I always thought the elf phrase was figurative rather than literal. Now I have to check my copy and ponder.

To answer your question, I would choose vintage antique that isn't matchy matchy. My dh is exactly like yours and wants everything to match. (Although realistically I just have cheap stuff. But if I had the budget for it, vintage for sure.). I remember when dh needed a new nightstand lamp, and he wanted me to get the same, very masculine-looking lamp. No way. I love my cream-colored basket lamp with the flowery lamp shade.

I agree with HomeAgain. We have not seen that at my dd's school, either. Kids that got A's worked very hard and knew the material well. Yes, they do grades differently now than in the olden days of my college years, where homework is graded now and counts as part of the grade. I don't think that's bad necessarily. It helps to ensure homework gets completed and material gets learned. Still, there is a wide range of grades in her classes. She was initially a Nursing major, and then a Pre-Allied Health major, if that is relevant to the discussion. A B+ is in no way a failure. There are literal F's in every class, generally.

I'm just going to throw this out there: We and my parents were gifted with digital frames. We hated them. The constant rotation of pictures was, I don't know, like it hit a sensory button with all of us or something. My little brother now has my late parent's frame, and it lives face down on his end table. We threw ours out when we moved. Maybe if there is a way to freeze a frame or something, it would be better? I don't know. Just know that it's possible it's one of those gifts that not everybody loves.

I believe we moved. Also there was a tropical storm. And my elderly parents were very sick. I think I made her a cookie cake with balloons on it. It was not a great year.

Do you order your groceries online and do curbside pickup? Check the grocery store website. I'll bet they have some of that stuff. Headgear and socks for sure. Then you can just pick it up with your groceries.

Oh, I did include card games into that. I have some game shelves.

Oh! I found it! Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas.

Okay, Hive, I am looking for a romance novel. The heroine was a rich girl, grew up, married a man who abused her and threw her out one night where she stayed on the porch with no shoes. He locked the door. She called her brother to pick her up. He told her she needed to hear that it wasn't her fault. The hero of the book is the handsome boy from the trailer park from the same town as the rich girl. He's now made himself a success. The formerly rich girl is now in therapy and her therapist told her that even if she were in a stadium full of people, she would have attracted the abusive guy. (I mean, prior to therapy). I probably read it in the 90s or early 2000s. Any ideas?

Love them! Echoing the others: They are lightweight, dishwasher and microwave safe. We do occasionally drop them, and they have not yet broken so I don't have the millions-of-slivers experience. I have never lived with ceramic tile, however, so I believe everyone who says that about the slivers. They don't seem to break on vinyl floors or carpet. I have some white, and some other random ones. Don't love their patterns. But love them so much anyway.

Omg yes! Clean shower walls and also tubs! That would be amazing!!!

We like the Holiday Inn Expresses and the Candlewood Suites we've stayed in in San Antonio. We tend to prefer those along the north part of the 1604 loop or the Stone Oak area. In case that helps.

Could you not just cut the second part out and just do this? For other ideas, If it helps, my kinesiology dd did papers on scoliosis braces and the emotional/social cost, umm, how foot wear affects growing children's feet, umm, what else? The real Pocahontas, but that was a history paper. The sports specialization thing stood out to me. Best of luck!

Five as a child. 4 different dorms in college. Three apartments before marriage. One house for 22 years of marriage. Downsized to apartment, but too small so upsized a little bit in same complex. And next year, we'll probably switch apartments again as our dd will be moving out. So 11 so far, if you don't count dorms. We actually love apartment living now, the lack of maintenance plus the ability to be more mobile. We anticipate following our dd once she gets established after grad school.

I would put shelves between the front door and the picture window. I would put a table and chairs in front of the window, for puzzles and board games.

I remember that. I always assumed it was because I got sweaty which then evaporated and gave me chills.

Sandwiches of chicken salad on croissants? That's always yummy, and if you don't want to make the chicken salad from scratch, grocery stores (and Sam's Club) have pre-made chicken salad. And you can buy a container of croissants for sure. Now I'm hungry.

Absolutely. That's why I went on birth control pills. Took care of it.

I started having problems (pain) with them and had them out in my late 30s. Recovery was awful. Awful, awful, super painful for a long time. On the bright side, I learned from the pharmacist that's it's okay to take up to 4 ibuprofen at a time for a couple days. Also that 4 ibuprofen make my ears ring. Also that oral surgeons don't prescribe much in the way of pain meds. Also that I suck soft foods like jello rather than chew, which defeats the purpose of soft foods. Because of all that, we had dd's wisdom teeth out when the dentist recommended, in her teen years.

Ding ding ding! That's us, and we only have one. She even came on date nights because it usually involved a one or twice a year visit to the movie theater, which excited all of us. We did have some time after she went to bed some nights. Until she got old enough to want to talk to us all the way through to our bedtime, which I believe started in the pre-teen years?

American Eagle has trendy jeans, and their double zero jeans are 23.5” waist They also have short length, and some x-short length

It sounds like your chore system isn't working. Also, gently, maybe your communication? So dh does our dishes. We generally store dirty dishes in one half of the sink. If it's been long enough that I need the space or the dishes, I will do the dishes. They are my dishes, too, after all. We also buy paper plates to stretch out the length of time needed between tending to the dishes, because we are all short of time, and, frankly, nobody ENJOYS doing dishes. If I had to cook and needed some dirty dishes or space, I would make that happen, without resentment. That's just how life goes. It's no comment against me or my worth. If I really didn't want to do the dishes, I would find a way to word something to dh nicely about it. After all, I don't want to offend him or start a fight. I literally would just want the dishes done. Sometimes men are particular about wording. Something about their socialization, I forget the exact thing. So I might say, when you have a chance, would you be able to do the dishes before I cook next (and name an exact time)? If he expresses that he is too busy, then I will just do them. (I'm sure there are lots of times I don't do things on his timeframe as well.). But if he does them, then I tell him Thank you, and might mention how awesome he is. Because really, my opinion is that nobody has to do my dishes. Nobody has to cook for others. We do it to be nice and because it is an efficient way to make things happen. But gratitude is important. It is a kindness to me and our family that he does dishes. It is a kindness to him and my family when I do my "chores." Nobody is required. When we keep that in mind, it is very easy to be kind and respectful and forgiving. ((hugs to you))

Breakfast Club is a really stupid movie, and yet I still love Judd Nelson in it. Even though he's horrible... and damaged... and darkly attractive. And I know he's actually like 30 years old in the movie so it is totally okay to crush on him. Omg, speaking of crushes, Michael J. Fox is the best, most handsome 80s actor ever! Plus a super awesome human now. I can't watch Family Ties now because it feels disloyal to my spouse. I wrote an essay on MJF in 7th grade called "The Land of Michael J. Fox" where he was every male. That was embarrassing during class read alouds. But I stand by the sentiment!

Peanut butter can kill my kid. I like Almond Butter. Put up yer dukes!

Gasp! Horrified outrage! If I knew how, I would post a link to Mindy Kaling’s “Number One, how dare you?”