Just a quick vent

Not to take away from all the good that's been happening but I just felt like getting this out. Lately (as in the last 2-3 years) I've been feeling unimportant to certain family members. I care, but I don't care. Aunt B has done a very good (although probably unintentional) job of making me feel completely inadequate. Whenever she comes to the States and comes over our house she insists on walking around the house and the property inspecting what we've done...or not done...to the house and quite frankly I'm getting really sick of the guilt trips. "Aw, Opa laid this brick himself, you're not tearing it out are you?....Opa put in that grill, it just needs to be cleaned up and it can be used again....Opa built that kitchen table and bench himself, I can't believe you didn't want it....Oma hung this wallpaper all by herself....You're not getting rid of the shed in the back are you? It's a great shed, just needs a paint job....Oh, don't clear any more trees, it's already bare enough back there....I can't believe you replaced the back porch door with a window, I guess it's personal preference but still, I would've kept it....You shouldn't have taken out the tree in the front yard...." and the list goes on and on. Every. Single. Visit. I think next time she says anything I'll inform her that if a certain cousin were to have purchased the house (which, if we decided not to buy it is what would've happened) the whole thing would've been bulldozed to the ground and they would've completely started over. What would she have said about all of her precious sentimental spots then? I know what she would've said, "Wow! The place looks great!" You know why? Because A can do no wrong. Still. It's been like that since we were kids and it seems things haven't changed that much.

Another thing that annoys (and hurts) me, although completely juvenile, is the fact that she rarely posts any comments to pictures I post on MyFamily of my kids. A and I could post the same amount of pictures of our kids and Aunt B will comment on at least 1 of A's and none of mine. The last time Aunt B made a comment on one of my pictures was in July. A has comments all through August and October (none for September because she was actually in the States that month). The kicker is that she ALWAYS tells me, "Oh I love looking at all the pictures you post. Keep posting them. I can't comment on all of them but I do look at them and I like every single one." Riiiiiight. You can't comment even once on mine but every time A posts a new series of pictures you can respond to at least one? I don't get it. Like I said, juvenile but hurtful. Anyway, I try not to dwell on it. The only time it gets to me is when it happens fresh....like today. But I'm not offended!