Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

LLJsmom, I hope your dad is doing okay. I’ve been thinking of you guys. I was just looking at 5 stone rings because yours is so pretty. That place I can trade up my jewelry has a 5 stone that is 1.25 ctw with 3 sapphires and 2 diamonds. I might look at it while I am there.

Missy, I hope you sleep okay tonight because I know you are worried. I would bother the surgeon first thing this morning if they haven’t called you back again. How was the party? My company has ours after the holidays so it’s Jan. 9. They have a nice dinner and hire in 2 comedians for entertainment. I haven’t got to do my new task again yet. I probably will get to start on next month’s stuff this week or next week. I recorded a macro that will help me with some of my initial steps. Did you enjoy wearing your earrings today? Did the wires bother you?

Junebug, I am sorry to hear your mom is lethargic and doesn’t want to eat. Was she better after she got up today? That is good your brother and your mother got along okay while you were on vacation. I can certainly understand why you were stressed last night after talking to your brother. I can see why it’s a hard decision whether to return your pretty marquis ring. Definitely go try on the ring at Costco. It looks pretty. Sometimes you can’t really tell until you try them on. Some rings I love in the case turn in to no thanks and some I don’t even want to try on end up being my favorite ring.

Jimmianne, I am glad to hear you are having a great time and found a fabulous antique jewelry store.

I drove myself to work. The 2 blocks between our house and the main road were very snow packed and had some drifts but once I got out of the neighborhood it was smooth sailing. I was so glad to have my own car. Except when 5 pm came around and my car was cold.

We wrapped some Christmas gifts tonight. We are having some friends over for supper tomorrow and wrapped their presents. I can't wait until they see them. A couple of years ago they had us play "Santa" and leave the presents for their kids on the front porch then ring the door bell. We'd just moved so we packed up a box of total complete and utter junk and wrapped it for them. We went back about 20 minutes later because we were going there for dinner. They had opened our gift and had one waiting for us. Among the junk they gave us was this wooden hand that was kind of beat up and chipped. So over the past couple of years we've had some fun with "got a hand?" So Marty painted them a 18" x 42" portrait of the hand for Christmas. It's absolutely obnoxious. He also picked them up a Gordon Ramsey cookbook in Romania. He looked up online how to translate a phrase that would sound like something Gordon Ramsey would say and then wrote that in the front of the book in Romanian and it means "hopefully this will improve your ****ing cooking".

I also wrapped 7 jingle bell ornaments for my family. I used to put jingle bells in all the Christmas gifts I wrapped so when I saw the bell ornaments I got each family one of them.

Tomorrow is Friday. Sweet.
Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Friday!

June, I hope your mom is feeling better and stronger and I am always keeping her in my thoughts. I am keeping all the NIRDIs and their families in my thoughts. Any new thoughts re the ring? I hear you re eating from stress and worry. I am right there with you usually though last night I felt sort of sick but of course I still ate lol. Hugs to you and your mom.

LLJsmom, hoping your dad is improving steadily each day. Your new diamond 5 stone is TDF.

Marcy, I am glad you safely got to work and back yesterday. Thank goodness it is Friday. LOL on the hand portrait. Sounds hysterical. Would be great if you would share a pic of it. Sounds like tonight with your friends will be fun. And I love the creativity re gifts with them. LOL on the cookbook and inscription. Enjoy tonight with your friends. Wish we could all celebrate together too.

Thank you all for your support and comfort yesterday. Some of you might not know everything but just quickly I had another ingrown toenail same toe as before which is the leg with my metal but my friend who is a podiatrist cut it away while we were at work yesterday and now I just have to see what happens regarding that. But what happened before that (coincidental or not IDK) was my surgical incision for some reason unknown to me or anyone else became very red and hot and tender. I emailed pics to my surgeon and his PA yesterday and they both got back to me to monitor it but no need to rush in right now. The surgeon and his PA both did say that if I got an infection in that leg it would be very very bad.

Of course that is easy for them to say right. It isn't their leg. LOL. Yes that is very concerning to me because I am just terrified of what could happen and well something just like that did happen to my poor mom. My mom got an infection where her plates were and that ultimately left her with a dropped foot so she cannot walk normally since that event. She had recurrent surgeries to help get rid of the infected metal etc and she had nerve damage. I just am scared but I guess I have to trust the surgeon right now. He is a good surgeon and I am doing all I can so I will see what happens. Darn the weekend coming up and the holidays. I mean leave it to me to have a potentially worrisome serious issue when the holidays are here and everyone is away. OK enough of that. Just wanted to get it out of the way.

Now onto happier things. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new earrings. I hate the long ear wires and the bend is also all wrong but I think I will wait till the holidays are over before I go to a bench jeweler to get it fixed. Lang said it is an easy fix as have many of you but when I called around it seems no one can do it same day at least not now and I am not willing to leave the earrings somewhere for a week or 2 so I will see if I can get this accomplished after the holidays. Lang gave me the option of shipping it back and they would take care of it but I feel it is easier to show it in person as to where I want the bend in the wire. I remember with the Grace earrings I measured everything perfectly and the bend is still not exactly where I want it to be so really just don't want to deal with all the hassle of sending it back and forth and still not getting it exactly right. Lang said they will cover any costs associated with fixing the been and snipping the excess wire so YAY to Lang!

I took some new pics today and also will share some pics from when I first got them which you girls already have. These are not great pics but as soon as I feel better I will try doing a proper photo shoot. Honestly it helps me to focus on other things rather than what is going on in my body atm so I am grateful to be taking pics of my new bling. And girls please share your new and old bling here too if you are up for it. I need the distraction badly.

Onto pics!

I might start a thread on these even though my pics are not great because I need the distraction.

Have a good morning girls and hope to chat with you all later. (((HUGS))) and thank you again.

 

[junebug17]

Aw missy, I'm really sorry to hear about your worries concerning your leg, I wish I had some magic words to take all your worry away but all I can do is offer my support, send you thoughts of comfort, and let you know you're in my thoughts. I'm thinking that the doctors don't seem overly worried about it at this point so I'm taking that as a good sign. You've made them aware of the situation and are staying on top of this so you are doing all you can for now. I hope you can push your worry to the back of your mind and enjoy your beautiful new bling and have a good time with that wonderful husband of yours. Big hugs to you, you know all us NIRDIS are here for you!

I am SO thrilled that you love your new earrings!!!! They are drop-dead gorgeous! Those pears are yummy and make these earring so special!

I'm so glad you're wearing them, they look beautiful on you! And I hear you about wanting distractions, and bling is a great way to distract us from the worries of life, that's for sure.

Oh, just a quick update - my mother is doing better, I think some of what's going on is that she doesn't sleep well in general and every once in a while her body just kind of demands that it gets more sleep - we're entering into a period where she has good days and bad days so it can be a bit nerve wracking.

Marcy, you made me laugh out loud with the gag gifts you and your friends exchange! It's great to have good friends that you can joke around with like that. So funny about the cookbook! That is exactly what Gordon Ramsey would say ha!

I'm going to try the ring on this weekend, even though it's going to be a madhouse over at that shopping center. But I'll brave the crowds for bling lol. I spoke to my husband about it last night and he said that he's fine with me getting the Costco ring instead of the marquise if I want. He doesn't really quite get my love of bling but he's a good sport about it and understands how much I enjoy it.

Glad to hear the driving conditions are a little better for you.

Ok, missy asked for pics so here are a few of the ring I'm probably going to return haha! It does look purdy, doesn't it? *sigh*

 

[missy]

Oh Junie, I really love that ring on your hand. Thank you so much for the extra pictures. It looks perfect on you. Elegant, sophisticated and understated which is not always a bad thing. It looks demure but not sure that is the best way to describe it. It just looks beautiful and delicate and elegant all at the same time if that makes sense. But I totally understand you deciding to return it and wait for something else that love even more. I get the size desire believe me I do. I cannot tell about that Costco ring from the pic you posted but the great thing about Costco is their return policy as long as you don't size it until you are sure you are keeping it. Looking forward to your final decision either way.

 

[junebug17]

Thanks missy - I do love the marquise - I'm going to try on the other ring and if it doesn't make my heart skip a beat I'm keeping the marquise. I know there's a lot going on with the Costco ring but for some reason I'm attracted to all the bling! I've been yearning for a double halo too. The Costco ring is in platinum, which I like. I've seen it in person and honestly the pics don't do it justice. I will snap a pic of it when I try it on and let you guys know what I think. Here's another pic I found of it -

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, that Costco ring is growing on me lol. I see what you mean and I would love to see it on your hand. Get over there and take some pics for us June. I love that it is in platinum. That is the only metal I would consider for a ring.

All that baking yesterday exhausted me and I was only the sous baker LOL. Everything is going out today girls. And we are leaving for the beach house this afternoon. It's going to be a cold windy weekend here. I hope everyone is enjoying decent weather and having fun this weekend.

LLJsmom, please keep me posted on how you are doing. You are going to be just fine. I promise. Great news about your dad. So happy and relieved for you!

Jimmianne, I am timing the arrival of baked goods with your arrival home so I hope I got that date right LOL. Cannot wait to hear all about your adventures abroad.

Marcy, hope you had fun last night with your friends. Any more snow coming your way for a white Christmas perhaps?

Because it is so freezing here now

(in the 20's and maybe below with windchill) I am worried about the feral kitties but I know there is nothing I can do. As soon as we get to the beach house I will check their shelters and add or change out the hay if necessary as that is supposed to help and I must make sure it stayed dry. Not sure they are even using it.


Anyone like to ice skate?

It's been decades since I have gone. I used to love iceskating. In fact we took lessons for years with some girls who became olympic figure skaters but don't ask me who because I don't remember lol. All I remember is every Sunday night we would take ice skating lessons at Abe Stark ice skating rink in Coney Island. And then go out for hot dogs and fries at Nathan's at 11PM. That's right. My parents kept us out late when we were little. And look at me now. LOL what happened. I go to bed before 9PM these days. Unfortunately I don't fall asleep till hours later but at least I try!


OK have a good morning girls and watch out for a delivery

...

Why can't we all sleep like cats? Anywhere we want and so peacefully.

 

[junebug17]

Lol missy, I'm wearing you down! I know the ring has a lot going on but it seems to be good quality and I think it's affordably priced. It's been in the back of my mind for a while now. I'll be able to get a better idea of quality when I try it on. It's either going to be really pretty or look terrible haha. Dh is going with me, so it will be interesting to hear what he thinks. Here's another pic I found online -


I'm thinking of the kitties too, I hope they take advantage of the kitty condo.

Those cookies look SO good!

Aw, love that sweet pic of Tommy! His coloring looks similar to Zoe's. I don't know much about cats but I think Zoe is a tortie, is that what Tommy is? Cats are expert sleepers, that's for sure.

I used to love to ice skate when I was younger! Like you I haven't been in years and I was never very good at it but I really liked it. My brother ice skates a lot during the winter for the exercise.

LLJsmom, thinking of you, and so glad about your father!

Ok, will check in later, hope everyone is having a good day so far.

 

[Calliecake]

Junebug, So what did your husband think? Did you love the ring on your finger. I'm curious to see what you decide.

Missy, You are killing me with those cookies! We used to take my brothers kids ice skating when they were little. So much fun.

LLJsmom, I hope ypur are doing well today. I'm so happy about your dad. What a great Christmas present,

 

[junebug17]

Hey there girls!

Callie, we got there as soon as the store opened and it was already really busy - I had to wait for someone to open the case and dh kept wandering over and looking at the tvs that were right next to the jewelry counter lol. Tvs are his bling. I couldn't have found a more opposite ring to the marquise ha - I know you girls will think it's OTT and I guess you'd be right but omg it is just beautiful. I was nervous because the salesperson and dh were just standing there staring at me so I really didn't even take a good look at it, but it sparkled like crazy. I snapped a few bad pics that don't do the ring justice - this ring just doesn't seem to photograph well. They only have size 7 at the store so I ordered a size 5 online when I got home. I'm going to return the marquise at this point but I'm thinking if the Costco ring doesn't work out I can revisit the marquise idea. The good thing about the EC ring is I can return it at any time to the store. I know you guys probably think I'm nuts for buying a Costco ring but I love it and it is affordable as far as diamond rings go (although I did go over budget on this purchase )

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, how is your leg today (the incision and redness?) I hope it is doing better. Don’t hesitate to call your surgeon and PA anytime you think you need their attention. That is what you pay them for. I get paged for far less important things. I completely understand why you are concerned about an infection in there. Get better DUST coming your way. Your earrings are fabulous! They really look great on you. Sorry it is so cold there. We are in the 40’s for a few days then snow flurries are coming back next week. Nothing like what we just had (I hope). Greg and your cookies look delicious. Tommy sleeping after all that baking is priceless. I went ice skating as a kid but never did very well at it. I am too klutzy and of course I got cold.

Junebug, I am glad your mom is catching up on sleep. That makes a lot of sense to me. The ring from Costco looks fabulous on your hand. It is a lot of bling and has definite finger coverage. I think your marquis is very pretty as well and looks great with your band but I believe you like the EC double halo more. I’ll be anxious to see yours when it comes in. Our friends were quite amused with our Romanian Gordon Ramsey cookbook and really chuckled when we told them the quote we put inside. We definitely had to come up with something that was Gordon Ramsey like.

Callie, you have to be the best aunt ever. You often tells us about things you do with your nieces and nephews. That is awesome!

We had a nice evening last having some friends overs for dinner. They forgot our presents so we only gave them the games for their kids and the Romanian cookbook. We are holding back on the hand painting and I told them it’s because I don’t want any revenge shopping going on for our gifts. Ha!

I darn near finished an entire bottle of chardonnay last night so obviously I had a hard time going to sleep. That’s probably more than I drank combined over the last 6 months. We played hearts and cribbage after dinner. Marty was giving me a bunch of crap while we were playing since he was losing so I kept telling him - keep it up and I’ll need a sling to carry around the size of sapphire I’m going to buy. He just said yeah, yeah, yeah.

Our cleaning lady came today. Marty went shopping and then he and I met for lunch. He continued on to Sams Club and the grocery store. I came home and started on laundry and baked peanut butter blossom cookies for Christmas. I think 4 kinds if plenty for Christmas. I should take a tray to work.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

Very pretty ring! It also looks beautiful on your hand Junebug! I can't believe you didn't buy this ring right away. For finger coverage there is no comparison between the two rings. It looks very different from your other halo rings. It is always nice to have a variety to choose from. If you love it and it's affordable I think you would crazy not to get this ring. I also think it is smart to return the other ring if you are not in love with it.p

Marcy, It sounds like you had so much fun with your friends. Aren't nights like that the best! The cookbook idea was priceless.

LLJsmom, I took my littlest niece (18 months old) to Tiffany's with me the other day. They gave her a little Tiffany's bag with a cookie in it. Of course she ate the cookie immediately. She walked around the rest of the day carrying the little Tiffany's bag. Her mom started laughing when she was looking for it the next morning.

 

[azstonie]

JUNIE!!!!!! I love that ring, I love it on your hand. I'd buy bling at Costco in a hot minute and I have in the past!!! Why would you apologize for a Costco diamond???? Because it's an up-front transaction instead of a wrestling match on price

I hope you bought it, I'm going to ge honest: To my eye, the marquis was okay. This ring has some oomph and glam to it.

 

[junebug17]

Wow thanks guys! I'm so glad you all like it! I'm very excited about it. Kristie, my husband said the same thing, he just thinks this ring makes more of an impact. Callie, I'm hoping this looks different enough from my OEC, I think it does since it's a different shape and has a more modern look. Marcy, yes, I really liked the marquise but I do like that this has more finger coverage and I've been admiring this one for a while. It should show up sometime next week.

Callie, that's so cute that your niece loved carrying around the Tiffany bag!

Marcy, sounds like you had a fun night! Yes, Marty better be nice or you'll take your revenge in bling lol. Your peanut butter cookies sound delicious

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!
It is super cold here.

I hope you are all staying warm. I know it is freezing in Arizona too or at least it was yesterday when Kristie told me it was 27 degrees. That is COLD but I bet it is way colder in Prescott.

Junie, that Costco ring is a statement ring for sure. I checked out some more pics and I think it looks huge for the carat weight and it does make an impact. Sparkly and eye catching and yes it faces up a lot bigger than your marquise. I still love the marquise but I definitely agree that this emerald cut ring is more for you than the marquise. While the marquise is sophisticated and elegant it is delicate and understated. The emerald cut ring is front and center and very visually appealing. I love it. So it comes down to what you are in the mood for really because they are both beautiful in different ways. I know all the NIRDIs love the big bling and this fits that criteria.
And another thing I also LOVE about this ring is that you are getting a lot of bling for the price and a beautiful quality ring so not sacrificing quality. Win win.

I think the marquise would be a lovely pendant on you (if you decided to keep it too)...just saying.

And I sure hope you aren't sorry you told me how to do the emojis haha but I really love using them and the visual interest they add. I hope you girls aren't annoyed. Just let me know though and I will stop. I promise I won't post so many all the time but it is fun.


Marcy, I am glad you and Marty had a lovely time the other night with your friends. How did the bunnies and bears behave when your guests were over? And haha smart idea to hold off on the hand painting till you get your gift from them. No need to get a revenge gift LOL. Please let us know when that gift exchange takes place. I know it will be a hoot.


We also had our house cleaned Marcy. Our cleaning crew came to the beach house Friday and it was so nice to come home to a sparkling clean house. Of course I knew she would leave something on and she did. Our LR lights. I told her we wouldn't be there till Saturday so please make sure everything was shut off and she texted me as she was leaving and said everything was off. LOL I know she does her best but that is why I cannot have her come when we won't be there for a week or 2. There are just too many switches in our home and it is confusing.

I am a lightweight with wine (or any liquor) and after half a glass I don't feel too well so I usually don't drink. I might take a few sips but that's it. You sound like you held your own though Marcy. I am a much cheaper date than you. Haha but we are well matched in the bling desire department I have to say. When dh pisses me off I also say keep going because I am looking forward to buying the insert whatever bling I want here sooner rather than later. Keep it up.



Thanks for asking about my leg and incision. It still hurts and is red but I don't feel it is infected because I don't have a fever and I feel OK besides the leg (and toe) but as you can imagine I am very nervous. Just taking it one day at a time. Not a great time of year to be having any major health issues and making an appointment to see my surgeon so if it doesn't get worse I am holding off to see what happens and just monitoring it the best I can and trying not to think about it.

OMG your peanut butter cookies sound AMAZING. You know peanut butter is my weakness.

Callie, I love that your little grandniece got the royal Tiffany treatment and she is now a petite NIRDI in training haha. You know you must get her something from Tiffany for her next special gift. She will swoon.
18 months old. So sweet! You really are the best aunt ever!



Did you finish Christmas shopping for your family? Your SIL is going to love what you bought her. What did you get your other SIL?

LLJsmom, hey there and hope all is going well with you. Enjoy your Sunday off. You deserve it girlfriend!

Jimmianne, you are going to be home soon. Cannot wait to chat with you about your adventures on your vacation and I hope your return trip goes smoothly.

Have a good Sunday girls! I cannot believe it is Sunday already. I am all thrown off what day it is and I am just two days into vacation LOL.

 

[junebug17]

Hey everyone!

Missy, I'm glad the redness and soreness isn't getting any worse and to me that is a really good sign, but I'm so sorry you have this added worry while you're on vacation. I'm keeping you in my thoughts and hoping that whatever is going on clears up. You're right, for now all you can do is monitor it and try not to worry (we all know how easy that is, right?)

I love that youre using the emojis, there are so many fun and cute ones! I wish more people would use them. They make your posts so lively and fun! I wish they were easier to add though, it's a little time consuming and sometimes I'm just too lazy. I love them though.

Thanks for your input on the ring! I appreciate hearing your thoughts on it. Yeah, some of my reasoning is I just feel I'm getting a bit more for the money with the EC ring (even though it is more expensive). I'm disappointed in how the ring looks in my pics though. It truly looked better in person. I should get it sometime this week and I'm anxious to see how it will look in the right size and I can check out the quality a bit more. But it looked like a well made ring to my eye for the few seconds I looked at it while dh and the salesperson were staring at me. I'll post pics as soon as I get it!

Lol, keeping the marquise crossed my mind but dh has said several time today "you're sending the other ring back, right?" so I guess not haha! I really do like the marquise ring but I'm just too attracted to the sparkle of the halo ring. Ugh, I'm hopeless.

LLJsmom, hope you are getting some rest and relaxation today, you really do deserve it!

Looking forward to having Jimmianne back and hearing about her trip.

Here's a pic of Zoe half asleep - I like this one because it shows how petite she is

 

[missy]

LOL Junie, great minds. I completely agree about the ring and it was fun texting all those pics to you girls today. After seeing it in person I have to say it really is even more lovely IRL. Looks so big for the carat weight and I really love an emerald cut. Looked colorless too. Sorry for going overboard on the texting pictures. Greg was like OK are we photo journaling our lives now.

Zoe is such a beautiful little girl. I LOVE her. Her sweetness just comes through every photograph. I wish I could reach out and kiss her June. She is such a love. I am so glad you rescued her and gave her the best possible home any cat could ever hope for. What a sweet kitty for the sweetest mommy.

Thank you for your good thoughts and wishes.


Callie, love that sleeveless sweater dress. Cool, edgy and just so easy and comfortable. Cannot wait for you to get it.

OK resisted the ice cream but believe me we have plenty of bad (i.e. fattening and tempting) food we will be enjoying this week. So don't worry. We are not depriving ourselves.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon ladies and thanks for keeping me company before.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Callie, that is priceless your niece got a cookie in a Tiffany bag and carried it around all afternoon and wanted it again the next day. She’s learning young to look for quality jewelry huh?

Kristie, there was a band at Sams I drooled over for years - it was a French cut and round diamond band. That is one of those pieces of jewelry I think about that got away.

Junebug, I hope your ring shows up in time for Christmas. It really is a pretty ring and EC diamonds are definitely among my favorite shape. Revenge bling; good idea. I think I’ll curb my sapphire shopping though I have to pay for Marty’s watch first. We’ll see. I usually have no self control around sapphires. Zoe is a cutie.

Missy, that is nice of you and Kristie to have cold weather so you could join in on my fun. The bears and bunnies did behave when we had company the other night but we did have a bear with a Snoopy on his head at the table. We had an extra chair there. Good call not to have your cleaning lady at the Beach House come when you won’t be there for a while. My cleaning lady opens all of our shades and draperies. When Marty is gone I leave them closed all the time. She also has knocked over brooms, mops and vacuums and has definitely chipped up the walls and trim along the floor. I don’t say anything but I wish she was more careful. Too funny we both attempt bling blackmail. Anything that works right? I am glad to hear your leg isn’t getting any worse and that you are keeping an eye on it. Like Junebug said that sounds like a good thing it’s not getting any worse. Yes this is a rough time of year to get in to see a specific doctor.

Gee where did the weekend go? My last 2 batches of laundry are in the washer and dryer. I am at least down to sheets and pillowcases with only one more bed to make up when that is done. I wanted to have clean sheets and blankets on the beds in case someone in the family wants to stay here over Christmas. With the weather around here you never know.

Marty and his golf buddy are on the 4th Star Wars movie. They’ve come out of the basement once to get their pizza and wings they ordered. I took them down a warm blue berry muffin but other than that I’ve left them alone.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

Marcy, I don't think you are alone regarding the cleaning lady. I have noticed nicks in my stair railings, woodwork and furniture. A couple of items were broken on the table and counter top. It bothers me because everything looked perfect until we got the cleaning lady. I have stopped having her dust the furniture for that reason. I will probably go back to doing everything myself after we repaint the inside of the house. We never had a mark on anything when I took care of it all. It's not like I don't have the time to clean. It's just nice not having to do it.

I think this niece is going to be my jewelry girl. I can't wear bracelets around her because she takes them and hides them. All my nieces loved jewelry when they were small. I can't tell you how many hours we had to spend at Claire's everytime we went out. They didn't want to go to a mall if it didn't have a Claire's. Once they got a little older they all fell in love with clothes and shoes.

Junebug, Zoe is so precious. She looks so tiny. Did they give you an idea when you will receive your new ring? I think you are going to love this new ring.

Missy, I have my fingers crossed that tomorrow your ankle and toe show improvement. Do you have anything fun planned for tomorrow. I think we are going shopping. I need to start wrapping presents. My niece is sick so we may take the baby for a while tomorrow afternoon so she can get some rest.

 

[MarionC]

HI!!!
Yes, omph & glam. June, that halo is a good choice!

I am only reading this last page in the thread this morning and don't anticipate being able to get ALL the nuances of the past two weeks right away. I was able to check in a few times, but phone service was spotty.
I see you girls could not get to page 200 without my help LOL

Missy, how are you? I flew over your house yesterday : ) or at least decided that I had done so. I wished I could have stopped off to say hi.
Maybe you saw me wave? : )

The past two weeks are a blur. It was extremely stressful but I made many good memories. First of all I must brag that I drove in Paris after getting off the plane. The GPS took us through the city instead of around. A hair-raising experience, but I am here to say...I DID IT!
My DD and I shopped or ate practically the whole time in Dijon. That was my Christmas present to her and her SO. We went to Ikea and got a couch, poster art and other decor things plus shower curtain-that sort of thing. Dijon was very grey and her apt needed a lift, which we accomplished. For my 68th birthday DD & her SO cooked dinner & sang to me : ) My present was a bottle of pink bubbly from the family vineyard. It took up half my suitcase and was heavy so I was a bit peeved lol, but now that I am home I am so glad to have it.

I went to three antique jewelers in Dijon. One was...nothing...
one was...yes, good!
and one was very high end. I loved talking with the high end owner about diamonds [fellow addict - passion superseded language barrier] and he was very patient to show me things he knew I would not buy. Unbelievably, on my last day there I decided to go back to buy a little something from him and could not find the shop! I walked 8 miles that day in town and with exhaustion had to give up.It sounds crazy that I could not find it, but the ancient maze of city streets combined with my ever present jet lag made thinking almost impossible. I was able to find the "good" place and bought two late 1800's French pieces - a dragon pendant/scarf holder? for DD and a snake pin for me.



So, a few photos & will send some via email as well.

 

[missy]

Welcome home Jimmianne! Love the snake pin. and what a lovely gift for your DD. And happy belated birthday wishes though we all did wish you a happy birthday here when you were in France.

I'm not in NYC so I missed your wave as you flew by.
So glad you had a great adventure and we want to hear all about it after you take some time to recover. Woohoo for driving through Paris.


Marcy, sounds like your dh and his friends had a great time yesterday. Giving them warm blueberry muffins and then leaving them alone sounds like it was the perfect plan. Where did the weekend go? I have no clue. All I know is it flies by every single time. What are your holiday plans? And you know we want to hear all about your cooking and baking.


Callie, I loved the photo of your sweet precious furbaby. She really is such a beautiful girl. And that last pic of H. Ooh what a gorgeous little girl. A stunner. I hope all the family issues get sorted out so everyone can enjoy a calm and peaceful happy holiday. I am glad your grandniece is a NIRDI in training re bling.
I think we might spend part of the day shopping too. Greg is not officially on vacation however so he needs to be close to a computer just in case. What are you doing Christmas eve and Christmas day?

Junie, I want to know too-when is your new ring arriving? I am hoping today!

My leg incision still same but it's weird. It was so lumpy the last few days and now the incision while it still hurts (smarts like a slap if that makes sense) is not as lumpy. DO you think that means there is something active (i.e. infection?) going on in there? It is not worse at all however. IDK. It is casting a shadow over my peaceful holiday wishes. The surgeon's PA e-mailed me this morning at 6AM and I responded at 7AM that it is not worse but weird about the lumpiness and that I am just going to keep monitoring it. No response from him yet. It is a difficult time of year to have a problem so I know we are all hoping it is nothing. Thank you for asking girls.


Adding pics of Greg's bike shed. He is still organizing and building for it but here are the latest pics.

Have a good day and catch up with you all later.

 

[junebug17]

Welcome home Jimmianne!!! I'm so glad you're back , you've been missed! I'm so happy to hear you had a wonderful time, and a great birthday while in France. I'm happy you were able to spend your birthday in a place you love and with your dd. I'm very impressed that you drove through the middle of France, that is an accomplishment and you should feel proud! I love the piece you chose for your dd and the snake pin is just beautiful, I'm glad you found something you love, and it is such a great reminder of your trip. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it. Thinking of you as you rest up and adjust to being back home, I know for me it takes a while to recuperate from the time change.

I'm honored that your first comment was about my ring lol!! That proves you are a true bling lover and a good friend!

Missy, thank you again for taking the time to snap a few pics for me of the ring, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Thank Greg too, he had to wait around and look at bling for someone he doesn't even know haha! It's great to have good pics of it. It looks fabulous on you! I think it takes 2 to 3 business days so I'm hoping it shows up Wednesday.

I agree that what's going on with your incision is a little strange - I'm thinking maybe the lumpiness is just some swelling from it being irritated somehow? I think it's a really good sign that it doesn't seem as lumpy. I don't know, I'm wondering if it could be something as simple as rubbing against your boot or something? I'm also thinking if it was an infection you'd be having more symptoms by now and it would be getting worse. I'm really glad to hear that it doesn't seem any worse, and it really does stink that you have this on your mind as you're trying to enjoy the holidays and your vacation.

Aw, thanks for the nice words about Zoe! I feel the same way about your kitties, they are all so sweet.

Whoa, the shed looks amazing!

Callie, you're reminding me that I have wrapping to do Yikes. How can it be that Christmas is this week? So cute about your niece loving your bracelets! I think you're right about me liking this ring - when I tried it on I thought to myself "yeah, now we're talking!" Did I mention I'm hopeless?

Marcy, I hear you on the weekend just flying by. I can't believe how quickly the days pass. I always think I'm going to get so much done and end up accomplishing about a fraction of it. Sounds like Marty and his friend had a good time at their Star Wars marathon. That man cave is put to good use lol!

Ok, time to get myself together and head up to my mothers. Will check in later!

 

[Calliecake]

Welcome back Jimmianne! I'm glad you had a wonderful time with your daughter! You sound like you are really starting to know your way around France. Your jewelry purchases are so cool. Didn't you also buy a snake ring recently? I can't wait to hear more stories about your trip. You were missed here. Did Puff give you a warm welcome home?

Missy, I'm glad the doctors office called you this morning. It's good news that your leg isn't getting any worse. I would think if you had an infection you would be seeing much more redness and pain. i hope you are able to relax a little.

Hey does Greg organize closets. If he does can I hire him???? His bike shed looks wonderful. I am so impressed. I can wait to see what he does with the basement. That man is amazing!

I'm off to finish up shopping and then begin wrapping. I wish I could get more motivated. I need to wrap the baby toys first to improve my mood. I'm still undecided about the white tunic thing I sent the picture of. I will probably buy it and then decide if it's worth keeping. I think we may also have the baby later today, My niece is pretty sick so I offered to take the baby so she can get some rest.

Junebug, I hope your time goes well with your mom today. Where you will be spending the holidays? I hope you receive your ring soon. Come on Wednesday!!! I know you are going to love this one.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Lots of excitement yesterday ehh Marcy? Ohh la la. It looks amazing on your hand and I cannot get over how white and bright and crisp it is.

And tomorrow is our dear Junie's turn. Cannot wait!

Callie, I am happy to lend Greg to you anytime. He is a master organizer of everything closets included. OMG if we were home in Brooklyn right now I would take a photograph of his closet to show you. Super organized and puts me to shame. He does organize my coat closet every year as per my request but somehow it never stays that way. LOL.

How did shopping go yesterday? As you know all I got was a turquoise scarf. Instead of the puppy I wanted.

Jimmianne, jet lag is the worst. I know how exhausted you are right now. Rest, sleep, rest and you will be back to yourself any day now. Well give it a few days to a week or 2 to be 100% back to yourself. LOVED the photos of that French castle you are considering and what a garden and what a view.

Junie, hoping you are enjoying a nice visit with your mother. Please tell me you will be home tomorrow to get your ring delivery. We are anxiously awaiting its arrival and your thoughts. In person it is gorgeous! You and Marcy have me yearning for an EC now and since it is impossible for me to buy anymore bling I will just have to live vicariously through you two.

So far a few of you have received the baked goods but not everyone. They are actually all due today so fingers crossed they arrive in good shape and you all get to enjoy them today.

We are putting up our Christmas tree today woohoo!

Please share your holiday plans. I am looking forward to hearing them.

 

[junebug17]

Hey girls!

Missy, thank you again for the cookies, they are absolutely delicious and I can't stop eating them lol! SO good! Please thank Greg for me!

I'm still recuperating from Marcy's EC purchase - I am just so excited for her!

The scarf is beautiful but I like the puppy better haha!! LOVE those earrings!

I just saw an email and my ring isn't scheduled for delivery until tomorrow and I'll be at my mother's all day, can you believe it? D'oh. But I'll be home that night so I'll see it then. I've been playing around with the idea of just waiting until Christmas morning to look at it but I honestly don't think i can do it. I mean, I have to check to make sure it's ok, right?

Callie, not too much planned for Christmas, the 4 of us are going to head up to my mother's on Christmas and spend the day there. Dh's brother lives in the same area as my mother so we might stop by their house on the way home. Don't know how that's going to work out, my mother sleeps late so we're not planning on getting to her house until the afternoon so it will be kind of late by the time we're leave. I guess we'll do it if dh's brother doesn't mind us showing up so late. How about you? Anything special planned for Christmas?

Jimmianne, thinking of you and hoping you are getting some rest and adjusting to the time change. I agree with missy, jet lag is tough and takes it takes a while to feel normal again.

Ok, I have a few errands to do and I'm already running late. Such a loser. Bad news is it's raining but the good news is it's really warm! Love it.

See you all later!

 

[Calliecake]

Junebug, I got a late start because I was too busy sitting on the couch stuffing my face with delicious cookies.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Welcome back Jimmianne! Yay for navigating through Paris. I would have been freaking out. The traffic in Denver yesterday made me nervous and I was just a passenger. Happy Belated Birthday!!! It sounds like your DD and her SO showed you a great time. Love the dragon and snake pieces. You were probably just adjusting to the local time zone and then came back to good old ET. I hope you can rest up this week.

Callie, that is too bad your cleaners have damaged your home too. I think our lady has done more damage here in 3 years than we did in 17 1/2 years at our old house. I guess maybe since it’s not their house they aren’t as careful. I bet you and your nieces have a blast shopping at Claires. It’s a very fun store for young girls and ladies. That is so cute your little niece loves jewelry and bracelets. Did you finish your shopping? That is nice you offered to babysit so your niece can rest.

Missy, we are having my family here for the 26th. Should be 16 of us. Marty is making homemade BBQ sauce and we are doing BBQ ribs in the crock pot. I am making baked mac and cheese, we’ll do green bean casserole, have dinner rolls and assorted cookies. I am hungry already. What is on your menu? Greg’s bike shop looks great. He is really going to enjoy having that. I hope the PA got back to you today. That is weird the lumpiness is gone. Grr to have to deal with this over the holidays. We didn’t have many broken cookies. i think the “supply” went down some today. We had a few tonight with our Frosty’s. Mmm delicious. Thank you and Greg again.

Junebug, you’ll have a nice ring to look forward to when you get home. The man cave has been very useful. It’s plenty big to entertain and the guys can be guys down there (and I don’t want to know what all that really means.) No way should you wait to see and try on your pretty ring. I know I couldn’t stand it anyway.

We both had the day off yesterday so went to Denver. We started at my sapphire jewelry store. I was looking to upgrade a few sapphires but of course their selection was well picked over by now and they didn’t have anything at all that appealed to me. While I was walking through store though this EC kept sparkling at me saying “pick me, pick me”. So yes I’ve thought about upgrading my EC RHR so I asked to see it. There was an E and F that looked pretty nice; the E was by far a nicer diamond. So anyway she brought them over and both Marty and I liked the E. I traded in a 1.01 G Si2 for a 1.21 E VS1. Holy crap what a price jump that was; but I really like it. It’s medium fluorescent too. They even said they’d rush it and we could pick up my ring after 4. We headed off to Cherry Creek Mall and split a burger and shake for lunch then wandered the mall for about 3 hours. Marty’s Snoopy Omega watch is supposedly shipped but they don’t have a tracking number. We were hoping it would be there to pick up. We walked out of William Sonoma empty handed. We found some very cool old world map coasters for the man cave. It was a nice day. We picked up my ring and sadly left Denver during rush hour. Marty pulled a Marcy and hit a curb when we were leaving the mall. Ha! We stopped at an Italian restaurant about 1/2 way home. It was a nice day.

I took my little camera to work with me today but the Sun didn’t come out until I got to my desk and was long gone by the time I came home. My boss greeted me with shut the door - and 45 minutes later I ventured on to the next 5 or so problems. I started my work at about 11 this morning. Fun!

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Christmas Eve Eve.

Marcy, your EC is making my heart go pitter patter.

I hope the sun comes out for you today and that work calms down so we can get more pics.

Your family celebration on the 26th sounds like fun and I love that you are doing it the day after Christmas. We are the same way. We celebrate when it is convenient for everyone. It's having all your loved ones together and celebrating that is important and not the date so much. Cannot wait to hear all about it especially about the yummy food! I am glad you are enjoying the cookies. Thank you!

Where were the bunnies on that office desk picture Marcy?

Callie, Thank you for brightening my morning.

Did you finish all your wrapping of presents? What are your plans Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

June, you are so welcome, thank you! OK today is EC day in the June household. I am holding my breath anxiously awaiting your newest treasure.

LLJsmom, your post in the giveaway thread really touched my heart. I am glad you know you are worth it and more. (((HUGS))).

Another rainy day here. In fact it looks like a soggy week through the New Year.

I don't care for us (though cycling would have been nice it is mild enough after all) but care about the feral kitties being outside when it is raining for so long. Think good thoughts for them girls please. No word from Ann since she wrote me she was taking a break from the TNR about a week or 2(?) ago.

As you know Greg and I had a most exciting day yesterday (not lol). He got a new Le Creuset skillet (woohoo for him)

and he is very pleased with it. Not sure what we are going to do today but it is just nice being at the beach house together without the work stress and hustle bustle. Though Greg is still working but at least from home. We are working around his work and conference calls but I quite like this schedule working from home and being together. I am also loving waking up when I want to and am finding my natural rhythm is to fall asleep around midnight and wake up around 7:15AM. Loving this schedule.

Enjoy the day today girls and happy shopping!

I was hoping to have Christmas Tree photos for you this morning but instead I am leaving you with a few photos of Tommy making himself at home on our artificial Christmas tree not yet out of the packaging lol. He didn't waste any time and we ran out of time yesterday so maybe today is tree day. In the meantime Tommy is enjoying our new tree. Hahaha.

 

[LLJsmom]

Missy I love the pics of Tommy on your new tree. Glad you love your new earrings. Really so happy that it turned out well.m you made the right choice going with the Lang pair.

Jimmianne's welcome back!!

Marcy. Love that E. Soooo do. Love it. Hope you have a minute to take pics today.

June, hope your mom is doing ok today. ((Hug)). Should we be expecting new bling pictures?

Callie...hi....

Kristie...hi....

Quick question: nothing urgent. Not sure what to do with the carre cut band. Barely wear it. I think there is one stone that is loose. Should I sell? Should I take it apart and have someone make me a full eternity and alternate it with a colored stone? Rubies? Nya's anyone ever seen a step cut alternating with a colored stone? Just trying to come up with alternatives. Maybe not worth it to put more money into it.

Hi everyone! I'm lazy. Gonna bug you guys during the day.

 

[missy]

LLJSmom, I wouldn't do an alternating eternity band with your carre cuts. I would either find more carre cut stones to make it a complete eternity just with the carre cuts or perhaps make it a dbty....hmmm how would that look I wonder. Lots of possibilities though. Let me think about it. Fun project potential.

Ok tree is up. Will look prettier at night but here you go. No cats under it yet. They're still taking their morning nap in the bed haha.

 

[azstonie]

LLJs, I have seen carre cuts with colored stones, I love carre cuts ANYWAY I find them. But I think the biggest bang for carre buck is having them with each other

Jimmianne, glad you're home safe and sound!!

Missy, Tommy is SUPERVISING the tree project, heehee!!!! You think he's your PET, he's really your supervisor!!!

Junie, Marcy, Peggy, stay warm and dry and safe!!!