Mmm, not sure what your mom's style is, so...

This is charming and pretty: [link]

More elegant/classic: [link] or [link]

If she likes nature-inspired stuff -- [link] or [link]

Deco! [link] and [link]

Ugh. So many cute hair accessories! And I don't know her taste, so I'll stop before I get all crazy.(There are a bunch of owl pins I personally am lusting over.)

TThe domestic situation just keeps going downhill. Today I discovered mouse poop in the dining room closet. (Okay, Clio discovered it.) The cats have been staring at the ceiling in the basement as if they hear something for weeks now. But I could hear anything, nor did I have any other evidence of mice. It may explain where the fleas are coming from.

So the closet is cleaned out, and I can see the hole that's given them access. Do I plug it up immediately? Or do I leave it and let the cats do what cats do?

Plug it up! The only thing to do with mice is prevent them from getting in, I figure.

You just had to put that and the skinny jeans and the keeping up with the kids in there like a) top of my list b) only on my list, huh?

Unisex products "designed for women" make me so mad.

Plug it up! The only thing to do with mice is prevent them from getting in, I figure.

Well that will keep them from getting in the living part of the house...still not sure how they are getting in from outside. Need to patrol with can of spray foam when I get dressed.

Also, can I pat myself on the back for not only having done all the laundry in the world, but I have also put most of it away. I hardly recognize me!

Oh crap, laundry.

Well that will keep them from getting in the living part of the house...

Out of sight, out of mind? I have a total apartment mindset -- if I don't see them where I live, that's as good as it's going to get.

Oh, Sue, In my experience, just the smell of cat habitation has been enough to repel most rodents. But if they have superior enough numbers that that isn't working, as seems the case, you might want to call in pro pest control.

ita, I would advise giving a thought to the weight of hair ornaments. There are lovely pieces I have, and haven't been able to bring myself to give away, that I'll likely never wear again. The weight pulling against a section of scalp is a headache trigger. I've given up wearing my five-inch silver hairpin, and the hand-carved wooden one the same size, a couple of carved faux ivory side combs--even fabric and elastic scrunchies. The point where the hair is gathered and held pulls on the scalp and takes only minutes to start a headache. I'm down to lightweight plastic pinch clips, as small and lightweight as will do the job. At least they come in colors.

I hope you find something she loves.

You guys are so helpful! My sister left me too much leeway, and as you can see, I literally didn't know where to start. I just need to make sure I'm not too out of touch with her taste, but I also don't want to get her something she can totally get for herself down the street.

Watching last night's Graham Norton, and I liked the Lady Ga Ga song, which I think is my first ever. Her performance distracted me, but the song worked for me on most of the rest of the levels. But, damn, she's an interview dud. It's like she put all the vibrance into her clothes. I do get what she means when she says she's doing therapy with the clothing--it's not as hair trigger as Tom Hardy, but it does kind of feel like they're not part of the game.

I don't mean game in a bad way--Judi Dench is disarmingly charming and "not part of the game", but she does act like millions of people want to see her talk, even if she doesn't get why. I'm not a fan of awkward celebs onstage.

But June Brown! I need to scrub the word "fashion" out of what I have been saying over the past day, and replace it with "style". She's stinking with it. I love that dress, and I love that she's wearing it like it's June Brown's outfit and no one else's. She's also terrific, and is working the "I don't have time for your parades and your fakery." I would love to see her go up against Joan Rivers. No surprises with the outcome there.

(Just caught up on Joan Rivers snarking on Jennifer Lawrence on Twitter. Seriously, Joan? You need to defend your chosen profession like this? Pick your battles, Joanie.)

(Jennifer Lawrence being a highly polished example of "junket? I thought we were just doing coffee and a muffin? Do you have chocolate chip? " ::insert dorky but cute anecdote::)

(Hmmph. Don't like Ga Ga's second song as much--the do what you want with my body gave me nostalgic Annie Lennox feels (as opposed to right now feels--god she's amazing.)

(Oh, hey! White Jamaican, or at least passing. And he's supporting my Nigel ethnicity theory (no need to cite exceptions, I know they exist--but damn if it isn't a black or British-assed name))

Oh, Sue, In my experience, just the smell of cat habitation has been enough to repel most rodents. But if they have superior enough numbers that that isn't working, as seems the case, you might want to call in pro pest control.

Yeah, they're my first mice in 7 years, so the cats have been doing their thing so far. So far. I don't think I am overrun yet. And they have barely ingressed into the rest of the house. (Just across from the DR is a veritable feast easy to access food.) So I'll try to find how they're getting inside and deal with it on my own first.

Would someone like to research hairstyles for me? (Chorus of NOOOO.)

I have a form of alopecia which has eroded my front hairline nearly two inches, and I am hideously self-conscious and unhappy about it. (I'm sure to most people it just looks like a high hairline, but to me it looks horrid.) So I need a hairstyle that (a) covers the front hairline, (b) works with curly hair (type 3a, I think, white-girl spiral curls), and (c) is easy to deal with. Everything I'm finding is for the wrong type hair, or would take me half an hour of cursing to fix in the morning. I'm also letting it go gray, because I suspect the irritation of the constant dying triggered the condition. So I'm gonna be fair-skinned with grey hair.

Anyone want to help me out?

I needed groceries and colored tights, so I ran to Target. Not too bad on the impulse buying - I spent more than I expected but I got two bags of canned goods to donate to the food drive at work (more than I meant to, but I feel okay about overspending there), and randomly picked up four new towels because I liked the color. Now I'm thinking getting new towels was a genius move because I've got a headache so laundry may not happen.

I am no good with hairstyles, Zen. I tell my stylist to do whatever she wants because I have no idea (which she loves, so I'm planning on tipping her well and going back to her for as long as I can). Are bangs an option?

Sorry about the mice, Sue.