Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[zoomama]

all good reply's to my question. thanks for the input.

i/we haven't made a firm decision but if we do it, it's a 2 year plan as a means to be able to get a bigger place of our own after the 2 years. i could not see myself living there for long. i have scoped out a few more to view in the same neighborhood that are just a bit bigger but give us the extra space that we think we need. in cali, we don't have basements, so no extra square footage to be found there. time will tell - i contacted the owner and have not heard back from her AND i contacted a realtor to see the other homes and have not heard back there either. we may just do nothing and stay here till after christmas. thats when the real hard decision has to be made.

 

marge, just saw your post this morning - we must have posted at the same time. to answer the question, it will be just my husband and our little dog. grandkids will visit a lot.

Edited May 17, 2016 by zoomama
missed a post as i hit send

[MunichNark]

I had to use a converter since we use meters, but freaking heck, 1000 sq foot?? That's huge! It translates into 92sq meters, which would be massive here in Deutschland.

We don't do the buy or rent houses as much as you do, so most people, at least in cities live in flats, like myself.  In fact, my place is just short of 50 sq meter, but I do live alone.

It's funny how different living conditions are - even your cookers are bigger than ours:-))

[Absolom]

I live in a nearly 2000 sq ft house all by myself.  It is the house the kids grew up in and it's paid off so I haven't moved.  Yes, I have rooms that are seldom used and are shut off. 

I love the term cookers.  We call them stoves here.  Cooker is so direct. 

[Jynnan tonnix]

We live in a 3000-ish sq ft house...for the most part it's just two of us, but when we first bought it, our daughter & son-in-law lived with us for 10 months or so while they saved up to buy their own place. Now our younger son has been here with us for just over a year while he transitions between college and trying to get into Officer Candidate School for the Marines (it's been a bit of an extended process between one thing and another, and he just missed getting in when the last board met so he's going to try again). My mother-in-law has spent a few weeks with us here and there since being widowed this past summer, and my parents may need to move in with us at some point in the next couple of years...We did buy the house specifically to be able to accommodate parents if needed down the line, but I won't deny that I do like a place with a bit of elbow room even when it's just the two of us. You do kind of get used to that :)

I shudder to think how much stuff we would have accumulated by now had we not been moving with the Navy every couple of years, but that did tend to keep things in check! LOL...Now that my husband has retired, we will probably have stuff piling up around our ears soon! 

[MunichNark]

2 hours ago, Absolom said:

I live in a nearly 2000 sq ft house all by myself.  It is the house the kids grew up in and it's paid off so I haven't moved.  Yes, I have rooms that are seldom used and are shut off. 

I love the term cookers.  We call them stoves here.  Cooker is so direct. 

Stove's a bit quaint:-) but kind of sweet.

The first time I saw a photo of one of your gas cookers, I couldn't believe how big they are. Lookit.........this is a deutsche cooker.....

On a totally different note, the Forum looks a bit weird suddenly, I don't see any threads in the episode part, did they disappear or is my PC just odd?

 

[Absolom]

We also use the term range.  I don't know where that one came from.  That range/stove/cooker is about the size of the one in my dorm apartment in college so we do have that size here.  I'm fond of the double oven variety.

[Happyfatchick]

I'm loving the "cooker" thing!  

For some reason, it seems like most of the posters are suburbs kind of peeps.  We had a poster last year who lived in the city and she cracked me up.  I can't remember her screen name.  Aja also cracks me up.  We also had a young girl who lived with her sister in Florida and was about to take her state boards for nursing.  I think maybe that was Leighrhoda???  What happened to her?  And the girl who lost her baby...who's name escapes me.  I liked her an awful lot, and my heart just broke for her and her husband.

speaking of posters who went away - I saw part of a show last night about a girl (with 2 children of her own) who catfished Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams.  Never asked for money, and was evasive about where to send flowers when her neobastoma "daughter" died.  If they don't scam for money, it's not a crime.  However, Paisley sang a song to her into the phone, and they got her for scamming an artist.  Somehow they determined that song was worth $4000, which made it a felony.  She did a little jail time, and signed an agreement that she can't use social media AT ALL for a set period of time.  Maybe just during her probation?  But they actually interviewed the young woman.  It was interesting.  And brave of her to talk on camera.  She did seem contrite.  She did it to Kate Gosselin and some other celebs as well.  It's sad all the way around - for the celebs, who have to feel so violated, but for the actual person who started the whole thing.  It's all about attention I think.  Like a form of Munchhausens.  (I probably butchered that, sorry).

[MunichNark]

24 minutes ago, Absolom said:

We also use the term range.  I don't know where that one came from.  That range/stove/cooker is about the size of the one in my dorm apartment in college so we do have that size here.  I'm fond of the double oven variety.

A range goes back to the times when people were cooking with open fires and such like.

 

 

[Barb23]

Oh, I'm a happy aunt -- Congrats to my niece who graduated from college this morning!  And she just got hired for a "real" job using her new degrees.  Due to mobility, distance & other issues, my mother & I were not able to attend in person but we got to watch the whole program, which was live streamed on the computer.  It was great - no parking problems, waiting in bathroom lines & we got to chit chat thru the whole ceremony.  We wish we had a dollar for every Elizabeth, Marie or Nicole we heard, my niece included in that bunch.  They were mainly used as middle names & we heard at least three who had same first & last names as my niece. Made for interesting conversation.  I know it's great to be there in person, but live-streaming was a great alternative.

After watchIng the graduation, I'm  getting my thoughts together to bash Boob & MEchelle on another thread  for not letting any of the kids attend college & to instill in their minds that College is evil. OK, Joe took a few courses last year & not every person is meant for college but you know what I mean.

[Barb23]

I've tried to edit my post, but it won't post corrected post.  I meant to say three other girls had same first & middle (not last) names as my niece.  

[Micks Picks]

I never felt so free as I did the day my house burned.  I had the clothes on my back, my dog, and my car.  The insurance company arranged for people to come and throw out most of the stuff, and store the rest.  So I got back tools, 2 dinning room tables but chairs for only one,  and a few other things.  Now I have to have a person come and stage a sale for the rest, because I loved the freedom.  I'm done.  I don't want stuff.  It holds you back and ties you down.  Get rid of the stuff no matter where you live.  For those saving things for the children, here's a clue.  By the time you die the kids will have their own stuff and own taste, and your stuff will likely be a burden.  I know, HFC, not for you, but for most people that's the way it is.  At least out here in the west, we get on with it.

[Wellfleet]

10 minutes ago, Micks Picks said:

I never felt so free as I did the day my house burned.  I had the clothes on my back, my dog, and my car.  The insurance company arranged for people to come and throw out most of the stuff, and store the rest.  So I got back tools, 2 dinning room tables but chairs for only one,  and a few other things.  Now I have to have a person come and stage a sale for the rest, because I loved the freedom.  I'm done.  I don't want stuff.  It holds you back and ties you down.  Get rid of the stuff no matter where you live.  For those saving things for the children, here's a clue.  By the time you die the kids will have their own stuff and own taste, and your stuff will likely be a burden.  I know, HFC, not for you, but for most people that's the way it is.  At least out here in the west, we get on with it.

Couldn't agree with you more, Micks. Since retiring I've been going through every inch of space in my apartment and have donated or sold TONS. Really pared down the kitchen, realizing that no one single person needs a dozen wooden spoons or 40 pieces of Tupperware for the freezer etc. Donated my aging towels and sheets to a textile drive at my brother's church and bought all new white towels and sheets ONLY, which look beautiful folded in the linen closet and are so much more practical, laundry-wise. Lots of clothes were donated to shelters or the textile drive too. The only things I refused to "edit" were my books, even though I might never open some of them again. Because it would make me crazy to get the urge for a specific book in a few years, only to have given the damn thing away. But I have learned how much we humans tend to accumulate - and how much we really can live without.

[Micks Picks]

Munich and others who have "cookers"  that's all you need.  For the rebuild I chose a built in 5 burner range with heavy grill, but I chose it because the oven part was a beautiful blue inside.  No kidding.  And everybody who has seen it knows I bought it for the color of the oven.  Fortunately it has a lot of glass in the door so you can see it all the time.  But for the sake of cooking, yours is perfect.  Our problem here is that you have to drive to the grocery store so you don't go much, and store a lot in your cupboards and freezer.  Going to the grocery store is a trip and not something you do every day.  I found Europe to be great for me, with little places to buy stuff nearby.  The bread shop, produce place, meat market.  No so, here.

[Micks Picks]

I got money from the insurance company for the books.  I immediately ordered 3 James Harriot books (All Creatures Great and Small, etc) and when they came realized my eyes have deteriorated so much I can't read them.  So it's Kindle for me now.  I can make the print bigger.  Don't ever plan on reading into your old age.  I hate it that my eyes are bad.  In my case it's macular degeneration but a lot of things happen.  

[Love2dance]

1 hour ago, Micks Picks said:

I never felt so free as I did the day my house burned.  I had the clothes on my back, my dog, and my car.  The insurance company arranged for people to come and throw out most of the stuff, and store the rest.  So I got back tools, 2 dinning room tables but chairs for only one,  and a few other things.  Now I have to have a person come and stage a sale for the rest, because I loved the freedom.  I'm done.  I don't want stuff.  It holds you back and ties you down.  Get rid of the stuff no matter where you live.  For those saving things for the children, here's a clue.  By the time you die the kids will have their own stuff and own taste, and your stuff will likely be a burden.  I know, HFC, not for you, but for most people that's the way it is.  At least out here in the west, we get on with it.

So true for many of us, MICKS PICKS. We all had zero interest in most of my Dad's things, and I know already our kids don't want any of ours. Maybe a few electronics, but that's it. 

But I am still sorry you had to go through that devistating Fire.

[GeeGolly]

I have had a dead zone in the middle of each page on here for a few days. I figured maybe it was for advertising and I'm using AdBlock. But when I clicked on an unread thread the box it brought me to was not highlighted as the first unread post. So now I'm wondering if I'm missing posts. The dead zone is on the home page too.

[kalamac]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I have had a dead zone in the middle of each page on here for a few days. I figured maybe it was for advertising and I'm using AdBlock. But when I clicked on an unread thread the box it brought me to was not highlighted as the first unread post. So now I'm wondering if I'm missing posts. The dead zone is on the home page too.

Where you've got your dead spot, I do have an ad, so it probably is that.

[kokapetl]

20 hours ago, MunichNark said:

Stove's a bit quaint:-) but kind of sweet.

The first time I saw a photo of one of your gas cookers, I couldn't believe how big they are. Lookit.........this is a deutsche cooker.....

On a totally different note, the Forum looks a bit weird suddenly, I don't see any threads in the episode part, did they disappear or is my PC just odd?

 

Don't Germans treat everything in the kitchen as furniture? So when someone moves into a new house, they bring along their own kitchen? I can see why everything would be relatively compact for that reason. 

The thing I found odd about American kitchens was the microwave that was as wide as the oven, just so it "fit" above the range hood. 

[zoomama]

you guys, especially Micks, thanks so much for the insight!!  i think i am ready to tackle the decision on the tiny house. i can picture us there. yes, i have a lot of work ahead of me for the next month or so but IF we get it, i know i can do it. i have already gone around my house and tagged what i can get rid of. i will store a few pieces that i want to keep but cant fit inside the house but only a very few. so that if we decide we like living there, i can sell it later. DH wants to have a yard sale to see if we can earn any $$ to move with (we have to hire movers - we are to old and tired to lift much ourselves and the boys are over helping  us). the owners wife had surgery a couple days ago so we were waiting out of respect to call the husband and see if we can do a deal to get it. i will keep you posted.

[NewDigs]

Of course, have a garage sale! Make sure you price things a bit higher than you want 'cuz almost every single buyer will try to cheap you down.

Would it be easier to sticker what you want to keep rather than what's going? Six of one..., I guess.

[Aja]

Chiming in on the stoverangecookers, I spent my whole adult life in Europe until 2 years ago and I was COMPLETELY CONFUSED by American appliances when I came back, and totally intimidated. For the seven years I lived in Italy, we lit our cooker with a handheld...uh...spark-maker thing. Munich knows what I mean. :D  International appliance variation is really something else. I was living in my uncle's basement for the first six months I was here, and once he asked me to empty his dehumidifier and got a total blank stare in return. It also feels weird to be able to do more than one load of laundry in a 24 hour period, or to know that a rainy day doesn't mean your sheets ARE NEVER. GOING. TO. DRY.  I was also in shock when I rented my apartment and there was a (HUGE) refrigerator already there, and a (HUGE) cooker and (HUGE) washing machine and (HUGE) tumble dryer. The landlord said (all sheepishly) "I'm sorry there's no dishwasher, but that's why I'm able to go so low on the rent, see..." and I had no idea what to say. ("Yeah, well you SHOULD be sorry!! I guess?")  My friends think I'm like a Tibetan monk because I don't have a dishwasher. Listen. My uncle had one of those contraptions with seventeen different programs and around 30 compartments to hold all the different types of soaps and rinsing liquids and holy water and whatever else...I just washed everything by hand. Seriously. I'm too old. I'm way past my newfangled appliance window.

ETA: HFC, I'm inner-city! I can hear police sirens right now as I type! :D

Edited May 20, 2016 by Aja

[zoomama]

well, i guess we waited too long being respectful -- the house got rented already. i am okay with it though. when it's time, it will all fall into place. 

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, Aja said:

Chiming in on the stoverangecookers, I spent my whole adult life in Europe until 2 years ago and I was COMPLETELY CONFUSED by American appliances when I came back, and totally intimidated. For the seven years I lived in Italy, we lit our cooker with a handheld...uh...spark-maker thing. Munich knows what I mean. :D  International appliance variation is really something else. I was living in my uncle's basement for the first six months I was here, and once he asked me to empty his dehumidifier and got a total blank stare in return. It also feels weird to be able to do more than one load of laundry in a 24 hour period, or to know that a rainy day doesn't mean your sheets ARE NEVER. GOING. TO. DRY.  I was also in shock when I rented my apartment and there was a (HUGE) refrigerator already there, and a (HUGE) cooker and (HUGE) washing machine and (HUGE) tumble dryer. The landlord said (all sheepishly) "I'm sorry there's no dishwasher, but that's why I'm able to go so low on the rent, see..." and I had no idea what to say. ("Yeah, well you SHOULD be sorry!! I guess?")  My friends think I'm like a Tibetan monk because I don't have a dishwasher. Listen. My uncle had one of those contraptions with seventeen different programs and around 30 compartments to hold all the different types of soaps and rinsing liquids and holy water and whatever else...I just washed everything by hand. Seriously. I'm too old. I'm way past my newfangled appliance window.

ETA: HFC, I'm inner-city! I can hear police sirens right now as I type! :D

Back in the day, we lit our gas stove/oven with matches. It had a pilot flame for the oven and another single flame for the four burners. We turned the knob, lit a match, and woosh, they were lit. When I was nearing my teens we got a new fangled appliance - a dishwasher. It was on wheels and we had to roll it over to the sink and hook it up to the faucet for the water to go in, and put another hose into the sink to drain.

Too be honest though, I would find it a pain in the ass to be without a dishwasher now though. Once you get used to them, it's hard to go back to washing dishes.

Are any international cookers/ranges/ovens/stoves electric?

[lookeyloo]

I used to want an Aga cooker, but living in South Louisiana didn't seem like a good idea, adding in the cost and that I don't even like to cook!  Can I combine this comment into the downsizing topic?  We have upsized twice.  Once when the kids moved out and now here to the new state.  But got rid of an enormous amount of stuff this time.  House is sparsely furnished and main living all on one level.  Upstairs we have nice guest room and I finally have a quilting room and Mr. lookeyloo has his computer room.  And there is a basement but there isn't much down there.  We are retired and I'm finally where I want to be living.  As time passes we will never have to go up or down if we don't want to.  So far we are happy with the decision.  But I raised the kids in a tiny house and I think that was good because we always knew where they were and mostly what they were doing.  This was before computers and we didn't even have cable for a long time.  Lots of bickering over the few channels we had, but we were all together.  Anyway, son here has an apartment waiting for us.  3 nice rooms.  When we get too infirm to move around a lot.  And he promises to call 1-800- GOT-JUNK for our stuff.  

[Happyfatchick]

I'm kind of embarrassed, really.  Maybe I really am a hoarder.  I don't "think" I am...but I might actually be.  Aja, I don't care much for my dishwasher either.  I use it, but about half the time, I use it for a drying rack after I've washed my dishes by hand.  (It's pretty handy if you wash a whole bunch of dishes to rinse them all at once!)  In my 25-ish year old kitchen is a trash compactor.  I remember when they were the rage, but now, it's just junk.  I'd like to ditch it, but it's space specific - what to do with the HOLE?  And I don't want more gadgets.  Micks, I swear I love you more than grits.  I do.  You are so earthy and practical...and I am so never going to throw out my mother's ceramic peacock from 1965.  (Seriously, it really is that old.  And I know it sounds horrible, but it's really kind of pretty, and it matches a chair I have in the living room with peacock print).  I feel so...what is the word I'm searching for...not vain...  I think I'm sort of stuck somewhere between compulsive hoarding and superstition.  Does that make any sense?  And yet, my house isn't excessively cluttered. Seriously not.  (I bet if my husband saw that sentence, we'd get a difference of opinion). 

However, the older I get, the more I am able to slough off people.  People who talk too much, are too pushy, too opinionated, too loud, too aggressive, too negative - yeah, those are all dropping by the wayside.  I have zero tolerance for insufferable people any more.  I grew up being coached that you don't always like everybody, but you DO have to tolerate everybody.  In retrospect, that means I spent my whole life until recently trying to get along with everybody.  I still have enough old-south in me to believe you need to play nice, you need to get along, you need to NOT make waves.  [Which for ME, being a Suth'un gal, means if you don't like a crowd, LEAVE...but don't disturb the dust on your way out].   There are people I cannot tolerate.  Until maybe 5 years ago, when my mom needed so much care, I was still juggling people constantly, trying to make everybody happy.  There's some ingrained little seed in me that always makes me feel like I have to FIX everybody.  Seriously, my family has always teased me about being a "crazy magnet" because so many weirdos have velcro'd themselves to my legs over the years.   "That's one of HFC's stray cats", they say.   I'm sitting here shaking my head, thinking of Crazy Debbie...the other even worse Crazy Debbie...the alcoholic neurotic Robin... oh wow.  So maybe instead of donating my mother's peacock to NKF, I've decluttered my personal space.

Do I get any brownie points for that?  I should; its hard work for a people hoarder like me to unload!

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, Happyfatchick said:

I'm kind of embarrassed, really.  Maybe I really am a hoarder.  I don't "think" I am...but I might actually be.  Aja, I don't care much for my dishwasher either.  I use it, but about half the time, I use it for a drying rack after I've washed my dishes by hand.  (It's pretty handy if you wash a whole bunch of dishes to rinse them all at once!)  In my 25-ish year old kitchen is a trash compactor.  I remember when they were the rage, but now, it's just junk.  I'd like to ditch it, but it's space specific - what to do with the HOLE?  And I don't want more gadgets.  Micks, I swear I love you more than grits.  I do.  You are so earthy and practical...and I am so never going to throw out my mother's ceramic peacock from 1965.  (Seriously, it really is that old.  And I know it sounds horrible, but it's really kind of pretty, and it matches a chair I have in the living room with peacock print).  I feel so...what is the word I'm searching for...not vain...  I think I'm sort of stuck somewhere between compulsive hoarding and superstition.  Does that make any sense?  And yet, my house isn't excessively cluttered. Seriously not.  (I bet if my husband saw that sentence, we'd get a difference of opinion). 

However, the older I get, the more I am able to slough off people.  People who talk too much, are too pushy, too opinionated, too loud, too aggressive, too negative - yeah, those are all dropping by the wayside.  I have zero tolerance for insufferable people any more.  I grew up being coached that you don't always like everybody, but you DO have to tolerate everybody.  In retrospect, that means I spent my whole life until recently trying to get along with everybody.  I still have enough old-south in me to believe you need to play nice, you need to get along, you need to NOT make waves.  [Which for ME, being a Suth'un gal, means if you don't like a crowd, LEAVE...but don't disturb the dust on your way out].   There are people I cannot tolerate.  Until maybe 5 years ago, when my mom needed so much care, I was still juggling people constantly, trying to make everybody happy.  There's some ingrained little seed in me that always makes me feel like I have to FIX everybody.  Seriously, my family has always teased me about being a "crazy magnet" because so many weirdos have velcro'd themselves to my legs over the years.   "That's one of HFC's stray cats", they say.   I'm sitting here shaking my head, thinking of Crazy Debbie...the other even worse Crazy Debbie...the alcoholic neurotic Robin... oh wow.  So maybe instead of donating my mother's peacock to NKF, I've decluttered my personal space.

Do I get any brownie points for that?  I should; its hard work for a people hoarder like me to unload!

I'm a people hoarder too. I'm getting better with boundaries though. Funny thing is, I'm not really a people pleaser. As I have been told many times - "I knew you would tell me the truth".

[Micks Picks]

HFC & Gee, I get you with the people hoarding.  I actually find a lot to like in a wide assortment of people but they drive me nuts anyway.  I have to stay away from drunks repeating themselves and druggies always broke and looking for money.  I also look like a sucker because I get Travelers (gypsies, American style) dressed like fundys, god blessing me, while trying to rip me off.  You all here are my normal, god bless my soul!

[MunichNark]

16 hours ago, ingenting said:

Don't Germans treat everything in the kitchen as furniture? So when someone moves into a new house, they bring along their own kitchen? I can see why everything would be relatively compact for that reason. 

The thing I found odd about American kitchens was the microwave that was as wide as the oven, just so it "fit" above the range hood. 

Yes, usually a kitchen goes when the renter or owner leaves, usually resulting in a completely empty room. Alternatively, often you will have to buy the stuff off them.

That's the sparker thingy:-)) Having a gas cooker is actually extremely rare in Germany - I love and adore mine, since I've cooked with them when living in Ireland. Wouldn't want to change it for anything.

Everything in the US seems huge somehow and the kind of stuff people seem to take for granted, as Aja said, dryers, humongous freezers, dishwashers.........there was something on the Pickles page I think that mentioned drying laundry outside or on a portable laundry drier seemed the epitome of bare living. That's the norm here.....

 

[MunichNark]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

 

Are any international cookers/ranges/ovens/stoves electric?

Of course, they usually are. Gas cookers in Germany are extremely rare and usually leftovers.

As we mostly live in flats, there just isn't the same amount of space that you would have in a house, so things aren't as big. For laundry, you would usually have a communal laundry room, in places like Munich, where you hang up laundry,  often you don't have your own washing machine, but share a laundry room with the entire house. I think part of the reason for that can be that in the "Altbau" houses (I'm not sure there is an english equivalent, it means houses that are old, say 80 years plus, see attached photo) were never wired for such things and may not have the space for it.

UK and Ireland has a lot more gas cookers though. I miss my irish cookers, complete with an overhead grill

[kalamac]

In Australia, the oven usually stays when you move house, but the fridge, freezer & microwave go with the person moving. And already furnished places aren't at all common. I've moved house a lot in my life, mostly during childhood, when we moved at least once a year, and in all that time, I only once saw a house available to rent that came with furniture (we didn't take it, because we had our own furniture, that was moving with us).

[emma675]

I love that our little section of this site is so international!

I have an electric "stove and a half"--it's a full size oven on one side and a half oven on the other (some people call it a warmer on the half side, but it heats up just like the full oven does). My 1940's kitchen was built around the original stove and a half so when the original one died, it took me over a year to find another one. I did not want to have to re-do the entire kitchen just to replace a stove! Luckily, I found one online that Kenmore made (it's been discontinued) and it fit perfectly. Plus, the new one is a fancy stainless steel and has a glass cooktop, so it's gorgeous. It was so pretty I was hesitant to use it at first.

I'm so excited, y'all! I have a trip planned to Europe next month--a river cruise down the Danube and we're stopping in countries I never thought I'd see or planned on seeing. I've been to England, Scotland and France, but never further east into Europe.

[lookeyloo]

1 minute ago, emma675 said:

I love that our little section of this site is so international!

I have an electric "stove and a half"--it's a full size oven on one side and a half oven on the other (some people call it a warmer on the half side, but it heats up just like the full oven does). My 1940's kitchen was built around the original stove and a half so when the original one died, it took me over a year to find another one. I did not want to have to re-do the entire kitchen just to replace a stove! Luckily, I found one online that Kenmore made (it's been discontinued) and it fit perfectly. Plus, the new one is a fancy stainless steel and has a glass cooktop, so it's gorgeous. It was so pretty I was hesitant to use it at first.

I'm so excited, y'all! I have a trip planned to Europe next month--a river cruise down the Danube and we're stopping in countries I never thought I'd see or planned on seeing. I've been to England, Scotland and France, but never further east into Europe.

I sure do agree with you about this section! And, we took one of those cruises last August down the Danube.  It was fabulous and I would go again in a heartbeat.  I know you will enjoy it!!!!

[NewDigs]

River cruising is wonderful! Knowledgeable staff, good food, don't have to change hotels during the trip. And so relaxing. Did a Burgundy canal barge trip and we are hooked.

Have fun!

(off to look at cruise sites)

I cannot imagine moving a kitchen. And what a gorgeous building MunichNark posted! Wow.

[frenchtoast]

I would love to do one of those river cruises! Enjoy it!

Quote

He's probably at the Wal-Mart picking out a piece of jooooooooolery, too.

I'll bet it costs at least $19.99.

So this was over in the Josh topic and it made me need to confess that I bought a ring set from QVC for $20. My fingers are getting too fat for my wedding band, and it's not easy to size, so I saw this in clearance and figured what the heck. This way I could have something until I get off my tush and lose some weight.

[Love2dance]

7 hours ago, emma675 said:

I love that our little section of this site is so international!

I'm so excited, y'all! I have a trip planned to Europe next month--a river cruise down the Danube and we're stopping in countries I never thought I'd see or planned on seeing. I've been to England, Scotland and France, but never further east into Europe.

Have a beautiful cruise, Emma675. Be sure to share when you return!

[lookeyloo]

36 minutes ago, frenchtoast said:

I would love to do one of those river cruises! Enjoy it!

So this was over in the Josh topic and it made me need to confess that I bought a ring set from QVC for $20. My fingers are getting too fat for my wedding band, and it's not easy to size, so I saw this in clearance and figured what the heck. This way I could have something until I get off my tush and lose some weight.

I love the diamonique.  I have a real diamond that was my mother's, set as my engagement ring, and one of those diamonique bands they used to and still might sell, with 5 small stones as my wedding band.  At first glance jewelers think it is real.  The gold is real.  I like it a lot.  Here is one very similarhttp://www.qvc.com/Diamonique-5-Stone-Band-Ring,-14K-Gold.product.J326072.html?sc=J326072-User&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-6-_-J326072&catentryImage=http://images.qvc.com/is/image/j/72/j326072.001?$uslarge

[Happyfatchick]

HA!!!!!  A new confession amongst us:. WE HAVE QVC JUNKIES HERE!!!  I feel completely vindicated for saying I'm a sentimental hoarder.

So I tried to put a photo on here once before and failed;  I'ma try again.  This ring.  This ring was a guard with the diamonds, but the solitaire was missing.  (It was my Mama's).  When I had the tea party, I took this stone from another ring, a dinner ring thing that was MUCH too big for me (big setting, not too big for my finger).  The stone just got lost in that gnarly setting.  I took a big amethyst (of which I had plenty, it was her birthstone) and had it set in the big ring.  The jeweler had a hissy FIT about me removing THIS stone.  "It's a BLUE DIAMOND!" She cried.  You don't WANT to remove that!!!  Oh yes, I do.  I had it put in this guard setting instead, and I think it's lovely.  Must be, I get compliments on it allllllll the time.

[GeeGolly]

Beautiful ring HFC.

[Happyfatchick]

Snort!  What I meant to say (and failed) was that I had no idea there was such an animal as a blue diamond.  For all I know, it came from QVC!

[lookeyloo]

Pretty ring HFC!

[MunichNark]

15 hours ago, emma675 said:

I'm so excited, y'all! I have a trip planned to Europe next month--a river cruise down the Danube and we're stopping in countries I never thought I'd see or planned on seeing. I've been to England, Scotland and France, but never further east into Europe.

How exciting. Where will you start? The Danube is rather a big river after all......what kind of cruise is it?

 

15 hours ago, NewDigs said:

I cannot imagine moving a kitchen. And what a gorgeous building MunichNark posted! Wow.

That's actually not particularly special, that one. Munich has loads of these old buildings (as have other cities).

[Barb23]

Add me to the QVC junkie list (also HSN on occasion) & I'm proud of it !!   I'm just saying family & friends loved the Lock & Lock bowls of Harry London Chocolates I gave out at Christmas, not to mention Cheryl's Cookies& Landys chocolate covered pretzels.  (Yes, I tend to go to the food & kitchen items). I'll have to check out their ring sets- have same problem with my rings not fitting due to my RA & broken ring finger in past.  My son constantly kids me about my QVC purchases but I tell him I'm doing my part in  keeping the cardboard box companies, UPS & Fed Ex companies in business. 

I've enjoyed reading about the appliances.  It is funny watching the buyer's expressions on House Hunters Int'l when they show them the refrigerator & it's a little bigger than a dorm one.  The realtor that sold our first townhouse told us more contracts are broken over appliances than anything else.  I wanted to take our washer& dryer since they were only a few years old & new buyers wanted them but we did leave them &got new, no problem.

[BitterApple]

Lock and Lock is the best. My mother has arthritis in her hands and they're the only Tupperware-style containers she can use. I have a set in Caribbean Blue and I love them. The lady who does the presentations seems like a sweetheart as well.

[Jellybeans]

Speaking of downsizing... I moved from a 3,000 sf house to a 1,000 sf house and it was the best thing I ever did.  

The house had become a living history museum...I had inherited five generations of stuff. After the death of my daughter things were different.  My son wanted very little. So I had an estate sale (handled by a pro) and told her to sell everything.  Of course not everything sold..and the funny thing is what was left was perfect for a small house. I bought a new couch and chairs to replace the ones sold.

I thought it was going to be difficult to let go of "things" but for me there was no way for me to keep everyone's belongings. 

If I ever build a house I am putting in two dishwashers!  One for dirty dishes and one to store the clean dishes.  Why have cabinets?  LOL.

[CherryMalotte]

That's such a pretty ring HFC - really beautiful.  I'm telling ya'll, my husband got off easy with me - I'm not an expensive jewelry gal, when we got spliced we both just got plain gold bands.  I'm not a big diamond lover, my favorite rings are silver, and I like to wear an inexpensive turquoise stone ring my grandmother picked up in Mexico years and years ago.  Hippie or bohemian jewelry are more my taste, I just about cried when one of my fave sellers on Etsy closed up shop, she made great earrings in quirky bead combos that I liked.  One of these odd days when my life calms down to an even keel I'd like to look into classes for jewelry making, and maybe get back to embroidering.  

I cast the critical eye about myself lately and am thinking it's time to declutter.  I won't part from my books, or my movies but there is so much to get rid of.  We'd eventually like to buy a home at least in a year or so and I sure as hell ain't taking all this stuff with me.  

 

       

Edited May 22, 2016 by CherryMalotte

[Happyfatchick]

I've been so homesick for my parents today.  I don't know why some days are harder than others.  I went to the cemetery and just sat down on the ground and talked to both of them.  Sometimes I think something is seriously wrong with me.  I'm rushing towards 60 years old and I'm still suffering separation anxiety. 

I'm going to tell the story of the night before my dad passed.  I'm sorry for the nostalgia - we're almost at 4 years, maybe that's the problem.  Time of year, maybe? 

The weekend he died was also the graduation weekend for my youngest.  I had a store at the time, and we'd already planned with 3 other families to have a huge party at the store.  (I know, it seemed like a good idea at the time...).  Thankfully, other people took over that part for me and made it happen because I wouldn't leave the hospital.  He depended on me to be his ears and mostly his voice and I couldn't leave him alone.  (Note:  I have this "thing" about people in the hospital.  If you're sick enough to have to stay in hosp, you're sick enough to have someone stay in case you need something.  No one in my family stays without someone there).  On Friday (graduation), I left the hospital as soon as someone came in to relieve me in the afternoon.  I drove home like a maniac, showered and was there in the stands screaming for the short squirt that is my youngest.  He went out with his dad, and I went back to the hospital for the night.  The next morning, someone else came to relieve me.  I went to the store, did my last minute things and had a party for 150 people.  When it was over, I went back to the hospital.  Things had changed.  Daddy had said to my SIL that evening, "I'm dying".  Once he said that, he just sort of relaxed into that reality.

I would lay on the fold out chair next to him during the night, and he would doze.  But in a few minutes, his hand would slide over the edge, looking for me.  Most nights, I sat the whole night on the chair and laid my head on my arms on the bed so that he could put his hand on my arm without stretching.  He just seemed to need to know I was there.

He'd been in the hospital since Wednesday, and by now, it was early Sunday morning.  He never once asked for pain relief.  Stubborn. 

Around 2, he began to hurt in earnest.  I rubbed his back, I loved on him, I made him sip a little water.  I had this belief that if I got him something strong, it would hasten the end, and I didn't want the end.  But he was conscious, and in so much pain I finally called the nurse and asked for morphine.  They gave it to him.  In a few minutes, he made a noise (behind his oxygen mask).  I got up and went around to his "good" ear and asked what he needed.  He was in obvious distress, trying to tell me something.  I pulled the mask away an inch or two, but he couldn't get enough air to talk.  He was so weak.  We did charades between a healthy daughter and a dying man for several heartbreaking minutes.  Water?  Back hurts?  Rub your head?  What?  What???  WHAT?????  I was desperate, trying so HARD to help him.  I got right against his ear and yelled, "DADDY!  I want to help you!  I WANT to help!  I don't know what you WANT!!!"

Somehow, while I was saying that, he managed to get his two hands up to the shoulders of my shirt and grip the fabric.  I still didn't "get" it.  What does that mean???  But then he got ahold of my shoulders and pulled me to him.  A hug.  He wanted me to hug him.  Be close to him.  Lay my head on his shoulder.  He wanted me to be his baby girl.

To this day, I STILL think "I have to tell Daddy _____". 

I'm going to have to make a decision soon about the house.  He built that house.  I want the house.  I don't want to move in there (right now), but I have a feeling I would want to if I owned it.  See what I mean?  I'm OLD to be having such attachment issues.  [In my defense, I know it's because we've never really been separated.  We have the whole "commune" thing going on.  And  the family's defense, this is very, very common in this area.  We tend to all stick to our childhood neighborhoods.  Sad but true.]

Sorry again about the sad story.  Tomorrow I'll tell something funny.

[Love2dance]

45 minutes ago, Happyfatchick said:

I've been so homesick for my parents today.  I don't know why some days are harder than others.  I went to the cemetery and just sat down on the ground and talked to both of them.  Sometimes I think something is seriously wrong with me.  I'm rushing towards 60 years old and I'm still suffering separation anxiety. 

---------------------------------------------------------

(Edited to say, don't know why the reply and quote functions didn't work this time.)

HAPPY, it doesn't matter how old you are. It is so obvious that you and your parents had an extraordinary relationship and you are mourning their loss. I loved my parents, and they loved me, but am a little jealous of the bond you shared with yours. Thank you for sharing another touching memory with us. 

Edited May 23, 2016 by Love2dance
Quote and reply didn't work correctly.

[Happyfatchick]

Its tomorrow (EST).  I'm up late working, and finally had a shower (yay!).  So it's funny story time.  ALERT: if stories about dementia or Alzheimer's are offensive, don't read this post.  I know it's not a funny disease, I know this up close and personal.  But some of the effects are hilarious, and my family chose to dwell on those more than on the obvious downsides.  

Long before Daddy died, we had discovered that sundowners (and maybe just general confusion) made my already dementia laden mother a fire breathing dragon during a hospital stay.  She couldn't get a grip on where she was, and she would fight like a tiger to get her bearings.  That, in and of itself, led to many blog-worthy stories over the years.  She was hospitalized for 3 long days once because of her type I diabetes, not related to dementia.  But she was NUTS at night.  She never once (not once!!!) made it through the night with an IV intact.  She pulled out IVs, pulled an oxygen tube out of the WALL a time or two, pulled out catheters, the IV pump was some strange alien machine about to blow up.  There were snakes in the room.  The room was on fire.  There were small children in her room, and she was teaching them a craft.  There was never any rest for me during these stays, and I always stayed.  I fought with my mom allllllll night long.  She'd been in 3 days, and the problem was conquered.  The docs wanted to keep her for another day of observation because the problem we arrived with was so severe.  But we had quickly grasped the issue and righted the ship.  We got it.  So on day 3, I demanded she be released.  They were hesitant and almost obstinate.  Made me sign papers.  (Hell, I don't care!!!  At this point if you want to make me sign something declaring the north actually won that damn war, I'll sign it!!!)

I finally got home with her that afternoon, where my SIL took over so I could go fall into a well earned sleep deprivation coma.  Keep in mind, Mama always managed to wake and function as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  Never remembered a thing.  Never felt more tired than usual.  They are sitting at the kitchen table, having some lunch and my mother says, "where's Susan?"

my SIL explained that I was really tired after having no sleep for 3 nights in a row at the hospital, and that I'd gone to get some rest.  Mom's eyes went big as saucers and she gasped "OH NO!!!!  Who's in the hospital???"

[MunichNark]

You're not too old to be attached to your parents. Especially if you had them for that long.

I always thought it must be so hard to lose your parents when you are older - my Mother died when I was 17, and altough this has left me with my own issues, I do think it's somewhat easier at that age.

In fact, today is the 30th anniversary of her death. Seems hardly credible.

Do whatever feels good for you and to hell with what other people may think

[lookeyloo]

I am an oddball I guess. My mother died in 1977.  I was very sad at the time.  I was also going through a divorce I didn't want.  So my energy was focused on that grief.  I didn't really grieve for my mother til later.  But, so much time has gone by, and I didn't live close to her for about 9 years before she died, and there was no email and phone calls were expensive, that my day to day didn't change all that much.  I think about her, but, don't really "miss" her in the sense that some of you others feel.  My father died about 8 years ago.  He never liked me. Really.  Eventually I got to not like him either.  He loved my children, luckily enough and was a good grandfather to them.  He only once asked me to come visit him, when he was dying.  I did.  He seemed happy enough to see me.  So, bittersweet.  My children miss him more than I do.  

HFC, I got my Sweet Potato Queen books out last night and your writing reminds me so much of Jill Connor Browne!  I think you have a future in the literary field!!!!