~Off Topic Thread~

[snowfrostedlashes 0]

Get Dexter to sniff each of the boxes maybe? See if any of them interest him and look more closely.

[mustang-sally 8]

Haha - nah - if you are bringing meat into the country customs will soon sniff it out

lmao, I never thought of that, do I have to pay extra at customs for dead mice? Will they class them as illegal immigrants? I don't have a visa for mice

[mustang-sally 8]

Get Dexter to sniff each of the boxes maybe? See if any of them interest him and look more closely.

Thats an idea, I have barred him from the room as he keeps sniffing the corner I found it in. I didn't want him picking up any bugs the mouse might of been carrying.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Don't say that!! That's what we'll be like! In some rat-infested trailer like a couple summers ago when I was out there! We even found a brown recluse under the desk! *shudders* If you aren't familiar with these lovely spiders I suggest you do an image search on google... I was fine until Jeremy told me what it was cause I'm not scared of spiders... deadly spiders are kinda different though and I freaked!!! Glad it was the last day we were there...

Alex and I are terrified of spiders!

I'm not sure what we'll do. I've always lived in a household where someone else was able to deal with the spiders. When I say I am terrified, I really mean it. I was once stranded in the bathroom wearing only a towel because there was a spider on the landing outside my bedroom and I didn't have access to the vacuum cleaner. I had to call a co-worker out to try and catch it and I was an hour late to work.

I hope we have friendly, spider-liking neighbours...

Also: Hello, Charles!

[Jeraly 4]

Oh dear - well luckily Jeremy killed the recluse but it was really creepy knowing it had been sharing our house for the past two months or so... *shudders*

[snowfrostedlashes 0]

Okay, not sure how effective this actually is but I've been reading up about how to keep bugs and creepy crawlies out of the house as much as possible and apparently spiders do not like the taste of lemon. So if you buy those lemon-fresh dusting clothes to dust round windows and doors it's supposed to put them off because they can taste it with their legs. I figured it was worth doing just in case it works!

I also read that ridding your home of cardboard (I prefer plastic boxes anyway since they keep things dry) and vacuuming regularly (including inside closets) also really helps.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I will take any tips I can!

Lemon-fresh sounds fine to me. I'm pretty neat and orderly anyway and there are usually lemon-scented wipes sitting on my desk that I use to keep my office clean. Come to think of it, I haven't seen a spider in the office for a while...

[Jeraly 4]

Haha - ok - will defo be using wedding money to buy a vacuum!!

[snowfrostedlashes 0]

For sure - I already told Mark we need a new vacuum cleaner for when I'm there; sadly housework is not one of his strong points although he is rather good at getting rid of spiders and other nasty things when I point them out!

One of the things I do to pass the time is make a list of all the things we need to get. This is what I've listed so far:

Vacuum cleaner with attachments

Kitchen Bin (with a tight lid to deter roaches, etc.)

Cutlery (new stuff that matches)

Tupperware (again, to deter bugs)

Crockery (matching, dishwasher safe)

Drinking Glasses and Mugs (matching, or at least themed)

Bath and Hand Towels (white)

Bath Mat (x2 washable)

Selection of pretty Cushions (for the ugly but comfortable couch)

Linen and Blankets

Tablecloth

Place mats and Coasters

Cookie Jar

Tea towels

Muffin trays

Obviously not all of these things need to be purchased immediately, but I like having a list all the same.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

A list is good!

Alex and I will be starting with nothing. Well, not quite nothing. We will have two computers, a HDTV, three gaming consoles, 4 handheld systems, and about 600 books, 300 DVDs and 300 games. You can see where our (his) priorities lie!

So, just furniture, appliances and kitchenware that we'll be needing, then! Oh, and a place to live

Mm, I'm going to look forward to buying the kinds of things mentioned on your list, Hannah. I've always dreamed of having things like a linen cupboard and a decent set of cutlery.

[snowfrostedlashes 0]

Well I'm pretty lucky because Mark has already got a lot of the basics - none of it new or particularly to my taste, but it will do just fine with a little bit of softening. I'm not taking much with me apart from things of sentimental value plus clothes, although I already left almost my entire summer wardrobe packed in a suitcase at his parents place.

I'm a fantastic thrifty shopper, so I'm pretty confident that I can get what we need by hunting through sales, etc. and once I'm working we'll be able to start saving money for various things.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

What about wedding registries? My friends and I feel they're a little vulgar, but Alex's mother recommends we make one as his family will be 'expecting it'. I'm not convinced, but at the same time if guests could purchase a few essentials it'd be a huge help.

[snowfrostedlashes 0]

Mmm, I feel totally awkward about that because we're not having a big wedding - just a low-key ceremony at their local church and a tea and cake sort of situation at his parents place afterwards. There just won't be time to organise anything else and to be honest I prefer it being simple and minimal fuss. My family are just going to give me a little money to help tide us over since it would be silly to have to pay to ship out gifts that I can buy for less there anyway.

Mark has suggested we have a list of gifts just in case anyone asks us because, as you say, it would be a help.

I just don't want to look like we're expecting anything.

[Jeraly 4]

I know how you feel about that - I love making lists and I have had so many people asking us or my mum what we want - I am saying Amazon.com vouchers cause you can buy practically ANYTHING on there - and if people want to buy a specific gift then they also do wedding registries as well - means people can see what they buy you then it can be shipped to your US address

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

We used Amazon.com. Most people chose stuff off our list, but a couple (including the company where I worked) went for gift certificates. It was just easier for us as it meant no shipping of delicate items overseas and no appliances that couldn't be used in America.

I think we discussed the whole wedding list thing last year ad nauseam in this forum, and sure, some people find it tacky or vulgar. But it is not uncommon in the States to have one, and personally, as a guest I've found them useful as I don't need to think about what to buy. I've encountered them more often than not in the UK too -- strangely, every time at John Lewis! Anyway, no one is beholden to buy stuff off your list, or indeed to buy you anything at all.

If you want one, fine, and if other people have a problem with it, it's their problem. If you don't want one, that's cool too. Personally, I was happy to know I'd be getting what was to my taste. That didn't stop someone from buying us a supremely ugly candy dish shaped like a gigantic metal peapod though!