Jewels

You guys are so great! Thanks for your good wishes. Yesterday was really nice. We had a great dinner out and I have lots of good friends to celebrate with--including those online! Thank you!

Thank you! It's a nice birthday, and your thread makes it even more special. TPM Sister #102

Lawrocket is right--get a local attorney to advise on this. It sounds like perhaps you're taking title by beneficiary's deed or your local equivalent? It can be a great vehicle but avoiding probate can be challenging just the same. You might find out things like what your bank will require to set up an account for your father's estate. I couldn't open an account for my mother's estate because the bank required letters testamentary from the court and Mom's account wasn't in probate. It hasn't been a big problem, but it could have been, as some checks following her death were made to her estate and not to me. I couldn't deposit the checks into her account or mine. I was able to get one of the checks re-issued to me, but they did so only reluctantly and after I supplied a LOT of documentation to prove that I was entitled to the funds. You might also inquire as to whether the property conveyance to you would legally be considered part of your father's estate. Some transactions may require you to provide a small estate affidavit if the estate is not in probate, BUT, some small estate affidavits cannot be used if the estate includes real property. This doesn't have to be a big problem, but it's something I would have liked to know about before trying to settle Mom's affairs. Your desire to avoid probate is understandable, but you might want to be sure that it's not going to create unexpected problems along the way. Have your father get an attorney who can advise on the tax ramifications of the various sorts of conveyances and who can then explain what has to happen once he has passed away, and be sure he has a will even if it's a simple one. You might also contact the local bar association to ask whether there are any local organizations that will provide free or low cost assistance to seniors in drafting a will and/or advising on estate matters. You and your father likely would know if there are any special matters that require more specialized legal advice, but preparation of a simple estate does not have to break the bank. TPM Sister #102

Happy day! I hope you blow out all your candles on the first try and that you eat at least two pieces of cake tonight! TPM Sister #102

It's also great to have when it comes to saving the battery. The battery lasts forever. TPM Sister #102

It's not back-lit but it doesn't need it. I DO have a little reading light for it, but rarely use it unless it's reading in bed. It's plenty easy to read in regular lighting. As for books, I've gone to Barnes & Noble and browsed for things I wanted, then gone home and downloaded the e-versions. I LOVE my Kindle. TPM Sister #102

This is Quinn. She's 19 weeks old today--almost 5 months and still a tiny little thing! The vet doesn't expect her to get up to 2 pounds as a fully-grown dog. We'll see! Even if she blows past his estimates, she's still going to be a sample dog. TPM Sister #102

Add my Merry Christmas to the lot--or, as my husband has decided to say this year, Joyous Yule!

He looks like he has a lot of personality! Albert seems like a real sweetie. TPM Sister #102

I'd love a picture of the Great Dane with my new little Chihuahua puppy, who, at 4.5 months old, weighs all of 1 lb. 5 oz. THAT would be a great photo to show the contrast! TPM Sister #102

There's a catalog out there somewhere that offers a replica of that lamp. All yours if you want one. We own that lamp and it's all set up in the front window. A neighbor told my husband he married the right girl if I let him have that lamp. Apparently, she's not a fan! TPM Sister #102

MMMM! I was always under the impression that he was rather fond of Snickerdoodles, but maybe that was the Three Wise Men. TPM Sister #102

DSE for the music Perigrinerose, jerrybaumchen, and riggerrob for the wedding dress and bridesmaids outfits (maybe make them out of old canopies??) Pilotdave as photog. Gifts registered with bigway. That's all I can think of offhand, give me a bit of time for more I can't believe you don't have someone assigned to stuff the invitations with confetti! (Maybe I just missed the post. . . .) TPM Sister #102

I'm so sorry. I know that this has to be difficult and I'll be thinking of you. Julie TPM Sister #102

I hope it's fantastic! Have a great day. TPM Sister #102

My husband and I made some poor parents' jobs worse this year. We were waiting to leave the house ourselves, but wanted to get rid of the rest of our candy so it wouldn't be there, tempting us to eat it. The problem was, no kids were coming so we went reverse trick-or-treating and found a neighbor who was walking his kids home. We dumped the rest of our candy in his kids' bags. THEY were thrilled. Who knows what Mom and Dad actually ended up doing about it! I hope they get to eat a lot of it. TPM Sister #102

I'm glad you're off to a good beginning! Hooray for employment--even BETTER when you like what you're doing!

LOL! Well, whatever it is . . . I didn't go that way, so they can rent out whatever the want to other families. Just the idea of it . . . ewww. TPM Sister #102

A Walmart casket might be better than the cheapest thing that the industry has to offer right now. I buried my mother on Monday and opted to upgrade the casket from the FELT covered particle board bottom-of-the-line option. I didn't spend a lot on the casket I got, but really . . . the cheapest thing is a little scary. I even saw an option for a "rental" liner. I don't know what that meant and I don't want to know. TPM Sister #102

That's may be the excuse thay gave...but they were sleeping. Well, neither of those excuses would really make me want to get in a seat on their plane. In the end, they just shouldn't be in the air. But at least if they actually WERE on their laptops, they might've been aware of emergencies they could've missed while getting in a good nap. TPM Sister #102

The last I heard, they weren't sleeping . . . they were playing on their laptops. I think losing their licenses is reasonable, unless, of course, they were busy posting here in Bonfire or something excusable like that. TPM Sister #102

I've always had PCs but my husband is a Mac guy. He bought me a Mac this fall and I've had very little trouble making the switch. That's partly because he has taken over and helped me along the way, but it hasn't required a tremendous amount of effort, either. You can buy a series of classes from the Mac store, so if you're close enough to get there easily, it might make sense to invest in those. The two most difficult adjustments for me have been switching things up to display lists instead of everything being icon-driven and learning to close out programs. (You actually have to quit the programs instead of just closing the window with the little red dot at the top of the page.) I'd say that's not a bad transition! Good luck! Let us know what you get! TPM Sister #102

What a great track record! Congratulations! TPM Sister #102

Nice! I like it. I have an untouched pumpkin down in the kitchen, just waiting to be carved up. I think I'm going to do fall leaves for the design, but I don't have a drill . . . or thumbtacks . . . or any skill, really. . . . Good thing there's no entrance exam for pumpkin carving! TPM Sister #102

Good to know! I didn't realize that firewalls would be a problem but that makes sense. I'm using it primarily for my mother, who is ill. This way, she can dial one phone number and get me wherever I am. The messaging features you're talking about sound good for my purposes, too. TPM Sister #102