[FAFSA Releasing as "soft launch" ETA: FAFSA release to colleges delayed until March]

On 12/19/2023 at 3:57 PM, ScoutTN said:

Yeah, might give it a week or two to before trying it, to eliminate stress!

Same here!

[Bedroom furniture]

We just redid our bedroom. I went mid-century mod with Flexsteel Ludwig dresser and night tables:

https://www.homemakers.com/shop/bedroom/dressers/flexsteel-ludwig-dresser/571091.html

Because I can't attach a normal headboard to my bed, we had to get more creative:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B8SGBML/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

We had really big furniture in our room and it made our very big bedroom feel cramped. We paired flax colored linen curtains with gauzy white and a toile bedspread. Painted the previously blue room neutral. The only thing I don't love is my area rug but oh well. The entire room feels very light and open, breezy. I think to have everything match feels heavier, somehow?

[Craftsman trim - on a non craftsman house wwyd]

I think I've mentioned before that we are finishing all house projects in case we decide to sell. So much has been done and upgraded and we are now almost to trim. The windows are the best part of the house and the heavier trim of craftsman would be attractive but do you do when the house resists? For example, two doorways are side by side. There is not space for two boards 4"+ thick. Coat closet door is too close to the corner.  Do I give up and just do traditional or is there a non-akward way to do this?

[Do you take magnesium?]

Magtein’s L-threonate after a lot of research.

[South Korea - what should she know? (Study abroad experience)]

DD19 is leaving for a semester in South Korea in February! We're excited for her (she'll be there when the cherry blossoms bloom) but would like to know as much as possible! She has her passport and will apply for her visa after the 1st of the year, She is our first to participate in a study abroad experience.

[Hive doggy experts….]

Tucker turns 2 on Christmas Day. Saga is, best estimate, 2.5. Being a mix of larger breeds, she has a lot of silly goofy puppy in her. Thankfully she loves outside time when it’s cold so keeping them apart or heavily supervised is easy now but it is obviously easier if they could be together. 

[Hive doggy experts….]

On 12/5/2023 at 5:52 AM, MercyA said:

@BlsdMama, any update? 

So sorry for leaving you all hanging! DH called Monday morning and they slid him in in the afternoon. I was so grateful. They were getting dogs from vehicles and not allowing anyone in the waiting area; I presume due to the virus. 
 

Negative for parvovirus! He has two types of worms and the vet says he’s a bit underweight. He was supposedly a mini aussie but he’s definitely not full. We think he is likely aussie and papillon. He’s a very delicate twelve pounds!!!!! We are NOT small dog people, or so we thought!

 He was not a house dog but he has the best manners. He’s not fearful but he is reserved. He loves DH best right now but is adored by our 9 & 10 year old. 
 

Our only concern is that we’ve been introducing Saga and Tucker and Saga is wholly unaware of their size difference. She plays rough and she is an incredibly fit and muscular 70 lbs. They are thrilled to meet and sniff but Saga gets so excited. She is the same with my daughter’s corgi but he’s a very sturdy 30-35 pounds and he loves tussling with her. Any experience with this?

[Campus shooting UNLV]

I’m sorry for all affected. I’ll never understand how something so small as not being chosen for a job can trigger such rage as to react like this. 
 

It’s on our local news that he previously taught at our smallest state school where one of my daughters currently attends. 

[Hive doggy experts….]

Through a FB page devoted to a specific breed lovers of our state, I found a gal rehoming a few dogs - a 3yo female, 2yo male, and a young half/mixed pup. I assumed backyard breeder, but this was not a pup so I felt I’m not contributing to a puppy problem.  DH drove three hours south to get what is possibly the world’s most adorable dog. He is so sweet, but on the way back? Repeated bouts of diarrhea, some of it appeared bloody. We’re keeping him away from Saga and we’re calling the very first thing in the AM to get him checked out. It could be fairly benign, right? I’m worried about parvovirus. He’s eating fine, perky, interested in people and environment. 

[If you are a parent with kids in activities, how is the best way to get in touch with you?]

On 11/27/2023 at 5:42 PM, rebcoola said:

Email is good for me facebook and texts work too. A seperate app works but I will hate you.

This. And I won’t remember to check īt. (Looking at you Garage Band.)

[Help: CD player for newer car w/o one?]

6 hours ago, Ema said:

I did look at some of those, and it appears that they connect to a separate Bluetooth speaker, not the car’s audio system. There was one that said it could connect to the car’s speakers if the audio files were WAV files, and to check before buying. I will keep scrolling through and reading reviews.

 

Since where we are used car prices are almost as high as new, we opted to go for a 2023-2024 (not sure which it’ll be) Toyota Sienna, the Woodland edition. Well, DH decided—it was hard for me to give up the extra 8th seat. But it should serve us well for years to come. I thought about calling the dealership, but was going to check on here first, so I didn’t end up sounding like quite the clueless girl as I would without knowledge from you all!

My 2020 Sienna has Bluetooth, an aux cord outlet, and a CD player. I’d ask. 

[Do you ever pull up the houses you lived in as a child on Zillow?]

It never occurred to me until you asked. We moved to the family farm when I was 14. My parents tore down my grandparents' farm house and built a modern home. I never lived in it so it's never been 'our' home. It was neat to look back at the house I grew up in 0-14. We planted so many trees that are now 30+ years old! I have many wonderful memories of that house and it's so nice to see they not only kept the old barns but improved them. They must have worked on the house a lot too because it sold in 2015 for significantly more than I'd have guessed. 

[Minor annoyances]

Kitchen flooding qualifies as major in my book. 

I have a weird annoyance. I had all the amalgam removed from the right side of my mouth yesterday and replaced with a composite.  There is a hair about 3" long caught in it.  I'm going to lose my mind..........

[Oven died — Thanksgiving on the grill. How to?]

This happened to us on Thanksgiving! We found a used one on FB Marketplace that a fella let us pick up!

[We just got a Costco. Do I need to go?]

1 hour ago, lmrich said:

I love Costco, and we have one really close. We stop by just to grab produce and eggs. 

I  get a lot of my  clothes from Costco (everything I am wearing now)

If it is close enough,  go check it out.

And by close enough, anywhere under an hour is worth it. I like it because it makes organic affordable for us. Kevin's (gf meal in a box) alone probably saves us our membership.

The REAL question is regular membership or executive.  The executive membership is $120 but you get a percentage back. We buy *everything* from Costco. Fridge? Costco. Clothes? Costco. Pet stuff? Costco.  Eyeglasses? Costco. Basement flooring? Costco. Furniture? Costco.  You get the idea.  My check back from Costco was almost $800 this year but we're finishing the house and all that is on it.  But it is generally $250-$300, easily covering the executive membership.

[What is the hardest number of kids to have?]

Depends on the personality of the kids. Currently we have six at home. It is middle school mock trial season. My two high school kids coach. My middle schooler competes. Play is just finishing up. Both high schoolers are dual enrolled in college courses. They are never home lately so I effectively have three -ages 12, 10, 9. Never in my life have I found daily functioning - cleaning up, laundry, meals, errands, basic homeschooling this challenging to direct. And the 12yo doesn’t have an “oldest” personality. Ai yi. 11 was far easier!

[What is the most durable paint Lowe’s has to offer?]

Do you have a Home Depot? They carry Behr which is my favorite. I looked up exterior ratings at Consumer Reports and Behr took #1, #2, and #5 spots. SW Emerald was #4 but a higher price point. 

[What do YOU want for Christmas this year?]

Can I pick 3? 😉 

Normally I can't think of anything, but with all the remodeling, I've been on Etsy, lol.

EB White

Caverna

A framed print of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are


I must be getting old but Where the Wild Things Are was my oldest son's favorite book when he was little. Now he's all grown up and moving to Kentucky in December. ❤️ 

[Can we talk about Christmas pajamas?]

We buy jammies for kids who live at home for Christmas Eve. We usually have adult kids, SOs, grandkids on the 25th/26th so pajamas are not a part of our extended celebration. 

[5th Annual Hive Holiday Card Exchange!]

I’d participate this year if there’s space!

[How are you going with Christmas shopping?]

I think I'm done! I asked my DDs to send me an idea for each of the gc so that's done. I still have to get everything wrapped and that's tricky because the girls wrap without seeing their own! I think stockings are done too except for gift cards to Starbucks and to a local restaurant.  I bought a rather neat Jesse tree project this year and I'm tickled to only focus on scripture and crafts all of December!

[Washer/Dryer]

On 11/4/2023 at 6:59 AM, DawnM said:

Everything has gone up so much!   I can't seem to find a washer/dryer combo (new) for under $1,500.   I realize we want front loaders with the dials on the front of the machine, so that does limit, but still.

We are looking at ratings.   I wouldn't mind Speed Queen, but the cost is too high from what I have seen (1,900 just for the washer).

Any recommendations, we are trying to stick to under $2,000 for the combo if we possibly can.   

LG consistently scores top marks at Consumer Reports.

[How many gifts do your kids get at Christmas?]

Three from us plus pajamas and a stocking. Grandparents give 1-2 each. 
Our adult kids and their married spouses each get a guy or a gal gift plus stocking and cash. 

[Did you see the report from Consumer Reports re: Cocoa and Heavy Metals?!]

16 hours ago, bookbard said:

Wow. Can you test for cadmium levels? 

Yes! I requested we test for arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead and I'm going to add manganese.

16 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Kelly, I hope your medical team.will take you seriously and do the testing.

Me too. I've not heard back from her yet but I see no reason to deny it.

15 hours ago, bookbard said:

I have seen a few studies though that showed people who ate chocolate over many years had better health outcomes - there were studies of men specifically, women specifically, over decades which showed reduced risk of mortality from all causes. Unless something has changed, they're not seeing the increased mortality (or not as yet finding it) from eating chocolate. 

I actually added cocoa for health benefit from cacao so I agree.  For anyone, just like cancer, to develop a disease from an exoisure, food, drink, environmental, etc., genetics loads the gun and __________ (fill in the blank) pulls the trigger.  While I have none of the known genes, there are likely more undiscovered genes linked to an increased risk for ALS. The fact that my grndmother had frontotemporal dementia is significant and makes it more likely.

12 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

 I agree! And bloodwork would show signs of heavy metals, so I think it's worth getting tested right away. I hate to think there is even a remote possibility that anything you ate or drank could have caused your ALS. 😞 

 

It's pretty likely there are several triggers for ALS. They know being military impacts your risk. Smoking, pesticide exposure, well water, etc. -all increase risk. They know several correlations, it's finding the causation that's been a sticky wicket.

[My novel was published!]

Congratulatons!i