not one of the actors but someone who worked for NBC: http://deadline.com/2014/11/bill-cosby-the-cosby-show-nbc-frank-scotti-1201293952/ I would also like to hear from some of the actors...

Lots of hugs and prayers. You are loved. :grouphug:

Okay...I'll say it and call me a Scrooge. I don't particularly like Christmas movies. But, I do love Charlie Brown's Christmas. and A Christmas Story is good for a laugh - but it's not something I want to watch over and over again.

LOL - my husband did that once at another store and it worked! Now I laugh everytime I hear that song.

I'm not sure all of that would really reflect how the church functions, esp. when it comes to charitable giving. We take up a lot of extra special offerings for things throughout the year (missionaries, local shelters)... we also do a lot of "under the table" stuff- meaning I, along with several others, get a grocery store gift card and we distribute them via a local charity or to needy families in our own parish. I know people give gift-cards to our priest throughout the year to distribute when someone calls with a need. We also have a food pantry that is soley run on donations, so no money from our parish goes to it directly. Surely, our church is not the only one that does this sort of thing. I'm not sure everything we do would make into the line-item on the budget. but it's certainly a very good starting point and a great idea!

hugs to you. It can be a big changing event in our family's life. This is my Reader's Digest version of events: When we left our first church after 13yrs it was hard in some ways, but not in others. We had known our pastor from before we were even dating so we had a lot of history together. As we did with many of the members... but the church physically moved and we lost several of the people we had been closest to because of geography. We also had the feeling of "it's time". The one thing I regret was that we never had a good sit-down with our pastor. We definitely dropped the ball on that and if I could go back I would do that differently. The next church we left I had only been there about 18months (I left before dh and the family). The pastor was much much more hands-off. Preacher rather than a pastor, if you KWIM. So, I felt no real obligation to speak with him. The final church was more like the first. Close-knit... he was our pastor. So when I knew I needed to leave (and completely leave Protestantism altogether) I did go talk with him about it and he gave me his blessing. It helped that the issues weren't really about that particular parish or that I had issues with my pastor. That would have made for a much more difficult discussion. It was still hard (I hate confrontation of any kind), but I'm glad I did it. We knew where we both stood. He didn't have to question why we disappeared and we didn't leave any loose ends. I've seen him once or twice since, and he's always been very kind. Anyway, the takeaway from my experience is I would encourage you to talk with your pastor...not to get permission, but to at least get his understanding, and perhaps blessing.

yes and no. I stopped for various reasons, but a big one was that I was *done*. The fire had gone out of my belly a good 3-5yrs before, but I kept trudging along and not really giving it my all. No, I don't feel guilty because it was time to retire and move on.....and we had good alternatives for the younger 2. I do miss my kids during the day and miss doing read-alouds...but I don't miss homeschooling.

one bird.... no name. Yes, I call my bird, "bird". She's also a bit spoiled and thinks she's a dog, especially when anyone has food. I think it's fine to use people names on pets.

For some of us it's more than the smell. My daughter has an asthma attack in stores because some people seem to enjoy pouring perfume on them. Recently, my reaction is an immediate sinus headache. Upon smelling the stuff my sinuses seize up and it feels like someone is shoving an icepick up my nose. I vote NO perfumes. (oddly enough, incense doesn't bother me).

I'm sorry. :grouphug:

yes... but it was more than just because they bugged me. What they are doing is borderline wrong... and it's annoying in the extreme. I did speak to someone in charge about it, but nothing changed and in some ways it got worse!...so I left.

I put down "It depends"... because I have a wheelchair bound friend who uses the short bus and only refers to it as such. Actually, her FB page is filled with her "Short Bus hell..." experiences. But, I personally wouldn't use it except if I happened to ask her something like, 'Did you have to take the short bus to work today?" ... of course, I don't ever see myself asking her that question. But anyway, I think it depends on the context and who is using the term.

I did it for book club several years ago. It was wonderful.

Pinterest is great...as others have said. But, I just had to say I found it funny that you post is right above the one labeled " Caramel Frosting". It's as if the Forces that Be conspire against us all.the.time. :lol:

This is probably what will happen with my oldest dd and her husband. She has the career track that will most likely bring in the most money. He is not particularly career driven...although he has 2 jobs. They live in a high COL area and don't plan to move away at this point, so they need to plan accordingly. To the OP -it can be a mixed bag. I'm very glad my daughters are all going to college. I regret never finishing and I hope they get a chance to do what they want. I wanted to be a stay at home mommy. But, not everyone does. What I wish is that we'd thought a bit more about what kind of school was required for the type of career oldest dd has gone after (developmental biology). In most of the bio fields you really need a PhD in order to get a decent job. She doesn't want to stay in academia...will go into the private research sector (genetics is her specialty). Anyway, it's *a lot* of school. She got married right after she got her undergrad degree. Now she's preggy with #2... and it's hard. Very hard. She's getting paid to get her PhD (yay) but it's not that much. It certainly wouldn't pay for daycare...so myself and her MIL are sharing childcare responsibilities until she finishes...please Lord, let it be only 2more years!

praying

They leave shoes in random places at my house. And definitely dirty dishes. You'd think they're trying to get caught or something.

my dd also had terrible pain from her nasal surgery...and the surgical center said no ibuprofen. We finally went in to see the doctor after 2 days and he okayed it. Made a *world* of difference and she was fine and back on her feet in less than 48hrs after that. I understand the no ibuprofen rule, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. BTW, she took regular adult strength

so very sorry. I'm glad you're talking about it ..it can be helpful for you. :grouphug:

probably best not to ask too many questions. It's just so sad regardless and he will be sorely missed. may he rest in peace. I'm so glad they still have reruns.

What do you want them for? Are you using them as ingredients in homemade product ...or are you looking for already made products with these in them?

me too....Haven't really been inclined to watch it yet.

I'm with you NE... I had trouble getting to sleep last night, but woke up at about the same time as usual. Now I'm just exhausted.

I'd love to see some hair pics too! Esp. the grey. I color my hair because I look washed out and tired when I go grey. I don't necessarily want to continue greying throughout my 50s and beyond, but for now I like the way it looks colored. Since I'm probably more than 50% grey, it acts like a highlight in my colored hair so my hair isn't flat one color. Actually, I've always wished I'd had more guts to do the skunk look - I always liked that. You should do what you like best... but you may also want to consider that the product you are using is causing some of the frizziness. It may be too harsh on your hair. And, greying hair will make your hair frizzy too... and that won't change when you stop coloring it. The only way to get the soft sleek look is to blow dry it out with a good brush or using a straightener. Also, good conditioners are helpful...and adding some Argon oil to your hair occasionally (too much will make it limp). These are all questions I had for my stylist (who is a friend) because I noticed that my once sleek hair was looking dryer and frizzier as time went on. This is what I use, and it's worth it: http://www.sallybeauty.com/repair-conditioner/SBS-539404,default,pd.html#prefn1=brand&prefv1=ONEONL&sz=60&viewAllProducts=true&start=42 Their hair oil is also quite good.

You don't know how happy I am to read this and see I'm not the only one.