I'm glad nothing broke! And if I'd known ahead of time (and had the address) I would have sent them to PFPP!!! I knew I couldn't pack them myself without major risk of breakage, so I had to get them to a UPS store when I wasn't working or otherwise committed... and I'm glad to see that they fulfilled their part of the bargain. We have several shakers at home - and I like the metal one the best. Gets things COLDcolor>. Glad it got there, and glad you like it, Karen! Also, Apple Pucker is an apple schnapps made by DeKuypers. My ex-bartender DH (the guy the antifreeze is named after) likes it, so we usually have it in stock... Elizabeth/Bizzo/Biz/Liz/Eliz/Lizzie (and other variations of Elizabeth)

I've read through many of the messages posted here and am so glad I found this site. On August 1 (yes, just a few weeks ago), me and my girlfriend had to put our beloved Siberian Husky, Cinnamon, to sleep. She was 15 and a half years old. We had found her in a pet shop when she was eight weeks old and it was love at first sight. We both cried like babies when we had to say goodbye to her. We knew she was old (especially for a dog her size) and I thought I was prepared because she had been showing many signs of advanced age in her final months. Then about a week before we had to put her to sleep, we discovered she had cancer. I knew the time was coming so I tried to be ready for the inevitable. But I found that this was not the case. I still think of her almost constantly and the tears have not stopped. I have gone through the deaths of my parents and others I have known and loved but dealing with the death of my dog has been much harder. I really didn't know why until I started looking for answers on the internet. True dog lovers, as many people have stated, love their dogs as part of the family. Cinnamon was definitely part of the family. She became our second child. One incident that cemented that fact occurred when she was two years old. We had gone to a friend's reception (he had his wedding overseas but came back to the States to have his reception so family and friend could attend). We stayed at his parents house and they had told us that it was okay to bring Cinnamon. They all loved Cinnamon and showered tons of attention on her. For anyone that has had a Siberian Husky, they know that huskies cannot be watch dogs as they love everyone, including strangers. Because of this, I tended to believe that she didn't care who she was with as long as they gave her attention. She proved me wrong. After the reception, we were preparing to drive home and we were packing the car for the trip home. My son, my girlfriend and I were all outside while Cinnamon was waiting inside. She started howling because she thought we were going to leave her behind and wouldn't stop howling until we brought her outside with us. We knew then that we were her family and she wanted to be with us. Through the years, she has always been here. Now that she is gone, I just feel a huge hole in my life. All the routines we had with her are gone. Daily walks, which she loved and pretty much demanded are no more. Watching her sleep always comforted us. Now, that is gone. Stroking her beautiful coat and hugging her, gone. Seeing her 'husky' smile which in turn made us smile, gone. Just a few of the things that made her who she was. I felt so guilty at first because I could hear what some people would say, "She's just a dog. How can you miss her more than your parents?" And being a man, I have to go hide somewhere and cry when thoughts of Cinnamon overwhelm me. But after reading through many of these posts, I realize that I am definitely not alone in my feelings. I know it's going to take a long time before the tears stop flowing and the hurt diminishes. I know that right now, it is way too soon to have another pet in my life and not really sure I want to go through the agony of a pet's death again. I know life goes on and I am trying to find things to fill the emptiness of not having my dog around. She can't ever be replaced but we made a small shrine where her urn, a plaster paw print, some of her soft fur, and pictures of her are kept. Just like bobbyprior posted above, I know that huge hole that exists now with the passing of Cinnamon. Everyone, that came here to find words of comfort, I empathize with you. Posting here really helps with the grief. I pray for all of you and know that even though your beautiful pet is gone, they will always be in your heart and mind. Dwell on the happy memories and try to remember that if your pet was still here and they could talk, they would tell you that you still need to live your life and try to be happy and good toward others. Thanks to all of you that have read my ramblings and I wish you comfort in your loss.

To give a buyer's perspective, my husband and I have been trying to buy a house for weeks. It's an older house and needs some updates, we figured we might be in a higher insurance pool while we get the electrical up to modern code. We found insurance, but we can't get a loan. As soon as the banks saw that there were closing concessions to cover upgrades they demanded all notes and insisted that all fixes (including some really trivial ones) be completed weeks before closing. We've tried offering to put money in escrow and agreeing to do the fixes within 30 days - no dice. Our realtor is floored - lots of houses in this area have older systems and it's never been a problem. We're now exploring voiding the old contract and writing a new one without any concessions so we can start again. It's a collective action problem - the banks are terrified that they'll have a hard time selling a house if the deal sours. As soon as one bank says they won't underwrite a house with older (but still safe) systems, none of them will because they will run into the same problem with buyers if they try to sell. For the record, this house has systems that are normal for the area, but something has shifted for the banks in the last few months. We have been approved as buyers for more than this house costs, it's been appraised at a higher price than we're paying, but the banks are just gun-shy about any hint of trouble. We plan to do the updates as soon as we close, we just want it out of the way, but the banks won't consider an escrow and timeline. We want to buy, the seller wants to sell, the banks want to loan money to us, they just have become really picky about the houses.

Yup your MIL sounds about right… right up there with mine lol. not much help but I hope this story can make you feel better since mine is a bit sadder. I have a 21 year old step daughter and my husband ( her dad) and I have a 4 year old son. Both are bio grandchildren . The only two grand children. My MIL visibly favours the stepdaughter so much that every one in the family notices. Heres a bit of background. Hopefully you can relate and maybe feel better? SD is to put it nicely, a twit. Drug addicted , spoiled brat, always had her way and not homeless only because she is in jail for welfare fraud and credit card fraud. MIL has always praised her and bought her whatever she wanted. still does. BIo son is at 4 years old already in grade 1 ( he skipped kindergarten after being labelled gifted) is well behaved , polite and doesn't really ask for much other than lots of attention like a 4 year old usually does :) My MIL picks on him, calls him a nerd, doesnt buy him anything for xmas or birthdays, doesn't call him, and is just generally very mean to him when she does see him at holidays. It so bad that I had to tell my 4 year old that jail is not a good thing. He thought it was because MIL still praises the SD so much. Hopefully your MIL isn't as wicked. After all of this my advice is to just not take it personally and limit the time she has with her grandkids. Trust me it will be much less stressful in the end :) cheers!