Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Countdown

Less than a week now before I need to head out for the North Carolina Quilt Symposium...then the Mama's surgery in Michigan. A ton of stuff to do before then. Meanwhile:

how pickpockets do it. This video report isn't pretty...but you'll learn from it.

Skillet-fried steak -- juicy, delicious and it only takes 4-5 min.Wow. (From the New York Times)

15 drool-inducing chocolate chip dessert recipes. 

A delicious (and really healthy) vegan pasta Alfredo. (From Pretty Hungry Blog)

 A kid who stood up to his bullies. Includes a surprising slideshow of celebrities who were bullied. (This slideshow will tell you more about that subject.)

A guy who catches the office thief....in a very clever way!

Four sneaky tricks car dealerships use...and how you can deal with them. (From Len Penzo)

Living in a REALLY tiny house. (from Dee Williams)

Craig Ferguson is retiring! Well, actually, he's taking a job as a game show host in December. Craig, say it isn't so...

Frugal lunchbag ideas. (From Moneysaving Mom)

The clutter's rising...how to fight it back into submission. (From Money Beagle)

A bouncy house takes flight. Three kids are injured.

Jill Abramson's fired from the New York Times...and Dean Baquet takes her place. Why is this important? Because Abramson was the first female managing editor in the long history of the august Times...and now Baquet is the first Black managing editor. how come this happened? You'll want to read this article first...then this one. Having had a pushy, dictatorial boss - who was also incredibly brilliant, and taught me so much - I would guess that Jill was much the same. Did she deserve to be fired? Probably not...because I'm guessing that her boss knew what she was before he hired her. But was she fun to work for? Probably not, either.

No news on our missing cousin, Joe Kelly. Here's his Facebook page, if you're curious. As of May 15, his credit card hadn't been used for weeks...worrying news. 

Beautiful mercury glass bird feeders...how-tos from Stow and Tell U.

Ten wonderful home libraries...these are great!

'I lied about being hurt by my teacher:' The 'Ask Prudie' columns can be interesting, but this first letter is a doozy.

Thrilled about book swaps - Penniless Parenting gives you some tips on how to do it. (She did okay on a recent produce-buying trip, too.)

Growing a family on a next-to-nothing budget. (From The Better Mom)

Have a great week.