So ds's rescue cat came here for two days while he was out of town for work. I did not mind and wad happy to help UNTIL I came in from taking the dog for a walk to find she had sharpened her claws and simply shredded several places on it. It was a hairy, cat mess and will not survive a washing, plus it really did a number on the fiberfil. I am in the middle of working on 3 quilts for Christmas. 😭😭😭 I need to get a replacement and have exactly NO decent local shopping so I will be forced to order amazon, and have to wait for it to ship. I have made a make shift top with towels for spot ironing, and will keep at it. However, kitty ended up locked in the bathroom with her litter while I had the quilt tops out. Now she is sitting on Mark's lap because she tried going after the couch. She has a lot of anxiety and fear, poor thing. I am trying to be patient even though this is NOT what I needed right now. Does anyone know of a really high quality ironing board cover available on Amazon?

At this point, I would probably be the one that throws the whole mess wide open by calling the non-emergency police number, and asking what it entails to get an officer to do a well check. If the officer thinks the situation warrants the ambulance, they cannot override his/her decision or at least that is how it works here. They can force the issue in a way that the paramedics themselves and your husband cannot. This is beyond dealing with as a family anymore. She needs a staff, a 24/7 staff. That is the sad reality that none of them e,ept you and your husband are willing to accept. But, I also understand that this can cause a family fracture that won't heal. I just tend to error on the side of not neglecting mil and not allowing fil to continue to put her in danger. No judgment though if others feel differently. This stuff is always ridiculously complex and nuanced.

I love it!!! This is beautiful and just so happy.

So today: Rough day, but we managed to eat okay. No breakfast, salads with boiled eggs for lunch, and a half of a roasted chicken thigh a piece for dinner with 2 cups of steamed broccoli a piece, roasted red peppers, and saffron rice.

Awesome!!!!!

All I meant is you are ever present in my thoughts.

I remember the grandma stories. She is quite the piece of work. You were more than nice enough just sending her a pic, and then bam, she had to come back demanding something inappropriate. You are not over-reacting, I would consider the possibility of going no contact for a year so she doesn't start badgering you with more inappropriate demands. She is just 😱.

I understand. I do. But I worry about your physical safety.

Same for our daughter. She landed in the ER for several hours after her MMR as a toddler so she didn't get the rest of the series. Apparently that first shot conferred some immunity because her titres still trip the test when pregnant, but this is very scary. And of course with mumps, the success rate is a bit lower. This doctor is so naive!

And this. That vax is at 18 months. So this leaves a vulnerable population. While they do check measles titers in pregnant women, I don't think they check for mumps, and that mom to baby immunity wouldn't last 18 months anyway. It makes my blood boil that the doctor is sluffing this off. If this is the attitude, polio, mumps, ebola...won't matter what is going around, there will be no stopping it.

I agree. I have been bargain hunting, thrifting really, to see what I could reclaim for my purposes with the supplies I have in my craft and sewing stash. I am going to finance some purchases by selling a lot of my nativity collection - much of it is Jim Shore - on ebay. I just need to get the photos done and listings created. Hubs thinks I should set a price on the whole lot and put it on craigslist and Facebook marketplace to see if anyone local will buy it because shipping is so expensive, he doesn't think I will get anything for it on ebay. I am making this for Christmas Eve.

It is related to his escalating behavior. He recently had a very scary meltdown in a parking lot, directed at Baseball, with multiple witnesses. It was a signal of deterioration. His family KNOWS he is this unable to control his anger and impulses. The fact that he made a point of letting her know he knew she was at that park and except for the child, alone, and in the face of his meltdown about her driving the kids for Thanksgiving, a scary sign. They are legally separated which is unfortunately for women, a very dangerous time when one spouse/partner is experiencing this kind of rage and behavior. In and of itself, not as big of deal if it weren't for the escalating anger and creepy behavior. At least that is my take on the progression of events and conduct from him. Again, just my impression.

Yikes! Seriously, I think it is time to make ALL doctors go back and take some public health and infectious disease classes. That is crazy. I am glad your sister understands this and will be isolating.

Accurate!

I agree. I have been bargain hunting, thriving really, to see what I could reclaim for my purposes with the supplies I have in my craft and sewing stash. I am going to finance some purchases by selling a lot of my nativity collection - much of it is Jim Shore - on ebay. I just need to get the photos done and listings created. Hubs thinks I should set a price on the whole lot and put it on craigslist and Facebook marketplace to see if anyone local will buy it because shipping is so expensive, he doesn't think I will get anything for it on ebay.

I have to say, Baseball, that I am concerned your husband's mental illness has progressed to something potentially very dangerous to you. As much as you love your fil and your nieces/nephews, I think it is time to think about your own safety. He is exhibiting signs of creepy, stalker behavior, and that often does not end well for the one being stalked. It appears that his sister is unwell enough in her head or soul to be willing to assist him. This is NOT good. Please, please talk to your lawyer about this.

I am not an expert. Not by any stretch. But if memory serves, my sister takes aspirin or turmeric but not both together. She also takes a fish oil supplement and is pretty fastidious with her Mediterranean diet. I have no idea if any of that works quickly at all. I hope someone else here knows more.

We changed from our very heavy nativity oriented decorations to a woodland, Danish Jul, Scandi kind of look. So I am looking for some more birch logs, Scandinavian and woodland themed Father Christmases, and plant/nature themed decorations in greens (especially moss green), deep burgundy, whites, and natural wood finishes. We also have a Nisse collection that I am trying to add to, and I am also trying to collect a few antique, Danish Lutheran hymn books and carol collections.

Look out for those apocalyptic hen eggs! 😂😂😂

Not really. There isn't much that's inspirational about it. The women, even the queen, live very stilted and often times depressed lives as portrayed on the show. They are not represented as having any kind of meaningful positive impact on people which is not accurate because many of the Royals are very active in charitable foundations, and so they bring a lot of money into these good causes, and do exercise influence. However, that is absolutely not the premise of the series. It definitely makes you question the relative value of the monarchy. It isn't something that one would find inspirational for women per se. An interesting one that shows women's struggles to be recognized for their work in the sciences is Amazon's Radioactive which is the story of Marie Curie. They take a few liberties in there for sure, and I think may portray Pierre more harshly than was accurate. It really is an inspirational story of overcoming misogyny all odds stacked against her and triumphing. Extra inspirational when one considers she was a dual Nobel Prize winner, and then went on to become the Undersecretary of Scientific Research in France before women had even won the right to vote. Eve went into journalism and then into child activism with UNICEF. Eve was not nominated for the Nobel which is a bit stinky because her husband won the Peace Prize for his work with UNICEF except that it was dual, side by side work with Eve, and some say she was actually the more productive of the two and should have shared with him or been nominated in place of him. At any rate, a real legacy of inspiration from the Cutie women.

She is really pretty!

That is so sad. But, it highlights the issue that maybe for a time she is not a good person for your family to be around. I know it hurts, however, the best response is probably, "I have been thinking about it, and I think it would be best if we did not spend time together for quite a while." I wouldn't go no contact, just limited contact. Phone only or email and mailed birthday/holiday cards with a couple of years of not getting together including this Christmas. I think your mom has some major issues to work through, and frankly, so does your sister. You have your own husband and children to think of, and the stress of sis and mom isn't going to allow you to be the best you for your family. It is sad. But, I also get it and have been right there with you. I live one block from my brother, and due to the very egregious character issues with his wife, which he enables and makes worse, we have a text and "once or twice a year we see each other out for a walk and stop and share pleasantries" and nothing more. When we end up attending a funeral in the community, it is the same....basic pleasantries, and then move to opposite sides of the room. It is for the best this way so everyone can move on with life and not feel so anxiety riddled about having him, his wife, or both of them causing drama and tension. I am really sorry! Hugs

I did not overeat so I am happy with myself. Got busy and didn't eat any breakfast. I had a healthy serving of mashed potatoes light on gravy, small serving of turkey breast, large helping of roasted green beans, large helping of roast carrots, one roll, no cookies, no pie, but did have a small scone which only had 1/4 cup of sugar for the entire batter which produced 8 huge scones which I cut in half to make 16 more reasonable sized servings. So my scone was very low sugar. Water with the meal. We will have leftovers tomorrow, and I will eat similarly, and then some potato and leek soup at supper. At times, the temptation for seconds was strong, but I resisted and the reward was feeling very comfortable after the meal, and no food coma over indulging.

I have this with both my mom and my mother in law. They think I should be the dumping ground for every single thing they no longer want, and get really touchy when I say no. Now they are targeting our sons, and thankfully the three of them are strong against it usually claiming that their apartments are too full, or the trunk of their car is full, or whatever they can think of. OP, I think you did really well under the circumstances.

I too love eating early enough that we recline at the table with drinks, and relax. Then we move to the more comfortable chairs. If dinner were late, we wouldn't do that, and then we would be cleaning up all evening as well. Just not fun. We clean up around 3:30 pm, and then are back to the living room often playing cards or a board game. Usually C, one of our four adult children, had new poetry to read which we love to hear.