<p>Yeah, I’ve got witty, smart, clever relatives. Every gathering is guaranteed to be fun and interesting if my younger brother is there.</p>
<p>There are some other relatives though …</p>
<p>Got a reply to my text that S was invited to dinner at a local friend’s. That’s nice. I was worried he might not have anyone to hang with.
I asked if it was yummy - his reply “it was, but so much!”</p>
<p>Makes me think of those that have so little, or who have no one to share with.
We have much to be thankful for</p>
<p>My in-laws are pretty much okay. I love my mom-in-law. Never any issues with her. And my sister-in-law wasn’t even drunk or high at Thanksgiving Dinner. Wonder of wonders…</p>
<p>Just saw my man, Tim McGaw in The Blind Side tonight. Great movie! I recommend it.</p>
<p>My H’s family is witty and very funny. Mine has its moments but one SIL is like you describe missypie and she is one who likes to monopolize the conversation retelling plots of TV series none of the rest of us watch, talks trash about people we don’t know etc…</p>
<p>But had two great Thanksgiving meals in spite of it all. Enjoy the rest of your weekend all!</p>
<p>One more meal to go here (tonight) and we’re 3 for 3. I have Cdn friends and relatives who don’t come on the Thursday. So our TG goes on for a while. Nice though, b/c just the right number of guests and actually get to visit.
Corn casserole a huge hit, btw, so THANKS to whoever share that one! (Think it was NM but suspect that was 20 pp ago : )</p>
<p>Our son’s dorm is closed until noon this Sunday, which strikes me as really odd. He and H went to the game (huge win!!) and stayed in a hotel last night. H comes home today and S says he will crash on the floor of friends who live off campus. I’m thinking those off campus houses will be VERY crowded this week-end. How on earth can they close the dorms on the week-end after one of the biggest games of the season?</p>
<p>Had a very nice Thanksgiving but missed D1 a lot! She had dinner with bf’s family and then off to work. Has been shopping and visiting with friends when not working. We always take a group picture of the cousins every year so we took her portrait off the wall and included her in the pictures. Even got one of her propped up in a chair at the table. It was pretty funny. D2 is happier than I have seen her for a while. Said she only sleeps through the night when she is at home. Has been waking up three and four times a night at school. She is heading out for an informal college visit this afternoon with a friend who attends the school. She is actually excited! Will see how it goes.</p>
<p>oregon101, my first reaction if my son asked the same question about his GF (who doesn’t exist at the moment AFAIK) would be to say OK, but then realize that a) the GF is 17; b) I probably care about what her parents think; and c) I have a younger daughter myself and would be thinking about the signal I’d be sending to her. I think I have an implicit double standard that I’ll have to examine more closely [i.e., I am less concerned about sexual activity of a son than of a daughter] in part because the girls tend to bear lots of the negative consequences when things go wrong]. But, I wonder if the right question to your son is “What would GF’s parents think?” At 18, that goes out the window from a legal standpoint but is probably still relevant from a moral standpoint.</p>
<p>je ne sais quoi, I’m no expert but I wouldn’t be surprised if hormonal things kick in later for some kids. And, in strange ways, I know a woman who had only had female partners and was never remotely attracted to males until she met a guy who was a contractor of ours on several renovations. Handsome, thoughtful, but really the strong silent type. She fell in love with him, got married, has several kids and says she has never felt as fulfilled in a relationship as she does with him. So, who knows.</p>
<p>We’re blessed to have a large and warm extended family on both sides, though only one side celebrates Thanksgiving. We can’t host or cook as we do not have a kosher home and many folks on that side of the family do. But, we had a wonderful visit with siblings, cousins, aunts, and even in-laws of a sister. The only downer was that ShawbridgeSon started to feel sick – low energy, sore and feverish – and we said, stay home and sleep. Flying wouldn’t help him get better and neither would being around relatives, especially little cousins who are likely to get whatever he’s got. He slept for two day, listened to a book he has to read for one of his classes, and otherwise just checked out and is feeling significantly better today.</p>
<p>D1 leaves tomorrow she did alot of sleeping and eating. food is awful at school. It was really a shot in the arm for me. She visited people but mostly stayed home, plans on more visiting on christmas break but just wanted to chill at home. We did not see relatives, we mostly have fun except for one set who have decided they dont like us, SIL does not speak unless spoken to, and does not address MIL. just sits in a chair and talks to her daughter, once in a while she will speak to you to brag about her kids usually monied boyfreind or something, but never asks you about yours. When they leave we get out the board games and have a blast. (that is below them) I used to feel sad dont like discomfort etc… but now its a waste of my time and I cant be bothered. I feel its their loss.</p>
<p>Eddie tim still ok without the beard and cowboy hat?</p>
<p>DTE - I am trying to remember the Green Eggs and Ham Book.</p>
<p>I love Tim in a house, with a mouse, in a boat, on a bus…etc .
I love Tim without a beard and a cowboy hat.</p>
<p>It was a really good movie. Sandra Bullock was amazing, also.</p>
<p>My husbands says to tell you that you can have Tim when I’m in the bathroom. Ha! I won’t drink much on the trip.</p>
<p>Hi all-so glad your Thanksgivings went well. Our was great–S and his roomate included the 15 yr old guest in their X boxing. I messed up the corn casserole–forgot the butter! but have a second batch of ingredients so will try again since everyone else had success.
Found out S’s BC comment was to be a “dig” to me as I had (no memory here but no doubt that is age related)(hers are for cramps–which I know is true) said I would be more comfortable if she was on BC for them to be alone. Anyway, since roomate is here and 26 yr old sister is here all he hoped for was some sort of alone time. We have never allowed the opposite sex in bedrooms since we have a family room downstairs. So–anyway–this has led to some interesting discussions for D and H and myself (S is too busy with roomy and GF)(he does not really talk anyway so his asking was BIG). When D was his age it all was just a simple "no’ as you have a younger brother. Now D will soon be 26 :eek: and S will be 20 this year. What do H and I believe and where is our comfort zone? No answers at all just pondering as just saying “no” does not really feel authentic but saying “yes” does not either. Oh–get out the bourbon–this should be a fun discussion. I do know that when my D was 18 and my good friends had a 22 yr old D and they invited her and her BF to live with them after college graduation, I was appalled. They married after a year or two and, I guess, it was all OK for them. I still struggle with their situation–sort of feel old school in that if they want to be together then they need to figure it out on their own turf. I know for many it will be a clear cut answer. I thought it was also until the kids got so OLD. I also SO 
remember 
those raging hormones myself.</p>
<p>In a little different situation, my future father-in-law invited all of his 4 kids (one in HS and 3 in college or grad school) to a condo he’d rented in Maui. He told them they could bring a friend or boy/girlfriend and that each would have their own bedroom (and no restrictions on sleeping arrangements). Relative to my mother, who was pretending that we weren’t sleeping together despite all evidence to the contrary which seemed hypocritical to me, I thought it was so reasonable – we didn’t have to go outside to have sex or sneak into each other’s rooms late at night or early in the AM (less likely) or stay away. My only concern would be the GF’s parents given her age.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Boy, I wish there was a Protestant equivalent of that!</p>
<p>Fifteen trees are up:</p>
<p>12’ in living room, with all shaped glass
7’ in dining room with “shiny brite” ornaments from the 50s (I LOVE that tree!)
five trees in a cluster with a bird theme
three trees with a kitchen theme (two of them with gingerbread cookie subtheme0
two Disney trees
one American girl doll theme
one “scrub brush” tree (it was part of Starbuck’s decorations about 5 years ago)with “atomic” ornaments
tree in master bedroom with angel theme</p>
<p>Each child with have a tree in their room - one D will have three. There is at least one more to do downstairs, possibly two.</p>
<p>Dickens village in two places.
Large 50s shadow box chock full of Santa and Mrs. Santa salt & pepper shakers
Shadow box full of a combination of Peruvian manger scenes and the cheap plastic ones</p>
<p>Plus people keep wanting to eat.</p>
<p>It’s always nice to go to work the Monday after Thanksgiving to be able to sit down!</p>
<p>Son has been at his GF’s all day. Spent all day yesterday with us. We’re still working our way through the complete original Star Trek series.</p>
<p>Missiepie - Makes me exhausted just reading it. But I bet your home is just beautiful. All white lights in the trees, or colored lights also?</p>
<p>MissiePie it sounds lovely. D left this morning on a VERY early flight back. Was great to have her home.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving was “fine”. Not much more to say about it. Dinner came out well but I just wasn’t in the mood to put up with H’s family this year. As I get older I just have less patience with it I think. We did come home earlier than usual which was nice and I had had enough.</p>
<p>Asked MIL to come here for Christmas since my FIL couldn’t come because of the stairs in our house. MIL doesn’t have a problem with stairs but wasn’t sure if she wanted to come. It would be so much easier for us if she would come here as the kids can continue to see their friends and we can socialize with her here in relative piece compared to having all of H’s brothers/wives/kids around. Guess we just have to wait for her to make a decision. Will hurt H’s feelings I’m sure if she decides to go to another brother’s house as we are the only ones that really want her to come – we discussed with the other boys before the invite was issued.</p>
<p>I wish I had your energy missypie think my 16 year old will do the decorating. I did get some cyber shopping done and even got my D 's a coat they wanted but had to try on. pretty proud of myself!!! D1 visiting and all of ustogether was really something I needed. I know it wont always be this way as you who have children with sig others are finding out. I will appreciate it while I have it. My D1 said something complimentary as well, she said lots of kids posted on FB they couldnt wait to get back to school, but although she loved her scholl she liked being home too. I guess we arent too bad. Anyway hope your kids are safely back and the ones who are making transfer decisions are getting settled!</p>
<p>Busy day. D is back at college. S will leave in the morning. Fake Peanuts tree is up and decorated. Snow village is up. Kitchen has been cleaned – all walls, cupboards, etc washed. Dining room cabinet has been emptied, cleaned and refilled. Christmas card made (I make my own every year). House is ready to be decorated except for the powder room which still needs to have the walls washed – all walls in the house have been washed, all furniture moved and rugs cleaned except for the powder room and the “play room”. We are redoing the play room after the first of the year so I just don’t have the incentive to do that room 
Need to straighten it up and get rid of the junk. Well there is always next weekend. I think it’s time to start thinking about dinner and well I’m beat!!</p>
<p>RM, wow. I’m impressed. I had a completely quiet day today listening to the new Susan Boyle CD and just hanging out. H leaves for Rio this Friday to visit our oldest so I will use the time while he is gone to gear up for Christmas. I need a little recovery time after Thanksgiving, which is a much bigger holiday for our family than Christmas. </p>
<p>We got an email from S1 saying that he spends his time on the bus (long commute between school and work) daydreaming about what he will do after graduation and believes the “possibilities are endless.” He says he will be content to wait tables or tend bar to pay rent until he finds something, if needed (has good restaurant experience). I think he will get an offer from the firm he is working for now but we will be supportive of his going back to Rio even if he doesn’t. It’s clear that city has stolen his heart and soul. I think it will be hard for him to come back even for a few months. </p>
<p>H went hiking with S1 on Saturday. Lots of hunters in the woods, so not ideal but still nice that S was willing to spend that time with him. He said his choice of college was the best decision he had ever made in his life, so we are happy with that feedback. I’m sure we will see some bumps in the road soon, but for now just enjoying the fact that everybody seems happy.</p>