That's an adorable picture. :001_wub:

Comprehensive testing for communications issues involve evaluations both by an audiologist and also by a speech and language pathologist.

Please take the advice to look quietly into your financial details and see an attorney before any confrontation. Most us here probably know men who did great damage to the family finances while having affairs. (I know someone IRL who drained the life savings he and his very frugal wife had saved-retirement, college savings, emergency fund -it's all gone.) I'm not saying that has happened in your situation or even that this is an affair but there is definitely strong evidence of involvement. I'm very sorry.

I've had to cut foil from a disposable foil pan before.

Hey, you Christmas over-achievers and planners can't hijack our thread! We're suffering here! :rofl:

I believe in you!

Got the ABBA tunes cranked now to help me push though Working on the last cookies now. When these are done I'll prep the roast beef, then stick it in the oven and roast for awhile before turning it off to cook the rest of the way. It's a little weird waking up to the aroma of roast beef, but it frees up the oven for the day. Go girls!

It's not too late to buy a fresh turkey or turkey breast. A turkey breast is easier to manage.

Double ugh. I'd venture a guess that there are others who are frustrated and would relieved to see this exercise in futility come to an end, so I'd get the ball rolling. Maybe buy only for kids under 18? And make a keepsake momento with grandkids pics for dad and stepmom.

I need to pick up a last minute gift. Has anyone seen these at any of the usual stores? I don't even pay attention to games, cards etc. in stores these days.

Donning my support hose because my feet are already hurting. We can do this, ladies!

I'm with you, sisters! Heading to bed now.

Toys R Us?

This morning I read a quote claiming that a person dies twice, once when a person stops breathing and again when somebody says their name for the last time. It was greatly comforting to me as this is the time of year when memories of those who have gone on are so strong. As a family historian it gives me great pleasure to find someone connected to our family whose memory has been lost to time. Sometimes about all I can do is connect them up to other family members, but sometimes I'm able to fill in some details of their lives, recognize a forgotten soldier, or visit their graves.

Same story here. I think we did it for 2-3 years. Especially when the kids were young I didn't want them to have tons of candy, so the stockings were quite costly. Now I typically do some candy, and maybe 1 or two inexpensive items.

I am in awe how everything fell perfectly into place to give this little one a fighting chance. Does he have a name yet? Of course all of us board aunties want to know!

We don't even do stockings for adults, so it will be interesting to see everyone's traditions.

OMG, not at all what I expected when I opened this thread. Welcoming this new little life to the world! Praying for your little fighter!

Bumping this thread as I'm looking for some new tried and true cookie recipes. Not going to abandon our favorites, but it's time to shake things up a bit.

I think it depends on the quality.I had one that started looking shabby after six years. My inlaws bought a much pricier tree in 1999. Its in our house now and still looks good. Im starting to see some branch breakage so I doubt it's got many more good years. I'll probably be really tired of it before it looks really bad.

Have you been tested (and retested) for Lyme Disease? I have a friend who had many of the same symptoms. Hers prestented with neurological symptoms instead of the expected rheumatoid symptoms. The doctors went through a lot of possibilities, including MS, before landing on the right diagnosis.

Some variation of hot spiced fruit could work. Its easy to prep ahead of time and heat in a crockpot. The recipe I make calls for canned pears, peaches and apricots with juices drained. Plus orange juice concentrate,raisins, nuts, spices, and nuts. Twice baked potatoes.

I was going to suggest Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet by John McCormack, but it looks like it only made it to cassette. https://www.amazon.com/Fields-Pastures-New-First-Country/dp/1559273682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482210981&sr=1-1&keywords=fields+and+pastures+new+audio He's not a well-known author, but it's a good read. I suggested it for another family making a car trip, and they loved it. Had to do the reading the old fashioned way, though. :laugh:

If it were me I would push the reset button by telling those boys "Of course you will be getting some Christmas presents. Not because you're being rewarded, but because that's what parents (and Santa if you go there) do." Then move the conversation along. For what it's worth, this was counter-intuitive to the memories and traditions that I thought I should be creating, but some years I found that dialing it all back this week helped. As in watch regular shows instead of holiday shows. Ditto with snacks and books. Skip advent and/or any spiritual lessons. Hang out part of the day or evening in rooms that aren't decorated. Schedule some "No Christmas Talk time" and stick to it. Take the kids out for some one-on-one time for hot chocolate or milkshakes. Then fire it back up on Christmas Eve. This approach certainly didn't solve every holiday problem we had, but it did help ease some of the anxiety.

This is my take as well. I'm not a big holiday person so it's always a challenge for me, some years more so than others. I've found it isn't necessary for me to feel festive to make a Christmas happen for my family. I suggest doing the things that will work towards that minimal goal, but will take the stress off of you. Plan for carry-out or pre-prepared food. Use festive paper plates and disposable cups to save yourself the dishes. (Heck, start using paper plates now to cut down on dishes for the rest of the week.) Use gift bags instead of wrapping paper.