shape
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Now I really did it :((

Hi NIRDI’s!

Austina, I hope you had a lovely birthday and are enjoying your visit with Adam and Kim. I like that you planted ligustrum over Billy’s ashes so you can have a memorial / memory to him in your life. I bet it’s hot there; I am not looking forward to Arizona’s temperatures in another week. Stay cool. I would say Karl and the Puppy should plot against Marty because he “plays” with both of them as he puts it. Ha Ha. It does sound like Bob had an inkling about things ahead of time. That is certainly a very tough decision for anyone to make on putting their loved one in a home. My mom was always adamant about not being in a home and if my dad hadn’t taken care of her and things she should have been in one for at least her last year. It was so hard on him taking care of her so I feel both sides are heartbreaking and neither option is a comforting choice. Oh no for being locked out. I love the response to the question if you dog barked. Make those strangers think about trying something. I like having the doorbell ringing out phone; if it’s not someone I know I say something like we are eating I can’t come to the door now. That is too bad Kim’s family are being bossy about wedding plans. Both of our families had a few try that on us and we both told them to back off - this is our wedding and we’ll plan it the way we want. That brisket looks delicious. Our friends have a smoker and love it. I swear Adam and Kim have the same countertop we have.

Junebug, are you still having fun with your lettering? I need to get my knitting back out. I put it up 2 weeks ago when the cleaning lady was coming and haven’t worked on it since. She is coming back again tomorrow. Glad you like how your hair color turned out; darn the cut wasn’t as good as you hoped. Does it look better a few days later? The nice thing about hair is it does grow out. I think it would be rewarding to work with rescues but also could be emotionally draining. You’ll know what is right though. Have a nice time in Vermont and South Carolina.

Missy, I totally enjoyed hearing the story again of how you adopted Francesca, Bobby and Tommy. I remember you mentioning some of that before but it is so wonderful to know you made such a difference to them giving them a comfortable home and loved them with your whole heart. I hope to have time this week to mess with populating some letters with bling. I am almost done with my weekend chores now and it’s a few minutes before noon. Sweet. Gorgeous sunset picture. Our sunset was an intense orange with a touch of pink last night (pad color ha ha). We didn’t have lights on in the house since we were watching a movie but I could see the color glow through the shade on the door and shutters in the den. It was rather unusual but nice to see. Greg certainly does a wonderful job at squeezing everything in on those busy days. Dave’s ice cream looks fabulous. After Friday everyone is moved. This coming week will be interesting to see how they adapt to life in the cube farm. I hope you didn’t get any hail. Sweet to over 2000 miles - that is the diameter of the moon. Cute new feral kitty. My heart goes out to you dealing with your loss of sweet Francesca; it makes everything harder to deal with or focus on. It certainly it a case of one step at a time whether it be forward or back. Big hugs to you!

AV, sorry you are so busy with 2 bits of work. Good Luck!!! I like to set small goals then so it feels like I am making progress.

Kate, woo hoo for stocking up on adult beverages and food. You’ve gat that generator; cute Autie. Life is good. Hopefully you enjoyed working with those ladies back at HP. My last job I worked closely with other people and I generally enjoyed it and we all got our work done as well. I think I just have the team of misfit toys; they need to find inner peace and happiness before they’ll be able to join the rest of the world.

Mamabean, I hate to hear about your neighbor’s accident but so glad she had a safe care that saved her life. She’ll be very sore for a while but tell her I am wishing her a speedy recovery. I believe Volvo’s are rated very high on safety. They aren’t very fancy inside (or at least they weren’t when we looked at them) but they are very reliable and safe. I hope you figure out the leak without tearing out the deck. Thank you about my view. They are building more houses behind us that will be cutting off some of my distant view but until they are done I won’t know how much. I sure hope I can still enjoy the sunrise and see stars peaking out my window in the morning. I totally chuckled about standing outside the gym twirling weights like they do tax signs. Yes, we have those kind of signs around here too. I’d probably bonk myself in the face or something. I’d be thrilled if Groucho handed in her notice. Bailey is a cutie and I love his ears.

Callie, I hope that kidney stone has passed by now and you are no longer in pain. Ouch! You poor thing. Sending hugs your way. You are so right about how much joy and love furbabies bring to your life. Marty had a cat when he moved here and was living with his grandparents initially. He grandma didn’t like him having a cat but his grandfather latched on to that cat and absolutely loved having him around. They were inseparable. That is so scary about smelling smoke; I am glad nothing was on fire. My new group is great; both of those ladies have great work ethics. They get along well but know when to leave each other alone. I am glad when you worked in a room with other ladies you all got along. It makes a huge difference for sure.

Scandi, hoping your mom’s tests come soon with answers to get her feeling well again. That is rather scary about that guy. It’s sad things like that happens. We are in a new area and had a lot of construction theft going on. Our street is full now but they are building more behind us so I am sure drive by thefts will pick up again. Sometime took an entire trailer full of tools a few years ago. The remodeling on the gym is coming along. Marty picked up some more weights and things yesterday. He continues to be anxious and excited. I am like you and try not to think about sad things then something puts you right back there. I think I avoided dealing with my parent’s death so successfully it make it harder in the long run. Glad to hear you got a security system. Too funny about setting off the system at school. Planning a party for a 1000 does sound like a challenge. We used to plan on 200 for our star party but after doing it for over 20 years we had it down to a science. That’s nice your furbabies protect you. When we were kids we had a lab that protected us kids so much if my mom had to spank one or us or get after us for something she’d have to shut him in a room first. I guess he’d even nudge us away from the edge of the yard.

We've had a busy weekend. Yesterday was our 28th anniversary. We went to Denver and picked up some weights, a bench and a weight tree for Marty's gym. We stopped in Fort Collins on the way home to eat at our favorite steak house including their delicious chicken fingers as an appetizer and peanut butter pie for dessert. We rented 2 movies last night to watch complete with chez M&M popcorn. Do we know how to live it up or what???? I also have the July astronomy newsletter ready to post. I lifted already this morning. Marty went to our friend’s picnic and I ordered in a pizza. Off to fold my last batch of laundry and get the table cloth in the dryer.

Take care. Have a fabulous day.
Marcy
 
@missy I guess it's when living starts to become tolerable that we start to live.. and thank you Missy, you bring out my caring thoughts ways of living. Big plans afoot? I will wait to see what you guys are doing! How are YOU feeling physically Missy? I hope okay and a few new pix of Bubbalah! ALWAYS makes me cheery and I love her rainbows.. Michael called early this mornng and Autie was watching my face on the phone screen as Mike was talking Missy and she SMILED! and then John started talking and time went on a bit and then back to Autumn and she sees me and she starts to CRY! I then told her that her Grandpa and her Nanny were going to buy her a pony! So Mike says "Mom, I'm going to court to get hold of your estate, you guys are nuts!" (he was kidding, John's brother had to go to court to become the trustee of John's parents estate because they both became demented at the same time, as I have mentioned tons I'm sure).. I'm sorry you have so many food issues but I'm glad you can maintain your weight through smart, good eating, some foods (like tomato sauce) really do a number on my stomach.. don't eat spaghetti much here :) .. Hope your weekend has been fun and send you love Missy, ooddles of it. PS our electricity went out yesterday and I had the please generator START! it did, it was only out for about 10 minutes but it is reassuring to have the generator.

@Scandinavian Hi Scandi! my dog Salley is my pix.. We have had Salley almost 4 years. My beautiful Daisy died in August 2013. We moved to Maine in May of 14, I couldn't bring myself to even look at a dog, it was too painful Scandi.. so finally in September of 15 I decided if I can't have my baby Daisy that I will get a rescue, an old dog, a black old dog beause I read black dogs aer very difficult to home since they look mean, on Salley's pen area at the shelter it said: No good with other dogs, not good with cats, not good for small children, I found her on the web actually, so John and I had a trip planned somewhere and we were gone 3 weeks and when I came back and looked Salley was still there so we talked and said, let's take a chance, they had pulled some of her teeth, neutered her, and she had been at a foster home to learn manners :) they said she was between 6-10 years old, so we will have her 4 years in September so I would venture she was closer to 6 than 10. So as time goes on, Salley LOVES other dogs, Salley LOVES cats, SALLEY LOVES LOVES little children, Salley loves everyone and she is also a big chicken and hardly barks, she is not Daisy, but she is our Salley, I feel very lucky to be her furMOM! and I love her. So thank you so much for asking Scandi, thank you! xo PS: we have cameras in our home and an alarm system but we are getting rid of the monitoring company because they want US to pay 1K to have some piece of equipment upgraded to 5G, we 3K a few years ago and enough it enough, we think it should be free, but we have the cameras and still the in home system. Not sure what we will do, but I think since we are going to move back to Austin I'm not planning on any big trips to I might just leave it as it is..

@Austina Hi Austina! I asked Mike if he'd had much rain in Austin and he said about what you said! Mike smokes his brisket too, in Texas we do as the Texans do, and I gotta say girl, his brisket looks perfect! it looks yummy! all you need are potato salad, beans and rolls and some barbecue sauce and girl you ARE TEXAN! :) It was lovely that your son and future DIL want you in their life and take care of you, you DID an excellent job Austina, I know sometimes it's often a feeing of "I did a crappy job" but you didn't and I didn't either!.. Have a good week! xo

@Calliecake how are you feeling? xoxo

@Mamabean OH MY GOSH Bailey is perfect and those ears? Bailey is perfect.. have a good week Joanne, sending you love!

@marcy hope your Sunday has gone well and you have a great Monday.

Raining here right now, which is good, our grass needs the water.

Have good weeks girls! xo NIRDIs
 
Kate, that is good both you and Missy have a generator. It wouldn't be a bad investment for us either. Nice that yours is easy to start. The one we had in the RV was hard to start after not being used all winter but once the cobwebs were blown out it worked all summer. How cute Autie smiled when she saw you. She knows her grandma loves her. I totally enjoyed your story about Salley - I LOVE happy endings.

Marty is playing with his new toys.
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@missy, I totally understand how difficult it was to go to Brooklyn and how it brought back a fresh set memories of Francesca. Seeing things that remind you of your sweet furbaby is a very hard thing. I'm very sorry you're feeling so down and sad. Hopefully you and Greg can get out for a short ride at some point, just to get some fresh air and a little distraction. (((Hugs)))

Such a sweet little kitty, love her <3

@Calliecake, I'm sorry you had to deal with all that commotion and stress, and that the kidney stone is causing you so much pain. What an awful thing to have to go through, and I really hope it passes soon. Please take care of yourself and take the meds if you need them. (((Hugs))). I hope you felt ok this weekend and were able to get out and do something fun.

@Scandinavian, that was a really scary experience and I'm just glad they left without causing any more trouble. How awful for you. I can't believe they actually expected you to let them into the house. I love dogs too LOL! Maybe someday. Great idea to take a mini vacation, it will be fun for everyone to get away for a few days.

@Mamabean, what a frightening experience you had on that plane. I don't blame you for having a stiff drink! Yes, I was surprised by the the slot machines too; Vegas is very unique, that's for sure. Bailey is SO precious! Love that sweet face. :love:

@Tekate, I'll bet your gyros were delicious. I didn't used to overpack for trips but now I do...I can't decide what to take so I just take everything. Love your story about how you got Salley, she is a sweetheart and very lucky to have you as her fur mama!

@Austina, so sorry you're having trouble with the time change and I hope you adjust soon. It feels terrible to be so off. I think I have the same counter as Adam too haha! The brisket turned out beautifully. It really is very touching and sweet that Adam is willing to take care of you and Colin. He is such a good person, and you definitely had a hand in that and did a great job raising your wonderful son! Xxx.

@marcy, I'm still enjoying fooling around with the lettering...I guess I'm getting a little better but it's hard! It's a good distraction, and kind of relaxing. Not sure what I'll do with this particular skill though lol. I was painting there for a while and then just stopped. I lose interest in things so quickly, ugh. Happy Anniversary!!! You celebrated perfectly...food and watching movies, two of my favorite things. I'm glad you guys enjoyed a nice dinner out. Wow, love Marty's toys...Christmas in July! (Or late June lol)

@AV_, thinking of you and hoping you're not working too hard!

DS stopped by today and we watched another episode of Broadchurch. Dh and I went for a long walk, watched a little golf, and made dinner. Pretty uneventful but a nice day.

Hope everyone has a good start to their week! Xox
 
Good morning girls! Please excuse my brief replies. Lots going on right now and I don't have a lot of energy but want you all to know I read every single thing you write here and sending you all so much love and many hugs.

@junebug17 so glad your week is off to a good start and got to enjoy a nice long walk with your dh and got to watch Broadchurch with your DS. A perfect day. Thank you for your good wishes. XOXO.

@Scandinavian hope you and your family are enjoying a few days away and that your mom is continuing to do well. XOXO

@Tekate how funny your power went out as well but yay for our generators starting. Whew. I love your sharing about Salley. What a sweet baby. And speaking of sweet babies awww Autie is precious precious precious.:kiss2: Glad you are getting much needed rain.

@Calliecake honey I hope that darn stone passes very soon and that you are in no more pain.

@marcy happy 28th anniversary! What sweet toys Marty has. Yay for you lifting and having a wonderful anniversary weekend. Thank you for the hugs. (((HUGS))) to you too my dear.

@Austina that brisket looks tasty and that is from someone who doesn't eat meat. Hope all enjoy it and you continue to have a lovely visit. Keeping your friend Shirley in my thoughts.

@Mamabean Oh my goodness Bailey is a LOVE.:kiss2:

@AV_ hope your week is off to a wonderful start.

@Slick1 woohoo summer finally begins and your first full week of vacation. Enjoy!

We had a good ride yesterday and somehow managed to accomplish everything and ride and get Days ice cream. Yay. And today we are riding too and Greg will manage his afternoon conference calls on the road and do his evening work call at home. Perfect compromise. Fingers crossed it works out OK because doing calls on the road can be tricky. But if anyone can do it Greg can.:kiss:

Ice cream yesterday

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My newest brooch...a bicycle. Got it Saturday in the mail and wore it yesterday as we were riding.

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Fred hanging out with us last night

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I love how he crosses his paws.:kiss2:

Want to wish a very special birthday to our dear friend @CJ2008. Love you dear girl. Happy Birthday!!!

Have a Marvelous Monday girls!
 
Hi all! :wavey:
Yes, summer vacation finally. Of course, this lady knows how to do her summer breaks...NOT! I had a few Dr visits and preventative check ups lapse this past year, so getting them done! Surgery #4 for this crap is next week. Anxious again.... :sick:
@missy Sorry to hear a lot is going on with you. I love your new pin and hope you are feeling more at peace. The new kitty is so cute and you are so kind to help them as you and Greg do. I am sorry the trip home made you sad and nostalgic. It will get easier. ((Hugs)) :kiss2: Glad you have been biking and the ice cream as always looks yummy!
@Tekate your granddaughter is just too cute! :love: How are you feeling? How much are you adoring and appreciating your new ring!? It’s simply fabulous. SO happy for you!
@Calliecake I hope you are feeling better and have passed those stones. Eek I have heard they are so painful and I am sorry you are going through this. :oops2:
@Mamabean hi! Hope you are well! I’m not holding out bling. At least nothing really worth mentioning. I was looking for a 2mm Tiffany plat/rose gold Lucida band and it was recently discontinued. I dragged my feet...well I put out a WTB post on PS and yielded great results. Redwood had one. I have quite a few of her bands as our fingers are the same size. :lol: Fortuitous for me as she has great taste. How are you enjoying your new ring and how is the reset going? I wonder if you knew that DK made a similar setting for me about five years ago...can’t wait to see it!

How are the rest of the NIRDIs? I apologize in advance for not being able to keep up. DH is off with me now so we will stay busy with day trips, vacation, Dr appts, and household things. Wish me luck that this fourth surgery is successful and my last for this terrible infection.

Hugs to all! Hi @AV_ , @junebug17 I love your new (?) band I saw recently. @marcy I hope you’re enjoying your summer. You and hubby are very committed to working out. Good for you guys! I walk daily but wish I could do more. @Scandinavian you’ll feel much better with the security system. It gives me peace of mind.
If I missed anyone I am sorry. Off to get things done. Finally! Now that I feel as close to myself as I have in fourteen months. :pray:
 
@Austina I did work with the Island of Misfit Toys at IBM for sure!! haha.. wish I had thought of it back then. Autumn.. she's perfect, lucky me.. how did the brisket taste? Hope you are surviving the heat as it's even hot here in Maine. xo

@Slick1 I am so happy to read you feel better! boy makes me feel better. I feel okay Slick, we shall see though, I'm due to try one more implant.. fingers crossed.. if not then my dentist will figure something out. and then no more implants, ever. Happy Summer Teach!!! xoxoxo

@CJ2008 Happy Birthday! many more..

@missy a beautiful day here girl, hope it's beautiful in Jersey too.. Missy love the pin, it's sooo cool.. Your boy Fred looks majestic! and happy.. Hi Fred! I so hope Greg is bearing up well Missy, sometimes (and this sounds sooo sexist) men don't show their pain because they think they should be strong, Greg is unique in (to me) that he seems very confident as who is GREG, but I feel him so much too.. Love you both.. ice cream! yum.. have a good week Missy, I'll be back but just wanted you to know I wear your pain in my heart too, having been there.. xoxoxo

@Calliecake hey how are you? have lost that damn kidney stone? I feel so for you, when my sister had hers she thought delivering her two kids was easier.. take it easy, damn why don't they just laser these things out? Hope you are having a good Monday Callie girl.. xoxoxo

@marcy May Neggy Nan quit! it's a monday, it's a new work week, maybe? wishful thinking.. hope the weather is gorgeous where you are Marcy girl xoxoxo

@Mamabean Hello sweet lady happy Monday, I don't know which house you are at? but I hope you are having a swell Monday.. how's everyone? xoxoxo to you!

@AV_ getting on to late pm in your part of the world, hope you are enjoying a glass of wine (or ice cream) and a breeze, life really doesn't get better than that!

@Jimmianne Okay Where in the world is our @Jimmianne ? are you experiencing the heat that they are in Paris? a good friend of mine for years is in Paris right now and he said it's hellishly hot and he lives in Manhattan! are you painting lady? would LOVE to see something you are doing and pix of how your home is progressing (either home ;) ) miss you girl. xoxoxox

My niece is getting married this coming Sunday so we are leaving early Sunday morning to drive down to CT, go to the hotel, get dressed and head out to the wedding! looking forward to this.. love this woman, such a good person. We otherwise having nothing planned this week.

sending big love to everyone!
 
@missy , Great find on the bicycle pin. I’m glad you were able to leave Brooklyn quickly and come back to the beach house. Take your time and do what makes you happy. It’s great that Greg can make the conference call work out and still cycle. Love the picture of sweet Fred. He looks so comfy laying on the blanket. How are Tommy and Bobby doing?

Oh @Slick1 , Sending you lots of surgery dust. I’m so sorry to hear you have another surgery to go thru. Please try to keep yourself busy doing fun things to distract you in the days leading up to surgery. You have been thru so much, it’s understandable that you would be anxious. How great that everything worked out perfectly with the new band. I’m sure it’s beautiful. @redwood66 has beautiful taste. I’ve loved ALL her rings. It’s also nice that her beautiful ring is staying in the PS family.

@junebug17 , It sounds like you had a nice weekend. It’s always fun when the kids drop by for a visit. We watched golf too. Are you enjoying Broadchurch? It sounds like it is a good show from what I’ve read about it. I was happy to see it’s available on Amazon Prime. I had to laugh about your comments on the lettering. I spent an hour yesterday looking up cutting boards that all sorts of foods to nibble on, arranged on them yesterday. I have no idea how I even stumbled upon them. I think they called them brunch boards. They looked wonderful and no cooking involved. I plan on making one for a family party we have coming up. The things you can occupy yourself with on the internet are endless.

@Tekate, I loved your story about Autie smiling and crying. Just wait until Autie can talk to you. Mike’s comment was hysterical. I love the pic of you and your friend Tekate and reading about your day with her. I’m still close with one of my childhood friends. We were born two weeks apart and our parents were close friends before we were born. We have been there for each other no matter what life throws at us. As we both know Kate, life can throw us all curves now and then. So true about dogs and cats having their own unique personalities and all are lovable.

@Austina, I hope you had a good time with Kim’s family and wedding talk was kept to a minimum since there seems to be conflicting opinions on the subject. Why do people try to dictate how someone else’s wedding should be? It the one day that is all about the bride and groom and it should be exactly the way they want it to be. I hope things go well with your visit with Shirley. Hopefully she will be having a good day and you both enjoy the time together. It’s a tough situation @Austina. It would hurt me to know a close friend was dealing with this. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you.

@Scandinavian , Sending healing dust to your mom. Hopefully she is feeling better and not too anxious waiting for the results. I’m sure your children can help keep her mind off of this. Your visitors sounded a bit upsetting. Did you call the police? What did your husband say about this? The fireman wasn’t a hunky one LOL, but he sure set my mind at ease that there wasn’t a fire anywhere in the house.

@marcy, Happy Anniversary. It sounds like you had a very nice anniversary weekend. It looks like Marty is having fun with his new toys. One of my friends always jokes that she can get her husband to do anything if there is a new tool involved. Men and their toys. I’m glad the workers who recently joined the group are good employees. Hopefully the new people will rub off on NN. That would make your job so much more enjoyable.

@av, I hope you are having a good week and not working too hard.

Nothing new going on here. We had a nice quiet weekend. Kidney stone is still there but didn’t hurt much yesterday, which is a very good thing.
 
I keep reading and not writing! You know me all too well by now (that is to say, reading my mind)... there probably is some chance that I'll get seriously tired & out of service yet again, but there is no escaping the rush at least until next week. I am certainly happy toiling ,) Then, life mostly happens between 20:00 & midnight around here, and I haven't gottent this local habit yet! (so practice needed & tommorow is a good time)

Many, many thanks!
 
Hi NIRDI’s!

Junebug, sorry you and Missy are missing your sweet kitties. It takes such a long time to even begin to get used to the loss. Hugs to you sweet lady. Having fun with your lettering is all that matters. I have many hobbies stacked up in my back spare bedroom. Knitting is about the only thing I’ve stuck with over the years. Thank you for the anniversary wishes. We said it’s amazing we’ve put up with each other’s crap for 28 years. We like those quiet days as well. Nice that DS stopped by to visit. I am glad you had a nice weekend.

Missy, wishing you peace and brighter days. Thank you for the anniversary wishes. Glad you are managing to get rides in even with Greg working. I love your bicycle pin, Fred is so cute and how fun he crosses his paws; and your ice choices look delicious.

Slick1, glad summer break is here. Good luck with your surgery next week. Nice you are getting a Lucida band. I love my Tiffany band; it’s my favorite.

Kate, have a wonderful time at your niece’s wedding this weekend. Sounds like a lot of fun. We are having warm weather and afternoon thunderstorms. Typical summer weather here.

Callie, brunch boards sound great. Marty does something like that on poker night. He gets deli meat and cheese and lays them all out in rows and then has crackers lined up down the side. They must go over well because there usually isn’t much left. That is awesome you are still close friends with someone you’ve known since childhood. That is pretty special. I am glad that kidney stone is not causing you as much pain; I hope it works it way out soon. Thank you for the anniversary wishes. Men do love new tools. When Marty starts a project I swear he spends more on the tools he needs for it than the stuff he needs for the project.

AV, you are a night owl for sure. I hope you get lots done this week.

We had a heavy rain about the time I was driving home today. Woo hoo - free car wash. I made goulash for supper and since Marty couldn’t eat any more carbs today I have enough left for 4 lunches. Sweet.
My team was amazingly quiet out in the cube farm today and seemed to get more work done. Nice.

Take care.
Marcy
 
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@missy, I hope you and Greg were able to get some cycling in. Greg is a good mutli-tasker, hopefully he was able to pull it off! Aw, Fred is the sweetest :love: And you're right, he looks so cute with his paws crossed. I love your bicycle pin, what a great find. So perfect for you!

@Tekate, the wedding this weekend should be a lot of fun, it's great to see family and also just nice getting away for a few days and doing something different.

@Calliecake, ooh, brunch boards sound great, I'll be looking those up lol! I agree, you can find lots of things to do on the internet to keep busy. I'm glad you're feeling alright and I'm keeping you in my thoughts and hoping you pass that darn stone soon. Broadchurch is excellent, I'm totally hooked...the acting is great and the characters and plot really keep your interest. It's a murder mystery, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea but it's really good.

@AV_, sounds like you're handling this busy time fairly well. Wow, the locals definitely keep late hours lol! I hope you can join them and get a break from your work.

@marcy, I feel the same way when it rains, free car wash lol! I'm glad your employees are getting used to their new surroundings and settling down. Very nice having lunch taken care of for 4 days, one less thing to worry about. The Snoopy cartoon is so funny...and so true! Thank you for your kind words and hugs marcy, I appreciate them.

@Slick1, I'm really happy you're feeling more like yourself. I'm sending tons of good thoughts and healing vibes to you for your surgery. It's so nice your dh is off with you and I hope you and he can do some fun things together to take your mind off of things these next few days. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts. Xoxoxoxo

Today was pretty much just packing and doing some things around the house. Tomorrow dh and I are taking ds out to eat, and then dh and I will be heading to Vermont on Wednesday.

Love to all!
 
Hi Everyone!!
Tekate, yet again great minds think alike. I have not been on PS for months and for some reason decided today was the day to check in.

The heat wave was hellish, not a soul on the streets and the shops and cafes without AC.
All the trains were late due to rail expansion, which I thought was an interesting new fact. But in my cave house I had to wear a sweater while sitting reading on the main floor!

My French is really coming along and I am studying up to 3 hours a day. I get homesick and have to focus on other things until it passes. 2 1/2 months to go...too long and too short LOL

I closed on the garden a month ago, and it needs so much work before I can even plant one thing. They had to clear cut it and spray (the land was riddled with posion Sumac). Next they will remove the plant debris and dig up the invasive Sumac roots, take out a huge dead walnut tree, install a driveway and parking pad and put up a new gate. Then they have to plant the whole surface of the garden with grass to fight the return of weeds. Next year I will add a gazebo and raised beds. Whew! Next year it should look a lot better.
Right now it’s a mess...2D71AE2C-4FAB-4D01-B258-82FEBFABE540.jpeg

I will be catching up with the reading of « as the NIRDS Turn » : )
Love to you all.

Ps. Here is a photo from yesterday. I thought that line of laundry drying was exceptional.
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Good morning girls!

@junebug17 glad you accomplished what you needed to yesterday and going out with dh and ds tonight sounds great. And yay for a trip to Vermont. It is the perfect time of year. Gorgeous weather there now. So happy you are going to enjoy some time there. Thank you for your warm wishes and love. (((Hugs)))

@Tekate aww thank you dear Kate the great. Yes Greg is pretty in touch with his emotions and has been letting himself grieve but he has been stronger than me and I do know he feels he needs to be strong for me despite me telling him to let himself feel the way he feels and not to hold back. But yes we have both been crying every day. Today marks the 2 week anniversary of her death. I still think about her almost all the time and I cannot believe she is gone. It is unreal to me. I know it is futile asking why but I cannot help in my head to ask why. I know the answer. Sh*t happens. And life is scary because you never know when bad things will happen and we have little to no control over much of it. I know you get it and I am so sorry you are missing all your beloved family members furry and human who have left this earth. Life is meaningless without loved ones and connections to others (furbabies and human connections) and I struggle every day with this. My sweet girl died a horrible death and she was such a sweet and good soul. Sorry I am going on about Francesca. I woke at 3AM and could not get back to sleep because all I could think of was today 2 weeks ago she died. And how much we miss her. Her sweet face, her sweet disposition and sassy personality. :cry2:

I am glad you had a beautiful day and yesterday it was also beautiful weather here. Dry and in the low 80s but with an ocean breeze much of the day keeping things comfy. Today it is supposed to get warmer and each day progressively warmer to uncomfortably hot. We are enjoying the nice weather while we can. Hope you are too.

How exciting your niece is getting married Kate. Have a great trip to Connecticut and have a wonderful time at the wedding. Please tell her all your friends here wish her a very happy marriage. I love weddings and happy occasions. If you can share a photo of the bride that would be so lovely but if you cannot I understand. I love weddings and wedding dresses too.:bigsmile: (((Hugs))).

@Calliecake I hope you passed that pesky stone already and sending lots of kidney stone gone vibes your way. Thanks for asking about tommy and bobby. Tommy is missing Francesca. He is sitting on her blanket (though we did wash it after she was gone) and I can tell he is out of sorts. Heartbreaking for us and for him and we cannot do anything to help him. He doesn't understand and how can we expect him to? I barely understand what happened. :( Bobby has gained weight and I am just guessing it is from his way of coping that something happened here that is bad. He is way too heavy now and if you know anything about multi cat households it is almost impossible to limit one cats food without limiting them all. I worry about health problems he will experience if we don't get him back to his "normal" weight but I am not sure we will be able to. The whole household is grieving with perhaps the exception of Fred. We got Bobby and in a way Tommy to play with Francesca as Fred refused to have much to do with her when we got her. Fred was about 5 when we rescued her and she was a baby and he wouldn't play with her so we adopted Bobby another kitten to engage with Francesca. And the rest is history. Feel well Callie. XOXO.


@Slick1 yay for feeling almost back to your "normal" self. Woohoo! And before you know it you will be completely back to your old self and this will all a distant memory sweetie. Wishing you buckets of good luck dust for your upcoming surgery/procedures. (((Hugs))).

@AV_ don't work too hard and take time to stop and smell the flowers. You are a night owl and I am up by 3/4 AM so I bet we overlap somewhat. I hope you are enjoying some lovely weather too. XOXO

@marcy lol glad the cube is keeping everyone on your team nice and quiet. Long may that last. And woohoo free car wash indeed. Sometimes heavy rain is just what we need. Goulash sounds lovely and even better you have leftovers. Sweet. LOL yes to that Snoopy cartoon. I need to get more sleep for sure but do pretty good in the eating department despite what my scale says. Stress and grief have a way of burning calories I guess. Thanks for your kind comfort and love. (((Hugs)))

@Jimmianne lovely garden and nice that you are becoming fluent in French. Glad you are enjoying being there and thanks for stopping by and saying hey. Take care and enjoy.

We had a good ride yesterday as the weather was near perfect and it also involved ice cream and shopping (more cycling clothes) so it was sweet. I wore my new bicycle pin too. Greg managed to deal with a few work emergencies as well as his CCs so it all worked out despite getting a bit dicey there for a while midday. Leaving you with a bike photo and ice cream photo from yesterday.

Screen Shot 2019-07-02 at 5.16.10 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-07-02 at 5.16.20 AM.png

Have a lovely Tuesday girls! XOXO.
 
@Jimmianne so happy you posted! Jimmi! your pictures are well picturesque, what a beautiful place, serene, like a postcard.. Learning French must be exciting, the French love their language, and their wine! how's the kiddos? miss you here in the USA but lady, that area you live in is perfection! sending happy joy joy joy to you girl xoxoxo

@Calliecake hello wondeful Callie! thank you for your kind words. Yup, Autie is now our universe, in the whole time our kids have grown and left and that is basically since 2010 when Chris went off to college, John has never hovered over me or really wanted to add much to my conversations, UNTIL AUTUMN MARIE that is. Now he get's up and stands over me and talks, it's great, I'm happy, I'm the center of our little family, but should I take a hike my little spokes will have to roll without me, but I'm very happy to see that John is becoming more involved, when my mom died it was horrible tryng to start a verbal relationship with my Dad, we did it, but it took a while.. I am NOT planning on going anywhere, but yet again, neither did my sister, I'm a prepare for all type of woman :) I am so happy to read your stone(s) didn't bother you. Sending big hugs and love to you!

@AV_ sending a big hi and wave your way.. no worries about updates it's wonderful whenever you stop by and chat! xo

@marcy wonderful that your husband sets up for his poker night, if left up to John there would be a few crackers, that man (whom I love with all my heart) is lazy.. LOVE the cartoon Marcy, love snoopy. happy belated anniversary.. time passes doesn't it.. here's to 100 more! xoxoxo

@junebug17 thank you Junie! we are looking forward to seeing family! this is on my side so John doesn't know them as well as I know his family.. we should have a blast though! Vermont sounds so wonderful, Vermont is so peaceful.. packing and doing today I bet.. I think it's so wonderful your DS is near you and you can get together! hope your dinner was delicious! xoxoxo

@missy Mornng Missy, grieving is such a normal thing, you have lost the integral member of your family, you have a RIGHT to grieve Missy, you do. Yes I understand and get it, but it doesn't stope me or I'm sure any of your friends and us here wanting you to be happy, you get what you give in life most times Missy, you give tons to everyone, it's so raw right now.. give yourself that right to not be stoic, it hurts and as time goes on maybe the pain can be replaced with memories of Frankie and what she gave you. You give a lot to many Missy. Enjoy the things you can and be kind to Missy, she deserves it.. she is special. Thanks Missy about your comments about my niece, I will try, she's 39, had a tough life, my brother was not good to her (second wife wanted my niece out of their lives because she had a son and my brother and she had a son together, long, horribe story Missy, just a mess) my niece has a son that is 21 and a son who is 18 and her daughter with her husband to be who is 13, my niece has had a very very hard life, her mom died of a drug overdose, my brother was an idiot, his wife made Cruilla DaVille seem sweet) but my niece has made a life for herself and her family and I give her all kudos for rising above the mess. She's on the hefty side, like her aunt! and I swear she looks like me, she thinks so too! her older son looks remarkably like my brother.. when she was born my exhusband and I offered to adopt her (as did my aunt who recently died) my brother was seriously a druggie as was her mother, my only requirement was that they had to cut ties with her, there shouldn't be any I'm your mother, father showing up every week, a real mess, my aunt too tried, but they would hem and haw and disappear and I moved to Raleigh eventually, she had a very tough life, but as I said, she made it. love her.

ooh on the ice cream again Missy, looks refreshing.. I ate all my ice cream :)

@Slick1 did you get Red's ring yet?

warmer today in Maine, but sunny looking forward to vacuuming dog hair and figuring out dinner, the lazy days of summer!

love you guys! happy Tuesday.
 
Good morning girlfriends! I’m heading to Maryland today after my blood test. It’s my six week retest. Fingers crossed it’s better than last time. I’ll catch up with you guys tonight.
:kiss2:
 
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Good evening! I’m in Maryland now...This is my car ready to turn around to park. It only took me two and a half hours because I kept David out of work...I didn’t have to pick him up which adds time..I thought I would take a few pics....My flowers are blooming in the cracks of the old brick sidewalk. If a seed blows to a crack in the sidewalk I let it live. :P2I planted zinnias four years ago..and they come back every year like perennials! We’ll be here until Sunday. I have the ac guy coming tomorrow to replace the uv bulbs in the air conditioning unit in the basement. The house is from 1904-1905 and has a dirt floor in the basement. We can’t change the floor because it’s in the historic district.. Because of the dampness down there the unit needs UV lights in the unit to kill the bacteria so the air is clean when it comes through the vents upstairs. We have a hatch door in the floor that we pull up to get down the basement...It’s pretty creepy..
The other interesting news is I had my blood drawn today. The tech tried three different times to find a vein and then hit a gusher. I left the office to head to cvs not noticing that blood was pouring out of my arm. What do I do? I take a pic! Don’t worry...I won’t post it! Hahaha. I almost bled to death..A man came running over and shoved my arm in the air to halt the bleeding. They wanted to call an ambulance..I was pretty nervous because it wouldn’t stop. After around a half hour it did stop but I was covered in blood. That man who shoved my arm up stayed with me the whole time. He even offered to hold my arm up if I was tired. There are good people still around! I hope this doesn’t mean my platelets are even lower because the number affects how you clot..:pray:
 
@missy @marcy , True enough, many nights I get to listen to the real owls, but not this one night, I am going down right now. Tomorrow is my turn to icecream breakfast, an old time favorite.

Good to be here, @Tekate !

@Jimmianne Your view over the river bend reminds one aunt's house. I have always hoped it will remain in the clan so I can hope for another summer there; there is an old orchard on the river calling for work, but I love the meadow & old fruit trees...

@Mamabean ! WHOA! I so do not ever wish to see blood... & now you remind me that I do not, in fact, know how to stop it from draining either!


ending the day
 
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@Slick1 I can’t wait to see your new Tiffany band! Are you going to wear it with your new OEC? I can’t believe you thought it wasn’t worth mentioning! :naughty: I didn’t know you had David make you a ring like the one I’m having him do now. I would love to see pics of it! I want this one to be a little different from the one I had so I’m having milgrain bezels around the baguettes. I hope I love it...I’m a little worried. I think it will be closer to what I wanted when I originally had the setting made last year. I hope your surgery goes well and this is it! What day is it going to be? xxxxooo
@missy I love that pic of Fred crossing his paws...He looks very regal and chill..You and Greg are so cute together..Love the photo on the boardwalk...Your bicycle pin is so pretty! It looks like it has a diamond in each center of the wheels! Your ice cream looks so delicious...We drove through Dairy Queen today on the way down...It’s not Days ice cream but you had me craving some!:lickout: Big Mamabean hug to you and Greg...I think of you guys all the time. My heart just breaks for you guys..
@Tekate I love that John is all excited about Autie that he’s talking to you more..I love my husband...but he’s not a talker...It used to be very hard on me..and would hurt my feelings..We would go to a restaurant and you could hear a pin drop. He wouldn’t say a word to me. He loves me..without a doubt..but my words fall like confetti to the ground when I talk to him. I’m use to it now. I do wish we could have some deep conversations but that won’t happen. He’s just very quiet..I’m happy you are looking forward to your niece’s wedding..I also would love to see pics of the wedding if you can...How are you enjoying EVER? I want to see more pics...Please???
@junebug17 It says so much that your son loves to spend time with you...I love Vermont! I haven’t been there since my teens but I still remember his pretty it was! Please post some photos...Have the best time!
@AV_ I have been trying to figure out for the longest time what country you’re in..I thought Spain but not sure. Please put me out of my misery and let me know! I hope you have fun this weekend...You stay up late! I get up at 5:30 every morning so try to get in bed at 10. I got two hours sleep last night so I’ll probably be in at 9 the latest tonight!
@Austina That brisket looks so good! David asked me to make ribs for the 4th..We don’t have a grill here so I’ll have to make it in the oven. I think I’m going to buy all the salads to go with it...I’ll probably taste a little of it but I’m on a diet..so will probably get something different for me. It sounds weird but I’m craving a beet and goat cheese salad...:lickout:
@Calliecake I thought there was a way to break up the stone without surgery? It looks like it likes where it is...What did the doctor say?Did he say when it would be evicted if it doesn’t leave by itself?
@marcy I’m happy that everyone is getting along in the cube farm! I’m hoping Groucho goes grouching somewhere else and gives you a break! Wow! I haven’t had goulash in a long time! I could eat that every day. Do you have a good recipe you can share? My car is white and picks up every dirt particle in Pa..I take advantage of the car being wet and go over it with paper towels or an old towel and cleaner and let the rain wash it off...
 
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Just popping in to say hi, if that's ok. :wavey:

So interesting to hear everyone's news and see a little of everyone's lives beyond jewelry!

I live in Boston but have 2 wonderful god-kids out in LA. It was my god-son's 21st birthday dinner this past Saturday and I co-hosted it with his dad (David) and did the cooking. My best girlfriend from Australia is married to my god-kids' father's brother, and David flew her out for the party so she could help me cook. LOADS of work, but it was a fabulous evening and I was very happy with how it turned out.

I thought you might like a couple of photos, since that seems to be a lot of what this thread is about. :)) My godson - Nathaniel - is off to Florence for a semester in Italy in August, so we did an Italian menu.

We started with antipasto and strawberry champagne cocktails. The strawberries were painted in edible 24kt gold, which looked stunning. This is my goddaughter:

Antipasto with strawberry champagne cocktails.jpeg

The appetizer was braised asparagus with a havarti and caper sauce. Eleanor, my goddaughter, who is very creative, hand painted all the place cards:

Braised asparagus with havarti and caper sauce.jpeg

For the main course, we did lasagne, boscailola with fresh pasta, pesto - also with fresh pasta, jointed roasted chicken, mixed green leaf salad with lemon juice and olive oil, caprese salad, bread, wine and citrus water.

Dessert was a 3 layer gelato cake - bottom layer was a fudgy sort of chocolate layer with marshmallows chopped into it, middle layer was peach icecream, top layer was frozen cream with maraschino cherries and brandy. The top had whipped cream around the edges and the middle was covered with biscotti, with more gold covered fresh strawberries piled in the middle. Came with a selection of dessert wines.

Afterwards we had a cheese plate, fresh strawberries and sliced green apples, and milk and dark chocolate, tea and coffee. My friend and I cooked everything from scratch except the bread; we thought about it with the bread, but there's a limit, even for us! Here's a photo of the table; there were 16 of us and we sat outside under the stars....

Table_2.jpeg

We had tea lights up and down the tables and on the serving table, candelabras, and literally thousands of fairy lights around the garden. We put more fairy lights along the front of the house and all through the living room and covered the ceiling with balloons. Unfortunately, someone tried to turn on the fans and it blew all the balloons to the edges of the room. During the evening they would intermittently sink down, then rise again, and it was like having living decorations.

Fairy lights - inside and out.jpeg

Party_1.jpeg

And this is my beautiful godson, Nathaniel. When he made his thank you speech and thanked "my three parents, Hollian (yup - that's my name!), mom and dad" I was SO proud.

Nathaniel at his 21st.jpg

I apologize if this isn't the right place for this, but this is my life and these people are my heart, and it seemed like the right place to start. :kiss2:
 
@mrs-b This is the perfect place! Welcome! I LOVED seeing your photos and hearing about your godson’s birthday party! The table looks lovely....and the menu....omg...Perfection! :love:
 
@mrs-b what wonderful pictures, your god-son son is lovely, and this is what I often say with all us NIRDI's: I want all that food! Your god-daughter is so talented, I've noticed that many of us lovers of diamonds and stones and jewelry are or have talent in their families.. I also think some jewelry is art, like your lucious 3 stone ring.... it's art. AND your godson is going to Florence! Every corner of Florence is art and great food, you cannot go anywhere in Firenze without seeing something magnificent imho. Florence is the only city that I can go back to time and time again. (okay London too). I hope you can visit him, I know you had mentioned in another forum that you were going to be headed home down under eventually (another gorgeous place btw). You have some awesome projects planned too.

Your pictures make me want to go to your next party! Mention lasagne and I'm there.

I love it here in this forum I meet the finest of women ever and I've met you in real life and know you are the finest woman and have the most beautiful jewlery ever :)

I send you caring thoughts on the upcoming operation. all love to you and yours MrsB, truly.

Kate






Just popping in to say hi, if that's ok. :wavey:

So interesting to hear everyone's news and see a little of everyone's lives beyond jewelry!

I live in Boston but have 2 wonderful god-kids out in LA. It was my god-son's 21st birthday dinner this past Saturday and I co-hosted it with his dad (David) and did the cooking. My best girlfriend from Australia is married to my god-kids' father's brother, and David flew her out for the party so she could help me cook. LOADS of work, but it was a fabulous evening and I was very happy with how it turned out.

I thought you might like a couple of photos, since that seems to be a lot of what this thread is about. :)) My godson - Nathaniel - is off to Florence for a semester in Italy in August, so we did an Italian menu.

We started with antipasto and strawberry champagne cocktails. The strawberries were painted in edible 24kt gold, which looked stunning. This is my goddaughter:

Antipasto with strawberry champagne cocktails.jpeg

The appetizer was braised asparagus with a havarti and caper sauce. Eleanor, my goddaughter, who is very creative, hand painted all the place cards:

Braised asparagus with havarti and caper sauce.jpeg

For the main course, we did lasagne, boscailola with fresh pasta, pesto - also with fresh pasta, jointed roasted chicken, mixed green leaf salad with lemon juice and olive oil, caprese salad, bread, wine and citrus water.

Dessert was a 3 layer gelato cake - bottom layer was a fudgy sort of chocolate layer with marshmallows chopped into it, middle layer was peach icecream, top layer was frozen cream with maraschino cherries and brandy. The top had whipped cream around the edges and the middle was covered with biscotti, with more gold covered fresh strawberries piled in the middle. Came with a selection of dessert wines.

Afterwards we had a cheese plate, fresh strawberries and sliced green apples, and milk and dark chocolate, tea and coffee. My friend and I cooked everything from scratch except the bread; we thought about it with the bread, but there's a limit, even for us! Here's a photo of the table; there were 16 of us and we sat outside under the stars....

Table_2.jpeg

We had tea lights up and down the tables and on the serving table, candelabras, and literally thousands of fairy lights around the garden. We put more fairy lights along the front of the house and all through the living room and covered the ceiling with balloons. Unfortunately, someone tried to turn on the fans and it blew all the balloons to the edges of the room. During the evening they would intermittently sink down, then rise again, and it was like having living decorations.

Fairy lights - inside and out.jpeg

Party_1.jpeg

And this is my beautiful godson, Nathaniel. When he made his thank you speech and thanked "my three parents, Hollian (yup - that's my name!), mom and dad" I was SO proud.

Nathaniel at his 21st.jpg

I apologize if this isn't the right place for this, but this is my life and these people are my heart, and it seemed like the right place to start. :kiss2:
 
Hi NIRDI’s!

Junebug, I’ll have to check out Broadchurch - it’s on Prime? Good luck packing. I need to start rounding up stuff myself for our trip to Arizona. I’d best pack stuff that doesn’t melt. Have fun at dinner with your DS tomorrow. Safe travels on your trip.

Jimmianne, it’s good to hear from you. That’s great your studying French diligently. I guess I didn’t realize you were staying that long. It sounds like you are enjoying yourself. Great pictures; the line of laundry is cool; nice colors.

Missy, great picture of you and Greg out cycling and of course the ice cream looks delicious. We had some slow churned ice cream tonight; I am sure it wasn’t as good as Dave’s but it’s what we had. The grieving process takes a long time and there isn’t a time it’s over; you do what is right for you. I hope hugging all your sweet kitties helps all of you get through the day. Hugs and comfort coming your way.

Kate, thank you for the anniversary wishes. I usually make cookies for poker night and he gets his meat, cheese, veggie, cracker board set up. The guys that come sometimes bring chips or other snacks. Now getting Marty to bring up all the dishes after poker is another thing. I was up once when they were wrapping up the game and I just asked them all to bring up their glasses and dishes. Ha! I’d rather clean up that night than the next day.

Mamabean, gorgeous flowers and great looking house. Sorry to hear you were bleeding so bad; that was very nice of that man to help you. I hope you are feeling okay tonight. So far the cube farm has worked well for my team; they seem to talk less and work more. Imagine that? My recipe for goulash was what I had; I had some rotini, ground sirloin, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I put some shredded parmesan on top. I bet your car looks clean most of the time. Sweet.

AV, I’d go to be on time so I could have an ice cream breakfast too. Enjoy!

Mrs-b, I totally enjoyed reading about your godson and the great party you planned for him. Loved seeing the pictures of everyone and your menu / food sounds and looks divine. Such fun! How awesome Nathaniel is going to spend a semester in Florence.

My day was basically a lather, rinse, repeat. Marty grilled some protein for supper. He did make veggies and rice as well. I’m watching the Notebook. A great but sad movie.

Take care.
Marcy
 
Hey all...I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow I so really need to get into bed...but want to check in with everyone...I apologize for being so brief! Although you guys will probably be relieved lol -

@missy, I know every one misses Francesca so much, such a hard time for everyone. And the anniversaries are particularly hard. Xoxox. Oh no to Bobby being too heavy, I can see where it would be challenging to monitor his food intake. Such a pretty pic of you, Greg, and the ocean, happy to hear you were able to go for a ride.

Hi @Jimmianne, so great to hear from you! Congratulations on your garden and I love the plans you have for it. Such a pretty view of the water too. Be careful in that heat. Great news about your French improving so much, I am so impressed by people who can speak another language.

@Tekate, I'm happy your niece has done so well in spite of all the hardships; she's had it really tough. She's amazing. And how great she is getting married and starting a wonderful chapter in her life. It's very touching how much John has come to life now that Autie is here, and I'm happy you're happy! I just love that she has brought so much joy into your lives.

@Mamabean, I am so very sorry about the bleeding! I hate that you had to go through that and relieved you're ok. So scary for you. The man who stayed with you is amazing, so good to know there are kind and caring people in this world. Your Maryland house is SO beautiful! Very picturesque and has so much charm and elegance, I really love it. What a beautiful place to be.

And I've been following your reset thread and I love the new setting...I really think you're going to be happy with it, and that it will give you the look you're going for. Can't wait to see it!

@mrs-b, this is the perfect place to post and I hope you post more! So fun to share in each other's lives. You and your friend did a fabulous job - the menu immediately made me extremely hungry, and everything looks like it was professionally done! The food, the table settings, the decorations...all of it looks amazing.

Please know I'm keeping you in my thoughts and sending lots of good thoughts for your upcoming surgery. Xoxox

@_AV, hope you enjoyed your evening out! Ice cream for breakfast sounds good to me...I've been known to have it for dinner once in a while. :halo:

@Calliecake, hope you're feeling ok :pray:

Had a really nice time at dinner with ds and dh. I'm spoiled having ds so close by.

Omg, how did it get so late...and I still have to wrap the set of coasters I bought for my sil...I know, kind of a lame gift but I honestly didn't know what else to get. I guess it's getting wrapped tomorrow.

Love to everyone, will check in soon!
 
@Mamabean Granada, Spain it is!

@mrs-b ! Count me happy to see that your family knows how to have fun together. It seems so ingrained in the nature of things - to set out a table beautifully & make merry, come what may; how do people ever forget how it is done...

-

Someone might notice that it is close to 5 am here ,( I can't tell what woke me up at this ungodly hour, but so be it. I have an interesting day and week infront of me - to decide on an offer to keep on working on my research for half a year toward a serious publication; I know myself too well to ever say no to such a fling! (does it pay.... well, at east I will not be the one paying, give or take)

Good Night East Coast! & as appropriate everywhere else...
 
@junebug17 safe travels and enjoy a wonderful trip. And I am glad you have ds close by. Nothing wrong with being spoiled and you deserve it. Thanks for all your kind comforting words and friendship. (((HUGS))).

@Slick1 we need photos when your new bling arrives. (((Hugs))) and hope you are having a wonderful holiday week. We visited our friend who is school admin and she was clearing all her closets now. She never rests lol. Very industrious but she also had time to bake brownies and her house smelled wonderful. Anyway thinking of you and I know you are a bit nervous about the upcoming surgery and I am sending you buckets of dust. And lots of (((Hugs))).

Someone might notice that it is close to 5 am here ,( I can't tell what woke me up at this ungodly hour, but so be it. I have an interesting day and week infront of me - to decide on an offer to keep on working on my research for half a year toward a serious publication; I know myself too well to ever say no to such a fling! (does it pay.... well, at east I will not be the one paying, give or take)

If I could sleep til 5AM I would be thrilled @AV_ to me that is a lovely hour to sleep until...:whistle: I hope your interesting week proves to be industrious and enjoyable and allows you to realize all of your current dreams and goals.

@Tekate oh I am so sorry about the challenging life your sweet niece has had up to this point and hope she has only sweet and goodness in it from here on in and so happy she is marrying the love of her life. What a wonderful happy celebration and for someone who truly deserves it. Yes kudos to her for making her life something amazing from something so difficult and challenging. I admire that immensely. Thank you for your lovely words and the love you share here and with me. I so appreciate it. When one is going through life's hurdles it really helps to have friends cheering us on and supporting us and I am always here for you girls too. Kate the Great. XOXO.

@Mamabean oh no what a not fun adventure. I have had that before and the doctor noticed the blood gushing from my arm after the tech took blood and well yeah no photos please. Ugh it is not fun I know and hope you are all recovered today. And how wonderful that nice man was there to help you. Definitely love hearing heartwarming stories about other humans because sometimes I feel there aren't many nice people left in the world. Other than the bleeding sounds like a good appointment and hope you are feeling well. Love your photos. Beautiful.

@marcy I never did see or read "The Notebook" and will have to check it out. I like sad movies and books. I love rice and veggies and that part of your dinner sounds yummy. I hear you on rinse lather and repeat and these days I would gladly take that. In a heartbeat. Thanks for your always comforting word and hugs and sending you hugs too. Yay it's sort of TGIF for you right? Long weekend!

@mrs-b hello there and welcome. Love your photos and what a lovely party. Amazing decorations and food and people. Thank you for sharing and how wonderful your godson is spending a semester in Florence. What yummy food you served at the party.:lickout: And you had me at Strawberry champagne cocktails. Lovely.


I hate posting bad/sad/upsetting news but I also feel bad keeping stuff from you guys. I am just trying to preserve my sanity these days and feel like I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Just a little bit but it is always there at the surface. I am very overwhelmed. Won't go into full details as I am just not up to it but Tommy is sick and we are also dealing with another huge issue and I sometimes have trouble breathing processing all that has and is happening. I know we will get through this one way or another and I know not every story has a happy ending and I am bracing myself. But praying and hoping this one has a happier ending than Francesca's ending.:cry2:

We did manage a bike ride yesterday amidst work calls and issues and we did get Days ice cream. Today we are going for another early ride as Greg has work calls this afternoon again. And tomorrow is a holiday which I am dreading because of fireworks and the animals and also all vet clinics being closed for the holiday. It sucks I have to worry about holidays and closings of the vet office but that's where we are now. Not that any veterinarian has been able to help our babies as of late but one holds out hope yanno?

Leaving you with a couple of photos from our cycling adventures yesterday.

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We adorned our spf canopy with the American Flag for the July 4th holiday week.

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Have a wonderful Wednesday girls!
 
Oh and just sharing this. Very poignant.

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I planted zinnias four years ago..and they come back every year like perennials!

Good for you having such well behaved flowers !!! Mine are all brats! They'll insist on dying on me just out of spite! Just talked to a friend on the phone, he has 110 cherry trees. Made me feel like I wanted a tree or two also… :P2

@missy @marcy , Tomorrow is my turn to icecream breakfast, an old time favorite.

Ooooo Love ice cream breakfasts! :mrgreen2: You so deserve that! Good to make sure you treat yourself a little, you are always working so so hard!

My godson - Nathaniel - is off to Florence for a semester in Italy in August, so we did an Italian menu.

Hello! :wavey: Welcome! I'm Scandi! And surprisingly enough I live in Scandinavia ;)2 I love skiing, hiking, outdoors'ing and such, but also bling and clothes and nails and good restaurants LOL. Why can't a girl have it all? :lol-2: And dogs. Love dogs.

My day was basically a lather, rinse, repeat. Marty grilled some protein for supper. He did make veggies and rice as well. I’m watching the Notebook. A great but sad movie.

Good for you but how awful! I hate (absolutely hate detest hate) sad movies. It should be illegal to have sad movies with sad endings without propper warning! Much more damaging to my soul than bad language… LOL

I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow

Hope your long day turns out good! Keep us posted!

I have an interesting day and week infront of me - to decide on an offer to keep on working on my research for half a year toward a serious publication

Exciting! I do think work should be fun. With money if possible. But the thing with money is that it only has to be enough. After that, not so important. Do you have any gut feelings re the offer?

@Jimmianne Hope you are having a fantastic time! Miss you! The pictures are amazing!! Your garden is going to be just purrrrrfect.

Hugs!
 
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@missy Good morning! Just looking for a picture for you ;-)
 
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