That is so cool! My dd would love it.

My just-turned-12 year old is a very girly girl, so not sure if this will help or not! For the past year or so, she has loved bath bombs, lotions and shower gels (like Bath and Body Works), scented, glittery spray (also B&BW), lip glosses, and nail polish. Bracelets are fun too. She would love earrings, but we had to let her holes grow up due to infection. Good luck finding the perfect gift!

Hugs and prayers, Jenny!

Thanks everyone! The hospital group that my current doctor is affiliated with is not great. Sadly, I love my current doctor, but when I had a cancer scare last year, I realized that it was very difficult to be seen by the specialists and at the location that I was more comfortable with. I decided then that I wanted to be in a different group but I kept putting off making that call. Now none of the doctors are taking new patients (the one that is can’t see me for several months!). But I can see a PA or an NP next week. I think I’ll move forward with trying the PA. I guess I can go elsewhere if I’m not happy with the care given.

I want to find a new primary care doctor that is part of a different health care system. To get in relatively soon, I would need to see a PA, rather than an MD. Any reason I would not want to do this?

I need to figure out how to do this! How did you set this up? I have an iPhone and an echo. I don’t use my echo that often because I haven’t really taken the time to figure it out. For now, it is just a timer and a speaker for when I’m cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. Would love to know how to sync it all up!

This is why I don’t like nicknames! I met dh in college and he was known then by a shortened version of his last name (as an example if his last name was Richardson, his nickname would be Rich). So I called him Rich, as did my whole family. So dh and I got married and moved away. I convinced him to go by his given name, which was a very nice name and suited him well. For 10 years he was known by his given name, although I still sometimes called him “Rich”, but I only did so at home. We ended up moving back to my hometown where everyone knew him as “Rich” and sadly he became “Rich Richardson” professionally (he completely changed careers). I always wished that I had met dh as his given name, because this drives me crazy! Now, I don’t mind nicknames used at home and I have silly nicknames that I use for both of my kids. But I would never use those nicknames in front of other people. I also occasionally use a nickname for my dd that is a known nickname of her given name. But again, I rarely do that in front of others.

Yes! I don’t remember where I learned about it, but I also signed up and think it’s pretty cool. I stink at checking my mailbox, so this email prompts me to check, especially if there is something that’s not junk.

According to Consumer Reports, about one third of new cars do not come with spare tires. https://www.consumerreports.org/tires/some-newer-cars-are-missing-a-spare-tire/

What a cruddy situation! And I’m glad your dh is getting in to see his doctor a bit earlier. I experienced the exact same situation last spring. I noticed a lump on the side of my neck while driving home from a work appointment out of town. Next morning, I got up and called my primary doctor - he couldn’t see me but another doctor in the practice was available. This doctor took my concerns very seriously and I was scheduled for a CT scan within days. Unfortunately, the CT showed some additional swollen lymph nodes in my chest, which prompted a visit to an ENT for a biopsy, another CT, and a scheduled PET scan (which I ended up cancelling). This all happened very quickly (and I live in a rural state). It ended up that there was nothing wrong with me and we don’t know for sure why I had all of those swollen lymph nodes (neck and chest). Looking back, we may have been a bit too aggressive with the way it was handled, but I had known other people who live around me with similar situations who weren’t diagnosed correctly and that made me nervous. I was scared to not take things seriously. I wish the best for your husband. Based on my extensive research at the time, chances are, it is nothing and he will be just fine. But I do think it is important to have a doctor look at it to just make sure.

Regarding changing your own tires, we recently learned that many new cars today do not come with spare tires. Instead they come with a compressor and sealant kit. Which reminds me, I need to check out what came with my new-to-me van. It came with a compressor and sealant kit, but I keep forgetting to look at it more closely to make sure I’d know what to do if I ever need it.

I had a bag phone when I was in college, so probably 1996 or so? My brother worked for a cell phone company in sales (which was a big, well paying job back then) and he got it for me. I was only allowed to use it if there was a serious emergency when I was away at college because of the roaming costs. If I remember correctly, I could use it a bit more often at home (maybe I got so many free minutes?). Because I was the only one of my friends with a cell phone, I loved to pull outside their house, pull out my gigantic phone and call them. I’d say “look outside!” and they’d be so surprised. Lol

I’d like to second YNAB! We have paid off more debt and increased our net worth significantly since we began using YNAB last October. I honestly can’t say enough about how this app has changed our finances. You start out with a 30 day free trial period, but if you write into support they will give up up to three months free. There is an excellent YNAB Facebook group and there are tons of videos to help you learn how to use it. My favorite videos are by a guy named Nick True. If you search for him in YouTube you can watch some of the videos he has created.

I agree that this could be the issue sometimes. But it is kind of a joke in WV (ie it’s made it’s way into many memes)....the West Virginian says “I’m from WV” and the response is “Oh, I’ve been to Richmond. It’s really nice.” I (sadly) believe that some people just don’t realize that WV is a state.

I live in West Virginia. When I am in other parts of the country and I tell people where I’m from, I almost always hear a response like “Oh, I love Virginia Beach” or “I’ve been to Richmond before”. This has happened my entire life. Sometimes people catch themselves, like last week I was visiting family in MN. We were at the Mall of America and asked where we were from at a restaurant. The server started going on about her experience in Virginia when she caught herself and said...never mind, you said you are from WEST Virginia. Usually they don’t realize and we have a nice conversation about the state of Virginia. Honestly, I’m not sure if they don’t know that West Virginia is a state or if they’re just not listening.

We used Hello Fresh in the past and really liked it. While I wouldn’t call it gourmet, we did enjoy most of the meals and it really was fun to just cook using the items that showed up for us. Since I assume most of these meal services are similar, why don’t you look at several and choose the one that has meals that most closely matches your tastes. You can certainly sign up for one week and then cancel. One thing to take note of is that Hello Fresh (and other meal services, I would assume) has you to use some items from home (basic seasonings, oil, etc). However, you could find this out in advance and plan to bring those items with you. Enjoy your getaway! Sounds lovely to me.

Thank you so much! Is there anything specific we should focus on when choosing a new food! My dog is right at 50lbs, a bit overweight. She is a 5 year old fur ball. 😊

Ugh...so what do we feed our dogs? My dog’s normal food is on that list (4Health) and yes, we were purchasing grain free because I assumed it was healthier. Any suggested options for a dog with no known allergies/issues?

I’m so so sorry for your terrible loss but I am thankful that you went to the hospital. I’m also thankful to you for sharing. (((hugs)))

I grew up in WV and we call them hash brown casserole. We top ours with breadcrumbs. They are so tasty...not so low-carb though. ☹️

Thanks! I believe I have some miracle gel polish. I’ll have to get it out and give it a try.

Interesting...we always get gel on our toes in the summer. Maybe we are just harder on our feet? I don’t know but the polish lasts a long time (and looks good!). As for the lamp, my salon does use LED lights, but I googled and read that even LED lights contain ultraviolet rays. I’m okay with using it occasionally, but I wouldn’t want to get weekly manicures or anything.

I love having my nails done, but I hate the price tag. Just today, I took my mom and dd to have pedicures (this was my mom’s mother’s day gift) and we all got the gel polish on our toes. I’ve never loved having gel done because I worry about the light that they use, which I’m sure has UV rays, so we don’t do this often. However, while at the salon, dd convinced me to let her get her fingernails done using dip powder, which doesn’t need the light at all. I absolutely love her nails and now I’m trying to figure out if this is something I can do at home. Anyone do your own nails and have any suggestions? I’d love info on the dip powder or even just polish that stays on well. I feel so put together when my nails are done. I’d love to find a way to do them myself.

My kids’ school does classroom awards through 6th grade. Each student gets an awards based on a positive trait that the teacher noticed in them over the year. The kids love it and I think these awards help the students to see things in themselves that they may not have realized before. There are good ways to do class awards to lift kids up rather than tear them down. I am appalled by the teacher in this story though. That is just terrible. ☹️

Like another pp, I would suggest a fruit dip, rather than a dressing. My favorite is cream cheese mixed with heavy whipping cream. I sweeten it with stevia, but you could also use sugar. Brown sugar is yummy in it too!