dtel's wife

We watched this movie last night. I am not a big fan of movies, would rather listen to music, however this one was worth watching. Very very funny, good story line. Not suitable for young children.

Marvel, It is good to see your input on this post today and sounding so positive. You and Josh remain in our thoughts and prayers. Elden and Christy

IMHO it is not the ability to fix a car, perform first aid or any of those other things alone that make a man. I also believe that we never really "grow up", as our lives are constantly changing. It is in fact life's challenges that force us to take those steps towards what some would call "maturity". I believe men should possess courage, integrity, humility, humor and compassion. After reading this forum for almost a year now I would agree that there are numerous "men" on this forum. In another post I made a comment about "men showing their softer side"... Some examples of that would be Marvel, Josh and Woodog's posts regarding the losses they have sufferered recently, as well as Michael and Michael being able to share their issues in a public forum. It is all the attributes you mentioned, plus giving of themselves unselfishly, like Marvel caring for Barbara when she was ill and Woodog spending time with Kim, even when she had caused him so much grief and pain. Of course, this is one woman's perspective...that being said I have to say I am very blessed to have a wonderful husband, who is still quite the child, but all I could hope for in a man. Elden, thank you for loving me in times when I couldn't love myself and for giving me, our daughters, our grandchildren and our family as a whole "rope to hold onto during the storm". I hope that the men on this forum will read your post and take the time to voice their opinions.

Woo, I was so sad when I read this post. I went to bed and couldn't sleep. This post kept running through my mind, so I got up and replied. It is people like you that convinced Elden and I to be a part of this "family". Through all the pain Kim has caused you still show love and compassion for her. That is so uncommon these days. For a lot of us learning to truly love ourselves can be full time job. I agree with Charlie, you should watch Gavin, kids react differently to things and sometimes it takes a while for the effects to be seen. Continue to love and guide him as you always have. Always remind him of the love you have for his mother, so he can feel confident in his love for her. Be sure also to tell him how much his mother loved him. Remind him of those things always. Kids look to us for reassurance in thier beliefs. Thank you for making her last Christmas special and sharing a little extra time with her, I am sure it meant a lot to her. When the time is right you will find someone to love you and Gavin and to share your lives. Our deepest sympathies go out to you and Gavin. Hebrews 11:1 Christy and Elden

Michael, We all miss you. All of us are pulling for you. Let us know if we can do anything for you, anytime, anyplace. P.S. I have asked my mother-in-law to put you in her prayers. That's a good thing, cuz she prays a lot and He answers a lot.

I would hope for you and the cat both, that the vet returns 1/2/06. I am sure the cat is making you as miserable as she is. As a rule cats are one of the best pets you can own, unless you find yourself in your current situation. Mommy Cat was shot by one of our "neighbors" and never even cried. The bullet went straight through her shoulder area. She healed completely within two days and did not require the attention of a vet. Extremely clean animals.

I have been told that it is primarily a problem with male cats spraying if neutered too late. We had our female spayed prior to her going into heat. Since that time Mommy Cat has not used a litter box, she sits at the front door and meows to go outside. Get her fixed asap, the incessant "whining" is very annoying.

We have forgotten what the walls shaking sounds like, dtel won't turn it up because his 72 year old mom lives here since Katrina. She insists he can "crank it up", but I can't convince him to do it.

We are finally getting around to cleaning my sister-in-law's CD's and DVD's that were in the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. Some of them have paper stuck to them and some of them may possible have some oil. Her home was in the "Oil Spill" area of St. Bernard Parish. We have approximately 100-150 that need to be cleaned. Does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning these items? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bruce and Josh, When my father in law died my mother in law prayed and prayed and prayed for a sign that he was with God and no longer in pain. She called me one day and said "I got a refund check from the chiropractor that was treating Paw-Paw, and it had a really nice letter with it." The letter read, "...your husband is no longer in pain and has gone to be with the Great Physician Himself". Dtel's dad died 7/26/1996, our first granchild, a boy was born 7/26/2000. We bought six acres and built a house just after his death, I inscribed "All for you Paw-Paw(that's what we called dtels dad) in the cement (the garage portion) with the date the slab was poured for the house 8/18/1998. We enclosed the garage to make another bedroom and multi- use laundry/craft/classroom, completed construction about June 2005. August 31,2005 Hurricane Katrina devasted my husband's family home of thirty years. His mother and sister now reside in the bedroom that "All for you Paw-Paw" was inscribed into the cement. The inscription ended up in thier closet!!! Dtel's dad was a man of few words, but we always know he loves us and watches over all we do. Just as others have said Barbara will be with you always, sometimes when you least expect it.

Bruce, She has gone to be with Great Physician and will suffer no longer. May God grant you and your family comfort and peace during this time. May God bless you always for your faithfulness to His calling. Elden and Christy Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen."

The area with the rope lighting installed is actually 18'x24'. We used the inexpensive rope lights and doubled them up in some areas. You really can't tell because the lighting is low. We had purchased some rope lighting to use for Christmas decorating a few years back and decided to see if it would work. My daughter has an "attic bedroom" (meaning 5' side walls) and she used the same lighting technique as a feature in her bedroom. She went to the after Christmas sale today at our local "Wally World" and purchased the rope lights for $1.99. Of course, custom cut lights would also be really nice. We extended the moulding by putting 1/4 round or "shoe" moulding onto the end with finishing nails, which added approximately 1/2 inches more to the moulding. Tom, your room must be beautiful, based on the pics you posted.

It's hard to tell what the room really looks like with all the Christmas stuff. We have nine people living here since Hurricane Katrina and my birthday is Christmas Day, so we have always had more Christmas decorations than normal people. We have about 9000 miniature lights in our landscaping. Dtel fusses because you can't hardly walk through the house at Christmastime. But what can he do...it's only a few weeks a year.

Here's another view. The walls are actually clay colored with venetian plaster finish, not pink as it looks in the pic.

The total open area is 34'X24'. That includes living room, dining room and kitchen. Totally open floor plan. The living room ends at the columns, that beam you see divides living from dining/kitchen. We plan to post more pics after holidays. Actually, the moulding is floor moulding, dtel held a piece of moulding up there and a 45 degree angle looked about right, so he cut small wooden angles out on a 45 degee, screwed those to the wall, then finished nailed the moulding to the angles. Be sure to put a dip in the top of the wooden angles so the rope lights can seat in the moulding and not be exposed to the eye. The rope lights come in 18' lengths, very inexpensive. Be sure to put outlets that all tie into one switch, preferably a dimmer switch. This works perfect. We doubled the rope lights in the moulding to make it a little brighter and all of those outlets are one dimmer switch. I realize your ceiling is low, rather than highlight the steel beam, which will appear to divide the space, go along the top of the walls with lighting, we dropped down about 2 1/2 inches from the ceiling. The up lighting will draw the eye away from the short walls and toward the ceiling. This lighting is excellent for movies, entertaining, etc. It lights the room enough to navigate the room, but puts no light on the television screen itself. Its perfect lighting for parties. Also, the recessed ceiling lights (can post pics and info if you like) are easy to install, safe and not expensive at all. We used 2x6 for the ceiling joist, and they fit perfect. Check Home Depot or Lowes, we believe they were between ten and fifteen bucks each max. Our recessed lighting is also on a dimmer switch.

This may be a little clearer picture...

I took a picture of some uplighting dtel and I did in our new addition. The photograph was taken in the am and is kind of blurry. This type of lighting would help disguise the short ceiling in your new room and is very easy and inexpensive to install. If you like it, I can take some additional pics and post them.

Now Michael, if you're not "the pot calling the kettle black"... Its a beautiful set up. Would like to see some more pics of the cabin as dtel and I will be building a log house in the next two to three years. We both love wood and stone.

It made me laugh to know it scared the heck out of you. I was sooooo...mad at dtel, then I was sooooo mad at you. I am surprised I can even laugh about it now, because it scared me bad...

Moon, Thank you, that link will make dtel's day. Oh yea, and thanks for the "heart check-up" when you originally posted that link. I wouldn't open any links you posted on the forum for a while after that.

I was lurking on this forum when the gruesome character jumped out. If remember correctly, it was Moon that I cursed for about a week after I viewed it. I thought I was having a heart attack. Dtel tricked everyone that visited our home with that one. He thought it was hilarious to see people jump off thier seats that high. Does anyone still have the link to that site?

Just got home from Auto Zone. I purchase the microfiber cleaning cloths, a pack of seven for $4.99, about the size of a face cloth each. I ran one under water, wrung the water out and used another one to dry with. I can not believe how clean the screen came with only water. Could not find Miracle Maid, so I am not sure what the deal with that is, but I can tell you the microfiber cloths are wonderful. We received this television 65" Toshiba as a gift in February of 05, from our daughter that just graduated from nursing school, see post under general questions "Never thought it would happen", and I have never cleaned the screen. I am embarrassed to say it hasn't been cleaned in almost ten months, but I was scared that I would ruin the screen and dtel would have a fit. One good thing the screen doesn't attract dust like most TV screens. Thanks a lot.

Our daughter sat down and read the posts, needless to say she got "teary eyed". She is in the process of reviewing for her state board exam, but will sit down and post something herself in the next few days. In the meantime, she asks that we relay her gratitude and appreciation to all of you.

I need to know how to clean the screen on our 65" rear projection TV. The instructions say to clean with a dry cloth. This is not sufficient for cleaning the screen. Does anyone have any ideas. By the way, dtel will be very upset if I ruin the screen, so please let me know if your suggestion is not "tried and true." Thanks

It's okay Pauln you can elaborate. If you substitute men for women in that statement it is accurate.