I have some beautiful and small ceramic snowflake ornaments that a friend gave me as thanks for watching her dog one Christmas break. I have since lost touch with her and don't know how to find her (her name is common and she's very private). I always think of her and say a little prayer when I hang them on the tree. Sadly, I started with 12 and I think we've dwindled down to about 6-8 since she first gave them to me. I try to be very careful but I think some have gotten lost in the tree and thrown out. :( Also, my Fontanini nativity set that my MIL gave me when we were first married. I've added on to it because I love it so much. They're very realistic, but plastic, so indestructible with little hands.

my husband does. It drives me crazy. I ask him to stop, but it never goes away completely. He'll stop for a bit if I ask. The other day I clocked him at 3hrs. :willy_nilly: I'm not looking forward to his retirement. I have 2 kids who whistle, but they don't live with me anymore.

I can relate too. Hugs.

i didn't feel it. I have one friend who says she did. I didn't feel the one 6yrs ago because I was driving in the car, but we were listening to local live talk radio - so we experienced it live. :)

bumping to say I found this book to be helpful... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226233472/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It has extensive history and information about Roman cuisine and food culture.

I always loved him. May he rest in peace

I remember those little things far longer than the other type of gifts. Yay to you hubby.

I'm sorry. This happened to us too. I'm just thankful that dh was young enough that he was able to keep working all these years.

if you have it, take either Airborne, Elderberry, or EmergenC

I think the fact that we have Trump as president has also emboldened women. I remember hearing an article on NPR about this topic and the interviewee said she believed that if Hilary was President that this might not have come out. I think it's also a "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.!" moment related to our President. I don't want to this thread to de-evolve into politics... but maybe this could be one reason we can all be happy Trump is president.

I always liked Prairie Home Companion, but I remember reading an interview with him. Something seemed "off" to me and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Couldn't put my finger on it though. edited for clarification now that we're talking about two different people.

I, for one, am so glad to see these men, in their ivory towers, topple. I hope they get every last one of them and kick them to the curb.

I hope they do too.

Every year I just love this thread.

Hoping you're right.

I bought this one for college dd last Christmas. She liked having the box for transporting it to and from school. She has never played guitar but I've heard her practicing from time to time during break. Your son may improve faster since he has some experience on a guitar. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F543PAW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

my daughter was rear ended in our Prius by a pickup about 3weeks ago. She's dealing with some back issues that we hope PT will correct. The Prius was totaled and they're only giving us $4800 for it (it had 200K on it). So we're in the market for another used car. We don't *have* to get one right away. I will pick up dd in 3 weeks and she'll be home until the end of Jan. She'll need the extra car then because she'll start student teaching in the spring semester. So is now a better time to buy a used car or should we wait until Jan.?

real tree with white lights. I like that I can get it out of the house and I don't have to store it. I also like the smell. But, I have been pondering after one of the threads about asthma. My dd has very bad asthma and I have to wonder if having a real tree isn't helpful. It's a bit hard to quantify.

So sad.

That's it. I'm moving to Iceland.

this is what I was thinking too.

This year I didn't... but I also didn't invite my aunt :crying: It's really the best way to deal with the situation. However, her son now has (another) live-in girlfriend. She has her own kids and I'm assuming they're planning their own Thanksgiving. The nice thing is that GF is very kind to our aunt.

oh my, I could have written this except it's my aunt and her only son. I love my aunt. We all love my aunt. Everyone who knows my aunt loves her.... but her son...shivers... You do not have to do it...and you shouldn't feel guilty. (says the lady who guilt's herself into invited unwanted cousin every stinking time..) hugs... and don't feel guilty. :grouphug:

I'm looking to replace the side-by-side that came with our new house with a French Door fridge. I love having a water dispenser on the outside of the door, but they only come paired with an ice dispenser. We've never had an ice dispenser that lasted more than a few years. Should I risk it again? Or just go with the water dispenser on the inside? I'm looking at a Whirlpool French Door fridge. All the reviews are pretty new (less than a year) so it's hard to tell how well it holds up.

I love it when I have mornings like that. Did you end up crashing or did you have energy that lasted all day? I was up early this morning, but it was because of a head-ache. I'm sitting in bed feeling rather blah.