Oh I'm so relieved. I was upset when I heard Queen Latifah was the new Jenny Craig spokesperson because she is such a great role model for being beautiful no matter what shape you are. I just saw a commercial and it's all about finding your ideal size. I wonder if she had a say in the campaign.

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My father's father was dead before I was born (so I never called him anything.) We called my father's mother "Gran" and my mother's parents were Obachama and Ojichama. (Not that we actually saw them or anything.)

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I had Honey on my dad's side - not sure where it came from. On my mom's side, I had Nanny Gay (Gay was her last name). No grandfathers and neither grandma was very much on the scene either.

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Comprehensive grandparent titles.

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Poor me had no grandparents. My kids call their grandparents Grandma and Grandpa. We is boring.

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Getting caught up....

ChiKat, I am so glad you and your kitty are safe! What a scary thing to go through.

Stephanie, Ellie and Frisco are just too cute together. He's developing quite the personality. vw's nephew is a cutie too. They're all getting so big!

I called my mom's mom Grandma, and her step-father, Grandpa. The previous husband (my grandma was all about the serial marriage), and the man I really and truly consider the one true grandfather, was Pap-pap. My father's mother was Nonna. I never knew my father's father because he was killed right after WWII, but whenever we talk about him it's always "Nonno." (Nonna and nonno are Italian for grandmother/grandma and grandfather/grandpa.)

My mother's half-brother is Uncle Jim. My father's brothers are Uncle Tony/Zio Toto and Uncle Pepe/Zio Pepe, depending on what language is being spoken. His sister is either Zia Rosa or Titi (with the accent on the second -ti). When my sister was a baby, she couldn't say "Zia Rosa" and somehow we ended up with Titi, and it stuck. His oldest brother, Domenico, was always Zio Mimi (again with the accent on the second syllable.)

My parents also have two names, depending upon what language we're speaking. In English, it's Mom and Pappa and in Italian, it's Mamma and Papa'. (I'm too lazy to put the accent mark on properly. If there's no accent mark, then it translates to "pope" rather than "dad.")

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I would eat your lasagna

No, that's not porny. That's not porny at all. :: sits with SeanK on this one ::

Omnis - your body needs to cut you a break, IMHO. Also? Omnis-Dr? Please to tell our friend things. Kthanksbye.

Sox, you crack'd me up. Thankfully had no drink in the mouth or pretty iMac woulda been wet.

I just found out my sister is blaming my parents for her marriage because they didn't do enough to try and stop her. Healing this family is going to be a long tough process.

and if they did stop her, she'd be all angsty for interfering with her life, right? Oy. I guess the whole family can't be perfect. I hope your folks know that she's just lashing out at herself, but using them as a weapon.

lasagna-istas: do you think it makes a difference whether you use cook or no-cook noodles?

if you got a pot big enough to cook them full, I say cook em. My sister would go the lazy route and not, and I thought her lasagna a bit crunchy. But, I tend to not drain my noodles quite enough, and add too much yummy sauce, so it's a bit messy the first time. But awesome perfect on reheat, which usually lasts all week.

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My father's parents were/are Grandma and Poppa. My grandma is still alive, but all other grandparents are dead. My mother's father died before my parents even got married, and her mom was Nana [last name]. But that's all anectodal because she died when I was wee as well. Poppa died when I was 18. I miss him.

For my sister's kids, my parents immediately claimed Nana and Poppa as monikers. My BIL has 2 sets of parents, and I forget how they work that out. I think it's just Grandma and Grandpa [whatever last name is appropriate].

I should go to bed but I don't wanna.

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I hope your folks know that she's just lashing out at herself, but using them as a weapon.

that makes sense

My current plan is to use the no-cook noodles and a preponderance of sauce

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Drive-by photo-post.

Cass & Jilli at the Vampire Ball - [link]

P.S. to Kristin; there's a shot of Elana with a great caption a few photos further along.

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