The other side of the coin is that FaithManor also shouldn't expose herself to serious infectious diseases while she is fighting off a cold/virus herself. Feel better soon, Faith. Thinking about you today.

big hugs.

I'm so sorry about all of it. So sorry that you all have suffered so much from him. :grouphug:

I've been following but I have no advice. Just hugs. I'm so sorry. What an awful man.

me either. I would expect to go with out or pay for another one.

me too. Just awful.

I have very few happy memories of my childhood Christmases due to extended family. Good for you for caring for your children... and yourself. :grouphug:

I saw it on my FB feed too. Very sad. Not only do I remember the names and many episodes.. I can still remember the layout of the house. I haven't been there watched it for years, but it's little like going home to my childhood. I thought this quote from her was on-point: May she rest in peace.

I have stored stuff for my adult children. But they do not get to keep their rooms. In fact, my 25yr old is also moving out next month. I've already got plans for her room.

Thank you guys. I grew up in a family with no boundaries. It made Thanksgiving/Christmas kind of miserable on a regular basis, actually. It also makes me feel tremendously guilty when I say no based on personal preferences. I sent a text back saying it wouldn't work out for her to come.

So I'm hosting Thankgsiving. It started with my daughter asking if a friend of hers from Church could come. She can't go home and she's new to the area. No problem, she's a sweet girl and one more won't break us. Then my sister and her family are coming last minute. It's always an open invitation, but it's last-min because of her husband's family. I invited some other friends from church who also have family far away. Anyway, this friend asked if she could invite another friend of hers. The thing is: I've met this lady. It was one of those experiences where you can tell right away they don't like you. It's almost as if she decided she wouldn't like me before she even met me...I mean as soon as she opened the door I could sense this distain/dislike. She proceeded to spend the evening (yes, I had to spend an evening with her) telling me why her whole family hates her, even though she cared for her parents (who also hated her) through their illnesses and death. There was a lot of "my life is worse than your life." kind of innuendos. I ended up listening to a lot of distain for anyone and anything... "they don't like the way I'm driving... well F**%*& them." , "This person doesn't like what I say, I don't give a F*(&*&^" . It was all done in a condescending way that seemed to want to convey to me that she didn't really like me either. Interrupting me, etc. At the time my attitude was "Whatever." I only have to deal with her for a few hours and then probably never see her again. But it was a long, miserable evening. I've seen her on my friend's FB page and she's pretty vocal in an obnoxious, foul-mouthed way. I'm not a fan of this (she was pretty foul-mouthed when I first met her, but not horribly so). This Thanksgiving group is going to be very mixed and I've had a couple of kids ask me to please put a ban on political discussions. Honestly, for this group, it's a good idea. We've got people on both sides with strong, strong feelings. I don't want to play referee. But, this woman has already conveyed to me that she never plays by the rules and doesn't care what people think of her. So, no, I don't want to invite her. But I feel like a hypocritical jerk. She's got no family in the area either. I have a large family, so having one more person isn't the issue...it's THIS person. How do you politely say no *this* one more person??! God, I hate Thanksgiving.

I used to love Smitten Kitchen! She was doing artsy photos with a story before PW though. (athough she only used a smattering of photos). I liked her because she was a chef but her apartment kitchen was this tiny little thing with a down-sized oven. It was refreshing to see someone create beautiful and yummy things with very little space and gadgets. I know she had a kid or two and I'm sure she moved. I haven't been to her site in years.

yes!! Exactly. It is so annoying to have to scroll through a gazillion photos of food in various stages of cooking just to get the @@ recipe. Everyone thinks they're an arteest. :rolleyes: Another thing I'm finding on those sites is music or video ads. No... just no. If I want to hear something whilst looking for a recipe I'll turn on my own music thankyouverymuch. :glare: I leave those sites immediately.

this exactly. Although I'm not particularly happy about eating Round-Up. None of the questions in the poll applied.

We've used a toaster oven as you describe for years and years. I think I've probably gone through 4-5 toaster ovens in the 30years we've been married. We've only had a microwave for about 8yrs. The lastest oven I bought because our wall oven died and it was going to be several weeks/months before we could get a new one. I gave away our smaller toaster oven and bought the largest one I could find that fit 9x13 pan (it only fits 9x13 pans without handles). The only thing I cover is the little pull out tray on the bottom. I cover it with aluminum foil and change it every so often. I've never noticed a big issue with oil splatters on the sides or top. At least not enough to make it smoke or anything. I guess, sometimes I cover the dish I'm cooking with, especially if its something really splattery (when I was baking full meals).. when I'm re-heating or just making cheese toast, nachos, chicken fingers, etc. I don't think much about it. I think you could just make something from one of those disposable baking tins you can buy at the grocery store. You could cut it to make it into a lid of sorts.

yes, that is a concern of mine. Similar to having random conversations in my home and then my computer (Google) giving me "recommendations" quite similar to the topics we've been discussing. So who else is listening besides Google, one wonders?

I agree about doing housework/laundry. I'm not a maid with benefits. Besides, the kids (and dh) still need to hone their cleaning skills :glare: why volunteer with kids? I've volunteered with hospice and I loved it (not exactly rewarding for everyone though). There's got to be plenty of volunteer possibilities with adults. Most volunteer organizations will understand if you cannot help when your kids are out of school. What about a hobby? What about taking a few classes here and there? have fun figuring it all out. IIRC we used to tell new homeschoolers that it takes about 6-12 months to unlearn B&M schools and get into a homeschooling groove. Give yourself some time on this side of homeschooling to do the same. :grouphug:

I'm curious and considering putting it on my Christmas wish-list. A friend has one and she likes it a lot, but she seems more connected than I am. One question I'm curious about is I would love something that reads the news to me. Do you have to have a subscription to the newspaper to do that, or can you just find random news sites and ask Echo to read the article? I already listen to NPR most mornings, but I like to have a variety of news sites to go to.

Another consideration with living on an island is the local ex-pat culture. My aunt and uncle lived 6mo. a year, for 20+ years, on St. Thomas Virgin Island. They loved it, but it has a big drinking/bar hopping culture (they were BIG drinkers). There's not much else to do besides the typical touristy stuff (sunbathing, snorkling, fishing)...so those that live there long-time or full-time tend to spend a lot of time in the drinking culture. ' My MIL has a house in Costa Rica. We've visited with her in the past and it is a wonderful country. It has beaches as well as a central mountainous area. They even have a volcano. I don't know how well they speak English in the mountains (it's more rural). People are very friendly and I felt very safe in the central part of the country where I went. The beaches have more problems with crime as its a higher tourist area. Another issue we have run into with my MIL is a local guy latched himself onto her (he said he wanted her to help him learn more English :001_rolleyes: ) . She was completely taken in and it's become a problem. Over the last 9-10yrs she's given him tens of thousands of dollars. She used to stay at a local B&B and the couple running it LOVED her, but in the end they finally asked the family to tell her not to come back because of this other guy. They found it too distressing to watch her being taken in by this charmer. They also told my SIL that people like him were a problem in their country. They charm their way into being trusted by Ex-Pat Americans (usually older people) and then tell sob stories about their family needing medical care/financial care. This guy hit the gravy train with my dear MIL.

I recently re-read a book I read about 20 yrs ago and loved. It was such a thought-provoking book at the time. I remember being very charmed by it and only had fond memories. I've also highly recommended it several times in the recent past. This time I felt like it was just meh. It seemed to make great assumptions about past philosophies - and getting a lot wrong. The book came across very smug and a bit condescending. Anyone else read a book they loved once, only to find you really didn't like it the 2nd read-through?

yeah, it's pretty ugly over there. I don't blame you for taking a break. Sorry you can't purge your friend's list.

me too. It seems ubiquitous. I'm fine with it.

My daughter lost a friend to suicide in high school. He wasn't a best friend but it was a small school, so it really hit hard. I still think about it and cry for his parents more than 6yrs later. My daughter has often held that it might have been in part due to concussions (he was a lacross player).

thinking of you and praying. Many hugs.

prayers and hugs