Plum, the first one is what I think I saw at my Sam's Club.

I only have a Sam's in town and I'm pretty sure I saw it over the holidays. I don't see it offered on the samsclub website now though. Maybe I didn't look up the right item name though. It looks like a great serving stand.

Since the Janet Jackson malfunction was mentioned, I thought I’d share a true story. The year Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed was 2004, and my family was attending a very conservative church at the time. Once a month, the church would hold a covered dish after church so people could get to know each other better. That year the covered dish just happened to fall on Super Bowl Sunday. Someone had the great idea of instead of having the covered dish after church, we would all meet later that night to watch the Super Bowl using the nifty new technology that could project the game onto a screen as big as a house. We went and watched the first half of the game, then left right as the half-time show began so we could put our son to bed. In the 15 minutes it took for us to drive home and turn on the TV, the “malfunction” had happened. When I realized what the “malfunction” actually was, I almost fell over laughing thinking of all the people at church. You know, drinks being spit out of the mouth, swooning, etc. Needless to say, they never watched the Super Bowl at church again. It still makes me laugh to just think about it. (Not really helpful to this discussion, but a funny story.)😂🤣😅

Yes. The same dear lady who knitted a blanket for us, loves china. She was born in the wrong time. At least two times a year she would have her family over for a fancy dinner. Think tablecloths, cloth napkins, china, crystal, candles....The whole shebang. The first time I saw Downton Abbey, I thought, "Oh, look! Dinner just like Dear Friend does it!" 😂 But she is the most loving, down to earth lady you could ever want to meet and she gave sacrificially to missions and others in need. She just loved the whole fancy process. She would radiate happiness during those dinners, so it really was a happy thing to do. She is in her 80's now and not able to do such things anymore, but while she could, she did it in a big way. Personally, we only use china at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in a low key way. Since my husband didn't grow up with all the big American emphasis we on holidays since he grew up in NZ and US, he is happy for us to be low key. I do the same simple meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Roast chicken, fresh green beans, rice and rolls. I'm the only one who likes cranberry sauce, so it is whole cranberry sauce from the can for me. We do buy expensive ice cream to go with our store bought pie. Woo Hoo! We use the china dinner plate, and roll plate and the crystal glasses for our sparkling cider. That's it. The other place settings have never been used.

When I asked why I had to register for fine china and crystal, my step-mother, who cares greatly about etiquette, explained because it was what the wedding gift they had bought for their friend's children. So, all their friends would expect to buy china or crystal for a wedding gift. I was expected to register at Belk and Dillards. We received 14 place settings of china and crystal! Through the years, I've thought of how much the money used to purchase all that china and crystal could have helped us. 🙄 I'm really glad couples today are more practical and may be more inclined towards less stuff rather than more.

Yes, I would agree....so very rude. My step-mother, who could have written Emily Post's Etiquette, would shudder at the thought. As soon as I receive an invitation to shower or wedding, etc. I try to buy two or three of the most economical gifts. I assume if I was included on the invitation list, that means the person who included our name wouldn't be surprised that we purchased the cheapest gifts. 😁 Regarding gently used gifts: I will never forget the generous couple who essentially clothes my son for the first 3 years of his life. The couple had gotten married later in life and had 3 children one after another. They only had one son, so I was the lucky winner of 3 contractor trash bags full of clothes! When the mom brought them over, she seemed a little bit embarrassed, but when I opened the bags, saw what was inside, I hugged her neck and cried. The clothes were quality, high end brands that we never could have afforded. The mom was happy by the time she left. The funny thing was, my son was known for always wearing Osh Kosh overalls in every design known. I had to tell family that we hadn't blown our budget buying them, but we were gifted them. I've kept one tote of the overalls since they have lots of life in them. (The only baby clothes I kept besides a few keepsakes.) After years of waiting for the Lord to add to our family, when we found out the birth-mother we were matched with was expecting a girl, I knew what to do with all the boy clothes we had kept while waiting. After our daughter was born and came home, I had a great time inviting over friends to go shopping through the boy clothes. I knew how much it helped me, and I loved seeing the little guys wearing the clothes my son had. Regarding being given home made gifts: One of my favorite wedding gifts we received was from a dear couple who my husband rented a room from. The wife knitted a huge, heavy blanket in the colors we listed on our gift registry. (Light blue, sea foam green, and white!!! 1993!) She said, "This is made to be used, so use it." I have no idea how long it took her to make that, but we loved that blanket and we still have it. One of my priceless gifts: Our daughter's birth-mother's mother knitted a small blanket for my daughter's first birthday. What a thoughtful and precious gift. It means so much to me and I hope it does to my daughter when she grows up. At my homeschool co-op, when a mom has a baby, I buy them diapers or give gift card from Walmart. If they use disposable diapers, I buy a big thing of good diapers. Then I enclose the gift receipt in a little envelope labeled "GIFT RECEIPT" and tape it to the top of the diapers. They may prefer another brand or need the money more than the diapers. If the family uses cloth diapers, I give them a Walmart gift card which can be used for whatever they need. I'm in the camp that you should be grateful for any gift given, even if it isn't what you would want. If I receive something I can't use, I move it along to someone who can or donate it asap. Just as an aside. My husband grew up in NZ and Australia. His mom was from NZ and his dad from AU, so my in-laws were AMAZED with the wedding and baby shower concept. But then my economical father-in-law started figuring out that if you had a been given a shower, and received a bunch of gifts, most likely you would have to buy shower gifts for other people the rest of your life. He decided he didn't like the shower concept so much after all. 🤣

When placing an order at Chick-Fil-A, I always say, "No Sauce, Please." Their customer service is so good that I am then asked at least twice, "No Sauce?". I usually say, "I don't want to waste them." Baby step, but it is something.

When I had a hemithyroidectomy 2 years ago, the worst part of the even were the blood thinning shots. The injections hurt going in and the bruising was awful. When I showed the bruising to my husband, he got woozy and didn't want to look at it again. 🤣

Wow! You should be proud of that. I'm down to about 8 and I'm wanting to get rid of more. This may be a dumb question, but could you print off the recipe from the app? I really like to have a paper copy of the recipe in front of me if possible.

The mom with the 4 children I was talking too was a thoughtful person in all other areas, but somehow, having to stay home due waiting for germs to run their course, seemed too much to ask. I take the "buck stops here" approach. I don't know where got it, but I'm going to do what I can to make sure no one catches it from us. I wanted to ask , "Haven't you watched any movies?! You know, the ones that show how a super virus spread thru a city, country, world?! Watch the movie!"

I talked with a mom with 4 children about this and she said, "But we would never get out of the house!" "Um, well, but what about the people who are exposed?" She didn't really answer. 🙄

My mother's health had always been precarious and as things progressed to the point that she couldn't live on her own, she wanted to move near my sister who is a nurse. My DS was willing, but only if: (1) DM would move into assisted living, not try to live independently. There were many viable options in that area, so that was not an unreasonable request. My DM would have preferred to 'live Independently" though she really couldn't and then have my sister come over everyday. Since my DS had 4 children under 15 yrs old and she worked part time, that would have never worked. (2) If DM made and paid for all her funeral arrangements before she moved. If she hadn't required this, most likely, we would have been left paying for DM funeral, etc. DM had money available to pay for arrangements, she just didn't want to think about it. She actually said after she moved that it was a relief to have that all settled. (3) DM would immediately get established with primary care and rheumatologist. DM had been with the same doctors for many years and was receiving poor and outdated care. She didn't like getting use to new doctor's but she was much healthier and had less pain with the change in care. My sister was very wise to not budge on all these issues, and finally, after repeatedly trying to get my DS to give in on things, my mother got her affairs in order and moved. The last 3 years of her life were better than the 10 years before she moved. It was very redemptive to see her in better health, happy and enjoying life.

My family went to New York City this summer and we visited the Met. My favorite area of the museum was where there were several by Monet. When I stepped into that area, I was surprisingly moved to tears. I have always loved Monet and to be able to see one in person really made me emotional. I sat on a bench and soaked it in. I never really thought how important it is to have museums. The only way I even knew what Monet looked like before then was through photography, and I'm glad the world can see such beauty through photography. I agree with a PP in that I just wanted to experience it so I didn't take a picture, but I don't mind people taking pictures. When my college aged son found me absorbing the Monets, he sat and joined me. Later we talked about what a privilege it is to be able to see all the things in the Met. Since we both like sci-fi, we often talk about the future and our ideas of what things could be invented. My ds said maybe, when we can easily transport ourselves, everyone would be able to visit an "Ultra Museum" that would have all museum art in one place. (Just think how much fun that would make homeschooling!) Though we can't transport ourselves to an Ultra Museum yet, we can see museum art through photography.

This isn't quite on topic, but I wanted to share what I did just last night. I have a press powder compact that broke apart but still had plenty of make up left. After removing the portion of the compact that actually holds the pressed powder, I was trying to think of what to put it in. I looked on line at refillable compacts, but they seemed so expensive. Then I remembered my Alotids Peppermints was almost empty...and thought maybe the compact would fit in the tin. It did! Yeah! Though this is a small step, I have to admit I've never thought this way until talking to my 21 year old son and reading things here. I'm trying to learn and implement more. I learn a lot here. 🙂

I wanted to second that the Kerasol is a great product. After I've had a pedicure, I use the Kerasol and put on white cotton sox at night or just around the house. The tube isn't big, but you don't need much if you start to using it after a pedicure. I usually find $1.00 coupons in the newspaper every few months. I also have size 10 feet and I can't stand tight socks. I had surgery on both feet, and If I wear socks that are too tight, I can feel where the surgery was done. I splurged and bought a 3-pack of the socks below. I love them and use them just at night or around the house after a shower when I've applied the Kerasol. They are not tight on my size 10 feet, and they usually last more than a year for me. https://www.amazon.com/No-Nonsense-Womens-Cotton-3-Pack/dp/B0037LJ0R8/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3M09LHWA438QW&dchild=1&keywords=womens+white+cotton+socks+large+size&qid=1577933329&sprefix=large+women's+white+cotton+%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-9 I have paid extra when getting a pedicure for the "callus removal" treatment. It really does the job and it usually an extra $5 in my area. Totally worth it for me.

I'm so very, very sorry.

I'm very sorry this happened.When I was reading your post, I thought, "That could be me." If there was ever someone who would benefit from the car feature that does the backing up, it's me. I regularly watch a school bus use a 3-point turn in the cul-de-sac in front of my house and think, "Look at them go. I would be in everyone's yard." That is the truth. Just don't list driving skills on your resume. I won't. I really hate when something embarrassing happens and you get that feeling of burning heat that goes all over your body. I try to remember that feeling when I see someone else in an embarrassing situation and help them out.

I signed up for to receive texts updates on where my packages from UPS. When I receive the first text about a particular package, I'm always given the option to "deliver to a neighbor." I've wondered how many people get permission from their neighbors to do that. I bet there are a lot of stories of things going badly when delivered to a neighbor.

Being a dog person, and never owning a cat, I didn't realize that a cat would actually climb to the top of a Christmas tree. I saw the comic strip Mutts this week with a drawing of a cute couple looking up to the top of their Christmas tree at their cat at the very top, "Our traditional Christmas Tree topper." I laughed at the idea, but you have picture proof. I really do learn a lot about what people go through during the holidays that you would never know about just looking at someone: people being ungrateful after someone graciously opened their home; how people react to stress and anxiety; how being medically non-compliant doesn't just hurt the patient, but others too. I learn a lot about how I should react and what I don't won't to do. Sorry for the challenges you all went through. May things settle down and improve.

DS is 21 and only had clothes and a new printer on his wish list. I have worked hard through the year to get him really good "fidgets" which are toys that go in his stocking that he liked to play with when doing his school work. He still uses them at college. I found a few great ones this year. I will keep that up indefinitely. I did get him a Lego set of New York City where he visited this summer. He loved it. ❤️ My DD is 6 and she had a ball this Christmas. She really knew what was going on, though we don't do a lot of the Santa aspect. Because I was worried she would unwrap presents to peak or explode, I didn't put the presents out till the early morning of Christmas Eve. Just seeing them out cause unbridled joy throughout the day. Each of our three dogs gave her a present and that was the talk of the whole day. "Did they go to the store to buy these presents? Did they wrap them? Did they write the gift tag?" I think I will keep that up long term too. She had asked for a microscope and science stuff. 🙂 She was thrilled to get the microscope and had a great time doing the gem kit of chiseling plaster away to find gems. I think I could just buy those kits for ever for her and she would be happy. I also asked DS what he loved about Christmas growing up that he would like us to do again. I was surprised he wanted the lighted candles in the windows. So, the day before Christmas Eve, I hit the sales and got some nice ones for 70% off. They only use 2 AA batteries, have a LED bulb and turn off automatically. We had gotten rid of the old candles with cords. He was very happy when he woke up Christmas Eve and saw the candles. I am aware of not know where DS will live next year and if he will be with us during Christmas, though I do so hope he is, so I wanted to make this as enjoyable but low key as possible.

Katy, I really like the bags from Amazon. I could see buying those. Thanks for the link.

I grew up with beautiful wrapping paper, coordinated ribbon and gift tags. The whole deal. When I started wrapping presents, there was a high bar set, so I worked at it. For special gifts, I would include an ornament in addition. With my own family, we've used one wrapping paper per person, so rolls would last a while. After last year, I made the radical decision to not use ribbon this year, and I thought that was a big deal. I've never even heard of cloth bags instead of wrapping paper!?! But, how does that work? You just put the present in the cloth bag??? Is that allowed? I really do like to wrap presents even though it takes a lot of effort. It feels like I am expressing my love and appreciation for the person I'm giving a gift to. When I wrap I do a great job of not wasting a bit of paper, so that helps the paper to last longer. When it is all done, I like to take a picture of the tree with all the pretty presents around the base. I like the idea of wrapping with cloth, but I would probably like the really pretty expensive fabric. I have three dogs, and the only fabric that wouldn't be like a magnet to their hair would be satin. I can see my children preferring cloth to paper out of concern for waste, so maybe I will switch over one day. Then I could tell stories about when I use to wrap with wrapping paper and used ribbons. 🙃

We have three dogs. One fluffy dog with long blond hairs and two with black/white stiff hairs. I have resolved my self to having lint rollers all over the house. About twice a week, I sit down in my laundry room with my laptop and watch something that makes me happy as I "de-hair' everything before it is washed. We wear a lot of black in the winter which shows all the blond and white hairs. The worst offenders are black socks. I only decided to get rid of hair this way after last winter when it I figured it would take less time compared to the time it took to get hairs out of clothes after they were washed. It seemed the hairs became more woven into fabric after washing. I would love to find something that really works, but for now, I think I'm stuck with my "de-hairing" sessions. It goes quickly when I don't think about it, and I remind myself what it was like to wash clothes before there were electric washers and dryers. I am often heard saying, "Who would have three dogs? That is crazy. So much dog hair! mutter, mutter." Then I think of the joy my dogs bring to our family. 🐕❤️

Let us know if it works once you get it. I looked at on Amazon, but it can't be used in front loading washing machines.

Read your update in the OP. Those are a lot of things to deal with and process. Continuing to pray for you and your family.