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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 29, 2020 21:52:33 GMT
You can soak off the black with water and bleach and then have nice clear plastic to use in a variety of ways. I used to make templates out of them for quilting and sewing.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 28, 2020 9:22:17 GMT
Peacock feathers - just take out of vase and shake outside and then put back in.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 27, 2020 11:24:27 GMT
I have not even been out the door since Dec 15 We have to count on our fingers some days to figure out what day it is. They all blur together like you said. I need to get back on my xbox to play some of my games where you can see progress and changes happening.Plus the biggie is talking to members of our clan on headsets. Our clan spends more time together than we ever spent with friends before covid.
There should be an initial or abbreviation for the before covide period of time. There is B.C. and A.D. how about PC for pre-covid?
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 26, 2020 0:35:36 GMT
Age is no excuse for ignoring safety. Just because you may not have that much longer to live does not make it right to take others with you. By ignoring safety procedures and not staying home, that is what one is doing.
My husband is 78 and I am 70, life is not easy at that age being alone is not easy, but we do it. My husband is very careful when he has to get out to get parts and the supplies he needs to keep our house and cars running. He wears masks, gloves and will not allow people close to him. We do the same when going to drs. appts. But because of the exposure for these things, we limit other risks. It has become a balancing act of keeping the risks as low as possible.
Going to church is not something that we feel necessary to maintain our faith. There are so many other ways to worship other than in person. I just cannot understand the mentality of those who use religion as an excuse to socialize in person. My faith is sustained in other ways that do not involve risking lives and health needlessly.
I also want to address the issue of children parenting parents. If I come to a point where my children need to talk to me about my behavior, then I hope they will do so. They are in their 40's and I am proud of how they have matured. They know I listen to them when they question my behavior and when they point our things that I am doing that are wrong. Just as they listen to me when I do the same. We are adults and respect each other's opinions. Sometimes there are things I am not aware of or have not thought about that needs addressing. I welcome their viewpoint. Of course not everyone has that respect or trust in their family. It is something that has to be nurtured and come from love. If there is a history of this, then when needed it works.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 24, 2020 23:08:11 GMT
Is anybody else opting out of Christmas? I just could not bring myself to care. We have no tree, no meal planned and basically will just get up and do the same thing tomorrow that we did today, yesterday and everyday since Thanksgiving. Younger daughter (46) who is part of our "bubble" is working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (she asked for those days) and Older Daughter and family are going to wait until next summer to do any visiting. (They live almost 2 hours away.)
We have been staying home and keeping as safe as we can. My husband is on daily chemo that he takes at home and life expectancy is uncertain. The younger daughter is more than half way through her chemo treatments for breast cancer. There is the possibility that both of them may be having their last Christmas. We have almost lost my husband twice already in the past year, though I try not to think that way. Because of Covid we cannot celebrate and cannot do the regular stuff.
We are hoping at least to have a nice meal with younger daughter on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, we are glad daughters are working at staying safe and I am proud they are not whining about it. But there just seems to be no point in doing Christmas this year. At 70, it has become a bit much for me to do on my own and it would really take a lot out of me to try.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 24, 2020 22:27:46 GMT
I use them to make things like place mats and decoupage items. One year I took everything I got and made a hand made journal with them. It had pockets and bookmarks and more. I loved how it turned out. I even used parts of the envelopes to decorate the pages. I even made a YouTuvbe video of it. youtu.be/V5NIItq5qjM
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 22, 2020 9:35:17 GMT
brown paper grocery bags are a big hit at my house Little stuffed mice with a little catnip in them are pulled out all the time
We have a big basket stuffed with toys that get pulled out by the cat over and over. About once a day we pick them up and put them back in the basket so she has to pull dig them out again. Once in a while I will toss them up in the air when I come through for her added enjoyment. But the brown paper bag becomes home base for her to sit on and and run to when playing. She loves the noise it makes. It gets all squished up and flattened, but that is OK, she still loves it. The current one is about four months old so it lasts a long time.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 19, 2020 0:05:32 GMT
There are healthy fast food choices out there. You might find a few and give her some gift cards to some of them to try. Also even McDonalds has salads and other healthy choices. It is a matter of choice. If she wants to eat healthy, then help her make healthy choices at the places she chooses to stop at. If she cannot bring herself to check it out, there is no way she is going to cook it herself. I suggest you might sit down with her and brainstorm some ideas that would work. Help her make a list to leave in the car so when she gets hungry, the thinking is already done.
I know what you are going through. I had to have this conversation with MYSELF about eating healthy. It means giving it some thought and figuring out what would work BEFORE getting hungry.
Another idea might be to have her set up a Pinterst board with foods that she thinks will tempt her to eat healthy so you two can have ideas of where to start. When she is sitting there saying she is starving, have her go to the Pinterst board and choose something that she would eat and then use that as a jumping off place to get her find something healthy on the way to work that will work.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 18, 2020 23:42:54 GMT
Have you called and talked to your BIL about this? surely he can give you more info.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 16, 2020 19:07:18 GMT
We always get the opportunity to find out the substitutions before we accept the order. If I don't remember to read the substitution list, we can ask about it when we pick up the order. Actually, if there are substitutions we are asked if we are OK with them before they are placed in our trunk.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 16, 2020 18:54:09 GMT
It would be returned I would worry about the legality of opening something that was addressed to someone else. It is illegal to intentionally open someone else's mail or packages. Google it.d
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 11, 2020 17:36:37 GMT
A toaster oven might be nice. They may already have an oven within the trailer, but if it is too big it would be nice to use the smaller oven instead of a bigger oven to keep the heat down and the electricity use down. I love to back my potatoes in it.
Do they have a microwave oven for the trailer? coffee maker? How about linens? beds might need special sizes. A map book?
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 11, 2020 8:58:12 GMT
My drama queen is in her late forties now and a saint. I don't know how it happened, but she is the best mother a woman could be to my only grandchild. I used to stay late at work so I would not have to come home to her drama and I told her that at one time. It did not change her behavior.
In the middle of her senior year, she came to me and asked if I was just kidding when I said I was counting the days til I had a spare bedroom to turn into a craft room. I was not kidding, I actually thought she was leaving the minute she could. But,no, she wanted me to know she was staying so we could help her through college. Go figure.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 10, 2020 21:01:55 GMT
First of all, you agreed to participate. Things were bad then, as they are now, not much has changed in that regard. So it is on you if you decide to go back on your word. But, I understand your feelings and it sounds like you agree which is why it is an issue for you. There are others who would not even hesitate to bail.
Is there anyway you can convince the participants to postpone the swap?
I would go ahead and do the exchange being very careful to keep safe. See it as an outing, put some favorite music on in the ride there and back and wave real nicely at the other ladies. Toss the cookies when they are out of sight. There were just an excuse to see each other if only from a distance.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 9, 2020 1:17:36 GMT
First thought were female dancer feet. Don't look male at all to me. This is what I thought. If you have ever seen ballerina feet, you would wonder how she dances on them. Dancing causes a lot of damage, day after day, no matter how their feet feel, the show must go on.
But it could also be the result of wearing high heels all her life.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 9, 2020 1:11:37 GMT
I had Blepharoplasty last year so I could see better. Eyelids were so droopy I had trouble driving. Medicare paid for it, surprised the heck out of me. It would have been about $7000 if not covered.
I had to have brain surgery causing 8 days int ICU. Also have had cataract surgery (had to wear trifocals before that to see), have had surgery on right knee, on both feet with morton's neuromas, have Hashimoto's issues, and the list goes on.
All of these happened as I got older and in my youth did not have a clue that these issues would pop up. My most expensive medicine is my Premarin that I continue to take to help protect my bones even though it has been years since I went through menopause.
None of the expenses compare to the cost of the chemo pills my husband takes everyday for prostate cancer that spread to his bones, several thousand dollars every month. Thankfully, the hospital found a grant that will cover it for him. But, as most of you know, cancer treatment costs a fortune. He has had two hospital visits due to the cancer and we can expect more as time goes on.
It is all doable for us because of good health insurance through the company that he retired from. Though these past few years, it is becoming less and less "good". So if you plan on getting old, then make sure you have good insurance.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 3, 2020 0:39:06 GMT
I used to pick up USA stamps on Ebay - sheets of them that are sold at less than face value. It was just a year ago. I was using commemorative stamps to mail my crafting swaps and would decorate the envelope or package to match the stamps. Also it made swapping by mail a lot cheaper.
There are not that many people collecting stamps anymore and people who purchased a bunch in the hopes of making a profit in the future are finding it hard to get their money back. Plus, there are not that many people who use stamps at all except at Christmas time. When I go to the Post Office and stand in line, there are not that many there for stamps, instead they are mailing packages and getting them weighed, getting money orders and other services.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 1, 2020 11:31:53 GMT
I have a crazy quilt that I started years ago and it still needs lots of work. Crazy quilts are meant to be heavily embroidered and embellished to the point you have spots where the background is not visible. I love it so far. I also made a wool embroidered quilt from Sue Spargo. It started out as a block of the month and it took two years to finish. Now I have another one I am working on and it is more than half done. Here in Texas it gets too hot to work on it in the summer as my hands sweat so much, so I have been working on it in cooler months. So far, I have worked on it two years. Below is the store image of the quilt I finished. I love working on my embroidery, but have to take a break from it on a regular basis. ![](https://www.suespargo.com/storeimages/600_Cuppa-Front-Cover_lg.jpg)
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 28, 2020 21:33:15 GMT
a subscription service - something that keeps on giving all year round, just like she kept giving of her time and help all year round
Choose something you know she will enjoy - my daughter got me a cat lady box subscription and I loved it. Or perhaps your friends might like a box of candles each month, or soaps -etc
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 28, 2020 21:27:53 GMT
I made a first aid kit for my daughters for their car. It was for minor things not major accidents. You could also make a kit with things like straws, nice plastic forks, napkins, salt and pepper packets, shout spot cleaner packets, eyeglass cleaner wipes for the sunglasses and so on.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 28, 2020 21:04:07 GMT
My own recipes are not on paper, but in my head. But if I go to the effort to write one down, I have to make sure the recipient understands the recipe may not work for them. When I taught home ec some of the other teachers would want my recipes that we used in our commercial cooking class. But I could not tell them how long to bake as we used different type ovens and some recipes do not size down right.
ETA -no you are not going to hell - anyone who asks for a recipe needs to understand that what makes a special dish so special is the cook's special touches that are added to the making of it
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 26, 2020 20:01:33 GMT
I quit buying the whole turkey years ago. Turkey breast is so much easier and less waste. If I remember to get it early enough in the season, I can get the smoked turkey breast which is even better. It only needs about an hour and a half to warm it up.
If one really wants a whole turkey, you can roast them in a bag. There are instructions online about how to do that. It keeps it moist. lso, roasting the turkey upside down works great too - the juices then flow towards the breast instead of towards the back where there is not much meat to hold it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 25, 2020 19:31:52 GMT
just cough drops ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 24, 2020 20:11:11 GMT
If someone is willing to pay for it, why not? I don't see a problem with it at all. I'm the one going to their center and giving my time and my plasma. Many blood donation centers around here compensate for donation of blood as well- ice cream, shirts, gift certificates for food. I guess I'm not of the mind set that people should financially benefit from the ill health of others.
A lot of people benefit financially from the ill health of others, as in making it difficult for some ill people to even get the meds they need. There is a whole industry benefiting from the ill health of others. It would be naive to expect donors to give while there are businesses making money off what they donate, a lot of money.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 18, 2020 0:21:31 GMT
I have the pampered chef one and it is about twenty years old and still going strong.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 18, 2020 0:12:17 GMT
Cloth diapers and zinc oxide diaper cream always worked for mine. Plus I pushed water to dilute the urine so it did not burn so bad.
ETA - MIL used to make a diaper cream out of Vaseline and cornstarch - just mixed enough vaseline in the cornstarch to make it spreadable
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 16, 2020 6:59:35 GMT
I'm sorry, but I think you are being played. They knew what they wanted to do would make you uncomfortable, but asked anyway. They possibly are hoping for you to give up and just let them do whatever they want because you want them to be happy.
They are grown men, not children and should act like grown men. Before they even left home, they knew there would be limits. Just because they are away from home doesn't mean they can't catch the virus. The whole country needs to be careful, not just them. Next time they call, don't give in. Tell them they already know the answer or they would not be calling/asking.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 15, 2020 0:22:47 GMT
I would not got. Instead I would do something at home with the people in my bubble to make the day special.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 14, 2020 22:23:40 GMT
How sad that the family has to pay for their mistakes is such a dreadful way. You would think that after losing one family member to Covid, they would have learned how serious it could be. The husband losing his wife might not have been in a good place to make such decisions, but the people around him could have counseled him. There had to be more than one person involved in making the decision to do this - the preacher, close friends, the funeral director, the medical team that treated the wife before she died and the list could go on.
I bet they did not even wear masks!!! We are doomed.
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Post by nlwilkins on Nov 14, 2020 22:04:28 GMT
I treat them like regular mashed potatoes. Heat the potatoes up, mash with a mixer add butter, brown sugar and maple syrup to taste. Place in baking dish - I use a square cake pan - top with mini marshmallows. Just before serving pop in the oven to puff up the marshmallows. If you want, you can make the dish the night before leaving off the marshmallows. Warm up the dish of mashed sweet potatoes in the oven then add the marshmallows a few minutes before taking out of the oven.
The amount of sugar and syrup you add depends upon how sweet you want the dish to be. My husband likes them as a dessert, so I add more than if I was serving them as a savory dish to go with the turkey.
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