Now I really did it :((

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, thanks for sharing your history with skin issues. I guess no matter how old we get it can be challenging dealing with things that affect our appearance. I do feel more confident at this age going out even with my skin a mess so that's an advantage having skin issues at a later age I guess. I hope things sort themselves out with your mom and her care and getting help because IMO this arrangement is not sustainable. I hope you are OK with me sharing my thoughts about your mom and the situation. I think she would be so much better if she could be around others her age and have planned activities each day. But baby steps and hopefully in time she and your brother can come to realize that some change might be a good change. And I am always thinking good thoughts for you and your family. (((Hugs))).

Marcy, I love your collection and I agree your niece is talented. I'm glad Marty's low carb diet is going well. Greg has made a few adjustments too since his HgA1 C has been borderline high the last few years. He has reduced alcohol intake to perhaps one or two cocktails a month (yay) and no more sandwiches for lunch. I used to make him a turkey and cheese sandwich every day for lunch and now I am making him a salad with wild salmon or tuna etc. Varying it every week but always keeping the main part of the lunch a salad and no bread. Hoping this works. He still likes to snack after dinner but we are searching for healthier options. He now eats an apple after dinner and yogurt with walnuts/almonds. He still likes those darn chips but he is doing much better. I am cutting back on the volume of cashews and almonds I enjoy in the morning as I think is the culprit of my extra pounds. I am going to miss the volume but will still enjoy cashews and almonds every day. Just less of them. You know I am a volume girl and can eat my weight in volume LOL.

I'm glad your meeting place for the astronomy club is working out and I LOVE apple pie. You might remember Greg makes an award winning apple pie...just another incentive for a visit girls because I will have him bake when you visit.

We can compare scars in person one day Marcy. Yes the scars are our battle wounds and shows we are living a rich and full life. Or at least that's what I tell myself LOL. Speaking of which we watched Meru last night. A documentary on 3 mountain climbers climbing Meru. OMG it was great. Please watch it girls. It's on Showtime right now. Captivating. Though I admit I think they are certifiable for the desire to do this and risk their life and limb. But I get having a passion that strong that no matter what you want to master it. Thank goodness Greg doesn't mountain climb. I couldn't deal with that worry. Rock climbing is much safer!


LLJsmom, so glad work is busy now and keeping you happily occupied. That and Sudoku. I never did Sudoku and am a bit curious. Will check that out one day. Thinking good thoughts for you too and hope the waiting game is over very soon!

Scandinavian, I love your latest photo. Thank you so much for sharing photos every day. I love it. I'm glad you can work from home and spend some quality time with your 3 kids. Haha yes I include your sweet dog too. She is part of the family! Are you going to go skiing with your children while they are home from school? What kind of activities do you enjoy together as a family? I imagine they have a blast in the snow.
Kickbike biking looks interesting. Never tried it. Fun exercise for you and your dog.

Your hair color sounds gorgeous. Glad you have a good hairstylist. And I hear you on having to pay if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance. Now some of our doctors make you give your CC number when scheduling an appointment and if you don't cancel within 24-48 hours they charge your card. I guess no shows add up. I know they do for me but we don't charge our patients. Yet. LOL.

My new eyeglasses and sunglasses arrived yesterday and when I put them on they made me nauseous though I didn't change my Rx. I am so sensitive. Now I must just wear them to get used to them. But today I am wearing my contact lenses.
Have a great day girls! Today is my Monday so off to work.

 

[MarionC]

Awakened early by the first thunderstorm of the day. It promises to be a very unsettled weather day here with the sudden high temps. Tornado weather : (
I am now officially in love with my dentist. I got an A+ dental health report.
Oh Missy, I got to play opthamologist yesterday when I noticed one of my roosters was standing alone out in the rain. Turns out he had a raging eye infection. I brought him in the house, washed his face and administered some eye ointment. Later in the day he was active and part of the flock again. It is so rewarding when one can help, yes?


Scandinavian, I hear you about keeping your dog exercised. My Aussie is high maintenance in that department. I think Europe is so cool with all the countries close enough to visit. I went to France last year and now have a bucket list a mile long of places to see, Scandinavia now happily included!

Marcy, I like your ratio! The Golden Mean is 1 to 1.6180 : )
I'm glad you like all styles of pear. I will wait to go pear shopping until you do.
Good for Marty, more handsome and fit than ever!

LLJsmom, it is so good to hear from you. I'm happy you are busy, but miss hearing about your day-to-day goings on.

June, my favorite pawn shop is gone! I will find another and share with you. Every-so-often there is a fabulous find which stimulates more hunting, and do you remember the PSer who found a Royal Asscher in a pawn shop? yikes.
Yes, a mother is a mother for life. Now I realize how much I must have tortured my own mother with my ups & downs. Poor Mom : )

My new bling arrives today before noon from JA but I will be getting a haircut and won't be home to sign. It's ridiculous how much fun it is to get something shipped. As I mentioned, these are very small diamonds, but still fun. Feeding the addiction without going broke haha ...or feeding the addiction with so many tiny diamonds that I go broke. Whateva.

Callie, AZ, Orzi, Sharon

 

[missy]

Jimmianne, what color was the discharge from your rooster's eye? What ointment did you give him?

Woohoo, cannot wait for your JA bling to arrive!

And yes our weather is quite unsettled here too. Thunderstorms and huge winds all day.

We are having the beginning of a replastering project in our apartment start today. Greg is overseeing it so he is staying home. This will prove to be a long project. We live in an old building and the plaster from the ceilings are about to cave down on us. Many room project and we don't know the men who are coming to fix it as the building arranged it all. Of course with Greg being board VP he might have an idea of who is coming but we have had no personal experience with them. I dislike having workmen in my home under the best of circumstances but now they will be here for many days/weeks and in my bedroom too. Sigh. Just hope things go smoothly. Greg has to empty my closets too. He is a doll as he is handling it all and will put everything back too.

OK Jimmianne, please check back here with the bling pics and rooster update OK?

 

[MarionC]

Missy, I'll shoot you an email about the rooster after I observe him this morning. Fingers are crossed that I will see a clear eye.

Be watchful out there today! I know you will be, but I have to say it.
The plastering sounds like a big pain - so glad your DH is taking care of things.
Please tell Greg how much we appreciate how well he takes care of you.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, glad you have Sudoku to relax you during this busy and stressful time. Enjoy your pretty bling too.

Scandinavian, yay for being the home of the Vikings. They heard they used iolite for navigating. I liked scrolling down to the bottom of the page so I can scroll by all of your pretty pictures again. That is so cool how much your dog loves to run and play in the snow. My sister had a dog that absolutely loved it up at my parent’s cabin. When they started packing to go home the dog would hide because he didn’t want to leave. They finally started to tie up the dog before they would begin packing the car. Even a hobby scope can show you lots of stars. The kickbike picture with your baby is awesome.

Missy, it sounds like Greg is doing well with his dietary change too. Marty has been doing a lot of reading. Of course what works for one person doesn’t work for another. It’s all trial and error and see what your body responds to in the end. Marty is eating quite a few salads, fish, chicken and nuts. I am attempting to eat better and less but I get stressed at work and start eating crap. I keep intending to try again tomorrow though. I do remember pictures of Greg’s delicious apple pie. Our scars just add character, right? I will look for Meru; that sounds interesting.Oh no that your new glasses made you nauseous. Oh no to the replastering project in your house. Good luck with that!

Jimmianne, I hate to hear your have threatening thunderstorms there. I saw yesterday tornado warnings were out in parts on the country. It is that time of year already. Stay safe! Yay for an A+ report card from your dentist. Oh no for your poor rooster. I am glad you were able to help him. The Golden Mean is a perfect ratio. We were at Sams tonight and I thought of going to look to see if they have any pear diamonds but I resisted. Did your package from JA arrive? I am anxious to see them.

I am glad you guys like my mantle collection. My niece is really good at her clay sculptures.

Work was a barrel of monkeys or is that headaches today? One employee sent proprietary information to an outside source and another ignored what my boss’s boss asked him to do for 2 hours so he got royally chewed out. Joy! I’ll be busy tomorrow.

We went out for supper and then wandered around Sams club. We stocked up on paper products, meat and got a big bag of halos oranges. While we were in line I reminded Marty of how fun it was to put away the bulk purchases at our old house. I swear I had to stick TP, paper towels and kleenex and every cupboard, closet and cabinet in our house. I’d open the closet in our spare bedroom and a roll of paper towels would fall out.

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Speaking of mountain peaks - this is pretty cool

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160225.html

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning
An other day at working from home. I'll have to try to do better today, so easy to get distracted.

Missy: So sorry to hear that you new glasses are making you nauseous! That is really not nice of them, please yell at them from me.. Seriously though, I hope you adjust quickly, any form of car sickness is one of the things I hate the most. Fingers crossed!
The apartment sounds a bit stressful. I'm happy that your husband is taking care of you and fixing all the practicalities. I know what you mean about having workers in your home. Not comfortable at all. But on the positive side: Think how good it is going to be to have it all fixed
The dog is very much part of the family My husband is traveling for work (will be back today) and I let her sleep in the bed when he is away - will have to change the bedclothes before he comes home tonight, he doesn't approve.. LOL.
This week is mostly chaos, so no skiing with the children. I take them to skiing classes two times a week though. Wednesday is downhill and Thursday is cross country days - too much to organize but only for 9 weeks luckily. And yes, we love to go skiing together. But our 4 year old is not so good yet, or he is good for his age but gets tired after a while (5 km, 1 hour, whichever comes first). So normally - like when we were at the cabin last weekenden, I go 2 or 3 trips. First with the dog, then with the dog and our 8 year old, and then sometimes with the dog and my husband if we have a babysitter. Last Easter, the sun was really nice, and I was practically outside 8-10 hours each day. First year I haven't gained 5 pounds that week, hahahaha
We are generally outdoor kind of people, and like to go skiing and hiking, also with the children. Just have to adjust the pace and length. Last year we carried the 4 year old for a bit. But getting to heavy for that now, at least for me. You should have seen me a couple of years ago, my husband was painting the cabin, and I decided to take the 3 "children" for a walk to avoid helping him LOL. Carrying the youngest. All went well for a while (4h), until our oldest got tired. Such a sight.. One on my back, one on my hip and the dog jumping and barking and pulling the leash because to her it was great fun.. (1h). Had to call my husband and ask if he could come and get us.. (30 min to go) But I'm not the sleeping in tent kind of person, so we go for a walk, and then go back inside for a warm shower and a nice lunch/dinner. The children really enjoy making lunch outside, so sometimes I try to be a good parent and bring a disposable grill or a primus to boil water (ready made little bags that you pour hot water into to make all kinds of stew, you can by them at all the sporting goods stores here). The children also enjoy board games, but I hate them (boring) so I try to make my husband play with them whilst I read a book, LOL. Also, our 8 year old is a really good reader, so I sometimes ask her to read to our 4 year old so I don't have to + she needs to practice. Win win. (I'm a bad parent.. ) I also try to make dinner preparations a family activity in the weekend if I have the time. I'm trying to make the children focused on healthy food and real food - try to tell them what is really inside hotdog kind of food I'll stop ranting now. Hope you have a great day!!

Jimmianne: Tornados sounds scary. We don't have them here. for having taken so good care of your teeth!! Hope your rooster is better. I hate when animals are sick, it feels even worse than humans because they can't tell us what is wrong or where it hurts.
You have an Aussie! Did not know that! Oh they are just adorable! I love all the Shepard breeds, they are so intelligent and sweet. Do you teach her tricks? Please share your new bling

Jimmianne/All:Europe is wonderful that way, most cities are no more than 5 hours away. I love Paris! Always a good choice for a weekend trip The riviera is also nice
Other cities that I would recommend are Rome (one of my favourites, lots of history there), Venice (the canals, history, buildings, and so much bling there..), and Athens. Istanbul (Turkey) and Marrakech (Morocco) are also nice. Greece is nice for a relaxing summer holiday. You can do Athens first with a day at the Acropolis, and then rent a car and explore Peloponnes, hire a sailing boat for exploring the islands, or just hop on a ferry and go island hopping Of the Nordic cities, Stockholm (Sweden) is probably the nicest, whilst on the west coast of Norway you have the famous fjords and in the north the midnight light and the Aurora polaris. Denmark is good for biking around from inn to inn, its almost flat there and the inns have good solid traditional cooking. In France and Italy, staying at vineyards are good fun.

We are going with the children (and another family that has children at approximately the same age) to Gran Canaria for a few days in the beginning of May. I have never been there and I feel a bit sceptical. The place is kind of famous for tourists that are either drinking too much and partying or being old and living there after retiring. But it is supposed to have nice places too, a lot of our friends have been there and say its really nice. Oh well. A short flight and a nice temperature (24C) is the key here. So we have booked a really nice hotel in a more private beach kind of area and hope for the best Being the good shopper that I am ( ) I have already started to update my summer wardrobe, LOL. So many nice dresses out there.. Fell in love with these too so they are now in my closet waiting for May:
http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=87040656&cp=41783776.41783276&ab=ln_women_cs_dresses&parentPage=family
http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=87040816&cp=41783776.41783276&ab=ln_women_cs_dresses&parentPage=family

But for now, there is snow


LLJsmom: I like Sudoku too Sorry to hear that you are stressed. Hope things get better soon!

Marcy: You are sooooo sweet to like my pictures! Thank you! The kickbike is amazing. It allows the dog to pull me But - she is not so big - so uphill I have to kick the best I can. So: it is a really good extremely hard workout for me too The first time I tried, I could hardly get out of bed the next day, I was so sore. It felt like I had been hit by a train, and I thought I was sick until I remembered the kickbike.. hahahhaha.. true story. Going out for supper sounds nice. I miss that, not living in the city we really have to plan the whole thing, including babysitter, taxi, etc. So basically never happens.
Sorry to hear that your work is a bitt stressful these days! Hoping for better days for you!
Thank you so much for sharing that amazing picture!!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

I woke up late this morning and have quite the headache. Might be the weather. So stormy last night. When I got home from work the doorman was reading an announcement to everyone that we had to remove all the furniture from our terrace that evening due to very high winds. Thank goodness we did because it really was quite the stormy night. Thunderstorms, winds, and lots and lots of pouring rain. Hope everyone remained safe and dry and comfie.

Jimmianne, How is your rooster doing this morning? Did you get my email and instructions yesterday? I might have missed your reply because work was crazy and my emails got all jumbled up and I ended up deleting things without being super careful before I did so if I deleted your reply sorry! Hope your evening went well and was calm and that you had no tornadoes!

Scandinavian, I love reading your experiences and the skiing lessons your children take sounds perfect. And I love your descriptions of how you spend your day while on vacation at the cabin. It sounds like so much fun and great exercise. I used to love cross country skiing but then the cold got to be intolerable for me and my fingers and toes started reacting very badly so unfortunately I cannot do cold weather sports anymore. I get chilblains due to my Raynauds which can be quite severe. I really love cross country skiing. So peaceful and such great exercise. You have an amazing retreat with your cabin and I am glad you get to enjoy that with your entire family. LOL I can just picture you and the dog on your kick bike. And you are a great parent. That comes through in your posts!
Love the wardrobe choices too! You know we NIRDIs enjoy our shopping for bling and clothes and boots.

I've been to most of the cities you are recommending and agree with your descriptions. European cities are romantic in a way I just don't find here in the states. Wish I didn't hate/fear flying so much these days. Your next planned vacation sounds like fun. I have not been to Gran Canaria and am looking forward to hearing your description of your vacation in May.

Love your pic of the day. So beautiful and peaceful.

Marcy, I'm glad Marty is doing well re diet. Already Greg is cheating because he is going out to dinner with his guy friends next Thursday evening and told me he will have 1 or 2 beers. I told him to keep it to one and I think he will because he promised and he does not break his promises to me. But we shall see.

I love buying in bulk and actually enjoy shopping at Costco if it is not crowded when we go. It sounds like you enjoy shopping at Sam's Club. I have never been there but it sounds very similar to Costco. And I LOLd at your story with paper towels falling out of the closets. We have lots of storage space here but I know Greg feels I stuff too much into our big pantries/closets. But I love abundance. What can I say. I think I was a depression era baby in another life.

Hope work is calming down for you and things are going more smoothly.

Junie, hope your week is going well.

Kristie, good luck today. Looking forward to updates.

Callie, more (((hugs))) being sent your way.

LLJsmom, (((hugs))) to you too.

Have a great day today girls. Today is my Friday. Woohoo.

 

[Scandinavian]

Lunch. Just had to say Missy that I love how you structure your week, I think your Mondays and Fridays are beautifully placed And so sorry to hear about you not being able to go cross country skiing anymore. Fell bad for writing too much about it. Hugs!!!

 

[missy]

Lunch. Just had to say Missy that I love how you structure your week, I think your Mondays and Fridays are beautifully placed And so sorry to hear about you not being able to go cross country skiing anymore. Fell bad for writing too much about it. Hugs!!!

Oh no, please Scandinavian, share all about your cross country skiing and everything else you want to share. I LOVE hearing about it and enjoy imagining being there and skiing too. Please don't hold back OK? It makes me happy, not sad! (((HUGS))).

 

[MarionC]

Bling report.
First of all I had forgotten what a pain it is to take good pictures. haha.
So these are not glam shots in any way shape or form, more of a science project report. lol
The D/VVS1 marquise is sweet, but I think she may go back.

I loved the earrings the moment I opened them. [by the way, JA has some new & fancy packaging that is very nice].
The stones are bright, pretty and perfectly matched IRL & under 10x.
With the sale going on they were around 1K [0.50tcw & upgrade to f-g/vs].
Next to my first JA earrings [25tcw] for size comparison. A nice step up in size for a 24/7 earring & I like the kite orientation.
I wouldn't mind another step up, but 0.75tcw is another $800, and 1.0tcw is 4K. This was supposed to be a modest Valentine treat, not an investment!



Thing one and Thing Two



Sorry for the bad photos.

End of report : )

 

[MarionC]

Missy, sorry for the slow response! I could not catch the rooster last night, but I made up for it by catching him this morning, administering warm compresses and applying the ointment.
Looking even better today.
Thanks!
I want to say "Mr. ______ , the rooster thanks you!
but I have learned NOT to name my chickens. It's a sure way for the ones you favor to disappear : (
I only took one hen to the vet [early in my career as a chicken meister] - the bill was $75 and the next day she had disappeared.

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy

I read this and think it is addressed to you. As I hope I might call myself one of your friends, I thought I should pass on the message. Please do not kill the messenger... just thought you might like to read this:


Post by AGBF » 25 Feb 2016 08:05

missy-

I want to apologize for the way I "spoke" to you in this thread. I have been thinking about it ever since I wrote what I did. I certainly know, in reality, that I don't have all the answers. So I have been wondering what made me angry and made me want to say that I did in this case.

Naturally it was not your fault! It was something inside me that was the problem. That was why I was working on the problem alone, inside my own head, not discussing it with you.

When you wrote, "it seems as if you know what the perfect solution should be" I didn't hear you correctly. What I heard was, " You think you're so smart." That made me want to retaliate like one school girl to another. Only I was the only school girl. You were being an adult.

I have not been able to keep from noticing that you ceased posting in this thread. If you are no longer reading it, I hope that one of your many friends will tell you about my apology. You do know that I have always valued your friendship. Sometimes I screw up. I hope it wasn't once too often for you.

Big hugs,
Deb

 

[missy]

Thank you Scandinavian for calling Deb's post to my attention. I appreciate that and yes you are my friend and I am yours!

Jimmianne, ooh la la pretty earrings. Ear shots pretty please.
What are your thoughts re the marquise?
And how is Mr ___the rooster doing now? I get why naming them isn't a good idea and agree. No sense in jinxing anything!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, thank you for the other pretty snow picture. It is so beautiful there. I want to work from home. I am glad you and your family love the outdoors and since it’s gorgeous there why not? Thank you for the ideas and suggestions of places to visit in Europe. Marty sure wants to go to Rome. He wants to set at one of those little tables and have espresso. Your kickbike story is pretty funny. It sounds like it kicks your butt. Good exercise bike then, huh? Your family vacation sounds wonderful.

Missy, sorry to hear you have a headache; I hope you are doing better tonight. It sounds like you guys had quite a storm last night. I like to watch lightning but don’t like the other bad things associated with rain storms. I think Costco and Sams are very similar. Most people I know who have shopped at both of them like Costco better. It’s not a bad thing to stock up on things. I can’t believe how much cheaper it is. I picked up a 6 pack of Vanity napkins last night for about $8.49 and one package like that is about $5.49 in the grocery store. Those kind of bargains help me save up bling money, right?

Jimmianne, your earrings and marquis ring are fabulous. I love your dangles. Your marquis looks like a really pretty diamond. What a fun shopping spree you had. I am glad to hear your rooster is looking better today.

Work was Hell Day again. At least it will get better in mid May.

Marty’s boss called him today. He told Marty the decision on the manager position will be made and announced next week. He then asked him to verify if he would be willing to move to Atlanta if he got the job. Marty said he didn’t see any financial way that could happen for us because of my work and his boss just said okay. Marty said he doesn’t know for sure if that put him out of the running or not but he felt that is did. I guess he will know next week. I feel bad for him but he reassures me he is okay either way.

We had filet and baked potatoes for supper with raw veggies. After the day I had at work I had a glass of wine, a little dish of ice and 2 cookies. At least tomorrow is Friday.

Have a wonderful evening and a terrific day tomorrow.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Gooooood morning
Not really, to much work that I have not done this week, no idea how to survive next week. I should probably work all weekend. But nope! Not going to do that Instead, I'm taking the day off (after sending some emails etc) and will start packing our things again. Going to the mountains again - different mountains this weekend. Training camp / courses for huntingdogs We (I) like to compete with the dog in bird hunting. Not actual hunting (i.e. no shooting) but competitions in (i) searching, (ii) finding (iii) setting (thats why they are called setters) (iv) running forward to get the bird airborne and (v) sitting down as the bird is flying away. My little darling is having a hard time with the last one sometimes (most times..?). She likes to run after them. But that is not allowed. Actually that earns you a one way ticked home that day if it is an actual competition. But this weekend is just a mock competition for practice purposes. Hope the weather will be ok I love these "camps", the hotel i really nice, excellent food, and they let you keep the dog in your room And no children this weekend, that is also nice sometimes (didn't put them in a kennel, promise, hahaha, they are spending the weekend with their grandmother).

I think you girls are so amazing and I really appreciate that you are so welcoming towards me, so I thought todays picture should be me so you get to know me a little better. But then again, this is the internet, so I think this will have to do



Missy: I do hope your headache went away quickly. So sweet of you to like my new dresses Well, I'm a perfect NIRDI then, because I love shopping Diamonds are forever, but a few nice things to show them of in the right environment... hahaha.... I should be saving I guess because of the extension to the house, but not so good at those things.. Oh well
Re traveling, I have never actually been to Svalbard (Island belonging to Norway) and that is definitely on my to-do-list. Safari on dogsled to see the glaciers and the polar bears should be a real experience And I would love to see the pyramids in Egypt Anyone been there? But for now I guess the last one will have to wait - don't really feel safe going to Egypt right now. In general, I don't like flying either, but only because I get so bored. I travel quite a bit for work although I try to avoid it by using the phone/internet/skype meetings etc.

In the end of May we are actually going to Edinburg though. That should be fun also (Not very good at spreading out our holidays are we...)

For romantic travelling sites in Europe, I do recommend the smaller cities in Italy. Pisa, Florence etc. Who can resist Romeo and Juliet and their balcony? Spain in general is also a nice country, although I was actually a little disappointed with Barcelona. Nice place and nice restaurants, but not too special if you know what I mean. Stunning architecture on modern buildings but still a little disappointing. Monaco is also fun with the beach promenade and the insanely large boats.

Jimmianne: Oh this site is so dangerous. I love your new bling! Thank you for sharing! And now I want some new earrings too...
Glad the rooster is doing better! One of our neighbouring farms call their animals "Food 1" "Food 2" "Food 3" etc. So awful. I love that you are so scared of loosing them that you do not want to name them And that you spent that much money on a chicken.

Marcy: Fingers crossed for Marty for the job anyway. You never know.
The kickbike is a really good exercise bike, because it works the whole body, not just the legs. To get enough power / speed, you need to throw your leg forward and backwards using arms, stomach, back, but and everything else to get a big pendle like motion going. Feels like a combination of rowing and cross country skiing, hahahaha..
Rome is really really nice. And they have the best gelato in the world.. There are little cafés everywhere, and the historic sights are amazing! The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Pantheon... all so nice. And if you book early, you can go on the "meet-and-greet" tour of the Vatican where you get to se the private part of the building and meet the Pope! The sights in Rome are not too far away from each other, so bring good shoes (not my high heeled stupidities that normally results in a taxi back to the hotel to change shoes around lunch time) and hop along the cobblestoned coated streets
I'm sorry your work is not-so-nice these days. We can look forward to May together

My best to you all!

 

[MarionC]

Good Morning, everyone.

Marcy, I started to get very happy when I read the Marty would have to move to Atlanta. My mind was already planning our visit - but then I read on. boo! I wish there were openings in Raleigh...I would MAKE you move here

Yes, Scandinavia. You have discovered so early the terrible secret of Pricescope. It is a very dangerous place! and so much fun.
Although I cannot imagine you would ever get the dreaded DSS disease with that gorgeous diamond of yours, so you are safe. well, safe-ish.

Missy, everytime I go to Grace's website I see your earrings. I love them
My new dangles are pretty, but as a devoted NIRDI PSer I feel compelled to agonize over my decision, so I am looking all over the web before committing to the little dangles. I think I would be hard-pressed to find anything else as nice in that price range...but I am still considering going up a bit in TCW/


oh! happiness from the smallest thing.

There is a tiny ding on the pin of my snake brooch and I could never figure out if it was a flaw or something intentional... low & behold, in bright light w/loupe last night I finally saw what the "ding was" - a tiny, tiny 0.50mm owl head!
While that is cool, also, the owl has such meaning for me. In Dijon there is the Owl Trail around the city that ends up at the owl - a carving in the stones, which you must touch for good luck. Which I did. Now it turns out that unbeknownst I brought a home a little owl.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! It is Friday!

Marcy, I am sorry yesterday was a day from hell at work. Big hugs to you and I hope today is a good workday.
I think it is best that Marty was completely honest even if it means not getting the promotion at work. If you don't want to relocate to Atlanta it is best to say so up front as he did. Who knows? He still may get the offer for the job because he can always telecommute right? And perhaps make a few trips as necessary to Atlanta while living in Wyoming. He travels now so perhaps it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

Dinner last night sounded yummy as usual. I OTOH had popcorn for dinner. I am a bad girl.

What are your weekend plans? Here it is supposed to be mild.

Scandinavian, I love your pictures. Haha you look beautiful and thank you for sharing. Gorgeous blonde hair. I hope you got your sweet dog's permission to post part of her face here. She has a lovely profile.

I enjoy hearing your travel plans. I have never been to Egypt and like you would be concerned about going there right now. I too find Italy wonderful and some of the smaller cities very romantic. We spent 3 weeks in Italy traveling the whole country from North to South and I absolutely fell in love with Positano. And all the stray animals who live there too. I remember going out in the pouring rain to feed the stray dogs and cats that live there. We stayed at such a romantic hotel there too. Lovely memories. And I also just loved Florence but every place we visited in Italy. Also love the Italian people. So warm and wonderful. I did a lot of damage to my pocketbook shopping in Italy too LOL.

Haha I hear you about not being very good at spreading out your holidays. We have the biggest gap between middle of October and June where we really don't take vacation. All of our vacations are during the better weather months when we can go cycling.

Your weekend plans sound like so much fun minus all the work you might have to do. I hope your sweet baby does amazing during the mock competitions this weekend and that you guys have a great time. Love the mountains and all the fresh air and I am sure your children will enjoy the time with their grandmother while you and your dh (and your dog) can enjoy quality time together this weekend.
I hope the weather will be perfect for your plans!

You are amazing too Scandinavian and it is easy to welcome you here with open arms and a warm heart. You are a lovely person and thank you for sharing your time here with us. Big (((hugs))).


Jimmianne, I hope your sweet rooster is continuing to improve and still waiting on some ear pics.

How cool that the ding on your snake brooch is an owl head and what meaning that has for you! Love that.

And yes I agree as PSers we must agonize over every detail and as you know it took me a while to completely fall in love with the Grace dangles so maybe you just need some time. Though I will add if you want bigger diamonds in your dangles you should go for it. JMO but as a true enabling NIRDI I say go for it. Now is the time. Live in the present and enjoy.

Callie, how is your eye doing this morning? Hope the swelling is all gone and that you see dramatic improvement!

Have a great day girls!

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Missy, yes, I agree that it's somewhat easier to deal with skin issues at a later age - I guess we're just not as self-conscious and don't care as much about what other people think! Although we still do care somewhat ha. I didn't mean to ramble on about my skin, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone in dealing with skin issues. My daughter had acne as a teenager too (and still deals with breakouts at 26) and my experience made me very sympathetic and willing to do all I could to get her through that period. Ironically my son has always had near perfect skin lol - although he has dealt with acne on his back. Ugh, it's always something!!

I definitely do not mind you sharing your thoughts about my situation! I welcome them and I know you have my best interest at heart. I agree that the current arrangement can't continue indefinitely - and I'm tempted to just hire someone myself but having someone come in would be a big adjustment (we had help in when my mother first came home from rehab so I know what's involved) and it would be so much easier if others in the house where supportive of the idea - especially since she'd be coming on days I'm not here. I might have to get my husband and other brother involved, although my brothers are not getting along right now. Not sure how willing my mother would be to doing activities but I agree that having others around would be stimulating for her. There are pros and cons to everything and I'm just trying to sort it all out. Thanks for your good thoughts, I do appreciate them and thanks for bearing with me.

Sorry your new glasses are making you nauseous! My daughter is having issues with her new prescription, she says she feels her perception is off and things look distorted. I hope you can adjust to them soon.

Wow, the replastering job sounds very involved, but how sweet of Greg to do so much! I'm with you, I really dislike having workmen in the house, especially for long periods of time. I hope it all goes smoothly and gets completed as soon as possible.

Marcy, I think a pear pendant would be a great addition to your collection, just sayin'
Sorry you have the issue of clogged pores too - I hear you, I don't think anything totally gets rid of them so I just try to manage them - I wonder if I'll still be breaking out at 80 lol. an 80 year old using clearasil, can you imagine
Having a daily team meeting sounds like a good idea.
I love the pic of your collection! I'm so glad you got the teddy bear thimble, it would be just wrong for you not to have it! And wow, your nil is great at doing clay sculptures, they are adorable! It's hard to do and takes talent, she does a beautiful job.
Good for Marty to sticking to a low carb diet and seeing results! I'm glad he's allowing himself some treats here and there though too, I think it's kind of unrealistic for most people to adhere to a strict diet all the time and having carbs like bread in moderation makes you feel like you're not completely denying yourself. Life is too short for that lol!
I'm with you on the stress eating, I do it too and it's hard to fight it. Oh well, better than drugs or alcohol I guess! How's that for rationalization?
Ugh, sorry to hear about all the stress at work Hang in there, better days are coming and May isn't too far off.
Hmm, interesting development about the new job…just have to wait it out and see what happens I guess, fingers crossed it works out.

LLJsmom, good to hear from you and I'm thinking of you as you start your busy season - text anytime you want, I'm always available lol -Glad Suduko is helping to relieve some stress and provide a little distraction.

Scandinavian, glad you were able to work from home and get a break from your usual routine - something to be said for not having to get dressed and out the door by a certain time!
Your dog sounds so sweet! I know exactly what you mean when you say she is so loving and kind that she seems human! The description reminds me of our yellow lab who we unfortunately lost 5 years ago - that dog just loved everyone, it was impossible not to love him back.
Love the pic of her by the bike, and that's an interesting type of bike, looks like it would be great exercise, but I can understand how it would also be very hard lol!
It's so great that you and your children do a lot of outdoor activities, and it's very cool that they take skiing lessons. Sounds like fun and such good exercise too. I'll bet your 4 year old skis better than I do haha! You are a very attentive and caring mom, caring for young children is hard sometimes and you sound like you are doing a great job raising your kids!
I just looked up Gran Caneria and it's a beautiful place! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time, it's nice to have a trip to look forward to. It will certainly be a change from the snow! Love the pics of the dresses, really lovely and tropical and perfect for your upcoming trip!
Sounds like you have a fun getaway planned for this weekend - I hope your furbaby does well!
Thank you for posting pics of such lovely scenery, I really enjoy them

Jimmianne, sorry to hear about your poor rooster's eye - sounds like you were able to help it, I hope it completely clears up for him.
I know what you mean about being excited when a package is coming, I think the anticipation is the best part! I get excited even if it's just a plain band or something small. Cheers me up.
Sorry to hear about your favorite shop closing! There are a few pawn shops in SC that we pass all the time and I'm going to make an effort to visit them. I'm sure my husband will do this when I suggest it haha.
Love your new bling! The marquise is so pretty but sounds like it's not the one - love the dangles, the stones are beautiful but I hear you on doing a little second-guessing. They're really pretty though and I bet they look lovely on you.
Oh my gosh, the owl on your pin is just the coolest thing! What an amazing find, especially since owls have a special meaning for you. Love this! And the snake pin is gorgeous!

Well, had my hair cut and colored yesterday - went a bit shorter than usual, and of course it looked great when the stylist did it and looks terrible now that I've styled it myself Oh well, the least of my worries I guess

Did my best to catch up, hopefully I didn't miss much! Have a great day everyone!

 

[azstonie]

NIRDI BABES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been awhile since I've sat down and had a good post with you all. The master bath and kitchen remodel that was consuming all of my time and energy is finally underway and there is NOTHING more I can do for it/with it, except to let it go and let our general contractor, Steve, and my DH, Bob, run this thing. I make runs to the bakery and the donut shop as needed, though. I only handle the tres important tasks

 

[azstonie]

Sigh, no idea why the pic is sideways, my apologies.

Scandinavian, I'm in the American Desert, Arizona, so my pics are a true contrast to your beautiful snowy scenes!

Here are the fixtures for the tub. Ho hum. How can such 'little' stuff cost so much.

 

[azstonie]

Here is the shower on its way to completion. The materials are from US Marble company, although its granite (80% granite, 20% binders). I ordered the wall pieces to be much higher than the original builder installed, if you look closely you can see the hole where the shower head comes through. The original shower had the shower head coming out of dry wall, which I wanted to correct.

ETA: You can see the gray-ish line on the wall that shows where the prior shower walls came up to. If the next owner of our house is well over 6' he or she will like the shower, hahahaha.

 

[azstonie]

So the bathroom, the shower walls are "Gray" granite, the base of the shower is "Sierra" which is a darker granite. The tub is a hold-over from our original bathroom, thought I'd best keep it in case a potential buyer wanted it. The new countertops come in on Thursday, the name for it is "Angelic Reef," and its a super pale gray with a white fleck-y thing in it. The sinks are Kohler Memoir rectangular sinks, faucets are "Oxby" and matching towel bars, toilet paper holder for the water closet, and a robe hook for Bob's towel by the shower.

The kitchen is just getting started today. New countertops, new sink, new faucet, couple of new cabinets to replace the builder-installed desk arrangement which was on the end of a cabinet run.

 

[azstonie]

I'm glad we are all basically healthy and chugging along.

The clogged pores, mine started up at around 50, 52, and the dermatologist characterized them as "sebaceous hyperplasia." I stopped any further popping up by using 10% glycolic acid on my temples, forehead and nose, which is where those suckers were popping up. So far, so good I haven't had any new ones. Instead, my mild rosacea "Irish Curse," is getting towards the moderate level which ticks me off greatly. I don't even have a cocktail any more because my face will flush.

Scandinavian, its great to meet you and read your postings here on the NIRDI thread. I had a DNA assay done last year and I have a portion of Scandinavian ancestry but I assumed it was the Viking influence in Ireland---I'm mostly Irish/English/Scottish with a splash of French, German and Scandinavian thrown in.

 

[azstonie]

Jimmianne, the owl hiding on your jewel? Fabulous

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, have a nice time at the training camp this weekend. I am sure your kids will love spending the weekend with grandma. Thank you again for more vacation ideas. I hadn’t thought of the gelato in Rome. Marty has a better chance of getting me there now. Ha! Thanks for looking forward to May with me.

Jimmianne, you never know if we’ll end up in Atlanta. Road trip for Marcy and Jimmianne. Sweet! My dangles are RB and each diamond is .44 ct. I keep thinking of upgrading them to pear diamonds. It is so hard to decide what size is right, huh? At least you can upgrade them with JA. I looked and looked around on your pretty brooch and couldn’t find the owl. Then I scrolled down and there it was. Good eye exercise for me tonight.

Missy, today was the worst day of the week for me but I finally reached the point where all I can do is laugh. I can’t fix it or change it. I am just looking forward to mid May when I’ll be looking for things to do. Marty doesn’t shy from the truth so I am sure his boss appreciated his honesty. Marty talked to another co-worker today who he feels has a good shot at this job too. He asked the guy if he told them he’d move to Atlanta and he also told them no. We were talking tonight if they wanted him to work there 2 weeks a month that would cost them quite a bit of money paying for car rental, plane fair, room and board. If they went that route they may as well give him enough of a raise to compensate for my income and make us move. I told Marty I really like our house so I’d hate to leave it after only being here 3 years. Popcorn for supper sounds great. That might be on my list of things to do this weekend - movie night and popcorn. What are you doing with your mild weather this weekend? I don’t think we have any plans. I need to get my Sirius activated in my car again. Last weekend it was updating the channel list and I shut my car off before it finished. Now I only have the preview channel. I thought of suggesting we go to my favorite jewelry store in Denver but that would cost me money. Are you adjusting to your glasses yet?

Callie, I don’t know what happened with your eye but I hope it is doing better. I keep you and your family in my thoughts and am always sending good thoughts your way.

Junebug, LOL that you mentioned clearasil; I was thinking of trying that again. I like to switch around although I’ve had good luck with Clinque. I agree a nice pear pendant would be a nice addition to my jewelry collection. Now if only I can get Marty to see it our way. I am think my team is already becoming more agreeable to the daily meeting. I make sure and say things like good catch, good job, etc when someone finds a problem and fixes it. I am happy I got the teddy bear thimble. My NIL does really well selling her clay sculptures at craft shows and has a Facebook page that she sells things through. Marty is pretty excited at the progress his workouts and new dietary changes have done for him. He is tracking protein and carbs. He and both agree why waste calories on something you don’t like? Yay for a new haircut and color. I bet in a few days you’ll be able to style your hair just fine. The first few days it seems like my hair doesn’t know what to do.

Kristie, I am so excited to see your post! You are handling the important part of the renovation; providing delicious things like donuts. The delivery from Lowes is impressive. Your bathroom and kitchen are going to look fabulous. I am glad to hear you and Bob are doing good. How long will the renovations take? Marty is probably coming down there in April but I am not going with him. He is dying to play golf.

Marty grilled dead animal entrails and assorted veggies on the grill for supper. Yay for nicer weather.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, yay for a fresh haircut and color. I love a shorter do-it's sassy! The NIRDIs are sassy so it's a perfect fit.
Replastering is pretty much done but now Greg is going to paint. The plasterer was going to do that but Greg needed to leave to get to the beach house so he told the plasterer he would do the painting. I would have liked it to be done by now but I'm not micromanaging (much lol) so letting Greg deal with everything. In fact he just finished the laundry now and early this AM he had to change two of the toilet parts as it was running all through the night. Love having a dh who is so handy and domestic. He really makes life much easier for me!

How is your mom doing? I am sorry your brothers are having some issues with each other. Families. Can be very frustrating.
I know you will figure out the best solution for all of you but I am sorry you are dealing with such a challenging life situation. (((Hugs))).

Thank you for sympathizing with me and I always appreciate your good thoughts and advice. I just bought a few samples to try on my clogged pores and they arrived yesterday. I will keep you all posted as I know Marcy is interested in them too. I got Paula's Choice BHA treatments. In different percentages and forms. Some lotion, some liquid and some expressly for sensitive skin and 1% or 2%. I bought lots of samples lol. I am scared to try them (and as you can imagine I have lots of creams/lotions etc that I never even tried in my repertoire) but I applied a drop of the 1% for sensitive rosacea skin to the side of my nose yesterday late afternoon when we got home from running our errands. So far no irritation so I will cautiously apply later this afternoon again and see if there is any change for the better or worse. I am starting out with the most gentle and seeing how it goes.

Kristie, loving all the pictures and updates. Thank you. Finally you are going to have the kitchen and bathroom of your dreams! I love the brushed nickel btw. Cannot wait for it all to be complete and for you and Bob to be enjoying all the new renovations.
When are you going to drive the flatbed truck?

Marcy, I'm sorry yesterday was another bear (haha bear get it) at work and I hope things calm down for you very soon. As for Marty and his new potential job would you be willing to move to Atlanta if they paid all the costs associated with moving? I thought you didn't want to move but now it seems as if you are open to it. The weather there is definitely an improvement over Wyoming (at least for most of us I think lol) and you would be closer to some of the NIRDIs though further from some too. Tough choice. But it's good to have options.

Yes get that Sirius/XM reactivated. We have a few of the radios and subscriptions to Sirius/XM but we never listen to it anymore. We listen to all our music on Tidal everywhere we go. I workout to it too. I have a few playlists of workout music and I enjoy making my playlists and also Greg makes playlists for me too. This way every song I am listening to I love. Hmm we should probably stop paying our monthly Sirius/XM fee though I think one or 2 of our XM radios are lifetime subscriptions. Really need to check on that and get rid of the waste. I swear we throw out so much money on these things.

I don't even want to add up what we are paying monthly on cable and phone bills for 2 homes. A huge waste since we are not going to the beach house for months and months. Speaking of which the basement is almost done woohoo! Soon Greg just has to get the movers back to move everything back to the basement and he can start on his woodworking shop. Cannot wait. Now I better get another hobby besides PS because he is going to be busy working on his woodworking.


This weekend we have tickets (Sunday) to the broadway show The King and I so looking forward to that and then dinner afterwards. Today probably going to visit one of the animal rescue groups and just stay locally. Not exactly sure yet. What are your plans this weekend? I vote you visit the Denver jewelry store Marcy. As for the glasses LOL I am a bad patient. I have not tried wearing them again since they were delivered. OMG so bad. I only have a few more weeks to try them before I can return them if I don't like them so I don't know why I am procrastinating. Oh yes I do I really hate the necessary adjustment period.

Callie honey (((hugs))) hope you are feeling much better today! Sorry you had to cancel your weekend plans but I hope you have a good weekend anyway and that your eye is completely healed.

Scandinavian, I hope you are enjoying a fantastic weekend with your dh and your sweet dog.

LLJsmom, hey there. Glad work is keeping you interested and hope you have a fun weekend. (((Hugs))).

Jimmianne, what are your weekend plans?

Enjoy your Saturday girls.

 

[MarionC]

Jimmianne, the owl hiding on your jewel? Fabulous

I know!
[off topic: Owl in French is "chouette" [shwet] ... I love saying it. My other favorite word is "malheureusement' ["unfortunately"] which is so poetic even though it's kind of negative. I take every opportunity to use it, malheureusement.
I am learning one word a week and I will be able to speak Frence in a mere 85 years!]
I love good surprises - guess that's why we like rock-hunting : )

I am SO glad to see you back here - and good to know you've been away because of something that will be fun. Construction projects are not for the faint-of-heart. As Missy suggested, you should drive that flatbed. What is the estimated time of completion?

Marcy, the dead animal dinner sounds fabulous better than hurting innocent vegetables! [just making a joke - my Paleo diet is all about MEAT].
It's a pretty bad week when all you can do is laugh, but what a great point to get to, the *I give up this is ridiculous* state of mind.
If you decide to go as far as Atlanta, you might as well move all the way here : )
I think it would be hard to give up a new house, but then again - let's think of ADVENTURE. Eastward!

June, I hope you are enjoying your haircut and having some fun these days!



The marquise is way too small to appreciate, and I think I at least want diamond earrings with individual certificates and maybe 0.15 points larger. I love the hunt and that is the best part. I open the box, say WOW! and then get online to look at diamonds [[[sigh]]]
I did that all morning. ugh. fun but a little obsessive.

So much to say - I will have to write later and say more than hi to you all, but Saturday chores await.
Life is mostly about hay & groceries as far as I can tell.

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls, I'm sorry I have been away so long. I want to thank you girls for the kindness you have shown me the past few months. Your phone calls, texts and good wishes on this thread have meant the world to me and helped me thru some very tough days. Thank you so much for all the emotional support. I have been trying to keep up with the reading the thread and what everyone has been up to.

Missy, I hope you are having a very fun day at the animal rescue. We're you tempted to bring any sweet fur babies home? I'm glad you have such a fun weekend planned. We are having wonderful weather today and hopefully it's headed your way. We need to start shopping for fun spring and summer dresses. I can hear you saying "no, I don't want to put my boots away" I'm sorry work has been rough
For you lately. I hope your friend is doing well. Sometimes people end up much happier in situations like this. I felt awful when they were closing one of the companies I worked for and ended up loving my new job so much more. I'm hoping this happens for your friend. I having a feeling it probably will.

Kristie, I'm so excited about your remodeling project and think you are going to love it. Glad Finn Maggie are adjusting well to all the excitement.

Jimmianne, It's great to see that you are continuing to find and purchase wonderful bling! Thank you for the bling puctures. How cool is the picture of the owl. I hope you have been enjoying the time with your dear daughter. I hope she is feeling better. I'm sure she was thrilled with the generous birthday gift. You are a great mom. I'm sure your love and support mean so much to her.

Marcy, Did Marty know they wanted him to live in Atlanta for the job? Seems strange that they would not post that detail in the job posting. I'm sorry you are having some difficult days at work lately. I can't believe these people who don't completed tasks that are asked for by your boss. Your home made applesauce looks and sounds wonderful.

Junebug, I'm sorry you having family trouble with arrangements for your mom. Hopefully your husband can help your brother see what will be best for all involved. Has your mom been feeling pretty well lately? Have you made any plans to go to the beach house? Sometimes just getting away for a few days can make everything seem so much better. We were trying to get away for this weekend but our plans ended up changing. I think my husband is trying to come up with ideas so I'm not so sad. I feel like I'm not being fair to him lately.

LLJ'smom, I glad you were able to get a good run in this morning. I know how good that makes you feel. I hope you are having a good day today especially because works been so stressful.

Scandinavia, It so nice that you have joined in on the thread. You inspiration pictures for your home are just beautiful. I have loved reading your posts. It's been wonderful hearing about your life, your family and sweet Furbaby. She is beautiful! My husband also had the no dog in the bed rule before we got our little darling. I'm so glad he let go of that rule the first night we brought her home. She is only 7 or 8 pounds so she really doesn't take up much room. I knew you would fit right in here when you said you loved not only bling but also shopping and animals.

 

[Calliecake]

Sharon, I'm so sorry to hear you have come down with shingles. I've heard from friends how painful it can be. I hope you begin to feel better soon.