Tell NGS What To Do: An Occasional Series

A couple of years ago, I wrote an appeal for help in my life and I learned about Dove body scrub from Kim and it has been life changing (also, we bought a water softener), so I'm appealing to the blogoverse for more help. As per usual, this starts with rather lighthearted, easy questions and then I will hit you with a tough one at the end, so just beware.

1) As some of you may know, whenever I exercise at home, I burn a candle. My current candle is almost at the end of its life. FEAR NOT. Costco to the rescue. For some crazy low amount of money, I was able to procure a package of 4 11-ounce candles in the following flavors scents: cherry grove & plum; forest moss & cypress; coast redwood & fog; and blue mist & sea. What should my next candle be?! 

2) I'm not reading my physical book, so I'm going to DNF it. I hope to have some time over the weekend to read, so what should I read next? The Vegetarian, The Tainted Cup, or After the Eclipse? I bought a copy of The Vegetarian when I thought it was going to win the CBBC vote and I do want to read it. The person who suggested The Tainted Cup to me said it was Sherlock Holmes but FANTASY. I didn't even know I wanted that until it was described to me. After the Eclipse is a wildcard for me. It's a memoir about a daughter whose mother was murdered and the aftermath of that terrible event. I don't know. Tell me what to read.

3) Do you remember how my mom lived on a tiny house on my sister and brother-in-law's property? And that tiny house was next to a tiny house that my brother-in-law's mother lived in? If not, that's okay. Here's a picture of the tiny houses - the photo is from 2025 and I assume they still mostly look like this. 

My sister and her MIL did not get along. I wrote this in 2022 and, as of my mother's death in August of 2025, the two of them were still not speaking. I don't know what has happened in the last year because my mom isn't around to give me the hot goss anymore and my sister doesn't talk to me. Listen, I am not someone who goes around talking about my grief and how much I miss my mother, but MAN DO I MISS HER FILLING ME IN ON THE DRAMAZZZZ.

My brother-in-law's mother died this past week. I found out via Facebook. 

I'm going to send a sympathy card. 

The question is: do I address the sympathy card just to my BIL or do I also include my sister? My sister and I don't really talk to each other and she basically despised her MIL. BUT. If my sister wrote a sympathy card to my husband and didn't mention me, my feelings would be hurt. I'm trying to do a nice thing with this card, not cause hurt feelings or marital strife. However, my sister might interpret me adding her name as being snarky (which - fair - I am a snarky bitch, but I am not usually passive aggressive re: dead and dying relatives) because I know how much she didn't like this woman. 

This is really impossible for you to answer, I guess. The dynamics here are impossible to untangle. My husband and I spent a good hour hashing it out over dinner on Thursday night and the card is just sitting on the table because I'm unable to make a decision. 

What would you do? 

***************

Non-advice reminder: If you want to send me a photo of your CBBC, please sent it to me before noonish on Sunday so I can include in the week two roundup. 

***************

Sound off and tell me what to do!!