If it is OCD, his brain functions differently than yours and reasoning with him will not solve the issue as much as you wish it would and would hope that he'll come around. Yes, he can learn some techniques for handling some aspects of the OCD, and the book recommended above is excellent,, but it's important (I'm still learning this!) to fully understand and accept that you will not be able to reason his way out of this. Something's happening in his brain that needs to be relieved, and the relief doesn't come from reasoning it aside. There are some possible cognitive ways to relieve this stress that he's feeling, but reasoning is not usually one of them, and in fact, it can exacerbate the stress he's feeling. You can't reason away a broken bone; you can't reason away OCD. It's an actual, physical issue, not a cognitive thought-process issue. He needs tools (and may eventually need meds). Prayer might help a bit with handling the stress but probably more for you than for him, honestly (said lovingly from one Christian mom to another).Do get the book linked above if you can. It helps a lot and is designed/written for a younger set. Hugs to you.

I just purchased about 30 dollar store white plastic snowflake ornaments ($3) and am going to hang them at different lengths from the overhang over our front door (we have an extended one; it goes 4 to 6 feet out beyond the door). I purchased a bag full of blue and silver round ornaments from Goodwill and took a white plate from the kitchen, put a white pillar candle on it and piled the ornaments around it and set that outside by the front door (we have a little table there for things like this). We tape white paper snowflakes on the window. A local nursery sells greenery garlands for $1/foot so $18 worth will go around the front door. I like these things because they can go beyond Christmas, into February really. That's what I think about when I'm setting it up around the doorway this time of year. My husband does do the lights across the front of the house for us, thankfully. I confess, I personally don't like the projector lights and would much rather make something work with the lights on the trees and the cords. Can you unplug and move the cord at night/early morning and then and replug again at night? This year you may have to do whatever, though, because of the move. It takes time to figure out what to do and sometimes you have to do what's easy for the kids' sake.

Just because it's good to look at things from all sides (and because you can find support on the internet for any diet, as well as in real life), I actually just read a testimony that said the opposite. A man and his wife went vegan many years ago but he became overweight and his IBS got worse and worse. He switched to a high fat, protein rich, low carb diet (lots of meat, fat, eggs) and has seen numerous health improvements including his IBS going away and losing his excess weight.

I just learned about global forever stamps today. I mailed two Christmas cards to Canada and one to South Korea and waited to hear how much each one cost but the P.O. guy just popped one round stamp on each. I asked what it was and he explained. Very cool!

Ahh, yes, that's what it's called. My encouragement/suggestion/warning stands -- don't think anything is 100% sure when applying for a passport because sometimes even official documentation is questioned.

FROM SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN THERE: Even though it's supposed to work, even if it has all the required things listed above, it still may not be accepted. You're at the mercy of whoever takes a look at it. I've so BTDT -- it was not fun. We had a home birth (legal in our state) and submitted all the necessary documentation within a week or two of the birth as required, and were issued an official birth certificate from the state; it had the raised seal, the signature from the right person, our full names, etc. (all 6-7 things required to make it official), and it was still not accepted because it looked different from a birth certificate that's created with hospital-generated information (instead of the official looking form type thing, it was typed in paragraph format). I even talked to the birth registrar at our state capitol and she was astounded that they weren't accepting it. The passport people wanted me to find rent receipts, power bills, a statement from a doctor, school records from kindergarten, etc. -- anything to show who we were / where we lived 13-18 years prior. But I had none of those things -- we always homeschooled and didn't have to declare that young, we didn't go to the doctor, of course I didn't have rent receipts or any such thing. But it was sooo bizarre -- they had an official birth certificate in their hands, and they wanted a rent receipt from 18 years before that. We went back and forth, back and forth. I even contacted our state legislator. The only way we moved ahead was because I guess I wore the gal down eventually (I did talk to the same person every time I called). I called this gal again and said, "Look, my daughter's trip is in two weeks ~ we have to get this solved!" She left for a few minutes, came back and said "It'll be in the mail tomorrow morning" and we did get it. It was cuh-razy. I know this is a little bit different from your situation but I'm just saying, be prepared. We have used a Certificate of Live Birth for a different child (one born overseas), and had no problem with that one. I'm wary about future applications though (we have four more kids to go, all born at home). So don't fully trust what should happen. Just press on and see what does happen. ETA - Yes, if you have the option of going to a regional passport agency (there are certain travel requirements though), do that. Take all the documentation they ask for with you. If I'd have known it would be an issue, I would have tried doing it that way because we have one of the regional agencies two hours from here and I had gotten my own passport updated there successfully before; but once I submitted my daughter's application through the mail the standard way, I didn't have the option of going in to the regional office anymore.

Re: supporting cast -- Loved how they showed Richard in his office chair in the one scene with Rory (Fall episode). Kelly Bishop is pretty much main cast, but not Rory or Lorelai, so I'll put my comments here. I've rewatched the fight-in-the-kitchen scene (Winter) several times because both she and Lauren Graham nailed that. Bishop showed such anger and raw pain, with her near-tears and pinched mouth demeanor, perfectly. I think she deserves an Emmy for her portrayal of Emily Gilmore in this four-part series. I didn't notice anything about Sookie's voice! I've seen that mentioned over and over in various places. I'm not sure why I'm not hearing it. Some people loved Luke's speech in the kitchen but, while I like his character over all, I was meh about that speech. It seemed a tad whiny to me, I guess. I did love the ending scene of their wedding. I wish we would have seen more of Lane and that her role would have been more significant. Kirk's satisfied look when Lorelai texted him "It's perfect!" (about their wedding/reception set up (while feeding his pig a bottle) was a thoughtful and fun ending for him. After all his craziness ("Ooober"), it was good that he went out on a high note. I rewatched the four-part series several days after the original binge-watch and noticed more things I hadn't noticed the first time, so that was fun. I think I'm Gilmore'd out now, though. :)

Not sure if this would make a great side dish with chicken, but maybe for future reference: My daughter made Squash Toasts once with acorn squash, and they were sooo good.

I've finally gotten over the trying to figure out my colors based on various things including (occasionally) trends and the magazines I've read, as well as what stylish people close to me like, and decided that I'm going with exactly what I like no matter what. That's milky white, a medium brown ("hot chocolate with whipped") and the lightish creamy blue (probably the one that the OP wishes would just go away, LOL). It's what I've loved all these years and I'm finally willing to commit. I had my husband build me some open shelving in the kitchen that's white, I'm painting the now-straw-colored walls in there white, and while I was going to go with a medium dark gray for the bottom cabinets, I've decided to go with what I know I like and paint them a more brownish gray. I want to feel happy when I walk in a room, not stylish. So if you want to come to my house and laugh at my colors,, thinking, "That's so 2000's!" message me for my address and you're welcome to swing by. :D I don't like green at all, for decor, so if that's what's coming in next, I'm done for anyway.

Did you guys know that the actress who plays Miss Patty used to be on "All in the Family" with Sally Strothers? I didn't until recently. I got the feeling the gal Christopher referred to was a girlfriend, not a wife. Who knows. Here's something fun that I saw today: "Watch the Gilmore Girls Opening Sequence We Wish the Revival Had Included" http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/01/gilmore-girls-opening-sequence-revival (I did expect to see an updated version of the Carole King sequence thing at the beginning of the revival although the voices from the past were cool, too.)

Huh. And then there's this.

I haven't seen many people mention Carole King's attempt to get "I Feel the Earth Move" into the musical and having her efforts rebuffed by Taylor as "not catchy!" :D

I think Rory flying out the door and being all excited/giggly with Jess (about her book) was an indicator that she could eventually return the feelings for him, too. In one sense, I would hope Rory wouldn't WANT Logan knowing he'd cheat on someone he's engaged to (if he cheats on his fiancee, he'll likely cheat on his wife, too), but that goes both ways! Rory's a cheater, too. I had been "team Logan" before the revival, but almost can't be "team Jess" now because of this. Do I want someone who cheats so nonchalantly for Jess? I don't know. And in the end, it's fiction and a story. All movies/shows have an "after" that we never see. I don't think we'll see any more.

I'm one who liked it over all. It makes sense (something someone said above) about how this ending was supposed to originally happen with Rory at 24 years old, not 32. So that's partially why it seems odd, but to me, it is the full circle ending. Rory is pregnant without the father of the baby in her life (by her own choice; Logan probably would have come to her had she asked) and will move on and grow up through the experience. I think Jess could be her Luke, but they did leave that hanging. I'm fine with things left hanging. Life always leaves things hanging sometimes. If I'd had to have picked before the revival was released, I would have been "Team Logan." I thought they really did love each other when the series ended. But that changed the second I saw that they were carrying on an affair behind the backs of significant others. Ick. I had an inkling as soon as she said "3 o'clock? I'll be there" on the phone in the Winter Fall episode that she might be pregnant. I thought she was going to the doctor (even when the scene opened with Christopher, I thought she was sitting in the doctor's office awaiting test results). As the scene played out with Christopher, though, I still only kinda got what she was getting at, but not fully -- not until after the ending and I'd processed a little bit. I read somewhere that someone wished the last four words were "I love you, mom" (Lorelai to Emily). That would have been awesome, too, but wouldn't make sense with knowing that ASP had said she knew the final four words from the very beginning when she first conceived the idea of GG. I think in its initial stages, GG was about Lorelai and Rory and that the character of Emily probably developed over time. Related, though, I thought it was cool that it was Emily she called from Nature, California to tell that story about Richard. That was their full circle "I love you" moment. Lorelai made up for her thoughtless story telling at Richard's post-funeral gathering in a big and completing way. It would have been lovely if there'd been an "I'm proud of you" from Emily to Lorelai, not in that conversation but at some point, but that's one of the things we can imagine happens in the future based on the relationship and life arc they are both on. Maybe it happens later that day after the "real" wedding ceremony. :) Someone above mentioned being bummed that Doyle and Paris didn't stay together -- but even after all the scenes with Paris and Doyle were ended, that last phone call he made to Rory was from their family apartment in New York. I think they stayed together. That's all I can think of for now. :)

I didn't hate it. Some people think there will be more episodes, based on the ending (and the events of the last day leading up to the ending), but I don't. I think the story came full circle, and was given an ending.

Why doesn't someone start a SPOILERS thread so it can be discussed freely? :D After finishing all four, I came online to see what others thought and first went to FB. But I thought, I could see what complete strangers say, but I'd rather see what you all would say.

I use them to squeeze out moisture. Should have clarified, sorry! I started using them after reading Curly Girls, so for me it had more to do with curls than long hair, but they work really well in collecting moisture and holding it. :)

I use cloth diapers.

I realize some people do, but I have no problem using the cup in a public restroom at all. I just have to wipe my fingers with TP afterward, but no issues otherwise. Not so obvious. I never sterilize mine. Just rinse and sometimes soap and water after my cycle ends.

I was wondering if someone would notice that! Not only is it actually wood and an artsy barbed wire thing, it's not against the wall -- it's a couple of inches away from the wall as I recall. I get the "leave it lodge-y if it's for Airbnb -- people love that type of place" thing but this house is in the middle of a regular, middle to lower middle class neighborhood and I don't know if the kitschy-ness of the cabin is enough to overcome its setting. The yard itself is fabulous, but the neighborhood -- while in a quiet part of town -- is pretty regular. I kinda wish I could move this whole thing to somewhere a wee bit closer to the actual downtown and state university (the two draws in our town). It's small enough -- maybe we could do that! Just kidding.

Seasider, if you want to message me, I'd be happy to answer your questions!

I like the tub and the wood surround on the wall. I think with all the other wood and rope gone, that would stand out nicely. Someone asked about the yard above and it's beyond nice. It's a great feature and is largely what makes me like the property (that and knowing the house is in good condition besides its [mostly] cosmetic issues). Thanks again, all.

Oh, I'm so glad I'm giving some of you the giggles. I actually used the toilet today (because, well, needed to go) and it must be perspective with the photo because I could reach the toilet paper just fine. It did take me awhile to find the toilet handle and then I realized it IS a regular toilet ensconced in wood. No comments yet about how this bathroom is basically *open* to the living room, but for the swinging saloon doors? You need a better visual. (More text below photo) That floor below the swinging doors is the bathroom floor ... the sink is on the other side of the artwork wall to the right of the swinging doors. That area above the artwork? Also open to the bathroom. :lol: The house -- it's only 440sf by the way -- isn't un-rentable now and has great potential, I think. The fixing isn't but cosmetic, which isn't nothing but isn't tearing out walls or needing to replace windows either. Paint and me, we're good friends. [Paint and I?] That will go a long way to start, and then I'll go through the ideas here again, too, for future plans. If we decide to go for it. Which remains to be seen.

You guys are awesome, thank you!! I knew I'd get a bunch of ideas here. To answer some questions: We'd have free reign to do within whatever we'd like. We do live somewhere where the lodge look certainly does fly, but the house is in the middle of a neighborhood in town, so I think I could go either way with it. I'm a cottage girl at heart and think that way, but I will definitely keep some of the above thoughts in mind about keeping it lodge-y-ish but with an updated look. I'll search for some photos. Oh, the "wood" stove is gas. Do you know what those swinging saloon doors go to? The bathroom!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I guess the idea is that this space be rented to one person and one person only. Eeek! We'd put in a real door and solve the problem of the wall openings over the round light/wood/metal art thing, too. Check out the bathroom below. Who knew a TOILET could be wood?! Someone put a LOT of thought and work into this house. The corrugated metal is placed under the cabinets in the kitchen, too (think backsplash). The outlets are framed in wood with rope tacked (with metal tacks) around that. Wowsa.

Updated/additional information in Post #28. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ We're considering a rental that has a room like the photo here (sorry if it's huge). It's too. much. wood. I don't mind some natural wood, but this is just way too much and I know I'd want to take a paint brush to the room. What would I paint if I could? What would I leave alone? Given the go ahead, I'd want to update this to a more minimalist / IKEA type look while still maintaining some of the wood. I'd definitely want to take the wood furniture out of there because ... wood on wood (on wood on wood on wood). You should see the far end of the room -- murals! Mountains and clouds and valley murals! I already know those would meet the wet end of my paintbrush within minutes of signing the papers, haha.