Now I really did it :((

[missy]

OMG...this is freaking PRECIOUS.
Dragonlord and Sriracha.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZ7GatH4LC/?taken-by=cats_of_instagram

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

That is far tooooooo cute @missy So glad to hear you're having a lovely weekend, you're sounding more positive today. Way to go on getting back to driving. Wow, it was really windy there Friday, those trees are really bending! Love the photos of your little black panther looking all snuggly

I hope everything goes well this week @junebug17 and both closings are completed without any more stress for you. Even though there must inevitably be memories, happy and sad, I'm sure it'll be a huge relief when it's all done. Thank you for the compliments, I may not have been blessed with good looks, but at least I have good hair

We posted at the same time @Scandinavian, it's lovely to see F, she is indeed rather regal looking sitting on her throne

Hello @jaaron - good spot! It is indeed an induction hob, I love it and think I'd find it hard to go back to cooking on anything else. I'm so sorry to hear you've been going through difficult times, it's often the way that things all come at once. I hope you're fully recovered from pneumonia, it really knocks the stuffing out of you, take care.

I hope Marty and his friend have managed to sort out the RV sale @marcy, everything crossed that it'll soon be concluded. I was always reluctant to go on a cruise, but Colin finally persuaded me a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it. We've done several trips where we had to fly from place to place, and it's so much easier getting on the ship, unpacking, and then drifting towards the next destination. I'm not the best sailor in the world, but I think I've finally found my sea legs as I rarely feel ill now .

Thankfully I haven't had an outbreak of eczema for quite a while (hope I don't jinx it now ) but in the past, when I was really stressed, it was definitely at trigger.

It's an absolutely beautiful day here, we took Dottie to the meadows, she had a lovely splash in the stream, and a good sniff at every blade of grass and plant

We've just cleaned the car inside and out, then came in and had a lemon meringue ice cream

Big wave to all, the NIRDIs, have a lovely day

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jaaron, sorry to hear about the challenges and struggles you’ve been through lately. Glad to hear you are better from the pneumonia. I hate to hear about losing a friend. I hope everything settles down for you soon.

Missy, it is autumn indeed. We have a rainy, cold day. I love all the trees though. I hope PPPD doesn’t show up on your face. When I was getting a lot of hives on my face I had to wrap my hands up in my top sheet so I wouldn’t dig at my face in my sleep. I had scratched my face up pretty bad a few times before I found that worked. The restricted motion woke me up enough that I’d realize what I was doing and not scratch my face. To this day I sleep like that even if I’m not having a bad day of itching. Glad you had a warm day for cycling yesterday and got to enough some of your favorite ice cream. I like denser ice cream too; that is how Coldstone’s ice cream is and I keep thinking I’ll stop and have a dish after work someday. Those deer look pretty tame. Our air base here has a herd of antelope on the base they are so used to people and cars they just ignore you. They have a cushy life on base. Thanks for the hugs! I appreciate it. Thank you for the C&H strips. I always like to read them. Great pictures of the beach and the Miati you found. You mean the trees aren’t always bending over like that in the wind? Hi to HRH who is just waking up for the day in her pictures. Yay for driving while you are out sightseeing.

Junebug, 6mm studs will be a great size. I don’t like them on my ears but I guess going with 5mm studs saves me money. I think some of those safety and making sure things are to code are necessary to get insurance and secure a loan. I understand that . Our last house had to have the stairs that would be going to the basement moved a few inches to meet VA specs. Luckily it was still in the framing stage at the time. Good luck with the upcoming closings. Hang in there and good luck. Sending your smooth sailing dust and big hugs.

Austina, that’s great you tried a cruise and ending up liking it or as you say getting your sea legs. I’d like seeing nothing but ocean around me and really enjoy the stars at night. Good deal you don’t have many outbreaks of eczema these days. I can see where stress could trigger that. It sounds like you had a lovely day. I can see Dottie smelling everything she saw on your outing. Yay for a clean car. Can you come do mine? Lemon meringue ice cream sounds really good.

The weekend is slipping away. The Broncos played poorly against the Bills so the Bill fans are happy now. We are having a chilly, rainy weekend. Marty is in the man cave watching Golf. I turned off football so he’ll probably be back upstairs soon. I ordered pizza for us for lunch / supper. I am making tacos for supper tomorrow night. Between those 2 meals I should have some leftovers for lunch this week and maybe in to next week. Sweet.

Marty and his friend went out to look at the RV. Marty didn’t even go find the salesman to talk to him. It’s definitely not done yet as far as service. The generator is still choking and the flooring hasn’t been replaced yet. Marty and his friend are talking a deal on the side which got my stress level and attention pegged. If it’s not sold by the time Marty heads out a week from Monday it is just going to have to wait. I’m not seeing myself worrying about it that much.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Here is a few Snoopy bits I like

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Monday. I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely weekend.

Austina is it bad all I can think of now is lemon meringue ice cream . OMG I want some.
Haha yes HRH Francesca is a little black panther. How did you know one of our pet names for her? She is tiny but fast and sleek and so so pretty. Thank you for enjoying my photos.

I am glad you enjoyed a lovely weekend and also got to clean out your car inside and out. And that Dottie enjoyed walking and playing in the meadow as well as a refreshing swim. Nicely done.

Marcy I love your Snoopy comics and agree wholeheartedly with both of them. True words one needs to take to heart.
I am sorry you scratched your face so badly at times you needed to bind them when you slept. Ouch and I am glad those days are well past you now. I have never tried Coldstone ice cream but will put it on my to do list when the chance arises. Thanks for that rec. Though I should not be looking for ice cream places LOL being I really need to stay away from dairy. Once in a while OK but not on a regular basis. I am sorry the RV repairs are not yet completed (or perhaps not even started) and I hope that situation is sorted out to your satisfaction very soon. More (((hugs))) being sent your way.

I drove more yesterday and still need help with directions when going through Red Bank to Trader Joes and a few other shopping sites. I can easily get to Costco, Whole Foods and a few of my favorite shopping places so I am feeling pretty confident (atm) though that is with my dh beside me in the car. My problem is spatial perception and of course directional sense. Otherwise I am good.

And I am super excited as I got Nutcracker tickets at the NYCB yesterday for December and woohoo it has been years since we went to the ballet and I have missed it. I am now keen to get tickets to the Met for opera as it has been years that we attended a performance there as well. Prices sure have gone up though and those NYCB tickets were pricey but worth it. Perhaps we need to become members of the NYCB and season ticket holders.

Heading back to NYC today and I am a bit apprehensive. Haven't mentioned the S word for 10 days as we have been enjoying the beach house but yes I have that on my mind as well as other potential issues back in Brooklyn that tend to go awry when we are away so fingers and toes crossed that there is no major issue or disruption to life there when we get back.

Oh and dear Rootbeer made an appearance yesterday. Imagine my surprise as Greg called me over to the dining room window after dinner and lo and behold Rootbeer was gazing in through the window at us. She was on top of the cat feeding station just right up at the window staring at us. She had never gotten that close. And then she hopped onto our side patio furniture (I wish we had put the cushions out there for her but I didn't know she was going to sit there or I would have for sure) and just hung out on the outdoor couch for a while. I managed a photo of her when she was hanging out on the patio. Isn't she beautiful? And I so badly wanted to go outside and take her inside and keep her safe and comfortable but I know she would have bolted. So I resisted the urge to go outside and did not disturb her. But oh what a sweet baby isn't she?




And with that I will bid you all adieu for now. Enjoy the morning girls.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello from the train

New nails today. Nothing Else interesting I think. But my spell check is working against me, so that might cause some fun moments...

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy, how is your skin behaving today? I has a serious attack of DSS today so had to move my rock to my left hand to let is shine alone without the wide wedding band LOL. Glad you are enjoying driving, cars are fun - and they take you shopping - much like a good husband! Except the car refuces to pay - much like a notsogood husband... so remember! No driving without DH's credit card! (Please never use your own LOL).

Hugs to Rootbeer! And HRH of course!

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy, how is your skin behaving today? I has a serious attack of DSS today so had to move my rock to my left hand to let is shine alone without the wide wedding band LOL. Glad you are enjoying driving, cars are fun - and they take you shopping - much like a good husband! Except the car refuces to pay - much like a notsogood husband... so remember! No driving without DH's credit card! (Please never use your own LOL).

Hugs to Rootbeer! And HRH of course!

 

[Scandinavian]

June, 6mm studs sounds lovely! Anyone you are looking at? I need to be a good girl until the house is finished, so would love to live through you Estate stuf moving forward? Sounds like it at least

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Awwww Rootbeer looks very sweet @missy no wonder you wanted to take her in. I'll stop mentioning ice cream so you don't get cravings

Well done on the driving, it's like riding a bike. I have Google maps on my phone, which I can use offline, so I've downloaded the map for Orlando in preparation for next week. I haven't driven there for years, so will need it to get us from the airport to the house

Lovely to have something to look forward to. It'll definitely be worth looking at becoming season ticket holders, we found the preferential rates paid for membership at our local theatre in no time.

Hopefully you've arrived back without any problems awaiting you.

Lovely nails @Scandinavian - hope work on the house is progressing well.
I'm at you having DSS when you have that boulder on your finger.

To the RV people not getting things done yet, hopefully it won't put your potential buyer off @marcy. If I come and clean your car, it'll be the most expensive detailing it's ever had

Cruising is very sociable, and we have made some good friends, plus we love the trivia quizzes, not to mention the food oink, oink!

Have a great day

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy, The Nutcracker in December is always magical!

Marcy, oh no re RV! And LOL to turning off football! A private sale to a friend would stress me too! Do you see the stars from where you live or too much city lighting? We can see them pretty perfectly, the upside of country living LOL.

Jaaron, OMG and so sorry for your summer!! That is just too much stress. Especially re dogs. I'm not good at dealing with such things re my furbabies. Here is a picture of T:



And of F

 

[PierreBear]

Good morning NIRDIs! Hope everyone had a great weekend. On Friday, we dropped off a baby meal to friend and saw their new baby, who just quietly slept the whole time. I held the baby for a good 30 minutes and she didn’t cry! I was nervous and still only hold babies sitting down on the couch. Haha…

We tried out a new restaurant this past weekend for date night. It was a hybrid blend of Japanese/BBQ. Only in Texas right? It was decent but not something I would repeat. It had a tapas shared plate philosophy. Thought it was overpriced for food that wasn’t memorable. Perhaps my standards are a bit different after visiting Asian countries but I firmly believe that those type of meals can be delicious and inexpensive! Fun to try out a new place regardless though!

I have a minor update on the house. As mentioned, we think it’s the windows that are causing the ceiling leakage and the manufacturer finally set a date for the technician to come…. It’s been almost 2 weeks of waiting but they will be doing a 6 to 8 hour test this upcoming Thursday! Who knows what they will be doing but hope that they will figure out a solution and even take care of the costs. Prayers please! After we get that resolved, I’m so eager to start tiling out our kitchen walls and to fix that ceiling hole. The tiles have been picked out and are sitting in the garage. Just need to get this window resolved soon. I’m feeling much better that at least a date has been picked.

OK well that’s it for now! Just wanted to check and catch up a bit. Hope everyone has a great day!

@marcy – Sorry to hear that Marty’s bicep still isn’t doing well. But I think taking the month of October as a break from sitting for the exam is something well needed.

Nice to know that the pizza crust recipe is simple. I found something similar on pinterest and will let you know if I try it out!

Hope the RV progress still continues.

@missy – Thanks for sharing the tree pictures. It was a beautiful tree. I can’t help but notice that Greg is still in his cycling gear. After we ride on Sunday, my DH also continues his “workout” and usually does yard work at that time. It usually means he’s pushing the lawn mower in this bike apparel.

I’m so bummed to hear about your pigmented issue spreading!!! I’m hoping there will be no spreading that the dermatologist has news to help resolve it. I’m glad you are able to vent and share with us. Hugs hugs hugs! I feel like there isn’t much I can say to help you feel at peace with this but I wanted to affirm that you are beautiful, inside and out.

Congrats on picking up tickets to the ballet! I haven’t been to one before and wonder if I would enjoy it. I do like some musicals so I feel that it is a similar art to enjoy. I did indulge in a guilty pleasure this past weekend and was surprised that DH enjoyed it too. We watched the new Beauty and the Beast movie/musical as it came out on Netflix. I wanted to keep the old animation intact in my mind and didn’t want to rewatch the remake but it was actually really enjoyable. I guess it just brings me back to my childhood.

@Scandinavian – LOL, your dog sure does know how to lounge on that chair! Adorable!

That nail color looks great on you! I was a bit distracted by your beautiful and large and in charge e-ring though. : )

@Austina – Glad you got to check out that cruise line and get some insider information.

Wow that carrot and coriander soup looks delicious! Fresh herbs eh? I wish I was better about that instead of relying on the dried ones. Yum Yum!

Ohh lemon meringue ice cream? I haven’t heard of such thing. Home made?

@jaaron – Hello! Sorry about the chaotic time but hope you are feeling better. Go away pneumonia!

@junebug17 – Good news that the cake didn’t go to waste. Had a girls night that week and everyone ended up eating it.

Good luck on the 2 upcoming house closings. Hey, are you sure you aren’t a relator as your side job. : )

 

[Scandinavian]

Austina!
You beat me to posting to you! Should have done you first! I would love to hear some more about cruising one day when you have the time!! We are thinking about doing acruise maybe next year - have never been to the Caribbean so might do a cruise there.... Google map is great Oh, and you are gorgeous, not just your hair!

 

[Scandinavian]

Pierrebear, oh now you too! I keep getting the order of you girls wrong today LOL! Tons of good luck re the roof! Wonder what they will do for so long! My ring looks a lot smaller next to my fat and wide wedding band, LOL. Food here is always expensive, so I'm always surpriced if it is also good... hahaha.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, glad to hear you enjoyed my Snoopy posts. I love Snoopy. I doubt Coldstone is as good as Days but then until you try we’ll never know. How fun you practiced driving some more. I am right there with you on spatial perception - that’s how I got my nickname Curby. Ooh have fun at the Nutcracker. I saw our local performance of that when my friend was dancing in it. It was cool. Hi Rootbeer. Nice of her to stop say and say hello. I hope your S was working well when you got home.

Scandi, your diamond is huge and gorgeous. Pretty nail polish. I told Marty that is why I don’t want thick bands with my ering - it makes my diamond look smaller. I like my Tiffany band with my ering best and he keeps saying I should get another Tiffany band and have my diamond mounted on it. That would be 8mm of bands though and I think that is too much and my diamond would look small. I am sure the stars are way better there but they honestly aren’t horrid in our town. It’s not a huge town but of course there are lots of lights. I can pick out the Milky Way but it may be that I know where to look. Luckily I can get in really dark skies in 10-20 minutes - maybe 5 if Marty is driving. Awe. Cute fur babies

Austina, that’s great you have season tickets for the theater. We go to an occasional show at our civic center but don’t have season tickets. That would be an expensive trip just to come detail my car. It needs it though.

Pierre Bear, cool you got to hold the baby for 30 minutes without having her cry. My oldest niece used to scream bloody murder if I picked her up. I should go remind her of that. Japanese / BBQ does sound like quite the combo. Sorry it wasn’t excellent. I hope they figure out why your windows are leaking. Definitely let me know if you like the pizza dough recipe you find. I think it is easy to make and better than a mix.

Long day at work and I’ve been logged in tonight since about 7 pm. Joy. I just logged off now.

I have another retinal exam in the morning.

I made Marty a list of things he needs to do while he is home. Talking to the RV guy is number 2 on the list (right after turn in your expenses for the last 2 trips). He got his windshield replaced today; it had tape on it when I got home so naturally I said “they must not have done a good job is they had to tape it in place”. He said I was a flake. He calls me that frequently. Strange.

I made tacos for supper. One of my favorites. I am cooking a roast in the crock pot tomorrow. I have to plan meals with Marty in town.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Scandi THUD! Your diamond looks delicious on its own though I will add I love it with your band as well. How about a family (diamond) photo? Good food is expensive here but usually quite delicious. Though you can enjoy less expensive food here but generally with me being super picky I tend to gravitate to the more expensive restaurants for my choosy palate. Plus atmosphere is important to me as it is part of the dining experience.

How is the house reno going? Looking forward to the day you say we are done and it is perfect! And looking forward to photos. Hug sweet F and T please.

PierreBear good job with holding the baby. Thanks for the Netflix rec of Beauty and the Beast. Will check that out. I bet you would love the ballet. It is very athletic and very beautiful and graceful. I think you would completely get and appreciate it. \
That sounds like an interesting meal you had the other day. Japanese BBQ. Very intriguing.

Sending you good vibes for the house repair and the 8 hour test this Thursday. I hope this once and for all diagnoses the correct problem and that the solution is an easy and complete fix. Fingers crossed.

Good luck with your ironman competition coming up in November. LOL I am just exhausted when I read how much you endure with your training but super impressed with your abilities and endeavors. Enjoy your training and enjoy the pursuit. The pursuit of goals brings true joy IMO and you are doing it right girl!

Marcy good luck with your retinal check this morning! Please let me know how it goes.
Wow you had a long workday yesterday and I hope today is a lighter load.
Sorry you have to plan meals again this week but woohoo Marty is home. And now he can do your "honey do" list. Gotta love our handy men. Yummm to tacos.

Austina yes to enjoying being season ticket holders to the theater. We used to have a membership to the Philharmonic and I miss that so will look into what memberships we might be interested in joining. My problem is I love it all. Broadway, opera, ballet, classical you name it I love it LOL. Yay Orlando trip is coming up very soon. You will have a marvelous time. Is your son joining you?

I am getting together with an old friend today for lunch. She is driving in from Long Island to see me. I am looking forward to it despite the heat. Summer is hanging on that is for sure.
Have a good day girls!

 

[missy]

PierreBear! I forgot to reply to your question about my over the knee boots. I know I am sort of late as that was a few weeks ago at least but I was just deleting photos off my phone as I have way too many and remembered your question when I came across these 2 pics. Here you go. Better late than never right? With my memory I am surprised I ever remember anything asked from more than a minute ago.

First up my favorite pair because they are blue and that is my favorite color. Stuart Weitzman 50/50 blue suede. I have two pairs of the blue suede 50/50 and a few other blue suede SW in different styles. All over the knee though.



and here is my longest OTK boot. Goes mid thigh. The Lowland. All my OTK boots are flat as in no or very low heels. I prefer flat to low heels with all footwear and especially with OTK boots.



I cannot wait for the weather to cool off a bit so I can start wearing these again! I did sneak wearing it during the Labor Day shore party because that was an unseasonably cool day but that was one of the only times I wore them in the past few months...c'mon autumn cooler weather.
My boots need me.


Does anybody else have some of their favorite boot photos to share? I would love to see some of the NIRDIs favorite boot wear.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

We have just returned from the cinema, saw Victoria and Abdul, and loved it. Beautifully acted and Dame Judi was perfect as Victoria. We thought we were going to be the only people there, eventually there were 10 of us It was lovely, no annoying phones, people munching or talking, which is why we prefer the matinees.

Good news that you have a date for the testing @PierreBear , hopefully they'll find the source of the leak and fix it, so you can get on with the tiling. What tiles have you chosen for your kitchen? Good job on not dropping the baby. I always find it strange that people think you want to hold their baby . I saw Beauty and the Beast on the flight to Austin in June, and like you, I remembered the Disney version, but thought this was very good.

I love your 'kinky' boots @missy especially in suede, you certainly have the figure to carry them off! I hope you've had a lovely lunch and catch up with your friend. Yes, our son and his g/f will be joining us in Orlando, we arrive next Wednesday and they'll join us on Friday. We have all the big rides pre-booked at the theme parks

How did the retinal scan go @marcy, hopefully well with no deterioration? I'm sorry your work is always so stressful, I certainly don't miss working, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from screaming at times hope there's good news on the RV.


Love the pictures of the poochies @Scandinavian , they certainly look content.

With regards to cruising, we have been going on Caribbean cruises in Jan/Feb for the last few years. The most important thing is to find a cruiseline that will cater for your needs. By that, I mean, if you're going as a couple, your choice will be quite different to that of a family. We specifically chose a cruiseline that has absolutely no facilities for children. We have not been on Royal Caribbean, but I understand they have excellent facilities for children. They tend to be very large ships, with several thousand passengers, something else we avoid.

The Caribbean ports are all very similar, so itinerary wise, that is less important than your choice of cruiseline (unless there're places you specifically want to visit). We go to get some winter sun, enjoy the company of fellow travellers, relax and eat! Then of course, as we are in the US, we tack on a visit to our son. If I can help in any way, please just ask.

Big wave out to all the NIRDI's

 

[PierreBear]

Hi Ladies! Hope everyone is doing well. I’m a bit nervous for my coworker who is getting some kidney stones removed this upcoming Thursday. She has multiple stones and has to go through surgery as the other options aren’t viable for severe situations. She’s a wonderful lady but she is in her 70s and am hoping her body can recover.

Other than that, things are decent in my world except I had a minor kitchen accident yesterday. Was slicing a big watermelon in half and mistakenly had a glass tupperwear next to it. So once the watermelon split open, it pushed the glass container off of the kitchen island and onto the tile floors. Surprised to see so much glass just everywhere… even behind the fridge and multiple feet away. Only got a minor cut on my foot and made sure the cat didn’t walk through it. Got it all cleaned up before DH came home. Oh tried making swordfish for the first time. It was on sale at the local grocery store. Will have to say that I was not a fan…. Perhaps it’s the way it was prepared but I did it the same way we would cook salmon or tuna. The meat was more rubbery. Eh… don’t think I’ll be repurchasing.

OK well hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

@marcy – Good luck with the retinal exam. Way to go wife Marcy on making Marty a list. We have a white board where we list groceries and other to dos. I write things out that DH needs to take care of. Surprisingly, it bothers him when things are on the list too long so it’s a good system for us.

@Scandinavian – How is the house project? Are you just working on your own home or do you help others design/create as well? Good luck!

@missy – Thanks for the house window vibes. The weather predicts that there might be some showers that day. Not sure if that would help the technician with their test or set them back. I’m just going to go with the flow and hope there is a resolution.

Hope you have fun with your friend!

Oohhh thanks for sharing more boot photos. I’ve always steered away from suede. Love the material but I don’t think I understand how to maintain it as I’ve heard that water can easily damage it? You look super sexy with the mid thigh boots! It’s still too hot over here to bring out the boots. I have those old school Steve Madden boots that all the girls used to wear and still have them. I also have the classic Frye boots and a pair of Madewell boots. Will take some photos once the weather calls for it!

 

[PierreBear]

@Austina - ooooppss sorry I missed your post. Now you know my secret that I draft up my response in a Word document and then copy and paste over to PS. I didn't refresh my browser and left for a lunch meeting so my apologies! We are going for a white marble type look in the kitchen. It has been a very confusing process but after looking at samples and multiple pinterest examples, I think the attached photo might be close to the end result we are going for but a bit lighter with more white in it. At first we wanted to do white marble with gray veins but it seemed to look a bit too busy. Learned that we like some variation in background color. So it should look similar to the photo below but larger and longer tiles... I think we purchased 12 by 3 which should look good as it's a fairly big wall that we are covering in the kitchen.

Fun to hear about your cruise adventures. I've never been on one before. Do you ever get sea sick? Is the highlight relaxing on the actual cruise or the ports that you get to visit? Any cruise vacations planned for 2017 or maybe next year?

 

[Austina]

That's going to look great @PierreBear. You're right about the veining looking too busy, the variations in the tones will give a good contrast and add interest to the wall.

When we first started cruising, we thought it would be better to go from Southampton (no flying) but after horrendous weather in the Bay of Biscay, we decided we'd rather fly to pick up the cruise. It's taken about 8-9 cruises to find my sea legs, but even in the Caribbean this year, we had rough seas and I felt sick. Usually it's pretty calm. The thing we like about cruising is that once onboard, you unpack and you're done. We've done several big trips where we've had to fly from place to place every few days, and that's hard work. We enjoy visiting different countries, (I've been to 61 so far ) but if you stay in hotels, you rarely speak to other people. On the ship it's very sociable, the food is good, there's entertainment, so it really is the whole package for us.

Our next cruise is in January 2018, and we'll be visiting Colombia, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, St Vincent, Martinique, St Kitts and St Barts. All new ports to us apart from St Barts.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

No pictures of boots--but speaking of the same I took my old (and dearly cherished) Ralph Lauren riding boots in for resuscitation. They are coming apart at the soles and need some TLC. I know they are on their way out but I cannot deal with that thought!

Our Fall weather is sublime and I did an 8K ride today. Did ALL the steep hills without fail or stopping! My knee seems to be OK for now. I thought about hitting the pool as well but my eczema is flaring.

Enjoy your cruise Austina. I am not a cruiser, but my family likes them. That said, small ship night suit me. I mean one just for me!

Marcy hope your cruiser (RV) gets on its way--out of your way.

PB--I admire your training and fortitude to do an Ironman competition. Any competition for that matter.

JuneB--hope your house stuff gets settled and you can take a breather.

Shout out to all NIRDIS!

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, how fun to meet up with an old friend for lunch today. Sorry it is so hot there but it’s nice that summer is hanging on. I remember those pictures of you in some of your favorite boots. They look great on you and very warm.

Austina, the movie sounds great and don’t you love it when the movie theatre is pretty much empty? I can certainly understand why you don’t miss work. I know I wouldn’t miss the headaches I have at work. Trust me I scream sometimes in my head. Or mumble a few colorful metaphors. January and February is usually when my in-laws go on their cruises. It’s a good break in the winter. I have a friend at work who loves the river boat cruises. He says since they are smaller you get great service. They’ve done quite a few in Europe. Wow to visiting 61 countries. That is awesome! Your cruise next year sounds great.

PierreBear, I hope your friend’s surgery goes well. Oh no to breaking glass all over the floor. Anything like that can really scatter when it shatters. I hate to hear you cut your foot and I hope the wound is very minimal and you get better quickly. Sorry you didn’t like the swordfish. That’s nice your DH doesn’t like his to do list to be long. I usually title my lists “honey ignore list” because if he does then I got what I asked for and it’s less aggravating. We use an app called Bring to keep all of our shopping lists on; we can both update it which makes it nice. I do my draft in Pages and it works well too. I think that is great coloring for your kitchen tiles.

Sharon, oh no that your favorite boots are on their way out. That’s great you had a nice long ride and your knee is doing okay. Darn that the eczema flared up. I hope it gets better soon. A personal cruiser does sound great.

Thank you ladies for the good wishes on the RV and retinal exam. No news on the RV and Marty is so busy with conference calls all day he didn’t even have time to eat lunch. Darn. My eye exam went well. He says he sees improvement again. My vision overall in the left eye is better. I still have the distortion and dark area but it’s not dominant.

Our roast beef was pretty good tonight. Marty baked us potatoes and I made up a plate of veggies to go with it. Now I have leftovers for sandwiches.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Austina Your travel adventures sound exciting and I love hearing about your trips. I used to enjoy traveling very much (except for the air travel which I always abhorred).

I have gone on many cruises when I was younger (with my family when I was pre adolescent and a teenager and also as an adult with friends) and I loved them. But it has been well over 20 years (Alaska Cruise 1995 was my last one on the maiden voyage of Holland America's MS Ryndam) and I would love to take one again at some point in the future. It's a wonderful way to travel IMO. No packing and unpacking when you visit different places. Everything right there for you as you travel and sightsee. I was very picky about the cruise however and always traveled on the best lines at that time. I think cruising was more formal in those days as there were usually 3 black tie nights and you always dressed nicely for dinner even on the non formal evenings.

I always put 1/4 to 1/2 a scopolamine patch behind my ear to prevent seasickness as I tend to get motion sick easily and that seemed to do the trick...not sure if they still offer that option as I remember at the time it had just returned to market after previously falling out of favor with the medical community but I just don't remember why. I just know I always used the scopolamine patch and it helped immensely.

We were always the youngest people cruising but that wouldn't be the case anymore. In fact that is rarely the case anywhere anymore LOL.

I look forward to hearing all about your upcoming cruise adventures this winter. Who knows perhaps it will incentivize me to plan a cruise vacation of our own. As soon as I find reliable kitty sitters that is.


PierreBear oh no to your kitchen accident. That is definitely a "missyhap" as in something I would and have done. I am relieved you are basically OK though and relieved none of the fur babies were injured.

Very pretty tile PB. When we renovate our beach kitchen I have decided we are going with (a not too busy or veiny) marble for the countertops and island. I wasn't sure last year but have decided definitely now yes. At first I wasn't sure I would like the gray of the white marble with the white cabinets but I have decided now I am a fan of the white with the gray.

We are not going to be afraid of staining it either. It's the kitchen and we will enjoy it and bake and cook and yes spill and it will be OK. I love marble and I want genuine marble countertops. I think it will look smashing (poor choice of words sorry lol) with the cabinets I want. Shaker white wood. And probably a pretty blue/green backslash but not sure about that yet. And wood floors in the kitchen. Cannot wait to destroy that beach kitchen lol.

I hope your friend's surgery goes well. Greg had the same surgery and it went fairly smoothly though he did suffer a complication with the catheter but he came through just fine despite that issue. Sending her lots of healing and good luck dust for a successful outcome and easy surgery.

I am not a swordfish fan. It is too thick for my taste and I agree can have a rubbery consistency. Good for you for trying new things though! If you ever get the opportunity to try fresh (as in caught that day and grilled right away) bluefish please do. If prepared correctly it is just scrumptious. Grilled simply with olive oil and add lemon afterwards if you like lemon. Just yummy. Course I am leaning towards going vegan now and I know that will be challenging as I did it years ago for a decade and the hardest thing is if your partner isn't eating vegan too. And restaurants are challenging because unless you go to vegan restaurants you won't be able to get sufficient protein etc. So I might be a mainly vegan partly pescetarian for when we eat out. Seems more reasonable.

Speaking of vegan here was my lunch yesterday. My friend and I went to my fave vegan restaurant near me called the V spot. We both got my favorite dish-Portobello mushroom salad dish. OMG their "fake" cheese is so amazingly yummy. I cannot even describe how delicious it is. In fact I am making myself hungry again talking about the delicious meal haha. We had a lovely visit and it is always so nice to catch up in person with old friends.





Sharon oh no I am sorry about your favorite pair of boots and I feel you. I hope it can be saved at least for another season. I have been known to do what is necessary to bring back to life my favorite coats and boots. To the extreme so I get it. In fact I still have my mom's red A line peacoat from 1972 and I have had that thing relined more than 6 times and other miscellaneous repairs to it. When you love something you love it and sometimes there is no substitute.

And I'm with you again on preferring a cruise just for me (and perhaps my dh lol). But I am not super social generally though I can be if the mood strikes. Most often my friends and I while cruising would choose a table at meals just for us.

Glad your knee is doing well but sorry about your eczema flare. Have you tried this cream? Wild Naturals Manuka Honey Healing Moisturizer Cream.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HGG9KLQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1
I bought this for Greg and he loves it and it has calmed his eczema to a point where he rarely needs his topical steroids for it anymore.

Marcy woohoo so relieved your eye is doing well and that your vision is improving!
Yumm to baked potatoes and veggies. And glad you enjoyed the roast beef too.
I wish we could send some of our hot weather your way Marcy. OMG it is hot again today for late September. I don't mind it too much though as I am not a fan of the extreme cold that winter can (and usually does) bring. I am very much hoping for a nice autumn and mild winter for us all. Fingers crossed.

Junie hope your week is going well and you are feeling good. Thinking of you.

Have a lovely day girls. I am considering (if it isn't too hot in the apartment) starting my decluttering project today. Though I get overwhelmed just thinking of all I need to do to get rid of all the stuff I have accumulated and the fact that we are leaving Friday for almost 3 weeks at the beach house makes me reluctant to start as I loathe leaving a project midway. I like to start and finish in one fell swoop and don't like leaving a project midway. However we will not be here for a few weeks starting Friday and this is a project that will take me weeks to complete so I would like to at least start. Though leaving it partly done might be more stressful for me. LOL ignore my inner musings and ramblings please.

Enjoy this "hump"day and see you ladies later.

 

[missy]

LOL I clearly have too much time on my hands...or should I say wrist...

Thanks to my dh and HRH for making these photos possible.


Staging the set in between my dh doing the bed linen laundry this AM.



Lights, camera, action




HRH ready for her closeup



Not gonna lie. She can be a diva this one. A royal pain in the crown at times especially when we are filming. And her demands for kitty caviar in between shoots. And only the most expensive champagne will do. Exhausting.










However when the shoot was through she shows her true colors...of love and adoration. Completely mutual I can assure you.








No animals or "bling" were harmed during the filming of this production.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

I don't blame the pusskats for only wanting the best @missy, one has standards that need to be maintained I always refer to Dottie as our princess.

We cruise with Oceania cruise line, they have small ships that carry a max of 685 passengers, and the 2 larger ships, a max of 1250. It never feels crowded, and although they advertise their dress code as 'country club casual', we always dress for dinner. It's part of the experience for us and we've met some lovely people we're still in touch with. We don't actually mind sharing some meals with others, it's a good way to meet people.
.
I can almost guarantee that you'd be youngsters, it's rare that I'm not the youngest guest . I've tried various sea sickness remedies, the only one that works knocks me out till the seas have calmed.

Exciting plans for your kitchen, I'm a big fan of light cabinets so much brighter than the dark wood that seems to be prevalent where DS lives. It'll look beautiful when it's done.

Good news on the scan @marcy, do you feel an improvement? We've done a few river cruises, the Nile and the Yangtze (before the dam was completed) and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. We did a Rhine cruise a few years ago and didn't really enjoy it that much. It was rather 'tame' compared to the sea cruises.

Yum to the toast beef, we always have roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings (yorkies) with ours

Hi @canuk-gal I hope your boots are refurbishable (if that's a word) comfy boots are harder to find than comfy shoes. Glad your knee is holding up so you can enjoy your cycling.

Sending good thoughts to your co-worker @PierreBear I understand kidney stones are extremely painful to pass, and hers must be very large if they're having to be surgically removed. Hope your cut foot is feeling better today.

Lots to do before next week, so I'm working my way through things.

Have a great day all.

 

[PierreBear]

Hello beautiful ladies! It has been and will continue to be a busy day. Baking class and today we were working on chocolates. Ohhhh my gosh. I will not take for granted how much work goes into making chocolates. We used molds and did a filling with ganache. Chocolate is a pain.in.the.butt! If the mixture gets too hot, it’s too liquidy to pipe the filling. If it mixture gets too cold, it’s too solid to pipe the filling. Your whole station gets messy and then onto your hands and attire. Why they have us wear a white uniform? I don’t know! Hahaha… but all in all, it was fun but a very frustrating day that I would never do at home. I’ll gladly fork out the money to just buy fancy chocolates. Had a minor issue with a student today in class. Usually you and your partner make a product and split it. Since it was chocolates, we all just put everything on a sheet try to admire and taste. When the instructor said we were allowed to take items home, everyone was just jumping in and being a bit too greedy about taking home chocolates. I get it! It’s chocolate and we all act a bit insane. However, I went to grab my plastic bag to get ready to take some home while another student was just hording the chocolates first and then waiting to get his storage container later. It’s ok though! I probably didn’t need to eat them anyhow but was wanting to share with some of my coworkers. People are nuts sometime.



This evening DH and his work team are going to play laser tag and spouses are invited. I wasn’t planning on going but the invitation had a picture of cats shooting out lasers. Can’t turn that down right? Bunch of adults running around shooting at each other? Haha… work events. At least it’s not a themed one where you have to dress up. I bet a few of ya’ll have stories on going to your DH’s work parties?

OK have a good one!

@Austina – Wow 8 to 9 cruises to find your cruise legs. You are a patient lady. I get “motion sickness” when flying long distance (10 + hour flights) so I can only imagine how you might have felt during those first couple of rides. Glad that it is an enjoyable way to go on a holiday now! Your 2018 adventures sound like a blast. Have you been to those places before or are you adding on to the 61 countries list? Can’t wait to see the pictures!

@canuk-gal – Glad that you were able to ride without your knee telling you to hold back. We did a casual Sunday ride last weekend and it was more hill work. I’ll have to say that I don’t have my climbing legs anymore. They disappeared when we were focusing on tri bike riding. How funny it is for the muscles to so quickly forget the skills we were trying to enhance. Hope your eczema gets better! I’ve got some patches on my legs so I can relate.

@marcy – LOL… “honey ignore list.” You are hilarious. Way to be organized using apps. I feel quite inept with technology and go with my old school post it notes method. Only down fall is that they don’t always stick to my shopping cart all the time.

I’m glad your eye exam went well. Hurray on left eye improvement. What is the next step on the eyes though? Keep using those drops even with the side effects?

Yummmm on the roast beef. Good idea on using it for sandwiches!

@missy – Thanks again for the tip on the bluefish. I remember the pictures you shared recently with Greg grilling away and then putting it over salad. I don’t think I’ve seen it at my local grocery store but if I get daring enough, I might allow myself to do some Central Market or Whole Foods shopping for the upcoming holidays.

Yum… look at those hearty Portobello mushrooms. Looks delicious and fresh! Glad you had a wonderful with your friend.

Oohh good luck on your kitchen renovations. When are you going to start? Glad you have a beautiful plan for how it will look. Sounds like it will be a great end product.

Good luck on your decluttering project. I’m thinking all your cats are sitting on the boxes or things you are considering throwing out. Haha.. at least that’s what my cat would do. Not helpful but so cute!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, that’s nice you enjoyed several cruises and find it a great way to travel. Marty may talk me in to going on a cruise sometime. It sounds like your lunch was quite delicious. I am glad I can see a little better but I think I am fighting a losing battle. At the end of any day the scar is still going to be there. I love baked potatoes and raw veggies. I’d have them every day. I hope it cools off a little there. I love fall weather. Sadly we get lots of wind then (more than normal). Decluttering is not a fun chore but doesn’t it feel great when you are done? I like to approach big tasks like that one thing at a time. I swear our back spare bedroom needs totally cleaned out. That is my where shall I put this spot? I love your pictures of HRH and bling. They are fabulous.

Austina, I remembered the name of the cruise line the guy at work takes - it’s Viking. It sounds like you have had quite a few nice cruises. My eye doesn’t really hurt so that is a relief. Good luck getting everything done this week.

PierreBear, making chocolates or candy takes quite a bit of work but they are certainly delicious. I used to help a friend of mine make caramels and wrap them when they were done. We tried dipping them in chocolate once but decided that was more work and the caramels were fine the way they were. That is too bad one of the students got so greedy about taking home chocolates. Some people. I hope you had fun playing laser tag. I seriously used to get irritated when I wrote up a Honey Do List and it doesn’t get done so I found a way to amuse myself and hope some of those chores get done. Marty isn’t lazy and will get done what needs to be done but he’ll put off doing stuff he doesn’t like to do for a long, long time. I used to tape my shopping list on the handle on my cart. It never failed that I’d lost my list half way through the store. I like having it on my phone. I am not sure on my eye. I was talking to Marty last night that initially the eye doctor just said well theres nothing we can do. Then I went back the next day and asked a few more questions and came away with the same answer. The next week Marty talked to him and told him I was worried about failing my driver’s test and all of a sudden he wants to do a 3D retinal scan. If I needed monitored why didn’t he decide that on the first 2 visits? Based on what he shows me as the fluid in my retina; why didn’t he see that or mention it after the first image was taken? Yesterday he said I’d be on the drops and coming in for a long time. I might look for a retinal specialist and see what they say. I do worry about taking those drops since the pill form of that family broke me out in a rash to bad from head to toe I looked like I had severe burns and I itched so bad it was unbearable. I may as well use our decent insurance while I have it.

I made myself a quesadilla for supper with leftover taco stuff. I bake it on 200 in the oven and it was perfect by the time I had the dishes done. Woo hoo. Easy Supper.

Marty did go out and talk to the RV guy yesterday and I guess the RV will be ready by the end of the week. They haven’t found many things that need fixed. The guy who wants to buy it wants to leave town with it on the 6th so maybe it will all be done by next week sometime. In spite of the fact I told the guy multiple times the RV is on consignment and he has to buy it from them - Marty had to tell his friend you have to talk to the dealer about buying it. They guys wife is going to staple down the split flooring and cover it with a rug. That will save us about a thousand dollars. Woo hoo!!! If all goes well I’ll be Marcy no RV next week.

Ha Ha. I sent out an excel template to my employees today and told them they have to track their errors and bring their list to our one on ones. They have to look for patterns and figure out how to eliminate them. I said hopefully in a few months you won’t have anything on this list. Luckily my most likely to complain loud and long employee was out of the office today and the other 4 seemed okay with it. I presented it as help me help you and we aren’t in a bubble anymore; the less errors we make that other people find the better we look.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Austina your cruising sounds lovely and really looking forward to hearing all about your upcoming adventures. I cannot believe we would still be the youngest on the cruise but I wouldn't hate that. What I found I did on a lot of the cruises I went on was skip some of the meals or otherwise I would gain 30 lbs on the cruise. LOL I tend to gain a lot of weight on vacation despite being super active on vacation and eating too much is the culprit for me and at this age any weight I gain is so much harder to lose. When Greg and I went to Italy we both gained over 10 lbs (I know this because stupidly we had our annual physical scheduled for the week after we got back!) and it wasn't too difficult to lose but that was decades ago so cannot let that happen again. I don't mind gaining some weight as hey its vacation but it's gotta be less than impossible to get back into shape when we return...

I always preferred the lighter kitchens before it became super popular but Greg was adamant about not getting a white kitchen when we gut renovated our Brooklyn apartment in 2003/4 so finally all these years later I am going to get my white dream kitchen at the beach house. However no date is set. We were planning to do it last year but I got cold feet because we have some issues at the beach in the kitchen. Namely ceiling beams and a big old brick wall. Still haven't decided what we are doing but one thing I can say for sure is I refuse to spend hundreds of thousands to renovate the kitchen and that means we have to leave some structural things as is so I won't be able to get exactly what I want but I think it will be good enough. Keep repeating to myself "Perfect is the enemy of good"

Are you packing for your Orlando trip? How long will you be there? What sights/adventures do you have planned while you are there?

PierreBear OMG Chocolate. Wow. Boo to your fellow classmates bad behavior. Share and share alike. Very rude. I hope you were able to get some chocolate treats to bring home and that your dh got to enjoy them as well. Good going and how pretty and more importantly YUMMMMmmmmmm. What a mess and yes better to do make them at someone else's place LOL. If I was making chocolates I would add Peanut Butter. Chocolate and Peanut Butter is simply divine. Speaking of chocolates I tried a new perfume yesterday and OMG it smells just like its name. Montale Chocolate Greedy. I thought I would love it but guess what? Turns out I don't want to smell like chocolate. LOL. Not much damage done as I only spent a few dollars on the sample. Live and learn. While I love smelling chocolate I don't want to smell like chocolate.

Not sure when we are doing the beach kitchen reno. Will definitely do it off season i.e. winter and I think we might be too late for this winter and the good contractors are booked up already but maybe if I get an energy spurt will look into it in the upcoming weeks.

How did the laser tag go last night? Was it fun? Does it hurt when you get hit? I bruise up if anything touches me more than gently LOL. Any photos?

How's your training going? I think you have a century run/bike ride planned this weekend but I am fuzzy on the details. Good luck and keep us posted. I am living vicariously (your athletic feats since I am a hopeless klutz and very unathletic in every way) through you PB! And thanks for the good luck wishes.
Sending good wishes to your friend for her upcoming kidney stone surgery. Fingers crossed it goes well.

Marcy I see what you are saying but no, it isn't a losing battle. If you can stop the progression you are fine. I know it is affecting your vision but hopefully minimally and it doesn't affect your quality of life. So continued healing vibes. You are being proactive and in good hands so hoping for the best.

Yes it gets very windy here in autumn too. I have no more decent hair days to look forward to till next Spring. And soon I will have to cycle with my face mask on...what I do for cycling.

Yes it feels good to declutter. I managed to clean out 2 drawers in my dining room antique dresser armoire (or whatever you call this piece) and that took me over 2 hours LOL. But it feels good they are uncluttered now. I have a long way to go but Greg calls it the swiss cheese approach and it will work. We are leaving here tomorrow for a few weeks but I will pick up where I left off in November as all of my October schedule is pretty filled with plans already. Thank you for enjoying HRH's photos.

Yay for the RV being ready soon and fingers crossed your friend purchases it and you will be free of the RV very soon.

Glad your most annoying and vocal employee was not at work yesterday and hope your excel template incentivizes them to do their job in the best possible way.
Yay for easy and delicious suppers and hope you have a good day at work today.

So we have some guys coming today to replace our radiator steam traps. They are coming this morning I think around 10:30 AM. And then I will work out and hopefully finish decluttering the antique dresser in the dining room.

Have a good day girls!

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone - as predicted this week has turned out to be hectic and stressful so just popping in quickly to say hello -

Missy, 3 weeks at the beach sounds great! Love the video, so cute! Adorable pics of the kitties, and I thought I spoiled Zoe lol! And Rootbeer is such a sweetie. Glad to hear the driving is going well. Congrats on the Nutcracker tickets! Something to look forward to.

Austina, your cruises sound like a lot of fun! I've only been on one - a Disney cruise when the kids were young. I enjoyed it. My bil and his wife went on a Viking cruise recently and they absolutely loved it.

Marcy, I'm glad your eyesight is holding steady, and was even a bit improved. I know this continues to be a worry for you, and I'm sending lots of support and hugs to you. So glad the RV sale is moving along and I do hope this is all resolved by next week.

PB, those chocolates look delicious! sorry about the annoying fellow student, I guess chocolate brings out the worst in some people lol. I hope the test goes well today and this leak issue can finally be taken care of. Sorry about the broken glass, I hate when that happens, the glass ends up everywhere. Love the tiles you've chosen, really pretty.

Scandi, your ring is amazing!!! Thank you so much for the eye candy, it is a joy to look at your gorgeous diamond. I will probably order studs from Blue Nile, will keep you posted. Great pics of of F and T, so sweet.

Sharon, I hope your boots can be saved! So glad you had a good ride without your knee giving you trouble. Sorry about the eczema though, that is a tough thing to deal with.

Ok, better head out - I am hanging in there, there's still lots to do - condo closing is Monday, house closing is Tuesday - Have to finish up clearing out the house and help my brother move at the same time - it's going to be really crazy between now and Tuesday and I'm doing my best to stay calm but not always succeeding. Dealing with these 2 transactions at the same time has been very challenging.

Hope everyone has a great day!