Thanks, @Corraleno! I just ordered some. The price is great, too! 🙂

@Corraleno, how are you liking the Haruharu sunscreen? I'm thinking of trying it.

@Bambam, thanks! I'll edit my original post with more parameters.

DH and I have decided we should start putting money away for DD15's (possible) wedding someday. She's never dated and there is no urgency. 🙂 We plan on giving her a set amount and telling her she can use it for a wedding, reception, honeymoon, down payment on a house, whatever she wants. She's pretty frugal and will likely not spend the full amount on the wedding. I think she would find it illogical. 🙂 However, we want her to be able to have a nice wedding if that's what she wants. We're trying to come up with a reasonable figure to shoot for. If you've been involved in wedding planning in the last five years or so, I'm looking for the approximate cost of various types of weddings, such as: Ceremony + cake and punch Ceremony + homemade / potluck reception at our church (no cost to rent) Ceremony + sit down dinner at a venue Ceremony + sit down dinner and dancing at a venue Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated! I told my DH the Hive knows all. 🙂 \ ETA: This would be in a low cost of living area with perhaps about 150 guests.

Nooooo. Hugs to you.

I love, love, love to organize and clean out. I'm good at working with preschool through elementary kids. I am friendly, pleasant, and kind, although I'd also be happy working at home all day and not interacting with people at all. 😉 I'm good at finding homes for unwanted items--I know where they can be used and where to take them.

This meme is referencing the Redskins, who finally and thankfully changed their name to the Commanders. "Redskin" is a racial slur. Names like the Chiefs and the Braves are still used. I don't love those names either, but they are not at the same level as Redskins.

Platform. DH has one with a nice foam mattress and it's super comfortable.

Here's a finished House of Miniatures piece in my childhood dollhouse:

I've loved dollhouses my whole life, and I recognize that brand from the 1980's! What a great find. 🙂

I can't sleep without white noise, and a regular table fan is *by far* my preferred option.

Love this so much. ❤️

I love Baggalini and Kipling bags. Both come in a huge range of sizes, with all kinds of features. They are durable, washable, light, and cute. 🙂 Sometimes I will use the company's site to find a style I like, then get it cheaper on Amazon or eBay.

You've already received lots of great ideas. I do think some of you are underestimating the joy of party favors for little kids. It's a little thing that brings a lot of delight both to the birthday child and his or her guests. Yes, maybe it's a bit of a pain, maybe it's impractical, maybe you personally find it annoying. But it makes kids happy. 🙂

Yes. We've used this one for the past five years and have been very happy with it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076BVWL6V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Note that it's specifically a small dog harness, so the sizing is a little different. My dog is 14 lbs. and wears a large.

Color me surprised! I did not know it was still around. https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/02/rare-bubonic-plague-case-in-oregon-spread-from-very-sick-pet-cat/ I really want to know if the cat is okay now, but I can't find that info anywhere. I'm hoping that if the cat was euthanized or passed away, it would have been reported.

I'm a Ravenclaw and I'd say DH is, too. DD likes Slytherin best. She is a very good and kind person, but she likes their ambition and probably their cleverness.

@City Mouse, is this it? https://www.kraftheinz.com/kraft-singles/recipes/556854-classic-layered-salad

People can be so weird. When I got married, DH and I decided not to have any small children in the wedding party (no flower girl or ring bearer). One of his siblings brought their little girl, our niece, to our wedding dressed in a formal flower girl dress in the same color I chose for my attendants. You just have to laugh.

Same here, although we don't have any clothing for sale except at Dollar General. We do have a nice grocery store, library, movie theater, restaurants, etc. A good percentage of baggers and stockers at the grocery store have intellectual or other disabilities and other employees have significant life challenges. My dad was the manager for decades, and we've always privately joked a bit, calling it "[Grocery Store's] Rehab Center" because it's very inclusive and they rarely fire anyone for any reason.

You are right of course. I was just speaking about my growing realization about the way my country is. I know other countries have the same problems. And I agree that much of the problem is our current inability to get things done politically.

@frogger, thank you so much for this thread. I'm ashamed to say this is not a topic I've thought a lot about. I so appreciate you sharing your experiences. It seems to be an American trend to not be willing to put up with the slightest inconvenience to oneself to help someone else. We saw it during the pandemic and I'm starting to see it in so many other places. The message indeed seems to be that people who are vulnerable, ill, disabled, or inconvenient should just stay home or go ahead and die already. It needs to change.

I would be interested in this thread.

I'm glad you got the answer you wanted. 🙂