Now I really did it :((

[Sunstorm]

Hi Missy

Now just taking a few pieces of furniture, definitely not investing in that for the moment as I am planning this to be a temp place until I figure out what to do.

That makes it easier or so I thought but now that I realized how much stuff I got, I feel really stressed out and overwhelmed, I think I need a bling fix at least by checking in here.

Nice pix! You look gorgeous as always.

Vinnie actually bit Sapphie a few days ago, or well, he tried to grab her throat and although she would like to spend time with other animals as she is highly social and was used to living with others, she hates him, no wonder. I think I need to give this more time and be patient and hope that Vinnie eventually quits doing this. He is a doll with people, I only need him to learn to socialize well with other cats now that he is no longer an alpha male.

 

[missy]

Thank you Sunstorm. I wasn't going to post the pic of me and Tuey (he doesn't mind but I felt not at my best after braving the ferry and long walk in the stormy weather LOL) but I went ahead anyway. HA I sent all these pics to Kristie in real time this week and she enjoyed them so I thought OK I will share them with my NIRDIs. Here's a real time pic Greg just snapped right now of HRH Francesca. All cozy and warm in bed with us. Time to start the day though so have a good day and stay warm and safe.

 

[MarionC]

Missy, All the pictures are so nice! I am now assuming they only let good & sweet looking people [& kitties!] across the border into NYC!
That is some grill. A real Man's Cooking Surface. Lots of presence! The Bea of grills haha.

here are some things I am thinking of parting with, per Sunstorm's request for photos. I have 60 pages of images, so it's a pain to hunt for them. Do you know if there is a way to delete images from one's images pages?
Some of the images have things I am keeping, but this is the general idea : )


Ritani setting with OEC/transitional center

Hearts On Fire 7-stone band

Hearts On fire curved band

Hearts On Fire pendant

Antique pendant

Sapphire set:

 

[Sunstorm]

Of course I am all googoo gaga over your antiques.) Typical me you know I wear mostly antique inspired and antiques. I love the pendant and really love that colored OEC. Just loving that one. The rest is very nice too but I agree that a bigger stone satisfies me more too than many bands but again this is just me. Candy for the eye for sure here, of course you can just blow up our computers with pix of your bling.) I think we will all survive that.

 

[MarionC]

so, how about this? I posted a thread on Rocky Talk to get opinions.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.72-carat-d-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-177005

 

[MarionC]

Of course I am all googoo gaga over your antiques.) Typical me you know I wear mostly antique inspired and antiques. I love the pendant and really love that colored OEC. Just loving that one. The rest is very nice too but I agree that a bigger stone satisfies me more too than many bands but again this is just me. Candy for the eye for sure here, of course you can just blow up our computers with pix of your bling.) I think we will all survive that.

It seems silly to keep rings one doesn't wear, but then again, the sale of these would not go all that far toward a project like a CVB setting.

MY DD is in France. The universe is foolin' with her - she packed huge amounts of stuff - including a quart of her "one & only" daily hair conditioner and ten pounds of health supplements, to name a few things. So of course, the airline lost the suitcase.
She seemingly did not contact me that she had landed, so I was up from 1am on worrying then mad all day. Turns out she was diligent, but I forgot that she was using a new app for the duration of the trip. Finally last night I remembered & found out she was OK.

So, in speaking with JA this morning I learned that the weather is terrible up your way, Missy, sorry I didn't do what I promised about keeping the rain here : (

Today have "art round table". 7 women who discuss art, watch art videos, paint together, have shows together. We are having a speaker and I am bringing the Baileys for the coffee. Sunday will get off to a good start. Wish we all lived closer.

 

[Sunstorm]

Jimmianne, I hope you have a nice evening tonight then. Today has been really busy for me, I was packing and decluttering like crazy, you never realize how much unnecessary stuff you have until it is gone. It is very difficult to get rid of stuff but I have to be strict because I do plan on moving again and then what? I need the things I really love around me and that makes you feel better.

Same about jewelry decluttering.) Of course you can at least sell that. Now I cannot throw away all my designer shoes and bags so some will be gifted away I decided. Even if I have never worn something, it is not worth selling. Again I really want my stuff concentrated to those that I really do wear, use and love. Hard. Clothes seem the hardest. Ok shoes I wear once in a while of course I am keeping if they are gorgeous but clothes that were expensive but never get worn anymore due to wrong size or whatever, no clue what to do with them in this short a time.

Hope you girls have a really nice weekend, wow, very little happening now, everyone must be really busy.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Sunstorm moving is such a hassle. You do just have to get rid of a ton of stuff. We threw out 3 full construction bins full and still moved too much stuff. How was your friend’s wedding? Have fun on your trip this month. I think I am moving towards less jewelry but pieces I really like. I have something things I haven’t worn for years.

Jimmianne, I love your cat pictures with them dressed up. I missed those reading the last posts in tapatalk. Shopping with your DD before she left and getting her a nice coat and boats sounds like a nice time for both of you. Yes, taking things one day at a time is always a good idea. I am glad she made it there okay but hate to hear you worried because of the time difference. Rats they lost her luggage; hopefully it shows up for her. Thank goodness for Skype so you can see and talk to your DD. That makes it pretty nice. That is great news you can close out the estate account. That asscher you posted is pretty and definitely has size. I hope you didn’t have have flooding from all that rain. I can’t stand to watch nature shows on TV because I hate when nature takes it course and they kill something. How was the art round table? Mmm Baileys.

Missy, the flooding sounds awful. I was reading the story about SC this afternoon. Glad you have that generator. My problem employee has 2 weeks left starting tomorrow. He is really trying to push my buttons but so far he hasn’t gotten his desired reactions. I love your pictures. That is some BBQ and glad you are ignoring your noreasteroct storm. You and Greg are looking good! Francesca looks very happy and content all snuggled up in bed.

We had a busy weekend. Marty is heading out of town again this week. We went to a wedding and reception yesterday; it was nice. The girl who cleans for us married one of Marty's golf buddies son so we knew both the bride and groom. I would say there were about 200 people there. Her extended family (cousins, aunts, etc.) cooked supper for all of the guests. It was pretty good. They had assorted fillings for tortillas, tamales, chicken and fresh fruit. Those poor ladies were worn out by the time dinner was through.

Today we went grocery shopping but not much else. Both of us are reading and watching football. I made biscuits for breakfast and a roast beef, baked potatoes and veggies for supper. We snacked on guac, chips and salsa during the football games.

It was pretty chilly and wet here this weekend. I was eating Advil frequently. Getting old isn't for sissies.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Marcy,

Sorry that you are not feeling well lately, what is wrong? Is it headaches or joints? Weather can cause both, it used to a lot for me, less lately but we have had shockingly nice weather here for the season. Only a few cooler days so far. I wonder what the winter will be like, we are heading into that soon, which is also why I am moving.

I absolutely hate, hate, hate the whole thing. You can imagine. But I will not get into it too much. The stuff I am still standing over stuff absolutely clueless as to what to do with certain things. There are gray areas, some things I threw out on a whim thankfully but now I am looking at a lot of things that I do not want to throw out yet I know I will never use.

Have you had any bling projects Marcy? Yes bling decluttering can be good too, when you have not worn something in years, you just know you will not, then it is a good idea to trade in or resell and put the funds towards something your heart desires, at least you can do this with bling.

How long will Marty be gone for?

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, I was thinking of you yesterday and tried to find a good version of "Teddy Bears' Picnic" on youtube, but even better, in town I saw a large group of teddy bears climbing a tree. I'll have to go back and get a photo for you.

There is always something to be grateful for. After my roundtable one of the women, who has hoarders disease, asked me to help her get some furniture home from a garage sale. It was just awful broken cheap junk. We took it to her house and just piled it on top of all the other broken junk there. Her entire carport and home are filled to the point of having pathways to get around. She is a lovely, intelligent person. After watching hoarding shows to try to understand her I know is that there is nothing that can be done, but it's sort of fascinating. Her family will not come to her house and no way can she entertain there. She hired an organizer several years ago who refused to work with her without a psychologist on board. So any problems I have with clutter pale in comparison.
Still, it's a pain with all the things you don't know what to do with.
BTW if you guys find any diamonds you don't know what to do with, just let me know ...

 

[Sunstorm]

Lol, yeah Jimmianne, I doubt that any of us has so many diamonds at home that we would have to build a pathway to get around. That is one big advantage of collecting diamonds, they will always retain some value and they are small, easy to store and transport. Well, the big disadvantage is that they can also easily be stolen and lost but I think the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages and then we have not even talked about the allure, beauty and fascinations.

What you are talking about is truly horrible. I think my problems with clutter are nothing compared to that so I feel slightly relieved now. Not good for her at all though, yes these people need therapy. It is very sad and the worst thing is when someone hoards animals. I have known a person like that and it is truly horrible as they think they love them and some really try to do their best for them but simply cannot.

I want to simplify my life in every regard, less clutter helps. I moved so many times and some were faraway places that by now I have no sense of home. It is sad in a way as I never plan to settle anywhere for long and never make a place truly my home, which I really really loved doing in the past but because the longest period was about 3 years I spent in one place, there has been no point. But now my goal is to achieve just that, to have a real homebase even if not right away but within the next year or two where I will settle hopefully for good and then I can travel all I want but have a base too. Then I can have fun decorating and making it a home again. I have done that a few times but to no avail when I moved again so I got tired of it. Easier to transport diamonds than home decoration.) Well, hopefully it will happen though that I can put energy towards a home too.

 

[MarionC]

Sun, don't worry about not having a permanent home base. I moved every few years until I bought my farm. I have found living in one place can become boring and I get antsy to move. You have plenty of time to create a homestead someday if that's what you really want. I think it's nice that you get to experience different places.

 

[Sunstorm]

Jimmianne, wow, I never thought that you were like me in that way too. I do think we are free spirits and artsy so I should not be surprised. Eventually I am sure I will settle too. It just became very frustrating that after I decorated one home beautifully, I would move to another place. I guess I have a desire for freedom and independence and yes adventures can be wonderful. Everything has its advantages, this way I can adapt to change very quickly and have seen a lot in my life. Still I envy those that have a permanent base and then travel the world, guess we cannot always choose. You are right, for the moment I am not worried about this, I will eventually figure out what to do. But like I said fortunately diamonds and jewelry do not require a permanent base.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Monday!

Jimmianne, I love the pics of your antique bling. Yummy especially that pendant. Yes I agree while we might keep too much stuff we certainly are not hoarders when compared to people who really are. I am sorry about your friend and you are such a good friend to help her declutter. I hope she can do it and break free of the disease. I know very little about the actual hoarding disease except for what I see on the news. I could never bring myself to watch the tv show on hoarding.

I hope the airlines found your DD's luggage by now. That really sucks and I have been there and know how it feels to be without your things in a foreign country. Fortunately they usually locate the lost luggage and I hope she has everything by now.

We were doing a lot of shopping and driving these past few days and there is so much farmland around here Jimmianne with horses, goats, etc and I was thinking of you. If it wasn't so much work I would love having a farm. LOL. So far no sign of sweet Sammy but I keep putting wet food out on the front porch instead of backyard (too windy in the backyard) and the wet food is disappearing but not the dry food so I don't think it is Sammy we are feeding but then there is a happy well fed raccoon or squirrel out there. I sure hope Sammy is safe somewhere and I am trying not to let my mind run wild.

Sunstorm, I agree with Jimmianne. At this stage it is OK to be moving and finding where you might want to settle down permanently but you are in the middle of major changes for the better so for now it is good to be moving and finding yourself so to speak. Life is a great adventure for you right now so enjoy and relish it and savor where you are compared to where you were if you kwim. You will find your home base soon enough and enjoy all that comes with that. I too love decorating and making a house a home and there is something very sweet about having your home sweet home. Have you any new bling project in the works? I know you cannot go into detail here but would love to hear what you might be doing blingwise these days.

Marcy, that wedding sounds like so much fun. I love happy occasions and weddings are right up there. It sounds like you had a good weekend despite not feeling 100%. I hope you wake up today feeling all better. And yay for only 2 more weeks with your problem employee woohoo. It will be here before you know it and good bye to bad attitude employee. Where is Marty traveling this week and when is he due back? I sure wish we all lived closer because we could keep you company while he is traveling but as you know we are always here for you...only a click away.

Even though we have had a very wet last 5 days it has been nice especially knowing that Joachin was staying away so it's all about perspective. We did a lot of damage to our wallets but none to our property so woohoo for that and we are giving to the economy so you might say it's a win win LOL. I bought 2 more pairs of SW boots (I know I'm crazy but I like having duplicates for the beach house haha talk about hoarding!) and Greg got 2 new gorgeous Ermenegildo Zegna suits. Yes it hurt the pocketbook but it's worth it. One suit is blue gray and one is a medium gray. Both look great on him with very little altering needed.

Today is still pretty windy but we are going for it and going cycling soon. I need my heated vest today however and I am not sure about going out there as it is COLD but well it's been 5 wet days so we're going for it. Winds are 20 plus mph so still going to be windy but wish us luck. See you guys later I hope and enjoy your day!

 

[missy]

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Sammy sighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just went downstairs for more coffee and I looked out to the front porch as I always do to see if Sammy is there by any chance and for once he was!!!! OMG he looks OK but he only ate a little bit of the wet food so I am worried maybe he is not feeling well but I am relieved he seems OK. I cannot get closer to him but through the window I watched him eat for a few minutes and then he left. Snapped a few pics for you girls.

Forgot to say that the windows in the house are coated with sea spray due to the winds and storms of the last few days so we have a lot of window cleaning to do LOL. Seriously every single window in the house has a coating of sea spray/salt on it. We are looking through some very dirty windows until we clean them.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs

Sunstorm, I am feeling okay just achy / pain from arthritis. Those wet days are not fun. It is hard to figure out what to keep and throw out and of course as soon as you throw something out you find you want it. I always have bling projects in mind by trying not to spend money. I want to get a larger orange sapphire and maybe move my pink sapphire to a platinum setting and get earring jackets but that's today. How about you?

Jimmianne, too cute to see a group of teddy bears climbing a tree. Teddy Bears picnic sounds interesting. I so agree there is always something to be grateful for and I try to remember that. That is too bad about that lady being such a hoarder. One of my friend's landlords at college was like there. Her and her husband's chair was open and other than that it was paths through their house and the had stacks and stacks of stuff up to the ceiling. Holy cow! You seem very happy at your place now; you found home.

Missy, glad Sammy came back for a visit. It was a nice wedding and I am happy for them. I am counting down the days until that employee is GONE from my life; sadly he'll be over the wall in the cube farm. However I got a TV at my desk so now I can block out noise. SWEET. You ladies do all keep me company. Thank you! Glad you got in some nice shopping this week.

Marty is headed to DC this week and Albuquerque next week. He went down and registered his new truck today and paid for plates. I am glad he went so I don't have to go. His temporary plates expire while he is gone next week.

My aches and pains are better today. Thanks for being concerned about me. The wet weather is easing up here.

Have a great day!
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Glad to see Sammy is back! Hopefully his story is that he is also being fed another place.

So, without further ado:

 

[marcy]

Jimmianne, that bear tree is awesome. It made me laugh a lot! Thanks. I need a good laugh too because I realized I have my problem employee for 3 more weeks instead of 2; I may just tell him "GO" get out of here. I'm pretty close.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, that photo of the teddies climbing (stuck onto) the tree is hysterical and thank you for that good laugh it gave me.

Did your DD get her suitcase back yet? How's the weather by you, has the rain stopped?

Marcy, for sanity and peace of mind I agree it might be better just to say bye bye to the problem employee child. I'm glad Marty took care of the truck registration and wishing him safe travels. DC is a nice place to have to go and Albuquerque is warmer than here right so that's not a bad place either to go for business. Hoping it goes smoothly for him and that the time goes easily for you. I am glad your aches and pains are diminishing and yay for some nice weather coming your way.


Junie, I have been thinking of you and hoping all is calm and well by you and that you are enjoying your South Carolina beach house vacation. I am hoping nothing got flooded by you and that your weather for the most part cooperated. I was concerned but then I did a check on the weather in your general location to quell my worry about you. I hope that is not creepy but I was worried because I heard some flooding issues occurred in SC but where you are seemed to be quiet knock wood. So sending you good thoughts hoping you are enjoying your time away. (((Hugs))).

OK so listen to this girls. After our bike ride yesterday I fed Sammy because the food dishes were empty and went about my business and all of a sudden I notice (cause I check compulsively whenever I pass that window LOL) a tiny kitten eating the food I left for Sammy. I do a double take cause at first I am confused. Thinking wait Sammy is not that little or that white and OMG it is not Sammy but a smaller kitten who ran away when he/she saw me looking at him through the window. So really shy/feral because I was in the house away from him but just me looking at him caused him to run like the wind. And so it goes now we are feeding at least 2 (and my guess is probably more as there are a number of strays I always see around the neighborhood). So I go outside and add more wet and dry food filling the bowls. By this time it is too dark for me to see what is going on out there and I don't want to put the light on in fear of scaring them.

This AM I get out of bed early because I have the strays on my mind and all the food is gone from last night. So I go out and fill the bowls with wet and dry and go inside to make coffee and feed my brood who are going crazy at this time because they see me taking their food outside and not feeding them. Before I turn around to catch my breath I see the food is gone and I see who I think is Sammy running away. OMG. So I go out again and fill the wet food bowl again (he didn't touch the dry) and go back inside to finish making the coffee. I am seriously stressed now because we are leaving in less than a week and there is absolutely no one/nothing I can do. The shelter is on our porch but I am extremely doubtful any cat is using it and even so there is only room for one kitty in there and now how can I figure out how to feed a few cats. I couldn't figure a good way to permanently feed one.

Just sharing with you girls and again I don't expect anyone to figure it out for me. The auto feeder idea was a good one but fraught with issues and complications and the weather once it turns cold well that's that. Life is so cruel and harsh and just when I start being happy and content there is this issue. I keep thinking these kitties are no different than the kitties we have and love expect these kitties are not so lucky to have someone take care of them. They are no different than our Francesca, our Tommy, our Bobby, our Fred. All of ours were strays and rescued and saved. That could be ours out there. The only difference is that ours got their forever home and these kitties never will.


OK some happy thoughts now. We had a good ride yesterday after a 5 day hibernation from the bicycle and then when we got back from our bicycle ride Greg washed all our windows. As I wrote yesterday they got crazy coated with the sea spray from our last Nor'easter. It is amazing how every single window in this house was so coated. I mean a huge film over every single window. I will leave you with those happy images and thank you for listening to me girls. Here and in private. It makes me feel not so alone with these issues and I appreciate the comfort and support. As always. (((Hugs))).

 

[junebug17]

Hi there everyone!

Missy, I continue to be there in spirit with you! Oh boy, now a kitten…I'm glad Sammy seems to be doing ok, I'm thinking there's a chance other people are feeding him. I know the feeders are a somewhat lame idea, and far from perfect, but I would still be tempted to give it a shot just for my own psychological well-being. They sell plastic ones that don't require electricity. Unfortunately it would probably attract other critters but you're leaving food out now, if you think about it. Ugh, I know, I know - I'm reaching. I'm hoping and praying we have a milder winter this year. Big hugs to you sweetie, I get how worrisome this is, and the reality is there really is just so much you can do.

Love the pics you posted! I always enjoy seeing snapshots of your life, I will have to start posting more pics - You and Greg look great - and Francesca is such a pretty kitty!

Aw, thanks for being concerned for me! Not creepy in the least, in fact it makes me feel good you were thinking about me! We ended up making out ok where we were - we were housebound on Saturday, residents were warned to stay put (although people still ventured out and ended up getting stranded ) - my husband was going to have customers down this week but that was cancelled. Luckily we have an SUV here at the beach so my husband and I were able to make it off the Island for me to get to the airport on Sunday. Lots of water in many areas. Our garage and adjacent storage areas got some water and we were able to buy a wet-dry vac - the house we're selling didn't get any water, thankfully. Just spoke to my husband and he said the roads are much better and he'll be home this evening. We fared much better than other parts of the state, so much serious flooding (and some deaths ) and my heart goes out to everyone dealing with it.

Sunstorm, it's so great to hear from you! Wow, you certainly have been busy, sounds like you are on the go and enjoying life, but I understand how it can catch up to you and you need a break from it all. Good luck with the move, I know that feeling of being overwhelmed by moving but hang in there, you will work your way through it. Try not to worry about having a permanent place at this point - you will eventually find that place, and in the meantime just try to relax and enjoy the journey; you are young and now is the time to explore different places and have lots of experiences.

I'm hoping Vinnie can eventually settle down a bit and learn to live in peace with the other kitties!

I'm in agreement with you on ovals, pears etc, they really do face up quite large, which I love I would love to own an oval shaped diamond someday…sometimes I think if I could do it all over again, my upgrade would be an oval in a halo lol!

Thanks for thinking of my mother! She's doing alright, some days are better than others but overall we're managing ok.

Jimmianne, I was glad to read your dd made it to Europe safe and sound, sorry for the stress of thinking you hadn't heard from her, I'm glad you figured it out! What a shame her bag is lost, ugh, I hope it's been returned to her by now.

You have some really beautiful pieces Jimmianne! Sometimes I consider selling some of my things, but honestly I don't think I'd get much for them and it doesn't seem worth the time and effort.

The OMC cushion you are considering is gorgeous!!! Wow, it's rare to see an old cut in such a low color.

As for your asscher, maybe a halo setting would help with the DSS? I know it's not the answer for everyone, but it really can help with the finger coverage and hand presence, and there are so many pretty settings available; Casyie's designs are amazing. It helped me be happier with the size of my OEC. Sorry for rambling, just wanted to share my experience with DSS, good luck deciding what to do; bling planning/dreaming is such a wonderful distraction, isn't it?

That is a rough situation with your friend - it's a hard thing to understand. I think hoarders somehow form attachments to their possessions - it's very difficult to understand how someone can become attached to broken furniture, piles of newspapers, broken dishes, etc but somehow they do and it's painful for them to even consider parting with any of it. It's so sad when it reaches the point of interfering with their lives and affecting relationships.

Marcy, I'm so sorry another week has been tacked on to your employee's time with you! Ugh, I guess all you can do is plug through and ignore him as much as possible. Sorry to hear Marty's back on the road, I know it can be tough but you can always find some company here in this thread! I hope the time passes quickly for you. The wedding you attended sounds like it was a lot of fun. Sorry to hear your arthritis is bothering you - I have aches and pains I never even dreamed I'd have when I was younger! Thank goodness for advil. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Calliecake, thinking of you and I hope you check in soon!

Eek, I've managed to write a novel and still don't feel I've caught up with this thread! Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!

 

[MarionC]

I wish we could see Sammy and the kitten closer. Sammy looks thin, but not starving, so I hope that it true.

June, I would like to hear more about your experience with CVB. oh! a CVB setting would be great! I love my diamond and think I got lucky with the excellent cut. Now remembering how tricky Asschers are to find. GOG is looking for Asschers for me, but I think in the price range I gave them there won't be anything noticeably larger that my 1.23. Love that carat number : ) It has a good spread for the weight so I am finding that stones in a higher carat range within my budget are not that much larger. Thus, seriously thinking of going for a size-enhancing setting rather than a larger stone.
I will look for a thread about your setting after I finish this.

I'm glad the flooding didn't do too much damage. That's awful to have two houses to take care of, especially when there are bad conditions. I hope it sells soon so you don't have the extra worry.

Well, the sun came out. wow wow wow. The cleaner just left so I took a couple of photos of my house in it's brief moment of uber-tidy. It's a quite small and modest house but I love it and always like to share my latest "movement of furniture and rug switching out" routine. I went from Shabby Chic to a little more modern in the past year.


Missy, are you getting any sunshine yet?! Come on, sun! I think we are going to have a pretty Fall up & down the coast.
I have to add that it seems you hire the very best people to wash your windows! It's fun to see Greg at work taking care of things.

 

[junebug17]

Oops, sorry Jimmianne, gave you the wrong impression, my setting is a stock Simon G setting, nothing super special but it's nice quality - for some reason I thought you mentioned CVB settings in one of your posts, sorry for the confusion

You have such a beautiful home Jimmianne ! IGlad the sun has finally made an appearance.

 

[MarionC]

It's good to learn about other sources for beautiful settings!

 

[MarionC]

Diamond fever has hit "in earnest". A sad state of affairs Yesterday I thought I MUST get something!
I stayed up too late looking at stones and fell in love with a little 0.68 yellow diamond. But it had the dread black-spot, so I passed. A page later, there was it's mate, only FL. I started to get that one, but could not leave it's mate lonely, so I am thinking of getting both and making earrings.
I've been wanting a pair of dangles [inspiration: MWB, IYKWIM] and thought I could have vintage settings made - either with rose cut halos or a little diamond on top.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/fancy-color/yellow/cushion-cut/0.68-carat-vs2-clarity-sku-273226

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/fancy-color/yellow/cushion-cut/0.71-carat-if-clarity-sku-273216

these diamonds are actually the same size, but could not get the photos to cooperate.





Today taking in my Mom's marquise to see if Tony can take it from size 8 to at least size 6, also Caysie's band to see if that can be sized down. And while there will look at Stuller halo settings in the catalog for my Asscher.
Can you see where being in NYC in this state of mind would be very dangerous?!?! LOL

edited twice to make sense

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, I am so relieved to hear you and your dh are OK and that you did not flood for the most part and that the house you are selling stayed dry. That is a key selling point to be sure and I hope that house sells soon for you. I am sorry that so many people had to deal with flooding and other damage and my heart goes out to them. Mother nature can be very cruel and I too am hoping for a mild winter.

Thanks for the comforting words. We'll see if what I bought works. It is coming tomorrow-a feeder and waterer for the kitties. The problem is it is for dry food and has a 13lb capacity so not sure how long that will last as there are now at least 3 kitties eating the food I am leaving out. A gray one who is the tiniest thing ever who I first sighted yesterday afternoon/evening and then the tiny white one (Sprite) and then Sammy who is bigger but still small. I was in shock when I saw the gray one (who we are for now calling Squirt) and it really hit me hard. He is so so tiny. This is the best I could do for pics of them. Sorry, where I have the food there is only one window I can see them out of and it has a big screen in it. I am adding one of Sprite from the other day so you can see them both in this post. I didn't get another pic of Sprite however and this is from the other day. The pic of Squirt is from yesterday.

This AM Sammy was waiting near the porch for me and ran when I came out with the food and came over to it as soon as I went inside. He ate all the wet food in under 2 minutes and then started on the dry. I went to make coffee and came back and there was Squirt trying to eat the hard food. I didn't know what to do so I waited but he was having a lot of trouble eating it so I went out with wet and he ran away. I put it down and am hoping he will come back and I hope Sprite will get some food too. I cannot believe Sammy ate all the wet and didn't leave any for the babies but I am guessing they are all starving despite me feeding them as soon as the food dishes are empty. I am of course as you imagine an emotional wreck thinking of what is going to happen to them when we leave. It was bad enough when it was just Sammy and now there are at least 3 little ones. Sammy is either the mom or dad but I am guessing the dad because wouldn't Sammy be nursing the little ones if she was the mom? Instead they are attempting to eat the food I leave out as they have no choice.

Jimmianne, haha diamond fever. Bring it on. I love the yellow diamond and I cannot wait to see what you decide. I sure hope Tony can resize your mom's marquise band and the Caysie band for you. You really have some lovely pieces. Bea and I want to play in your and Junie's jewelry box.

Your home is beautiful and thank you for sharing the pictures. I love seeing pictures of everyone's lives and while I understand those who don't feel comfortable to share here I do appreciate those pics you do share. Thank you! Our cleaning crew is coming tomorrow so I have a lot of straightening up to do LOL.

Also sharing a pic of Greg from our ride yesterday. This is in Spring Lake. It was a gorgeous day and a very enjoyable ride. We accomplished 60 miles as the winds were light and the temps mild. It was a perfect cycling day.

I hope everyone has a good Wednesday and please if you can send lots of kitty dust to my feral kitties here. I just want them to be safe and sound and have as good a life as possible. Thank you and have a good day girls!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, we are warming up here again for a few days. I had to switch the AC back on and turn off the furnace. Has the rain quit there? You are attracting quite the crowd with your cat food. They will miss you but hopefully find another place to dine. I know you’ll be very worried about them. Yay for clean windows and a nice bike ride.

Junebug, ooh I love your avatar. Is that an aqua? I am so glad you got off the island okay and your houses are good. I know the floods are awful in parts of SC. I am right there with you in wanting to get an oval diamond. I have a 1/2 carat heart diamond in a RHR and have seriously considered upgrading that to an oval.

Jimmianne, your house is lovely. It’s nice the sun came out and you have a clean house. That’s always a good feeling. Wow you have lots of jewelry plans in the work. I am excited to see them all!!!

Well I had an exciting morning. Our security alarm went off at 4:30 am. Nothing like a screaming alarm to scare the crud out of you PLUS worrying someone broke in to your house. So I pick up the house phone and open our bedroom door and say “what the hell is going on out there?” I see and hear nothing. So I walk through our bathroom and closet to get to the security box and see it says “rear deck door” so I come through to the living room and can clearly see the back door is not open and no one is there so I turned off the alarm. I call the 800 number who was semi helpful until I didn’t understand her question about my pass code - once I said I don’t know what that is she won’t talk to me anymore. So I start going through our manuals and find our contract that lists the pass code is the code we use to disarm the system. D’oh! So I call back and all she really tells me is to call my provider today to get the sensor fixed. I checked the entire house myself, looked out the window, the gate wasn’t open and I am sure if someone ran they wouldn’t close the gate - but to be fair they could jump over the fence. Marty was not happy with me that I didn’t stay in the bedroom until they called me and walked me through things. Needless to say I didn’t go back to sleep. I stayed home and impatiently waited for a call back from the security system. I ended up having to go in to work today to clean off my desk because they are making me my double wide cube in the morning. I at least made chocolate chip cookies today; a friend of mine brought me lunch so I made some cookies for us.

Have a great Thursday.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, I am going to scold you! Next time you stay in the bedroom with the door locked!
You are very brave, but if it were a trespasser, he/she would have lots of adrenaline and would be dangerous.

Glad you are safe and sound and it was only a technical glitch.

I am guilty of the same thing. While staying with my Mom I was awakened at 2 am by men's voices. I picked up some heavy object and crept down the hallway shaking like a leaf. Turns out it was two on-call condo workers checking out a water leak alarm in her equipment room. [Guess they were used to just strolling into her apt since she was elderly...They were lucky I didn't have a gun]. Now, after reading about your experience, I wonder why I went to investigate, but assume there is an impulse that is not evident until one is in that situation.

My missing white Silky hen showed up with two newborn chicks yesterday, a white and a grey : ) Silkies are tiny chickens and the chicks are about an inch tall. Very sweet.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls. I am depressed and sad this morning. The kitty situation is overwhelming and causing strife with me and my dh. I know he is frustrated beyond belief that I am so upset about the kittens and that he cannot "fix" this situation. There is no good endpoint and it is heartbreaking. Just wanted to share my sadness. I know there is no solution. I had the genius idea of asking our mailman if he could feed the kitties but then after thinking about it for a day (I missed him yesterday as we got back late from cycling) I realized that is not a good ask. He doesn't like cats and he is also a federal employee and though I would offer him money to feed the cats every day I think it would be in violation of some federal code and I don't think I am going to ask him. That doesn't solve their shelter situation either. They have not touched the Kitty Tube shelter we have out there on the porch. The little ones are so tiny and helpless and Sammy ate all the wet food yesterday before my eyes and when Sprite went over there and saw Sammy eating he ran away. So Sammy is obviously not taking care of Sprite and Squirt so they are on their own. That made me so incredibly sad last night. I barely got any sleep. Greg went downstairs at midnight and put more wet and dry food out there and it was gone this AM but who knows who ate it. Probably some fat squirrels and raccoons out there.

Marcy, thank goodness you are OK and please please please be more careful in the future. I am with Jimmianne, next time just hide and call the police please. I am so relieved you are OK and it turned out not to be an intruder. (((HUGS))).

Yes the temps are fluctuating. This time of year and all. Heat/A/C and then heat again. We are in a good temp range right now though yesterday I had my heated vest on for the whole ride and was bundled up because it was an east wind. Same type of day today. Not much sun yesterday unfortunately and same for today. Makes cycling less comfortable temp wise but happy and grateful we can cycle today. Have a good day and be safe!

Jimmianne, YAY! Very glad your missing Silky hen showed up. How sweet she is and I wish I could touch her and kiss her. So happy she is safe! Also very glad about your DD and that she is reunited with her luggage. It really is always something but as long as it is a fixable something it is all good.

Kristie, I am very worried about Maggie. Please text me and let me know she is OK. OK? Sending healing vibes her way. (((HUGS))).

Have a good day girls. Thinking of you and sending love your way.

 

[junebug17]

I will be back later, I have to get on the road to go to my mother's in a few minutes, but I just wanted to pop in to give you a big giant virtual hug missy, and to let you know I feel your pain, I really do. It is so frustrating that there is no good solution to this.

Actually, your idea about the mailman got me thinking…I wonder if there's a pet-sitting service in your area that you could hire to put food out? I know this is not a perfect solution by any stretch but I'm wracking my brain for something you could do to ease your mind a little. I know there is the shelter issue too…I can't help but think they've found some place to hunker down and get away from the elements. Ugh, I am so sorry about all of this, I know it's causing you a lot of worry, I'm thinking of you.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Girls,

I am in the middle of the moving projects so things are crazy here but Missy oh those babies, how can we save them? I wish I could help you, those darlings need a home with Sammy, could Sammy be the momma? Or a boy for sure?

Jimmianne and Junie hi to you girls too, I will have a busy ten day period so not sure how much I can write as also travelling next week almost right after the move.

Hugs to you NIRDIs!