Oh, this is looking very good! I never would have thought to search for vintage! TY!

This look great except it has sleeves. I wonder if I could just cut those off and hem around the openings?

I'm almost tempted to send this one to her because it would be funny! I'll try Dillard's - I'm thinking that is the older-directed department store we have locally. Maybe Penneys too?

This is what my MIL wants, and she will accept no substitutions - either in length or material. But I can't find this combo of requirements. I can find tea length or polyester or cotton, but not sleeveless + floor length + nylon. Is there an online store that sells old-fashioned nylon nightgowns? I've tried Vermont Country Store but most of their stuff is cotton (which is much cooler than nylon!) I managed to find the powder puff for body powder on Amazon (no local stores have such a thing that I could find!)

LOL! Sounds like an interesting gathering. May your "pretty pink princess dip" be a huge success!

I'm very fond of tzatziki sauce - which I think it good with veggies. But it is pretty much white, so that messes up the color idea.

Oh, I'd take all my books, but I wouldn't pack them, load, and unload them. They are heavy, and we've done that before. I'll pay someone to move my books. If I couldn't afford to pay someone else to move them, then I would, but quite frankly, I think I'd end up paying for it in new supportive shoes/quality insoles, and possibly PT later. But others might not have the issues with arthritis that I do. Re the suggestion to sell some stuff -that was just furniture. If people plan to replace their couch/recliner/bedroom furniture sometime soon, why not just offload that and replace it slightly earlier? Obviously I'm not talking about antiques, furniture that has a history or special meaning - or stuff you just like and would be hard to replace.

When we've moved, the movers send out an estimator. There is no way I'd move heavy things like books, but they could ask for an estimate with books and without books. No way I'd move the books though. One thing to think of - if they aren't fond of their furniture/bed/washer/dryer/etc - just try to sell those locally or give them away and purchase new or used at the final destination. If they hire the company to do the packing for them, they should make sure to have one section of the house where they put the stuff they will move themselves (clothes for a week or two, medicines, important paperwork, etc). And they should make sure to empty all trash cans because they will pack trash. We used painter's tape to mark off a square area of "not for packers/movers" and we just deposited things there as we came across them in the weeks before moving.

I'm very sensitive to latex, so I need all elastic to be covered. Jockey Elance is the only underwear I've found that is 100% cotton and has covered elastic. That pokarla all cotton underwear might work too.

I'm afraid I tend to ignore those sorts of comments when they are continual and regular like that. Possibly sad, but it seems like there is no solution, so my response is, " I'm sorry to hear that" and change the subject. And sometimes I just zone out.

I think vets are starting to specialize more and more too. My sister has had several Rottweilers. She takes them to a special sports vet when they need work on their hips ($$$$) - which they all have - plus the PT after surgery! She just took one to a canine cardiologist. I never knew there were canine cardiologists. I'm just going to imagine that only folks with money who also love their animals are going to take their dog to one of those - so possibly a much better atmosphere than the local vet office.

I would think counseling, but for me and I think my kiddos - a discussed and written out plan, step-by-step, posted on the frig, maybe also shared electronically so everyone has access no matter where - is a source of comfort. And when I mean step-by-step, I do mean step-by-step, do this, call this person (number written down); take car keys (kept this location), mom's wallet, mom's phone, phone charger; etc. etc. Because in an emergency situation, it is nice to have that step-by-step so you feel more comfortable you didn't forget anything critical.

I'm on a very low dose of a statin for slightly high cholesterol. I tried various supplements the doctor recommended, but nothing helped my numbers. My mom had high cholesterol as does my sister. My sister managed to bring hers down with 8-10 hours/week of vigorous activity, but nothing I tried helped. I've never had any issues with taking the statin. I've been on it probably 8+ years. I'm not generally against meds, but I do try other options before I go on them.

I really like mine which I got on clearance at Walmart. (Shark) It does a decent job mopping. Human mopping is better but way more work/time. I have a steam mop, so I can go do that sometimes as I have time/energy/desire. I only use it on ceramic tile for the mopping. I still haven't figured out if it is okay to use it on hardwood - and I'm not sure I have hardwood or if it is some luxury vinyl hardwood look-alike. We have my DD's cat again, so I have it mop every day. I did purchase extra mop pads so I can cycle them and wash them with my towels. Vacuum is better than my Eufy robot vacuum. Only issue I've had is it can't get to the master bathroom to mop because it has to go over zones I've marked as carpet. So, I cheat, set it to vacuum the master bathroom, and then when it gets in there, add the mop section, and it starts mopping. Then I keep a general eye on it and remove the mop section before it heads back to the dock.

No help with the waviness question because we hung a small quilt for my MIL, and it has the same issue. But your quilt is lovely! Those colors - so very nice!

At least one vet school down here (Texas A&M University) has a Vet School Open House. They have petting zoos, teddy bear clinics, fistulated cows, miniature horses, etc - to appeal to kids, but they also have tours of the school, and you can watch (for a little while) an actual surgery (spay or neuter -that is what they do all day that day), and they have presentations/Q&A for considering vet school. We went years ago because I thought that might be a career path one of mine was interested in. One thing they said that stuck with me --- if you are considering being a vet because you love animals so much, this is probably not a good career option for you. No other explanation, and I didn't have opportunity to ask later the reason behind that. But, is it possible a local vet school offers the same sort of thing? Or could you make an appointment to talk to someone there about the suitability of vet school/how hard it is to get in/other options? A friend's DIL just was admitted to A&M's vet school. If you look at the admission criteria, there is a lot - and in-person interviews (like 6, 10 minutes each) with various folks/groups (all in one location from the sound of it) - and those folks votes have a great deal to do with your admission. Past history of pets, working with animals, etc, etc - all that is important too. Good luck!

I've been called back for just the ultrasound 2-3 times. So much easier and more pleasant. And I think the images were read right then, and I was sent home with the news it was just a cyst.

If you can afford cleaning help, I'd get it. It will make you feel so much better once it is done. And cleaning people have seen a variety of situations, and quite frankly, who cares what they think, they are coming to do a job. I've always imagined they feel better when the house is really bad and they leave and it is sparkly clean - what a feeling of accomplishment they must leave with! But until they arrive, you can assign everyone a room to take things back to their point of origin. And if you aren't up to 100% yet and can afford it, I would consider the vacmop robot. I got a Shark on clearance, and this thing is so helpful. It mapped out the house, and I can tell it to just vacuum the living room, or mop just the kitchen, or whatever. It helps so much to keep at least the floors in decent shape. Otherwise, I'd just concentrate on one very small area. Do that small area, and then rest. Another option is to write a few chores on a post it note and allow the family to pick and just go do one or two or three.

I agree a stew or chili sound like good options - and fairly easy to make. Or a chicken pot pie with plenty of veggies and a good sharp cheddar. And if I didn't feel up to making chicken pot pie, I'd get the one from Sam's Club. It's good.

I encouraged my kids to seek a career that would enable them to be self-supporting. Seriously, to me, that is one of the goals of adulthood, to be able to support yourself and not have to rely on anyone else to help fund your lifestyle. Now, your lifestyle can be what you can afford and want. I don't set the salaries/benefits for any career, but you can research them. I told them we did not purchase a house with a basement so moving back home shouldn't be their first option, but if the need arises, we do have room for them and would be happy for them to stay temporary. We would not survive well as a multi-generation home. So, I never would tell a non-related kid not major in music/art/etc, but I would ask my kids what their plan was long term. And I think that is a parent's responsibility - to help the teen/young adult think past today and more long term. So asking questions, pointing out expected salaries/job outlooks/etc - that just makes sense - whether the teen is interested in art or biology or astrophysics. I still remember attending a Houston Grand Opera to Go children's performance, and someone (child) asked how much opera singers made. This was ~18 years ago. The performers all laughed and said their parents still provided 50% or more of their support because they didn't make enough to support themselves. These folks were in their mid 30s at this point. I'm not sure what their long term plan was when their parents were retired and no longer able to support their children? Just in case anyone is interested, Houston ISD has changed the salary rules so that teachers are paid, to my understanding, based on what subject they teach/how important that subject is. I'm just going to guess that art and music teachers aren't going to be the highest paid instructors. ETA: One of my started off as a double major - art + something else that translated to a decent career option but she later changed to biology. She still loves art. She paints in her spare time. She does other artistic things in her non-school (going for her masters now) time. She is still able to pursue her interest and talent in this area, but she figured out pretty quickly that trying to make a living from this talent would be extremely difficult and stressful. And to me, whatever your interests are - you can pursue them without having them be a career. If you are a history buff, you can read all the history you want, participate in re-enactments, watch videos, take vacations to historic places/visit museums, etc. You don't have to be a history major.

Well, some of her concerns seem legit, but maybe she is over worrying. If there is a homeschool graduation there, take her this spring. Let her see what goes on. I'd explain to my kids, we could do that, or we could do something else. If you want to torture both of you, go to the public school one (assuming you can) and let her see how long it takes. It really is nothing special (or maybe there is one on YouTube) - boring, sitting there to watch someone walk across the stage, get something handed to them, they walk on, times 1000. And I might sit down with her and her dad and talk about some of the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling, and that you guys have made this decision for these reasons. If you plan to allow her choice later, let her know that. If you do not plan to allow her choice later, I'd tell her that too. We could replicate (after a fashion) some of the desirable things from public school, others we modified to fit availability, many things we could only do because we had the time since we made our own schedule. But I also would tell my kids that we've discussed this topic, this is the decision, and that topic is now closed for discussion - unless they bring something brand new to the table. We are not going to rehash this again and again and again.

One of my kids has sensitive skin, eczema, etc. She can use Ban unscented roll on - sometimes hard to find though.

I carry my purse maybe 60% of the time. I just carry my wallet, lip balm, phone, and keys if I am purse less. I carry a Tom Bihn small cafe bag. 1. What is in your purse that might be unusual but is very useful? -Dry eye solution bottle and contact case. Sometimes - especially now in pollen season, a contact will start bothering me, so I can take it out, rinse it with the dry eye solution (or just drop some in my eye) and put it back in. Totally specific to contact wearers! 2. What is in your purse that you would have a hard time without? (not really looking for the obvious, like car keys......) -Nail clippers - just a small pair, but if you snag a nail or have a rough spot, so very necessary. -My DH would probably say the Motrin and Benadryl as he is the only one who uses those any more. -Reading glasses. I can always take a picture, blow it up, and read it that way, but so much easier to just put on my reading glasses! 3. What items do you (or have you in the past) had in your purse that are a waste of space because you never use them? (or what do you use least that is regularly in your purse?) -I have a small notebook in there that I use on the rare occasion I need to actually write something down vs. taking a picture. -I also have a tiny flashlight. Mostly because I have always carried one. It was useful in the past, but now my cell phone flashlight is fine. -I think this about my very small first aid kit (bandages mostly), but then I run across someone who needs one. Without kids at home, my bandage consumption is way down! 4. What items have you thought, "I should start carrying....... -The small notebook is a recent addition. It has come in handy once (so much nicer to write something down on a blank sheet of paper vs. a used receipt!). I still on the fence that it is worth the space. 5. Anything else you would like to tell me about your purse, or lack thereof. I know some don't carry them. -I do have a small pack of kleenex in there because when you need one, you need one! -I also carry a small baggie of almonds. Mostly because if I don't eat regularly, I feel really awful and am mean, so I have this baggie in case I get stuck somewhere and need food. -Young Living Thieves Spray. Handy sometimes.

I think Crumbl Cookies is a great option. If she can't eat them, she will probably be happy to watch her kids eat them. Personally I'm a fan of Nothing Bundt Cakes, but Sam's Club (and Costco I think) have nice bundt cakes for way cheaper.

I've seen some bizarre fundraisers before but that is very strange to send those young children out on that mission. My favorite was a family soliciting funds to replace their electric car battery. They had the funds, but they wanted to use those for a vacation, so they were asking for donations to replace their battery. Hard no, folks, it is called being an adult and spending that money on needs vs. asking folks for money. So sorry that happened (battery failure), but that is life. IMHO.