Ann (with an e) Anne Shirley Guidry Anne Elizabeth Guidry

The good news is they shared something, right? I hate that they are all sick, (and that they gave it to me too), but it has given me the chance to actually spend more than five minutes on the boards! The important update from our end of the world is Bug has made HUGE gains in therapy and has "graduated" from two of the four therapeutic areas we have been addressing. Which, happy dance, means we might be able to go down to one therapy day a week instead of three. My health issues are finally under control, even if I am still on the medication from hell, and the combination of me being better and being able to pull back on the time out of the house means we can start to move out of crisis mode with everything. In other news: I am still evil, my yoga pants still fit well, and I am thoroughly enjoying being the mother of a teenager. Soooo...what did I miss?

We had two rooms redone with Smartcore last year and have been very happy with it. We chose it in part because it is not just water resistant, but water proof. As we were using it to replace flooring in rooms that flooded... water proof sounded really good!

I have been on the boards infrequently- but am so glad I saw this update. Exhaustion is exhaustion, even if the reasons are positive. It sounds like you are doing a great job taking care of everything, please don't forget to take care of yourself too. (((Cat)))

Clue Down and Derby Singing in the Rain

Wild America Remember the Titans The Indiana Jones movies The Italian Job Support Your Local Sherriff How to Steal a Million

I was playing Lego with the kids yesterday, with Legos from the 1980's. My mom gave my kids my old Legos when they started playing with them and it has been fun to share with them. While my old Legos are only a fraction of the current stash, it was nice to have them starting out. If you are selling them on eBay, putting sets back together will generate the maximum value. Selling small lots of specialty pieces/mini- figs and bulk bricks would be the next best. I love the idea of donating to shelters/foster programs. I will have to keep that in mind for when the time comes to downsize our collection.

Bonus points if you can casually point to your chic posted sign of the new policy. So you don't have to explain. Or speak. Or rearrange your shirt. Or pause in your beverage consumption.

Love Leverage, Burn Notice, and Psych! We have also enjoyed The Italian Job, The Finder, NCIS, Reaper and Chuck. While not strictly detective stories, The Flash, Agents of Shield, and Primeval have similar elements and cast chemistry as Dr. Who.

Peace to you, Audrey.

First Christmas with a teen here, and so far it is better in every way. Our traditions have been restricted this year due to illness and extended family stuff, but Punk is setting a great example for the younger siblings in going with the flow. (Which for a person with ASD is HUGE!!) The traditions that are most important are still there. And it is delightful to see the shift from "Christmas is about me and my fun" to "isn't it fun to make Christmas special for someone else". I also am excited to see his face when he gets his present that he is convinced we would not be buying this year. He is going to flip!

Dp

m This is very important. I lost a grandparent I was very close to at age 11. Watching someone you love waste away from cancer is difficult, no matter your age. But there is a sense of closure that comes with being with that loved one in the end. (((Aimee)))

Good to know. I better get it this month and hold it for the big day.

We don't have a song in the romantic sense.** The closest is "It had to be You" was played when we entered the reception. We have plenty of inside joke songs though! Willie Nelson's "on the road again", Ode to Joy, Can't get your news from a chicken, and Final Countdown immediately spring to mind. ** now, DH wrote and sang a song for me as a present that is special to me. But I didn't count that because it isn't like we are ever sitting around and "our song" comes on the radio.

Does anyone know if the Dr. Who Lego set will be an online only deal? I don't need it until late spring for my Whovian's B-day, but definitely don't want to wait and find out it was a limited batch deal.

At my university incoming piano major's auditioning included accompanying a vocalist in addition to the main audition and interview.

"The other half are unhinged young men on the autism spectrum. That condition should be added to the do-not-sell-guns-to list IMO" Is that not a direct linkage of autism and killing sprees? Is that not a direct statement wanting to ban persons on the spectrum from gun ownership because they are a risk? That is NOT the same as suggesting some strange overlap in a "my isn't that odd" sort of way.

If the student handbook for the music department is available, Check what the dress requirements for major recital are, (not senior recitals- just the department's recital each semester), aim for that and you'll be fine.

You know what else all the shooters had in common? Penises Maybe we should ban male gun ownership? Maybe just ban white males? Or, maybe, we should all take a deep breath and look at the situation not with the intention to protect or promote our personal preference, but with a willingness to do what is best for our society as a whole. Maybe it looks like something we like, maybe not. Maybe we start by refusing to accept our elected representatives using this as nothing more than a way to posture for poll numbers. I will believe officials are seriously trying when they give funding for research and make closing down the "bad apple dealers" priorities no matter which side of the aisle the initiative originates.

I am good with UMCOR; it has a long history and good oversight. We have four locally run organizations that I also support without hesitation. One is a community outreach center affiliated with our congregation, one is focused on homeless families, and the third is a group that works with women coming out of the sex industry. And the fourth is a firefighter/police group that provides funds for safety/community projects including the program where the sheriff's office takes children whose parent(s) are incarcerated Christmas shopping. I am pretty jaded though because twice now I have had an organization I was donating to turn out to be a funnel for an organization I wouldn't donate to instead of the money going to the intended purpose.

(((Lisa))) I just wanted to tell you that you are a great mom. You aren't ignoring the signs, minimizing the issue, or turning it into a federal case. You are being proactive and protective. You are being the kind of mom I wish I had had when my disordered eating began as a teen. Hang in there momma!

Fantastic beasts is an actual book, Amazon carries it. There is a book called Wicked Plants that might work. Maybe a beginning level of Latin study for the spells? There is a yahoo group set up that is full of ideas for Hogwarts Correspondence Classes

The dog, the Guinea pig, everything that breathes gets a present. We even buy for the pets of the rest of the family.

http://fusion.net/story/220788/americas-worst-gun-stores/ I don't know what the solution to our gun violence problem is, but it seems to me that putting the handful of gun dealers who repeatedly violate existing laws out of business is an excellent place to start.