I feel called out!

I checked Aldi today. They had three very nice soup mixes that made 2 quarts of soup, just add water. Chicken noodle, chili, and hearty potato. They were roughly $4 each which is pretty direct cheap. Aldi had had dump and add water risotto packets, quinoa dishes, and a few more items like that which I think many folks would appreciate. Another item that I think would be nice is there gluten free mac n cheese, and the biscuit mix. It is really tough for wheat allergy and celiac sufferers to use food pantries. I bought 4 boxes of biscuit mix, 4 mac n cheese, 2 risotto, and 2 soup for this purpose. The town in our county with the Aldi has blessing boxes stashed around the town for this purpose, and folks are welcome to post on the Facebook page if they have donated specific items to help families with food allergies which is a really great feature.

Some stores.stock really nice soup mixes, just add water and cook. Those are very nice on a cold winter day. Dried fruit, trail mix, granola.

Yes, I worry about that too. I wondered if this couple would end up rained out because that is a huge possibility for kids September here, but they got lucky and it was a beautiful day. Venues are just so expensive now. I think the lowest price, indoor option I have seen is a restaurant in our county that does a decent buffet, and you can rent their conference room (which is small, so maybe 50 people) if you pre-pay for 50 people which would be about $1000. But that includes beverages, and a couple staffers to bus tables and refill drinks. It isn't pretty inside, but it isn't ugly. I would call it a rather neutral space. So one could plunk table runners and floating candles in jars on the tables to make it look a little special.

Kassia, I don't know where you are at, but maybe check state parks. From May-early October, outdoor weddings are super easy in Michigan if one is just willing to rent a picnic pavilion at one of the state parks. Even city parks sometimes have gorgeous views and nice places to take pictures. Michigan state parks are not cost prohibitive to rent a standard picnic pavilion in the day use area. We held a family event at one right on Lake Huron. Gorgeous view. Modern bathhouse for everyone to use, picnic tables and grills. I think we paid $200. For a wedding, one could easily walk out on the beach and just get married, and it would be very pretty. I just decorated a wedding on Belle Isle. They got the Woodside shelter across the road from the modern bathrooms. Picnic tables to seat easily 100, though they had only 65. The key was just ordering restaurant food and having someone go get it, and then renting the chafing dishes for serving. They wanted something pretty amazing looking, but I still pulled it off on quite a low budget. The bride, myself, and bridal party collected bud vases and beautiful jars from thrift stores. I paid $30 to a local lumber man to cut 30 - 2.5" thick wood slabs, and we put those in there centers of the tables with vases that had baby's breath (cheap, and you get A LOT) in a single bunch) and a peach rose in each vase, and then three slabs and a collection of very nice glassware on each with peach roses and baby's breath. I then lined the tables with seeded eucalyptus which I also bought in bulk. I have a couple 5 gallon buckets of it. The decorating was a gift to the brides, one of whom is an honorary daughter of ours. She paid for tablecloths and runners, but I have no idea what she paid for those. We gifted LUSH bridal bouquets that I hired done to take that off my plate, and I still only had $500 in all of that. If it had been done in summer, I could have used zinnias from my own yard.

I had a long response formed, and then read yours. I am just going to go with yours, and say it is spot on. We are going through some things here in Michigan. We have our first red flag laws, a little buttoning up on some things like private and gun show sales, etc. Nothing that is going to make a major difference. But where the big emotion is at the moment is that Ethan Crumbley(sentenced to life without parole for the Oxford School shooting) has parents sitting in jail awaiting trial for being the horrible, wicked excuse of human beings who with depraved indifference practically made sure their son would murder people. All eyes are on this. If they can be held accountable for the role they played, it may be possible to see some change. The ammosexuals of my state care not a flying fig for human life except their own. They care exclusively for their own skin and their wallets. If it becomes possible to hold every single parent who lets their kid have access to guns in the home accountable for the gun crime that minor commits, and it results in bankruptcy and prison time, some of them might be more willing to exercise caution or get rid of the stockpiles or maybe not act like Bonnie and Clyde at home. But who knows? They may just continue on thinking there will never be any consequences to them personally for being armed for Iwo Jima against "da big, bad gubmint" when that gubmint is bringing snipers, missiles, drones, and nukes to the local yokel gunfight. My feelings are raw. We just got through the Ethan Crumbley sentencing, and updates on the parents right before Christmas, and we have acquaintances and colleagues with kids in that school district.

Since there is a six year gap between Dd and next oldest, we have said we are willing to pay the cost of an outdoor or modestly priced venue for 75 people, no more, simple meal, desserts, non alcoholic beverages, the photographers fees but not the enlargements and the photographer chosen cannot be charging more than the median/average for the local area, boutonniere, and candles and table runners for the tables or mom made decorations - I am very good at this by the way. We would also be willing to pay a reasonable fee for the officiant. Our other three are sons, so we didn't offer to pay for wedding gowns or bridal bouquet. Mark and I pulled off dd's wedding, same size, as a mostly do it yourself with a caterer, and expect the same from our sons unless their fiance comes from a family who wants to pay a money for a more lavish wedding. We didn't set a specific price tag because with inflation, they would not be able to have what DD had for the amount we spent ten years ago. Last year, eldest ds settled down with our darling dil. They wanted almost nothing just because they are not people who value the pomp and circumstance of it all. Ds didn't even attend his college graduation because it was "too much". So it was " friend ordained online" in the backyard with whomever felt like showing up, and then about 30 people to a local restaurant. I took table runners and candle jars tied with tartan plaid, and placed them on the tables, and we took a couple of lighted, potted trees that I rented from a florist, stuck them in a corner, hung white gossamer (leftover from a different event I decorated) which we back lit with icicle lights, and a few other things on an end table to create a little focal point. Everyone took pictures with their own cameras and phones, and sent them the pics by email. It was extremely laid back. Since we didn't get in the ballpark of what we spent on dd, we gave them the balance as a cash gift. Our two bachelors are probably eternal bachelors. They have other plans for life than settling down in romantic relationships. That might change, but I seriously doubt it. They will eventually get cash gifts as well. One thought they had was that if Mark and I buy a piece of property up north for camping, fishing, outdoor recreation, they would take the cash gifts to help them build a nice cabin/tiny house on the property. They love to fish, hike, and kayak. I could easily see them choosing that option.

Bad parrots, very very bad parrots!

That is sooooo cute!

Yes, and I am hoping, at least for me, that I will be more successful by not having large or complicated things to implement.

Yes, El Nino is messing up. We had this insane Ely warm December, and some plants even got confused and popped up outside. Who knows what will happen now that we have had the sudden plunge to actual winter temps. Mark pruned last year, and I think it stressed the trees because it was still to warm. So I told him no pruning in 2024. I am intrigued by the concept of cold hearty mandarins.

My main goal is for Mark and I to spend more time just the two of us. Last year we had so many emergencies. From April 2022 - April 2023, we had dd with difficulty recovering from covid, then a high risk pregnancy, an adult child to move for a job four hours from here and with only 1 week notice, my mom had a surgery, his mom was diagnosed with some new, not good things and fell 3 times, grandson born 6 weeks premature, honorary grandchild stillborn 11 days before her due date, and then a car that had to replaced with about 3 days to find and buy one. So. We really ran our legs off and weren't in the same place except to sleep so many days. We are going to try to get away to sail and kayak together a lot more. We want to be proactive about it. My other goals are just related to gardening. I am really excited to have a patch of sunflowers planned. Two kinds. Mammoth, in the hopes of fighting off the birds and harvesting seed to eat, and the other is a blend of decorative colors. I have also made a major dietary change, and have made a simplified exercise plan that I think will be easier for me to maintain.

Happy New Year friends! Michigan finally experienced winter. So now comes the count down to starting seeds indoors. For me that will be the last week of February. The houseplants, all 4 of them, are plush. Basil, 2 aloe, and a spider plant that is going crazy. Here is my latest haul. These were on sale for $2.47 each, and we had reward points so I ended up getting them for about $1 each. I was giddy. 😁 I still have cucumber, radish, and scallion seeds from last year. I have decided to buy the amish paste, bell pepper, chili peppers celery, and jalapeño plants because I don't have a large amount of space for seedlings in the sunny spots of the house. I will start broccoli and cucumbers and peas inside, and direct seeds green beans, radishes, carrots, scallions, sunflowers, and sweet corn (I already had those seeds from a different source.) Tell me what is up with your winter gardening or for our southern friends, summer gardens.

😂😂😂 Fair fight? When has a cat even fought fair? They win no matter what the fight. We had a vet one time suggest that we soak a cat's tail three times a day to help it heal. I looked at him like he was the biggest dunce on the planet and said, "Lop that tail off. I value my own life more than the cat's." Mark was too sappy though and said "we'd" try it which was uhm, no, not me in that. After a major battle in the bathroom, he lost a lot of skin, and promptly took the cat back to the vet. Cat lost part of his tail. If you have to fight a cat fight dirty! 😁

Yes. Math hurts! We had four kids. We gained an honorary daughter, who then got married and gave us an honorary son. Dd got married and brought another son and three grandsons. Then eldest boy, and now we have a dil. Then we got another honorary daughter who got married and gave us a delightful honorary son, and now the group is very large, and generally very hungry if I am around to be kitchen elf because I am too stupid to stop making good food and fall for the big, puppy dog looks they give. And another long lost couple with no family, dear friends of youngest ds, appears to be trying to weasel into the family club, and likely, I won't be able to say no as I am weak willed and have a huge soft spot for abandoned, young adults. I need a castle to house them all, and a farm to feed them! Math will kill you in the end. 😂

That is only for businesses employing 50 people or more. So one of the things we see locally is that businesses will employ more than 50, but schedule everyone 29.5. This way they never have to offer insurance. They also do not offer any sick days, paid vacation days, or anything else. Many full time jobs of the past are filled by two part time people. It is also another excuse to keep wages low. If everyone is part time, then that is just one more reason that no pay raises are ever forth coming.

Hate is a good word for it. I also feel there is some sort of capitalist notion that any business is OWED employees, and when the pathetic terms the business offers are rejected, they feel like their rights have been violated. It is really just bizarre and very concerning. Middle ds is working a Sam's Club job part time while in grad school. The manager refuses to post the schedule for the week, which he runs as Monday-Sunday, until midnight Monday morning. He expects employees to stay up until midnight to find out if they are supposed to be at work that morning, and Monday morning for stockers and openers is 6 am start of shift. Twice ds has gone to bed so he could be properly rested, and then didn't find out he was supposed to work Monday. His boss was furious. He told him to stuff it, and reminded him that retail jobs are a dime a dozen so it isn't like he can't go to work somewhere else. Three times the dolt, who knows ds's grad school schedule, has tried to make him work when he is supposed to be on campus, and again, ds has shrugged him off. So far he has not been fired because that place is desperate for employees, and can't keep them. (Well duh!!!!!!🙄) I swear management thinks they are the lords of the land, and employees are their serfs. I can't wait for both of my sons to get through grad school and find employment in their respective fields. I also feel that we need a wake up call as a nation, and especially as consumers about how abused many folks are in order for us to have our convenience.

That poor, confused duck! 😂😂😂 "Pond? or not a Pond? That is the question!" 🐟🐟🐟

Yes, I think bowling is going the way of the dodo because it used to be an activity folks could afford. I looked up the average prices and it was $4-6 to rent the shoes, and $12 a game or $40 an hour per person. So three kids bowling for one game would cost $48, and it doesn't take that long to bowl a game, hardly worth the trip and money. It would be over $120 for those same kids to bowl for one hour! I guess the one bowling alley left around here is all league based. People pay annual dues to belong to the leagues. I don't know how that is priced out. League players usually own their shoes. But, they also spend a lot of money, typically, on cocktails and food. They have no leagues for anyone under 16. I am still really steamed about the tennis courts at the park not allowing kids, and actively sending city police to run children off. If they have a tennis racket a balls, let them be. How the heck are they supposed to learn? Also, the school play grounds here are now fenced and gated, locked up. When we were kids, this was not the way, and everyone went to the local school yard to play on the weekends. As always, low income kids get punished the most for societal changes like these. I hadn't really thought about it much until this thread because we don't have our grandsons here, and our kids are grown so it isn't something of which we were aware. Looking into it makes me concerned. It seems like so many kid spaces are gone, and what is left is ridiculously heavily regulated. I am not happy about the invasion of retirees into our local political system with their "I don't care about kids" mentality. I feel like I need to put up some billboards, place some ads that say, "Be kind to kids. Someday they will be running your nursing home!"

100% spot on.

Your projects are amazing!

Yes. I just purchased linen and chambray. I am starting a new exercise program to see if I can lose some pounds, but ultimately by summer, I would like to have a new summer nightgown, linen capri pants, and three chambray tops made for myself. I also need to make some pot holders for our kitchen, and Dd asked me to make some pull on corduroy pants for all three boys out of vintage corduroy fabric that I found. I did NOT get my Halloween themed quilt done in 2023 so that is on my list. Also, since the flannel scarves were so popular with my adult kiddoes, I want to see if I can collect 100% wool sweaters hopefully with pretty cuffs and hemlines, that I can felt in the washing machine, and then turn into mittens for next Christmas. I will line them with some lining material I found in my old apparel stash. So I do have a list of things to do. Hopefully, I will get them done!

I will say we spent nearly every weekend at the beach because my parents loved it, and prioritized it. Of course it helps that an annual state park pass was so heavily subsidized by tax dollars that it was something like $5. Even now an annual pass is only $20. So they did make an effort, and if they couldn't do it, my grandparents would make the effort. We also went up in the winter and hiked the beaches, watched the ice form, etc. Again, they liked doing that so we were able to do so. We lived about 20 minutes from Lake Huron. My kids also grew up this way. Interestingly, we had two young men on our rocket team at one point who live right here, so very close to those state parks and water/beaches, who at that time, had never ever been to the lake. That was shocking to us. To live in Michigan and never frolic on one of these inland seas is just mind boggling. But, their parents were farmers which is 7 day a week/365 job, and also absolutely hated traveling and being away from home. So if it was not an activity in practically their own backyard, they were not participating. When we found that out, we made sure the 4H Stem Club (rocket team was just an extension of that) had excuses for research projects on Lake Huron so they would have field trips with us. Maybe my parents were just more heavily involved with activities than average which was then conveyed down to me, and I married someone who was enthusiastic about that as well.

My heart goes out to the Japanese people. So scary.

Yes, there is an exam and the USPS reports a very high failure rate, 80%. We are in the post industrial age, and so much of what is done now requires a fair amount of academic knowledge in addition to hands on knowledge. Add to that the fact that employers no longer see a high school education as a verification of basic skills and knowledge set for all the reasons we discuss here every year. This means though college shouldn't be required for many jobs, it is often a requirement to get and interview. The pendulum has shifted too far the other direction, but that isn't going to magically fix itself until K-12 is fixed. The ASVAB average score is 50, and 50 is not getting anyone into any of the better programs. They accept people as low as 30, but if you want to actually get experience and training for a career, that score is not going to cut it. I know lots of kids in the area who couldn't get into the military. It is high tech now after all, and the days of accepting just anybody to keep the numbers up is long gone. Part and parcel in all of this is health insurance tied to employment. Many of the non college routes from cosmetology to plumbing do not come with health benefits. While some trades, like electrical journeyman, can be with companies large enough to provide that, many tradespersons do not have health insurance or have to buy it with high deductibles and out of pocket expense on the marketplace. This is a huge struggle for my stylist who is amazing, but has health problems and easily sees a huge portion of her income go to health expenses. Universal healthcare for all might solve some of these issues and allow Gen Z and Gen Alpha to have many more employment options or start their own businesses.