debbie

I see lots of information about the cost of a reception in terms of cost per person, but includes the cost of alcohol. I'm trying to save as much money as possible but a home/backyard reception is not possible. I wouldn't want alcohol at my wedding, anyway, so what would be a good estimate on a cheap reception and what would it entail? The wedding would be small with only about 30 guests.

I have a crock pot that I'd love to use, but I need recipes. I know the internet is chock-full of them. There's only one problem: I live in China. That means that available ingredients are limited. I cannot use any of the recipes that call for things such as cream of mushroom soup, barbeque sauce, or the like. And I don't recognize more than half of what I see in the grocery store. I don't want to just eat chicken soup every day, so does anyone have any suggestions? And I'd rather the recipes were healthy. I know; that's asking a lot, but if you happen to know of a good recipe I'd appreciate it.

I bought a cake mix at a specialty store here in China and want to bake the cake this weekend for company I have coming over. The thing is, I don't have any flour to flour the pan with. The cake is chocolate fudge. Can I use oil and hot chocolate mix to "oil and flour" the cake pans?

Since I have the best boss in the world, I want to actually acknowledge her on Boss's Day. I'm an American expat living in China and I don't know what would be an appropriate gift. Any suggestions?

I live in China and really miss good tacos. I'm going to Shanghai soon and want to know if anyone knows of any good Mexican restaurants. At one point I heard there's one called Zapatos or something but have been unable to find it or any other. Can anyone help me with this?

I actually live in China and was wondering if anyone knew if there's a quicker way to adopt a Chinese baby than if I were stateside. For example, I wondered if I became a foster parent and wanted to adopt the child I was fostering, would that be a quicker way?

Only serious and knowledgeable answers, please.

I've searched and searched the internet for examples of cooperative learning for kindergarten students learning English as a foreign language. I've yet to find any lessons that fit my group. They are low in ability (since they're only kindergartners, after all) and do not learn to read. It's strictly conversational/vocabulary-based instruction. I know what cooperative learning is; I just haven't been able to figure out how to apply it to my kids. Any suggestions?

I got a cold eleven days ago, which was accompanied by a sore throat and ear ache from day one. I read that colds last about a week, but I've had this for eleven days now. The sore throat is the most annoying part, as you can imagine, but another strange thing is that it is worse at night and will be in a different spot each day. The ear closest to where my throat hurts will hurt much worse than the other ear as well. What do you think is going on?

I'm an English teacher living in Jiangsu province and want to get my kids Easter baskets, dye eggs, etc. for Easter. I've looked online and can't find them. I've contacted manufacturers here in China and they won't sell directly to me. I'm going to Hong Kong this weekend and I wanted to know if anyone knew where I could get Easter baskets, egg dye, plastic eggs, and jelly beans in mainland China or Hong Kong. Thank you!

I live in China but don't understand Chinese. This is particularly challenging since, unlike an Indo-European language, I don't have the slightest clue on how to begin deciphering writing that I see. I want to be able to find local businesses (office supplies, Pizza Hut, etc.) but haven't been able to find English-language "yellow pages" anywhere. Does anyone know of any? Thanks.

p.s. If it helps, I live in the greater Suzhou area in Jiangsu.

I've been offered a job to teach overseas, but I have to pay for my flight and visa up front. I have no money and neither does my family. Does anyone have any creative ideas for finding money? I need about a grand (closer to $1200, actually) and cannot: get a loan, borrow from friends/family, use a credit card, or get the money from the school abroad. Any thoughtful ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

There is a stray cat that was obviously domesticated at one point, but the cat is dirty and smells bad. I've always heard that you don't wash a cat. I'd like to take this cat into my home, but how do I get the cat clean? Aren't they supposed to do that on their own?

I've seen lots of slow cooker recipes for sweet potato dishes, but we really just prefer baked sweet potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper. However, when I baked them tonight they took 2 hours and still weren't really done. I want to use a slow cooker if possible next time. How would I do this without adding a bunch of extra sugar and nuts?

I have a valid teaching credential with ESOL endorsement. When I look into teaching overseas I read about TESOL certification. Is that just for people without any teaching/ESOL training or would I need this in addition to what I have?

I don't understand why Erik was able to crack Emma Frost when she was in a diamond state using only metal bed rails. I always heard that diamonds are the hardest substance on earth and nothing can cut them but other diamonds. Is this not true? Was it an oversight on the part of the writers? Or was she really just cubic zirconia?

I got a new car and it has this symbol on it. Does anyone know what it is? I can't exactly google an image, unfortunately.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21544415@N08/55369131...

I've never used flickr so I hope that link works.

I got some tortillas that are the really, good authentic kind, like the ones you get in a great Mexican restaurant (not the Taco Bell or Great Value kind). I want to make something really savory and good with them, but I don't know what. I don't want to rely on a standard, Americanized version of a burrito (you know, beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, cheese, meat, etc.). I want something really authentic, but also really, really good. Any ideas?

I have someone whom I don't want to speak to anymore, but if I block them I want them to know they're blocked and not just that I'm not online or whatever. Does anyone know what happens?

I've signed up to start in July. I've heard that it's not as good an education in a general sense, but I've already got a bachelor's degree in elementary education, so I've got the basic education already. I've also heard that you can't get a job as a photographer even though they offer photography as a major for a bachelor's degree. If that's the case, then how do photographers get jobs? I want to be a professional but there seem to be so few colleges that offer it. Is their bachelor's degree not accredited or something, even though they say it is?

Please don't anyone tell me all I need is a good eye. I have that. I want to know as much as possible, not only about what I want as a photographer, but how to make it in the business, that is, what others are looking for in my work. I want to be highly knowledgeable but also taken seriously when I give my educational background.

Any first-hand insight would be appreciated.

I've really been wondering. I've heard the unemployment rate nationwide is about 10%. I've heard different percentages. But while people are unemployed there are job listings available so it's not as if those 10% don't have a job to go to. Then, I've heard things like for every job there are about 100 applicants. It's hard to estimate job availability based on this because people don't just apply to one job; they apply to multiple jobs so many of the same people could be making up the 100 applicants for each job.

Does anybody know what the real job outlook is like? Are there more applicants than jobs and if so by about how much?

I just need a little encouragement since I just graduated with my teaching degree and have no promises there. I can't work in a daycare because I don't have ECE credits. I was always told that education holds many possibilities but I've not found that to be the case. It actually appears to have a very rigid application to the job market. I've put out well over 100 applications with very little response, yet I have 20 years of customer service experience and supervisor experience as well. I just need to know if there are actually jobs to be had or if it really is closer to the 1% chance of finding a job that people make it out to be.

p.s. Although I'd like to I can't go back to school right now. I need a job right away.