We flew from Orlando to Detroit, then drove from there to Sandusky, Ohio and stayed with DH's aunt and uncle. His whole father's side of his family live in that area, and some he hadn't seen since he was a kid. So we got the eclipse AND basically a family reunion out of it. For the actual eclipse we went downtown and watched from the Jackson Street Pier - they had live music and food trucks and such. A big horn blew at the start and end of totality. Weather was PERFECT with just some high hazy clouds but you could totally see everything. The sky got dark, you could see venus, and a flock of seagulls took off toward the islands where they roost. It was amazing. DS11 said it looked like " there was a hole in the sky!"

I know a LOT of people keep a round chambered - they store it with a bullet ready to go. To me that's terrifying and I assumed in most cases that is what happened. I think it's insane - people say it is because there maynot be time in an emergency to rack the slide and chamber it. I figure it you don't have time to rack the slide you don't have time to make a decision on if you should shoot. I'm sure you are right though, that some are easier than others.

Wow - I'm a full grown adult and I struggle to rack the slide to chamber a round on a semi automatic hand gun. I can't fathom a preschooler doing it. All I can think is that we are talking about very different guns! (ours are locked up in a biometric safe, ammo in a different safe, also locked up, and on a very high shelf in my husband's office - so I never counted on a child not being able to - but I'm still surprised)

Speaking of joy, our church has a tradition of ending the Easter service with this every year and it's too much fun not to share. Video can't do it justice though - hearing it and toe tapping along in a room full of your church family is just the best.

It was pretty easy! And I really like it, other than in order to hide my bra I had to cinch it up really tight with the drawstring, which means it was less roomy in the arm pit than I'd prefer with my sensory issues. If I got a decent strapless bra to wear with it then I'd keep it a bit more toward my outer shoulders and it would be more comfy. But my only strapless bra was um...not going to work. No padding, no structure, and yeah, was nearly obscene in that dress, definitely not going to work for a 48 yr old woman going to church on Easter.

Did any of y'all have sticker albums? I remember having different pages for scratch n' sniff, puffy stickers, holographic stickers, etc.

Just saw this, I'm praying for K and you.

I used this, just switched to limeade instead of lemonade because I like lime better, lol. The store only had 12 oz cans, so I doubled the recipe and made two. We are gluten free so I used gluten free storebought graham cracker pie crusts. Personally, I would like it a bit more tart...maybe sub in some straight lime juice for some of the concentrate or something....or add some zest for more flavor. But it really is tasty and stupid easy. https://www.thespruceeats.com/frozen-lemonade-pie-recipe-3058033

I made the Joni dress - added extra shirring between the underbust and the waist shirring so it was all continuous. Next time would remember my waist is higher than most, it goes a bit low in the back. Also in photo you can see DD's dress. I got several compliments on it, so thank you! (also, DH loves it because it makes my books look larger)

I made a crockpot casserole for Easter breakfast before church - and it was gross. Awful. Ended up having fruit and cereal and I had muffins I'd bought from Sprouts. After church we had a late lunch/early dinner of deviled eggs, chicken salad sandwiches on croissants (found gluten free sweet rolls for kid with celiac - walmart), Watergate Salad (aka the "green stuff", baked beans with bacon, and fruit. Dessert was Pavlova and Frozen Limemade Pie (both super easy). Pavlova has somehow become our traditional Easter dessert - DD14 wanted it and she and I have been butting heads alot so it was nice to do something for her. Only issue was the pavlova was a bit stuck to the parchment paper, so I just cut it and left it on there...and I realized I didn't have a platter big enough so had to serve it on a pizza pan, lol. Now I have a sugar hangover.

He is risen, indeed! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I did - but I just LOVE Easter so much! Such a wonderful reminder that love and light will always triumph over hate and fear and darkness. LOVE belting out "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" - it's the only time I sing loudly in church. Can't help it. And then we end with this every year - which has my toes tapping and my heart singing along (but not my mouth....this one we just listen, lol). https://www.facebook.com/lafinplace/posts/pfbid02E8XTKGDFG7rpg2cB1KPJSYSPPaeLNu3a2MSoybQ9hVcFCxxfy7qFw9jpuWuD3nFgl

I guess body shapes are just different - I only wear bikini, which if I buy the right ones cover me fine. But I've never found boyshorts that don't ride up higher and higher on my legs getting all bunched up. SO uncomfortable!

Yeah, I still dream about the clinic i worked in 15 years ago! I worked in another bigger clinic after that one but my brain still only dreams of the one from back in south florida. But it's not about animal emergencies, ever. It's about me not remembering to clock in/out (um...yeah, cause that WAS a huge issue, thank you unmedicated ADHD) or I can't figure out the computer system, or it's closing time but people keep coming in to buy stuff and I can't get away from the desk long enough to lock the door to keep more people from coming in. I HATE that dream. Pretty sure they are all versions of me feeling inadequate and have nothing to do with veterinary medicine though...more the adult version of showing up at school and having a test in a class you never went to kind of thing.

Oh wow, I'll go check that out! Thank you! Edit- I see what you mean. Will see if we can finagle that. Those buttons are small and much less unobtrusive on desktop. I left DH to check most of the pages on mobile, I'd only seen that main page when at church on Sunday pulling up the bulletin, and I honestly was just clicking on the bulletin so fast I didn't notice.

Do you think the service time is easy enough to find now? It's on the main page, but you do have to scroll down a bit. We have info on the current opportunities (and are working on getting more up there) but contact info is a bit of a work in progress for some. We need to create distribution lists so that people don't have to put there personal email on the website. Some have you contact the church, some have a way to sign up either on the website or with a link to sign up genius. So VBS has a registration form on the website, the Earth Day booth has a link to sign up genius where you can sign up for a shift .

This is the new website! Still a work in progress, and many of the pages need the text rewritten. I did try to fix the most egregious of grammatical issues (I found several places where they used an apostrophe S for what were plurals, not posessives!). But for now, it is SO much better, and I'm keeping on top of creating events, quick and dirty blog posts, etc so it seems like people actually attend there, lol. AND created an Outreach and Social Justice page to show yes, we do things in the community and for the community, because NONE of that was on the website before. www.fccwp.org

Oh, well yeah. You don't have a fatigue problem, you have an insomnia problem. That I have no help for really, only thing that helps mine is either cannabis in small amounts, or antihistamines, or both on bad nights.

Seasonal Affective Disorder also causes fatigue, but also makes your circadian cycle shift so you stay up later and are tired in the morning. Mine peaks around end of January. it's miserable. My first symptom is always me saying, "I feel like my coffee isn't working".

Oh regarding fatigue - if Texas is like Florida it is peak oak pollen season and everyone is miserable from it. There is a lot of science showing that allergies effect quality of sleep. You don't even notice it, but you end up waking up over and over briefly which means no deep sleep which leaves you fatigued. If fatigue started around January when the oaks start dropping pollen, and got worse over the last two months, that may be a culprit.

Ugh, found two more fractures in mom's spine, this time thoracic. The ortho wants to do kyphoplasty but mom has to check with Duke due to the immune supression she has right now. Ugh.

When I was a vet tech people would ask me if I would want to work at a cat only clinic. Um...NO!!!! Dogs are SO much easier. Cat's seem to turn into ninja octopuses with knives when they are unhappy.

Has she spent time working in a vet clinic? If not, don't even consider it. Most school require you have spent significant time volunteering or working in one before they will consider you as an applicant anyway. I worked in vet hospitals for about two decades, and it is high stress, but if it is your calling, you don't find it AS stressful, if that makes sense? Like, my mom could NEVER handle working with sick animals or putting them to sleep, but I did it fine, and I could NEVER handle working in a nursing home, but she did and loved it. Different people have different callings, and it IS a calling. If it is your calling it is hard to imagine doing anything else, frankly. I will say, the biggest issue I see with people that THINK they want to work in the field, is not understanding that you can't avoid people. Pets are the patients, but humans are the clients. You still have to handle dealing with all sorts of people, including ones who are worried, stressed, and sometimes just weird or mean. THAT is the part vets find so stressful. Dealing with people - especially when they are accused of being greedy because they need to get paid just like anyone else. I do think the buy up of so many clinics by big corporations is a huge problem, and leads to worse working environments AND worse care. On the other hand, it makes it a lot easier for someone to work part time as a vet, and balance work/family life compared to owning one's own practice. Being a part time vet was NOT a thing when I first started, and because of that I didn't pursue veterinary school and instead became a CVT. Later, it did become a thing as more hospitals became larger multi doctor practices, and then I was sorry I hadn't gone to veterinary school. But none of this matters if she hasn't actually spent significant time in a clinic, working on her feet for long hours, wrestling with angry animals, seeing upset clients, etc....but also the satisfaction that comes with the job. I loved it, and still miss it.

Well, that does it. I've spent DAYS searching, and one post here and the hive comes through! Just bought that pattern mentioned above, it's PERFECT for what I want, and my abilities, and my fabric!!

ooh, that looks like a more grown up version of what I did for DD7. watching a review now 🙂 AND there is a full tutorial video!

I've slowly started trying garment sewing. I've made the Augustina top for me, the First Day Dress for DD, and some basic shorts for her and tank top for me. Oh, and the Peasant Pocket Dress for DD - actually used a sheet to make a nightgown for her out of that pattern. I also just made her a pretty shirred dress with straps for Easter. She wants me to make myself something too, for Easter, but I'm not sure a shirred dress is appropriate on a nearly 48 yr old mother? I did find some with actual sleeves, but given how they are made I'm thinking I still would need a strapless bra which I hate. Or no bra, which is not an option for me for church (no one there would care, but I would) I've never done darts or princess seams, bt they don't look impossible....just never done them and am scared. Also have not done set in sleeves. So, that's scary. Anyone know of a basic, beginner dress I could make out of 3 yards of double gauze, for a 5'1 person who is overweight?