Frances Valentine was heavily publicized when the first collections were introduced, but it didn’t seem to have the quick and amazing success that the Kate Spade brand had achieved. It seemed to get a big initial hype from the press and then just sort of disappear. I know the company is still in business, and might even be making money, but I suspect it’s probably not what Ms Spade and her husband had hoped it would be.

Wow. I just looked it up and her daughter is only 13 years old. That poor child. ?

I believe she sold the company several years ago. She started a new company, Frances Valentine, a few years ago. No matter how much money she got when she sold her namesake company, it must have been very weird to not be able to use her own name in her subsequent business endeavors.

Wow, what a shock! I still often shop for handbags in Kate Spade stores because everything seems so happy and bright. I never would have guessed that she wasn’t a positive, upbeat person behind the scenes because her image and color palettes have always been so cheerful. It sounds weird, but even her black handbags felt happy to me. I feel so sad for her family. ?

I think it’s a smart idea to contact the grief counselor. You have been through so much. ? I’m glad you’re learning so many interesting things about your sister, and that so many people will help keep her memory alive.

Maybe I’m misinterpreting your posts, but I am viewing this situation the same way unsinkable has described it in her posts. If your daughter’s grades are very good in general, and she also did well in prior classes with the exact same teacher, it certainly seems out of character that she would suddenly do a complete 180 in this one particular class and not do her work and not care about her grade. If you had said that she has a history of blowing off her work and doing poorly in classes she doesn’t enjoy, I would be looking at this situation very differently.

I keep thinking of you and wondering how you’re doing, so I thought I’d post here and check in on you.

Why is it so important that she not remove it? It’s only a bumper sticker. Add me to the list of people who would love to know what it says!

I wish I could do more than just say I’m sorry for the loss of both of your sisters in such a short time. It’s unimaginable. I’m so very sorry.

I’m just sitting here thinking of you and your sister. I wish I had some wise words of comfort for you, but I can’t think of a single thing that could explain why something this awful is happening. Sending you lots of hugs.

Thinking of you and your sister today, and wishing things were different. I hope she is resting comfortably and that she’s in no pain. When you first told us about her diagnosis, I thought she would have much more time than this. I’m so sorry.

I’m so, so sorry. It’s just so unimaginably awful that I don’t know what to say.

It’s adorable! And it looks so soft, too!

Is this kind of job listing typical for your area, or might it just be a case of one business that has no clue about how ridiculous their requirements are for the low salary they want to pay?

Have you tried Midol? It has the acetaminophen and the caffeine, but for some reason, it doesn’t keep me awake, so maybe you would have better luck with that than with coffee. (You can also get store brand Midol, usually called something charming like “Menstrual Relief” — it’s exactly the same as Midol and is a lot cheaper.) I take prescription Imitrex and also have Fioricet, but the Fioricet makes me loopy and draggy the next day, so I rarely take it. I told my new doctor that I was looking for natural treatments for migraines and she gave me prescription strength magnesium supplements and riboflavin supplements and she said they should help decrease the frequency of my migraines as well as help with the intensity, and they seem to be working. I took several brands of magnesium in the past and got no results at all, but the doctor said the prescription kind is much better, and although I admit I was a little skeptical, it seems like she was right.

I agree. I would call for the results and reschedule the appointment for when everyone is well again. I hope you all feel better very soon!

Congratulations, Jenny!!!!!

Well, if your doctor knew that you were obsessed to the point where gaining two tenths of a pound would make you feel horrible and guilty and would basically ruin your day, and it would also make you feel guilty about everything you ate all day, I’m starting to understand the diagnosis a bit better. I suspect the doctor is focusing more on your obsessive feelings and not on how much you actually ate.

Could the doctor think it’s less about how much you actually ate and more about your attitude toward eating in general? Even if you didn’t eat that much, maybe the doctor felt you were obsessing too much about it and that you were too worried about how many calories you ate to compensate for the day you overate? Or perhaps the doctor heard what you ate and disagreed that you had overeaten at all, so he felt your thought patterns indicated a propensity toward bulimia? I’m just guessing here, because I’m trying to figure out why the doctor chose that particular diagnosis.

I cast my vote in the poll for the baby born with lunch. Somebody had to do it, so it might as well be me.

I am not on Facebook, but I thought I read somewhere that it’s possible to open an account using a fake name. I’m not sure how to do it or if it’s against FB rules, but maybe someone else can explain how it works. I absolutely agree with your reasons for avoiding FB thus far. I’m in a situation where I may need to join soon, but I would really prefer not to do it.

And don't forget those hospitals for the sick and INSANE!

What did she tell you her notes said? Were her notes inaccurate about what you told her about your eating disorder? Sorry to sound so clueless — I’m just trying to figure out what the doctor gave as her reasons for believing you have bulimia.

I understand why you’re upset — nobody wants to do a colonoscopy prep for nothing (Kassia recently went through a prep that didn’t work properly and couldn’t have the colonoscopy, and that was awful!) but in your situation, please be thankful that the nurse and the anesthesiologist paid attention to your medical history and didn’t put your health at risk for a test didn’t absolutely need to be done right now. Obviously, I wish someone would have figured it all out before you did the prep, but it was only one night of your life, and if they thought the risks of the anesthesia outweighed the benefit of having the colonoscopy, I think that’s the most important thing to focus on.

Praying for you, Katy.