I bought my parents NPR t-shirts for Christmas. You can also support animal sanctuaries like Best Friends Animal Society by shopping in their gift shops.

If anyone enjoys shopping at thrift stores for gifts, I recommend checking for a MCC Thrift Shop in your area. From their website: "MCC Thrift Shops support Mennonite Central Committee, a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches which shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice.​" MCC does tremendous work for refugees, indigenous people, and others affected by conflict, disaster, poverty, and disease (in particular HIV/AIDS). They started the Ten Thousand Villages fair trade shop years ago. Serrv is another non-profit offering a variety of fair trade goods. They were founded in 1949 to help refugees resettling in America after WWII.

I just took the dog out, and the wind was so strong that my skirt and my hair were whipping around like crazy! I felt just like Dorothy Gale when the twister was coming. :)

Would it help to suggest that she take a sip of water when she gets an urge to cough? Perhaps she could carry a water bottle around with her for a few days. I think sometimes just being conscious of the twitch and doing something to stop it helps it go away faster. :grouphug: to her and to you. ETA: Also make sure she's getting plenty of sleep, of course.

A back massager? A weighted blanket for pressure on his back? Recorded bedtime stories? Poor kid. I feel for him.

Yes, I saw that, thank you for sharing it here. I pray you are right about them not being rushed or pushed into the decision. Like you, I have read stories about people surviving supposed brain death. At least one later shared that he had heard what was going on around him, including a doctor saying that he was brain dead. I do hope that the doctors are not too quick to declare brain death. Doctors do not always hold to the standards, as in these two cases: "In one, an anesthesiologist administered a drug to a BHC to treat an episode of tachycardia during a harvest. The donor began to breathe spontaneously just as the surgeon removed his liver. The anesthesiologist reviewed the donor’s chart and found that he had gasped at the end of an apnea test, but a neurosurgeon had declared him dead anyway. In another case, a 30-year-old patient with severe head trauma was declared brain dead by two doctors. Preparations were made to excise his organs. The on-call anesthesiologist noted that the beating-heart cadaver was breathing spontaneously, but the declaring physicians said that because he was not going to recover he could be declared dead. The harvest proceeded over the objections of the anesthesiologist, who saw the donor move and react to the scalpel with hypertension that had to be treated. It was in vain since the proposed liver recipient died before he could get the organ, which went untransplanted." I agree that Elsie's family sounds very loving and I am sure they will do what they believe to be right. I have a hard time trusting the transplant industry. ETA: And with that, I'll bow out. I don't want to take goldberry's thread too far off course.

Okay, so according to the information her family has posted, she has coughed, her pupils have responded to light (although sometimes not correctly, and that's why they think she's having seizures), and she has responded to pain. So, she's not brain dead. The parts of her brain that were not injured are no longer being deprived of oxygen, so although I'm not an expert, I would think there wouldn't be further damage to those areas. From what I've read, there are still very wide and varying protocols for determining brain death. See, for example, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26719912 "Significant variability may exist in individual institutional policies regarding the determination of brain death...there remained significant variability across all 5 categories of data, such as excluding the absence of hypotension (276 of 491 policies [56.2%]) and hypothermia (181 of 228 policies [79.4%]), specifying all aspects of the clinical examination and apnea testing, and specifying appropriate ancillary tests and how they were to be performed. Of the 492 policies, 163 (33.1%) required specific expertise in neurology or neurosurgery for the health care professional who determines brain death, and 212 (43.1%) stipulated that an attending physician determine brain death; 150 policies did not mention who could perform such determination." I will be in prayer for the family. I am so very sorry this horrible accident happened to them. :(

So, so sad. :( There is another aspect to this that is bothering me, though. I read through the updates on her parents' Go Fund Me page. Elsie has brain damage and has been having seizures. However, she has responded to pinching and to her parents' voices. When her parents sang to her, her heart rate dropped. She coughs. She can breathe on her own. Her parents have said they have met with the hospital organ donation team and are planning on donating her organs. This bothers me because she is not dead, even if her condition is worsening. She's not even "brain dead," according to the information that has been shared with the public. I have the deepest sympathy for her parents and sincerely hope that they are not being pressured into this decision. :( ETA: I've been noticing more and more of these type of situations in the news in the past year or so. It makes me very concerned for the rights of the disabled.

Oh, I'm drawn to other people's bookcases, and I'd love to look at them (and sometimes do, surreptitiously). :o It's just that my books seem so personal to me--not the ones in our school room, but my personal books (fiction, theology, health, current issues, etc.) IDK, maybe it's just a personal quirk. :)

Maybe she's thinking that if it's good for two to agree in prayer (as in Matthew 18:19), more would be even better. Regardless, it's totally inappropriate, as well as unloving and unkind, for her to post details publicly on Facebook. Asking for general prayer for her family or even prayer for an unspoken request (as people often do at my church) is enough. God knows the situation, after all. :)

It makes wonderful clothing for peg people! Wrap a peg person with coloful Washi tape and glue on some sequins, ribbon, or buttons if desired. Add a face with fine-point Sharpies and hair with markers or with yarn. It's a quick, easy, and fun craft (even for non-crafty people).

I'll be another voice of dissent. I once saw someone reading the calendar on my fridge, and it really bugged me. I thought it was rude. I'm with bibiche. Unless you know someone really well, I think you should at least pretend not to see whatever's on their fridge. Same goes for books. I'd find it a bit intrusive if someone started looking closely at my books, whether they are in the main living area or not. It's true that you shouldn't have really personal things out if you don't want people to see them, but I think it's just not *polite* to examine anything closely in a casual acquaintance's home. To be honest, though, I don't like having anyone over, ever. I know hospitality is a virtue, but I suck at it. :)

No, no, no. Is this actually a thing? People really do this? Why?!?!? I worked at a library for four years and still sometimes can't help straightening shelves in stores and libraries. This would drive me absolutely bonkers. :willy_nilly:

You can even buy special covers for old pillows to make them look more like dog beds. I found some on Etsy. I also like to wash old pillows and then put nice shams on them for use in the living room while watching tv, as a back support, or just for some extra color.

Bumping. OP, do you have an update for us?

Magnetic play sets Felt play sets ZipBin play mats with extra figures / cars Logic / puzzle games like Camelot Jr.

I'd prefer these over regular army guys, but I think I'd go a step further and get the pink ones. :laugh:

Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour is not enriched. It's not as "white" as all-purpose flour, but is more so than regular whole wheat.

Oh, yum. I've never eaten that particular snack, but I confess to enjoying buttered saltines once in a great while. :)

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I hope you have a good time on your trip.

That is crazy! Clearly you are a master at Getting Things Done. I don't know...just enjoy relaxing? Take a long bath? Take a nap? ETA: I also like regentrude's suggestion about working towards a goal.

Dang, girl. You did all that in one day? No wonder if you have time to be bored. If I was as efficient as you, maybe I'd be bored occasionally, too!

Free shipping, no minimum today at Petsmart, CVS, and Oriental Trading Company. 15% off items at the NPR Shop with code THANKS15, through Nov. 28.

Snorg tees also has free shipping on all orders today.

I called my mom today and asked her if I could have some of the leftover Pink Salad and cranberry sauce I was craving. Luckily she is 5 minutes away and likes to feed people. :) Now I feel guilty for not leaving my tiny contribution to the meal there for her and my dad. :o I'll save some for her.