when I read about your cooking!  lol  too funny!  

Awesome, and I AM going to make cookies lol Tis the season of miracles afterall :) Not sure if you'll still be laughing after ating one Sarah, but the tears will probably still be there. You do have medical insurance right? I am happy for you girls to come here, or I'll come with you Sarah to Rebecca's if that works better for you both .... I'll fit in with whatever you want to do :)

So what are we doing, ladies? I'm happy to have you all come out here to my shabby rural paradise, or I will do whatever anyone else would like. When? And what kind of cookies ("biscuits" for you, Abi!)?

You're very welcome in my even shabbier I'm sure, rural ... um, will be paradise one day lol but would also love to come visit you Rebecca so whatever makes the most sense to Sarah with her doing the driving. Oh, I know, I'll Google a map :) And thank you so much for the biscuits reference ... when my intended cookies turn out to be overcooked bricks, we'll say it's an English delicacy. Yey for good excuses provided by your friends ... doesn't get better than that! I did make some chocolatey fudge things and some peanut butter ones once that didn't kill anyone .....mind you, only Corrections Officers ate them and they're used to prison food so that's not much of an endorsement lol

The best cookies/biscuits I've ever eaten ("besides my own," she says modestly) were English, but you're in luck, Abi, because English food has such a bad reputation here. Whomever you cook for over here will think about jokes pertaining to taking desserts out of the oven with a forklift and will quietly snigger whilst poking your lovingly baked treat, thinking none the worse of you for its concrete consistency.

I suppose prison food is about as good as school cafeteria food. Soggy microwave pizza?

I submit to the wishes of our driver-at-large, but promise a meal if you all come here to the Dumpy House, as we fondly call it.

Aw Dumpy House sounds awesome - ours is The Shack ... it could be lovely with work but I'm sure glad I don't own it. I fear there's a lot of expense in this place. I found another chink of daylight in the walls today ... no wonder it's so cold! That said, the location is great. I would love to see Dumpy House and also have you here too but if Sarah's happy to drive us out to you, that sounds great and you could come here next. Are you free on the 20th Rebecca? Oh and whether you're thinking this far ahead or not, on New Years, weather permitting we intend to be out back having a bonfire so you're both welcome to join us for that if you'd like to. No partying for us lol ...... can't even blame Amy for that, we've been homebodies forever anyways.

Rebecca, your reference to biccy's as we call them and the acknowledgement that I can pass of the inedible as a foreign delicacy is just one reason why I'm going to love you lol My Dad actually measures the quality of a cake by what he calls 'heft'. He literally picks it up and if one is rock heavier than the other, that's a winner. He currently has my SIL's competing with each other to make him the heaviest duty cakes .... he's busted because he was gloating how all he has to do is mention to one that the other bakes a so and so cake and the other one will go one better. I can scupper his evil deeds even from here tho and now they both know what he's up to! I once tried to make him a birthday cake - a Victoria sponge cake which are llight and fluffy with a layer of cream and jam in the middle. In order to get mine cake sized I had to bake about ten cakes and ran out of stuff to layer them with! They made great frisbees though! I once made a banana bread thing that was so hard, we put it in goal on the fuzeball table for months ... it was so rock hard it didn't even mould!

Prison food seems to consist mostly of grits, greens and indescribable slop .... consequently there is a high rate of diabetes and heart disease in prisons and so Sean takes a packed lunch. The officers eat what the offenders eat so as to avoid 'poisoing risk' as the offenders make the food. Frankly I think they're all being slowly poisoned!!! English food is at least better than that. The best of British cuisine it has to be said is foreign ... I can promise you will never eat a better Indian Curry than in England and we do have great Yorkshire Puddings if you can make them. That said, I am an American food convert - in all it's immigrant varieties, and love cheese so that stands me in good stead ha ha ha. And American biscuits with gravy ... the rest of the world is being denied something in my opinion. I love that stuff! Not sure I'll ever get used to a fried apple being a vegetable choice but they taste good so that's fine by me - the whole chitterlings thing tho .... that's the south for you huh?

All right, I will mark my calendar for the 20th and await further orders. What, my schedule? No, you've got me at a very fluid and flexible time in my life. That won't last long. Right now I'm up for anything.

I think English food is fine, but I don't know how everyone on your island isn't constipated. Haven't y'all ever heard of vegetables? O wait -- I come from a part of the world where macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable. At least fried apples are produce, sort of.

Yorkshire pudding is magnificent! I have successfully made it in the past. What with that and steak and ale pies, mushy peas, fish and chips, bangers and mash, clotted cream with currant scones, shortbread biscuits, sticky toffee pudding, flapjacks ... *sighs with frustrated love* Your English food is fine with me. You do do a good curry, though, I'll agree with you there.

Sarah? You're awfully quiet over there. Tell us about your New York fare.

New Year's Eve is my wedding anniversary and I haven't done anything festive for it in years. Must change that. And I'd love to have you girls over for 12th Night with your significant others and children.

Ha ha ha that's so funny about the veggies because that's what people say about the States in England ... I think we just have different vegetables and because they're not familiar, we don't see them. I really struggle with veggies here and am shocked at how expensive they are. We are spoiled in Britain with food prices because of the competition. That said, like here, too many families feed their kids rubbish. I personally love rubbish but know the difference and wouldn't want Amy to eat it. The high price of healthier foods in comparison to junk is one of my hobby horses, even though i don't really cook. I have major issues with sodium content here - I literally wash canned foods because of the amount of salt! People in England will moan about the intervention of European laws but it's had a really good impact on food quality. Or at least labelling - if you're eating rubbish in England there's no doubt about it - the package will scream it at you and you'll have paid more for it.   My SIL was on holiday in Florida and after two weeks of fast food insisted on going somewhere where she could get vegetables, and cried when they came covered in cheese lol To me, anything covered in cheese is just fine :) Mushy peas are a gift to the world - I love them and bangers and mash is my favorite all time dinner. I just have not found anything akin to a sausage here tho and therefore ate way too many while home! I actually used to make a pretty good ale pie, I'd forgotten all about that. The one thing I miss more than anything foodwise is Fish and Chips .... most things are replicated in every country but not that .... fries are just not chips lol Mind you there are people who'll tell you fish n chips aren't the same since they banned wrapping them in actual newsprint. I agree the flavor changed but it was probably for the best lol. A man here in VA told me he knew where to get great fish and chips and I got so excited - until he said the place was in Boston lol

A New Year's wedding anniversary is so romantic :) I always wanted a Christmas Wedding ..... one day we'll renew our vows because my family weren't at our wedding and it will be an English Christmas affair I think :)

12th Night sounds lovely .... I will have to look at Sean's schedule :) I've never celebrated that.

OK, I am now hungry so am off to make some chicken to stick in pita bread and call it dinner ......... now Greek food IS awesome lol.

Busy few days ladies, sorry I havn't posted.  I'm good with driving to either of you.  Since one of you are hosting, I will let you decide between the shack or the dumpy house! Which I think is hilarous because our home is a definate mixture between the 2. The dumpy shack? I have been craving some good Indian food...we did find a small gas station in Danville whose owners make decent curry and nan.  I adore almost any and all food, and with Hannukkah near, have been looking forward to warm, crisp laktkes with applesauce or sour cream (December is hectic for us as I was raised both Jewish and Catholic and have decided to celebrate the 'major' holidays here). I have been trying to stay clear of canned or frozen and stick to fresh veggies, not only because I feel they are tastier, but we use the scraps for our compost, and Amelia is more likely to eat fresh veggies over canned as she enjoys helping to wash and prepare them and is borderline obessed with adding to the compost pile. 

Amelia and I are getting ready to hear out to Raleigh for a birthday party (yes, it would be so nice not having to drive 2 hours just to get together with other mamas). As mentioned, I shall leave the decision about the 20th to you'se ladies (or ya'll) either way I'm just happy to have found some ladies with great sense of humor to finally get to know.  :)  Enjoy your Saturday, ladies!

So, Sarah, you are a "Cashew" (half-Catholic, half-Jew), and in case you haven't noticed, the world's finest cuisines come from Jews and Catholic countries, so you must be an excellent cook! I would be happy to have an "excuse" to make latkes again -- with fried apples! I am a practicing Catholic and that is my excuse for gleefully celebrating all sorts of holidays that the rest of the world ignores, complete with treats. This weekend, in fact, we are celebrating St. Lucy's Day and I am running around making saffron bread and pepparkakar.

Abi, it is your job, as you said, to do Google maps to figure out where it would be most efficient to go. I don't want my address on a public message board, but I will email it to you.

I have never heard the expression Cashew before lol. I can't believe my luck, found two ladies who love to celebrate all holidays ... awesome :)

OK, it definitely makes more sense for Sarah to pick me up and come to you Rebecca ..... but it's dfinitely out of the way so Sarah, thank you so so much for doing it. It still means you're going to be doing a lot of driving tho so I am sorry for that and promise I will try extra hard now to get my license in the New Year so I can take a turn :)

There's good curry in Danville? Oh where, Sarah, where lol? I just discovered there's a pretty good Indian Restaraunt in Lynchburg apparently - I've even exchanged emails with them lol But we can't afford to eat out, but if you can I'll find you the details sarah, and babysit Amelia for you lol.

Well I am having one heck of week with Little Miss - teething is such fin isn't it? Add in the frustration of crawling/cruising and a lot of dare devil spirit that has to be curbed and let's just say I spend the whole day getting yelled at right now! Should be fun with the in-laws as an audience next week ... sigh ........

Hope you girls both have a lovely weekend,

Abi