I think it’s just what you like. I like a little breathing room between objects. In the first photo I wouldn’t have them touch and in the second photo I’d get rid of the keys and tiny objects. I need slightly less visual crowding and clutter so those photos are just jumping off points for me to make my own plan. I also plan to lay everything out on a piece of butcher paper so I can get it all planned out before I start putting holes in the wall. I want to trace the frame, cut it out in paper, and tape the paper up to look at it before mounting photos.

I’m planning to do a gallery wall in my dining room that’s something like this. I want an assortment of frames and I want to mix in some art that’s not photos or even framed, but I want the outline of the whole thing to have a neat, defined border; so controlled chaos within a large rectangle. I’ll use mostly family photos, and I don’t think I can stand for the frames to touch like in the photo, but you get the idea. I want to mix in other things like small mirrors, framed drawings, and some sculptural things like a hanging vase or ceramic piece. Some sort of modern version of the second image with fewer tiny objects displayed.

I’m too irresponsible for a large purse. I just keep filling it until I’m lugging around a virtual bowling ball. I keep a small purse that holds a wallet, phone, keys, tinted chapstick, mints, nail scissors, and a small tape measure.

Good grief! I’m glad your kids were allergy alert and talking sense. Just today a coworker told us that her son called from college and said something like “do you know that some people can eat bananas without them tingling?” Ummmmmmm . . . after further interrogation she decided her son has been allergic to bananas his whole life and never mentioned it til college!!!

I vote that diets used to be healthier. First of all, food wasn’t served EVERYWHERE. Secondly, people ate out much muck less often so diner fare of the time shouldn’t be confused with the regular diet. In the fifties people also cooked more from scratch and there were fewer, if any, fake foods. You also have to consider soil health. The same apple grown on a factory farm is less nutritionally dense than an apple grown in the healthier, more organic soil you’d find in home gardens or local farms. More local eating also preserves nutrients.

I’d say stick with one car and save for the next. By the time you have enough saved you can decide if you really want to spend that money on a car. You are in the position to have a second car in the future AND waste zero money on interest. By the time that money is saved there will be newer features you want and/or the used market will get better and you won’t be spending on instant depreciation. Cars are expensive to buy, own, and insure. Since you’ve already been looking it’s going to take an heroic effort to resist the temptation. You’re halfway to convincing yourself you NEED this. It really is cheaper to occasionally rent an extra car. We’ve been down to one car since before the pandemic (DH works from home) and we’ve never needed to rent a car. I vote to enjoy that debt free feeling for a while longer and start saving aggressively. When you have enough in your account for a car, you may choose something else, like a vacation or driveway renovation, instead. ETA: I’d also teach kids to drive on an older vehicle that doesn’t have cameras.

Is the hospital even allowed to send you home from surgery if nobody can be with you? Is this a case where going to rehab for a while afterwards makes sense?

How extensive is your Facebook network? I would ask my friends if they know anyone who wants a short term gig. Make it clear that you are cognitively clear and independent with bathing, dressing, and toileting. You’re not a physically difficult patient. If your local CC has a CNA, or really any medical, program you may be able to find a college student that could use the work. I’m still willing to be on the video call rotation to add novelty and human contact to your day 😁

I took my first visit of the season to my community garden plot/ allotment yesterday and began weeding it to prep for spring planting. I got about 1/4 of it done. My garlic is sprouting but my rosemary didn’t make it through the winter. I took over some professional weight weed cloth and a propane torch (to cut it without it fraying) because I’m not messing around with the weeds this year. At home under the grow lights I have sprouts for tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, cabbage, kale, and lettuce. My sweet potato slips are doing well. So far everything but the jalapeños have sprouted. Yesterday I started seeds for parsley, cut flowers, and onions. I can get some of the cooler weather stuff outside in a few more weeks but we really can’t put tomatoes and peppers out until Mother’s Day. I need to start basil soon or just plan to buy it, but I’m running out of grow light space.

Where do you have to go that you need a driver? Will Uber or Lyft work? Do you own enough clothes that you can skip laundry for two weeks? You can catch up when DH gets home. Can you stock up with easy (purchased or homemade) freezer meals? Can you fill in the gaps with Amazon delivery or Uber eats? Can you line up check in video calls? I volunteer as tribute! I‘m not even kidding. I can’t get to you in person but I can certainly make an emergency call to a pre-determined phone number. I’m sure I’m not the only one here willing to be on that rotation.

I hope it works for you. In the past I’ve purchased whatever brand has the primer on the other end of the mascara; so one tube. It’s hard to find that in anything but black and I really need to wear a brown mascara for everyday makeup or it looks glaringly fake. It’s a look, and not a bad one, but black eyelashes do not pass for natural on me.

I generally wander the make up aisles and grab the first one I see. 😬 My current brand is L’Oréal. It looks like a tube of white mascara. I’ve never bought one that didn’t work.

My eyes are too deep set for an eyelash curler. If I curl my lashes they’ll touch just under my eyebrows. I get more dramatic lashes from using a mascara primer. It’s not as over the top or troublesome as false lashes, but it is a noticeable difference without having to learn a new skill.

My MIL is Grandma to my kids and my mom is Grammy. MIL kinda liked “Grammy” so when DH’s brother had kids (when our kids were 9 and 13) she had the younger Grandkids call her Grammy. Now when we’re all together she’s got different kids addressing her differently. I think that’s shady, but in a harmless old lady way. All the kids called MIL’s mother G.G. for Great Grandmother. 🥰

I thought about going with Mamaw. I was very close to my Mamaw and we lost her at 95 about a year before the pandemic. However, DH is from NY/NJ and Papaw doesn’t suit him at all and for some reason I think our names should match. 😁

Dammit!

I think everything is smaller than Williamsburg, but we’ve enjoyed Mt Vernon, St Mary’s City, and Harper’s Ferry

Right now I’m going with Grandma, but I have one grandson who isn’t talking yet so I’m open to him giving me a name. I thought we’d be Nanna and Papa, but my daughter and SIL are using Mama and Papa so that doesn’t work. Since the grandpa title suits DH so well, I figured I should match and be grandma. My mother, and dgs’s other grandma both go by Grammy.

Are they both under your insurance? Can you arrange some counseling sessions in lieu of rent? (I know you probably don’t charge rent). It’s your home and you deserve to live in piece. Also it’s in everyone’s best interest to resolve these issues because the next step is estrangement and picking sides for holidays.

Maybe as framed art???

People just throw sheets over their azaleas here.

How much time do you need off work to feel rested? Or at least not frantic? Can you decide which job is best for an ideal number of hours for you? If all your obligations suddenly stopped do you know which tasks you’d miss and which ones you’d be relieved not to do? One of my BFFs is a lawyer and she went completely remote during Covid and isn’t going back to a law office ever. She goes to court, and occasional work events but works from home most days and loves it. She’s on a judge track so being a homebody hasn’t hurt her career. Can you practice saying No? Say no to the next thing you don’t want to do and see how it feels. It’s hard at first but you’ll learn very quickly that the discomfort is much easier to manage than whatever task someone is trying to give you. Try saying “Oh, you’ll have to find someone else for this one. I don’t have the bandwidth for it right now.” Don’t apologize. Just don’t accept the task. Ask yourself what is the worst thing that will happen if YOU don’t do The Thing? If the worst thing is Aunt Susie gets huffy but you get a free Saturday, then say No. I flat out told someone the other day that I can no longer plan more than one thing in a day. It doesn’t matter what time my morning plans end, I’m not making afternoon plans.

Is this why my Vans are suddenly choking my feet to death? I swear they were comfortable last year.

I’m a FITFO kinda girl and always have been, but I do appreciate that some things are harder than others and that’s not everyone’s personality. Still, a lot can be puzzled out by careful reading and a little bit of patience. I work at a community college. Most people figure their stuff out, but we have some students who just do not read the form. One form has a very short paragraph of specific instructions that they will absolutely ignore. If they don’t have the attention span for a simple form I wonder how much attention to detail they have in a college class. I’ve had more than one student get annoyed because they want to register for a biology 101 class and I tell them they have to pick a section. They’re frustrated that I point them to a student computer to find the information. No I can’t just read off the details of 100 sections because they don’t want to look it up. I’m happy to help them find the right place to look, but don’t get annoyed with me because it takes five minutes and you thought it would take one. Some of these new adults have the attention span of a toddler.

Ohhh, please ask. I can definitely measure and zip.