Yay! I buy gift cards for my three younger nephews (14, 18, and 20), because they live out of state, and I know which stores they love to shop in, but I figure they are at the age where they'd prefer to pick out their own clothes. But this year, in addition to gift cards, I got them little funny gifts (stick-on moustaches, a funny toy one of them had as a kid that was special, and a goofy thing that makes sound effects). They really enjoyed those. I did ask my SIL if she thought they would really prefer something to unwrap rather than gift cards, but she said, for them, they'd rather have the gift card to pick something out. So I compromised and got both the gift cards and the funny inexpensive gifts. So they got both!

A huge box of my brother's 1990s video games (a console, a handheld, and a zillion games) for my ds! My son loves collecting and playing "old" video games, so I asked my SIL to see if my brother was willing to part with any of his. He was more than generous, and my son was so excited opening the box and finding more and more. Very cool.

Wow, that is pretty! I don't think I'd attempt it, though; I think I'd mess it up.

I'm so sorry for your family. I can imagine that you are all traumatized at losing both the cat and the dog, right before Christmas!

Well, I had lunch at In 'n' Out, so I think the healthy ship has sailed. I like most apples; I think Fuji and Gala are both really good. Even better covered in caramel! :-) I had a stuffed lamb as a very little child, but the one I most remember (and still own!) is a Pooh bear. He's pretty worn out looking. I had him on ds's shelf when he was very small, until he asked me (at about age 2-3) to take "Puh" out because he was scary-looking. Wendi

We don't do Santa, but when I was growing up, the gifts from Santa were always mixed in with gifts from Mom and Dad under the tree. (Everything was put out on Christmas Eve after we were asleep.) I am not sure what age I was when I noticed that Santa used the same wrapping papers and had the same handwriting as my mom! :laugh: Although we don't do Santa, I will label one or two of ds's gifts as "from Santa" just for fun. And he also gets gifts from each of our pet rabbits. They have excellent taste. :thumbup1:

So pretty! Ruby. Poppy? Rosie. Cordelia. Reina. Juliet. Scarlett.

Yes, the old one with Errol Flynn.

Yeah, I was just reading that, too. It's not impossible that a golden eagle might try to snatch a baby, but apparently this video is fake. I did see a hawk try to steal a chicken a couple of weeks ago. All the other chickens freaked out and rushed to the barn afterwards.

Yikes! They have golden eagles at our zoo; they are huge!

I go overboard a bit every year. I think a big part of it is because, although we wanted a bigger family, we only have one ds. We moved across the country from our family and best friends a number of years ago, so Christmas is just the three of us. So I try to make sure ds has lots of gifts to open. I know presents don't make people happy, etc., etc. There are no "big ticket" items, but he will have a bunch of gifts to unwrap.

We buy for: our ds each other our moms siblings and siblings-in-law* nieces and nephews great-niece (new this year!) This year, I also bought a gift for our horseback riding instructor. Ds and I have been taking lessons since June, and we love it. She's a great teacher and a really sweet person. *This year, my mom, bro and sis-in-law, adult nephew and his wife, and sis-in-law's dad all decided to draw names instead of buying gifts for everyone. So that was different.

I read it when we went on vacation over the summer. I was laughing so much, I ended up having to share the more family-friendly parts. (I remember showing my son the picture of the raccoon in hammer pants.)

Like Ali, I make lasagna on Christmas. (Dh is half Sicilian, and lasagna was the traditional Christmas meal for him growing up.) I don't have to do a bunch of sides, which I appreciate. I will serve garlic bread and salad. If I am feeling adventurous this year, I may try a recipe for salt and pepper calamari which sounds yummy. We buy a cheesecake for dessert. With your turkey, though, I recommend roasted butternut squash and any other veggies you like. Spread cubed squash, broccoli florets, and/or green beans, along with garlic cloves, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on fresh pepper, salt, and whatever seasoning you like (herbes de provence is good). Roast for 25-30 minutes (green beans may take 30-35) at 425. Mmm. You can throw this in the oven while the turkey cools and is carved. If you like the cookie sheet with foil, you won't have anything to wash! :-) When I roast veggies, I also like to include those little fingerling potatoes, but with turkey I assume you're doing mashed potatoes.

Dh just took ds and his best friend (who's spending the night) out to get us some food. Someone had to stay home and watch the fire, so I am enjoying some peace and quiet with a fire in the fireplace and the Christmas tree lights on. :-) I think I'll go get the bunny (in my avatar) and see if he wants to snuggle. Wendi

Maybe you need a different kind of pants. I have yoga pants that I work out in, but I also have a pair of pants I got at Wal-mart that have a higher waist and drawstring. They cover more, but are made of yoga-pants-type material, so I can work out in them. They were in that section in Wal-mart with some different pants folded and put on shelves; they come in black and gray.

Wow! Impressive. We had a LOTR party for ds when he turned 8. My dh set up an obstacle course in the backyard, which involved "fighting a ringwraith", "crawling through the mines of Moria", and finally "throwing the ring into the fire." Each guest received lembas bread to take home (a biscotti wrapped up in construction paper leaves). I think we did some kind of craft, but I can't remember what it was. Have fun!

We have two bunnies, and I used to work at a rabbit rescue. Like most animals, they'll be better off if you keep them inside. They're social, so if you can get two, they can keep each other company. (Plus it's fun to watch them interact.) They do live about 10-12 years on average. (We have a 12-year-old bunny who's still going strong. He's my avatar.) They eat lots of timothy hay, some rabbit pellets, and fresh veggies. They will use a litter box, although some of them are not as committed to the concept, and will leave lots of little balls around for you to pick up. (Out of our two, the younger one is very fastidious about using the litter box, but the older one is not.) You do need to bunny-proof areas of the house they'll play in, and keep an eye on them. Some bunnies are very obsessive chewers. They need grooming and nail clipping. You can teach them tricks and things, especially if you start when they are young. However, they're rather independent and not as motivated to please humans as a dog, so good luck. Our older bunny is very sweet and snuggly, and loves to watch tv with me, and even gives me bunny kisses. The younger one is more moody; sometimes she will sit with me for hours, but other times she'd rather explore or just go snuggle with the other bunny than pay attention to me. The two of them are devoted to each other and it's adorable to watch them.

This site seems easy to understand, although I don't know where they got the info. (It pertains to federal income tax.)

I don't have a dog, but my riding instructor has two Aussie/heeler mixes. The things I have seen them chew/eat! :scared: :svengo: A few weeks ago, the dogs were outside with us. I was grooming "my" horse, and ds and our instructor were about 10 yds away giving "ds's" horse a bath. One of the dogs lay down near me, and I saw something like feathers near him. Then I heard crunching. I turned and saw him happily crunching away on a dead bird, half the wing hanging out of his mouth. I told my ds about it, and he said the other dog was greedily picking up anything disgusting washed off the horse's, ahem, undercarriage, or picked out of his hoof. :scared: The smellier, the better. They roll in horse poop and drink out of cows' water trough. Then they want to kiss you. :blink:

I agree you should see the doctor ASAP. The chills, pain, and shaking worry me. I did have a uterine infection after having ds; I don't remember for sure if I had a fever, but I do remember feeling very weak and shaky.

No, but after seeing (and hearing) the flock of geese that my riding instructor's grandmother has, I'd like to eat one. :D They are LOUD, aggressive and obnoxious. They go nuts whenever they see anyone doing anything, not just strangers. After walking our horses past them recently, provoking the usual honking cacaphony, I remarked to my riding instructor, "I bet the horses have dark fantasies of *accidentally* stepping on a goose." She said, "We all have those fantasies." I said, "I hear a lot of people eat goose for Christmas dinner." :lol:

I know. I was just responding to the other poster about where the money might be going if it didn't go to food stamps.

Or maybe the people that earned the money could have kept it to spend or invest as they saw fit.

Boy, that escalated quickly. :lol: