Hi to you all! Kms2: Observant you certainly are. I am in New England! I had them outside for a few humid days but the cold would sneak up every other day. I didn't want to leave them dormant because I thought they were going to shrivel into nothing. Laura: I have not watered them at all. I was told not to water during rooting process because it may cause root rot, but I really wanted to water them because they look so sad. I will definitely start misting! I currently have them indoors on a door mat to keep them off the cold floor for now. I was thinking about creating a petite glass greenhouse for them... Jandey: I adore the idea of the Christmas lights helping the plumerias keep warm! How many hours in a day would you leave the Christmas lights on for? What about a U.V. lamp? How many hours of light is sufficient for the plumerias inside? It has certainly made my day hearing your feedback! Thank you all! :)

its pretty incredible how much complete strangers can not only help with insight and validation - but simply with encouragement. The other night when things were over the top i posted the initial plea in a few different forums and this one has really paid off! I would just like to thank everyone who has shared their thoughts - each one has added to my ability to see this as clearly as possible given the circumstances. It is true, my sister has directed the temper and direction this family was going to take and my father has allowed it and enabled it at every point. Mostly out of fear of what she would either do to herself or her kids,as she has threatened some pretty heavy things about how, where and with whom she would turn to if not granted her demands; one by one over the years she has taken more and more privilege and exacted more abuse with every generation. They all were the result of, what i believe to be her supplementing both income and human relationships via children and child support. She never wanted the man and actually went to great attempts to keep them all at a distance(beyond the incoming checks) All in all it is dysfunction junction at its best. While i initially had great relationship with the boys- kind of diffusing all the craziness - and just being good ole Uncle Mike - it has taken a slow turn for the worse every time i had to be the disciplinarian in the absence of any other willing authority - then their puberty and independence really ignited a whole new powder keg - given the evolution of circumstances and their total and absolute disregard for any authority let alone male authority. Now, im really just trying to hang in there for my mom because everyone else seems to pick at her the most, my dad gets it too but he sides with them more than not out of the aforementioned fear and a strange opposition to dealing with them or taking a stand on what is right...He is definitely the enabler even though he resents it as much as anyone. He too can be a very abusive man(emotionally) but not to them. they have witnessed him emotionally abuse my mom just as i have - He really never messed with my sister but i have always gotten both barrels. I left when i was 19 and only just returned recently to witness the entire family peck at her like wolves. Being that my dad is older and sickly he has lightened up a bit and now its all backfiring on him as well as the rest of us thru her and her childrens rage. Its pretty obvious after knowing what i know and reading the follow up posts that this is the work of many years of pain in this house. Strange but in all of the craziness there is still a hint of love - but its a desperate sort with little patience and a lot of animosity for the truth. I am public enemy number one because i not only try to enforce a little decency but i also speak truths that threaten every ones daily routine regarding the disrespect and unnecessary rudeness. I have kept myself away and have grown up with a very happy and stable life until i lost the love of my life to a PHD at CALTECH (her not me)I was all that was left of a truly perfect and beautiful 10 year relationship that lost out to science and the pursuit of excellence in genetics - there was no room for me when it came to juggling intense labwork at a highly competitive national institution. So i came home to regroup and help out only to find a very messed up group of people all screaming at each other. It is out of control and I am very close to throwing in the towel. Even though i am not one to give up easily...i am slowly wearing thin. No one wants to listen or talk except my mom and i really do speak from the heart with love and insight and knowledge. I keep threatening to write a book about this as payback if not a simple exercising of my own demons. I am slowly being absorbed by all of this but thanks to being away for so long i have managed to avoid most of the scars that everyone else seems to have grown. Its catching up though. Unfortunately. I wish i could say that i believe that i can help but im afraid that they are all stuck in a routine that will never change. If i could just get my father to stand up to all of it i believe the others would fall in line - but he would rather fail than take any advice from me. he truly resents me even though he needs me. Sometimes its so obvious that the more he needs me the more he resents me. Along with that, I am a threat to all because i do see what is taking place and why and no one wants to hear it at all. I thought i had the skills to rationalize my way thru this and in any other environment i believe they are sufficient - save for this one painful example. This is all the family i have and at the very least - i am not going to leave my mom to the wolves. Anyway, sorry for the ramble - but for those of you who have shared in this thread - i guess im just spelling it all out in the form of a reply - because of the willingness to share feedback...and because there is always more to a story than whats just on the surface. i felt compelled to paint a clearer picture of what is really going on. And i want to thank you all for caring enough to help out a complete stranger. thanks again UncleMike

I do many of the things mentioned here. I am a proud thrifty person. When I married dh, I had quit my job due to an illness that kept me from being able to do it. He said I didn't have to work, and I told him I could make his pay stretch to exceed the amount that I was earning anyhow. He didn't believe me.... now he is amazed. I believe pennies add up to dollars. At first, he balked at some of my frugalness. He loved stopping at convenience stores, and grabbing things on the way to work. Now he gets a lunch that is the envy of his coworkers... they question what his cuisine of the day is, and drool... LOL He had trouble giving up eating out. But I keep my own homemade 'fast food' handy (like burger and fries, frozen homemade soups, etc), and on his trip home he will call and I give him the menu of the night.... let him order... and its ready when he gets here. Not every night, but a couple times a week. He is loving that now, he can eat supper in his sweat pants! I don't have to spoil him this way. However, its my way of staying frugal and keeping with his urge of 'what am I in the mood to eat tonight'. It works for us. Before we married, I watched him throw away food with bad spots in it. I just cringed! I use every little bit of everything... throwing away food is a huge no-no for me. 99% of our clothes are second hand from a thrift shop. I am very crafty, so I am always on the lookout for plain drab clothes that can be altered in some way and items I can rip up for the sewing notions off them. A plain t shirt embellished with lace insert made from an old lace curtain. A boxy blouse into a fitted with a few tucks sewn in. I keep my pantry and freezer full by ONLY buying what is on sale at my local store that week. If nothing 'grabs' me in the ad, I don't even shop. I am not brand loyal to many things. To me, name brand prices are silly, and I am just paying for the flashy ads. I never buy manufactured foods. Cheap or not. I can make the same thing cheaper, and know what ingredients are in it. Dh swears his health has improved due to my 'quality control' as he calls it. I keep my house cool in the winter, and warmer in the summer. I use power strips to shut off those appliances that pull electricity even when not in use. And unplug chargers when not in use. I use CFL bulbs in the lights that stay on for long periods of time. Shut off lights when no one is in the room. I bought an HE washer, which PAID FOR ITSELF in less than 6 months in the savings of water/sewer usage. Also, it is so gentle on clothes, your clothes last longer. I make my own laundry soap. I don't buy fancy cleaners. Ammonia, bleach and soap clean everything I need to clean. I WILL NOT run to the store for a craving. I see this with people around me. If it isn't in the house, we do without. I always do errands together while I am out. I use direct debit from my account for bills that I can. I mail other bills that are local, rather than deliver them in person. A stamp cost less than starting the vehicle and driving a block! I will walk to do some errands, on nice days. I use a tv antennae. I can use my internet connection to watch other shows. I cut the families hair, and my own. I know my hair better than a salon, and always have a nice style than they give me! Our two vehicles are over 15 years old, and well maintained. I try to repair anything that is broken, but if I can't, I do save any useful parts before discarding. It so handy to have a spring or a screw in the 'parts box' for another project. I always try to re-purpose things. Ruffled pillow shams have been valances, and chair back covers, as well as pretty pillow covers. I use olive oil for face cream. Cheap tearless baby shampoo to wash my face, and add table sugar to it when I want exfoliation. Vaseline for body lotion. I will take others cast off furniture. The only item I have bought new was our mattress. Paint or stain can make almost anything else 'match'. My decor is family photos and drawing from grandchildren, framed in thrift store frames or on bulletin boards, house plants and mirrors. My kitchen decor is the items I use to cook with. We have no debt. I am sure there is much more. Yes, cooking from scratch and sewing, etc seems to take a bit more time. Maybe not, since I save the time that I would have spent driving to and sitting in a restaurant, or walking through a mall! But I take caring for family as serious as if I clocked into a job every day. I see people give more effort to their employer, than their own home and family, and I wonder.... about their priorities. I got my 'reward' just recently. My dh told me I am an amazing woman. I took 'nothing', and made a beautiful home out it....

Thank you for this post even if I never see it in person. I wish I had known this Summer that Papa Meilland was such a desired rose with great fragrance. They had beautiful large 2gals. at Walmart for cheap. I thought if they had it, it must not be desirable. Isn't that stupid? Maybe they'll have have next year. It seems one never knows where good roses will appear. Romogen, DB is a wonderful rose for me thus far, but if my NOID is TdU, it's also well worth having. They both seem to WANT to bloom, much like Sugar Moon, even in less than ideal situations. That Malvern Hills looks gorgeous judging by Malorena's pic in another thread from today. She loves it, but she's in England. Maybe you can find some Austins like I did at Lowe's next year.