I hate shower doors too! Dh and I have a glass door on the shower in our bathroom. It's impossible to reach all the crevices around the metal frame to really clean them. YUCK. I also hate having to clean the glass. I'd much prefer a curtain. In our old house we had sliding shower doors on the bathtub. I hated those, too.

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Thank you all for your opinions. I have read many differing view points and angles, but I am ready to let this drop. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply.

Wow, that is sad. Notice how it's completely the MOM'S fault. SHE is the one with the problem, according to them. Let the kid play video games for twelve hours a day, all night long if he wants. Don't require him to do chores. Don't expect anything from him. If he keeps this up, I'd hate to be married to him someday. A neighbor of mine was married to her second husband for less than two years. He was addicted to video games. It CAN be a very serious thing.

That's why we have kids! So they can break our stuff and we won't get so attached to possessions. ;) We have seven kids, five still at home, and it is definitely lived in! Once when I had lots of littles a woman that I knew only casually pointed to pencil marks on the living room wall and said, "Oops! Somebody scribbled on the wall!" I thought it was rude. It embarrassed me. My own mother kept our house running, meals cooked, dishes wash, laundry done, and rooms mostly picked up, but she was not obsessive and very tolerant of us playing and making messes. I have tried to follow her example.

Here is a recipe for a delicious layered dessert with a bottom crust, a vanilla/cream cheese layer, a chocolate layer, and a whipped topping sprinkled with nuts. I have never taken it to a picnic, but it is a chilled dessert. Perhaps you could keep it in a cooler if it's a very hot day? Allrecipes.com is a fantastic site for finding new recipes! I try the ones that have a high rating from a large number of reviewers. Happy cooking! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Pecan-Delite/Detail.aspx

When we first began homeschooling back in the Bronze Age, my husband was VERY concerned that our kids would become "marshmallows" because they wouldn't have the ordinary give-and-take, push-and-pull that kids in school get. We began with a 3rd grade girl and 1st grade son, and two little girls ages 3 and 1. He was especially concerned about our oldest son. We have since had three more children, a total of seven, and the oldest son learned computer networking and got a part time job doing just that, at age 15. He was in Boy Scouts from 2nd grade through high school, and became an Eagle Scout. He hiked 500 miles through Colorado by himself, just for fun, with only a backpack and tarp, no tent even. He is now in the Army, finishing his college degree, and doing great. He hikes and climbs mountains and bikes on the weekends. Hardly a marshmallow! I wanted to shelter my young kids from some things, the darker side of life, bullying, etc. As they got older they just naturally learned about the world and ventured out into it: sports, music lessons, mission trips where they served the less fortunate, volunteer work, church youth group, etc. I think if you shelter them from the bad stuff and expose them gradually as they are able to deal with it, they will be ready to face the world. We talk about everything with our kids, and try to answer any questions they have honestly and tell them WHY we live and believe the way we do. They know we love them no matter what, and this grounds them.

Are you obligated to RSVP if there is no response card? And...I am still wondering why this happened at all. Why do people invite others they don't know that well to a wedding??? Has anyone else had this happen? It's so strange.

There was no response card. The invitation said "reception following" but not dinner or anything, so It's probably cake and punch. They aren't asking for a head count. I'm still confused as to why anyone would invite people they don't know that well, never see or talk to, to a wedding. ???????

Yes, I thought of just sending a card, but then I thought it would make us look like we are very inconsiderate to not get them a gift. So I'm considering just ignoring it...but is that worse?

Today we received a wedding invitation that had me stumped. Even after I opened it and saw a photo of the couple, I was perplexed. Who are these people?? I had to look at the names for a few seconds before it hit me. The bride's brother is married to a girl we've known for years. All these kids, many years ago (like 15) were in our little homeschool group, which disbanded long ago. I saw this family at her brother's wedding a few years ago, which we were invited to because we knew the bride and her family very well. But...acquaintances you were in a homeschool group with 15 years ago? I don't understand why we were invited to a wedding of acquaintances we knew through a homeschooling group long ago, people we never see or talk to now. I showed it to my kids, who said, "Who is that? Do we know them?" My 15yo daughter said, "Maybe they don't have very many friends." We don't plan to attend the wedding. Would you send a card? A gift? I have honestly never had this happen before.

I did that a few years ago. This was the lady's answer: "Don't plant squash." Seriously! I may try again, though. Someone else might give me a better answer. Thanks for the replies, everyone! I will look into some of the things you suggested.

I've left frosted cakes out overnight lots of times, covered with foil or plastic wrap or something. We've eaten them the next day with no problems. I usually frost them with homemade buttercream frosting of some sort.

I love to grow zucchini but have been pretty discouraged by squash bugs killing my plants. I will get a few fruits, if I'm lucky, and then the plants wither and die. I am diligent about killing the bugs and getting rid of any of their orange eggs on the underside of the leaves. I can even do this twice a day and eventually they will still take over and kill the plants. Year before last I tried growing zucchini in two large pots on my deck, pretty far from my vegetable garden. But nope, the bugs found them there, too. A lady at the greenhouse suggested planting chocolate mint nearby, so I had planted that in the pots with the zucchini. If anyone has had success combating squash bugs, PLEASE share your secrets! Thanks.

I don't know but my gut is telling me they won't/can't pay for the damage. It used to be they had a few employees but this one guy is the only one who ever comes. He was also the one who answered the phone when I called. I'm thinking that now it's a one-man show. The older gentleman who ripped off the company disappeared, and maybe this guy is afraid to hire anyone else. At one time a couple of younger guys worked for them, but I haven't seen them in a long time. Sigh. I know I can't go on my "gut feeling" and will have to do some investigation. I'm thinking I may not be very happy with what I find. Ah well.

One of our older daughters noticed small holes in her wall near the window, and a little "pile" of something on the side of the window frame. Our house has been treated every three months for termites for several years now. The guy comes out, checks all the bait sites around the outside of our home for activity. Usually there is none, but a couple times he has had to put in more bait. Sooo...I called him and he came out (at no charge since we are under warranty) and after his inspection he sprayed termite poison at the back of our house, where he saw the termite tunneling...under dd's window. UGHHHH!!! I hate termites so much and I really thought this wasn't supposed to happen if our house was being treated. I thought they would be kept in check, and for the most part, dead. Maybe I should call a different company??? My dh asked me to call this particular company, a small local business, because he'd had recommendations. They used to come in a truck with the company logo on the side (a beat up truck, but anyway). Now the guy shows up in a very beat up looking car and has his supplies in the trunk. ??? He is friendly to me, but I wonder how professional he really is. A year or so after treatment had begun, I realized they hadn't been to our home for a long time, so I called them. It turned out that an older guy who was working for them, had been pocketing the money, and taking those customers' names out of their computer data base. Then the old guy disappeared! No one seems to know where he went. If you've had termites, were they successfully kept in check or did you continue to see them even years after treatment? I don't know what to think.

My oldest daughter bought some Chacos before spending a summer in India. One of her friends recommended them, and they were great. She walked a LOT, and the Chacos were comfy and held up great. They lasted a long time after she came home. She had them for years.

Did anyone mention the crock pot? I would do that, or make my own freezer meals ahead, before buying Schwan's food. Could your husband make something simple, like bacon and eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, sub sandwiches, or burgers? Or maybe chef salad or taco salad?