Hey...

I said I would post when acceptances started coming in...In case you forgot I got laid off last May and then my husband killed himself in July. Currently unemployed and will start looking again for work soon. In any event.When I last wrote she had been accepted at 5 schools although none were first choices. She just came back from interviewing for a full scholarship at University of Richmond. She left her cell phone here and while she was away she got a letter fedexed from her first choice Swarthmore. It was an acceptance letter!!! Swarthmore is loan free and shes a finalist for one of their scholarships.

I am throwing her an 18th birhtday. She's vegan, I am not.  Making it vegetarian honors her, but there will be a lot of people who probably have never had or seen some of this food.Looks like we will have over sixty people. I have put together a menu that I think is interesting and won't scream WEIRD >>>NO MEAT.

Here's what I have so far. I need another dish

1 Felafel. Right now unless I can find someone who will sell me the uncooked mix and not the sandwich, I will make from the fantastic food mix. I can buy small pita from Trader Joes and make hummus.
2 Veggie chilli. I make with black beans and use tvp, mushrooms,onions
and peppers. Will serve with soy cheese and regualr cheese.
3 Pesto...including whole wheat with soy cheese for dd4 Big salad
4 Breads..I make great challah, will have pitas and last night I made a bread that was 2/3's unbleached white and 1 cup of chick pea flour. I added a litle cumin and it was yummy...
Desserts

I keep trying to make vegan desserts that she likes. Most are awful. But I finally found a whole wheat carrot cake recipe that is decent. I will also have pound cake and fruit...

But I need another dish????

Hey...its me again...Aren't you glad its not about the SC primary??

DD got another acceptance letter..But its from another school thats a safety school. And we just finished ( actually the college planner more abut him below) filing the FAFSA and the college profiles for all the schools. There is one more form DD has to fill out for the University of Chicago. Thats probably the least likely school for her to get into. But her essay is out of the box ...Who knows???

OK...about the college planner. I wrote before of my husbands suicide this July...I have no income right now...but I have assets. So my wonderful sisters decided to hire me a college planner. I really hired him at the 11 hour as my daughter had already decided on schools. Her original list
1.Swarthmore   her #1 choice
2.Univ of Chicago
3.Vassar
4.Middlebury

5. Bard ( she got in 2 weeks after she applied)

6.Univerisity of Richmond ( she got in and is a semi finalist for full scholarship)
7.University of Pittsburgh

The college planner had me look at collegesthatchangelives.com and we added 2 schools to above list

8. Guilford

9. Ursinus ( she got in yesterday)

Next year has to be better...
I got downsized in May..laid off after almost 10 years. My bi polar husband committed suicide in July.I am ok...I think I will be OK financially with some careful planning and investing I won't be rich..but OK. I will look for work starting next year...I will probably sell the house when market is better.Right now I have to do my taxes and apply for financial aide for daughter.My accountant who knew about my husbands mental illness is a saint..My daughter has had to put aside her grieving to not only keep up all honors classes, but write all her essays for college. All are finished except for Reed College which is a last minute addition. We live outside Phila, and I wont be happy if they give her $$$ but I have to be open.