It was gorgeous out there the last three days and of course I did not do any of the stuff I really need to do. I BADLY need to cut down weed trees & paint with ground kill, spray neighbors kudzu (I help her with it, she can't manage anymore), and weed wack like the dickens. My back yard is a DISGRACE since we have not been able to re-do it yet, and I've left it. Now it's weed seeding everywhere. My friend came to take care of part of it, and he hasn't come back to finish up. I need his big tools to knock down the 8' poke weeds so I can spray inside their hollow stems (I HATE pokeweeds). The old waterway is completely filled with grasses and weeds. I need to get cracking (but we had such fun during the weekend, I just kept having fun....)

Hi Kathleen, I've just been putting the scrapbooking paper letters on with Mod Podge and then another couple coats over the top. It goes on "milky" and dries clear. Dries pretty quickly too. I will probably buy some vinyl soon and I've heard that it already has the adhesive and doesn't even need a sealer on top. Some is even good for outside. I'm getting ideas for all kinds of signs, sayings and blocks for various seasons, holidays, and occassions. ;o) Lynn and Jaybird, glad you got a laugh out of them too. Jaybird, so glad your little sign worked--mine haven't yet! LOL Luvs

Stop doing for this kid.Stop going to his activities.What I'm about to say(not toward you though)will sound very cold hearted.Stop worrying about him and emotionally protect yourself, his ulcer included.Why is his Father not taking him in for treatment.It is his Father's responsibility.Urge your DH once to take him for ulcer treatment then let it go. Do not give up anymore independence,financial security or your sanity for this kid bc at the end of the day ?The kid will not appreciate it.Sounds to me like juvenile detention would make a nice home for this kid.Along with Psychiatric help.It would take ONCE seeing my kid beat an elderly person I would put his hind end in that detention center so fast his head would spin.He sounds like an endangerment to others and himself. If there is anyway to go back to your chosen profession you should look into that.You have given up way to much.Your DH needs to get this kid into a psychiatrist and perhaps put him in the system before he beats someone(maybe even you)to severe damage or death.

Hi, I am new to this forum but reading everyone's comments made me feel so much better about the way I feel. I have been with my fiance for 11 years since his son was 2 years old. His ex is a psychopath, she has tried to kill herself multiple times in front of the child and suffers from bipolar and depression. We have been to court multiple times and everytime her family swoops in to protect her and the child says he wants to stay with his mom. We just got finished wasting $6k on an attorney for family court because she broke up with her boyfriend, went out drinking and got a dwi and then told the cops she was going to kill herself so she spent the weekend handcuffed to a hospital bed. She has manipulated her son into thinking that everything is his father's fault. He is now 13 years old and just called up my fiance to tell him he doesnt want to talk to him or see him anymore, and my fiance is beside himself. We have done so much, he is such a wonderful father, he never says a bad word about his ex to his child and has done everything to try to make up for the stress his mother puts him through and this is how he is repaid. I have spent the past 11 years giving up my weekends to have his son here, we sold our house last year to buy a house in his school district because she couldn't find am apartment I'm the district. We have gone above and beyond, I just can't take anymore. Now I have to see all of the pain my fiance is going through and there is nothing I can do. I feel helpless and deep down in side I'm happy to get a break. I just feel like I have never had a life with my fiance that didn't involve his son and his ex and now I could possibly have a chance but he is so broken over his son. I feel horrible saying this but I dont care if he doesnt come over anymore on the weekends the only reason I care is because it hurts my fiance so badly. I also fear how it will be when his son decides to come back around because I am angry for what he has done to his father and have a lot of resentment. Sometimes I feel like just giving up.