Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. A fluffy concoction of fruit, whipped topping, fruit gel, etc.. Popular in the 60's through 80's. I'm using the term "salad" loosely. 🙂 Any recipes? Bonus points if I can add vegan marshmallows. Thanks!

I don't make any food gifts. 🙂 I've loved receiving spiced nuts, fudge, caramel candies, caramel popcorn, breads (quick and yeast), and cinnamon rolls.

Little dinosaurs Little horses Bouncy balls Spikey fidget balls

I think quite a bit of it could be valuable. My DD was *very* sensitive to content involving death, scary themes, bathroom humor, and s*xual situations when she was young. Contributors to the site do flag some of this stuff. Some of the objections here arise from the fact that the site lists the following topics as subjects they screen for: foul language, violence/death, LGBTQIA+, alcohol/drugs, racism, lying/stealing, dark content, potty humor, and explicit content. It certainly seems like these are all viewed as negative. I will be curious to see how much racist content is flagged. I'm also curious about the copyright issue TechWife mentioned.

Yep. If you want to know about possibly troubling content in a book, the one-star Amazon reviews are invaluable. 🙂

You are using the Brave Books' Family Books Plan as an incentive for contributors to your site. I meant "partnering" as in working together or having an agreement between two companies. I get wanting to have the appearance of neutrality, but your positions do seem pretty clear. It seems disingenuous to not be open about them. I could be wrong, of course, but it certainly seems as though you are giving a nod of approval to Brave Books and their messaging. That's problematic for me.

It looks like Screen It First is partnering with offering incentives from Brave Books. These are the people who brought us picture books: *Entitled Paws Off My Cannon (because with all the mass shootings, kids need to know that unrestricted gun ownership is the Most Important Thing) *Teaching kids the "danger of critical race theory" (I do not think that phrase means what you think it means...) *Depicting Trump as the hero of Fruitland (so much I want to say here) *Written by Sean Spicer to teach kids not to "jump to conclusions" (hmmm....) *Titled "Little Lives Matter" (I am 100% pro-life--see my siggie--but the title of this book is tone-deaf at best and hostile at worst) *Rail against "cancel culture" (ironically) *Depicting raccoons bravely fighting off possums entering their western town (so much for love thy neighbor)

I'm guessing this Facebook post was shared here before but it's worth posting again. 🙂 BTW, the dog of my heart was a chi mix who bit people. I miss him. ❤️ Ok, I’ve tried. I’ve tried for the last several months to post this dog for adoption and make him sound...palatable. The problem is, he’s just not. There’s not a very big market for neurotic, man hating, animal hating, children hating dogs that look like gremlins. But I have to believe there’s someone out there for Prancer, because I am tired and so is my family. Every day we live in the grips of the demonic Chihuahua hellscape he has created in our home. If you own a Chihuahua you probably know what I’m talking about. He’s literally the Chihuahua meme that describes them as being 50% hate and 50% tremble. If you’re intrigued and horrified at how this animal sounds already, just wait....there’s more. Prancer came to me obese, wearing a cashmere sweater, with a bacon egg n cheese stuffed in his crate with him. I should have known in that moment this dog would be a problem. He was owned by an elderly woman who treated him like a human and never socialized him. Sprinkle in a little genetic predisposition for being nervous, and you’ve concocted a neurotic mess, AKA Prancer. His first week he was too terrified to have a personality. As awful as it sounds, I kind of liked him better that way. He was quiet, and just laid on the couch. Didn’t bother anyone. I was excited to see him come out of his shell and become a real dog. I am convinced at this point he is not a real dog, but more like a vessel for a traumatized Victorian child that now haunts our home. Prancer only likes women. Nothing else. He hates men more than women do, which says a lot. If you have a husband don’t bother applying, unless you hate him. Prancer has lived with a man for 6 months and still has not accepted him. He bonds to a woman/women, and takes his job of protection seriously. He offers better protection than capitol security. This also extends to other animals. Have other dogs? Cats? Don’t apply unless they like being shaken up like a ragdoll by a 13lb rage machine. This may be confusing to people, as he currently lives with my other 7 dogs and 12 cats. That’s because we have somewhat come to an agreement that it’s wrong to attack the other animals. But you know that episode of The Office where Michael Scott silently whispers “I’ll kill you.” to Toby? That’s Prancer having to begrudgingly coexist with everyone when I’m around. We also mentioned no kids for Prancer. I think at this point, you can imagine why. He’s never been in the presence of a child, but I can already imagine the demonic noises and shaking fury that would erupt from his body if he was. Prancer wants to be your only child. So what are his good traits? He is loyal beyond belief, although to tell you a secret his complex is really just a facade for his fear. If someone tried to kill you I can guarantee he would run away screeching. But as far as companionship, you will never be alone again. He likes to go for car rides, he is housebroken, he knows a few basic commands, he is quiet and non destructive when left alone at home, and even though we call him bologna face he is kind of cute to look at. He also “smiles” when he is excited. His ideal home would be with a single woman, a mother and daughter, or a lesbian couple. You can’t live in an apartment or a condo unless you want him to ankle bite your neighbors. We already addressed the men and children situation. If you have people over he would have to be put away like he’s a vacuum. I know finding someone who wants a chucky doll in a dogs body is hard, but I have to try. Prancer is available through Second Chance Pet Adoption League. He is in New Jersey but can be adopted anywhere in the general tri state area. If you’ve always wanted your own haunted Victorian child in the body of a small dog that hates men and children, please email njwoof@cs.com. Oh, also he’s only 2yrs old and will probably live to be 21 through pure spite, so take that into account if you’re interested. Update and pics here: https://www.facebook.com/tyfanee.fortuna/posts/10219752628710467

Your dd's friend was a jerk. She apologized and did her best to make things right. I think we've all been jerks from time to time, but not all apologize and try to make amends. Be happy that your wonderful DD is happy and don't give the friend any more mental or emotional energy. Hugs, mama!

Spam reported.

Thank you. That was in the heyday of Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons. As I recall I got a great deal. 🙂

You're sweet. 💙 It was a Tervis tumbler, which were popular at the time.

Never, but twice I've heard/seen extended family members make fun of my gift or make a face. For one exchange, we were supposed to spend under $10. I didn't know the relative well so I got her a nice, brand-name insulated cup and some fuzzy socks. The gift was apparently cringy. 🤷‍♀️

Born in the mid 70's. We didn't do any special Christmas pj's, much less matching ones. Neither did DH's family. We did have special Christmas pillowcases. ❤️ I loved buying cute pj's for my DD when she was younger, and I love seasonal things, but I could never justify paying for a new specifically holiday set of pj's. I did love finding seasonal things at garage sales. DD and I would enjoy matching. DH would not. 😉 The youngest members of our (wealthiest) extended families usually get matching pj's for Christmas photos.

@ktgrok, any update?

Okay, friend says: "Gymboree is stupid-expensive now but they do still have lines. I know people get ridiculous prices reselling their Janie and Jack. They are now owned by GAP which is also probably a decent brand." www.janieandjack.com ETA: I have to say that it appears Gymboree has a good sale going right now.

I have a friend who is an expert in all things Gymbo. I will come back and post when I receive an answer from her.

WTH? That is a gift that we would treasure for a lifetime. I bet your nieces/nephews will love them. I still have the afghan my great-aunt crocheted for me when I was around 8 years old. She made a yellow one for me (my favorite color) and a pink one for my cousin. I don't remember my mom ever commenting on it (although I'm sure she appreciated it); my love for it was all me. 💛 She made my sister a small quilt and it was her constant companion for years and years. And the baby quilt she made for my DD is packed away carefully. All of that to say that the smaller people for whom the quilts were intended may very well appreciate your lovely gift.

Hanna Andersson clothes are very long-lasting, but I don't know much about their outerwear. I did have a sweet fleece coat for DD when she was a toddler and that held up very well. It had a horse on it. ❤️ I've seen Lands' End dresses be worn by several girls over many years and still look good, but honestly the older stuff seemed to be slightly better quality than what they offer now. (In fairness, however, I've noticed the quality issue mostly in women's sizes. I haven't bought little kid stuff there in a long time.) We have a Lands' End coat that has lasted forever and another that lasted until it was outgrown and still looked new-ish. I once bought a Lands' End coat already used for a couple dollars. My DD wore it and then her friend and I'm guessing her friend's sister will too. Lands' End bathing suits wear VERY well. L.L. Bean would be my third choice, probably.

Love you guys, thanks!

Teacher just said "wooden pencils," but I'm sure some types are better than others. This is for a sketch diary which will contain both notes on the class and drawings. On my way to the store and will check back here when I get there. 🙂 Thank you!

I left the content up for educational purposes. 😉

Okay, I think maybe I found something. Is it this? Zombie Fungus If so, poor spider. 😞

What IS this thing? It's about an inch and a half long. It's hanging in a spider web. I'm in charge of getting rid of it but I'd like to know what it is first. Some kind of fungus? A spider egg sack? A decomposed spider or other bug? Someone here has to know. 🙂