I went for a beautiful 2.75 mile hike in the woods today in the freshly fallen snow. The trail I took was a snowshoe trail but with only 2-3 inches of snow it was better suited to walking (except the sheets of ice hidden under the snow). I was alone and didn't see another person...just one deer I followed for a ways. What differentiates a walk vs a hike to you? And do you walk/hike alone?

I remember that was a pain when a few of mine were under 18. Now our new doctor has immunization hours several times a week where you can walk in, get your shots and walk out....literally I think we were there for 10 minutes for 2 of mine. So handy.

That gives me a great start if I have to redo mine. Thanks

Does anyone have a great printable packing list that they love that you wish to share? I had a great one that I made up in a word document but I can not find it anywhere. I had it listed by each person in the house and then a general list for things to put in the car. It was super easy to indicate how many of each item the kids needed to pack, add gear for various weather/locations, etc. Most of the online ones I see are on pinterest and not easily customized.

We have the super cheap.....like cheapest they make at Home Depot...vinyl plank flooring in our basement bathroom, hall and one bedroom. It is the kind that just has a sticky edge to stick it to the next plank. It looks like brand new after 6 years. Water SITS on it for hours (ok, maybe days) at a time and it just wipes up. I would suggest a but higher quality for a main bath, etc but I am super pleased even with the very low end stuff.

Please let me know what you think of it. That is my dream floor. When we redid all of the flooring on our main floor before we moved into our current house we went with Laminate. The vinyl plank flooring was too new for me to have even heard about it. How I WISH I had the waterproof stuff. Dog, cat, kids, farm, snow, mud, etc. UGG

I agree with the above suggestions. I am working on learning Spanish myself. I am using Duolingo with the goal of 2 little units a day. Getting Started with Spanish......one lesson a day and then once I got up to lesson 40 I went back to the answer key and did lesson 20 translating from English back to Spanish (reverse of the way the original lesson is). I also try to listen to the dictation for each of the exercises and write it down from what they say and THEN look at the written example to see if I am close (to help work on my listening skills) The pastor at the Spanish church we attend once a month (for their once a month bilingual service) gave me a bilingual Bible. For my devotions I am reading through the New Testament in English and then listening to the same chapter in Spanish each day while I follow along in the Bible. I then write down a key verse in English and Spanish. I have also done the Destinos show and it was cheesy but good for learning more conversational Spanish.

It is not just girls that you need yo talk to, warn, prepare.

We shipped one to Nebraska before :-).....a cute little 13hh Haflinger/paint pony. My daughter decided to sell him and be done with horses. The one that might be for sale is my mare. She is 20 but is sound and should pass any vet exams. No lameness, bite, buck, kick, etc. She is short and squat. She came from Colorado and was a ranch horse with some reining training. I have just trail ridden her. Changes in life means we might be looking for her a new home. We also have a phenomenal gelding but he is 28 and while in great health/great teeth, etc. he is older. He has done shows, a bit of jumping (not in the past few years), a bit of speed, lots of trails, etc. He excels at nothing but is great at everything......meaning he won't win at big shows but is a horse a girl can do just about anything with.

So sorry. If you were in West Michigan I might be selling my 14hh mare.

I went with a single oven but got the center griddle. Mine is a GE and I love , LOVE, LOVE that center griddle. I use it way more than the burners.

How exciting. What type of flooring did you go with?

Me either. But I did read a lot of Bobsey twins books.

I called today and the 2 properties that interest me most are empty so easy to see. Might see 1-2 more but told realtor do NOT put any family out, make them go into super cleaning mode, etc for me as I am not ready to buy right now......but seeing a few empty properties will be nice.

Thanks for the encouragement. Now to figure out who might be a really good realtor in that area.... preferably female since I will be alone this trip. On paper this area has so much to offer....great transportation for my special needs kids, services, churches that look like a good fit, wonderful outdoor recreational opportunities year round, jobs available for me, etc. But as we all know, on paper and the real feel of the area might be vastly different.

Do they have metal wire in them? If so, I would hesitate. That wire can harm wildlife and any farm animals that may ingest or come into contact with it.

I am considering a move. It would not be for at least 6 months, possibly longer. I am looking at an area about 2 hours from my current location that has awesome services for my special needs kids....the biggest of which is door to door transportation at a very reasonable rate. I will be going through this town next week and have a few free hours. I would love to go through a condo that is for sale to get a feel for it, the location, floor plan, etc. It is empty. Would this be taking advantage of a realtor to ask to see this condo? I also hope to check out the local special needs program, YMCA, and possible a church (they are hosting a free community meal during this time frame) while I am there. If I did see it I would take 15 minutes or so to look around inside.

I just finished book #6 for the Year. Too Small to Ignore. The biography and inspiration of Wes Stafford, founder of Compassion International https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/226317.Too_Small_to_Ignore Obviously a Christian slant. As a trigger warning, there is also mention of abuse. I shed some tears. I loved his comments on how we need to give opportunities to the poor and needy, not just hand outs. A model our social services and government would be wise to follow.

I finished #5 this morning.....News of the World that I heard about here. I would give it a solid 4 stars. Enjoyed the story. My Kindle version had a few editing errors but was still readable. I started Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder as an audiobook but put that aside for now as it was just OK and now I have 2 more audio books waiting for me.

I have a Kindle fire 8 and am happy with it. I use it for Netflix while on the treadmill, listening to audio books, Pandora, a few apps but nothing major. Very low key user. It was cheap and the battery lasts a very long time for me. Much longer than my phone. The speakers aren't great so I use a Bluetooth speaker.

You can have it set up so that it will NOT give you the overdraft protection, etc. I told them that if there isn't enough money I want the card denied.....so we aren't stuck with lots of fees.

Thanks for the wonderful offer. I looked it up buy it has the same operating system as my current phone and I need an upgrade to run some newer things.

SJ do you like the phone? How much for Verizon to set it up? I hate having to make these decisions.

I am in need of a new phone. I have always just gone to the Verizon store and bought one. I see now that there are other options and cheaper options by buying elsewhere. I am looking at the Moto g5 plus as it is just over $200 and rated a best value phone. I am open to others but I want a smaller screen size but great battery life (apple see doesn't have a great battery or I would consider that one) with great signal capture as we live in an area with weaker signals so sometimes the cheap phones drop calls or lose signal. We are tied to Verizon for the same reason as it has hands down the best coverage where I live. I just want to know if I will be able to figure out how to activate/set up a new phone of I don't buy from Verizon

Do they have a back door where you can come in, get the shot and leave? Will a pharmacy like Walgreens give one?