There are "cures" for odd-shaped houses and ones with many rooms. But my current house is VERY easy since the rooms align almost perfectly with the bagua, so I've never spent much time looking into those cures. If you're interested, I found that there are quite a few books in my local library on feng shui. Some that even focused on problem areas. Maybe yours would have some, too.

I love feng shui. But feng shui is THOUSANDS of years old, and there are so many different ways to practice it, so yes, it is confusing at times!!! And I most books that I've read do not really take into account multiple people living in the same house. It's like they're written for just one person or couple. Here's what I do, though. First, I try to get rid of problems like "poison arrows," clutter, and destructive items. Then, I try to activate each specific gua according to its life situation (i.e. prosperity or fame/reputation). THEN, I check each individual that lives in that room and try to arrange it in a way that places that most auspicious for that person. General rooms like the dining room or living room are pretty easy for me. Because you don't have to worry about an individual making that their bedroom. But when it comes to bedrooms...those can be problematic! Here's an example of a problem area and how I dealt with it: Ds is 20 and has wanted to go into the Marines for years. But he's hit one block after another. Ds's room: Creativity/Children gua gua associations: northwest, metal, white, and rounded or mounded items constructive: earth, yellow, flat or square items destructive: fire, red, pointed items Ds: kua is 4, wood...the creativity/children qua is one of his 4 worst directions constructive: water, black, undulating/wavy items destructive: metal, white, rounded items See the problem? The actual element associated with that room is destructive to ds! Before I did anything, we completely emptied his room. (We needed to replace the carpet, so that was a good excuse.) Then we added back only minimal items. Absolutely no clutter. (BUT, we're also staging our home to sell, that gave me a really, really good excuse to do his room the way I said. I'm going to have to a bit more delicate when we find a new place.) I decided to focus on earth and water, neither which is harmful to the position or the person, and both are constructive: earth creates metal and water grows wood. So, blues and greens for colors. I added a peace lily, which is wood and earth: wood (plant) for ds and earth for the room. He has a black desk and bed frame (black is water, creative to ds and not harmful to the room) with a nice lamp (teal w/ a ROUND shade--no pointed arrows!). Bedspread and curtains are done in stripes of shades of blue/greens/teal. Ds also tends to have a bit of temper, so I was definitely NOT going to be introducing anything fire-associated to his bedroom! No reds. No spiky anything. No candles. I put his bed in the east corner, which was best location I could manage for him. The room looks and feels amazing. He has been much more focused and even tempered since I re-did his room. He's managed to move beyond the obstacles wrt to the Marines and is super excited about his new direction, in spite of being solely focused on Marines for so long. (And he is one of the types of people who actively fights changes!) I think the biggest help was removing all problems: clutter, poison arrows, wrong colors, too many electronics, etc. That's the biggest part of feng shui. But it's not the most fun. ;) I love figuring out the right stuff to really activate an area. That's the fun part, to me.

When I worked at a national chain grocery store, we had customers bring in their dogs. It was quite disgusting, and technically not allowed. But we weren't allowed to say anything because (1) they could just claim it was their "service" dog and we could not dispute that, (2) anything to avoid bad publicity, and (3) the "customer is always right" mentality. ETA: it was NOT frequent. And I swear it was the same two people. It was just really irritating. And customers would complain, so you'd think the management would do something...but nope. Pretty sure they were too afraid of a lawsuit and the bad PR that goes with it.

No words. Just :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Thanks, y'all! Sorry I didn't get back here sooner. You know how real life sometimes interferes with forum life. :biggrinjester: I will check out all your suggestions!

:crying: :grouphug:

Ds wants to go to Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming. He plans on studying equine management. If he was going to stay in Georgia, he could use the state's scholarship (Hope) for college and even continue to live at home while he's going. But none of that is available if he goes to Wyoming. So.... Any ideas on how to travel there cheap so we can visit the college? Anyone live in Wyoming that can give some local advice for him?

I have never been able to duplicate good ol' fluffly southern biscuits without the white flour and shortening. I have tried many, many ways to make them: whole wheat, combination, gf flours of many kinds. I can good some things that are good and come close...but NOTHING can duplicate them. And since, when I want biscuits, I want BISCUITS, I just gave up and used other things. On a side note, I once read a book where the main male character really like biscuits and his love interest made him some healthy biscuits using whole wheat flour and light olive oil...and he didn't even notice. :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: I knew right then the author had never actually made "healthy" biscuits. Cause no biscuit aficionado would NOT notice the difference in that!

I chose other, because my vote is whatever makes GRANDMA happy--be it new dress or old. I get that's it's the bride's day, but at the most, Grandma should find something suitable, and the bride should be happy with that. Whether it's been worn before or not is irrelevant. The bride generally chooses what her party wears. She chooses the venue, the time, and the general "dress code." She doesn't dictate what every guest wears, even family members. That's their choice. Etiquette would dictate that the guest remain within certain guidelines, but otherwise, it's what makes the person wearing the outfit happy. And really, at 90 years old, she has earned the right decide what she's wearing.

Sherwin Williams Respose Gray. I used a shade darker (Mindful Gray) in my very large, open, light-filled home. The darker shade works great. But for smaller rooms, I'd go with the lighter Repose Gray. Both of those colors are highly recommended and very popular. If you do a gray, greige, or beige, I HIGHLY recommend researching the color you want first. I tried picking out colors based on the color cards, looking at them in different lights, etc, but when it came to gray, I failed twice. This last time, I chose solely based on what I found online. It was a huge success. BEAUTIFUL. I get so many complements. .

Yes, I think babies and toddlers fall into a different category with regards to wardrobe needs, too. But I thought 5 was a bit much for a minimalist wardrobe. Interesting that some of y'all have so many pj's! I think I would drown in the laundry. :lol:

Just curious. I saw this pin on Pinterest (pic at bottom of post) for a minimalist children's wardrobe. My kids have 2 sets of pajamas (one for cold weather, one for warm weather), and mostly they wear only one...when they're not sleeping in their clothes. What do you do at your place?

Not easy, I think. First, one has to prove that there is actual prejudice happening. It would require a lot of documenting, which generally doesn't happen. Most often it comes down to he-said-she-said. Second, IME, at least here in the deep, rural south, there's still a lot of systemic misogyny. Most people who are like that don't even realize they are and would be deeply offended if one suggested such a thing. They consider themselves "upholding godly standards." They really are blind. So...they are not "knowingly" targeting, in that, they really have deluded themselves into thinking they're doing the right thing. Also, you have a good chance of getting a judge that takes such a view, and then you're out of luck. Fighting this kind of attitude is hard. Even though (at least where I am) sexual harassment and misogyny like this is not uncommon, litigation is. All the more reason why what Anne's dd did is so commendable!

Did not realize this! Of course, never really thought about the tilt of my pelvis. I knew my body/butt/abdomen had definitely changed, and not just due to extra weight! One more thing taught by the Hive! OP, same problem here. Solved the issue by buying period panties that had extra frontal coverage, too. Love them for all kinds of reasons. :)

They "explain" it by saying that it is "immodest." Boys will see an immodestly dressed girl and "be distracted,' which is code for having lustful and improper thoughts, and that is all the fault of the girl who dares to have big boobs. On my Kindle, so no emojis, but you can insert your own angry/head-banging-against wall/makes-no-sense-to-me emojis.

Here's one I put in my Amazon cart. Very similar, but sleeveless! I love the purple. And free returns!

If you really want to give it a go, try the shapewear style leggings. Not because you need "shaping" (your body is beautiful the way it is!) but because they offer more support. If you have a store that's good about returns, save your receipt, wear it a day or two to give it a good try, and if you don't like it, return it. ---I do this with Kohls and Amazon (Amazon for only items marked "free returns").

I'm right there with you! I've made the switch and loving it. Super, super comfy! For the summer, capri leggings and long, flowing sleeveless tunics are my "uniform." And I've gotten so many compliments since I started wearing them!

I voted: Jetted tub and interesting tile (even if it's not "me", but chosen by a professional)) (5 votes [12.50%]) BUT... (1) I would not do a jetted tub, just a soaker tub. I love soaking in a hot bath! But I don't want the trouble of keeping up with jets. (2) Interesting tiles, yes,...but in neutral colors. You can have both.

:bigear:

I deal with reflux and GERD. I don't remember how I stumbled on to this, but Zyrtec really helps my reflux. Not the heartburn, but the awful post-nasal drip and nasty bile part of reflux. Other stuff that you can try w/o going to the doctor: lots of raw veggies and fruits. That really seems to help me. I don't focus so much on avoiding particular foods, just really upping those raw plants (like salads, whole fruit, and veggie trays, etc.) As for why, stress can bring it on. Being overweight and having a poor diet contributes, too. IMO (based on my research and experience) all those things are a vicious cycle: both contributing to the problems and being a result of same problems. Genetics also play a part.

That's pretty much what I do, too, Carol. ☺Kids are always welcome to pack leftovers, but they usually don't unless it's something they really like or they don't have any money left.

Also, this year, I upped dd's allowance to include her toiletries and makeup. Same process, but she picks and chooses exactly what she wants\needs. Both of us prefer this method. She really appreciates the control and freedom she gets, and I love having her learn responsibility inside a safe place vs. having to start from the beginning when she does eventually move out.

I have a 17 and a 20. I stopped making their lunches a couple years ago. School lunches weren't really an option for various reasons. They get/got an allowance and took care of their own lunches. They did the shopping and packaging and everything. They learned to plan and budget. They got the lunches and snacks they wanted and could usually squeeze a little more out of their allowance for extras. It gave them control and responsibility and freed up valuable time and mental space for me. I highly recommend this approach. I didn't spend any extra on lunches. I simply said that this is the amount I can afford for your lunches. I know it is enough. I've done it myself, but now it is your responsibility. You get to keep any extra, but if you don't take care of it, you don't get a lunch!

Yes. My youngest. I still don't know why. He just doesn't like going upstairs by himself, especially to the bathroom. It's not a problem except for showers. I started sending the dog with him. He's happy as long as he has the dog. He's turning 7 soon.