Now I really did it :((

[Calliecake]

Happy Birthday LLjsmom!!!

Scandi, Please, please don't jinx me!! I have been talking to Adam. That all I'm going to say for now!

Missy, What a cute picture of you and Debbie. When I was six my mom cut my hair in a pixie cut (think Mis Farrow's hair at its shortest). Our neighbor thought I was my brother. It is totally her fault I have never wanted short hair. She scarred me for life.

@PierreBear That diamond is beyond gorgeous. Do you love it??? Did you make a decision? How are you going to set it? I have soooo many questions for you!

@Austina You looked adorable!!!! What a sweet picture.

@marcy, You look so cute in these pictures! I hope the air gets better soon. it must be terrible.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!
I'm at work and I actually have to *work* today! Shock! They should have warned me. Oh wait. I should have warned me. Hmmmmm....
The potential new contractor (number 2 that is) turned up 20 min late this morning. Not a good sign, given that it is the same one that cancelled on Monday. But he did say that they might have an opening for us, so we really don't have much choice by now. We really need to get the house finished!! How else can all you girls come and join us for Christmas???

Pierrebear, OMG I loved reading your blind test! I can almost feel the different stones! I'm happy that you found an OEC you like!! I wish I had your ringsize, I'm a 4.75 I think (European 48mm). That diamond looks so large on you!! Just perfect!! And don't worry! DSS will kick in waaaaay to fast... My wedding band is very wide, so sometimes I have to take it off to combat the DSS emergency... LOL. And I have already told DH that perhaps my studs should have been bigger, and Missy can tell you how much I "fought" about buying them so big

Re dogs and temperatures, We love it at our cabin, and so does the dogs In the morning, it is cold now, about 5 C (41F), or colder, close to 0 C (32F). But in the daytime, we had a last summer day and super nice and sunny mountain weather. About 15 C / 60 F I guess. So so nice! I always turn the heat down a little during the night though, so that I can light a fire in the morning when I get up. Usually 2 hours before the rest of the gang, the dogs want to go outside and then I love to read and drink coffee with them in the sofa by the fireplace. DH works so much, so I try to let him sleep in a little in the weekends LOL. (Or do I just love to have the mornings to myself... ? )

Callie, sorry. Would never jinx you! Unless it made you come here to yell at me... LOL and HUGS! Now there is an idea...

I really love all your children pictures! So so cute, all of you! I looked like a little boy until I turned 3. I only wanted blue clothes and my mother thought that my hair was too thin to be long, so it looked like somebody put a bowl over my head and cut alongside the edges of the bowl... Thank you mommy! My father said the first thing (well, close) I learned to say was "I'm not a boy I'm a girl!!" whenever anyone said "and what is that little boy's name?". Come to think of it, it is all my mother's fault that I have such a short temper...

LLJsmom, I think I'll try that nail polish too! Thanks!

Missy, Sounds like a great weekend! And that ice cream is TDF! OMG it looks good!! Nice that you were able to cycle! You are scary good at those poems of yours! I always loves them, and they are always special and from the heart - but even more - the thing is - you always capture each of us differently. And that is the special part I think. (It would be a little less special if you did the same poem for all of us, I have to admit... ) I have been thinking of that vacuum actually, or at least one that runs on a battery. The one I have now is nice, but has the cord so I get stuck everywhere.. LOL.

Marcy, you were so adorable!! I have forgotten what I wanted to tell you. But would love to hear about your day!

Hugs!

 

[Scandinavian]

Marcy - that was it - sorry! GOOD LUCK on the retinal exam!!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy! Good luck on your retinal evaluation today! I am thinking good thoughts for you and sending bucket loads of healing dust your way. Please contact me and let me know how it went. Since I don't know what time your appointment is I don't want to keep pestering you. *********DUST*********

LOVE your photos from the past. Adorable and OMG LOVE that curly blonde hair. Precious.
Thanks for the info and I received it and am sending it on to Andy and also Greg as I think he is interested too. And me three or is that 4 ? Thanks Marcy!

Callie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Austina I LOVE your photos from the past. You were adorable! Thank you for sharing and yes I agree. Our moms have a lot to answer to that is for sure. I don't blame my dad as I know it was all my mom. I definitely looked like an ugly boy OMG and last night my grade school friend coincidentally texted me old photos of us in 4th grade and it was not pretty hahaha. Luckily I can laugh about it now. And haha yes I can definitely see myself forgetting what year it is soon. I used to think people who couldn't remember their age were full of it but no I see they probably genuinely didn't remember as I sometimes forget how old I am too. I have to keep reminding myself (haha thanks LLJsmom!)I am not a millennial.


PierreBear those are great photos you took of the OECs and haha I love Adam's note to you. It really looks so large on your lovely hand. I am so happy you fell in love with the OEC and I look forward to your setting journey.

Scandi I am glad that contractor showed up at least but yeah 20 minutes late after he canceled the first appointment is not the best sign. Did you check his references? Just because (and I am sure you know this) he said he might be able to start soon doesn't mean he is the one to go with and please please check him and his past customers experiences with him out. I don't want him to take your money and say he will start and delay for 6 months or something like that. Sending you more good luck vibes and thoughts. Hopefully one of these contractors you have interviewed is the right one for this job.

Thank you for the lovely comments re the poem. I try and I also realize I might have missed a few people and I apologize profusely. I don't want to leave anyone out and if I missed someone's birthday here know it was not intentional and I will do my best to not miss anyone else's in the future. Of course for those newer NIRDIs you have to share when your birthdays are.

Have a lovely day girls. I think (haha know I know) it is Wednesday!

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Missy, love your poem for LLJsmom. Glad to hear the fridge seems to be hanging in there. The pics of you and your sister are great, you are both adorable.

Marcy, that is an amazing pic of the moon. Glad the smoke isn't as irritating Now. Love the pics of you as a child, you were such a cutie. Love that curly hair and your little jeans. I'm sending good thoughts for your retinal exam today.

LLJsmom, Happy Birthday, I hope you had a lovely day! I hope it has cooled down for you, wow, those are high temps for that part of the country.

PierreBear, I love the choice you made, it is a gorgeous stone and looks amazing on your hand. You must be so excited. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience, it is fun to live vicariously through you! Any setting ideas yet?

Calliecake, very exciting!

Scandi, good luck with the contractor. So sorry for this headache and I really hope everything can be finished by Christmas. Lol to me doing carpenter work! I couldn't do the actual work but I'd make a great assistant ha.

Austina, aw, what a cute pic of you, you were precious!

Sharon, thinking of you and hoping your knee is improving.

CJ, keeping you and that sweet kitty in my thoughts.

Rainy and humid day here...am heading up to my mother's house in a bit and I hope the rain stops by then. Appraisal today, and Salvation Army tomorrow to take whatever furniture they want - am hoping they take a lot lol.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI NIRDIS:

JuneB--hope the Salvation Army helps you clean house!

PB--those two diamonds you looked at are gorgeous. Another solar eclipse! Congrats.

Scandi: good luck on getting another contractor--unsettling position to be in...waiting on your home to be finished.

Marcy--hope your eyeballs and their connections are cooperating and healing!

Missy--hope your SZ fridge continues to behave.

Our weekend was super busy--at least I skipped the luge and water slide. lol It was fun to be busy and my sister and family are always go go go. My knee is fine for now--but there is definitely something wrong because it just doesn't settle. And not that I squat a lot but that degree of flexion causes pain and that is a new finding. I should go to the University sports injury clinic. Anyway.

Also, I am thinking of applying for another job--back in research. Looking for a change. Lots of opportunity at the University. Off to update my resume and compose a CL.

Shout out to all other NIRDIs.

cheers--Sharon

 

[PierreBear]

Good afternoon NIRIDI ladies! Today was baking day and we made a "genoise a la confiture framboise" which is a fancy way to say a sponge cake with raspberry filing and meringue on top. It was a looonnnggg process and quite honestly I don't know if I would ever do this on my own at home. So it was good to be "pushed" in a class setting. We also made a chocolate buttercream icing on the side. It wasn't used on a product but just needed to learn the concept. Interestingly enough, my biggest mistake of the day was on melting the chocolate chunks. I haven't worked with chocolate often (perhaps I rather just eat it straight from the bar!!), but if you put the heat on too high, it actually won't melt. The milk solids from the chocolate is just evaporating so it never gets silky and smooth and wouldn't incorporate well in an icing. So the lesson is if you are melting chocolate over a double boiler, do it on low think. Think that if you hold a piece of chocolate or put it in your mouth, it melts easily and that's because your body temperature is at 98.6 degrees. Hope ya'll enjoyed my cooking mistake lesson!

The cake my partner and I made. She was a very sweet gal. We are both probably the least experience in the class and took the longest. However, we are proud that the layers showed through!



The instructor's demo cake. Gosh she made the piping look so beautiful and easily done.


@LLJsmom – Thanks for the nail polish tip. I’ve got about 10 colors that I rotate so I’m set on colors. Once it’s time to get some new ones, I’m going to try out the gel couture!

Ohhhh and happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear LLJS momma! Happy birthday to you!

@Austina – You have some good advice, for sure. How about telling me what my purpose in life is too?! Haha… Thanks for assuring me that the size is a good one for my hand. All I really have figured out is that the setting will be in yellow gold and set very low. I still very much enjoy the singlestone setting so at the very minimal, those elements will be incorporated somehow. This is my least favorite part of the project. I rather just try on tons of settings and say yay or nay because I’m just a visual person.

The picture of you holding the ballon is adorable! Look at that ruffle dress!

@marcy – Ohh nooo sorry to hear your eyes burning from the smoke. Hope that the retinal smoke went well. Are you still using the drops?

I have a dyson but not a cordless one so I can’t speak that it specifically. The Dyson I have picks up items pretty well but it is still a pain to carry up and down the stairs. Get it at Bed Bath and Beyond with the 20% discount perhaps?!

Wow, those black and white pictures are classic. I really like the one where ya’ll are all dressed the same. You said your mom made those dresses? Very talented!

@Calliecake – I have so many questions about the ring as well! I mailed both of the diamonds back to already but decided on the L. I’m not a diamond connoisseur and don’t ever plan on owning a loupe. I could tell the difference in beauty between the two stones when they are side by side. However, when it’s set and on my finger where DH and I picked it out together, anything will be beautiful and loved. It was hard for me to justify the price increase when I’m not color sensitive and for slightly “better” faceting. I know someone else will fall in love with the K as it is beautiful and it will be a more ideal fit for them than for myself. Someone perhaps with the name Calliecake??!! : ) The setting part confuses me… I’m wondering if I should incorporate elongated French cuts on the shank instead of the round for the pave. One step at a time though as I’m still finalizing pricing.

@Scandinavian – Awww I’m glad you enjoyed my diamond story. But honestly, I think I can like any OEC you put in front of me. It’s all beautiful to me in a different way. 4.75 is very dainty but if we are talking about switching, I’ll trade you my finger for your blonde hair and the way you look in a bikini! : )

Brrr it is really cold where you are so I would be sitting right next to the file too. What a relaxing way to spend the morning.

@missy – You are so talented with our poem! Hey what happened to the fridge? I’m sorry if I missed the post but I’m assuming that little boy fixed it up right? Hopefully no mess that ya’ll came home to?

@junebug17 – Ok now that I’ve given you the answer, would you have picked the K or the L? The setting part is tricky but sent Adam some notes and will learn from the jeweler what is feasible and what’s not. I guess it’s all about proportions and structures. In general though, since my current e-ring is platinum, I am 100% sure I want to do yellow gold. Also in love with very low settings with open baskets. I still love the SS design but if I wasn’t doing that then a simple 6 or 8 prong solitaire has crossed my mind too. Will keep ya’ll posted but this feels like the hardest part!

Good luck with the appraisal today! Hope it goes well!

@canuk-gal – You are a funny gal. Made me laugh out loud again.

Yikes sorry to hear that the knee isn’t settling. Does that mean you will start to do PT or do you go back into x-rays and diagnosis?

Good luck applying for a new job. Do you mind if I ask what is driving the change? You miss research or something about your current environment you don’t enjoy? I’ve thought about switching industries several times but just didn’t want to start all over again. Hope you find exactly what you are looking for!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies


Aww @ Marcy, look at those curls, what a cutie. I hope the retinal scan went well, and there's been no deterioration in your left eye. The smoke must be awful if it's stinging your eyes . I forgot to respond to your question, but the time difference between us and DS is 6 hours. Enough to play havoc with our sleeping patterns when we visit!

Oh @Calliecake how exciting, I feel like I've been awaiting news of a baby with both you and PB expecting an addition to your bling family

@Scandinavian the temperature here has really dropped too, we love to light the fire when it's cold, there's something about watching the flames dance and listen to the logs crackling. I've heard the GTech AirRam is a very good cordless vacuum, I don't know if you have them there? I'm not a fan of the Dyson rollerball vacs, it's like trying to push a tank around. DS has the cordless stick Dyson, and that picks up quite well. I've had over 20 vacs, and the only one that's lasted with having big hairy dogs, is Henry.

Virtually indestructible, great suction, simple and inexpensive.

I hope the appraisal went well @junebug17

Please get your knee checked out @canuk-gal, don't do what I did, I hobbled around for nearly 2 years thinking it was nothing, as I'd have times when everything was fine, only to discover I'd done major damage Good luck with the job search.

We'll done @PierreBear your cake looks great. Your purpose in life is it live it to the full, laugh, love, be kind and cover yourself in as much bling as you can I can't wait to see how your ring turns out.

Hope you're feeling well @missy and that your recent health concerns have settled down. Lovely words for LLJsmom, so thoughtful and kind of you.

Its getting late here, so I'll say goodnight

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Callie, no jinx going on here but I am patiently waiting to hear all about your chats with Adam. Not that I’m excited or anything.

Scandi, isn’t is annoying that work gets in the way of life? I hope this contractor works out for you.
The temps at your cabin is similar to what it’s like in the mountains around here. It is sure chilly in the morning now like fall is coming. Strange.
That’s funny some of your first words were I’m a girl. Go figure - mine was “that’s mine.” Of course I had older sisters.
I am not sure I can tell you about my day at work - I’d have to use a lot of colorful metaphors. Between my employees and assorted people who provide us our schedules I wanted to do some Gibb’s head slaps or drink heavily when I got home. I did ask Marty when I came in - do we have any Freak Show? I settled for a mini Coke with leftover pizza for supper.

Missy, thanks for spreading around my info. I hope a lot of people enjoy all of my astronomy blathering. I find most of it online anymore. When the club started I typed it up on a word processor and if it was too long for a page I had to delete some of it or try smaller sized type (1 of 2 sizes). Then pictures were clip art that I cut out and taped on the page. That is the olden days, huh?
I am pretty sure most of us would want to forget what we looked like in some of our younger years. I had some year where I wore cat eye glasses. Flashy.

Junebug, is it still raining there? I sure wish all those wildfires could get some rain or snow on them.
I hope the appraisal went well today and great idea to see what the salvation army wants. We contacted Habitat for Humanity and they took as much as they could in 2 trips but they didn’t take enough.

Sharon, oh no your knee isn’t feeling right. I am sending it get better dust.
How exciting to be brushing up your resume to look in to a research job. Good luck!

PierreBear, your cake looks delicious. Since you are cooking with a partner what do you do - cut things in half t take home?
I’m on day 2 of the gel coutre and it’s holding up better than my usual Orly or OPI but there is some chipping off at the end. I’ll let you know how many days it lasts for me.
I think your new diamond will look fabulous in YG. I agree trying on settings is the best way to find what you like. It’s hard to tell from a picture.
I am still using the eye drops and it sounds like I’ll be on them for awhile.
Good idea on the BB&B coupon for a vacuum. Hopefully the name brands aren’t excluded.
Thanks. My mom was a very talented seamstress. Sewing was her prozac and she spent hours sewing. She made all of my clothes until I was out of college and still would make me tops or dresses just for fun.

Austina, those 6 to 9 hours are really rough as time differences. When Marty has been somewhere like that I usually have to correspond by email and maybe talk to him on the weekend. Hong Kong was 11 or 12 hours different and that make it easy to catch up in the morning or evening.
The Henry vac is cute. I don’t think I’ve seen one of those. I agree those ball vacuums are hard to steer.

Thanks for the kind words about my curls as a kid. My mom always gave us perms.

I appreciate everyone’s asking about my eye exam. The optometrist thought my eye has improved. I don’t think it has since the last visit. It looks like the fluid has gone down but I think the vision has slipped a bit. I sent Missy my 3D image from today so she’d know better than me. He wants me to continue using the eye drops with the hope all of the fluid goes away so I am assuming I’ll be on the drops for a while. My new glasses were in today and I couldn’t read the eye chart with them unless I moved my head down and to the left. They are ordering me in new lenses for both my glasses and sunglasses.

It’s pretty smoky again; I can’t imagine how awful it is in Montana and the northwest.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls.

Junie hope the appraisal went well yesterday and that the trip to your mom's house was OK. (((Hugs))).

Marcy woohoo so pleased about your good news. YAY for those eyedrops. I am sorry about how smoky it is everywhere though and hoping that clears up for you guys soon.

Sharon I am sorry your knee isn't quite right and sending more healing vibes your way. Our subzero is not behaving at all and more on that below.

PierreBear your cake looks awesome. Well done! I am very impressed!

Austina thank you and how is everything with you? Those ball vacuums are impossible to steer. I really do love a good cordless

OK so the subzero is broken. I am upset but it isn't the end of the world. Woke up late because I had a tough night's sleep (more on that later) and Greg hadn't checked earlier when he woke up so I went and BAM it was 76 degrees in the fridge. Felt so hot. I know all the food is spoiled. So at the late hour of 8:30 Greg called the fridge repair company who came last week and now they cannot get here till the afternoon. I am aggravated and worried that it isn't possible to fix as I think (just a gut feeling) that the computer inside the fridge is broken. Just feels like something is very wrong with a complex part of the fridge. That's my exciting and unhappy subzero update.

Of course I have a very important errand I must do this afternoon but I am still groggy from just waking up and processing it all. Very tired. Oh and we were woken up at 2:30 AM by our security company at the beach house as the alarm had gone off. Nothing is wrong there but the police had to go and check it out. Fun fun fun.

Have a good day girls!

 

[PierreBear]

Good morning! It was in the 60s this morning over here. It felt glorious and I got the chills when watering some plants this morning. It was a good start to the day also finding a love note from DH. He occasionally gets up earlier than me and writes a message on the post it note. This time it included a drawing of our cat with a talking bubble that said “puurrrrr.” Those drawings always make me smile since it looks like a little kid drew it. Very endearing. I’ve embarrassed him enough today.

@Austina – That Henry200 vacuum is adorable. It’s very similar set up to what our contractor would use when picking up debris. So far the Dyson has lasted quite a while but once it’s time to replace, I think I might consider the Henry as well.

Great purpose statement!

@marcy – Yes it seems like the structure will be a two person team. We also rotate people that we team up with so lucky for them, they don’t get stuck with me the whole semester long! I suppose anything we cook will be split half way though sometimes the instructor asks to save it if they are going to re-use it some ways such as a fundraising bake sale. This time we did have the ability to take the cake home but you have to remember to bring your own Tupperware. I brought two slices for my coworkers for them to share and then 2 slices for DH and myself. Wish ya’ll were closer to help eat things!

I know you are into knitting but are you into making clothes like your mom? I watched Project Runway a couple of times in the past. I always thought they were so talented. Taking a piece of cloth and transforming it into something useful. Let alone something that is custom fit for your own body. What a skill set to learn!

Glad to hear that the fluid has gone down but sorry to hear that the vision hasn’t improved. May your new glasses with new lenses work out better. Go away smoke!!

@missy – Booo … sorry to hear that the fridge is broken. Such a bummer that you brought someone out to fix it but the food still ended up spoiling. Aiyayaya and to hear about the beach house alarm going off. Thankful that nothing was wrong though. Hope your day gets better and that you catch up on your sleep soon!

 

[Scandinavian]

Please see my post in Animals in Therapy for a picture of my day today... LOL

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

I'm so pleased to hear the drops are having some effect and the Opto sees lessening of the fluid build up @marcy. Hope they get the prescription right on your new glasses. Yep, the time difference is hard, on the day we travel, we're up at 6am (midnight in Austin), at the airport 3 hrs pre flight, 10 hours in the air, then approx an hour after getting off the plane, at DS's, so effectively 10pm to us, but we have to stay up till at least 10pm US time, by which time it's 4am the next day to us! I always find it easier flying home, although it's supposed to be easier on the body flying West - I'm just odd

Lots of contractors use Henry @PierreBear because they're so sturdy, the repair guy I used for all my other vacs recommended him to me, told me the only way to kill him is to throw him off a building or suck up water with him He also says he thanks Dyson every day for keeping him in business. The good thing about Henry is its simplicity, no fancy electronics to go wrong, manual rewind, huge bag capacity, long flex and long hose. Can you tell I love him . He has brothers and a sister too




I hope you get the f/f sorted soon @missy, DH has an LG (we do too, ours is 6 years old, his is 2) and so far so good! Thanks for asking, all is well here.

@Scandinavian at your day, you've had a busy day.

I spoke to the jeweller today, he's still on the hunt for a suitable semi mount for my tanzanite, and hopes to have some news for me soon,

Yay, nearly the weekend

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, thanks. I am hoping the eye drops do the trick for me.
Oh no the subzero is broke and your food is spoiled. I hate to hear the alarm went off at the beach house in the middle of the night. That is a heck of a wake up call, huh? Did they find a door open or anything?

PIerreBear, that is so sweet you DH leaves you notes sometimes. Marty leaves me notes usually from one of the rabbits and it’s usually obnoxious not sweet. They do make me laugh though.
That’s good you can pack home a few things if you want to from class. When I took cake decorating classes I didn’t have problems finding someone to eat my cakes.
I can sew but I don’t really like to; I’d rather knit. I occasionally get the urge and will make a top or robe but it’s only every few years. My older sisters are both excellent seamstresses as well. My oldest sister loves to make doll clothes that she sells at craft shows. She has quite a following of repeat customers. My other sister made all of my nieces clothes until they got in to the jeans and t-shirt phase, now that they are grown she probably won’t sew again until she’s a grandmother.
Thanks for the well wishes for my eyes. I can honestly see pretty well using both eyes with my current glasses so even if the new glasses don’t ever get done right I have those to use.
Are you going to have Adam make your ring for you? I’m definitely in the minority here not having an OEC.

Scandi, are the contractors showing up and working yet?

Austina, I sure hope they get the new glasses right for me. This is kind of ridiculous but hey I’m getting lots of free exams for my aggravation.
Your trip sounds like a long day for sure. I think Marty’s longest 2 trips were almost 2 days. The first was getting to Uganda. He went to Denver, DC, Frankfurt, some place in Africa then on to Uganda. He was up about 42 hours to get there. Coming back from Brazil one time he missed his flight which of course meant he missed his connecting flight all because of rioters and protestors. It was when the government raised rates on public buses so rioters were burning cars, blocking streets, etc and he had to get out of a taxi and walk about 5 miles to get to the airport. He even went through the rioters with all of his luggage. They’d point at planes taking off and shake their heads “no”. They even had him chant with them; somewhere on YouTube I am sure there is a clip of some American chanting in the San Palo riots. The airport was so packed that night everyone was sitting on the floor.
I’ll have to look for those Henry vacs here.
I am anxious to hear about your setting for the tanzanite.

Work was way better today. Less aggravating anyway.
I met a friend for lunch so enjoyed getting out of the office.

When I got home tonight there was no Marty, the alarm wasn’t on, all of his toys, watches and electronics were here. I was pretty sure the only logical explanation was aliens kidnapped him but I couldn’t figure out why aliens would want a F150 on their spaceship. I was getting pictures of all of his stuff to put on ebay then he showed up. I guess I won’t try to sell anything just now.

Tomorrow is Friday. Woo hoo!
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Here was the sun this morning. Very red and wavy on the horizon and you can see a few sunspots.

 

[LLJsmom]

@marcy, you are hilarious. Marty got back just in time to save his stuff from being converted to bling. I've been thinking about MRBs recently. I saw a beautifully cut HoF cushion H&A and it made me want an MRB again... Your ACA is stunning, a true classic. Always in style.

@canuk-gal congrats on taking steps to go back to research. You should do it. I bet you will love it. I'm glad your knee is better. They are such sensitive things. It is a good thing you are taking extra care of it.

@Austina your vacuum is so cute and hilarious. My dyson is great, but I am constantly pulling tons of hair out of it. My fault. My hair. I may seriously consider a Henry...

@PierreBear you cake looks amazing! So impressive. And I am so happy for you that you found a stone you love. I can't wait to see the finished product.

I went to back to school night for my son who is a sophomore. Interesting night. Met all his teachers. Came home and had to stay up because my kids are still doing homework. So I decided to paint my nails. And boy, let me say, I have never liked a dark nail polish until now. I'll take a pic and upload it. It's a super dark navy blue. Looks black in some light. But not at all goth black, at least not to me. It makes my hands look paler. OMG. Anything that makes my hands look lighter is good for me. Essie Gel Couture - Caviar Bar.

Good night ladies!

 

[Austina]

Hello from a very wet England.

Our friend's DIL went into labour at 2am, so an anxious wait for the delivery of their little granddaughter today.

@marcy Sounds fair enough to me, if Marty is AWOL for more than 5 minutes, his stuff is fair game. The photo is spectacular, what a colour! It's good to physically go out at lunchtime, otherwise you often don't end up getting a break from work.

It's great to try different colours @LLJsmom , I'm hard on my nails so I do my own gel manicures, I really like black aubergine, but most of the time I have mine red. I'm fortunate that my nails grow really quickly, just as well as don't wear gardening gloves or rubber gloves when I'm cleaning. Hope your daughter is fully recovered now from her surgery.

Hope you've got the contractors sorted now @Scandinavian so you can get on with the house and get it finished.

Your DH is sweet @PierreBear - wait till you've been married nearly 40 years DS was complaining that it's cold there yesterday, 79 degs, that's a heatwave to us, he's well and truly acclimated.

Hope the search for the new f/f is going well @missy

Everything crossed that the house sale is going smoothly @junebug17

To all the other NIRDIs

 

[missy]

Good morning girls. What a crazy couple of days it has been here. I am too tired to go into it all but suffice it to say we were working on this fridge issue till after midnight last night and the saga continues. Greg did pick up an inexpensive frigidaire from Lowes last night at 10PM and managed to get it into his workroom after much effort that involved taking apart the doors of the entrances and also the fridge doors. LOL.

We are delayed in our beach escape waiting in repairman hell and well not sure how this day is going to shape up. One thing I know for sure is nothing will be resolved or fixed today. It is as I predicted not an easy fix and they still aren't sure what is happening. Sigh.

Hi there Marcy, glad all is going smoothly re your eyes and continuing to think good thoughts for you. Glad you got to enjoy lunch out with your friend the other day.

PierreBear hello and still very excited for you!

Callie OMG I am dying. TDF. Cant wait for you to share more with the girls please.

Junie how is it going? How did the appraisal go?

Austina hey there thanks for the good thoughts. Glad all is well by you despite being wet there. Congrats on the birth of your friend's granddaughter!

LLJsmom niiiice nails.

Scandi how's the contractor decision coming?

Sharon how's the knee feeling today? So exciting you are going back into research. Please share more if you are comfortable doing so. What kind of research?

Girls have a good day. Maybe I'll see you later...

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello girls!
My day is contractors looking at our house, reviewing received prices, and checking references. Need to get this done, we leave for a week in the mountains tomorrow! I will probably be off line for a week, might be able to post some pictures. It really is stunning there! Not our mountain, but somewhere else. Have rented a cabin with friends. No plumbing..... LOL. I have bought a new grill to bring with us.
Miss you, hope the repair goes well @missy! And that I may soon buy a Henry @Austina! @marcy, fab picture! @LLJsmom nice nails! I'm so stressed, that is all from me today. SOrry.

 

[PierreBear]

Happy Friday and good morning! I took my normal path to work this morning and didn't realize there was a road closure. Ahhh took twice as long to get to get there. The main highway I get to work is being converted into a toll road so I'll just have to take a different path to get there. But good news is that I've safely arrived and got to check in with my NIRDI ladies! This evening we are doing a social race. It's a 4 person relay race but afterwards it turns into a big party. They serve tacos for dinner and there is an 80s cover band. Should be a good start to the weekend. Hope ya'll have a great one!

@Austina – Ohhh my those additional Henry vacuums are really adorable. I definitely think this will be the next vacuum I’ll try out. I checked out the pricing and it looks like it’s in the same category as Dyson if I remember correctly. I wonder why they don’t sell these type of “professional grade” vacuums at Bed Bath and Beyond. Did you purchase it through Amazon?

40 years of marriage is astounding. Congrats and are ya’ll going to celebrate the big 4.0.? For being married so long did you have a favorite stage of marriage? Perhaps it was pre-kids, raising kids, etc… Would love to hear your experience. My parents unfortunately split up when I was in high school. It was really messy and divided up the family. It’s been a blessing that even though I didn’t have that example set before me that marriage has been so wonderful.

@marcy – Any note that can make you laugh is a good thing. Just curious, why is the reference rabbits? I remember that you would include rabbits with your photos sometimes but they are stuffed animals. Do you have any pet rabbits or is this an inside joke between you and Marty?

Wow to making doll clothes. Must be very intricate and detailed given the size. So neat that your sisters know that craft as well.

Yes, I’m going to ask Adam to give it a try with the setting first. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll consider other vendors. Nothing wrong with being the minority! I wouldn’t turn down a nice, large MRB either! It’s just that I wanted something different from what I currently have and step cuts have an appeal but are too pricey so I headed down the road of an OEC and then really fell in love with them. Your ring is gorgeous and would love to see pics of it with the killer bunnies!

Nice sunrise photos. Those powerlines almost look like cactus/succulent plants to me. Almost can imagine it’s the desert.


@LLJsmom – Thanks for the cake commentary. My apologies but I forgot to chine in on something you mentioned earlier. I would highly recommend taking classes at a community college if you are interested. Beyond culinary, there were also classes such as welding and I even think jewelry making! I’ve been really impressed with the culinary program even at a community college level. It’s very affordable as it’s subsidized and you don’t have to pay for the ingredients which is a plus when you mess up often like me. I think once I get into the retirement phase, I’ll being taking classes all the time!

Nice looking nails! I’ve been wary about wearing dark nail polish too. I also have a dark navy polish that almost looks black. Good time to wear dark colors as the fall/winter is coming!

@missy – Ohhhh bummer. Sorry to hear that it still hasn’t been fixed. I was hoping the open door test was going to show something. One day at a time with repairs. Hey! We are in the same boat… I still have a hole in the ceiling with a flag covering it up. : ) Hope you start feeling more at ease at home and get to cycle this weekend.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Missy: I hope your new fridge works out in the short term. Bummer for the unwanted/unneeded stress. I worked in Ophthalmology research (Glaucoma specifically) for app. 10 years. It was interesting and I enjoyed the people I worked with. I moved on to other work but wouldn't mind doing something academic like that again. Keeps me engaged!

PB: never underestimate the satisfaction of making a good sponge and meringue! I love to bake but don't do as much as I once did.

Austina: Henry and his siblings are adorable.

JuneB: hope your house stuff in moving along (no pun intended!)

LLJS: back to school--so much work for the whole family! Been there. I think your nails look cool.

Scandi: good luck on the new contractors and have a fun vacation.

Hello to everyone else. It was my 32 anniversary yesterday and I forgot. Like I do every year. But my husband bought me a balloon and some champagne. (but he forgot the popcorn! )

cheers--Sharon

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone -

Missy, ugh, so sorry about the aggravation with the fridge - made even more frustrating by not knowing what the problem is. It's a big pain, that's for sure. Glad you were able to get an inexpensive fridge, that will certainly help. I'm thinking you should just head to the beach and deal with it all next week lol.

Sharon, so glad you had a fun weekend with your sister and her family! Sorry your knee is still not quite right, and I hope it's just a matter of needing more time to heal. Applying for a new job sounds exciting and a good way to challenge yourself, and I wish you good luck in finding something that you will enjoy doing. Happy Anniversary and congrats on 32 years!

PierreBear, oh my gosh, your cake looks so delicious and turned out beautifully! I think you and your partner did a fantastic job on such a complicated recipe. Love the note from your dh, so sweet! Great way to start the day. The race and party afterwards sounds like fun, have a great time!

I was leaning towards the L myself! And the price difference is significant so an important factor imo. Yg sounds lovely. Can't wait to see it set and on your hand!

Marcy, I'm glad the fluid is going down but I'm sorry that your eyesight doesn't seem to be quite as good. I hope the new glasses help. Yay for a calm day at work, I wish you more of those. lol to selling Marty's stuff! Very cool pic of the sun, love it.

LLJsmom, love the nail polish color! It looks fabulous. I tend not to wear dark colors because I think it makes my hands look even older and more wrinkly than they are but I love the navy and will try it, and what difference does it make anyway.

Austina, sending lots of good thoughts to your friend's dil and I hope all goes well, a very exciting and special time for your friend. Love Henry, he's cute and good to know he works well.

Scandi, I'm hoping you make progress with the contractor situation, I know how stressful and what a hassle it is. Wishing you a lovely time with your friends, sounds like an adventure and a lot of fun.

Waiting to hear the results of the appraisal. Salvation Army took some things but not much really. Wouldn't take things not specifically listed so we have to reschedule. Worried about a few heavy pieces on the second floor, we're going to list them for free on Craig's list, maybe we'll get lucky. Also got the list of things needed for the CO, what a major pain

I have a lot going on right now so I might not be able to check in very often, and I'm sorry about that - but want you all to know I'm keeping everyone in my thoughts! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

[Scandinavian]

Pierrebear, how are the marathon preparations going? So cool that you are doing this! Can't wait to see you setting /ideas!

 

[PierreBear]

@canuk-gal – What do you like to bake when you do get the chance? It’s nothing fancy but cookies are still a go to for me. You can freeze them and just have hot cookies ready on demand when needed. I thought it was the perfect thing if you have guests that stop by unexpectedly.

Happy anniversary to you! Hope ya’ll celebrate this weekend. 32 years is amazing and cheers to many more years to come.

@junebug17 – Thanks for the commentary on the cake. I can’t remember exactly what we are making next week but something that includes chocolate so that’s a win in my book already.

Ah…. Thanks for sharing the secret that you would have picked the L. I think if the price difference was within $2K, I might have caved but it was a big enough difference especially with our window/ceiling issue.

Good luck to selling things on Craigslist. I use that method too when I don’t want to move things and it’s wonderful to recycle items. In hindsight with some of the heavier items, I should have been more careful watching them/helping them move. We have bamboo floors and they tend to scratch easily. I know some of those scratches were due to craigslist sales. Hopefully ya’ll will get good buyers.

@Scandinavian – good luck with the contractors today. Hope you show us some picture of the mountains. Have fun with your friends and what do you plan on grilling with your new kitchen toy?!

Oh girl, I wish it was just a marathon but it’s a triathlon so there is biking and swimming included. I think as long as I can stay injury free, I’m definitely on the path of finishing. It’s not going to be fast nor pretty, but I’m looking forward to it. The race is actually in Florida in Panama City and quite honestly I’m not sure if hurricane Irma is going to change anything.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, I like that color of polish. I’m on day 5 of my polish and it doesn’t look perfect but certainly doesn’t look bad. I need to find something more mauve than pink but I got the closest one they had. And of course I alway enjoy seeing your gorgeous ring.
Thanks, I am pretty happy with my ACA. I also really like the iciness of colorless diamonds. They are all pretty but colorless MRB call my name.
Ugh to staying up while your cute children are doing their homework.

Austina, oh no to a very wet England. How exciting for your friend welcoming a new granddaughter.
I agree - you snooze you lose. If I can get some bling money by selling some of Marty’s stuff I don’t see the problem with it. He forgets where he puts things too I could play it off for months; I have no idea what you did with that.
Happy Anniversary! What a fabulous milestone to celebrate.

Missy, sorry getting the refrigerator in to Greg’s shop was such a chore. You’ll enjoy having a backup refrigerator there. I hope they can figure out hot to fix your subzero.

PierreBear, I ran in to construction tonight running something down to Marty at the gym. Isn’t it annoying? I’m like - now where do I go? Your race and entertainment tonight sound like a lot of fun and a fabulous way to start off the weekend.
As for the rabbits; Marty and I are easily entertained. 6 years ago now I bought one of the teddy bears that Kays has for Christmas to raise money for St. Jude’s Children hospital. I have always bought one each of what they have and donated them to the hospital. That year the colors on the bear matched our living room so I bought another bear to bring home with me as a Christmas bear. That night the Snuggles talking bear commercial came on and Marty made some comment about that stupid talking bear is why he hates teddy bears. Within about 20 minutes I had the teddy bear bend over, smell Marty’s feet and start coughing. Marty shoved the bear down in the cushion of the couch and said it was “on”. A few weeks later was Christmas and I bought Marty a hand sized Killer Rabbit from Monty Python fame. He loved the movie “The Holy Grail”. I put the little killer rabbit on top of his Christmas stocking. It is built around a clip so his pointy felt teeth can bite on things. The minute Marty saw the rabbit he had the rabbit bite my teddy bear. 6 years later I have at least 2 dozen teddy bears and Marty has 8 killer rabbits. The bear / rabbit fights continue and with Marty working from home I never know what I’ll find when I get home. Again we are easily amused.
I bet Adam can come up with a great setting for you. How exciting to design something. I like the performance of MRB but EC are honestly my favorite shape. When I win the lotto I plan on having one of each shape as a RHR.

Sharon, getting back in to academics sounds like a wonderful idea. I hope you find something you love to do.
Happy 32nd Anniversary to you and your DH. Congratulations!

Junebug, I am hoping my new glasses help too. Maybe they’ll show up again next week.
I hope the appraisal comes back with an acceptable amount. Good luck getting everything picked up or sold. Know I am thinking of you going through this very demanding process. Good luck!

Scandi, I hope the contractors showed up and got something done today.

Work was one of those days I wanted to have several drinks after I got home but of course once I got out of work it wasn’t so bad and I just had ice water. Days like today might inspire me to update my resume and actually work on my Linked Inn profile.
I ran some food and a towel down to Marty at the gym tonight. Maybe it was a ruse to keep my from getting pictures of his stuff to post on ebay. It was pretty smoky with his screen door open so I said “see ya” and came home. I put a pork loin in the oven for him to eat when he gets home. He is leaving for LA tomorrow.

Watching the mass exodus out of Florida on the news. Let’s hope it’s for nothing but I don’t think it’s a bad idea.

I’m getting a hair cut in the morning and need to bake some things for an Alzheimer’s bake sale at work Monday.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Pierre Bear, here are some rabbit / bear pictures.

This one Marty called "Working" that some of his rabbits were helping him work


Here is Killer wearing some of my jewelry


This is what I found one day when I got a text from Marty - I don't know what is going on upstairs but one of your bears really ticked off the Killer Rabbit

 

[marcy]

I told Marty to set the table for supper so he got supper ready for his rabbits.



And a typical day at M&M land the rabbits chewing on the bears


And of course I'm not innocent in these gags - here is one of my bears eating rabbit stew

 

[marcy]

I forgot - the Killer Rabbit is a world traveler. Marty hates selfies but he takes the rabbit with him on trips and has pictures of his from around the world. The coolest was from a full blown military parade in Serbia.



And some more teddy bear abuse

 

[Scandinavian]

Marcy, love your bling bunny!

 

[Scandinavian]

Pierrebear, fingers crossed!!
June, hope everything works out so that you can be finished with all this soon! And come here!
We signed a contractor yesterday for part of the work (outside part), they are beginning next Monday (aka in 9 days), and estimate 8 weeks. So if I can find someone to do the inside too, we are still on for a NIRDI Christmas party!
Missy, how is your weather? Cycling this weekend? Here, freezing and raining. Best combination ever..