Healthy Living Thread

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kid!

Curby, there are some days when I'm just hungry too. No idea why! LOL to parking the RV at The Drinkers. I smack my rings around too much... Right after I got The Brick (like literally the next damn day!) I hit it against the dryer door so hard that I left a ding in the metal. The ring was fine though. There's a reason we called it The Brick.

Yesterday was a whirlwind. I left work a bit early though to do something up by The North Estate. When I finally got back to the house I had TEN orders to pack up. I've already got two more than came in this morning. It's BUSY! There's an estate sale that has some pink depression glass wine glasses I would like, but it starts tomorrow morning and I'll still be downtown so I figure someone else will likely buy them before I can get there (Friday morning at the earliest). Oh well, that's OK. As I keep reminding myself, I can't have ALL the glass!

No idea what today is going to bring... but I guess I better go find out...

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, ha ha - my friends will now be referred to as the drinkers. That is awesome. Glad your Brick is so sturdy. I am a total klutz with my rings - or anything in general.

I was not that hungry today. Yay.

Sweet, the orders are rolling in. It must be only a few weeks until Christmas. Crap, it's only a few weeks until Christmas. Pink glasses sound fun, I hope they are still there Friday morning. I tried the "lets not get presents" this year with Marty. He didn't commit, which means he already bought me something. Phooey. Now, I'll have to figure out something to get him. I'll pursue this conversation this weekend.

I did not bring the classic Porsche home with me today. I was out of there in about 90 minutes. They only checked things, changed the oil and brake fluid since I only have 9000 miles on it. No point doing a 2 year, 20K maintenance at a year and a half. Funny story though, I got lost getting out of town. Street signs in Colorado are tiny and I was concentrating on traffic not what the street name was and I turned on the wrong street. So many businesses have changed, my landmarks aren't there anymore. So my next turn was on a street I thought was correct and kept driving north. Finally thought, wow, I've never been in this part of town before so I headed west. Apparently, I did cross the interstate at some point but didn't notice. I finally said "Hey Siri, navigate to . . . " once it got me to the highway, I was fine. I was maybe 7 miles north of where I should be. It was bonus miles. Ha!

Roads were mostly fine. Once i hit the state line of Colorado, the snow and ice were gone. It was still there when I got back in Wyoming.

I still worked almost 7 hours today. I worked so late I didn't even get my lifting done today. I figured up my 4th quarter tax payment. My January check will go straight to the IRS. I have a goal to work towards now.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

I worked and lifted today then goofed off tonight. I forgot how to animate a picture with snowflakes, but finally figured it out. I need to goof off more and work less.

Marty want to exchange gifts and stocking stuffers. I'd best get busy. He put a bunch of stuff for the trailer on his wish list. I told him I'm not buying him that - it's like him buying me pans or a vacuum for Christmas. The brat said "so I should take those back?". He wants a new Apple watch and some camera stuff. Sadly, that means I have to come up with a list of things I want. I plan on doing some damage Saturday when we finally go to Denver.

I wore my Tiffany band today with my newly sized diamond ring. The size difference kind of bugged me at first, but I got used to it. I am glad I can still wear that band.

Yay tomorrow is Friday.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Curby, you should animate your avatar! Gifts with our SOs are just STUPID. We're in the same boat... if there's something we WANT we GET IT. Or, like Paris, when it comes in it's MINE. Not like I gave Liam the box and told him to wrap it up and put it under the tree!

So I think sheer exhaustion has just become a way of life. Yesterday I worked a full day, including going over and helping my friend who makes the cowhide bags TWICE at her booth, then going to see the Lion King with my kid from BBBS. I didn't get to bed downtown until after midnight (abandoning my idea of driving north last night... ) and then I woke up around four and Could Not Go Back To Sleep. So I cleaned up my condo and headed out. I was here at The North Estate by about 5:30... where I then went back to bed until 8:30, at which time I got up, took and shower, and have been packing orders ever since. I actually have so many there are two I didn't even get to today before I had to head out to the post office and UPS before they closed, and another one came in while I was dropping packages off. I did get to that estate sale this morning and bought a big box of pink glasses, so that was nice because I've sold out of almost all the pink I had listed. There's an auction tomorrow and frankly I'm kind of dreading it. What if I come home with another car full of glass, LOL?!

When Liam got home he said we are supposed to go have drinks with some friends after he gets back from retrieving the ferals. I can barely keep my eyes open... Seriously. I need like a week off to just REST!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I'm with you on gifts for our SO, I am always at a loss of things to get for stocking stuffers and they often just get put in Marty's basket. One time I put some of them in his stocking the next year. Ha Ha. Good idea for Liam to wrap the box from Paris and put it under the tree. We picked up Marty a new Apple watch today and he's got it on his wrist already. I should shag the box and wrap it. Of course, got that new peachy pink sapphire today. It, plus my other rings, should get delivered Friday. I'll be a nervous wreck until they show up.

I hope being exhausted isn't a way of life. Sounds like you had a crazy busy day and nice you are getting so many orders. Nice you pick up some more pink glasses. I have faith you'll come home with a new treasure-trove tomorrow.

Did you pass out having drinks with friends? You do deserve to take some time off.

Speaking of time off, I was getting texts pretty much all the way to Denver today about some charts for the night sky. I woke up way early again so got up and got ready to head to Denver. After the 3 hours at the jewelry store - yes 3 - we went on to the mall. I picked up a few thermal tops at Eddie Bauer and we got a few things at William-Sonoma. Other than that just looked around. We hit our favorite steak house on the way home. It was a fun day.

I had to proof some stuff when I got home. I'm yawning and cold and it's not even 9 p.m. yet. Phooey.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday kids!

Curby, I can't wait to see the new sapphire set! Too bad the halo didn't make it pop, but I really like the setting you're putting it in. The other night I skipped having drinks with our friends and sent Liam on his own. I figured that was preferable to putting my head down on the bar and taking a nap right there LOL. No treasure trove yesterday I'm happy to repot! After a quick walk through the auction I determined there were only two things I even remotely wanted, and I would have had to get them cheap cheap cheap. They were well into the middle of the stuff and I decided I was better off coming home to pack orders and list stuff than stand around for hours waiting for a few mediocre lots, so I left Liam there with some loose instruction on the things I kinda wanted and headed back to the house. He didn't get those but came home with another set of glasses for a dollar, so all good. Three hours in the jewelry store... ack. That's a LONG time!

Nothing exciting to report for yesterday (as you've already seen above!), and today I'm going to take pictures until the light gives out. As of now I only have one outstanding order to pack and it is super easy. Who knows what will come in as the day goes on though. And (here's a shocker!) I need to get a bunch of laundry done or else we'll all be walking around in our skivvies next week!

Alright, off to get this party started.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I think that sapphire would be gorgeous with a halo, just not on that ring. The head I am getting has little diamonds around the side but you won't see them looking down. I really like the color.

Probably best you didn't go have drinks when you were exhausted. I don't care how well you know someone and how much you trust them, you fall asleep around people, they are going to mess with you. I'm one of those people. The photo lab I worked at years ago had clear "leaders" the same width of 35mm film that you taped on the beginning of a roll of film. I used to stick them under people when they sat down so they'd get up "unaware" they had a tail on their butt. I am easily amused. I also sat at the intersection between the front office, the billing department, the print room and dark room so when people walked by I used to tell them "so and so is looking for you" which was a lie. See that's one story you probably never heard before.

Nice that Liam picked up some inexpensive glasses for you and that you went home to pack orders and take pictures. Good plan.

Sadly, I would say three hours in that jewelry store is about normal. To be fair, I have about two dozen things from them that they clean and check and the person waiting on me does that as well wait on me. So they'll dump my stuff in the cleaner and go find the things I want to see. They can only bright your three things at a time and I often already know what I want to see including loose stones so they have to go find it or check it out of the safe. So twenty minutes later they'll come back with three things I want to see. More often than not, I reject what the bring me. They had one 5mm ruby heart but I didn't like it. They brought me a large oval ruby and I really didn't like it or the price. That ring I wanted to see with the assorted color sapphires around the edge wasn't my cup of tea either. It was nice enough but you and Marty were right on that one. I tried on a few diamond platinum bands and said nay to them as well. I just seem to prefer diamonds in yellow gold. I noticed this sapphire in one of the display cases. If I just browse the showcase and buy something out of there it is much faster, but I'm pickier than that and usually buy loose stones and then find a setting for it. She had to write up 13 rings to be sized and that took some time and she had to loop most of the center stones while I watched. Then after getting those all turned in, we had to do the trade. They remove the stone and weigh and measure it to make sure it's what I said I'm trading. If I don't have my stuff to clean and check it can be in a bit quicker but I usually have to wait for them to go search for different stones for me anyway. They rate their loose gemstones by Q numbers rather than cut and I won't buy anything usually under a 5. This one was 4 but the color sold me more than anything. I cannot complain about their upgrade policy though. Loose stones can be traded in for another stone that costs a dollar more and jewelry can be traded towards jewelry at twice the price. Wow, that was a long story. Just like shopping there!

Surprisingly the jewelry store and the mall was not busy for a few weeks before Christmas.

I must actually be playing retired today. I have not started in on the many chores I wanted to get done today. I am midway through laundry, did finally get my lifting done but wasted time taking pictures of our Christmas decorations and making a collage out of them and then animated it with snowflakes again. I worked on my Christmas card list so might get labels printed today. Waiting for Marty so we can go eat and then I might brew up my first batch of Christmas cookies.

My thrill-o-meter is not looking for activity today.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I think my thrill-o-meter is permanently broken! Did you get cookies started? If I spent three hours with Ilya I'd need a second mortgage on my condo! LOL on putting "tails" on people. Super excited to see "our" new sapphire ring!

My plan yesterday worked pretty much as intended... I did some laundry, packed up orders (more kept coming in as the day went on), took listing pictures, went to Farm and Fleet with Liam and YF in the hopes of getting some jeans (mission failure... ) and even wrapped a bunch of presents last night.

This morning I tried to sleep for another half hour when I got to my place, but no dice. By lunchtime I got four more orders, one of which is going to be a bit of a PITA to pack, but I've already done a similar one so I at least have a head start on the logistics (part of it has to go into the box sideways... don't ask!). I'm staying downtown tonight, and I think I'll run over to Nordstrom Rack after work because our new HR person had on a super cute part of black jeans last week for the holiday party and that's where she got them. I tried to order them online but gave up when I realized I had no idea about sizing.

We've decided to do my going away party and holiday gift exchange at the same time in January. Fine with me -- anything to lighten the mood!

Alright, off to continue making the "Dee Does" list. Sooooooo much to put on there...

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I think both our thrill-o-meters need an upgrade. I did get a batch of cookies made, I did the easiest ones though. I use Christmas colored M&M's and substitute them for chocolate chips in my CC cookie recipe. Quick and easy.

Yes, I think both of us could willingly spend money on jewelry. It's a habit we have for sure. I hope "our" new sapphire ring will be one of my favorites. It better be, but if not, I will trade it for something else. More fun shopping! When do you expect Bob Ross to be delivered from WF? I am anxious to see "our" custom ring.

You were quite busy yesterday as well. Yay for productive Sundays. Darn you didn't find a pair of jeans, I hope you find some at Nordstroms you like. I have the same problem. Every one I buy, I don't like them. Guess I'll have to suck it up and try some on in the store. Maybe, I should get some of those fleece or flannel lined jeans, I might live in them.

Darn you didn't get in some more sleep at your condo. I slept pretty much all night for a change but got up before 6 since I was wide awake.

Phooey to get a PITA order to pack. I bet some are worse than others. You picked some fragile stuff to sell.

Good idea to combine the holiday gift exchange with your going away party. Sweet. I found my last day and farewells a bit more emotional than I expected. Then again, that reaction was directly related to my opinion of said person. Go figure.

I did continue working on stuff last night but quit long enough to watch Yellowstone and the Santa Clauses new episode.

Today, I worked most of the day other than going to the grocery store. I see chickens are still on strike, hardly any eggs in the store. WTH? I picked up pretty much everything I needed to make my remaining cookies. I need to make mini cheesecakes twice and it dawned on me I can make them at the same time. I bought foil muffin pans so I can bake them and freeze them in the same pan. Less dishes. Yay.

Kays called and had my bracelet to pick up again. It is the size I requested now but bigger than expected. It is fine though, it hangs a bit on my wrist but won't fall off. While I was at the mall I bought myself a burger at 3:30. I was already hungry. Think I'll have some strawberries and cheese for supper.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, Vera sent me a message the other day that I should have a CAD in a week or so. I'll send it along as soon as I get it! I was just thinking about cheesecake the other day for some reason. A burger sounds so good right now... I'm going to run over to Nordstrom Rack at lunch and maybe I'll swing into Epic Burger (do you have those?) on my way back to the office.

My trip to the other Nordstrom Rack by my house last night in another attempt to find jeans was unsuccessful... At least now I know what size I would be in the brand I think I want, and they do have them online, but I really do prefer to try them on in person in an effort to avoid a trip to return things. Plus, I'm still on the hunt for black turtlenecks.

Yesterday I got motivated on something around 4:30 and worked until about seven before heading to NR. Today I need to train someone and start showing my super junior woodchuck where things are. This is going to be quite a *process*!

I've now got six orders to pack when I get to The North Estate, including one that is only going about twelve miles away so I'll take that over myself. LOVE those!

Better get back to work since I'm going to take a long lunch. Later gator!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I'll look forward to your CAD. I love cheesecake. I would never try it until I was in college. I quickly found out what I'd been missing. I only like bagels because it's an excuse to eat cream cheese. Did you got to Nordstrom Rack and get an Epic burger today? We don't have one here, I don't know if they have one in Denver. I had Culver's for supper today. Their flavor of the day is one of my favorites, strawberry and chocolate. I got two chicken tenders to take with me for lunch tomorrow. I should hide them in case Marty finds them in the frig and thinks it's his snack.

Nice you did find out what size jeans you need in case you have to end up ordering them.

You'll probably be doing quite a bit of training in the next month. They'll miss you after you are gone.

That's great one of your orders is within delivery distance. Plus, you are offering personalized service. Dee Dash rather than Door Dash!

I slept pretty well last night. What a treat! I stayed up until 11 p.m. and woke up twice but managed to go back to sleep. The next thing I knew, it was 7:30. Wow. I'll see if I am yawning before 9 p.m. tonight. I honestly wonder if I'm sleeping too much. I usually had 6-7 hours of sleep and not it's sometimes over 8.

I worked 8 hours today then hopefully finished my annual Christmas form letter/poem. I'll have Marty give it a once over and print them out. I hope to get them in the mail Friday when I head out to my periodontal torture - er I mean cleaning - session.

Does the YF know the moon will occult Mars tomorrow night? That will be cool to see. He can find local times at this website. I hope it will be clear here. I should have Marty set up his 600mm lens for me. My luck I'd break it.

Or maybe I'll put on my telephoto lens with the 2X converter and use my camera. Or pull it up on YouTube and stay inside where it's warm.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, LOL on Dee Dash! Thanks for the info for YF. He's really enjoy all this -- nice to see him take an interest in something that doesn't involve a video game! The idea of sleeping too much (or even ENOUGH) at this point sounds glorious... Your philosophy on bagels is like mine on pasta: It's only a means to eat the sauce! I did go to Nordies yesterday... and they didn't have the jeans in the size I wanted there either. So I ordered them, another pair too, a black turtleneck, and a purse I don't need when I got back to the office. I did get two tops and a pair of fingerless gloves while I was there, so it wasn't a total loss.

Last night when I got back here I had orders (7? 8? 9?... I can't remember) to pack, and did all but two of them before I climbed into bed. I also sold a quilt to a lady in Canada and she wants it shipped today for delivery tomorrow (holy $$$$$ Batman!) but I can't figure out how to do the international label with all the things that are required so I have to go to Fed Ex this morning first thing.

Once I do that and drop off the local order I need to pack up the two things I didn't get to last night, and this afternoon I'm going over to have coffee with my new boss. That will involve a quick load of laundry beforehand so I can wear my good black pants.

Alright, better get rolling!

 

[marcy]

Here's Marty's shot of Mars and the moon right before the lunar occultation. Tiny orange Mars is at about 7 o'clock.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, that is so cool! I just watched a video on it too!

Yesterday flew by. I ran to Fed Ex first thing in the morning to get the quilt on its way and then dropped off the local delivery. The husband of the lady who placed the order was out walking with his neighbor when I pulled into the driveway and I had a nice chat with him. Then I came home and packed the rest of the orders. In the afternoon I went over and spent an hour with my new boss and saw a couple of my soon-to-be colleagues. They are all such NICE people! (The again, the people I work with now were nice until I got to know them! ) After that I stopped at UPS, the post office, and Home Goods.

My brother finally told me what my niece wants for X-mas and it happens to be one of the same things I already got for YF so I went on Amazon to order another one... and the price has gone up 50% in the past month! Oh well, at least now it's taken care of. My dad's wife also just told me what she wants and I'm going to run over to the mall (hopefully today) to pick that up, and then I thing my shopping is DONE!

I need to check on a few things for work today... and look for my diamond studs... I haven't been able to locate them since last week. I'm pretty sure they're in the same place as my wallet... which I also can't find LOL. Being senile is hell!

Off to the shower. Hopefully I can find the damn bathroom!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, glad you watched a video of the occultation. Pretty cool stuff.

You were quite busy getting orders shipped and delivered. Good idea to spend time with your new boss and fellow employees. I totally chuckled at the people you currently work with were nice when you met them too. Ha Ha.

Sounds like easy shopping for your niece. Holy crap the price went up that much. Prices are just nuts.That will be nice to get your shopping done. I did some today myself. I got two little signs for Marty, one says "I wasn't speeding, I was qualifying" and the other one is for the gym that says "when you think of quitting, remember why you started".

Did you find your wallet and studs? I sure hope so.

I had another too short night last night and I'm not doing well today. I am barely awake right now. I only worked 5 hours. I just can't focus. Hence why I ran errands. However, I did some cleaning out / organizing our closet and a few drawers in our entry way dresser. Yay. I might even start working on that back bedroom.

I got my Christmas cards mailed and got Marty's jacket and tie dropped off at the cleaners.

I'm starving too. Off to have some grapes and figure out what to eat for supper.

Laters,
Curby

P.S. Supposedly "our" peach ring arrives tomorrow - along with 13 other rings. (or 12, I can't remember now, but I do have a list).

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Curby, yay for our peach arriving soon! Is everything being shipped or do you have to make the trek? I absolutely LOVE the "I wasn't speeding, I was qualifying" sign! No wallet or studs yet... but I haven't had time to look. You reminded me that I have a few cards left to mail. I got over a hundred of them out all in one fell swoop, but there are always a couple of stragglers!

So yesterday was crazy! I took pics for a few listings just so I could get something posted, went to Fed Ex for Liam, stopped at Dick's (more on that later) and Kohl's and got gifts for my dad's wife, ran to the auction place to pick up what I'd gotten last Sunday (they are closed on Fridays or I would have really preferred to put it off until today), came back and packed two orders up quick and got to the post office minutes before they closed, returned to the house with the intention of cleaning some things up... and then Liam walked in the door and said let's got out to dinner. So we headed over to a local sports bar that has good wings and as we were walking in a lady said to me, "Aren't you Dee?" I swear I'd never seen her before in my life, but she was apparently at the bank yesterday when I was being paraded around by my soon-to-be boss and is one of my new coworkers. There were actually a slew of them there, having a drink and killing time between when they left the bank and when their x-mas party was starting. I saw the lady that will be my closest colleague (who was originally going to be my boss until they revamped the position to get me) and I also met the lady that will report to me (who I think is named Betsy but Liam thinks is named Carla, ha!). Of course I was wearing workout tights and a long turtleneck and looked way to casual to be interacting with these people, but nothing could be done about it at that point!

During dinner I was telling Liam about this crazy giant orange puffer coat I'd tried on at Dick's and was kind of in love with. When I say it's like a sleeping bag with sleeves I'm not kidding! And, being... uhhhhh.... SHORT (!) it comes almost to my ankles. So of course we had to go back and look at it LOL. It was $199 but he checked the website (not sure what made him do that... ?) and it was HALF OFF on the website. There was also a big long black puffer vest in the brand and it was almost half off on the site too and we asked a salesperson what the deal was with pricing. She said the site sometimes had different prices than the store but they would honor the site's prices even though the store prices weren't marked down. Well... at less than a hundred bucks a piece I had to get BOTH the giant orange coat AND the huge black puffer vest.

When we got home I washed up a bunch of glass for today and now it's stupid early (because I went to bed stupid early... ) and I am just going to get up and get to it! The list today includes: wrapping up the two current outstanding orders (including whatever else comes in during the day), a trip to the post office and possibly also UPS, taking a slew of pictures, making an effort to find my wallet and studs (I'm pretty sure they're in the same bag somewhere... ), pack and ship at least three boxes of x-mas gifts and wrap up a bunch more, go to the fabric store to get replacement buttons for a coat and take that one and another one that needs a new lining off to the place that can do it. Oh. And dinner with my friend in a nearby suburb. So, yanno, the usual low key day. (Oy!!!!!)

P.S., just as we were walking into Dick's last night Ilya texted me with a verrrrrry interesting parcel he just picked up and I'm going to visit him on Tuesday to take a look. Will send you pics and the video he sent me. I need more jewelry like I need more puffer coats!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, our peach arrived. It's spinning to the side all the time, darn, I'll have to look down and move the ring back in place. I swear putting all 15 rings they sized on the table made me think - I'd better hide this from Marty. Ha! I still like the color and think it looks nice in the chunky ring. The rest of the rings fit okay but will check them again in the morning.

I hope you find your wallet and studs soon. I have my cards down to a science. I mail about 75 of them. I always buy self stick envelopes and give away the envelopes that come with the cards. Print out a form poem, print labels and do photo cards so they can sign them for me. Ha!

Too funny running in to people from your new job at the local sports bar. So your job will be local when you go in to the office. If I knew that, I forgot. So we know they like to drink, that's a good start. BTW, the drinkers are coming here for supper tomorrow. Best stock up on wine.

Nice you got orders packed and shipped, photos taken and more Christmas shopping done. I ordered a few more things for Marty today for his stocking. I found them on a wish list at one of our camera sites and we had $40 credit, it almost paid for them. I am probably going to trade in a lens that doesn't seem to function as it should on my camera and buy another one. I also ordered as 12 x 30 canvas print with both of Marty's moon / Mars images on it.

That puffer vest and coat looks toasty warm. I need some of them! Glad the store honored their online prices.

Sounds like you had a busy day planned. I've been busy and not doing much work. I must be playing retired lady for a few days. I met Marty for breakfast then headed to the peridontal office for a cleaning. She was quite pleased with how my teeth and gums looked. Saw an old friend's husband in the waiting room and visited with him for a while. Came home and did some work. Marty decided to put up decoratoins outside. I bundled up multiple layers, thinsulate shoes and ventured out to offer and help but he said there really wasn't much I could do. I stood there looking dumb and being cold so came back in the house. You don't have to turn away my assistance more than once.

My rings showed up and I tried them all on. So far they fit but, this time of day, rings are always loose.

I need to make my mini cheesecakes for the drinkers coming over tomorrow and for the family Christmas. I decided why make them twice, I'll make a double batch. Sadly, Marty is crashed out napping on the couch so I hate to wake him up. I'm starving too.

Have a great weekend.
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Saturday kids!

Curby, LOL on hiding the rings from Marty! If Liam ever saw my whole collection he'd probably have a heart attack. I've got my "good" small case of rings with about ten in there and then a big case that holds about thirty, and several scattered around in various boxes and hiding places. Our new peach is fabulous! I really do love it in that setting -- good call! Are you going to have to get it sized? Or can you stick something on the inside and make due? I have some clear plastic self-adhesive things (can't remember what they're for at the moment) and I just cut a sliver of one and put it on the inside of one of my rings that used to spin and VOILA! How as dinner with the drinkers? Are they keeping a good eye on Marty's new man cave on wheels? I wore the puffer vest out and about all day yesterday and then the coat when we went to dinner with my friend last night. I was so hot I had to take it off at a red light! Ha on not needing to turn away your assistance more than once! I should learn that lesson... I tend to stand around being useless for far too long before I give up and go do something else.

Yesterday was a whirlwind. I took pics for one three listings, went out for a "quick errand" that took FOUR HOURS and barely made it back in time to pack up another order that came in while I was running around and get the the post office before they closed with the packages. Then Liam and I went down to where my friend lives and we had dinner at an Italian place near his house. It was . The drive home was miserable -- I was soooooo tired and Liam was asleep in the passenger seat almost as soon as we pulled out of my friend's driveway. It was all I could do to actually make it upstairs to bed. At least I slept in today, not waking up until after eight. Now I need to get rolling though -- lots to do and not enough hours in the day to do it!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday kids!

Reporting in from Santa's workshop! Yesterday I took pics for five listings, did a bunch of laundry, had a very mediocre steak dinner out with Liam, went to Best Buy, Kohl's and Office Depot, and then wrapped, wrapped and wrapped some more! This little elf didn't go to bed until after midnight, visions of paper and boxes and bows dancing in my head! I think I've not got everything that needs to be shipped either already on the way or at least ready to pack into a box and slap a label on.

Today I'm going to run by an estate sale on my way to the annual girls' X-mas brunch. Hopefully I'll be back here to The North Estate at a reasonably early hour so I can get more cleaning up done, and there's an online auction that starts a seven pm with a bunch of stuff I want. (Do you see how the volume here in this house never goes down... ?!)

Off to see what's happening downstairs. Liam is having QUITE the conversation with one of the dogs. I suspect there might be something amiss...

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, what does that say about our jewelry collection we don't want anyone to see it "all" at once. That we have good taste? I've probably sold or traded more than I own too. My earring collection isn't what it used to be either. You can never see my earrings, I just know they are there. I wear by diamond studs or dangles 99% of the time anyway. I rarely wear bracelets anymore and usually only wear my diamond pendants if I wear one. But rings, those are my favorites.

Our peach ring is just borderline too tight for my knuckle, not my finger. It's such a pain to either run it back to Denver or call and try to get them to pay for shipping both ways. I tried all the rings on this morning and found one other one that is pretty tight. Sometimes they just won't go over my knuckle. I got my little wand out and quite a few of the rings are about 1/4 size smaller than requested. Who knew that made that big of a difference? Tell me more about those little clear insert? That would work on my Tiffany band since it can't be sized.

Nice your puffer coat keeps you toasty warm. Dinner with your friend sounds fun and delicious. Glad you made it home and safely to bed since you were so tired. Good deal you slept in yesterday. I slept pretty well last night. Yay.

The drinkers came to dinner last night. It was pretty tame this time. My friends husband wasn't feeling well so he didn't drink much, her mom stayed home sick and my friend was driving so cut off early. The five of us only drank three bottles of wine. But the tenderloin, pichana and mini cheesecakes were delicious!

Nice you got so many gifts wrapped and took pictures for listings. I went through all your pages earlier today. I wrapped a few gifts yesterday and already have a gift wrap mess in the back bedroom.

Yesterday we ran errands and watched a Christmas movie. Our friends came by about 5 p.m. and we played cards until about 10. IBoth of us actually slept in today. I go laundry done, ran the Curbymobile through the car wash. It will be clean for about 2 days before the snow storm moves in Tuesday. I did a bit of work. I decided supper was on Culver's because the flavor of the day sounded tasty.

Laters,
Curby

 

[marcy]

Here is our peach from the side. I haven't taken many pictures yet. A little row of diamonds around the edge.

 

[marcy]

Here is a peachy-pink collage

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I really really REALLY love the new peach! And my vision of the diamond circle underneath was different than reality -- and I can say the reality is SO MUCH better than what I was thinking! The check is in the mail for your quality control work the other day. I considered the car wash for the Deemobile the other day, but the line was about 20 deep by the time I pumped gas so I just kept on going.

Yesterday was another "day." I got a tub of pretty good glass at a reasonable price at the sale, had a nice time at the brunch (but ate wayyyyyy tooooo muuuuuch... ), took an hour nap back at The North Estate, and then got up and packed three orders along with two more boxes of presents to ship (I think I'm done with that process now -- yay!!!), and won everything I wanted at the on-line auction... to the tune of almost eight hundred bucks. Ack. But it's all such great stuff I'm not upset at all! Of course now I have to retrieve it from a location about an hour away, and it has to be done on Wednesday, but it is what it is. I sold the last quilt that I had listed yesterday. It's always so fantastic to put something in a box that I don't have to worry about breaking along the way! I've got four more quilts that I never got around to listing, plus two tablecloths, and those should really be my next round of stuff to put up.

This morning I was wide awake at four, so I was on the road by about 4:30. That got me to my place before six and I slept for another two hours before getting up for real.

No luck on finding my wallet and/or earrings, either at The North Estate or at my place. I'm going to write down here everything I can think of before they went missing so if you have any thoughts please shout 'em out!

The night of Thursday, December 1, I went to see The Lion King with my kid from Big Bros / Big Sis. Got back to my place around 11:30. Took my earrings out and put them in a little round pink jewelry holder with a lid. I *think* I remember putting that in a bag in the morning with my red Hello Kitty wallet (which is hard to miss... I mean... it's a RED HELLO KITTY WALLET!). And then... ????? I did take the trash out at my place that morning, so I guess it's possible I threw the bag away, but I *generally* take things back and forth to The North Estate in big reusable bags, not like little white bags that you get at CVS. So while I can't say for certain I didn't put the pink jewelry case and red wallet in a bag I would use for trash and then throw it down the chute, I think that's unlikely. So that's all I really remember at this point. Ugh. I'm hoping I have a lightbulb moment. And SOON!!!!!

Alright, off to do some actual work.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids! From the #itsfreakingcoldoutthere

Dee Jay, if this storm moves your way it's be cold and snowy. Guess we are under a blizzard warning for two days. Yippee!

Glad you like our peach sapphire and I don't mind the little halo on the side. I am not trying to wear it today - I got it stuck on my finger twice yesterday so I got out another one of the assorted rings they sized and am doing fine with it today. Maybe I'll try the peach again tomorrow. I might just suck it up and get it sized locally rather than deal with the hassle of trying to return it to the store in Denver. It goes on fine sometimes. Stupid knuckle.

I'll be watching for my check and spend it foolishly - like most of my money.

I wouldn't have stayed in line for a carwash either with 20 cars before me. I ran errands this afternoon before the snow starts flying so topped off my gas tank figuring the 35 degrees it was at 2 pm was probably the warmest it will be for the foreseeable future.

You are doing far better than me on getting things wrapped and shipped. I did wrap a few presents this weekend that I was passing on to the drinkers. I just got a package off the porch that contained three tiny things for Marty's stocking. The box was about 16x20 inches - WTH? I'll wrap my blue afghan in it for the family Christmas.

Good deal you scored some great stuff at the online auction. Wow to getting on the road at 4:30 in the morning. CRAP you haven't found your wallet and earrings yet. My first thought then would be check under cushions and under and around seats in the car(s). Since it's not turned up somewhere obvious hopefully it's under something. Good luck! I just read the last your remember them, I sure hope they didn't get thrown out. Check every bag at both places. Come on light bulb moment. I loose my rings all the time in the house. I have a few ring trays in assorted places but I'll take them off and set them down. Once, I knocked my diamond ring in to the dishwasher. Glad I didn't have the TV on because I heard something hit and looked to see what feel in there.

It's nice to pack things that can't break. Too bad someone doesn't buy both - a quilt and glasses - you'd have extra padding in the box.

I was up before 6 today and started work at about 7:30. I had leftovers from Saturday for lunch and think I'll make a grilled cheese sandwich for supper.

I might wrap a few presents for Marty tonight and get them under the tree - or not. I might try knitting on mini me #2 with gloves. My right thumb finally healed up the dry spot but now the left thumb wants to join the party.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, I'm glad you mentioned the weather because I just looked at it's going to get nasty around 7 pm here so I plan on being on the road to The North Estate well ahead of that! LOL on the giant box! I had a single pair of pants from Macy's come in an 18 x 12 x 12. No joke. How's your thumb? I see those gloves or mittens you can wear at night with lotion on... have you tried them? I'm not sure how it would be to try to sleep with something like that on, but I guess you can get used to anything, right?! So (drum roll please!) I found my wallet!!! It was farrrrrr back in the pocket of my car door. No little pink jewelry box though (although I'm going to check again tonight all over the car with a flashlight) and I'm thinking it might be in the pocket of whatever I would up to The North Estate that morning. The search continues...

Last night I had dinner with my friend who makes the cowhide bags. Now I have FIVE of the new version she's experimenting with. Good thing I love these, ha ha!

I'm heading over to see Ilya as soon as I finish this post. Will send you picks with anything I'm considering!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, Woo Hoo! You found your billfold. Now, to find those diamond studs. I have a little pink Hello Kitty coin purse. Marty bought it for me in the Hong Kong market and negotiated it down to about 35 cents U.S. dollars.

Glad you got to the North Estate before the weather got bad. We only had two inches of snow but it's still bitter cold and blowing like crazy out there. The sidewalk and driveway are clear of snow but the front porch has a lot of snow on it.

Too funny you got a giant box for one pair of pants. Like everything else, probably a shortage of supplies. My sister that lives on a farm is out of power with this storm and down to 22% of propane. They haven't been able to get their tank topped off because the propane dealer can't get parts to fix their trucks so out of 10 only 4 of them are working. Aak. I offered our spare bedroom but the roads are closed between here and there.

Nice you walked away with five new cowhide bags from dinner with your friend. Score! Speaking of friends, my "drinker" friend was coming over for dinner last night but since she had to travel for work today she headed to Denver last night. So I sent her a picture of the glass of Freakshow (wine) I'm enjoying right now. Ha!

I worked about 7 hours today and am making homemade beef and noodle soup. It smells great!

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, how is your sister faring? I hope their generator is still working! Fortunately your snow never really materialized here, despite predictions, and I think we're just in for a rainy day. That sucks though because I have to run about an hour southwest to pick up A LOT of glass from last Sunday's auction. You certainly work a lot of hours for a retired person.

Yesterday was a bling fest! I'll write it out here (way too much to text) and send you pics. Ilya had two sets of pears, one more green and one more blue. I would love a moi et toi with one of each, but splitting up the pairs of pears isn't really feasible so I'll likely have to skip that idea. There is an oval that is a contender. The stones went off to GIA by the time I asked about the dimensions, but off the top of his head he said about 9.7 x 7.2. I have a pics on my hand and I didn't think it looked that big, but maybe...? You'll have to tell me what you think. This stone is definitely not free though, and I am not sure I'm that committed. I've got plenty of time before it comes back from GIA so not need for a snap decision, but... hmmm... While I was there he had his guy tighten up the prongs on the halo stones of Paris because he said replacing one of those old rose cuts would be a b!tch to match. He said the ring was hand made, which was also what the vendor said, but it was nice to have it confirmed.

My new bracelet is fab! I really like that it has more "structure" than a regular prong set bracelet, and the length is only 6.5" rather than the usual 7" so it doesn't move around overly much. Rut ro -- this opens up a whole new world for me!

This morning I've got three orders to pack up and another one that someone is asking me questions on. I should also get the gifts for the post office and UPS people ready to go so when I run by there I can drop those off. And I need to go to Best Buy and get a cord. Am Ex platinum gives me $200 credit every six months and I was struggling to find something I wanted (it's use it or lose it and you can't get a gift card or combine the credits) and then I hit on the idea of getting a laptop or tablet just keep downstairs in my packing room to deal with labels and other order-type stuff rather than carrying my current laptop back and forth. I actually got a chromebook on sale for $199 and it works great... except it can't find my printer wirelessly. After Liam and I both fvcked around with it for way too long I made the executive decision to just go get a cord today. If I like this chrombook I'll order another one to replace my dying laptop downtown too come Jan. 1 when my next credit hits.

Better get moving, I've got a lot to do today!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, my sister's electricity is back on but the power lines are covered in ice so it probably won't last. They have a lot of 5 foot snow drifts but did dig the pickup out just in case. The wind is still crazy so anything they dig out will just blow back in. The life of living in the country in Wyoming.

I hope you only get rain there especially on your outing to pick up glassware. Yes, I do work a lot for a retired person. I quit at 6 hours today.

Those stones are a gorgeous color and I understand why he wouldn't want to split up the pairs that match. The oval is gorgeous but tough call for the money and if you wonder about the size. A halo would be great and make it larger. Nice to get Paris looked at and the prongs tightened. I really like your new bracelet. I have a four carat tennis bracelet and it looks the same size on your wrist as that bracelet. Makes my two carat look tiny. Ha Ha. Glad the length fits you well too. I don't like bracelets that dangle too much, I'm klutzy and they catch on things.

Did I tell you I found one of the prongs on our peach is sticking up a bit funny? Not loose, but like a jagged edge. I am making a list of rings I need to return. It's getting longer all the time. They have two stores in Denver and I have historically had issues with the sizing from this store. I'd call and talk to the manager but they probably won't care. I keep trying on the rings I had sized at other places and they are okay. That knuckle seems to be an issue but they still go on and off that finger. I ordered a better ring mandrel than the one I have. I know different shapes make a difference but it's very frustrating.

Good idea to buy a Chromebook to leave downstairs for printing labels. I ihad a mini IPad at work and a regular sized one at home. I considered selling the mini after I retired (you know before I un-retired) but kept it. I still use both of them.

Not much new or different going on here today. Frigid cold and windy. I plan on lifting in a while. I enjoyed a bowl of my homemade soup for lunch and need to figure out something for supper. I think I'll brew up a batch of cookies for Christmas tomorrow and maybe wrap a few gift. Our tree looks bare without presents.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Curby, did your sister's electricity stay on? I sure hope so! Well... I spoke too soon... It rained all day yesterday but when I peeked out the bedroom balcony door a few minutes ago I see we got hit with the white stuff. Ack. I am bracelet obsessed right now!!! I want to STACK! I have a tiny bangle that I put on with the estate bracelet last night along with a faux that I had lying around in the jewelry box (not even sure where that one came from... ?) and I love the look! Rut ro!!! Oh no to the problematic prong. That's a bummer. Did you get any cookies made?

Yesterday I was a busy little bee! I wrapped some orders, helped a lady at work with some HR training we're trying to roll out by the end of the year, went up and got all the glass I bought at last Sunday's auction (that was a four hour adventure... ), ran to the post office and UPS before they closed, had a successful trip to Best Buy (solved my Chromebook / printer problem with one $9.99 cord!), and then... I have no idea what happened after that other than TR putting a big steak dinner in front of me, ha ha.

Today I need to do my nails first (they are currently naked and I know if I so much as look at them without polish they will break right off), wrap four orders, and who knows what else the day will bring. My morning progress is not helped by the fact that I've been sitting here in bed looking at bracelets online I'm not going to buy!

Alright, up and at 'em!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, either my sister's electricity didn't stay on or she's been outside scooping snow all day. She hasn't answered my texts. It's still frigid and crazy windy here - even windy for here. Still in the forecast for tomorrow too.

Nice to be bracelet obsessed. I was once too but then had to take them off at night when they were scratching up my laptop. Now a lot of them are too big for me but I still wear them sometimes. I like the layered look too. I really like bangles but they come off quickly after they start clanging on things.

You did have a very busy day yesterday and productive. Nice to get some more things finished at work plus pick up your new glasses. Sweet to have a big steak for dinner. Phooey the white stuff showed up.

Nice to get your nails done todayI filed my nails but still haven't painted them. I have a big old split right by my thumb nail which is preventing me from knitting, baking cookies and painting my nails. The problem is the dry splits are in the same place all the time so they just keep coming back. They honestly aren't as bad as they have been before.

I got up about 6:30 today and was working before 8. I got to do a new post on a recent NASA release. I am slow at those but need the practice. I stopped working after lunch to work on the program for the astronomy meeting tonight. I completely forgot about it until I was getting in bed last night. It's a power point I've used before so I only needs to run through it and add a few recent images. Now that I don't teach all the time, I have to think about some of these things.

I wrapped all my packages too. Yay.

Off to eat supper and get ready for the meeting.

Laters,
Curby