I am so, so sorry! We said goodbye to the sweet boy in my avatar in April. A chunk of my heart died with that dog. I still have the occasional "ugly cry." I know how it hurts! Sending lots of virtual hugs your way!

My mother does this just about every time we are out together. It almost always starts with "I know I'm not skinny-mini, but..." (She has been overweight/ mildly obese her whole life,) and ends with some criticism of someone she can point to who is larger than she is. Drives.me.bonkers. But I have learned to ignore and/or redirect the conversation over the years.🙄

Please forgive this Grinch for her opinion, but I hate Christmas letters, and generally don't bother reading those I do receive. Here's the thing that bothers me: All of the Christmas letters that I have ever received are from so-called family and friends that don't bother to contact us at any other time of the year. Yet at Christmas, they feel the overwhelming need to send the annual, gag-worthy humble brag that isn't even really humble at all. (Our lives are so wonderful. Too bad you're not us!) So I would very much like to see the tradition of Christmas letters disappear from the face of the earth, right along with the playing of that atrocious Christmas shoes song!

Funny! My dh calls Rosemary and Thyme "the lighter side of murder!" I actually really like the show, but I have a difficult time seeing Felicity Kendal as anything but Barbara Good. (Good Neighbors)

I just finished watching Humans. It was pretty good. If you like murder mysteries, Gil Mayo is witty and very enjoyable. But my favorite show in recent years has been Orphan Black. In fact, I really want to watch that one again!

What a nasty, heartless thing for a company to do! I am so sorry! Sending lots of hugs, and hopes for a much better job in the new year!

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but I just clicked on Amazon, and today (Tuesday) is day 10 of their "12 days of deals," and the department featured is Kitchen. You may want to check it out- quickly!

Good to see you back! I have missed your voice here! And what an adorable picture!

I posted an update in the original post, but wanted to add another quick one: She was finally able to get in touch with someone who will let her file an incident report. She called the police to ask what she needed to do to file a report, and they told her she could only file a report if she had been in a vehicular accident. (???😠) Then the police told her to contact the office of risk management, who sent her a brush-off email and told her to send a claim and all supporting details of the incident to RIchmond. But there was no incident report filed, and according to what she was told by the campus police she can't file anything, so what exactly is she supposed to submit? So I did some sleuthing through the W&M website, and found out that yes, in fact, there IS a department that deals with student/employee accidents. (Funny how the campus police has no knowledge of this department, nor did they advise her of the need to report the accident on Sunday night.) She was able to get the appropriate forms from the Student Accessibility Office, and will turn them in tomorrow. On the plus side, the Student Accessibility Office has been very helpful, and has advised her professors that she may need additional time during her exams if she is having trouble writing. Ah, someone working to *help* the student, rather than give them the runaround! How refreshing!

I actually like the Winking Owl Moscato. Not the greatest wine I have ever tasted, but cheap and sweet!

You may want to check out Madeleine L'Engle's adult novels. I hate typing the phrase "adult novel" because it looks all "woooo-woooo." Anyway, Certain Women, The Small Rain, A Severed Wasp, and there are several others, were all enjoyable reads when I was in my 20s. Also, if your dds are already L'Engle fans, the Crosswicks Journals are wonderful.

Yes, yes, yes to the knife sharpener! Dull knives can be more dangerous than sharp ones, because you have to apply so much more force to use them- and if you slip.....Yikes!

I'm so sorry that she has steamrollered your relaxing holiday! I do like HomeAgain's idea. Make the sign fun, maybe with a north pole kind of theme. Make sure it says something like: Rule no.5: Rest, relax, and enjoy your Christmas break! It only comes once a year!

Could you find some local honey to go with the tea? Mass produced honey can be sweet but flavorless. Local honeys are always better, imo. But I also like the cookie/biscuit idea. I love the tea! It really is a thoughtful gift.

Thanks for the assistance! The hive has been so thoughtful and helpful with all the garbage dd has been dealing with this semester! (And so patient with this whiney, anxiety-prone mama!) You all have no idea how much you are appreciated, even if you are my "imaginary friends!"