My heart goes out to you for your losses. Hoping and praying with you for a good report.

We just bought a laptop for my mom and found our money went farther by watching for a certified refurbished at Dell Outlet. I wound up finding one with 8GB RAM and 1TB hard drive for $235. I did have to do some watching but there was inventory showing up. We haven't had any problems with Dell certified refurbished.

I haven't seen the black stainless but a few years ago I bought a GE dishwasher in slate, which is a matte deep grayish brown that looks great and is very flexible. I totally love the color but the dishwasher has had many problems, starting with tines rusting off starting around 18 months. I don't like stainless or black and white doesn't work in my kitchen.

Living in Europe during that time period doesn't exclude someone from the donor list because in the cases of stem cell transplant usually the need is so critical and immediate that it far outweighs the risk of possibly developing CJD down the road. When my family member had a transplant he had to sign off a stack of waivers and one of them was being informed that his donor lived in one of those regions during that time period and that he was aware of and understood the risks. When the stats aren't in your favor to make it through even the next five years, CJD becomes a very low consideration. Thanks from the bottom of my heart to those of you who are blood donors and are on the bone marrow registry. I'm not able to donate due to a family member with CJD but my husband is an 8+ gallon blood donor. Ottakee, I'm sorry your loved one is back in this situation. It's gut-wrenching enough even without complicated blood typing.

Be sure and check the fine print on the housing contracts/housing websites. Universities will have specifications that you can't exceed with appliances. I have a fridge sitting out in the garage for that reasons--had to buy a smaller one that met the guidelines.

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I'd be asking DS how important it is to him that you be at his first game before making a decision. I've had three kids heavily involved in music, plus dance, church, and 4-H, and my husband's job requires him to be away a lot of evenings and weekends. We try to have at least one parent at what we can, but from early on whenever we ran into conflicts I've always asked them how important it was for one of us to be there. They knew they could be candid and it has saved me a lot of stressing in similar situations, because there were times it mattered a lot less to them than it did to me.

The school guidance office.

Yes, we would have loved that space. It would be great to have for enternaining also. Either as a space for larger groups, or a place for kids to burn off energy.

I price checked something just as I was about to head to a very long line, and found it was only $1 more on Amazon. I had checked before I left home and it was considerably higher, at least the version of the item I checked. Needless to say I stuffed it back on the shelf and headed out the door.

PS pizza and steak could easily becworked into appetizers.

I had an extremely picky eater due to sensory issues. If I wasn't sure of the menu I always brought food he could eat along, just in case. I didn't expect others to change their menu, however I did appreciate when those who knew inquired and/or included an acceptable alternative but I never expected it. You can never go wrong with being gracious and making a guest feel welcome. If this is a child then I'd check with a parent. If an adult I'd probably expand the menu, especially if fish/seafood were the main entre because it is typically either loved or hated. FWIW I'd be taking a pass on that seafood myself, sorry. (I hate mushrooms too.) No sensory issues or extreme pickyness on my part-those two foods plus a few others just taste nasty to me. I appreciate that my inlaws just plan on ordering a pizza when they do a fish fry so Im not just eating salad and desserts. The kids all like it too, and usually eat both.

Everything at Levi's is 40% off (except gift cards) plus free shipping/free returns! http://www.levi.com/US/en_US/

Ditto, but mine lasted until age 12. He did buy himself a small set when the Star Wars movie came out, but hasn't touched our big tub of Legos in years.

Christmas Milk--Pour milk into holiday glass. Add a few drops of red or green food coloring. Add straw. (Ignore kids blowing bubbles while they drink it.) I started doing this occassionally during the holiday season when my kids were little. They're young adults now and won't turn down a glass of Christmas Milk.

I bought Corel Paintshop Pro when it went on sale at Amazon for $29. I've been happy with it and feel it offers a lot for the cost.

I always go for self-check for a few items, and medium amount of items if the lines are busy. The store I frequent most just did away with self-check. I was told by an employee it was due to a costly software upgrade. I can get out of there really fast with a few items and it's really irritating me to wait in line and have someone else do what I'd been handling myself. They do bring in more clerks for the busy periods but it still takes me longer.

Have you been tested (and retested) for Lyme Disease? A good friend of mine has Lyme that didn't present with a bull's eye rash and arthritic symptoms, but with neurological symptoms instead. Her initial symptoms were ear-related, but the lasting issues have been myoclonus, gait issues, and balance problems. She saw a lot of doctors who told her what it wasn't before she was finally diagnosed.

What type of fish?

I would consider my "help" to her as providing a low cost place to live. Otherwise treat her like a boarder. She is using your generosity to manipulate you, and the only way to put a stop to this is to set new boundaries if she's going to remain under your roof. She's had a few months to adjust to the school year, so I'd stop doing her laundry. I'd expect she leave all but what she's currently washing in her bedroom and I'd haul any back that is left down there--both dirty and clean. I'd buy her her own set of towels for Christmas if she doesn't already have some for college. She stops using the family towels and can do whatever she wants with hers. She managed in college and can manage now. I wouldn't worry about her meals. If I were making something I know she likes I'd make extra, but otherwise I'd carry on as usual. If she's not home at mealtime leftovers may or may not be in the fridge when she lands. Whatever. I'd let her know now this isn't working well for you and starting ie January 1 she can choose to stay provided she pay rent and do bare minimum of upkeep that impacts the family. IMO this would be keeping her clothes and stuff inside her room, emptying bathroom trash weekly, and once a month bathroom cleaning. I'd also set a date for her being out, i.e. before school starts in fall. We know you're helping her out a great deal, but she doesn't realize that yet. If she hasn't realized that yet, it's not going to happen until she's out of the house.

A gift card so they can order carry out pizza (or whatever) the next day.

I had one of those. It lasted until around age 12 and then it was all I could do to push him out of bed.

Do you know for certain that he was neutered? ie not just information passed along from a previous owner?

I wouldn't buy until I'd had an estimate done on corrective measures, including any changes to the sheet rock, the drainage system and heating/cooling system. It might even be good to have a restoration company come out and give options/estimates, since they deal with flooded and musty basements. I will mention that proper air flow can make a HUGE improvement in the quality of air in unfinished basements. We run our furnace fan continually for that reason.

Ugg boots, worn without socks. Thin layers under clothes to keep the core warm. I found I didn't need pricey wool or silk-Cuddleduds get the job done. Also important for me is staying warm from the outset of the cday or outing. Once those hands and feet get cold it's hard to reverse course.