As a teacher who recently spent way too much time dealing with that particular work, I say...


FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHRED IT!

Being from rural Oklahoma, I'm sure I'm guilty of eating more than a few things most people find icky.

One of my favorites is a bowl of pinto beans with a piece of cornbread crumbled into it and ketchup mixed in...yummy.

I also have a weakness for cocoa gravy.  I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it's pretty much what it sounds like - a gravy-like substance that's chocolatey rather than creamy or meaty.  I do know it's a Depression-era recipe that my family has been making for years.  We put it over biscuits or white bread.  It's the headliner at the final breakfast of every family reunion.

Just in case that isn't backwoodsy enough for you, I also find various small mammals quite palatable - rabbits and squirrels, in particular.

Growing up in a sustinance-farming family will teach you to eat a lot of things you wouldn't find in the supermarket.  (It'll also make you appreciate the value of a good education!)

I need a creative solution, here.  I need about 100 personalized shot glasses for favors, but all the places I can find online want about $150 for them (including shipping and setup charges).  Has anyone ever made their own?  Any suggestions how to do it?  They would say something like "I went to ____ and ____'s wedding (insert clipart picture) and all I got was this lousy shot glass."  Very cheesy, and it needs to be very cheap. 

Where are you getting married in Las Vegas?  We were married at Excalibur, so we did a whole castle theme.  The invitations had a castle with a knight riding up to it.  Maybe you could base your announcements around the actual ceremony location?

Maybe you could stamp it onto another eraser so that you'll have a template and don't have to wing it with the mirror-image text.  See, it wasn't a mistake, it was an invention!

Another option is a casino party, because sevens are "lucky" and 777 is the winning combination on slot machines.  That would also work well since you're turning 18 and are legally an adult (ok, you're not legal to drink or gamble, but you can join the Army or dial 1-900 numbers!)  You could do a poker table, blackjack, roulette, etc.  For food you could have a Las Vegas style buffet.

For the invitations, you could do a record with the party info printed on the center label.  You could just modify an original Beatles LP label.  Or you could do something similar with a CD/jewel case.  Or you could do a modified poster of A Hard Day's Night.  I think there are tons of ways you could go with this...how fun!

1. Thanks!  I'm really excited!

2. I LOVE the map invitation idea.  The only thing I could come up with was a picture of a winding road, which I thought was kind of corny.  I think I'll use maps of the three states I've lived in since beginning this degree, overlapping them and lightening them as a background for the invites.

That was a really beautiful thing for you to do.  Good job on the quilts, and good for you for acting in the true Christmas spirit.

Glad you got the pics to work, because I am IN LOVE with that blue one!  Very nice!