Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[GeeGolly]

Hey everyone, remember how you all are super smart people thought it was interesting that the troll didn't respond to advice? That's always a good indication that someone is a troll. ;)

Anybody have any fun costumes for Halloween?

None this year. The last time my husband and I dressed up we were Cereal Killers. We glued the sample size boxes of cereal to our clothes with plastic knives in them.

Edited October 18, 2015 by GeeGolly

[Fuzzysox]

But not a fuzzy one.

LOL nope not my fuzzy ones.

[XinaMarie]

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

My mother's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it is all about the food. She gets stressed out about a month in advance because her menu has too many things on it and she cooks everything herself. 5 different kinds of pie! Rice and potatoes. It is crazy pants. But that is how she wants it. My parents live on top of a hill and the street in front is down below. My dad stands at the top of the hill and pops the cork on the champagne and all the kids, husbands, wives, sons and daughters try to be the one to catch it. I think we should retire some of my brothers in law, because they have an unfair advantage. They are 6'3" and 6'7". Winner gets bragging rights.

 

We don't do my mom's T'Giving and spend it with my husband's family instead because I host Christmas at my house for our entire family. They have a house in the country with a big barn that he turns into a karaoke lounge complete with a bar, amplified speakers, monitor for the words, disco ball, sound mixing board. They call the neighbors over and it is super fun.

 

My daughter came home on oxygen at 11 months old and continued to have it for another year 24/7 and then and additional 6 months after that just at night. There are two kinds of monitors. There is an apnea monitor that will wake the dead if it goes off and will alert you to whether the baby has stopped breathing. There is something else called a pulse oximeter that tells the baby's oxygen saturation percentage. We started off with tanks, but eventually got an oxygen compression machine that will take the air and pull it through the machine and compress it to the percentage needed. Long story short, a 30-31 week child has a 90% survival rate and I have never heard of baby that late term coming home on oxygen. There I said it. What a load of hooey. I hope I don't come across as a know-it-all, but I feel very comfortable talking about preemie worst case scenario issues because my kid was a worst case scenario.

 

I would be back more often to check in, but my best friend has just been sentenced to life in prison on trumped up charges and I need to go and get her some money to put in her commissary account, but I am on a little low on funds and need you to help me so she can have some magazines to read and some cigarettes to smoke. But first I am going to have to call my ex-boyfriend and beg a ride off him because some drunk asshole came careening around the corner and hit my car and drove through the wall of my family room. He is the only person I know in this town and I don't want to ask, but I am desperate. I am typing this from the local library because I am in a shelter until the insurance company gets me a check to repair the damage to the house. When it rains it pours. And in case you couldn't tell, I am totally be facetious.

Edited October 18, 2015 by XinaMarie

[Bella]

I'm curious. Movies and tv have told me that all Americans (like Steve Martin characters) just absolutely must get home for Thanksgiving. How important and serious is Thanksgiving?

 

Others may differ on this, but there are three holidays of cultural importance in the U.S., four for those who practice a Christian religion. The two big family holidays are Thanksgiving and Christmas*, followed by Independence Day (not as family-oriented) and Easter for practicing Christians. *Christmas can be religious, secular, or just annoying, but everyone gets the day off. However, people who were not brought up celebrating it generally don't do much. YMMV on this one. However, I think that Thanksgiving is the big family holiday. It's always on a Thursday, and a lot of people get off that Friday from work, making it a 4-day weekend.

 

DH's extended family includes friends and the single family members' significant others in the celebration, so there are about 20 people involved, give or take. I sometimes just grab a bottle of champagne and go drink it with DH's step-cousin, a highly amusing older man I only see once a year. We joke that he's my "date" for TG. There are 2 chefs in DH's family, and their stuffing is amazing - it includes oysters and some secret ingredients. One of the men bakes pies to relieve stress after his work day, and he brings a bunch of them. Last year he branched out into cheesecakes. Mmmm. Since we travel for TG, I usually bring some kind of appetizer that doesn't spoil without refrigeration. Lately it's been marinated mushrooms, which everyone loved the last couple of years. Since they're easy and idiot-proof, I'll probably bring them again.

[Jenniferbug]

I love turkey and the leftovers for sandwiches. Am I the only one who likes the green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onions? :-) It's soo unhealthy, but I still gobble it up at the holidays.

I don't dress up for Halloween anymore, but am excited to dress my little ones up and take them to a couple of events in our area.

[NextIteration]

No one else likes winter squash? It's my favorite. I remember my mom with her hammer(yehp, hammer) & knife many a Thanksgiving morning attacking those squashes. Now it's me making it, no hammer involved though.

 

Love it, eat it all the time, so many fun things to do with spaghetti squash, but it doesn't show up for Thanksgiving.  There is only so much room on the table, lol!

[Tabbygirl521]

Oh can't forget, our family favorite, cranberry sauce from the can, slid out in a log!!

Us, too! I like to try to stand it on end, then present it to my husband, as it's his childhood favorite. We usually have some kind of homemade sauce as well, but we gotta have the can-shaped jelly!

I like the green bean casserole, too. Sometimes I get obnoxious and make some sort of scratch version, which doesn't seem worth the trouble other than making me feel righteous. When I use soup, I use a low-sodium variety. The onions are my favorite part.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Tabbygirl521

[JoanArc]

 

I would be back more often to check in, but my best friend has just been sentenced to life in prison on trumped up charges and I need to go and get her some money to put in her commissary account, but I am on a little low on funds and need you to help me so she can have some magazines to read and some cigarettes to smoke. But first I am going to have to call my ex-boyfriend and beg a ride off him because some drunk asshole came careening around the corner and hit my car and drove through the wall of my family room. He is the only person I know in this town and I don't want to ask, but I am desperate. I am typing this from the local library because I am in a shelter until the insurance company gets me a check to repair the damage to the house. When it rains it pours. And in case you couldn't tell, I am totally be facetious.

I'm sure WW's husband's GF will swing by, tell the poor teen boy to kill himself, he'll be found hanging in the closet but brain-dead and wouldn't you like to contribute to his family's gofundme?

[Tabbygirl521]

None this year. The last time my husband and I dressed up we were Cereal Killers. We glued the sample size boxes of cereal to our clothes with plastic knives in them.

Two years ago my unmarried son was a sugar daddy, with a 5-lb bag of sugar in a baby Bjorne. Three months later there was a surprise pregnancy, and last year he was the dad of identical twin boys. Like he conjured them up somehow. No, I am not WanderWoman. Send no cash.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Tabbygirl521

[burlsa]

I'm sure WW's husband's GF will swing by, tell the poor teen boy to kill himself, he'll be found hanging in the closet but brain-dead and wouldn't you like to contribute to his family's gofundme?

I want to marry you right now. That is all.

[Wellfleet]

No one else likes winter squash? It's my favorite. I remember my mom with her hammer(yehp, hammer) & knife many a Thanksgiving morning attacking those squashes. Now it's me making it, no hammer involved though.

 

I'm a mad fiend for winter squash. Acorn, butternut, sweet dumpling, you name it. I have butternut squash ravioli in my freezer right now. Sometimes in the Fall I'll cut a nice smallish acorn squash in half, baked both halves with honey and some chopped pecans, then eat one half with a Romaine salad for supper and re-heat the other half the following day for lunch. Yummy-chummy.

[GeeGolly]

Two years ago my unmarried son was a sugar daddy, with a 5-lb bag of sugar in a baby Bjorne. Three months later there was a surprise pregnancy, and last year he was the dad of identical twin boys. Like he conjure them up somehow. No, I am not WanderWoman. Send no cash.

Maybe this year he should go as a condom.  ;)

[bigskygirl]

My husband probably will be working Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day night shift, so we probably will get a roast or whole chicken for the holiday meal. Roast and mashed potatoes is my all time favorite meal. The group home staff usually puts together a Thanksgiving meal plate for my husband when he comes in for his shift.

 

And my next question is, which Halloween candy is your favorite. I have been bad so far since I brought three bags of candy. I am sure the cardiologist will be asking about my eating habits on the 29th when I have my first appointment with her.

[Fuzzysox]

I love turkey and the leftovers for sandwiches. Am I the only one who likes the green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onions? :-) It's soo unhealthy, but I still gobble it up at the holidays.

 

While I love green beans I don't care for the green bean casserole with the mushroom soup. One year my SIL who can't cook decided she wanted to make it. It was so beyond nasty. She didn't par-boil the green beans nor did she mix any of the ingredients so when we tried eating it it I was horrified. She keeps attempting to make it but seriously please STOP! YUCK! Even Campbell's wants her to stop so they won't be embarrassed! 

Edited October 18, 2015 by Fuzzysox

[GeeGolly]

I'm a mad fiend for winter squash. Acorn, butternut, sweet dumpling, you name it. I have butternut squash ravioli in my freezer right now. Sometimes in the Fall I'll cut a nice smallish acorn squash in half, baked both halves with honey and some chopped pecans, then eat one half with a Romaine salad for supper and re-heat the other half the following day for lunch. Yummy-chummy.

My kindred spirit.

[emma675]

I love green bean casserole, too! But don't give me a fancy version made from healthy ingredients, I want the green beans from a can, the sodium-laden soup and mounds of French's onions. So bad for you and yet so good.

I tend to go a little nuts on Thanksgiving since I try to eat healthy the rest of the year. My family is trying to do a "healthy" Thanksgiving this year and I told them screw that. It's one day a year to eat crap and not feel bad about it.

[Cherrio]

"The cranberry sauce, with the can ridges still on it. :)"

 

I love serving it exactly how your describe on the fanciest plate I have.

 

I love all Thanksgiving food.

When I used to have it at my house, I made everything from scratch and loved it.

 My secret to a great turkey is lots of basting with butter and an orange sliced in half shoved inside it.

[Julia]

I love turkey and the leftovers for sandwiches. Am I the only one who likes the green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onions? :-) It's soo unhealthy, but I still gobble it up at the holidays.

 

Fairway makes a version of this with haricots verts, fried shallots and wild mushrooms. I sort of like the Campbell's kind better in a totally unironic way. Also, I use white vinegar in salad dressing. Still don't like PBR, tho.

 

I'm a mad fiend for winter squash. Acorn, butternut, sweet dumpling, you name it. I have butternut squash ravioli in my freezer right now. Sometimes in the Fall I'll cut a nice smallish acorn squash in half, baked both halves with honey and some chopped pecans, then eat one half with a Romaine salad for supper and re-heat the other half the following day for lunch. Yummy-chummy.

My local market has store-bramd freesh goormay ravioli now, and I got pumpkin-sage and butternut squash. Fall is _awesome_ that way.

[NextIteration]

While I love green beans I don't care for the green bean casserole with the mushroom soup. One year my SIL who can't cook decided she wanted to make it. It was so beyond nasty. She didn't par-boil the green beans nor did she mix any of the ingredients so when we tried eating it it I was horrified. She keeps attempting to make it but seriously please STOP! YUCK! Even Campbell's wants her to stop so they won't be embarrassed! 

 

Sweet baby jeebus, (we make this far more often than I care to admit because my kids love this terrible for you dish - and I live in the land of hotdishes) just use canned french-cut green beans!  The stuff practically makes itself!  My favorite part are the onions as well.

[allonsyalice]

 

And my next question is, which Halloween candy is your favorite. I have been bad so far since I brought three bags of candy. I am sure the cardiologist will be asking about my eating habits on the 29th when I have my first appointment with her.

 

all the mini chocolates!!! Always. They are the best. Lats year, on Nov 1st, I bought like 4 bags of candy. 

also, even though i have no plans and no friends, I have a flapper girl costume just waiting to be worn!

[JoanArc]

I want to marry you right now. That is all.

I looked at the gofundme site once and was blown away at how many people were asking for cash for weddings. Let's make a site.

 

We're both lesbians that grew up fundamentalist. I crawled naked under razorwire to escape my family's compound, you traded identities with a dead girl to get out. We fell in love, but all of our cash burned in a housefire. I'm pregnant with quintuplets, because I was raped by a pack of guys who wanted to turn me straight. You lost a baby. Not a miscarriage, you just lost a baby at the mall and can't find it. All four of my limbs have been amputated. You have cancer....and your cancer is infected with HIV. Oh, and we both have six-figure student loans to pay off. But, we're too proud to take donations.

[Tabbygirl521]

Maybe this year he should go as a condom. ;)

Seriously. I shouldn't laugh, but you made me chuckle.

I think he and the GF have figured things out at this point. LOL. Actually, he is 37, not some unlucky teen, and they are making their family work. It was all just... A little ahead of schedule!

[BitterApple]

Green Bean Casserole is such a polarizing dish, lol. I think people either love it or hate it. Personally I'm a fan, but I make mine with fresh or frozen green beans, not the canned stuff that Anna used when she made that God-awful slop for the fake 'Holiday' meal.

[NextIteration]

which Halloween candy is your favorite

 

Snickers, Kit-Kats and the dark chocolate Hershey's minis.

[GeeGolly]

Seriously. I shouldn't laugh, but you made me chuckle.

I think he and the GF have figured things out at this point. LOL. Actually, he is 37, not some unlucky teen, and they are making their family work. It was all just... A little ahead of schedule!

I hope you know I was just being silly, No judgment here!

[Julia]

Butterfingers. My lips say Special Dark, my heart says Butterfingers.

[latetotheparty]

Thanksgiving is coming up. What is your favorite part of the meal? Mine is the turkey leg and the mashed potatoes and gravy. I am not a big fan of turkey, but I do love leftover turkey for sandwiches or a piece of bread with turkey and hot gravy over it.

 

Stuffing.  Give me ALL THE STUFFING.

[Julia]

You have cancer....and your cancer is infected with HIV.

You remember that episode of House where House gets all bent out of shape about the faith-healing kid putting Wilson's gf/patient's cancer into remission? And it turned out that the kid had undiagnosed herpes and transmitted it to her by touching her face and it was attacking the tumor?

It turns out that's totally a thing.

 

The universe is an amazing place.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Julia

[BitterApple]

Remember how there was always that one neighbor who gave out boxes of raisins for Halloween? What the hell were they thinking?

[theredhead77]

I love green bean casserole, too! But don't give me a fancy version made from healthy ingredients, I want the green beans from a can, the sodium-laden soup and mounds of French's onions. So bad for you and yet so good.

^^this.

I don't use the little can either - it's the big can, all the way, about half inside and half on top. And of course a few in my mouth while I'm cooking it.

[Tabbygirl521]

II'm pregnant with quintuplets, because I was raped by a pack of guys who wanted to turn me straight.s.

I am ashamed at how much your whole post cracked me up. I especially like the part because it sounds like you ended up with a pack of babies - one from each guy.

Seriously, I hope we don't deter any of our fine non-sock friends who may need a shoulder from time to time. I guess it is going to be a balancing act for awhile, figuring out who to trust.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Tabbygirl521

[GeeGolly]

Who waits for Halloween? Reese's peanut butter cups all year long.

[latetotheparty]

OK, talk to me about this, because my mother is pretty much the worst cook on earth, and she used to serve us frozen brussel sprouts boiled until they were grey. I love  mustardy/cabbagey vegetables specifically, so I should love brussels sprouts, but I just experience them as mushy sulfur bombs. What am I doing wrong?

 

The trick to good brussel sprouts is roasting.  Caramelization is your friend.

[Jellybeans]

This year, my roomie and I want to have a "Day of the Dead Celebration" at my daughter's grave. I am not hispanic but I love that part of their culture and so did my daughter when she was living. We're going to take a picnic basket of her favorite foods and have a party with music playing from my car. Hope it is not snowing!

And I still do not know what to cook for Thanksgiving. I am hoping to put the Christmas tree up for the first time this year since my daughter died. That seems to be the biggest hurdle for me.

[NextIteration]

You remember that episode of House where House gets all bent out of shape about the faith-healing kid putting Wilson's gf/patient's cancer into remission? And it turned out that the kid had undiagnosed herpes and transmitted it to her by touching her face and it was attacking the tumor?

 

Well my secret lesbian teevee lover Bailey healed that kid by finagling the HIV virus, so of course!

[Tabbygirl521]

I hope you know I was just being silly, No judgment here!

No worries, I read it as teasing. Believe me, we have all done a fair amount of joking about it, too!

[amitville]

I am so confused.  What just happned

[lookeyloo]

I have given up buying Halloween candy and we go out on Halloween.  No kids at home.  Only big kids in neighborhood sometimes come in cars. So no fun for us and when I did buy candy it was what I didn't like.  I do like chocolate.  Not sweet tarts, starburst, gummies, etc. So that's what I bought to give out.

[MargeGunderson]

I love almond snickers and whatchamacallit bars. Seems like I can only get bags of them at Halloween so I'm stocking up. For the children.

I haven't been with my family on Thanksgiving since I moved away years ago. Now it's just my husband and me, and occasionally a friend or two. A couple of times I've been with my in-laws, but they're vegetarians so it doesn't count. No turkey & stuffing = not Thanksgiving.

[Tabbygirl521]

I found little Heath bars this year and bought some for Halloween. Yeah, they are going fast. I don't know why I have never noticed them before.

[Wellfleet]

Who waits for Halloween? Reese's peanut butter cups all year long.

 

So true. I am powerless in the face of Reese's PB cups. Any size, any style, any time of year. The worst are those PB eggs they make at Easter. Those boys are really tough to resist...

[GeeGolly]

 

My costume this year.

[latetotheparty]

I love turkey and the leftovers for sandwiches. Am I the only one who likes the green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onions? :-) It's soo unhealthy, but I still gobble it up at the holidays.

I don't dress up for Halloween anymore, but am excited to dress my little ones up and take them to a couple of events in our area.

I love it as long as it's not made with canned green beans.  Canned vegetables are disgusting. 

[Jellybeans]

 

My costume this year.

I just peed in my socks.

[GeeGolly]

I just peed in my socks.

I just spit out my coffee.

[Readalot]

Hey all. Looking back I guess it wasn't the right timing to post what I did. The situation is real. I contacted a mandated reporter at the school this morning and will let her go from there. He was suicidal with his words last night but didn't actually try to commit suicide. If I was aware he tried of course I would of called 911 myself if the parents didn't. My daughter said the boy webt to work this morning so I'm glad he is functioning enough to do that. Maybe we were overreacting but you can never be sure. The school psychologist and counselor will be waiting for him tomorrow so he will be getting that help. Five years ago my nephew came out at 17 too, this is déjà vu for me. My sister and brother in law did take him to the hospital, he was committed for a few days. He saw a dr for counseling for the rest of the school year. It was the hardest thing they did but the best thing they did. My nephew is a well adjusted young man now engaged to his partner who we all love. (A little young too marry we think hopefully but they said they will wait a few years). I don't know what I did to betray your trust but I'm sorry that there are those that feel that way. Peace and love to all.

[Bella]

This year, my roomie and I want to have a "Day of the Dead Celebration" at my daughter's grave. I am not hispanic but I love that part of their culture and so did my daughter when she was living. We're going to take a picnic basket of her favorite foods and have a party with music playing from my car. Hope it is not snowing!

 

I like the whole idea of Day of the Dead. Since we're sometimes in New Mexico on Nov. 1, we've seen some great decorations. They're always so thoughtful, with items that are meaningful to the person who passed away. I hope it's not snowing so that you can visit the cemetery.

 

I have given up buying Halloween candy and we go out on Halloween.  No kids at home.  Only big kids in neighborhood sometimes come in cars. So no fun for us and when I did buy candy it was what I didn't like.  I do like chocolate.  Not sweet tarts, starburst, gummies, etc. So that's what I bought to give out.

 

We don't have kids and I always buy candy that I like so that we can consume the extras. Reese's peanut butter cups and Twix bars are the current favorites. Lately I've been putting M&Ms into the homemade trail mix that I always have around, so maybe I'll buy some little packages and pour the unclaimed into the trail mix.

[momofsquid]

We don't do turkey for holidays any more. We had several incidents where people happened to come down with stomach bugs after eating turkey at the homes of various family members and it turned us all off turkey. It was probably unrelated, but you know how you start to associate the illness with last food you ate? Turkey no longer feels like a treat for us.

[fireice13]

I like the individually wrapped twizzlers at Halloween.

I love the story about how they got rid of the ridges in the can of cranberry sauce and there was such an outcry they had to bring back the ridges.

I work in healthcare so we don't get holidays off. They're rotated so you don't work the same one every year and we do get paid well to work them. The only one I care about is Christmas. I'll work any of the others but I always hate when it's my turn to work Christmas.

[GeeGolly]

Hey all. Looking back I guess it wasn't the right timing to post what I did. The situation is real. I contacted a mandated reporter at the school this morning and will let her go from there. He was suicidal with his words last night but didn't actually try to commit suicide. If I was aware he tried of course I would of called 911 myself if the parents didn't. My daughter said the boy webt to work this morning so I'm glad he is functioning enough to do that. Maybe we were overreacting but you can never be sure. The school psychologist and counselor will be waiting for him tomorrow so he will be getting that help. Five years ago my nephew came out at 17 too, this is déjà vu for me. My sister and brother in law did take him to the hospital, he was committed for a few days. He saw a dr for counseling for the rest of the school year. It was the hardest thing they did but the best thing they did. My nephew is a well adjusted young man now engaged to his partner who we all love. (A little young too marry we think hopefully but they said they will wait a few years). I don't know what I did to betray your trust but I'm sorry that there are those that feel that way. Peace and love to all.

You don't wait until they try. That is most often too late. You get them help while they are still talking. EVERYONE who works at a school is a mandated reporter.  Why one would need to be mandated to get a suicidal kid help is beyond me anyway. Really every area has a local Crisis number, they will do a mobile assessment if necessary. Call it.