Right. Son and his mother have a tenuous relationship, he's probably only sending her "shareable" photos. Nothing super private or intimate. Once I text a photo to somebody without a "please do not share" caveat attached (to someone I trust) I do not have any control over who gets to see it. I "essentially give it to the other person to do with it as they please". I do not lose any sleep over trying to control other people's actions, I just do not share photos I don't want to be seen. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am all too familiar with the type, unfortunately. Nothing is ever right/good enough, so most of us just don't even try and let the chips fall where they may. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It is very exhausting.

Meh, if the photo was texted to her, it is essentially given to her to use as she sees fit, including printing a thumbnail of it onto her family collage card, IMO. Unless it was sent with explicit, do not share instructions, it's hers to share. Especially if it has been posted to social media, too. Yes, her son might get butthurt about it, but it sounds like he might be the type to look for reasons to get butthurt and blame it on his mother. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is an important distinction. We're mixing internet photos and old school prints up in one discussion. If the dozen cards are only going to Grandma's friends and extended older family, I wonder if the son/grandkids will even know the photos have been used. In any case, Farrar has expressed her opinion and wise counsel and Grandma has refused to acknowledge it as "wise counsel" and heed her warnings. It will now be Grandma's bed to lie in if she stirs the pot on her tense relationship. It really is hers to nurture or nuke as she so chooses.

There are many "over 60s" who have not kept up with technology and the online world, except when forced to adapt due to the old way becoming obsolete, too.

Congratulations!!

Hugs

If you're looking for decorative to sit out on the counter, there seems to be many beautiful "ramen bowls". https://www.amazon.com/Whitenesser-Japanese-Ceramic-Porridge-Microwave/dp/B07PP3X681

https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/dowan-30-oz-cereal-bowl-lsgd1259.html?categoryid=6422&placement=16&slot=0&sponsoredid=e082eaa12dd70d4b44a6c1377724bd0575a2d300a5abb8ed2626a2162b58640f&_txid=I%2FcmXGV1Sey5VqaeDqucAg%3D%3D&isB2b=0&auctionId=f8e6cab7-073b-4a01-bc1d-5b7870c469ca https://www.amazon.com/Evannt-Ceramic-Handles-French-Porcelain/dp/B0BB232W56/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?crid=30RDH287570LA&keywords=lidded+crock&qid=1702185760&sprefix=lidded+crock%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-14 Does he like cats? 😀 https://www.etsy.com/listing/1453989618/55-inch-cute-cat-design-ceramic-ramen?click_key=8302e93dedddb7fe565be971012a0578dbb7b99f%3A1453989618&click_sum=e5dfe85c&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=ceramic+bowl+and+lid&ref=sr_gallery-1-11&pro=1&frs=1&bes=1&sts=1

@Kareni I was editing and adding links as you were typing. What will be the purpose of the bowl? That might give an idea of what we're looking for if the above ones are missing the mark.

Does the lid neex to seal on like a pyrex type of lid, or just sit on top like a cookie/candy jar type of lid? https://www.etsy.com/listing/1381888382/lidded-cherry-bowl-with-a-purpleheart?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=lidded+bowl&ref=sc_gallery-1-2&sts=1&referrer_page_guid=9bfd17cb-a6f5-46ef-9402-7e12c7fe894d&plkey=ad6aab994a3bba0f2bf0879c5cbd77af9271b5ae%3A1381888382 https://www.etsy.com/listing/538252928/lidded-serving-dishes?click_key=82bcd95370856124e7c22c4e6fca8d658ed5c4d5%3A538252928&click_sum=d5aff24d&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=lidded+bowl&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&sts=1&referrer_page_guid=f7b343e1870.487860fba2cbffa0ae94.00 https://www.etsy.com/listing/1502891418/lidded-floral-sugar-bowl-handmade?click_key=7c5a8df7740bffcac71c432f96d5195eeefaf393%3A1502891418&click_sum=89a57844&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=lidded+bowl&ref=sr_gallery-1-22&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&frs=1&edd=1&referrer_page_guid=f7b34446d6b.1cd476334653c7aa16df.00 https://www.amazon.com/AmorArc-Stoneware-Colourful-Microwave-Dishwasher/dp/B0BFVM1RQK/ref=mp_s_a_1_44?crid=3G3H3CU9J7TM&keywords=bowl+with+lid&qid=1702183455&sprefix=bowl+with+lid%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-44

Does your town or county have a noise ordinance? I'd call animal control and/or the cops. Repeatedly, until something is done about the dog noise.

I love sleep! I am a night owl, so if society would let me, I'd sleep from about 1:30 or 2 a.m to around 9 or 10 a.m. These are my weekend hours. Society, however, is evil. Therefore, I sleep from 12:30 or 1:00ish a.m. until between (depending what I need to get up for) 7 and 8 a.m when the alarm goes off. I sometimes take an afternoon nap on weekends, too.

I can't get the cursor in place (on phone) to edit. One of the sweaters has a snowman. The carrot nose is an appendage on the sweater, and I think the scarf is as well. One sweater is a seqined Santa. A black "dress shirt" is printed with colourful holiday lights. One crewneck sweater has a National Lampoon Christmas photo with a battery operated light pack. I think that is all we have now. DD does have a cute, classier understated snowman sweater, too.

Kind of. They're not ugly in the traditional sense of the original homemade "ugly sweater", but they are garish Christmas/winter themed sweaters/shirts that get worn a few times in the month of December. We do not buy new every year - we're all adult sized humans so hopefully do not outgrow them, though we seem to make an effort with all the sweets and goodies around at this time of year. 😁

Nothing. She went to a concert with her fiance and was very far away. She has an "emergency" credit card (user on my account), so I told her to buy something on the card.

Great news! Sending him some strength and recovery vibes, and I've got a few fat cells to spare, too.

How do you get parents to read? Be blunt. When I was in charge of communications for my son's sport club, it.was.awful. trying to get parents to read the emails and do the things on time, until... At the beginning of each season we have one mandatory parent meeting, so when it was my turn to stand up and explain my (voluntary) role, I explained it. And I told them that I can write all the easy to read, bullet pointed, bolded, and highlighted information containing emails in the world, but I quote "I can't read them for you, too". I also told them that I refused to answer questions with info I already gave them and the response would always be "read the email". I explained I would not be hunting people down to make sure they signed their child up for competitions before the deadlines because "as a volunteer, you do not pay me enough to be your personal assistant." That year, the hassle of communication decreased by about 95%, because people searched through their inbox to check for and read emails before asking questions.

Start with a conversation. Find out what exactly she is interested in. To learn your recipes? Bonding time? To decorate pre-baked cookies? To create a "bake together" holiday tradition? To watch you work and drink hot chocolate and visit with you? Start there, tell her you've never baked with others, so there may be some bumps along the way, but start with the conversation so you both know what the other is expecting, then proceed accordingly. My mom is the one who learned my dad's mom's recipes and carried on many of the family holiday traditions after Grandma passed away. Dad's sisters don't know the recipes that my mom learned from her MIL. Mom and us kids are the carriers of the legacies for all the aunts and cousins.

If I am attending anyway, I would not put an age limit in a child attending. I've been to so, so many funerals as I grew up in a huge extended family. It's something we do when people we know die. The only parameters I would have is if the child knew the person and can be trusted to be respectful and quiet through the service.

I can, unfortunately, relate. It's not even that I have to put out the dumpster fires, but I do have to be the emotional support animal through them. I sometimes feel like I am surrounded by monkeys flinging their emotional poo at me at an unrelenting pace. I can't get the turds scraped off before the next onslaught comes. It's exhausting.

Oh no! Sending you quick healing vibes!

Lol. I'll have to go count actual doors, but I've lived in 2 countries, 4 states, one province (3 cities in that province). My mom still lives in my childhood home on my childhood farm. Most of my moves have all been since I turned 18. Although we did live in a mobile home from birth - 5, then my parents sold it for removal and built a house where the mobile home first sat. We stayed with my grandparents across the yard while the house was built. So I was on the same farm the whole time, but under 3 different roofs.

Cashew milk is the only one I could stand when I needed a substitute when I was doing a dairy-free challenge.

Yes, they could just hate text as a form of communication and really only have the energy to devote to it in short doses of a week or two before they remember how much they hate it. I personally hate text for conversations, they feel so disjointed.