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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 24, 2019 3:51:40 GMT
I can let you know how it goes for one who was on her own at 18. It was just fine. Planes fly both ways in and out of the US. My mother worked as a missionary overseas on Guam and I traveled back to the US to go to college. From the time I left Guam through the next decade or so, I did not see my mother but every four years. My sister here in the US was my main line of emotional support and she made me feel not so alone. The emotional support was the most imprtantt. I ran important decisions by her for advice. Calling mother on the phone was not an option due to the cost of overseas calls. When I got married at 20 my mother was not able to come. But she was able to be there for the birth of both my children. I cherish those memories of her being there at those time.
I managed just fine. All four of us kids went through this. My older brother got caught up in the drug scene and flunked out of college and was flown back home to mother. In time he turned his life around and became a happy productive citizen. But, the point is, when being on his own did not work out, there was a fall back option of coming back home for . For your children, if things don't work out, they can always fly over and join you overseas.
Also, things have changed considerably since the sixties when I was on my own. Communications and flying back and forthare much easier now. Your chldren won't feel so much alone.
I say go. Your children will be the same wether you are here in the States or overseas. You being here in the States will not guarantee that they make the right decisions or manage their lives responsibly. They are at an age where they are really able to stand on their own.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 23, 2019 6:06:58 GMT
chocolate martini - love it There are seveeral recipes out there but I worked out a low cost version with no heavy cream and less calories than other versions. the blog post about it from 2011 is choclatetini
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 21, 2019 5:38:48 GMT
I worry about the crock pot cracking if or when a squirt of cold, cold stuff from the middle of the frozen meat hits the crock pot. I've seen this happen when cooking in a corningn ware dish on the stove. So I kinda think it could happen. I thaw my chicken in the refrigerator before putting in the crock pot.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 18, 2019 4:57:23 GMT
I always got those boiling bags and cooked meals ahead of time and put them in the boiling bags. Cooled them down in the refrigerator the night before leaving and then popped into the cooler. Some were even frozen. All I had to do was boil water to cook supper and then also had dishwater and hot water for clean up.
About firewood, remember you will not be able to use park wood in most places. It is against the law. So make plans accordingly. When it is really hot, you will not want to be cooking over a fire so it was a good idea to get a cookstove.
Baby powder is your friend. Rub it over yourself and your kids and you will be surprised at how much better and cleaner you feel. Pack a clean set of clothes for each person to change into (after using baby powder) before leaving so you all can ride home in clean clothes and be comfortable.
I've heard of familes doing a test run in their back yard for a weekend to make sure they have it all figured out before going somewhere and camping. Just a thought.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 17, 2019 4:57:13 GMT
Love Big Bend! We've been there several times, took the horseback ride to the rim, walked across the river for a true Mexian meal, and visited the canyon where the falcons nest. Once went with a college geology field trip and learned a lot about the geologicl features in the area. That same trip, the whole desert was in bloom and I got sick as a dog, but will always remember the scenes of the bluebonnets. They are a lot bigger in the desert out there than they are along the roads in Central Texas.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 16, 2019 6:10:01 GMT
Many of those refineries are grandfathered in under old standards and rules. The Pollution in Houston is far greater most days than in LA. And that is on normal days. Nothing is done about it. I had to leave my home of 30 years because the pollution was causing me lots of problems and ENT visits every two weeks. I could not talk most days and breathing was a chore. (We llived a bicyle ride from the refiners, hubby worked in one of them.) In fact I had to give up my career of teaching because of it. sorry but a real sore point to me.
It does not surprise me that they would not want that post-Harvey pollution data, EVEN if it was free. It would reveal things that would affect the oil dudes and upset them. Republlicans in this state consider the oil industry sacred.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 14, 2019 6:37:29 GMT
Since they are partly responsible for the shortage by not doing their job correctly, I would request perhaps longer time to pay it off so you won't have such a huge increase. I say partly since it is on you also to check it all out. You should be getting statements about your escrow. It has been a while, but when we made house payments our escrow balance was always listed on the payment coupon. Then when the taxes came due, it would reflect that amount deductable along with the home owners insurance and other items deducted. Could they have not paid the taxes on time which would have given you a late fee? or perhpas there miight have been a big jump in the insurance. Or are you paying for the insurance yourself? Bottom line you need a statement which shows what is coming out of your escrow and what is going into it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 11, 2019 4:16:00 GMT
The problem with giving avid scrapbookers a gift is they already have it all! So check what she already has and uses and maybe do an upgrade on somthing. Depending on your budget maybe upgrade her cutting maching to an electronic version or a better set of scissors like the Tim Holtz set, perhaps a smaller version of a misti or score board (I love my mimi misti and mini score board. In other words take what she has and you know she uses and get a better version of it or a different version of it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 11, 2019 4:04:49 GMT
The trick is to layer. If you only want to take one outfit a day, which I can understand, then make sure there are layers you can add and layers that can be taken off. So instead of wearing a cami under a tunic, wear a short sleeve knit shirt that can be wron by isself and so on.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 10, 2019 23:32:01 GMT
ours is wigglebutt - cat lingo
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 10, 2019 2:37:47 GMT
Actually, one card to each household addressed to the family at that address. That way your brother is included and so on. A quick handwritten note inside would also be nice to personalize it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 10, 2019 2:30:34 GMT
I can remember when we did not have the vaccines and everybody got the measles, mumps, german measles, chicken pox and so on. But we did get smallpox vaccines (have the scar to prove it) and in my teens the polio shots came out. We got them at church in fact, every Sunday for three or four weeks.
Anyway, parents would purposely expose their children to some of the childhood diseases in order for the kids to get them over with - what a phrase, get them over with. But, there was no protection so sooner or later you would get them. Getting some of these diseaes as adults are much harder on a person than having them as children. Adult men with mumps risk bein sterilized for example. There are also major risks getting them as children too. A friend in college had a son who lost his hearing due to measles.
Having these vaccines now is such a blessing and I cannot understand parents who refuse them. OR staates who are considereing making it easier to not get children vacccinated. I remember when my daughters got chicken pox it was not fun and you worried so much about complications. Children do not understand about not scractching and are so miserable even with mild cases. Then because they had chickenpox, now they can get shingles. Thankfully, we were able to get the other vaccines, MMR series and the polio shots and all.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 9, 2019 5:18:34 GMT
I guess I am the lucky one. Hubby wil call when he is in the process of ordering, to verify my order. He walks in to order and will not use the drive through. And really, you expect hot food when it has to be taken home before you can eat it? When I can I have him get me tater tots cause the fries are ALWAYS going to be cold by the time he gets home with them.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 8, 2019 0:02:57 GMT
We always hold hands and if I am not reaching out for his hand, he is reaching for mine. Of course now I need his help in support and balance and that is part of it. But we held hands before that ever happened.
ETA we've been married 49 years and the romance is still there.
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Post by nlwilkins on Mar 4, 2019 4:44:30 GMT
The issue is not if it is OK for us to have good friends of the opposite sex. The issue is if it is OK for YOU to have friends of the opposite sex. Everybody has to make this decision on their own and handle the consequences on their own.
If you are open and above board about yoru relationshps and keep him up to date he might come to accept it, then again it might always be a problem with the two of you. Perhaps if you sat down and had a serious talk about it and agreed to some "rules' he might be able to learn to accept it and be less insecure about it. The rules would give him some control over it all. With that control would possibly come security.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 23, 2019 18:47:30 GMT
You oould even add. "if you persist in trying to bully me over this, I will have to ask for intervention from management" She IS being a bully and that should not be allowed. By pointing this out to her, you are putting her on notice that you are not having it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 21, 2019 2:47:18 GMT
I've wrote here about this before.I have/had vertigo from am anologous loop. This means a blood vessel was looped around in my brain and sitting on my vestibular nerve -actually between the vestibular nerve and the optic nerve on that side. Eventually I had brain surgery to place a widget or cushion between the nerves and the blood vessel. But the damage was aleady done and the vertigo did not disappear. My vision is no longer affected so now I can drive, but the lack of balance and feeling of off kilter still persists. I've had PT several times butit does not help. So now I just muddle along the best I can.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 20, 2019 4:56:30 GMT
It might be of little consequence to the bride if you wear white to her wedding, and the majority opinion might think it is a silly rule, BUT if you wear white to a wedding, you ARE going to be talked about. So if you make that decision, then you might be trying for attention. And at weddings all attention should be on the bride and the bridal party. Now of course,there are special circumstances that make it fine and dandy. Some of you have mentioned that. so there is that
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 19, 2019 5:04:21 GMT
You can take copy paper and card stock and sew books together. It would be very easy as each "book" would only need three or four stitches down the center. It wowld not take but an evening to get them done. Or the kids could even make them themselves. You just fold the paper in half and add a cardstock cover, poke three holes and tghread crochet thread with large needle through the holes. It makes surprisingly very sturdy books.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 18, 2019 5:26:59 GMT
I can't count the number of times I have had a flat tire. And we keep good tires on our cars. But nails, screws and other hardware keep showing up in our tires and causing flats. So there is no way I would drive without a spare tire onboard. On the mustang the spare hung under the car snug up to the trunk. On my jeep the floor to the cargo area lifts up to where the tire is. I call AAA to come change my tire if husband is not available.
The girls learned how to change tires before they were allowed to drive and they both have been grateful for that. In fact each of them have been in the position of helping a man change his tire who did not know how. Love that!
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 17, 2019 17:39:36 GMT
As a side note, it used to be that dishes should be returned in person. Now days people bring food in disposable dishes. But it used to be the widow that returned the dishes. It was a way to get her out of the house and a signal that she was ready to face the world again. It kind of breaks the ice after such a traumatic event. To me thank you notes are something of the same. It is a kind of reaching out and starting to live again.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 17, 2019 7:29:47 GMT
I assume you can afford it and you won't have to give up something else for it. So keep it. You will feel so special wearing it even if you won't get to wear it often.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 14, 2019 9:47:41 GMT
After hearing a chicken go on and on this aftgernoon over the egg she laid, I would not say chikens are not noisy. It was kind of funny the first hour, the second hour it got old. Then the ducks chimed in. I was told that someone must have told a good joke. But this was on a farm and you expect to hear this stuff. AND the extra acreage seems to keep the noise at a distance, the sound doesn't bounce off the houses or something. (Now when the donkeys get going, I do say something.)
Seriously though, I would complain. You abide by the rules why shouldn't they?
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 14, 2019 9:27:51 GMT
My husband calls it eating worms. He will sit on the couch or in his chair and think negative things about himself and the world and stew for days sometimes. Though he has got better in the past few years.
ETA The negtive thinking I do is not listed. I will hug a hurt to myself and keep hurting myself with it over and over. Its like I can't let it go and move on.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 14, 2019 2:10:20 GMT
I love that the driver's seat is scooted back and moves into position when I start the car. It gives me more room to get in and out of the car without having to adjust the seat. The keyless entry and start was such an eye opener Love IT. Never have to dig for keys in my purse again. Also the backup camera is so handy for backing out of the garage as it is a tight fit and there are two other vehicles and a trailer in our driveway. Garage door opener on visor is nice, but I could always just put the remote opener there. Push button to open and close the hatch back in a handy position is great - my friend's car has the button on the door so when it is up or open she cannot reach it, (She is short but it is a stretch for me to reach as well.) A favorite is automatic lights. I would never want to do without them again.
I don't use the remote start or remember the cooling seat function. There is a lot more on my car that I forget to use or have not figured out. So I guess they are not that important to me.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 13, 2019 1:42:42 GMT
my computer game - it is silly to spend money on it, but I do. I have restricted myself to Sundays only for spending any money on it and I won't spend more than $10.But really that is way too much too. Inquiring minds want to know which game this might be? Because of course I need a new game to play! Its Seekers Notes -comes with multiplatform versions. But I only play it on my computer. What keeps me hooked is there is multiple types of games in it - seek and find, connect three, concentration and more.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 12, 2019 8:21:14 GMT
my computer game - it is silly to spend money on it, but I do. I have restricted myself to Sundays only for spending any money on it and I won't spend more than $10.But really that is way too much too.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 10, 2019 18:42:00 GMT
Neutragena make up removing wipes. They work on the waterproof mascara and everything else plus leave a little mositurizer behind
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 10, 2019 18:35:21 GMT
The story I read about it was the innocent neighbors were warned and most of them were up anyway going to work while the ones who placeed the rock were trying to sleep in with hangovers. It was suggested that the hangovers did not go well with the noise.
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Post by nlwilkins on Feb 1, 2019 23:47:09 GMT
What am awesome update. I love how you sounded in your post - so upbeat and happy. So thrillng to hear such good news.
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