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Healthy Living Thread

Deegee, I dug out my WF PC earrings to wear tomorrow. They look very white to me but of course they are only 1/4 each.
 
Happy St. Pat’s kids!

Deegee, I’m so glad you found your earring! I live in mortal fear that one of mine will go down the drain. Whenever I’m handling them in the bathroom I always put the drain stopper down. Of course it helps that the CB is a plumber! I like the setting with the sapphire halo a lot! Are you sure about a princess though? The setting looks like you could do a cushion with the rounded corners. And are you considering a bezel or prongs? I love the idea of a bezel set cushion in there!

Curby, I just changed my address with the post office AGAIN because nothing is being forwarded. The mail service in Chicago is notoriously bad. I’ve been changing things over as I think of them, but there will still be things that need forwarding service at some point. I hope the process goes more smoothly for your parent’s mail! Any more news on the guy who might buy the house? That would save you a ton of hassle.

The weekend REALLY flew by! Not that they all don’t but for some reason this one was over in the blink of an eye. I had a party on Friday night, another one at the CB’s sister’s house on Saturday night, and we went to dinner with friends last night. Plus I did house stuff and took a real estate client out on Saturday and worked at HRB on Sunday. Thank god it’s Monday because I’m exhausted!

To celebrate someone’s birthday there is a box of donuts sitting right outside my office. I had a tiny piece of two of them, but I can hear them calling my name…
 
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Are you out drinking green beer?

Dee Jay, thank you for reminding me to plug the sink – I clean my jewelry right by the sink all the time. Bad idea! It sounds like your mail forwarding is as good there as we have here. When we moved to this house we didn’t see mail for 6 weeks. Stuff coming to the new address was either returned to sender or forwarded to our old address. Our old address mail was listed as no forwarding address and who knows where that stuff went! I just know my million-dollar publisher’s clearing house never made it to our house. Sadly that guy told us yesterday his kids were not going to buy my parents house. He is thinking of transferring out of town. You did have a busy weekend but it sounds like most of it was fun.

I couldn’t get to sleep last night finally falling asleep at 2:30. Marty started stirring about 5:30 so I had a short night. I am fading fast already and it’s only 7:45.

I had leftover soup for lunch and did not venture out to find a piece of candy for dessert. I was good. For supper we had leftovers and 1 cupcake. That was my treat.

Snow is on its way back tomorrow. Boo!

Take care.
Marcy
 
Marcy-ooh, I hope you enjoyed wearing your princess studs today! I don't know how an earring went down the sink, especially since I haven't worn them. My guess is it was snagged on a ring and I didn't notice, but I don't know how that happened because I swear I've been stopping up the sink. Argh! Too bad about that guy's kid deciding not to buy the house. That would have been too easy! I hope you had no new odd estate surprises today. Matt left a few hours later than planned this morning, which was enough time for the roads to clear up. He ran over a big piece of metal after he had been on the road about an hour and spent some time in a tire repair shop this morning. Unfortunately he took his car instead of a company car today, and the tire was just bought in December. Oh well, such is life. He got there safely.

Dee*Jay-I don't know what mail we're not getting, but I do know how much mail belonging to the former owners of this house keeps getting delivered here. I dropped it off to the at their new house on the way home from work for a while, but they have moved and they're not on my way anymore so I drop it at the post office. Some of it still comes back to us. Aggravating! I thought about a bezel set cushion, but I know absolutely zip about them and I'd probably screw that up. Around here, you pretty much only see rounds, princess, and emerald cuts so I've only seen cushions in pictures. I tend to go for the modern cut cushions, at last in pictures! Our employee committee brought donuts this morning to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I can totally avoid those...they're green and they look moldy. And if you party all weekend, it's gonna fly by! Do you ever sit still?

Not much to report today. For breakfast I had yogurt, lunch was soup, and dinner was Olive Garden leftovers & wine. Mom and I talked on the phone tonight for a couple of hours. Today is her birthday and we're hoping to be able to get together this weekend for dinner. Have a great day tomorrow!
 
Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, when I hear stories like yours, and I’ve got plenty of my own, in terms of bad mail delivery I have absolutely no sympathy for the postal service. If a private business ran itself like that it would have gone out of existence long ago! We’re going up to 50 degrees today, but I feel for your snow. Is it spring yet?!?

Deegee, I think GOG and WF both have branded cushions, and that would take the guesswork out of the buying process if you did want to go that route. The faceting on the branded cushions tends to be like a modern round brilliant (unless you go with something like an AVC from GOG of course, in which case you get the old-fashioned chunky facets) and I like that they are “brilliant” but not splintered like some crushed ice cushions can be.

Last night I did absolutely nothing… I got on the couch… closed my eyes *just for a minute* and that was that! At some point I have to do more packing but since my move got pushed back a month I don’t feel a ton of rush to get it all done. I’ve also already got some boxes that could move over “as is” (like my client files that are already boxed up and Christmas ornaments, that sort of thing) but the two big closets are being used right now to house other things (like the worker’s tools!) so I will have to hold off for a while. I also have to look into movers ASAP because when I called yesterday to reserve the elevator for April 19th it was already book from 8 am to 2 pm so I had to take the next later slot (2 – 5 pm). Finding out that people are already thinking that far ahead lit a fire under me!
 
Dee*Jay-you're a genius! I looked at the signature cushions on the BGD site tonight. I'm a wuss...I'd rather go with a signature stone and pay a little more than to strike out on my own. No time for that! I may order one and if I don't like it IRL, I'll ship it right back. We (by we I mean Matt) put off the mover thing until the last minute, and then we couldn't get anyone. The elevator is a pretty major thing! I would have let that slip right by. Are you up high? (To me, high is anything over 2 stories!)

Hi Marcy!

Lily and I just got back from our walk. We sat it side for a while when we got back. It's hard to believe today was such a beautiful day, sun shining, birdies chirping since it snowed a bunch Monday. All the white crap is gone, for now, so we enjoyed our evening outside. I had yogurt and a banana for breakfast, 1/2 Arby's roast beef sandwich for lunch, and leftovers for dinner. I just poured the rest of a bottle of wine. A coworker bought me a bottle of a French Chardonnay, which is pretty good. I usually only buy reds, so this is a little different. My Galaxy Note 2 crapped out on me and I filed a claim yesterday. We never take insurance out on these things, but Matt told me he had thought about how much I drop my phone and decided to take it out this time. Good thing he did! My new Galaxy Note 3 came today (super quick!). Now I have to get it set up and learn a new phone. Fun evening ahead. Have a great day tomorrow!
 
Happy Tuesday!

Deegee, I completely missed getting my WF stud in my ear once and didn’t notice it missing until school that night. I looked around class, my car, my clothes, called work and had my swing shift check and it was no where to be found. I even emailed WF asking how I could replace just one of them and about 5 days later I noticed something sparkly by the foot of our coffee table and that was it. All I can figure it was caught in my hair and when I bent over that morning to get my shoes off the floor it fell out then. Now I check to make sure my earring is securely in my ear. How scary for Matt to hit something in the road and tear up a tire. At least he was okay but that is too bad he damaged a new tire. Do you guys have hazard insurance on it? I think a BGD cushion would be fabulous in the ring you posted. I am leaning that way myself – to trust the experts on a new diamond! Have fun with your new phone; it was lucky you had insurance on it.

Dee Jay, as long as those pesky bills never show up in my mailbox I figure I am doing GREAT. Ha Ha. You had our nice weather – look out another wet snow is coming your way with wind thrown in as a bonus. This morning the roads running N to S were very icy. Most things were clear by the time I came home though. You deserve a night of rest and doing absolutely nothing. Good idea reserving the elevator now.

I slept pretty well last night. Woo hoo!

I made positive progress on one estate problem today. We don’t have a local Nationwide office so I have been dealing with a toll free number trying to get my parents insurance cancelled. Of course they need proof of who I am and what I want to do and they can never find my emails so after 10 days of those delightful phone calls I called an agent in Fort Collins and she is working on it for me. Who knows if and when she’ll get it accomplished but I felt like she would try.

The movers are coming next Thursday to clean my parents place out. Then we are getting the place cleaned and can hopefully get it on the market. Dee Jay, can we put the house on the market without the roof done yet? We still will have a new roof put on but I have to get the insurance settled and in my name before they will send an adjuster.

Take care!
Marcy
 
Happy Wednesday kids!

Deegee, the branded cushions aren’t really much more at all than the unbranded ones, and the consistency (because they are all cut to the same exacting standards) is totally worth it in my opinion. My current unit is on the 40th floor, so yes, that’s high! My new unit is on ground level. Talk about going from one extreme to the other. As much as I do enjoy the view, I don’t think I’ll mind being on the ground. One really cool thing I noticed a few weeks ago when I there in the dark is that the Metra trains run on a track that I can see from the high windows and at night they have these green lights on so it’s this super cool green glow whizzing past. I’ll try to capture it in a picture once I move in.

Curby, we’re having a totally soupy foggy rainy morning… but at least it ain’t snow! And you’re so lucky that you found your earring that time! I may have told you this story before but a friend of mine bought a really lovely lose emerald one time and had it set in a ring. The very first day she wore it she looked down and the emerald had fallen right out of the setting. She was heartbroken! The next day she was on the train (and being a creature of habit always went in the same car), was about to get out at Union Station, looked down, and her emerald was sitting right there between her feet totally protected in the rubber grooves of the train floor.

Last night I worked a little late and then went home and *read a magazine*. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I did that! I tried to buy a book for my Kindle but the only way to do it now is “buy with one click” (??? Is that right? When did that become the only option?) and I think the credit card on file with Amazon is expired and I didn’t have the energy to get off the couch and dig up my wallet, so no book for Dee. AndI have been awake off and on since about 3 am...
 
Happy Wednesday! :wavey:

Dee Jay that will be quite a change in view from the 40th floor to the first floor. Both of course have their advantages. I am sure your friend was thrilled to find her emerald that fell out. My mom had a few magazine subscriptions and I brought them home but they are stacking up. I need to get them read and pass them on to my sisters. I don’t even read astronomy magazines anymore – I let them stack up until we go on road trips and I read them then. The one click purchase has been in Kindle for about a year now. The first time I did it I bought a case for a camera that I had no intention of buying. D’oh!

Hi Deegee!

We were crazy busy at work today. I went to the bank to see about getting a credit on my dad’s credit card transferred to his account. As all this estate stuff turns out to be – that is not so easy. I had to write a letter requesting the refund and take it back along with proof I am the executor and copies of death certificates. Yes, I understand the world has a lot of scumbags that do things like identity theft but really, the man at the bank knows me, I am on my dad’s account and their credit card company says no way no how. He did tell me he didn’t think I needed an EIN to sell my parents house.

Marty took today off from work and was running back and forth between our house and my parents house. We had the plumbers / heating guys in doing repairs, our cleaning lady was at our house and he had to run home and apply for a visa to go to Turkey.

Marty spent the afternoon prying things out of the kitchen cupboards at my parent’s house. He has a truck full of trash to throw out. The dump was already closed so he’ll have to take it there tomorrow.

This weekend we need to get things in bags and boxes for the movers to come get next week. I was going to let them pack things up but Marty doesn’t think we should do that to them. It will probably save us money.

Tonight I am looking at G BGD signature and WF ACA diamonds. I really don’t know an E, F or G will look much different in a YG setting. My current diamond is G and it looks as white as can be. It’s an AGS0 but has a HCA of 2.1. First I need cash though.

Marcy
 
Happy Saturday, Kids! :wavey:

We had our astronomy meeting last night. One of the ladies in the clubs did a program on where constellations come from and made some flash cards with information for all of us to read and try to guess the constellation. It was kind of fun. We had "pie" afterwards. I hadn't had a piece of apple pie in I don't remember how long but I savored every bite of it. :lickout:

This morning we had muffins (which we bought last night) and I made Marty some scrambled eggs. He always wants meat, eggs, potatoes, etc but I told him today it was a girlie breakfast - just a muffin.

We met the family at 10:30 and began the FINAL (hopefully) packing stuff to have it ready for the movers / haul away crew this Thursday. One of my nephews came in to the room I was packing up and said something like "what have I missed in here" and I said " we aren't shopping today, we are packing. We've picked this scab long enough". He avoided me the rest of the day. Oh well. We got it done by 4. Marty took down the very outdated and dirty crystal chandelier and replaced it with a more modern fixture and replaced a toilet seat - it looked better already. There is gorgeous hard wood floors under the carpet. Marty is talking to the realtor next week we are debating whether to rip up the carpet and get those floors sanded and polished. I know it would help sell it and if we ran in to bad spots I think even repairing them would be cheaper than new carpet. When we got our fair market value I believe the realtor figured in the price of selling it more "as is" than doing a lot of cosmetic upgrades. The kitchen and bathroom are so dated Marty said he'd gut them if he was moving in there. I know if we don't do the floors and paint the house may take longer to sell and when we get an offer they will low ball the price because they have to do that. If we do go ahead and get the floors done and walls painted we may sell it quicker. Dee Jay feel free to comment since this your area of expertise.

We had about 3" of snow today but the roads were mostly melted off by 4.

Marty is having a poker game tonight with his new Killer Rabbit Casino poker chips. There are 4 guys playing poker down in the man cave. They were having a rather loud discussion about 30 minutes ago so I went to the top of the stairs and yelled down to the "if you boys can't play nice you'll have to go home". They called me a few names but I thought I was funny!

I have decided if I get a new diamond for my ering I want an ACA. Why not get the best? Based on everything I read the ACA are better cuts than AGS000. I know you have an ACA, Deegee and you said it is amazing. My diamond is a G 1.03 AGS000 and there isn't a dead or dull spot in it so if an ACA is better it would impress me anyway. What do you ladies think? I wouldn't have the cash to buy what I want until the estate is settled but it gives me something to dream about and drool over. I am going to try on 5 stone bands with a solitaire the next time I'm in a jewelry store to see if I want to get the 1/2 ctw 5 stone band from WF when I get my ring. The best part is if I go that route - I would be able to get some cool stuff in exchange for my current ering. I would probably trade in my ering and my EC diamond and get a bigger, better color and clarity EC diamond and get an oval diamond RHR. Those upgrades would be mostly free by trading in my diamond. Did you fall asleep yet? :bigsmile:

Take care.
Marcy

pokerchips.jpg
 
Marcy-I love the killer rabbit poker chips. Those are awesome! So perfect for you guys!! Is that your kitchen counter top in the background? I like it. I'm glad you savored your pie. I'm not sure when I last had apple pie. My sister made a cherry pie one family dinner last year, but I'm thinking it was gone before I got a piece. You sure have your hands full taking care of the estate and the house. It would be tempting to pull the carpet up. Can Marty do the work if the floor needs repaired or boards need replaced? I pulled out my diamond docs to see exactly what I own. I have 4 ACA stones. My ering scored a 1.1 on the HCA, my earrings scored 1.0 & 1.3, and the center stone in my halo bezel pendant scored a 1.1. I also have earring jackets made with ACA melee stones, and a flower pendant and earrings made with little ACA stones. I can tell a difference in the sparkle factor between those and my bracelet made with F/G GIA stones. My bracelet is pretty, but I have regretted not spending the extra and going with a BGD or WF bracelet instead. The 5 stone band from WF would be gorgeous. I am going to have my ering reset in platinum at some point, and I plan to get a WF band to go with it. I have the Kimberly band bookmarked right now, but I don't want one quite that big.

Dee*Jay-that emerald story is absolutely crazy. Holy cow! I'm so glad she found it. 40th floor? Eek! I couldn't quite make myself walk over to the windows went we went to the observation area in the Hancock Tower. When I'm up high, I feel like things are swaying. I used to work on the 11th floor, and that was enough for me. (For some reason though, I love roller coasters. Go figure.) The one click thing can sometimes really be annoying. I accidentally ordered fixtures for a roman tub one day when my iPad keyboard wasn't cooperating. I was able to cancel it, but for a few minutes I thought I'd be getting plumbing supplies!

Last week was super busy. I haven't been able to look at pretty shiny things since Tuesday! My niece had her 4th knee surgery (3rd surgery on the same knee) last week. Poor kid just turned 22, and she has inherited my "weirdest things happen to me" gene. We went home for family dinner yesterday. It was the first time I have been home since Christmas Day. I've never in my life gone this long without going home. Dad has lost 40 pounds. He didn't have treatment last week because he was so sick. Instead he went in every day for infusions of fluids and nutrients. They have doubled the doses of medicines to help with the side effects of chemo. I think it did him a world of good having all of us there yesterday. I gave him my iPad and a quick lesson. I left it hooked to my AT&T account so he could use it away from their wifi, created him a email address, and linked the iPad to my mom's Apple ID so he could put whatever he wanted on it. We set up his iMessage and FaceTime. I hope he'll try it. I feel a nap coming on. Have a great Monday!
 
Happy Sunday kids!

Curby, my advice (and take this for what it’s worth since I haven’t even seen the house!) is to have the hardwood floors done and paint the place a neutral color before you put it on the market. The kitchen and bathrooms can be the next person’s problem though. I love the poker chips! Did you guys find a company on-line that would customize? If I were a poker player I would totally do Demon Dog chips!

Deegee, I have an interior office in my building right now because we’re on the 56th floor and I can totally feel it sway. When I worked in the Sears Tower on the 51st floor there would be water *sloshing out of the toilets” on windy days because the building swayed so much. And that was only half way up—imagine being on the top! Good idea giving your ipad to your dad. I hope he really enjoys it.

Yesterday the guys finished laying the hardwood floors in my new place! They will sand and stain them the week before I move in, but I can’t believe they did it all in just three days! The carpenters/drywallers though… they’re a little *slow*. I’m actually brining in a different drywaller to do the high ceiling. The ceiling guys are giving me a price tomorrow for that work and I hope it’s not too terrible… I went to the paint store today to get a quarter of a certain color to check out what it would look like on the dropped ceiling grid (I’m doing faux tin tiles but I want to paint the suspended metal part to match). The color I got is easily 2 to 3 shades lighter than the sample I asked for. Stuff like that p!sses me off so much. This is also the color I want the main part of the ceiling painted. The painters wouldn’t know any better so they would just ask for XYZ color and slap it on. Imagine my fury when I would come home thinking I’m getting a dark gray (almost black) ceiling and ending up with something that’s just barely grey from the white scale. I can’t believe in this day and age paint mixing isn’t *perfect*! Needless to say I’ll be back there tomorrow.

The poor CB has a nasty cold. I hope that doesn’t mean I will have a nasty cold in three days….
 
Dee*Jay-I saw your pictures in your ceiling thread. I love to see how far along the condo is. The ceiling tiles look great. I had a hard time picturing in my mind what you were talking about, and then you posted pictures! I hope you get your paint sample in the right color. I guess I thought paint mixing was pretty accurate if you had a sample or swatch to go by. Although when we first moved into our last house, we bought paint that looked like a nice beige on the swatch but turned out like wet band-aid on the wall. The dude told me it was my lighting, but I think it was his mixing since it didn't quite look like the swatch in store lighting. I went on the GOG website to learn all about branded H&A cushions vs August Vintage Cushions. Makes me want to order one of each just to see what I like best in person! The AVCs looked pretty cool in the video comparison.

Hi Marcy!

Today was long...early to work and a couple hours late leaving. It's going to be this way for a while, unfortunately. I had yogurt for breakfast, tomato soup for lunch (at 4pm), and pizza for dinner. Oops. And even bigger oops, we went out for ice cream this evening. Tomorrow we're going out to a hibachi style dinner with the project team to celebrate finally being able to award the contract to the vendor so food tomorrow is already bad. The project kickoff meeting and product demonstration for all staff is Wednesday, and we have a big luncheon/snack day planned. I might as well scrap this whole week for eating right. I'm off to find something productive to do before bed. I bought yarn to make an afghan for the family room, but I have completely unraveled my progress 4 times now and started over. I have to get going with the darn thing...the ball of yarn isn't a great accessory in its current state. Have a great evening!
 
Happy Monday!

Deegee, yes that is my countertop in the background of the poker chips. I bet your 4 ACA are gorgeous. I am definitely leaning towards getting the 5 stone wedding band to go with my ering. The Kimberly band is very pretty. I am going shopping Saturday to look at things and see what I like. Who knows maybe I’ll get something that day. Marty could pull the rug up at my parents house if we decide to go that route. I am sorry to hear your dad has lost so much weight and has been so sick. I hope doubling up the meds to help with side effects from chemo will help him. I hope your dad will enjoy using your iPad, that is a great idea to leave it hooked up to your cell phone account so he can have wifi anywhere.

Dee Jay, I agree with your on the painting and doing the hardwood floors, the votes are pretty evenly split on the whether to do it or not. Yes, the poker chips were made by an online place that does custom work. Demon Dog poker chips would be awesome! That is funny to hear the water sloshes in the toilets on that high of floors. I don’t think I’ve ever been higher than about the 12th floor. That is awesome the hardwood floors are in already. How frustrating the paint didn’t come out to the correct color. You definitely have to stay on top of everything as they work on your place. I will have to go find your pictures. Making an afghan sounds fun. I need to get my scarf out to work on. I put it up before Christmas and haven’t pulled it back out since. Good idea!

Sunday we went to Colorado to go to dinner with my sister and her family for a birthday celebration. It was a fun day. We stopped at Jared’s because it was on the way home. I didn’t buy anything but tried on a few things. We had supper then stopped at Best Buy. We got Marty a 60” TV for the man cave; I’ll never see him again other than for supper.

Take care!
Marcy
 
Happy Tuesday kids! And Happy one year anniversary today at my current job!

Deegee, I painted a couple of the ceiling grid pieces last night with paint samples and the one I was leaning toward was really blueish, so back to the drawing board. I did make the executive decision that I will never be able to find a gray that looks perfect with the ceiling tiles so I am going to do black track for that. Plus, the black is pre-painted so total score on saving me all sorts of time and effort! Do you like the AVC better than the WF branded cushions? (I can’t remember what the WF ones are called.)

Curby, my office is on the 56th floor and there are often helicopters flying BELOW our window level. And this building doesn’t sway nearly as much as the Sears Tower but there have been at least two occasions in the past year where I was a little green with the movement. I think painting and doing the floors makes a huge impact, especially for people like young couples who want to move in right away and use the livable kitchen and bathrooms as-is until they have money to fix those areas up. That being said, who knows who the potential buyers may end up being!

This morning I had to go to Home Depot at 6:30 to place a large order through the contractor desk so I can have 40 sheets of drywall delivered tomorrow. The CB’s brother and one of his guys are coming to tomorrow to build me a 2’ soffit where the high ceiling meets the suspended area. I was going to do something different there but the soffit makes more sense, especially when I have to build the space out with bedrooms at the point I’m ready to sell.

I have a bit of a sore throat. Boo to the CB for getting me sick… !
 
Happy Wednesday kids!

Last night I ran to Menard's and then over to The Palace, and my project has been dubbed! The guys weren't there yesterday because they had to do something at another location but I should have a full house today with the usual crew and also the CB's brother and carpenter are putting in my emergency "oh sh!t--I changed my mind!" soffit to transition between the two ceiling areas. Tomorrow a whole new crew of drywallers shows up to do the high ceiling and I have to meet the security system guy super early. I'll be so glad when all this is over and I can go back to sleeping in!

Oh... and I decided it was a good idea to have potato chips for dinner last night... oops!
 
Happy Wednesday!

Dee Jay, Happy 1 Year Anniversary with your job. I am closing in on 15 years at my job. It seems longer! Yay for going with pre painted black ceiling tiles. That would be quite bizarre to see a helicopter flying below your window. My sister in law worked on about the 110th floor in Seattle. I know she said she could feel motion in her office. I agree with you completely on having the painting and floor done but we are going to try it first the other way. Even though I am the judge I am letting a majority rule. It sounds like you are running around on your place as much as we are on my parents house. Busy week for us all! I am so excited for you though. I still need to go look at your pictures that Deegee mentioned. Potato chips for supper - potatoes are a vegetable!

Hi Deegee!

Both of us slept through our alarms this morning. Marty missed a 5 am conference call. Apparently only one person called in on time. I woke up at 6:42 and was going to drift off to sleep then my brain registered my alarm should go off at 6:20 and then I heard this little beep beep beep. I wear hear plugs and so I don’t always hear my alarm at first.

I met Habitat for Humanity at my parents house about 10. They took quite a bit of stuff again today. I just got back to work then had to leave again to meet the insurance appraiser who was there to look at the roof on my parent’s house. There is plenty of hail damage on both the house and garage so he said he would recommend to the insurance company the roof needs replaced.

Then we met a lady at their house after work who was picking up a table and chairs. Afterwards we went out for supper, stopped at Lowes and Hobby Lobby. Marty is painting a giant world map for his man cave so he is working on that tonight.

We had a chair lift put in to our house today. I sure didn’t want to have to admit it but my knees just can’t walk the stairs much anymore. My parents had the chair lift so we paid to have it moved here. It cost us the removal then installation fee and we had to buy 2 new rails because our stairwell is longer. Now I can go to the man cave at will. I know he wants me to come down for poker games and to see things he makes for the man cave. Also this area has tornadoes and Marty is gone a lot so it makes sense for me to be able to get to and from the basement without hurting myself.

Off to try the chair and see what the heck Marty is up to in the Man Cave!

Marcy
 
Happy Thursday!

The parents house is mostly cleaned out. Just a few things in the shed and a stack of chemicals to get rid of - the cleaners are coming tomorrow and we will be getting the house on the market next week. I am still trying to get the insurance arranged for the roof but we are getting there. :appl:

Work was busy today except for the last hour then I was totally bored.

We ran out for supper (I haven't been shopping for weeks).

Marty is working on his world map painting for the man cave and i am working on paperwork and laundry. The excitement never ends at the M&M home.

Laters
:wavey:

Marcy
 
Happy Friday kids!

Curby, I'm glad you were able to move the chair lift from your parent's house over to your place. Nothing's sacred in the man cave any more! :cheeky: Is Marty working off of a "pattern" for the map? How big will it be? I love projects like this! If he gets really inspired he can come and do something creative on one of my walls because I sure don't have enough art to fill this new space. There is a company that does wall murals. They come in 4' self adhesive strips and you can get various city scenes. There is one of the Chicago Loop with an el train that I really like It's 10' tall and 15' wide and it will easily fit on one of my living rooms walls. Here it is in a bedroom scene: http://www.muralspro.com/setting-modern-wall-murals-rooms-home/chicago-riverwalk-wall-mural/

Yesterday the drywallers did the entire high ceiling and most of the soffit. A. MAZ. ING. Seriously, two small guys and 1,200 square feet of ceiling -- the guys won! This weekend I really need to figure out the paint though.

I'm suffering through the CB's cold. I think (hope!) it's on it's way out, but I have taken so much of various kinds of cold medicine in an effort to get some--any--relief I can't believe I didn't end up in the ER.

Tonight we're going to a wine-paring dinner with a friend of mine. I hope I can taste *something* at a hundred bucks a plate!
 
Happy Friday!

Dee Jay, that is right - the Man Cave can be taken over by girlie stuff now. We actually had to have them come back today to tweak it. The carpet was causing a sensor to stop because it was detecting something. They titled the rail back and raised the seat a bit - I didn't try it tonight but they tested it quite a bit so it should be okay. Marty pulled up a map of the Earth off google in a mercator format and projected it on his canvas. I will post his picture from last night. He is having fun painting it but don't know if he's ready to branch out and paint on your wall. One of those murals would be amazing! That is awesome those guys got your ceiling done. :appl: I hope you and CB get rid of that pesky cold soon. How was the wine paring party?

Yay for Friday! We were busy at work. A friend invited me to lunch at the last minute - she was taking her 6 year old girl out for lunch so I met them at DQ. That little girl had more ice cream on her face than she managed to eat but she sure enjoyed it. Marty made us a great supper. I brought home most of my steak the other night so he sliced it up and made a creamy tomato sauce and garlic bread for us. He did good with leftovers!

We are going shopping tomorrow. I might look at Tiffany's jewelry. We are going to Marty's 2 favorite jewelers for watches and he needs a new fountain pen. We are meeting some friends for dinner at a swanky steak house. There will be 12 of us so it should be fun. :appl:

The cleaners got my parents house done today. Marty said it looks a ton better than before but the walls are still awful. The last time my parents painted (20+ years ago) they only put on one coat. They found this old rug in front of the kitchen is glued down on their floor - which is laminate they put down about 6 years ago. If Marty pulls it up the floor underneath it might get ruined. I guess my dad also screwed a dresser into the cement wall downstairs. Too funny. They are going to clean the garage tomorrow. That bill is not going to be cheap!

I emailed my parent's attorney today to give him a status on everything. He said what I've done so far is correct - woo hoo not jail or fines for me. :appl: :appl: :appl: He'll be back to town on May 4 and we can set down and go over things. He did say I don't have to worry about taxes. I thought the estate and his cash assets would be hit with an estate tax. We'll see how that all goes.

Here is Marty's map so far. He drew the continents on with a fine sharpie.

Laters :wavey:
Marcy

map2.jpg
 
Happy Saturday Night! :wavey:

We had a grand day of shopping! Marty got a new fountain pen, we picked up new flatware, went to dinner with some friends and I got myself a Tiffany scattered diamond band. :appl: It is so pretty. I find it weird they don't have a matching engagement ring. We went to one of Marty's favorite jewelers (they sell watches he likes) and they are going to give me an estimate this week on making an ering for me to match. My current solitaire looks fine with it but I think a matching set would be cool. I will have to get pictures tomorrow.

I feel like it is 2 am - wine might have played a part in that.

Laters,

Marcy
 
Happy Sunday! :wavey:

Yep, I checked. I still like my new scattered diamond band. :appl:

We got up about 7. I made waffles for breakfast and cooked Marty some bacon. He played golf today (it was in the 60's here) so I ran errands. The cleaning service was done with my parents house - they did a great job. Then I went to the grocery store, came home and worked on paperwork and then Marty called. I met him at the 19th hole then we went to lunch with one of his golf buddies. We ate real healthy too - pizza, wings and french fries. Nothing like wine on an empty stomach to let the guys order what they want! I think I'll have fruit for supper.

I went to Kays to pick up a ring they put a blue diamond in - it looks pretty good. The ring is 3 rows of tiny channel set diamonds and has three 3mm stones on top. The 3 mm stones are yogo sapphires and are teal. The middle stone got chipped and they were unable to find a replacement stone for it so they stuck a diamond in the middle of the 3 stones. It looked very STUPID - like a hole in the middle so I didn't wear the ring for a few years. I went to their remount sale about 6 weeks ago and had them order a blue diamond for the center stone - they are about the same color as the yogo sapphires. They are pretty close in color so I will at least wear the ring again.

I hope you guys had a great weekend.

Curby
 
Grrrrrr! I just wrote a big ole post and got the server error message. That happens enough you'd think I'd get wise and write my post somewhere else first. Nope, I'm clearly a slow learner.

Marcy-love the new band! It looks great with your ring. Are you having a local jeweler give you a price on a matching ering setting? Are you still considering changing your center stone? Marty's map look great. And that was a great idea to put the chair lift in your house. I bet you'll get lots of use out of it.

Dee*Jay-I picture your place as one of those immaculate homes you see in a magazine spread. The Palace-cute! And happy 1yr work anniversary. It doesn't seem like it's been that long since you were making the decision to move back to Chicago. Time really does fly!

We went grocery shopping for the first time in weeks. Hopefully we will start eating in at least 4 nights a week. That's the goal anyway. I have a roast and veggies ready for the crockpot in the morning. Have a great Monday!
 
Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I LOVE your new band! And I’m curious to see your revamped blue diamond ring too! The wine paring party was OK but not spectacular. We did leave there pretty loopy though!

Deegee, my house is anything but immaculate, ha ha! And yes time does fly. I feel like I was in KC for a decade, even though it was only 8 months, but this year back in Chicago has gone by in a blink!

So I had a bit of a meltdown on Saturday night. The guys who did my ceiling were supposed to use 3 tubes of sound suppressing compound per sheet of drywall and they only used 2. I was trying to see if that in itself would be an enormous problem (turns out it won’t really matter because the advantage of 3 tubes over 2 is minimal) but the drywall product we used is actually NOT for ceiling use. We should have used just regular drywall instead. Too late now, but I seriously lost it. I spent six grand on a ceiling specially designed to suppress sound and I’m not sure it was done right. The CB tried to calm me down, but I was really flipped out. The part that kills me is how we didn’t know that ahead of time because we read EVERYTHING about this product and somehow missed that aspect. I refuse to even look at this on the internet any more (the CB said if I search I will probably find just as many articles praising it for ceiling use as saying it’s not good for ceiling use) but I am just not looking at more. It’s up and whatever will be will be at this point.

Everything else is moving along but I had to lay out a very strict schedule for the guys who are finishing things (carpentry, drywall, painting) to make sure the hardwood floor guys have enough time to do what they need to do before I move in.

The crunch is on!!!
 
Dee*Jay-ooohhh, I hate to hear about your ceiling. You plan everyone so carefully, are spending a bunch of $$$ and want everything done right. How frustrating! I agree, no more reading about it. It's done...movin' on. I'm looking forward to pictures of the green glow! So, can you actually hear or feel the train, or just see the glow?

Today flew by. I didn't get up early enough to put the roast in the crockpot, so we'll do that tomorrow. I had a major breakthrough today...I haven't been able to hear a blessed thing since last Wednesday. It has felt like someone pulled open my ears and filled them with lard or something. And the pressure....yeow! I went back to the dr after an agonizing day at work Wednesday (project kickoff and I had to be there. Couldn't tell you aging that was said though.). I have a double middle ear and outer ear infection. I could hear some muffled sounds with the left but nothing out of the right. I was nearly panicy yesterday because it still hurt so bad and I couldn't hear, despite more oral antibiotics, ear drop antibiotics, ear drop pain medicine, and regular pain medicine. I kept a heating pad on my face and neck nearly all day yesterday. I think my right ear drum ruptured last night because of ...um, I just do. I can kind of hear again. Yay! Only problem, now I am super congested and have a fever, my neck, face and ears are very sore... But the pressure is so much less. I'm taking it as a sign that I'm getting better. And I can kind of hear! Woo-hoo!! Baby steps. Oh, the things you get excited over when you're old and broken down. Have a great Tuesday!
 
Happy Monday!

Deegee, I keep having issues posting to PS too but I found if I click my back arrow my post is still there and I copy and paste it then. It is frustrating though. Thanks for the compliment on my new band. I sure notice it is a more substantial ring that what I’ve been wearing but I know I’ll get used to it. The jeweler I talked to about making a matching band is in Denver. Yes, I am definitely still thinking about getting a new diamond. The place I have my other diamond from had a fabulous diamond listed yesterday that came in with a 0.7 score and it’s gone already. It makes the most sense to me to trade my diamond with them because I’ll get full credit for it. I will certainly enjoy being able to go down to the man cave at will and not hurt my knees. Good plan to try and eat at home at least 4 nights a week. We’ve been horrid the last few months but we are trying to get better ourselves. . Oh no to your ear and congestion. I hope you are feeling better.

Dee Jay, we got an offer on my parent’s house today. It is listed at $165,00 and was discounted to that based on the cosmetic condition of the house. The guy offered us $160,000. Marty says I should counter offer $162,500. What would you do? He wants to close at the end of the month. I will get a picture of my blue diamond band. The stones are tiny – like 3mm but I’ve always liked the ring. You can sure see more life in the blue diamond than the sapphires. At least you got loopy at the wine party even if it was only okay. Alcohol always makes things more interesting. I hate to hear what happened with the ceiling. How frustrating. You and CB have been on top of everything too but contractors don’t always pay attention. I’d quit reading about it online too. You are certainly closing in on your due date. I too want to see a picture of the green glow.

Work was busy today. I have a few meetings this afternoon. We met with the realtor tonight until about 9. Marty fixed tacos for us for supper and tomorrow night is patty melts. After that my menu is more food – ish not anything planned.

So my logic today on my ring / diamond upgrade is the band I got is actually a little big for the left hand. It fits my right hand perfectly. If I get an identical band in ering style made I should get it made in my left hand ring size but then they’ll be different sized bands and may look silly. I honestly can’t say my current ering looks bad with the new band. If I get a thicker band my diamond will look smaller. If I do get a new diamond I may as well get a new band. So yep – I still have NO idea what I am going to do. All I know is I still like my new ring. I sure notice it is thicker than my previous ring.

Off to get a picture of the blue diamond ring and then call one of my sisters to see what she thinks of the counter offer idea on the house.

Marcy
 
Here is a series of pictures for my ring. The diamonds are probably 1 pointers and the 3 colored stones are 3mm so the total carat weight is pretty small. The sapphires are kind of included but really light up under lights or in sunlight. I always liked the teal color of the stones. Off to get ready for bed now.

ETA - awful color on these - the photo with the multiple rings shows the real color of the gemstones.

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imgp4650.jpg

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Happy Tuesday kids!

Deegee, I can hear the train a little but I actually don’t mind it because it’s a consistent sound since it’s going at a steady rate right on that stretch of track. I can’t feel anything though. Not like living by the el, which Bill and I did right when we got married. The tracks were literally about 30 feet from our windows and things would rattle when the train went by. Amazingly though after a week of living there I was like, El? What el? I totally tuned it out!

Marcy, absolutely tell the guy you’ll meet him in the middle at $162,500. The worst that can happen is he sticks at $160,000, but that still a very fair offer with a list price of $165,000. (OK, the worst that can happen is that he walks, but that doesn’t seem likely given he offered so close to asking in the first place.) I really like your revamped ring! And I also think your new band looked really good with your erring, but I understand that you might want one to match!

Last night I took Billy Ray to a couple of dealers to get pricing. I think I am going to sell, and I am going to take about a $25K hit. That being said, (a) I have nowhere to conveniently park him, (b) I can’t imagine driving him that much even in the summer, and (c) it’s not like he’s going to fetch any more the longer I wait. Also, the dealers said if I buy another car from them within the calendar year they can treat BR as a trade and I won’t have to pay the tax, which is 10% here. The new Porsche Macan is due to hit the US market by May and those are starting at about $50K, so I’m sure it will be $60K or more by the time I’m done. Saving that five or six grand in tax is very attractive!

I went to the paint store again at 6:30 in the morning. I’m so over this project, especially the early morning part of it!
 
Dee*Jay-the Macan looks like a great size. I congifured one for right at $60,000, which is right with the others I've been looking at. The only thing that would hold me back from a Porsche would be the cost of maintenance. I hate spending money on maintenance! I nearly cried when I had to replace all 4 tires on my then 2 yr old Acura at over $300 a pop. I know Porsche tires are way more! What would you do with your Lexus?

Marcy-I love the way your blue ring is made. You can really see the teal color in that last pic. Im all over the place with what to do too, so I made a collage (using the app pic stitch) of my possibilities so I could look at everything all together. Still no decision! My ering band matches my wband. I don't like the look of my ring with any other band except maybe a plain one. I'd love to mix up the bands, which is why I was thinking solitaire. That would be my only hesitation going with a matching ering. Otherwise, I think an ering setting to match your band would look beautiful! Congrats on the offer! I hope it sells quickly for you. Sounds like a pretty good offer.

I stayed home from work today. I had a fever of 101.1 this morning and knew I wouldn't get anything done anyway. I slept all day. Matt came home at lunch with food and I fell back asleep as soon as he left. I'm feeling so much better now. My dad actually sent me a text last night. It was only a few words, but you've got to start somewhere! He took the iPad to chemo today so he could watch a movie on netflix. I hope he gets used to using it. I plan on making potato soup and turkey BLT sandwiches for dinner. Its a gorgeous day outside, I think in the mid 70's. I haven't been out because it is breezy, and my ear is super sensitive right now. I read it takes around 3 months for a ruptured eardrum to fully heal. I'm going to the Outer Banks in 3 weeks. Think it will be breezy at the ocean? It will probably blow the cotton balls right out of my ears! Have a great evening!
 
PS

Happy Tuesday!

Dee Jay, that is funny you tuned out the El so quickly. Our old house was in the flight path to the airport and we never minded and often ran outside to check out what was flying by. I didn't take your advice. I already told the realtor we accept the offer. I honestly am just excited to have the end in sight on selling the house. Next obstacle is getting insurance money to fix the roof and get the bank to accept those checks. I think the revamped ring turned out good. I agree my current ering looks fine with my band. I think trying to match the Tiffany band (height, curvature, thickness) will be a challenge so I think something that looks good with it is a far better idea. More money for a bigger diamond. WF has a F in their virtual selection that peaked my interest. First I need some cash. Good plan to have BR as a trade for a Macan. What a trooper going to the paint store at 6:30. Your final weeks are ticking down.

Deegee, the teal ring is very different from anything else I have but I reach for it often. Probably the color more than anything. Post your collage if you want. I'd love to see your ideas and possibilities. I agree it is fun to match up bands. I guarantee my channel set band will see daylight again. I was looking at rings online today. I need to find someone who has 18K YG solitaire rings. I am quite excited for an offer on the house. Do you remember from your estate work days do I need a checking account for the estate with the EIN or do I just need an EIN for the final forms and paperwork? I need to email my attorney and let him know we have an offer. It sounds like he has to get me a deed or something like that for he title company. I am glad to hear your dad sent you a text on the iPad. I hope his chemo wasn't too awful today. Are the nausea meds helping with his side effects? I am glad you are feeling better after your nap. I bet the wind will bother your ear drum for a while. Ouch to that. Are you flying to go to the beach? Feel better.

I guess I will be signing the paperwork on the house offer tonight. How exciting.

Take care.

Marcy
 
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