A friend of mine growing up got a kitten that she was sure was a girl. She name the kitty Sugar Plum Fairy. After the first vet visit, she was found to be he and his name shortened to just Sugar. Still a sort of confusing name for a male. My neighbors have a female dog named Parker. I just can't think of a girl named Parker for some reason.

I really like Charles Martin. His books remind me of Nicholas Sparks, actually I like them more. These are some of my favorites: http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Between-Us-Charles-Martin-ebook/dp/B0036S4CPW/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422233134&sr=1-6&keywords=Charles+Martin http://www.amazon.com/When-Crickets-Cry-Charles-Martin-ebook/dp/B004S7XCTW/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422233134&sr=1-7&keywords=Charles+Martin http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Rain-Novel-Coming-Martin-ebook/dp/B005HEEX84/ref=sr_1_10?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422233134&sr=1-10&keywords=Charles+Martin

Burgers at my dad's house!

I'm sure that I can. We decided to just postpone the trip until DH gets home and watch the kids. Turns out she does need the mattress, so I'm sure that would put us over. Thanks for all the help though.

I just looked online and for most of the boxes all that was listed was the weight. The height, width and length were all blank. Ugh.

Thanks! I'll see if I can make sense of the dimensions on the website, Admittedly, not one of my strong suits. ;)

I need to take my sister to ikea to get a new bed (just the frame, no mattress) and dresser and I'm trying to figure out if it will all fit into my vehicle. I drive a YukonXL. I can't get a sitter so I have to take all three kids and that would mean one in the way back and two in the middle (my middle row is two captains chairs). I would be able to fold down half of the third row, plus all the regular cargo space behind the third row. I'm thinking a lot of ikea boxes are long and skinny-ish and if that is the case we should be ok. But if any of the boxes are wider than half of the back row that is folded down, we would be in trouble. I live about 2 hours away so I would hate to get there and not have room. If anyone has any ideas if this would work, that would be great!

Even then, my 5yo moves his little legs as if he were walking. It's crazy how much motion.

I think a young adult cat is the direction I may be leaning also. Paisley is 11 but she doesn't seem that old. Her teeth are perfect, no arthritis. The vet is amazed every time I bring her in that she seems so young.

Thank you all for responding. Your replies have given me a lot to think about. :)

Yes, all of this is true. This particular Akita has accepted other dogs on two occasions. One, when my BIL lived with us and he had a dog. And, secondly, when we got another dog (we re-homed him when we moved from AK to TX). So, while she is fairly untested with cats, she has accepted other animals into the home. That gives me some hope it would maybe work. But I do fully understand Akitas and that it may be a problem.

I would most definitely respect his wishes about no cat in our bed! The issue isn't allergies, just not wanting to share space. And I somewhat agree with him! I can barely sleep with him in the bed, let alone him and an animal also! LOL Edited for spelling.

Our trailer is a large double-wide (2000sqft). So, not tiny. Paisley (the dog) spend parts of the day outside and always all night inside. I would plan to separate them when they aren't supervised. But, yes, it may be stressful for her. And she is big and strong.

I want to get a cat but I have a few things to consider. I have had many cats before but it has been a while. I have a dog and kids now. First is the dog. I have an eleven year old female Akita. I am not totally sure how she would react to a cat in our house. We live in a trailer on the same property as my dad and he has two cats. They are indoor/outdoor cats but they avoid my dog when she is outside. She seems very interested in them but hasn't shown any aggression. But then again, the cats haven't given her a chance. My second consideration is my DH. He is OK with me getting a cat but, under no circumstances, does he want a cat in our bed at night. I also have three kids, ages 7, 5, and 3. They have been around my dads cats and are very gentle. I am not really worried about them. So I am thinking I should get a kitten so I can hopefully introduce it to my dog easily. I am afraid if I were to adopt an older cat, it may already be scared of dogs. But on the other hand, kittens are a lot of work. And I have never had a kitten that DIDN'T sleep with me. What do I do with a kitten at night, if not snuggled in bed with me? I could make a bathroom or the laundry room into a "kitty room". Wouldn't a kitten cry all night all alone? Any tips or advice would be great!

This one is so ridiculously first world problems it's not even funny... The steering wheel in my car is heated. Buuuuuut, it also has a section of wood grain. So the leather part gets all toasty warm and the wood part stays freezing. It's the worst. I feel like barfing just talking about how the wood grain in my car is a problem. Blech!

After a bunch of working phone calls, my insurance company decided to cover the meds I need (well not the exact one, that would be asking to much, but a similar one) and I started it on Wednesday. While this drug is scary, and I am quite nervous about it, I am also hopeful it will put my disease into remission. And my kids are excited for Momma to feel better! That DH is at work. He works in the oil industry and it is taking a HUGE downturn. For the moment he is at work and that is a good thing. His company is doing everything they can to avoid layoffs. I am thankful he works for a smaller company that is able to do this. Many other, larger companies have laid-off hundreds already. Coffee!

Buttered egg noodles Is cheese ok? Maybe grilled cheese or plain cheese quesadilla English muffin or plain bagel Scrambled eggs My favorite when I have to eat bland, is the old condensed Campbell's chicken noodle soup with buttered saltines. Or ramen noodles, but that might not be bland enough.

My DH would use this! He works out of town for 1-5 weeks at a time. There are times I think he misses back-scratches more than TeA. LOL!

I have a weird one that would probably drive a ton of you bonkers. I don't like to load the DW as I go. I like to fill up the sink (just one side!) and then load. I know where certain items fit best and I like knowing what I have to work with before I start. If I throw a few things in here or there, I always end up rearranging things to make that one, weird thing fit. But if I had waited, I could have just done it right the first time. Luckily, DH doesn't care about dishes in the sink.

This a HUGE pet peeve of mine! Dirty dishes go on the left and the right stays clear. I need someplace to wash my hands or thaw meat. DH is the worst at this.

I was born in 1986 and my dad was in the room. I guess my mom was already in an operating room when she was pushing because when things went south, they knocked her out and preceded to perform the c-section with my dad in the room. He was actually asked to "hold this." I'm not sure what "this" was. He was there the whole time and was completely traumatized. He actually didn't end up paying the bill because he fussed about it. My brother was born a few years later via planned c-section and he, surprisingly, attended that one also! Edited for clarity.

This is the best yellow cake I've ever made. Before this one, I couldn't seem to make one that was as good as a box. It is a bit fiddley and you really do have to follow all the steps just how they are written but it is soo worth it!! http://ourbestbites.com/2014/05/yellow-layer-cake/

Thank you for posting this. I've read a bit about elderberry and have given to my kids before. I even stocked up this fall. But I am glad you mentioned about autoimmune diseases, I had never heard that before. I have one and am on immunosuppressants, which could have been bad for me had I taken some elderberry.

I second, or third the Alton Brown recipe. I've made it a bunch of times. Always yummy.

For me, I feel like dinners require three things to work well. Planning, shopping, and actual follow-through. I seem to be able to only juggle two of the three balls at once. Which two it is changes all the time, but it's rare that I can manage all three for very long. It really is a lot to take care of! I feel your pain.