I'm sorry to bump, but I didn't want my puppy left out LOL:

It is very boring. Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, oran-raisins, and sprinklings of wheat germ & parmesan. Pretty much every.single.night LOL ETA - My mother always served our salad with the dressing already mixed with the greens. Either French or a creamy Italian or green-goddess (does anyone remember that?). I yearned for ranch or regular italian. When we married, DH did not want the dressing mixed in. So, the ugly bottles go on the table. I have never gotten over that!

On app: Choose the menu feature at the top (the three parallel line thing at the top L) Choose "Your Account" from this pull-down menu Scroll way down to the "Personalized Content" section where you will Choose "Browsing History"

Make everyone happy with an ice-cream social! Since DH and I were completely on our own for expenses (and we tend to be frugal), we made the decision that the wedding cost less then the honeymoon. We decided to go all out and honeymoon in Hawaii. It was beautiful and wonderful hiking! So, our reception had to be as inexpensive as possible but still pleasant and fun for our guests. It was an early afternoon wedding with an ice-cream social to follow. The venue was a college cafeteria that we decorated ourselves complete with a few rented ice-cream shop tables/chairs where we encouraged close family to seat themselves - everyone else used the cafeteria tables. I had been in 10 weddings at that point, and did not desire to complicate matters by asking each of those girlfriends to attend to me, so each was asked to stay after the wedding for a special photo with me only. Anyway, we hired caterers in black tie to serve ice-cream to our guests, who were then able to chose their own simple toppings from a rose petal filled table. It was lovely, with (taped) classical music. From our understanding, lots of people broke up in smaller groups and went out to dine/dance after our festivities were over. We still hear from young and old alike how much they enjoyed our simple, elegant, yummy reception.

Cardinal Rule: If in doubt, throw it out! PS, hope you are feeling better! ETA (but there isn’t a doubt in this instance, it MUST not be eaten)

For our particularly minimalist DS these have been hits: Playing cards from eBay, vintage, rare/collectable; pocket knife (these wear down); Countdown Games/Breakout Games gift night with DH (if I set the date, it happens); hardcopy vintage book of favorite author - fun to find pristine copies on eBay.

I wish that I had received this suggestion before we got our puppy - I love her, but I would have loved to acquire an older trained dog. Alas, I heard about this dog acquisition option in puppy class. (this timing may not be good for you ... ) Go to dog shows and talk to everyone. Asking around about dogs that may be heading out of the show ring may lead to finding a lovable former show dog. It is important, to me, to find a dog who has been a companion, not just a competitor. I was led to believe the show venue would be a good source of well trained dogs ready to move on to a forever home. ETA, I agree with @Kareni, you could purchase a stuffed animal to stand in until you find one.

Everyone here liked any Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books until into their teens. It lightened the mood in the car for all of us - I miss it! For a little higher-order ... and adventure, I recommend Jules Verne.

Exploding Kittens will be the surprise family game for Christmas Eve. Hoping it is as fun as the hype. I would like to try Ticket to Ride, but we do not play games that often anymore, and I am also wondering about the fun of it for the high cost.

SAS brand, Wink slip on. Black. Boring penny-loafer type style, but I can find them to fit my hard-to-fit feet, and they go with everything.

Close enough to rain for me=) I would wear them.

haha, as a devoted ATK-Cookbook-Only cook, I couldn't agree more. The food scientist in me loved the lengthy discussion/directions when I was a new cook many years ago (DH, who does not cook, subscribed to Cook's Illustrated when it was rebranded in the early 90's) With our family growing, I had enough experience with ATK recipes to streamline processes. Although they do spell out each step, it takes experience to see where those steps can be skipped/modified when one doesn't want the best result, just one that will put dinner on the table! Usually, I save ATK recipes for company, but their techniques taught me to cook well on the fly.

I have experienced the effect that putting 'speak' on cue slows down a dog's barking. I also have experience rewarding a dog for looking toward a perceived threat but maintaining quiet, then gradually moving closer. Although I can train those things, I do not know how to help someone else learn to do it -- I hope others chime in. What I will recommend is the book, Click to Calm by Emma Parsons. Although the book subtitle reads, "Healing the Aggressive Dog", the suggestions will help any dog with all sorts of annoying issues. The book has great step-by-step directions for the problem you mentioned. As with most dog-training, working hard on this for a few weeks before slowing down gradually into maintenance mode will pay long-term dividends. Oh, that book isn't cheap, check if your local library has a copy. Best wishes!

Aww! Just fair warning: It won't taste like hers😹 She lived with us for awhile. Before she moved out, I watched over her shoulder as she made it to write down exactly what she did -- she cracked me up when she said things like, "use almost a full can of soup...use just short of a bag a noodles"! But, as long as you top it with potato chips, you can't go wrong. Why is it that recipes change so much from one time to the next (re: your tamale pie)?

Ok, so unbeknownst to me, DH has been working on this for the rest of the property and can just buy another camera for the barn. He is using the brand Lorex, and that is about as much as I can say about it, it is all so new to me.

I have not used the app, I was wondering...This is how I use Plan to Eat: First: I keep Plan to Eat as my homepage on my computer office that sits adjacent to kitchen. That way, when I run to the computer to call up a recipe to make, it is quickly at hand. I have thought about placing a bracket inside a kitchen cabinet to hold our iPad so that I could pull up the app at eye level & not have to run back and forth from the office LOL! So, I cannot comment on the app, but I am thinking of using it. I am slowly eliminating my handwritten recipes by typing them into Plantoeat. So, a fair number on my account are 'original' and made on a regular basis. You all friending me is making me get my tags in order LOL! If you see/use a recipe that say's 'Ginny's' in the title that is from my late mother and warms my heart to think that someone may make one of her recipes! I rarely plan a week, but when I do ... what a great grocery list. The grocery list is only as streamlined as the recipe ingredients. I need to go in there and clean up my ingredients - make them all 'parallel'. I wrote recipes for a living way back in the day, and I find the inconsistencies, d/t my own entry diff's and some being downloads, annoying=) I have friended you and MrsR - looking forward to making your Lemon-lime Soda at my next potluck and MrsR's Slow-Cooker Tamale Pie!

Elizabeth Hungary

This could tie in with other outdoor work we are doing. Looking quickly, the brand (on amazon) refers to option to store to cloud, etc. Is there a monthly service for any part of it?

Recently, I have gone to a few Best Buys to mystery shop re: Smart lightbulbs, smart doorbells, etc. This new world is an amazing place. I can't wrap my mind around all these new options. I think a deer-cam of sorts for Dd's barn would be a fun gift for her. She has an iPhone and a barn. Any knowledge of what I can do to set them up together?

This is an adventure book I have given the men in my life - I want to read it myself! Battling the Oceans in a Rowboat: Crossing the Atlantic and North Pacific on Oars and Grit http://a.co/d/8Dcy262

That calls for creative Christmas adapting. Fun and cool about the Grinch, though!

Very glad to hear that, and, yes, I do catastrophize!

I am sorry that you have not been home for many years. It is likely on the near radar for some/one child to be far away. I can see preferring them staying where they are so they don't have to travel in bad weather. Another letting go thing - they can/will/should do what is best for them and their current circumstances. Thinking of passing the baton on how holidays are celebrated makes me think of the threads about expecting our elders to adapt to the giving up of homes/all possessions and moving in with us/nursing homes. The speeding up of time as one ages makes it so ironic to me that just as I was getting good at 'controlling' their lives by choosing the correct curricula and gently placing them on their own particular track to success through the right jobs/volunteer opportunities, I am now asked to let the holidays go to their schedules. In the blink of an eye, aka tomorrow, I will be asked to toss out all my clutter and move across the country because it will be obvious to all but me that I can no longer live alone. LOL - sorta! But, I digress ...

I had not considered doing things on my own. Especially going out to afternoon shows and musical performances that dh can't do with me d/t projects at home. Great idea! Family togetherness has been prized by me so much that, as the extrovert in an introverted family, it can come on too strong and everyone senses me trying too hard. They used to accuse me of 'trying too hard' when they were teens, but now they are, I sense, beginning to appreciate that that is just who I am. Fortunately, our family is rather polite, but I do have 'bad' memories where I tried to get us to sing carols around the light of the tree on Christmas Eve for years before I realized that they hated it and weren't just being teens. Switched that to a new board game each year ... a much better fit for us. I probably need to stop forcing so much togetherness (which causes me internal stress as I play into the 'silly-mom' role that makes me feel put-down, even if they are respectful) and do some things alone, the couple of things together, and appreciate them just being in the same house. I am going to make a few notes, having it all in my head and not on paper is stressful anytime. It will help me see that balance is possible. The suggestions to make the religious aspect of Christmas front and center really should be heeded - thank you - our lives have the framework for that, but I have lost that focus.

I completely understand the 'having it figured out' part. Those I know IRL think I have it figured out and, despite what I try to articulate, they do not realize the struggle for me as everyone scatters. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. I really appreciate the encouragement and perspective. Perspective is exactly what I need, and all these perspectives are helping me see things differently. I have tried, perhaps too hard, to keep everything the same while it really needs to adapt.