This was happening about 30 minutes before the party...lol.

:hurray: :hurray: See kids, whining pays off. :hurray: :hurray:

Dang! I only got ONE measly star for this awesomely entertaining thread? :lol:

Oh! And we did have at least one little guy take a wizz out back in the woods. :lol:

Lol. Well....our funds were running low, so we ended up NOT renting one. It turned out fine. We had horrible weather this week, and it POURED down rain just before the party (after raining constantly for several days prior). I think it lightened the attendance significantly. As it was, we had over 125 people here. I posted a sign to please put all paper products in the trash, and it appears to be followed. We did have an upstairs toilet clog last night, but I think one of my children had something to do with it :glare: . Overall, the party went very well. The rain moved out for the evening. We had a lot of very wet, grass covered, slightly muddy kids that had a ball playing in the swamp that used to be our yard. We ate way too much food. I had three large tables in the dining room completely covered with food for the main meal, and every available surface in my kitchen, plus a table, covered with desserts. We had canopies set up so people could get out of any rain, but it ended up not being an issue. Everyone had a great time, and I'm sure it will grow even bigger next year. (we had 70+ last year...it keeps getting bigger.)

I'm not sure there IS a graceful way to get out. I just had a gigantic bruise heal up on my buttock from my last not-so-graceful exit. (those things are slippery!) I prefer knees slightly bent, it is easier on my back.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8419-Kimberwick-Ct_Powell_TN_37849_M71493-34603?row=40 As an example...a decent house (needs some pressure washing on the outside..lol) in a good neighborhood. We actually looked at houses in this neighborhood and almost bought one on the same road, but the owner was being a bit difficult. Here is a newer one for just a bit more: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7229-Autumn-View-Ln_Powell_TN_37849_M76243-52200?row=44 And one closer to 250K http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/115-Windstone-Blvd_Powell_TN_37849_M85470-70234?row=2

I am so very sorry for your loss.

Money settled it for us. We did not get one. Also, we are in the middle of a monsoon, so I'm thinking the attendance will be way down. I opted for a big sign in the bathroom to put paper products in the trash. I cook it all day in a roaster. I cheat with the seasonings on it. I use McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning. Everyone loves it. I have my own "secret" rib rub recipe though...lol.

We are having our big party tomorrow. I'm making ribs (Texas dry rub style), brisket, pulled BBQ chicken, and hot dogs. We will also have homemade ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, peach, and blackberry flavors. Oh, and I'll make some limeade and sweet tea. All the guests are supposed to bring a dish as well.

For me, it is hard to say. I know that our relationships have mitigated a lot of conflict. Would we have had such good relationships had they remained in PS? I don't know. From the way things were headed when I pulled them out, I doubt we would have been as close. We have times that it is HARD being the parent of three teen girls. But generally, they are fun to be around, and we get along really well. We've never had to deal with outright defiance, or any major conflicts. School environments aside, what stands out the most to me when I look at my friends who have a lot of conflict with their teens, is how they treat each other. Often the parents that don't trust their kids, or do not treat them like someone deserving privacy and respect, are the ones who have the most troubled relationships. (I know this isn't always the case, especially when mood disorders and such are in play, it has just been a personal observation)

I think the more traditional hardwoods are timeless. Some of the exotic woods and "unnatural" stains will pass out of style, but natural colored woods seem to withstand the test of time. We have natural oak floors. Oak isn't my favorite, but I knew that it would probably always be a common floor choice, and it hides dust and dirt SO well. I had dark wood floors in Texas, and while they were gorgeous and I loved them, they really did show dust and dirt like crazy. Didn't help that our dog is white.

On paper he works 38 hour weeks. In reality, he works 40-50. We know he has it good though. In the past he has worked many, many 80+ hour weeks.

I will never have carpet again for the exact same reason. The thought of all that same dust and dirt being in the carpet squicks me out.

I follow directions/orders if they make sense. If I don't see the point, then I do my own thing. Dh, however, is a "save the instructions for when everything else fails" kind of guy. Generally I find this more amusing than annoying. He's very mechanically minded, so this works for him more often than not. I DO get annoyed when he blows off doctor's instructions. He NEVER follows them. Like an above post, I think he thinks it is a form of tyranny. It makes me have little sympathy when recovery doesn't go as planned/expected. (And he's been through a lot of surgery and medical treatment). I would hate to be his doctor.

Yep. We ran into some of that when we built as well. Most of it came from our sub-contractors though. The air guys were told exactly where we wanted the air units located (not under our bedroom window). We came back to find them installed directly under our bedroom window. We told the plumber that we did NOT want a shower head installed over our separate tub. Came back to find that he had plumbed for a shower head above our tub, because he "thought I would really wish I had one later". Thankfully caught that one before the dry wall went up. Don't tell me what I want...my own husband can't even win at that game!

We built our house and thought long and hard about it, so there isn't much I'd really change other than maybe a guest bedroom. We also built on family land, so we are stuck here FOR-EVER. However, if the stars aligned and I could miraculously choose a new location, it would NOT be here. I would move back to the edge of the city where there are sidewalks and walking trails.

All kinds of stuff, depending on the guests. Usually things that are easy to make in large quantities: Tacos, spaghetti, chili, etc. We throw a huge July 4th party and always do ribs, brisket, hot dogs and homemade ice cream. Our family cooks as a hobby though, so we love it. If it is just one or two people, we just fold them into whatever meal I already had planned. This happens A LOT at our house.

Ooooh....me too. MacGyver was hot...lol.

Nothing in my life now resembles what I dreamed about at 12. I wanted to move to a big city, live in an apartment, be an architect or archaeologist, and have a big dog. I didn't want to get married or have kids. Actually, the only thing I DID do was get out of my hometown and stay out. (thankfully)

We have them. Dh's father is actually a gun repairman/restorer. Dh has them for hobby shooting, hunting and home defense. He also reloads ammo as a hobby. I do shoot occasionally, just to be familiar with them.

Tennessee here, and I hear that all the time. I've even been guilty of saying it a time or three.

Well, I had a former neighbor/relative who simply didn't see what the big deal was. Even when I called her at 6AM to get her obnoxious dog off my front porch, where he was yapping his head off and waking me up. Even when I called her to get her dog out from in front of my dh's office window where he was trying to have a conference call over the din the dog was making. Even when he was in my flower bed digging up bulbs and eating them. We were just impatient and didn't like her having a dog :glare: We like dogs. We have a lovely one ourselves. But we bring her inside when she starts barking. She moved, thankfully, before the dog had to "run away".

People usually just ask what part of Tennessee I'm from..lol. I have such a twang.

Yes, let it dry. Then cook something moderately greasy on it. Wipe/scrape clean. It should be back to awesome. Mine is black from 15 years of use...nothing will stick to that baby now..lol.