Hi fishfacenj, I never saw the Thinkbin calendar before - I might have used it! Our central "family" calendar is by Dayrunner. It is fairly large (no upper "picture" or "art", so it's just grids). It hangs on the side of the fridge. It is ruled, which I like. It has empty boxes when the weeks start and end mid-week. I head these boxes with "Walmart" or "Costco" to note things we need. (These tend to be once-a-month errands.) Or sometimes someone's phone # might go in a spare box (i.e. If I am working with a contractor his # might go here, or if I need to return a business call later on the same month.) When the kids were in elementary school, their schedule occupied a box. (Mon-Music, Tues.-Gym, Wed-Art, and so on for quick reference. Not a big deal to rewrite each month. And also, it may have changed from the last month.) Another "reference note" might be "Ellios Pizza, 425 for 15 minutes" since we toss the box and wrap uncooked slices separately. Basically, I enter all the calendar info at the beginning of each month -- but for an up-to-the-minute calendar, I generate a "Week-At-A-Glance" calendar on a Word doc that gets hung on the front of the fridge. The document is color-coded per person, and also has a column for daily chores and a column for To Do. Everyone is expected to update, etc. on this page. Call me anal, but I wouldn't be able to tolerate that visual "clutter" on a monthly calendar if changes need to be made. (Cross outs, erase marks, random colors, etc.) Oh - it looks like Dayrunner is strictly "Planners" now (no wall calendars) -- but it now looks as if "At-A-Glance" offers the same product. (I hope so!!) Here is a link that might be useful: Used to be Dayrunner, now At-a-Glance....

You're not the only one who remembers the merchant getting things for you. They had the long grabber to get things off the top shelf and these were not 7' high ceiling stores! Always liked going into Gandrud's store as a kid... after the folks got the groceries the owners always grabeed a few candy bars and slid into the bag and said "a little something for the kids!" I remembered that and would try to shop at that store when I started going out there myself. Unfortunately they were old when I was very young so they didn't have the store too much longer and a "bigger" store opened up again across the street and the new owners couldn't compete. We're talking a town with a population of 140 people or so which means they couldn't support too many competitors. Oh and BTW, in those days the candy bars weren't the little "fun size" ones you find now. They were the size of the extra big ones now and no it's not because I was smaller in those days! Depending on whether I have a lot or a little to get I divide the list differently. If just a few items I divide the list by refrigerated/frozen and non. Otherwise I break it up not by aisle because every store is different but rather I have sections for: Produce Deli Dry/canned goods H&B Paper Bakery Meat Dairy Frozen and maybe others depending on what I'm getting. By dividing by department rather than aisle I can use it in any store. Even the same chain but different locations are laid out differently so when I tried to do an aisle layout, it kept changing, even in the same store so it made it obsolete quickly. This system works well. I even have one list where I put frequently purchased items on there as a reminder but that seems to change a lot too! FWIW I've seen those large calendars for the frig often. They're out there. I never found a calendar to be particularly useful for my organizing system, perhaps it's the non-organized approach? When I did use a paper calendar a weekly one worked better for me. Monthly didn't give enough room to write everything. If I don't write it down, it gets forgotten too easily. I'll occasionally stop at a meat market or a bakery. Wish there were more of them around. When I first moved into my house there was a convenience store about a mile away and they had a butcher renting space from them so there was a full service meat counter in there! That was unique and *so* nice! But alas, the road was upgraded and the building was taken. I imagine the butcher might have just retired at that point rather that start up somewhere else. I don't like the mishmash of a store these days. One size fits nobody and the quality becomes mediocre at best. "Deli"? Yeah right. Everything is brought in via pouch for the meats, the "salads" (term used loosely) are made in a factory weeks ago, and taste it, and the prices are ridiculous.

I agree with those who think you should stay for your reunion for all the aforementioned reasons. I now, at age 60, still struggle with putting my wants before extended family expectations. Even when I was a bit player on the fringes of an event, I would move heaven and earth to be there not to ruffle any feathers. Looking back on the efforts made and things I missed by doing so, I should have sometimes done differently. I think you'd regret not seeing old friends and the opportunity to host them at your home. My only advice is to move quickly to connect with the parents and resolve the issue. I bet you'll feel so relieved after that's done. They may be a little stung, but with all the details that come with planning a big wedding, they will soon be focusing on other things. Send a lovely gift and perhaps spend special time with the young couple when they visit the area.

I still get a few free ones in the mail too, and I used to take them to work and hang one in my office. I would give the others to co-workers and hang one in the business center near the copier. I always enjoyed the wildlife or nature photos each month. Bossyvossy, I too am sorry your calendars weren’t used as intended. I recall my mother just loved the ones that were made for her with her grandkids photos. My DD had a journal made for me with a collage of the grandkids on the front. I love it.