I found out the wife of the man we bought our home from died in the dining room. It's sad but I'm not creeped out by it. People have to die somewhere and it's not unusual to assume that many houses have had deaths.

This might sound really dumb, but I'm going to throw it out there. I'm a toss-and-turner at night. Sometimes I can't find a comfortable spot for hours and never fully fall asleep. One thing that helps me is I filled a clean sock with rice. I'll microwave it till it's warm then drape it over my eyes. 1) It's warm and soothing 2) It blocks out any distracting light 3) I don't want it slipping off so I lie still 4) There's just something about the weight of it that I find relaxing. It sounds goofy as all get out, but it really does seem to help. Other than that, rant away Elsa, it's good for you!

We have this one, illustrated by Alan Lee. Gorgeous! https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=OlCHcjX0RT4C&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gl=US&gclid=CLH9iNW8z8wCFVaEgQodbEIHnA&gclsrc=ds

Ah, maybe that's what it was. All I know is, last summer he was constantly coming to me saying things like "I made it to the Inn of the Prancing Pony" or "I got to Tom Bombadil's" and I was really confused.

For your older kids or you exercise minded individuals, I don't know where he got it, but my Dh signed up for a "Walk to Mordor" program on the computer. He logs in his millage and it tells him how far he has run in relation to the Tolkien books.

Just imagine a grown woman squealing and clapping her hands. That's what you've done today! We are so in!!

We put a deposit down on a little puppy who was just born on Friday! The family has been posting pictures and videos and I'm super excited to get to watch her grow up!! All the dogs I've ever had have come from the dog pound and we get them once they're grown. I've never been able to experience puppy hood. I keep stalking this poor man's FB page and blog every hour or so hoping to see more pictures. It's going to be a long eight weeks!!

Unless either were very extreme, I'd prefer the perfect neighborhood. You can always fix up a house, but if your area is riddled with crime or even if you have one jerk of a neighbor, there's nothing much you can do about it.

One thing to consider, set the manufactured home in a far corner of your land and when your home is done, sell it with a quarter or half acre plot. No moving expenses to deter any one, you can get a bit more because of the land and then you can have a sizable chunk of money to pay off some of your building costs. The downside is you'd have neighbors close by.

My brother is getting married in November and his fiance is 33, a highly skilled professional and has been out of her parents home for over 10 years. Her family helped her with the down payment on her condo and they had an agreement that they would only be able to give her $5000 for her wedding. Her and my brother and paying for everything else. 16 years ago when I got married I was still living at home, fresh out of college and still very young. My parents paid for the majority of my wedding. I think it depends on the family dynamics, how old the bride is, were there any financial agreements made previously. I don't think it's as cut and dried now as it used to be.

Oh wow! That is some stunning work! Good job!

I'm so sorry. I like to sew too and know how much an act of love it is to make something like that for someone. Is the dress really and truly ruined? Can you get it dry cleaned and pressed and salvage it? I wouldn't express anymore disappointment to my Dd. Teens can be careless and unintentionally hurtful, that's just how it goes. I can't imagine she would want to do anything to hurt your feelings or that in the moment thought that plain water would damage a dress. As a teen I would just imagine that the dress would dry out and be as good as new. I'm really sorry your hard work was ruined. I'm sure she appreciated it and had a great time in her lovely gown.

Get a jump on your reservations now. Anything on the lake fills up fast! Sleeping Bear is a beautiful area. Enjoy yourself!

No, you're not a mean Mom. Outside of the nasties that could be living in that water, I've read horror stories of children being sucked away by currents right in front of their parents eyes. Splashing in puddles is one thing, standing flood water is another.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is my Dd. She's 10 and will be the flower girl/junior bridesmaid. Her measurements had her in a size 4T! She's skinny but tall so we HAD to order a larger size simply to get the dress down past her fanny! We got a size 8 and the sizing chart shows a 6" difference in chest measurements. I'm going to be taking that dress in big time!

Three year olds are insane!! I haven't had teenagers yet, but I vote solidly for the threenagers!

My brother is getting married and we just love his fiance. She's wonderful! They asked Dh and I to be in the wedding so we've both buckled down and are working really hard on losing weight. I'm down 31 lbs. since they asked and while I probably could stand to easily lose another 50 lbs., I had been feeling really good about the results of my hard work so far. That is until this weekend when we went and tried on Bridesmaid dresses. Holy cow!! I'm down to a 16 in dresses and pants and was feeling pretty awesome about it. Soon to be SIL chose a lovely dress and the lady at the shop took measurements. It turns out in the world of bridal fashions, a normal person's 16 translates into a size 22!! I realize that clothing sizes are just arbitrary numbers that have absolutely no bearing on my self worth or who I am as a human, but that stung. I'm a big girl, I've got my (apparently extra large) panties back on, and am going to keep plugging away at what is obviously working. But geesh. You think designers could figure this nonsense out!

Nah. Just leave it up a few more weeks and decorate it for May Day.

In addition to any therapy you seek out, I would also have a serious, loving and perhaps detailed discussion with her about your plans for her if something were to happen to you. The uncertainty of her future might be adding to her anxiety of death. Knowing that yes, Mommy and Daddy have legal plans, I will be cared for and loved, etc. might help.

Forwarding to Pastor!

I'm finishing up Day 60 on Saturday. It hasn't been hard at all but I'm ready to be done. I'm very happy to have gotten a handle on my sugar cravings and am planning on drastically cutting back on sugar permanently. I'm going to add back in legumes without restriction and I'll try to keep dairy and grains to one or two servings a day. Overall it has been a good experience. I've lost weight, got a handle on my out of control cravings and healed my relationship with food.

I lost 18 pounds on Whole30 and I just ate and ate and ate. I was never hungry. It helped me get my sugar addiction under control too.

Oh wow! Thank you for that. This place is so out of my league and I want to make sure I don't stiff anyone.

Hi all, I'm taking my Dh to Philadelphia next week for a surprise 40th Birthday trip. Just the two of us. I am super excited! We're staying in a very nice hotel which we never do. It's always the budget no tell motels for us. I know tipping is the norm at these places but I'm not sure who to tip, how much and when. We'll be using the valet for four night's parking, there's usually a guy who carries your bags up, we'll probably get room service one night, all sorts of other folks too. I sure would appreciate some advice!

I voted no, I'm his best friend. And he is mine, although there are days I just want to shake him!