Anne - her mom’s wedding dress. Very clever.

https://altopower.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/what-i-did-with-moms-wedding-dress/#comment-14033

This is not elegant, but it is super functional

That (below) is the corner of my bed.

The head of the bed is up on post concrete blocks which I got at Lowe's. We had to take the castor off the legs of the bed to fit in the space made for the post. I highly recommend the blocks to anyone with issues. Makes a huge difference. I put felt pads down in the holes so the leg is not scrapping against the concrete.

I had to look it up because it was bugging me. The block is concrete. Cement is used to hold all the materials together to make the block.

I also got a power strip that plugs into the wall socket sideways, so it has a very thin profile. It is plugged into a socket behind my bed and the strip is mounted to the wall next to my bed. That keeps my cords high. So I can have a device plugged in on my nightstand or in bed with me. And the cords do not get tangled and the strip does not flip around.


Example of sideways plug - the black one (not the gray one).

And that power strip is attached to my wall using Command strips (where you pull the tab to release it from the wall when you want to disconnect the whole thing years down the road). I got the mega weight command strips. There is a strip on the top of the power strip and on the bottom of the power strip. I did not want to mount it to wall with screws. This way I can move it. Or can take it down as technology evolves.

My iphone is the top cord. My ipad is the next cord. An old cell phone is the last cord, so I can always call 911 from that phone if somehow my iphone is not there.

If you have college or graduate school age guys in your life, you might have noticed this trend . . .

Beards.

Some of these guys grew beards as part of the No-Shave November movement. And then just kept them.

Some grew them as a bit of rebellion coming out of high schools with strict no facial hair policies.

Some grew them because they were finally able and wanted to show every other guy they knew that they could (a definite guy thing).

Some grew them because they have baby faces and realized they would look older with a beard.

Oldest (who did grow a beard last winter) says he thinks it is a reverse percentages thing. Because beards are not worn by the majority, they are desirable to a minority who want to look different. We have not yet seen his beard in person, will see him later this summer.




And if these boys have steady girl friends, whom they spend a lot of time kissing, they need to know about rinse out conditioners.

A good rinse out conditioner softens a beard hugely (and prevents beard burn on their girl friends).

Beard burns hurt (and show).

It is news to most younger guys that they need to condition their beard to protect their girlfriend's skin.

Pitchers as wedding gifts

We were given a pewter pitcher as a wedding gift and it has always been one of my favorite things.

I think pitchers are sort of a lost art. Rarely given, rarely seen except in restaurants. I think they are wonderful.

I have given many different styles of pitchers (as wedding gifts) over the years.

This (picture above) is my current favorite (to give).

It is made by Armetale and sold at Macy's. I buy it when it is on sale and I have a coupon. Today the regular price was $100. It was on sale for $59.99. I had a $20 coupon. Shipping was free. So the total was $39.99 + tax.

And it is a gem, in my opinion. Really classic. Nice and heavy. Very sturdy. Blends with a huge variety of dish styles.

Take a gift enclosure card with you. They ship from the store, so you can enclose it directly in the box.

I always have my gifts shipped to the bride to be. It is very fun to open gifts as they arrive before the wedding.