I'm trying to figure out how to get a base model. I was talking to one dealer but they have gone silent. I don't think they want to do base model.

Looking for a new car without all of the gadgets I don't care about and don't want to pay for. Not an easy task! What are good, but boring cars. I don't need fancy paint, seat warmers, state of the art stereos, or anything anyone else seems to want.

I wouldn't fire the therapist yet. Sometimes they need to speak up and jolt us out of complacency. It sounds like you are just existing in your house, and not able to fully live in it. I think your therapist made a good point. Tell her again that you don't believe in divorce, but would be willing to separate. See if that changes the conversation with her.

The police tell us not to call about fireworks 🙄 So, I just kept an eye out the front of the house to make sure no cars were being set on fire.

I cannot handle heat. We had 74 degrees with 94% humidity the other day and I was just drenched in sweat. We keep out house at 68 degrees at night, not above 74 during the day and that depends on the temp outside. I'm with you on needing the a/c. Some of us really don't handle the heat as well as others, just like cold weather. Kelly

The neighbor on our street was shooting off some big stuff. And some that sparked probably 10 ft off the ground around parked cars on the street. It isn't the small stuff anymore. I was picking up firework casings around my yard as I was mowing. Glad my dogs didn't find them and get any of the residue. I've heard horror stories about that.

My stupid neighbor was lighting fireworks in the middle of the road while smoking. Seems like a bad idea. He was also letting his young daughter (between 7-10 years old) run into the middle of the road with a lighter to light them. Must have been while he was getting a new ciggy. We were blocked in by people setting off fireworks in the middle of the street. Sorry, that was my old lady rant 😁

I almost never put things back where they were found or where they belong. Which is why I can never find things. Kelly

I kept finding dog toys in our yard that didn't belong to us. I thought maybe the neighbor kids had bad aim when throwing toys for their dog. I thought it was odd since we have tall bushes and couldn't figure out how they could have gotten so far into our yard. Well, one day I saw one of our Chiweenies in the neighbor's yard. He had been digging under the fence and stealing their dog toys. Picture of the offender below 🙂

I like to mix my mayo with Cholula hot sauce and dip my fries, fried potatoes, chicken, and absolutely everything else in it 😛 Kelly

NM, think we got it figured out 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞 Kelly

I had one kid who was more traumatized than the others by the abusive parenting advice. Our oldest was more compliant in general, and by the youngest I had decided it was too much and I'd rather go to hell. We've talked enough that I think we both understand that we were both traumatized by the advice. It took years to convince my husband that we needed to leave that church. I was past taking their advice by then, and told I was going to hell for it. He just didn't have the same experience because I was the one being told all of this. I'm still upset by it, maybe counseling would be a good idea. Fortunately, the parenting advice has moved away from the Pearls and Babywise. I remember being handed the Pearls book and chopsticks when I asked for advice. I lost the book and chopsticks. Sorry for the rambling, it is still hard to think about.

Nope, not at all. I enjoyed everything we got to do, and I loved (and still love) my kids, but I would never go back. I was such an anxious mom, always wondering what other people were thinking of my parenting. We went to a church that would tell you what they thought, and it always seemed to be me who they confronted. I have enjoyed the adult stage much more. Kelly

I wanted to read it after I read Educated, but I didn't want to spend $26 on it. I couldn't find it through Inter-library Loan either. I'd be interested in hearing her "story". Kelly

Yay 🥰 💃

Yes, she did make the bow tie 🙂

You and me both, and I am an American and a Christian. We need to stop making being a Christian a "requirement" of the presidency. It might not be written in the Constitution, but it is still a requirement to so many people in this country.

My oldest graduates with a BA in Dance and a BS in Exercise Science today. In a month she starts her MS in Athletic Training at Texas A&M. My youngest graduates from high school in 2 weeks and will be starting Fashion Design at Iowa State in the fall. Attaching a picture of this year's prom dress creation. I think she only goes to prom so she can make dresses. Empty nest life here I come! Super excited

Under the Whispering Door and The House in the Cerulean Sea and both excellent fantasy books. The House in the Cerulean Sea is YA fiction. Under the Whispering Door made me cry like no book ever has. It is such a beautiful story ❤️ Kelly Ripa's book Live Wire is hilarious. I couldn't listen to it in public because I would burst out laughing. Kelly

That would be great if she has advice. I'll tell her to check air bnbs too. Kelly

I have suggested that in a pinch if necessary. We've looked at apartments.com and Google reviews. They have applied to a couple but didn't get them. I didn't realize apartment hunting in a college town would be difficult. The one I live near has so many apartments they can't fill them.

We've gone through a lot of the apartment sites already. Unfortunately, it is hard to know if these places are going to be clean and maintained since we can't go ahead of time. It makes me nervous for them to sign a lease sight unseen. Gone through Google reviews on several to find lots of reviews about roaches 🤢 I know a warmer climate will have more bugs and bigger bugs. I'll help them call places today. Their budget isn't high since she's a grad student and he can't get a job in his field until he has a TX driver's license. Kelly

I'm in need of some help or advice for my daughter and her fiancee. My daughter is graduating undergrad next month and heading off to Texas A&M for grad school. I am beyond excited for her, but apartment hunting from Iowa and Illinois has been a headache. She is very busy finishing up her last semester, her fiancee still lives in IA and works full-time. Neither can take off for TX to look at apartments. Anyone have advice for apartment hunting out of state. Or, anyone in or around College Station that can give us advice on who to talk to. So far, they have applied to a couple but someone else got them first. Her program starts in June 😬 Kelly

I wanted to start a thread like this about my most recent grump, but wasn't sure if I should. So, glad you did 🙂 My most recent grump is how all of the movie streaming services, and now even Spotify have all gone to automatically playing previews of shows/movies/songs as I'm scrolling. I do not want to have previews playing, and I'm way too lazy to mute and unmute the tv or phone every time. The other one is about the text reply suggestions. I do like them, but sometimes they will pop up as I'm about to click on something else, and it will send a reply that I hadn't intended to send. Then I have to send another reply that says "Accidental Reply" which probably makes me look stupid to the other person. Those reply suggestions can be really useful when they don't pop up at the wrong time. Adding a picture of my cat who was having a bad day and decided to block out the rest of the house.

Me! I would hide in it when I knew I was in trouble 😂 I was always found, my brother would tattle. Kelly