I have 10 days left of school. One paper is submitted and the other is about 3/4 done. We're about to start our kitchen remodel next week (finally) so I've also been super busy at shops picking out flooring, countertops, and appliances. All of it takes up precious time. Ugh. I can't wait until my Short Story class is over. It was such a dud. Next semester I'm taking Human Evo an Anthro.. IN CLASS. Can't wait.

That is a lot of major changes all at once. Praying for your whole family.

that is very encouraging. I'm still struggling to get through to my AA.

I also enjoy tent camping and backpacking. I haven't backpacked in over 10yrs and I miss it. I don't know if I could handle it unless I get into better shape. It's been a few years since I went tent camping too. No one in the family but me enjoys it and my kids are 17yrs and up. You don't say which region you're in. I love Dolly Sods Natural Wilderness in WV. There's a small rough campground (no motor homes). You have to bring in or pump your own water at the pump. It's mostly a popular place for backpackers. So lots of wonderful trails. That is my happy place in the world. What makes it unique is that it has several climate zones.... from a windswept mountain that is similar to tundra to a lush, moderate rainforest near the Red Creek.

many hugs... and prayers. That's a lot right now.

I just saw that he has died. So young. Very sad. May he rest in peace.

So far only one of my kids has a tattoo. It's not very visible - on her back - and it's small. She regrets it. I have another child who talks *a lot* about getting tattoos. In fact, she's mentioned several times that that is the first splurge she wants to do for herself once she graduates and is gainfully employed. She wants sleeves and the whole shebang. I hope she goes slowly with that idea.

I'm finding that any allergy meds give me restless leg. I take Flonase but not every day. It's not perfect, but it works for me. I hope you find something that works well.

I'm so happy for you. My nephew suffers from terrible, debilitating migraines. They're still trying to find the right mix of meds for him. He just turned 18 and it's been about 8yrs or more that he's been suffering.

First time I tried it I didn't like it and didn't use it for years. Then I started reading scary stuff about Splenda. Stopped using that and really didn't want to go back to using sugar. So I gave stevia a try again. It tasted so much better this time around. I don't know if using Splenda before helped prepare my tastebuds or if they've gotten better at making stevia...or what. I've used both the liquid form and the powdered form.

I was trying to think of this exact thing. When my mom died I mourned what should have been but never was. I never regretted putting my foot down and having a line in the sand. I don't think your brothers will regret having morals and sticking to them. hugs to MaBelle. I know we all want that hallmark card experience with relationships. People are messy and most times it just doesn't happen that way.

praying for you and this little one. How exciting!

This sounds like the makings of a good SNL skit. It's not the first time I've seen Griffin and Griffith mixed up.

oh gosh... there's WAY too many. If it's news/commentary type people - all of them.

Yes, I'd heard about it but I didn't know it had a name. My son's Ortho strongly recommended that we also deal with son's allergies and mouth breathing in conjunction with dental care. He has very bad posture too (computer geek), which makes things worse. His mouth structure is very narrow (like mine). I've been thinking about addressing it with him, but I don't want to create issues with self-esteem. I may look into the videos. Thanks!

Your story makes my heart so happy. Glad you took the chance and moved to sit with them

cooked frozen brussel sprouts. that jello thing with pre-grated cheese and pineapple. Nasty stuff creamed spinach macaroni and cheese (boxed kind) with cut-up cheap hotdogs. canned tuna and noodle casserole. pretty much any kind of canned vegetable.

When the kids were younger we had a house with a pool. They loved it but it was a lot of work. It was also an older pool (vinyl) Every year it seemed like I needed to spend $1000 for something that broke on top of the chemicals. The kids all became good swimmers and they had lots of fun with it in the early years. As the kids got older they used it less and less. By the time we moved out they would swim in it a few times in Jun/July and by Aug they were over it. I was ready to be out of that house too. Youngest was 10 when we moved but he wasn't all the interested in going for a swim by himself. Plus, when a neighbor kid would come over, ds would jump in, play with them for a little bit, and then be done swimming. 🙄 Hardly worth all the time and money we spent on upkeep. We did move to a neighborhood with a pool. I did miss the privacy of our own pool and late night swims on hot nights. But it was SO nice not to have to deal with pool upkeep. I know people who have pools and they still use them all the time, so YMMV.

I wanted to add that it's totally worth it to upgrade a failing HVAC. We waited way too long on the house I mentioned above. The new system was like night-day. But, we were putting it on the market, so I barely got to enjoy it.

I would ballpark it in the 3000-5000K. You may want to ask if there are rebates from the state in your area. Your HVAC person should know about them. MD used to have a rebate program for big-ticket items when you buy things that are energy efficient.

I was thinking about this and why I'm not good at decorating. I don't think outside the box very well and I'm pretty pragmatic. I am always in awe of people who can look at a piece of junk and turn it into something beautiful and functional.

I'm not creative at all. I wish I had a style too, but I don't. I do like pinterest for inspiration. It does help.

That is so odd. I've never had that happen to me. I would be very uncomfortable with that type of public display. I agree with the others that if I felt the inclination toward this, I would do it silently in my own mind.

gosh, what is going on. Here's an article from Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/notre-dame-fire-aqsa-mosque-1397259

This is very sad. I'm just glad no one has been hurt. I feel very fortunate to have visited it in 2000.