Now I really did it :((

[junebug17]

Missy, the table and benches turned out so well!!! Wow, Greg is really good and he got the job done so quickly. Now you have the whole summer to enjoy them. And I love the pics of you and Greg, you are such a lovely couple. The view of the water from your house is so beautiful, I can see why you love it there, so peaceful and pretty. And I was very happy to hear your nosy neighbors weren't around. I'm so glad you had such a good week!

And I agree with you about it being kind of exhausting to try to keep a stiff upper lip, remember the positives, look on the bright side etc all the time! I think sometimes it's healthy and cathartic to just give ourselves permission to acknowledge and experience whatever emotions we're feeling at the moment - we know by now we'll snap out of it eventually lol. I know for myself, sometimes I try so hard to stay stoic and strong that I end up feeling drained and stressed by denying my feelings.

Actually, my son has a show this week in Philadelphia - he enjoys it, and it's a fun thing to do with his friends. You're right though, the shows start late! He usually doesn't go on until 9 or so.

LLJsmom, don't be hard on yourself about eating more sugar than usual, if it's any consolation I'm in the same boat but I know we'll be able to get back on track. We're only human so try not to feel badly about it. Today is a fresh start!

Marcy, I'm glad to hear you had a chance to relax this weekend! Sometimes a lazy weekend is what we need to refresh and restore ourselves a little.

Thanks for the good wishes about the move - I'm not really that stressed about it, mainly because we have been there so little that we never really had a chance to accumulate that much stuff! Now, when the time comes to move out of our house in NJ, it's going to be an absolute nightmare. I'm already dreading it. We'll probably need 10 bins!!!

Hi luv2sparkle! Sorry about the ebay purchase, but I bet it shows up at some point. I think it's safe to say that a lot of us have had second thoughts about things we've bought on ebay. I'm hoping it works out for you.

Hope everyone is having a good Monday!

 

[azstonie]

"Groovy, Baby!" {Austin Powers voice here!}

I've been watching this ring on 1st Dibs for months. Offered 20% less and we had a deal (free shipping).

0.49 diamonds and 0.91 tsavorite garnets, 18 kt yg. Unworn although offered as estate. No signs of wear or sizing (I have to take it for sizing this week).

Let's have pics!

 

[azstonie]

Couple more just because we.love.the.bling.here!

 

[azstonie]

Every ring I get from now til kingdom come will have a shot in my lovely MrsBox from Jimmianne, mais non? Voila! Jimmianne, I will have you know the name of this ring on 1st Dibs was "French Collection, The Wave, Tsavorites and Diamonds"

 

[junebug17]

Woo-hoo, new bling for Kristie!!! LOVE it, it's gorgeous! And how great that it's in brand new condition! Would love to see more pics!


ETA Just saw the new pics, it's SO beautiful kristie!

 

[azstonie]

Junie, NOTHING says HAPPY BLING BABY more than your own Sunny Delight (may I call her "Sunny Delight?" Please?). {If I chose a song for Sunny, it'd be the Target ripoff in their most recent ads, "Groove is in the Heart!"}

I superduper wanted this ring!!! I'm taking it in for sizing ASAP because I can't wait to start wearing it. Its presently btw a 6.5 and a little more, I would like to wear this on my index finger but I don't know if it can go up enough in size for that. Might make a superfun RHR, though, ya think????

 

[junebug17]

Lol kristie, ok, you can call her Sunny Delight, I guess it fits her ha! I'm really excited for you, it really is such a cool and beautiful ring, and it is so well made. It looks like a very high quality piece! I was going to tell you to get it sized ASAP but forgot to say so! I think it would make an awesome rhr!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Azstonie, that is a unique and lovely piece! I love a good deal too!

Junebug, I would love to hear more about your lovely aqua piece you posted in the stacking thread. I can't stop thinking about it.

 

[LLJsmom]

KRISTIE!!. YAY!! NEW BLING!!!!!! It is gorgeous Kristie. I am super happy for you. I'm just gonna call her "Sunny", ok with you? She makes me super happy, just looking at her happy sparkling swirls. Seriously LOVE. I really want to see some action shots. Can't wait until you get her sized. So can you share some details? How long have you been a fan of hers? Any back story?

Luv. Don't worry about your LV. I'm sure you got a real one and that it is on its way. When do you expect it? Do you have a link to it? I would stay clear of the LV addiction if you're not already there. Pick out the basic pieces that you would us everyday and get ready for that piece to last you at least 10 years, so pick something you can live with for a long time. And then you're pretty much done. It's so annoying I can't get mine to wear out enough to buy new ones without guilt. That is why I am selling my pieces on eBay. I'll be 80 and may still be on my third wallet, EVER. don't forget to post pics when you receive it!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, hang in there on resisting bling temptation to save for Paris. Thanks for saying Marty and I have a calm and peaceful life. I guess that describes us pretty well. I think we all have our challenges but I try to not dwell on them. Some days that is easier than others! Coming here to talk with all of you great ladies has really helped me get through some difficult days this past year. Don’t worry; everyone goes off the wagon now and then. Tomorrow is another day and as long as you don’t quit trying; you’ll be fine. Lemon cupcakes sound quite tasty BTW.

Missy, you and Greg do always look very happy in your photos. You are such a cute couple. I’ve been a window astronomer this year; if I can’t see it through a window I don’t see it. I did venture out now and then to look at comets and we go on the deck to check out the Sun. I am still hungry for cheesecake too. I might make some of my famous death cookies this weekend though. They sound good too. Greg’s table and benches look great. I’ll have to find a picture of Marty’s poker table and bar in the basement. They turned out great.

Hi KaeKae!

Luv2Sparkle, I hope your DH finds time to make a sign for your daughter’s wedding. I’ll cross my fingers your LV shows up.

Junebug, I agree that bottling up your feelings can really cause you to snap. Of course that is a case of don’t do what I do; I do way too much internalizing things. Last night I couldn’t shut my mind off to fall asleep so I started saying to myself “la, la, la teddies. La la la bling”. It worked I was out in about 5 minutes. That’s great you aren’t stressed about moving.

Work was okay today. I rehearsed all weekend the questions I was going to ask one of my employees in our one on one. She did one of those replay to all responses last week that was really rude, flippant and condescending so that was going to be my first topic with her. Then she told a senior member of the team “I know what I’m doing” while that person was fixing one of her mistakes. I’ve reached a saturation point with her – so anyway I have all these questions planned and she calls in sick today.

Marty cooked and staged the most fabulous dinner tonight. My favorite entrée when we go out to an Italian restaurant is Chicken parmesan but I can’t eat chicken anymore so when I see tenderized steak I’ll pick it up and he makes us a steak parmesan. So he picked up wine, baked rolls and made an oil, parmesan and pepper dipping sauce for them and cooked beef parmesan and linguini with a tomato basil sauce. He even had on the Frank Sinatra Sirius music channel. Everything was fabulous! What a guy, huh?

Harold arrived today from Callie. He came with a friend that I named George. They are so cute. Sadly the Killer Rabbits got to my package first and sent me a photo with a caption of “Tasty” under it.

Thank you again for the cute Teddy Bears, Callie. I hope you are having a fabulous time!

Marcy

 

[marcy]

And now for Page 2.

Kristie, Groovy ring! The tsavorites look fabulous. What a great deal. It will make a beautiful RHR. I can’t wait to see pictures of it on your finger. I am going to dig out my tsavorite tomorrow to wear.

Junebug, Sunny Delight for your pretty ring is a great name.

 

[azstonie]

Hey, thanks for viewing and commenting, LLJs and Junie and Marcy!!!

LLJs, Junie's ring is Sunny, this ring is Groovy Baby Yeah! (Austin Powers accent.) "GBY?" Just Groovy? We'll know soon

I spotted Groovy on 1st Dibs (I blame Missy, she told me about 1st Dibs) a couple months ago and asked some questions of the vendor, Luxury Bazaar. Then I waited to see if I *really* loved it.

So last week I decided I NEEDED Groovy, suggested 20% discount, and GBY arrived today. Slight prob, I had not discussed with Bob and he took today off! So he was home when FedEx showed up and jewelry delivery is so obvious---> Tiny box, signature required, etc.

Errrrr.

Bob likes tsavs, a good thing!!!!

I was nervous to open the box, I've been disappointed or unhappy more than I've been pleasantly surprised, so when I opened the box all the diamond pave sparkled blew my specs off and I was happy.

I'm going to post hand shots when I get it back from being sized.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Here are the pictures from the listing, LLJsmom. I have never been good at the linky thing. I can never remember the sequence of highlight this, press this yada yada yada. Sorry... The one pic shows the damage to a card slot that I will have to have repaired. I figured it wouldn't be anywhere near 600 bucks and worst case I could get it done by a cobbler that specializes in luxury good repair. At $300, I could see how long it lasted and if it was really worth it to me. That is, if it ever comes from Estonia, wherever the heck that is, and if I don't have to pay a huge amount in customs fees. I really messed up on this one I think.



Marcy, those are some adorable fuzzy friends!

 

[LLJsmom]

Hey, thanks for viewing and commenting, LLJs and Junie and Marcy!!!

LLJs, Junie's ring is Sunny, this ring is Groovy Baby Yeah! (Austin Powers accent.) "GBY?" Just Groovy? We'll know soon

I spotted Groovy on 1st Dibs (I blame Missy, she told me about 1st Dibs) a couple months ago and asked some questions of the vendor, Luxury Bazaar. Then I waited to see if I *really* loved it.

So last week I decided I NEEDED Groovy, suggested 20% discount, and GBY arrived today. Slight prob, I had not discussed with Bob and he took today off! So he was home when FedEx showed up and jewelry delivery is so obvious---> Tiny box, signature required, etc.

Errrrr.

Bob likes tsavs, a good thing!!!!

I was nervous to open the box, I've been disappointed or unhappy more than I've been pleasantly surprised, so when I opened the box all the diamond pave sparkled blew my specs off and I was happy.

I'm going to post hand shots when I get it back from being sized.

I see!! Sorry, getting names mixed up. I do remember Groovy. Very 60's swirl... Well done on getting 20% off!! Yay! Good job!!! Luxury BAzaar? I've seen some pieces from them. You're good with them? Maybe ok then. Can't wait to see more pics.

 

[azstonie]

LLJs, I see that MOP Alhambra on their New Additions crawl yes, Luxury Bazaar. I believe they have a No Questions Asked return policy which I think is crucial.

 

[LLJsmom]

LLJs, I see that MOP Alhambra on their New Additions crawl yes, Luxury Bazaar. I believe they have a No Questions Asked return policy which I think is crucial.

Kristie, this is sooooo hard!! Can I wait for Paris?!?!?!?!?!? So tempting at this price!

 

[LLJsmom]

Ok, watching the Bachelorette, and I swear it's the season of look-a-likes. Ben - Donny Osmond anyone?? Shawn Booth - Ryan Gosling. She's on a date with Donny right now. And seeing Nick Viall - He's a taller version of The Biscuit (Ally McBeal anyone?)

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Luv2sparkle, I have a feeling your ebay LV purchase will show up. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that it does! How long has it been since you ordered? And have you placed a dispute with ebay yet? You are protected as a buyer so don't wait too long if you think something isn't right. I hope you get it soon and are pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for the compliments re Greg's woodworking skills. The table came out beautifully and this is the first table he made so looking forward to future furniture projects. LLJsmom might be onto something here lol. He still has to make a bench for 2 for the head of the table and perhaps for the other end as well. He designed the table wider than what we had previously so we could fit 12 at the table if necessary and now I want a double bench on each end to make it cohesive.
I hope your dh gets back on the woodworking horse so he can start making beautiful things for you and your family and congratulations on your DD's upcoming wedding. So exciting!

Please try bluefish if it is local to you and make sure it is FRESH as in caught that day and then it grills up deliciously.

Hi Junie, thank you! And I agree that getting those feelings and emotions out are what helps diffuse them and I have never been one good at keeping them in anyway no matter how I try. Keeping a stiff upper lip or being stoic and keeping my emotions inside it's just not me and believe me I have tried. I guess what works for some doesn't work for all and the key is knowing what works for you though I do think venting can be cathartic and a good release.

Are you going to see your DS play in Philly this week? 10 bins for moving your main home doesn't sound so bad at all so don't worry. Anyway it is not time for that move yet anyway so no worrying yet. I know I cannot start to think about moving from our Brooklyn home yet. We have so much STUFF it is ridiculous. I thought our Sea Girt move was difficult. HA it will pale in comparison to when we leave NY that is for sure. No clue how I am going to get all my heavy and huge exercise equipment out of the doors and into the elevators etc. OK now I am worrying. Brain shuttee please.

Kristie, OMG I LOVE Groovy!!! What a beautiful ring. Green and gorgeous and what a deal! So happy you got it and love it and yay for Mr Bob being cool with it. Yes we already knew this but he is a keeper and so is the ring!!! I can see why it was called the Wave on First Dibs and how fitting it was named The French Connection. Jimmianne! See, we are not forgetting you and buying things that make us think of you....hope France is treating you well. Kristie, I cannot wait for you to get Groovy resized so you can wear it and we can get finger shots.


Marcy, how are Harold and George doing this morning? How was their first evening in the Marcy and Marty household and most importantly are those killer bunnies behaving? How does Teddy like his new siblings? Sorry for all the questions but I was heading to bed last night when you told us the happy news so I didn't get to ask all my questions then haha. Of course your new arrivals got my adrenalin going so when I did get to bed I was wide awake. First night back in NY and I could not sleep. Isn't that always the way.

I would love to see Marty's poker table and bar when you have the time to share them.
A window astronomer works too. Still thinking of you when I see the beautiful sky at night and all the stars. Of course back here I can no longer see the stars but hopefully we will go back to the beach house this weekend so I can enjoy some star gazing. I am glad Marty cooked a romantic dinner for the 2 of you. I love Frank Sinatra music and could listen to it for days on end. Glad you had a lovely dinner and I agree Marty is quite the guy!

I am sorry your employee called in sick and it was almost like she knew she was going to get called out for her bad behavior. Lazy and a coward. Not a good combo. I am sorry you are dealing with this. It's like you are the "parent" and trying to help the "children" realize their full potential with some of them kicking and screaming all the way. There is only so much you can do and they have to want to be good employees. Some people are their own worst enemy. Hoping today is a good workday for you!

Callie, hope you are enjoying your girlfriend time and hope everything is good! Hugs to you and your sweet baby and see you soon!


LLJsmom, that is a tough decision. You really cannot go wrong though so remember that. Bling here or bling in France. You will find gorgeous bling no matter what. So pressure off. If the vintage necklace is priced really well then that might be the way to go and perhaps you will have some funds left over for bling in Paris too. However if the discount on the vintage VCA is not that great pass on it and save for Paris. That's my vote as of now. Wishing you clarity to make the best decision for you.

OMG I forgot you watch the Bachelorette! I used to watch that show and the Bachelor every season it was on but Greg cannot stomach it anymore (LOL I know right what's wrong with him hehe) so I haven't been watching regularly but have all the shows on TIVO waiting for me and spare time to just sit back and watch.

I saw the first episode where they were deciding b/w the 2 bachelorettes and I thought that was crazy but good for ratings I guess. I agree the men all look alike!!!! And so do the women on the Bachelor shows too. I thought I was the only one who had trouble telling them apart LOL. Glad to know it is not just me! OK If I catch up I will come back and report my thoughts on your comments.

I find the first number of episodes are not as entertaining to watch because there are too many people in the mix but once it is narrowed down to just a few men I prefer it and can follow it more easily. I hate the stupid contrived dates they put the couples on to test them. But who said the show was supposed to be smart right? It is just supposed to be entertaining which I guess seeing all their loyal followers it must be. I have watched it in the past because I am a romantic and I love seeing people find true love. Except most don't on this show. Oh well. Anyway thanks for the update and I will let you know when/if I catch up.

A big hello and hugs and hope everyone has a good day.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Big surprise! I went to the mail box to get yesterdays mail and the LV wallet was in it. It looks pretty good. I am not sure if it is authentic yet. The stamp is in side but it is not gold like others I have seen. I will take it to LV in the next couple of days. They wouldn't give me a firm estimate over the phone regarding the repair but said it would be between 100-200. I can live with that.

It has one small scratch on a corner and one by the zipper. I think they look worse in photos than they do in real life. I could potentially live with it the way it is and see how it holds up in general too. Not sure yet. First step, to see about authenticity.

 

[junebug17]

Missy, you are stronger than you think, you have been through a lot this year and you have shown a lot of strength and have made a big effort to stay as positive as possible - I think we are both stronger than we think lol, and yeah, we might feel down sometimes but we keep on going and do the best we can. And I agree on not worrying about upcoming things such as moving - when the time comes, we'll do what we have to do and it will all work out fine - and I'm sure our hubbies will help us haha!

No, I don't think I'll be heading into Philly for the show - they don't go on until 9ish, and dh has to work the next day and I don't really want to venture into the city by myself then. I'll catch them again when they do another local show.

Marcy, so sorry that your employee ended up not coming in when you were all set to talk to her, how frustrating. You sound like you have your hands full managing this crew sometimes! Your Italian dinner sounds delicious. I got hungry just reading about it!

Luv2sparkle, I'm so glad the wallet arrived! Here's hoping you get news when you get it checked out.

And thanks for the nice words about my aqua ring! It's pretty but I wish it was bigger haha! You were right when you said PS messes with our perception. I'll post some pics in the Random Bling thread.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Kristie, I am so glad you inspired me to get my tsavorite out to wear today. I don’t think I’ve worn it yet this year. I love the rich green color. I’ve been hearing Austin Powers say “Groovy Baby” in my head all day. Oops that Bob was home for delivery. That would be my luck too.

Luv2Sparkle, that is a great looking LV wallet. How cool it arrived today.

LLJsmom, hold on for Paris! When we were going to go to Pebble Beach I was impressed at my ability to save money (mostly because I am far better at spending than saving). I was determined I wasn’t going to use credit cards for that vacation though so I faithfully saved money every pay day.

Missy, Harold and George are enjoying their new digs. I gave them the lock screen code to get in to my iPad so they can email me at work if those rabbits are picking on them. Naturally the rabbits think I am replenishing their food source so I’ll have to keep my eye on them. I bet it was strange coming home after your vacation. It takes me a day or two to adapt when we get home too. Being lazy and a coward are definitely an undesirable combination; then my disgruntled employee who has sunk in to being totally removed and disengaged from the team. He’s supposed to be the team leader. He’s not setting an example I want followed. I think I need to adapt some Gordon Ramsey management techniques. I will look for some bar and poker table pictures.

Junebug, I think we all can find an inner strength we never knew was there; which definitely comes in handy. PS does skew our perception of size and quality of jewelry. I’m not complaining mind you. Before PS a 5mm stone or ½ carat diamond was huge! Now if it’s not 6.5 mm or large I think it’s too small. Being on PS though eases our mind and we know it’s okay to want more bling. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Not much going on exciting around here today. We are having rain off and on tonight and had some small hail. Marty brought a fancy phone upstairs for me to use in the living room. I’ve been playing with it tonight. It has weather widgets and all sorts of fancy gadgets. I set up a few contacts to dial from the screen. Now if it rings we’ll see if I can answer it. Ha! It can even do video calls.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Here is the bar in the man cave. It's got cupboards that open on one side. The top is poker chips (some from golf courses Marty's played at) then sealed with whatever that thick clear stuff is called. We got bar stools for it with different colored leather tops from Pier One.

 

[marcy]

I'll get a better picture from Marty of his poker table and poker chips. He sent me this photo one time where the rabbits were beating the bear playing poker. You notice the bear has a losing hand. The poker chips Marty had custom made and say Killer Rabbit Casino on them. The suits are the edge are teddy bears. He put lights around the inside of the poker table that can be a solid color, flash or rotate colors.

I keep saying I am going to get the "family" sticker made for our cars but of course I've got to add more bears now.

 

[marcy]

Here is the top of the poker table. He used the base from an old table, got plywood for the top, then ordered the padding and fabric for a poker table and then built the bumper pad around it. It would seat about 10 people pretty easily. This picture was before Marty painted his world map mural and has my in-laws hand me down furniture. Our recliners are set up now with their back to the poker table so it's like a separate space / room.

The poker chips are awesome!

 

[KaeKae]

Good morning girls!

KaeKae, hi! Thanks for visiting us here. We have a house on the bay at the Jersey shore. I had never been to the Jersey shore till I met my dh in the 1990's and he introduced me to the Jersey shore. I love the Jersey shore now. When do you come to visit OG? We are not far from there at all and always ride our bikes through there. I don't know if you read any of the pages before but OG is where I take all my duckling and gosling pics. In Ocean Grove. I am guessing that is what you mean by OG. If not I apologize LOL. I also love California for the perfect weather. I hope you are not dealing with too much of a drought problem where you live though. Anyway let me know when and if you will be visiting Ocean Grove. It would be lovely to meet you if it worked out.

Hi Missy! Yes, I do mean Ocean Grove! Isn't it the neatest little town? I will be there a week from tomorrow, and will have three wonderful NJ weeks. It would be great if we could cross paths! We are so very lucky that my husband's parents chose to retire there. But, I'm a Monmouth County girl, myself. Though born in NYC, I grew up in Hazlet. You said you are on the bay, do you mean the Raritan Bay?

Yes, the California drought is terrible. We are in the process of re-doing our landscape to all drought resistant plantings. The yard is going to look very different without the grass. It will take the dogs some time to get used to that, I'm sure. But, it's the right thing to do. In the meantime, we pray for rain and NO fires. I don't know if anyone recalls a fire in SoCal two year ago, that burned 28,000 acres. That was our town. Our home and schools were always safe, but I could see the fire from my school, and many of our staff and student's families were evacuated. We sure don't want to relive that.

 

[LLJsmom]

Marcy, Love the rabbit themed man cave/casino. Those rabbits are truly evil!! I love Marty's bar. See? YOu guys do have a lot of fun!! I'm sorry that your passive aggressive employee is annoying the bleep out of you. You're doing so well, continuing to be patient and to deal with it. Keep letting it out here. Don't let it fester... You should have "The Teddy Bears Strike Back" series!

Luv, that LV doesn't look like it's in bad shape at all. I'm quite positive it is real. I could live with the scratches. At least when you use it you don't have to baby it. The only thing I would fix is the problem with the card slot. Am I seeing it correctly that the divider between the card slots is broken? Let me just say I don't know how people beat up their stuff so badly. I guess I'm just naturally more careful with my things. Just weird to me. It's a great color, and I think you will get a good 7-10 years of wear out of this wallet. You'll only wish I wears out faster so you can go get a new one. I'll post a pic of my collection sometime. I had a total addiction to LV wallets.

Ok, just real quickly. I was thinking that I am not sure if I can get over paying $2K-$3K for something that doesn't even have diamonds. I swear I am so short-sighted and miserly. Now I am going back to the Cartier orchid, if I do a necklace, or the love cuff. I know. I know. I've gone over it a million times and it doesn't make sense. But I just LOVE how it looks on everyone else but ME!! I will make myself get used to it!! That's what I'm thinking right now. I need to get a GRIP. I also want the bracelet b/c I want to be able to SEE daily what I spend $4-$5K on. Come ON. Wearing it on my neck is great and all, but I can't see the darned thing! Ok, gotta get some sleep so I can think clearly again in the morning. (I HATE MY SKINNY/BONY WRIST!)

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Luv2sparkle, Yay, glad the LV wallet arrived and that it looks pretty good! As LLJsmom wrote you should get a lot of use from it. Enjoy!

Junie, haha yes our dhs will help us no doubt. When we made the move from SG to where we are now at the beach Greg did most of the packing. He is very organized. That was our very part time house and we still had a lot of stuff but to be fair Greg had a full workshop there in the basement and the garage so there was a lot of his machinery that needed to be moved. NYC move will be much much more difficult but as you said not thinking about that right now.

I hope your son's show goes well and I agree making the trip to Philly by yourself late at night doesn't seem like the best thing to do and there will be lots more shows.

Please post more pics of your gorgeous aqua ring here. You know we love seeing the beautiful bling and I love your aqua ring. I love all your rings!

Marcy, ooh thank you for posting the pics of your bar and the poker in the man cave. I love it. The poker chip top is so colorful and playful and perfect for the space. Hey, I think those rabbits are cheating at poker. Teddy watch out!
I love those bunny poker chips too. Haha funny. Now we need to find you teddy bear poker chips.

As for the "family" sticker made for your car go for it. We did that though we don't usually put anything on our car like that one day I decided I wanted to. We put it on the inside though so it is less visible but still visible if you look carefully. 2 of them are of stick figures riding a bicycle and 4 of them are stick figure kitties. It is a perfect match for our family.

LLJsmom, don't get the LOVE cuff if you don't love how it looks on you. No matter how much you love it on others. You know that but it doesn't hurt to hear it from the NIRDIs to reinforce that it would not be a great idea unless you decide you do love it on your (lovely!) wrist. Since you are still unsure as to the best bling to get I vote to WAIT till Paris! Hold on you can do it.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

KaeKae, hi! Thanks for visiting us here. We have a house on the bay at the Jersey shore. I had never been to the Jersey shore till I met my dh in the 1990's and he introduced me to the Jersey shore. I love the Jersey shore now. When do you come to visit OG? We are not far from there at all and always ride our bikes through there. I don't know if you read any of the pages before but OG is where I take all my duckling and gosling pics. In Ocean Grove. I am guessing that is what you mean by OG. If not I apologize LOL. I also love California for the perfect weather. I hope you are not dealing with too much of a drought problem where you live though. Anyway let me know when and if you will be visiting Ocean Grove. It would be lovely to meet you if it worked out.

Hi Missy! Yes, I do mean Ocean Grove! Isn't it the neatest little town? I will be there a week from tomorrow, and will have three wonderful NJ weeks. It would be great if we could cross paths! We are so very lucky that my husband's parents chose to retire there. But, I'm a Monmouth County girl, myself. Though born in NYC, I grew up in Hazlet. You said you are on the bay, do you mean the Raritan Bay?

Yes, the California drought is terrible. We are in the process of re-doing our landscape to all drought resistant plantings. The yard is going to look very different without the grass. It will take the dogs some time to get used to that, I'm sure. But, it's the right thing to do. In the meantime, we pray for rain and NO fires. I don't know if anyone recalls a fire in SoCal two year ago, that burned 28,000 acres. That was our town. Our home and schools were always safe, but I could see the fire from my school, and many of our staff and student's families were evacuated. We sure don't want to relive that.

Hi KaeKae, we are on Sandy Hook bay and pretty close to Hazlet. We go to the Hazlet Costco when we are at the beach. I would love to meet up with you during your visit to OG. I love Ocean Grove. It is the sweetest town and that's where all the duckling and gosling pics were taken.

If you like you can reach me through loupe troop via this link.
http://loupetroop.com/listings/other/for-rainwood-and-aztonie

I am so sorry about the drought and it sounds like you are making the best of the situation and doing the right thing and hopefully the dogs will get used to not having grass. It is awful so many people are dealing with this and I am hoping you get lots and lots of rain very soon! And NO fires. Very scary and thank goodness you guys remained safe after that awful SoCal fire 2 years ago.

 

[azstonie]

The high heat doldrums here

Watched a really fun movie (Amazon) last night, Kingsman, The Secret Service. Highly recommend. Funny action flick.

Have a great Monday, everyone!!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Thanks, Missy, JB, and LLJsmom, I am pretty happy with the wallet and breathing a big huge sigh of relief! After having it for a day, I have decided the small scratches don't bother me. The broken card slot doesn't bother me too much either. It actually makes it easier for me to hold a few paper-like insurance cards and station list that I carry in my wallet. Here is the big one-I don't think I am even worried enough to have it authenticated. I am pretty confident it is the real thing. I did some sleuthing on spotting fakes and this one passed the tests. So at this point it would be a mind clean kind of thing. At some point I will probably drive to LV and have a refurbish-probably after the wedding when things are a little less crazy, but for now I will wait.

KaeKae, I am so with you in hoping for no fires this year. Keeping my fingers crossed but doubtful. We have been through some scary fires and I dread it every year. My DH was gone for 9 days fighting that fire in your town. When he is gone, I am always on edge waiting for the hills across the road from our house to light up. We keep all our photos in one place in case we have to pack up and leave.

Marcy, I really love the table with the colorful poker chips. It adds a splash of color and is very unique. How great that all the chips are from places your DH has played. I love pieces that have a lot of personal meaning.