I was reacting because the screenshot Scarlett posted said half sister, but that's been clarified. I only have personal experience with 23andme which does assign sex based on DNA and they did predict relationships when we did it years ago (don't know if it still does). Just looked it up, you're right about the atDNA. I didn't think they just did autosomal and it turns out they did do y and mt in the past: https://www.dataminingdna.com/does-ancestry-test-y-dna-or-mitochondrial-dna/#Ancestry_Winds_Down_Y-DNA_tests_and_mtDNA_Tests I don't want to detract from Scarlett's exciting news so hopefully this little tangent doesn't do that. Thanks for clarifying that screen shot Scarlett, I hope that you and your brother are able to develop a nice relationship and that you're meaningful additions to each other's lives.

First- Congratulations, and I'm glad to hear there weren't devastating surprises. But, how in the world is a DNA test confusing as to whether new sibling is a sister or brother! I mean... they have the DNA

If that were my kitchen and I wanted to paint the cabinets I'd be thinking about something like number 13 here: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/g3194/green-kitchens/ Could look good with the "earthiness" of your counter and floor if you found the right shade. Green is my favorite color though... definitely not necessarily something that would suit everyone's taste.

I've had life-long struggles with the winter blahs / SAD. A few things that have worked for me: When I've needed to get up early in the winter I've found that having lights controlled by a timer to turn on a few minutes before I need to get up helped. I currently have ceiling mounted plant lights (Soltech brand) over some plants throughout the house. Being around the plants and lights helps me. For a couple years we had white walls and I loved how they looked much of the year but in the winter they just reflect so much grey light from outside that I would just feel like the grey was closing in on me too much. I'd turn on all the lights in all the downstairs and leave them on all the time to deal with it. We repainted with warm colors this year and I no longer have the same problem.

Are they waterproof/resistant on the outside and plush/insulated on the inside? If so, I suspect the stink is developing from not drying thoroughly. When I was a kid our house was heated with wood+coal so we'd put the hand opening toward the heat register and let hot, dry, air flow into them but now we have a heat pump and the air doesn't dry them out as quickly. So, after washing I stick a dry washcloth inside and squeeze to absorb as much water as possible and then I use a hair dryer to blast air into the inside.

There are a few songs that I just don't ever want to listen too. The most frequent one that comes up is Meatloaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Light. And it always starts when my hands are dirty and I have to choose between making a mess or listening to the song. The most interesting songs that I can't listen to luckily don't get much play any more. Big Four Poster Bed by Brenda Lee and A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash. I think Brenda Lee has a phenomenal voice, but the song always gave me the creeps - especially from a kid's point of view. It was an old song even when I was little and it would get played on the local station sometimes. Then, I heard it in the early 2000's and went down an internet rabbit hole. The song was written by Shel Silverstein. I previously hadn't known anything about him other than his fame for his children's books. Long story short, Silverstein wrote both Big Four Poster Bed and A Boy Named Sue. I never had anything against A Boy Named Sue - it's a song that makes one think about a lot of things. Sometimes it's helpful to see into the dark sides of humanity without having to experience it personally. BUT! Shel Silverstein wrote a follow-up called The Father of a Boy Named Sue which is rather offensive, dark, and creepy at a level I just want nothing to do with. I'll link to the lyrics but know that if you have Shel Silverstein or his children's books on a pedestal it might ruin that. https://genius.com/Shel-silverstein-the-father-of-a-boy-named-sue-lyrics

Sometimes people feel like if an item that is connected to an important memory goes away that the memory will go away too. If it's the memory of gardening with grandfather is important I wonder if he would be okay keeping the landscape plan you made and a list of plants, some photos if they exist, along with writing down some of his fondest memories and storing that in a way he could just get out and look at all of it from time to time. Get it out on grandpa's birthday... or first day of spring... or set a phone calendar reminder to look at yearly.... Seems like these plants could go from holding fond, important, memories to ones that cause a lot of more negative emotion really fast. Between you not liking them and the potential for a lot of bad outcomes with MIL, wouldn't he rather just find another way to preserve and relish the really nice memories with his grandfather? Seems like MIL has some hang up about the plants too (maybe for similar emotional reasons?). Lots of people find comfort in leaving things left behind by loved ones undisturbed. Maybe they have competing emotional needs for the same physical item? Would those items get tainted in a negative way if it is a big fight at the end of MIL's life?

I did something like the auto-immune paleo diet before that was a thing and figured out what was causing my joint and thyroid problems. It can be difficult to eliminate so many common things (like wheat, dairy, potato, tomato....) but for me it was totally worth it. I had done some allergy and food sensitivity testing that was somewhat helpful, but wasn't as useful as eliminating the most troublesome foods for people and then systematically trying them and monitoring. Maybe testing has improved. My experience is more than a decade old. I was able to put autoimmune disease into remission. Unfortunately, it's not a guaranteed fix. It might also be helpful to try some soil based probiotics. I never eat wheat, which was the culprit for my tummy problems and thyroid disease. I had an integrative Dr. at one point who told me that her personal experience as a Dr. was that none of the celiac testing was perfect and that she had many patients who improved by eliminating wheat even though they weren't dx Celiac. I do sometimes partake in things that give me joint pain though.... Vitamin C, Collagen, Turmeric, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and a red light therapy pad fix up my joint pain when I "fall off the wagon" and eat potatoes/pizza sauce/ ice cream. I hope your daughter can find and follow some trails that will be helpful for her. I understand and can empathize with what she is going through. Hopefully her suffering can ease soon and she can get back to all the things young people should be doing!

Yes, I see that applying to a private HS would really complicate things. If it weren't for that, I was going to say I'd try both calc and woot and then figure out which to drop. I know you didn't ask for additional options.... but I'll just throw this out there just in case you decide to go for the woot but it doesn't work out for him right now and want to look at other things..... IMACS has mathematical logic classes (https://www.eimacs.com/student_aml_overview.htm) that would allow you to step to the side of the calculus track and still do something challenging. My son loves both AOPS and IMACS content. They give him different things and I'm so glad that we've been able to do both.

Do you mean high school or university?

I have 5 of them ranging from 3x5' up to 9x12'. All have been through multiple washings and one is under an office chair on rollers. The one under the roller-chair has seen the most use and abuse and is still going strong after over a year - no visible extra wear and tear under the casters. The one in the kitchen has had the most times through the washing machine and is 3 years old. The corners are showing wear but the main carpet area still looks great. I like that they're washable and easy to vacuum. I have some newer ones that have spots on the corners to tuck the base into to prevent curling, but even on my old ones that don't have that I haven't had curling. I'm happy with them, don't think I'd be as happy with anything else.

@CorralenoThank you for taking the time to give all those details about the ASU UL classes. Your post satisfied a lot of curiosity I had about them.

"How Computers Really Work: A Hands-On Guide to the Inner Workings of the Machine" by Matthew Justice is good for high school level. The writing is very conversational and clear. Most of the chapters can stand on their own so you could just add some of the topics to round out your course. It includes some exercises and about 40 projects. Contents, sample chapter, etc. for the book: https://nostarch.com/how-computers-really-work/#content

@Clarita I don't know how well they grow in clay but ground cherries are smallish, produce lots of fruit, and are great to go pick and snack on while outside. The "cherries" have a husk covering them so they really don't even need to be washed. They will readily self seed yearly if you leave a few on the ground and have the right conditions. Oh, and everyone here thinks they're delicious 🙂

I had a dyson ball that lasted for 14 years before the plastic parts started to break in ways that couldn't be repaired. It did a great job on carpet and I would say good on solid flooring. Keeping the filter clean and dealing with emptying the bag less collection bin was something I always hated. We replaced it with a Miele (with power head) last December and I just love it - it's quiet (for a vacuum), I love the cleanliness of having the bags, and I it gets everything really clean without stirring up dust (no sneezing while vacuuming). The wand works great for baseboards/trim/etc. and seems to have more reach than my dyson did. The canister is a lot easier to deal with than the ancient hand-me-down Electrolux canister I had before the Dyson. I've only owned those three vacuums and I'm 44. I can't imagine replacing every two years, I'd be frustrated too!