shape
carat
color
clarity

Now I really did it :((

Missy, I'm glad to hear Theo is in his new home. And it's all because of you. No matter what else happens, you've saved Theo. And the ferals. And if fasting gives you some peace of mind, you should give it your best try. Rituals exist for a reason.

The HVAC guy comes on Thursday and I've been doing fine without my main heat source as the weather is pretty mild. I have some supplementary heat in some rooms which I occasionally turn on. And I met with the contractor on Monday - he forgot about the meeting which wasn't a great start but I decided to give him a shot anyway. I like him, but we'll see.

Junie, glad you're going to get some SC time. I hope the hurricane season isn't a problem for you. And when my mom died, it helped me to focus on the fact she lived a good long life, and wouldn't have wanted to go on as she was.

Marcy, I loved the blue of your car against the golden trees. So striking. And boo on work being a pain. But driving there and back will be a joy!

Jimmianne, glad you're enjoying 'The Little Paris Bookshop.' I've become reluctant to recommend most books because there are too many times I'm sure someone is going to like a particular book and then they don't. If you haven't read 'A Year in Provence' before, you should before doing anything to the house. It's a good and funny look at the French penchant for bureaucracy and their disdain for schedule. It is a way of life for them that would drive us bonkers. And based on everything I've heard, I'm surprised there isn't more paperwork for changing the paint color on your windows.

Hope everyone else is well. I need to run to an appointment but will check in later.
 
Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, I hope you catch up on sleep. The people who adapted Theo sound fabulous. I am definitely in the work to life mode not vice versa. Ha! I am glad I wished you Happy New Year then - fasting for 25 hours sounds hard especially not having fluids. You can’t even have water? That is nice of you to think of so many people and animals though to send out good wishes. Our angel Missy. You have so much love to give the world. Thank you!

Kristie, I hope your day exceeded your expectations.

Junie, I was thinking the same thing about that ring - I hope they don’t mess it up especially with all those tiny little pave diamonds. I am enjoying driving my car. Great picture of Zoe, she deserves to be spoiled rotten.

Rainwood, I hope they get your heat working again soon. It’s snowing in Jackson right now. Oh no!

It’s still windy here and getting chilly. That nasty 4 letter white stuff is in our forecast.

I went to lunch with a friend from work. She said I was smiling a lot when I was driving my car. Too funny. I need cash so I told Marty he should pick it up for me tomorrow - you know those drive throughs have curbs that jump out and bite me.

Have a great evening.
Marcy
 
Just wanted to quickly jump in and say a few things.

Theo made it to his new home! Yay missy. That was awesome news. I saw that update this am on my way out and I couldn't get back here fast enough to be able to say yay :appl:

I think Theo is going to be fine because these people sound wonderful I'm sure they'll make him feel safe. It will take some time for him to get adjusted, but I'm sure he'll be fine. I hope they'll be able to take Zeke and Yoshi.

And I don't get it either missy, leaving Theo behind. :blackeye: but I hope this ends up being a happy story and they get reunited. Or at least that they each go to a good home.

Try to be kind to yourself today and let go of the worry a little bit - you already accomplished a great deal - Theo is safe.

Does this couple know about PS? If they do maybe we can start a thread where we can all jump in and say thank you :appl: so they can see it.

marcy Snacks is the cutest! And I love the picture of the car like sideways to the road. It seems like he (or is it a she?) is thinking and admiring the view.

Hope your day at work is better tomorrow.

And I am a true hermit. I am never ever bored at home. As long as I have internet and TV that is. Makes me sound like a lazy couch potato but it's really more about just being within these 4 walls that I love.

june it's one of the things I admire so much about DH. He is the nicest person EVER but he can also very much say exactly what he's thinking.

I am looking forward to your vacation for you. You so deserve it, and so does your DH, with you. :)

Hair update: (since a few of you asked)

I colored my hair a Natural Brown Level 4. Which is one level lower (darker) than the level 5 I use from Natural Instincts. I like it so far (I did it last night). It looks like a "flatter" brown - like coffee without milk - than the one from Natural Instincts, and definitely has less yellowish undertones showing through (which is what I wanted. Because lately for some reason I was seeing like this yellowish tinge come through that was really bugging me.) I have to see how it washes out. I'll take a picture when I shampoo so it's shinier (right now it's back in a ponytail and dirty from the gym). I liked the consistency of this formula better, too (more creamy not as liquidy as the Natural Instincts). So, so far, so good.

and hi callie if you have any questions about the color let me know! How are things with you.

Took my little girl to the vet today. Well, I tried to. I was 7 minutes late. And I did call to let them know. But they told me when I got there that because I was late "your appointment was 7 minutes ago" I would have to wait until however many clients were before me who were NOT late. I get it. You should punish the person who's late, not the ones who are on time. I get it. But really? Over 7 minutes? So I basically could have sat there for hours. I asked them what do I get when you guys run late? So I rescheduled for next. Bet I'll be on time then so I guess they have a point. :/

rainwood the advice you gave missy on the countertops was awesome - like cut and paste for if when the day ever comes for me awesome. Hope you had a good day today.

kristie hope your stuff got resolved and that you're doing good. :)

Everyone else, hi, as always!

ETA OMG how could I forget? Zoe is absolutely gorgeous! What a cutie pie.
 
Good morning girls!

Kristie, thank you honey and (((hugs))) back at ya. Hoping things work out for you on the legal side. There are always complications aren't there? :wall:

Junie, Awww sweet Zoe is such a doll. What a pretty girl she is. Thank you so much for sharing her photo. Sending her big hugs and kisses and tell her Aunt Missy loves her OK? Thank you for your happy New year and good wishes as always and for thinking of Theo and all of us despite all you are dealing with at this time. (((Hugs))).

Rainwood, thank you and I know I did the best I can no matter what happens and of course there is a complication and Theo's new mommy is allergic. I also know she will do whatever she can to make this work. Hoping hard it all works out. What a journey for all involved.

Hoping your HVAC guy fixes your heat in your city home and that the attic contractor remembers all future appointments and can get you the exact space you envision. You deserve a dream room at your beach house and I want you to get exactly that. (((Hugs))).

Marcy, thank you for the happy New Year wishes and it turns out more of my friends remembered. LOL it is silly of me but I was feeling a bit sad everyone seemed to forget. I don't care about the other holidays the same way as the Jewish New Year just because it is the most important occasion of the Jewish Calendar. And nope we cannot even have water. Crazy right? Greg said he will fast with me though I hate to put him through that. I honestly don't know if I can swing it but I will try. Glad you had a nice lunch with your girlfriend and darn those curbs that attack you lol. And boo to that 4 letter word. What happened to our autumn? We didn't get any here either.
Hope work went better yesterday and I'm with you. Work to live and live to play. :appl:
And I did sleep better last night, thank you.

CJ, thank you honey. I am still concerned as if you read above Theo's new mommy is allergic but fingers crossed there is a good solution and Theo and his new parents can and will be very happy together. Glad your hair color turned out well. We have Greg's 40th (!) High School reunion this Saturday evening and he wants to go so we are going and my hair is a wreck. Last time it was cut and colored was February or March so you can imagine. And I don't want to give up a day here to go into the city and see my hair stylist Tuey so I am between a rock and a hard place and will probably just go to his reunion as is. Plus I hope I can cover my POD.

Sorry about the incident at your vet. 7 minutes isn't so late but I do see both sides. I am used to my patients coming hours late or hours early and I usually see them all. But they have to be willing to wait. So if you were willing to wait then I don't fault them for making you wait till the people on time were seen first but I also get you not wanting to wait for hours. Were they not able to give you a reasonable estimate of your waiting time? Hopefully your rescheduled appointment will go smoothly and hugs to you and your sweet girl.

I am like you in that I think I could be a true hermit too as long as I have internet and TV and books and the phone. Anyway as some of you know I prefer animals to most people (not the NIRDIs though cause you all rock!!!) and while I know that makes me sound bad it really depends on the person. I just find the majority of people not to be very nice or kind or empathetic or generous and sometimes they are just plain mean. So that's where I stand generally. But I want to like people. They just usually disappoint. :blackeye:


OK so I mentioned the nano glass a few days ago and it is so pretty though super expensive and we are now considering that as a counter option but I need to do more research about it. We got the plans from Jen re moving the kitchen to the dining room and I don't like it. Makes a bottle neck in the living room where she put the peninsula and also took away one of our big windows there so I don't want to go this route. It just isn't a large enough space. So we emailed her asking for her kitchen ideas and we need a contractor (who knows structural engineering) and architect to determine what exactly we can do to the ceiling in the kitchen. We met with Joe yesterday and he thinks anything is possible but it might be cost exorbitant to take down the brick wall (and support beams) and ceiling beams to give us a cleaner look. I am getting tired of this kitchen reno already and we haven't even started. :roll:


Including photos of the feeding station reno in progress. Greg made the roof more proportional and is adding plexiglass to all the exposed sides for the cats protection. He has one side left to add it to but here it is partially finished.

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Photos/Pics continued...

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It just is too crowded in the dining room and I don't want the windows decreased in number and the appliances (fridge and freezer) just don't look good in that space and I don't like the crowding to get to the living room where the peninsula is in the new kitchen space. So back to the drawing board. We just don't have the ideal space for our kitchen and will have to make what we do have work and I think we will have to leave the kitchen where it is now but rearrange stuff i.e. appliances/sink and maybe get rid of some of the brick wall if we can and maybe hide some of those support ceiling beams if possible. No matter we will do the best we can with what we have.

Thanks for looking and sharing your thoughts.
 

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Missy, do you have a picture or can you give a general idea of the original floor plan?
I'm with you about having as much natural light as possible coming in and would not want to lose a window.

edit - whoops...is that the original plan with cabinets added?
 
missy I am really really bad at visualizing stuff but I know I don't like the look of the fridge/freezer in that picture. And I totally get not wanting less windows.

I missed the part about the lady having allergies - actually I think I do remember reading that but when I went to respond I didn't remember. Sometimes I read too quickly other times I just don't remember all the details. Sorry about that I know it's not ideal especially if you have to repeat things.

This brand that I used has one color that is just gloss - so all it will do is add shine. I know you use more natural stuff for your hair color too, not sure if this is a must or just a preference, but if it's just a preference maybe for this one time you could try it.

I really do see their side - although I think 7 minutes is minimal, really. But I also understand that if you make it OK to be 7 minutes then someone gets mad if they're only 10 minutes because it's only 3 minutes after 7. I get it. I do think they should have a five minute leeway though, but again, I understand it's easier if it's just clear cut - if you're not on time, on the dot, you're not on time. Simple. I do think they could have told me on the phone when I called, though, too - "look we have this policy now where if you're not exactly on time on the dot, we put you behind however many other patients we have who are on time. The Dr. is booked solid today so you might be waiting a while. We're sorry we've had to do this but we have so many latenesses we had to put this into effect because the waiting times were out of control." Something like that. Instead, the attitude was not so friendly. And they couldn't give me an estimate because if say the next 5 patients were on time I wouldn't have known until each one showed up...but yeah - I'll be on time for sure which the only way to ensure that is to actually be a little early. Which I guess is what they want. ETA: and actually, why not tell me when I booked the appointment. Even better. Then I am aware of the policy from the get go and more apt to be on time.

And you *know* I'm with you on the whole animal / people thing. I am kind and generous to a very select few - too few, probably. I just often feel people ask for favors way too easily. I don't know. I have a lot of "are you trying to manipulate me" buttons that got developed along the way and I haven't figured out how to make them less big and bouncy. lol

ETA: I think I like the nano glass. I was going to say I *love* the nano glass but then when I looked it at it again I started to wonder whether it might be too shiny - or if it will at times feel too bathroom-y. Especially if it has a light bluish type tinge to it.
 
Missy, that new layout makes no sense at all. Why would anyone take out most of the view in a beach house? And the living room is down to a couple of chairs with no place to watch TV, and backs turned away from the water. Crazy! And the size of the kitchen is disproportionate to the other spaces which is saying something when it comes from me whose kitchen is the biggest room in the beach house! Big is nice, but not at the expense of everything else. It's as if she designed the kitchen and then just fit in what she could around it. I'd kick that designer to the curb and start over. And I can't tell but did she actually make the footprint smaller?

I second giving us NIRDI's an existing floor plan if you can. There's no way we could do a worse job than that. Sorry to be blunt, but that design is terrible. I have some ideas, but would rather see the floor plan first so I don't give you anything that wouldn't be feasible.
 
Hi NIRDIs!

CJ, Snacks got his name because that is what the Killer Rabbits chew on between meals. Marty called him that and it just stuck. He goes on trips with me. I think my car was admiring the view. That is nice you like to stay home. I like to stay home too but after a few days I get antsy to go somewhere. During bad weather though I can hole up without problem. Do you get snow where you live? I am glad you like your new hair color.

Missy, well I am glad you hear from some of your other friends wishing you a Happy New Year. It’s important to you so it’s important to me. That is kind of crazy you can’t have water. I think that would be hard but you are doing it for a good cause and that always helps. Good deal you slept better last night. The Soda Gang hangout looks fabulous. Greg is making them way more comfortable and protected from the elements. I am with you that I wouldn’t want to lose any windows. You guys will find the right layout and you’ll know it when you see it. I am still excited for you to figure it all out and get it finished.

Rainwood, I think all of us could come up with some great ideas for Missy and Greg’s reno. How could the NIRDI’s not be creative and helpful? Is you attic reno coming along?

I had a strange day at work; lots of weird problems and questions. 2 more days to go. Marty decided to blow out our sprinkler system tonight and his air compressor wouldn’t charge where it needed to be so he paid Lowes a visit depleting our checking account of more money. It always seems like when we buy something other expenses come along. Oh well. I am in a saving mode now and hope to stay that way until the next time I look at sapphires. Ha!

We had burgers on the grill and veggies for supper. We sat in the driveway for a while figuring out how to use Apple Car play. Marty will probably run his iPhone like an iPod and I will probably use it as the iPhone. You can get your messages through car play but the phone only works from the touch screen not the dash. What is cool is both of us can receive calls in the car but only the first phone to connect can make calls.

Some of Marty’s buddies at work were giving me crap today trying to convince me there was a big scratch on my car, and said wow Porsche is cheap they didn’t even give you any bumpers.

Have a great evening.
Marcy
 
Hi to everyone, Snacks included.
Marcy, no bumpers lol Sounds as though you are having all sorts of fun with your lovely large sapphire. I know you will have years of pleasure from this car.
I don't know why exactly, but it is always so comforting to read what you've had for dinner.

Missy, Happy New Year. And Happy Friday. I too had to go back and read to be sure you can't drink. Not eating is hard enough. When I have to get morning fasting blood tests I can hardly stand not having anything. But what you are doing is such a different thing with so much meaning.
The Nano glass is something new to me and very interesting. If it holds up better than the other surfaces it just might be worth the extra cost. yes?

I had lunch with my DD at a Paleo restaurant that was really good.Then I followed her around the "fancy" mall for a bit... It seems to me that the flimsier the material, the more expensive the clothes. [Free People & Victoria's Secret].
All I bought was a crossword puzzle book at B&N, but I did look at every single item in Anthropologie. For me that is the ultimate
non-bling eye-candy store.
DD leaves for France tomorrow and both of us were disappointed to learn that we won't be there at the same time, so she & BF won't get to see the house. I could give them a key but the electricity is turned off and they would have to use a flashlight to look around. I would rather have them see it when it is happy and full of light. She and her BF have already decided to stay there on weekends, even though I haven't asked them yet. haha I didn't point that out - I am just happy she & I are getting along again. I guess children assume that wherever parents live is their home too.

A good, make that great, day to you all. :dance:
 
Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, I'm so glad you and your DD are getting along well again and LOL yes I guess your home is her home no matter what. I'm sorry you are missing them when they are there and hopefully they will get to see your new home soon and in the bright sunny light. LOL it does seem that the flimsier the clothing the more expensive it is. Did I share with you that I just bought another pair of SW boots? In black Nappa. Yes I needed 3 pairs of exactly the same color/model boot. One at the beach house, one in Brooklyn and one to travel back and forth. :lol: Retail therapy. It does make one feel better. Speaking of which...

Rainwood, are you enjoying your new clothing purchases? Today is the day I hope your HVAC is fixed. I will share a floor plan with you girls. Thank you and Jimmianne and Marcy for offering to share ideas and brainstorm with me. This kitchen design I am sharing is not exactly what we are doing but it was a thought we had and it was one of the first options. Anyway it shows the correct dimensions and just ignore where appliances etc were placed. This was just a first version Greg sketched. I don't want the island facing that way and prefer it facing the way it does now...North facing is my preference as it is right now in the kitchen vs.the East direction Greg has it in the sketch.

The dining room plans that Jen shared are if we move the dining room to the kitchen and then put a dining room table in the kitchen making that a sort of dining room. So I think what you think is the living room is in actuality the kitchen that she made into the new dining room. She didn't make any changes to our actual living room so no worries there.

We spoke with Jen yesterday after we went over her plans and told her it didn't work for us. She was insistent we reconsider it and that the space worked and that we should tape it out before we decide against it. She said she made the other window bigger when she took away one of them so it was still an equal amount of light getting in but I still am not convinced. And I pretty much know I hate the freezer and fridge b/w the 2 doors on that side of the wall because that just looks wrong to me and I know I don't like that small peninsula blocking at least part of the path from the dining room (in her plans the kitchen) to the living room. I think she has no idea how to make our actual kitchen space work and that is why she likes the dining room as the kitchen. She even said she has no idea what to do with our kitchen as is right now. It was my idea in the first place to make the dining room into the kitchen and that is why she started down this path but now that I see it I really don't like it.


CJ, I am glad you are pleased with your color and gloss and thanks for sharing that info. When I was younger I once had a clear gloss treatment on my hair and it made it so nice and shiny. I remember a problem at that time was getting through the gloss coating to clean my hair and it sort of left a residue for a while but I bet they have improved the science since then. Yeah I am not sure about the nano glass. Sometimes it looks like there is a green tint but in other pieces it doesn't. And the quartz is more expensive than the marble in most of the pieces if you can believe it. We started pricing some of these materials and quartz can be pricey depending where you get it. And where you get it is critical because you want a safe quartz as there are some questionable ones that emit VOCs and the better ones don't. At least according to the salespeople. I need to do my own research of course.

Marcy, sorry work was weird yesterday and yes only 2 more days till the weekend. Sorry Marty had a little trouble with the air compressor and glad he got it fixed. I'm with you and I don't find the scratch on your new car joke funny. Though I can appreciate a good work joke believe me. When I was in my 20s the 2 guys I worked with (one of whom is my BIL now) used to play practical jokes on me and I on them so don't worry haha.
Two really good practical jokes that stand out to me still are the milk carton joke and the ticket on my car joke.

I went to eat lunch in the lunch area we had at work at that time and on the table was a milk carton with my baby photo (do you remember in the 70s missing children's faces were being put on milk cartons asking do you know where she/he is?). Anyway Julius and Mark had a good laugh at that one and so did I because it was pretty funny I have to say and I appreciate the planning and work it took. They got my mom involved so they could get a baby photo. :lol:

The other joke that stands out and that I appreciated at a much later date was a "parking ticket" that was on my car. I was at work and Julius was like Oh no he thinks I got a ticket on my car. We used to work at this health center on Saturdays so driving and parking was less crazy and I drove in to work those days. Anyway I went out and took the ticket and started getting upset because why did I get a ticket? I was legally parked and had put money in the meter. Then I examined the ticket and LOL it said Capt S and Sgt K (their last names not initials but for privacy sake) and it has all sorts of funny details on it. LOL we had good times at work in those days. :bigsmile:

Sorry to go down memory lane. All of that happened over 20 years ago. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago and sometimes it seems like not that long ago yanno? Thanks for the nice memories Marcy.

We had a good day yesterday. First day we went cycling this whole vacation because of the bad weather and also because of all the Theo planning and traveling. It was colder than I like but we still had a good ride.


OK sharing the original kitchen design/floor plan. All ideas welcome. It is a tough space and I am almost feeling like just giving up and leaving it all as is but I know there has to be a decent layout in there somewhere right? I sure hope so.

Just wanted to add I was thinking of moving the sink (and dishwasher) to the opposite wall from where it is now (so to move it to the east wall) to give a more fluid layout and add some counter space where the sink is now which is in an awkward small space. So can get my 30" sink and also get that counterspace area back to work on in place of where the sink is now which is really bad area for working. Greg and I are always bumping into each other there and even with moving the range that would still be a problem I think.


And again we are not sure if it will be feasible blowing out the brick wall and what that will actually get us because it won't open up the kitchen fully. Also, something to keep in mind is that I really like the look of the brick in the dining room and kitchen and it adds something aesthetically. I like the brick but would love to take some of it away opening the kitchen a bit but still leave some of the brick. Not sure if it can be done or if it can be done if it would look off/weird/asymmetrical. I have trouble visualizing stuff. Anyway thanks for your help and looking forward to hearing your ideas.


Have a good Thursday girls!

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Just wanted to add the designer Jen is from Chelsea Kitchens in Oceanport and I found her through the Houzz website when I admired their designs. I thought their aesthetic matched closely to my aesthetic. Not impressed however with what they came up with so far for our kitchen. :|

http://www.houzz.com/projects/users/chelseakitchenandbath
 
Missy,
She should be listening to you and have a little more vision. If she doesn't know what to do with what you have and can only make things right her way, she is not terribly creative.
Just my 2 cents as I know practically nothing about the project and zero about her! lol

When I designed my pool room the designer wanted to do something I didn't want. He tried to influence me at first, but only briefly and then put his heart and soul into making MY vision happen. Hope this is how it works for you. It's going to be wonderful... this is the hard part. [well, this and the dust!].
 
What Jimmianne says X2. Time to talk to another designer. Anytime I've caved in to "insistence" I've always been sorry and honestly, its not HER money that will be laid out and SHE will not be living there, right? Input is one thing, considerations for your submittal, but insistence is not appropriate when discussing aesthetics with clients. A really outstanding interior designer will make both of you pleased with the outcome.
 
Hi girls!

Missy, I'm afraid I won't be too helpful with your kitchen project, I'm woefully unimaginative and I have a hard time visualizing things. Sorry you're disappointed with what the designer came up with. I agree the freezer/fridge looks out of place, but in the designer's defense I'm not sure where else they could go, it seems like there just isn't enough wall space to fit everything in. But as I said, I'm useless when it comes to this kind of thing.

The glass counter is very interesting, I had never heard of it before and I really like it.

Sorry to hear about Theo's new owner having allergy issues, fingers crossed they can be resolved.

The roof for the feeding station looks fantastic! And the plexiglass is a great idea. Please tell Greg for me that he did an amazing job.

Thinking of your POD and hoping it's clearing up for you.

Those practical jokes your friends played on you were hysterical!

Zoe thoroughly enjoyed her hugs and kisses from Aunt Missy!

Marcy, I am so sorry, my mind just doesn't seem to be working right these days…I meant to thank you for your kind offer and your comforting words, it means so much to me that you are thinking of me and are there for me. (((hugs))).

Sorry work has been such a pain this week, luckily it's Thursday lol. And yeah, haha, Marty's friends are a riot… not!

Rainwood, glad you're making out ok with no heat right now, hopefully that will be rectified soon! Again, thanks for sharing your experience - yes, I'm keeping in mind that my mother really didn't want to go on, she was just so tired and weak. She lost interest in life after she had the stroke 6 years ago, and that really intensified after the pancreatitis. It hurts my heart to think of her not wanting to live and it's hard to understand but I think she was just ready and wanted to be at peace.

Actually, the Charleston area is expected to be hit pretty hard by Hurricane Matthew this weekend or so. There is an evacuation order for the island as a matter of fact. Dh and I are nervous but there's not much we can do. We're going to be there the following weekend and hopefully everything will be ok.

Jimmianne, so glad to hear you and dd are getting along well! All is right with the world when my kids and I are getting along lol. My daughter especially - she and I had a rough time during her teenage years/early 20's and things are better now thank goodness. Too funny about her staying at the house! Yes, I guess kids have no problem making themselves at home haha. You know, it actually will be good to have someone keeping an eye on the place while you're not there.

I haven't been up to much, puttering around the house doing odds and ends but not really accomplishing anything. I did clean off 2 shelves in my closet and I keep going in there and admiring them haha.

Hope everyone is having a good day so far!
 
Hi Jimmianne, Kristie and Junie! I'm in a rush and will be back later to respond to you girls and I hope your day is going well. I just popped in to share a new plan Greg and I were figuring out today. Not sure if it will work but wanted to share it here to see what you think.

Sink and dishwasher in island. Fridge and Freezer on North wall. Range on West wall. One or two Pantries on East wall and counters. On south wall all cabinetry and countertops. This may work. Island is now 6 by 6 feet. We are planning on taking out some of the brick wall connecting dining room and kitchen making the space a bit more open. All this depends on the ability to do that.

Junie,I am praying Hurricane Matthew stays far away from all of us and that your house remains safe!

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Really quick check-in just to show you the color :)

The pictures are kind of grainy and don't show the shine that great but gives you good idea of the color I think. I did it in different lighting so you could really see.

This one is outside.

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These are from different spots/lighting in the house.

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CJ - you have very pretty hair!
 
CJ your hair looks beautiful! I love the color and the shine is to die for.

Missy, This plan looks much better than what the kitchen desigber came up with. I hope this storm stays far away from you.

Junie, Thinking of you often. I hope the storm stays far away from both your homes.
 
CJ!!! Gorgeous hair, love the color and the shine!!!!
 
Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, thank you for saying Hi to Snacks. He is watching football right now. What a life he has! I was still getting teased today about my car. One of Marty’s friends was leaving as I was coming back from lunch so he starts to turn his truck in my way. I told him he wasn’t funny and he correctly surmised that Marty would be amused. I am glad you enjoy hearing about my supper. We had BLT’s for supper. Marty buys uncured bacon and it wasn’t bad. We had some big tomatoes from my BIL’s garden which just screamed at me “BLT”. Marty even ate bread. I would rate those BLT’s as quite tasty. Marty would love the Paleo restaurant. I am glad you had a nice day with your DD. You are so right about the flimsy but expensive clothes at the mall. Good idea to have you DD and her BF come see you in France when you have your house set up the way you want it. I love the idea of them coming to see you on the weekend.

Missy, good idea to stock up on boots you like. That is like me and coats, hats and mittens. That is nice those guys and you liked to play jokes on each other. It makes work more fun. Having your picture on a milk carton is fabulous but planting a fake ticket is pretty clever. I would be all upset to wondering how on earth I got a ticket. I assume you got even with them, right? The best joke that got played on me was a friend of mine called me and said the local morning talk show on the radio was looking for me to call in because they had an astronomy question. She reassured me they asked for me by name because of teaching astronomy and being in the astronomy club. So while on air I call in and say “hi I’m the astronomy teacher Marcy and I heard you were looking for me?” Time goes by fast for sure but then it seems like just yesterday. I agree Jen should be listening to you and designing the kitchen around what you guys want. Funny thing about your new plan I was going to suggest putting the sink and dishwasher at one end so you get more counter space and have pantries. I like your new plan a lot. Our last house had a pantry and I sure miss it. I had more in that sucker than you can imagine. I just have cabinets here and they are tall so the top 1/2 are unreachable for me.

Junie, you are very welcome. I think most jobs have issues and problems so I will just keep trying to help and do my best. Marty’s friends to think they are funny but I informed them they are not funny. They do enjoy giving me a hard time. It does looks like the Charleston area is in the path of the hurricane. Is there anyone who can board up your windows tomorrow? The predicted path of that hurricane is rather unusual. It looks now like it might circle around and come back towards Florida. I chuckled at you going in and admiring your 2 shelves in your closet. It’s always a good idea to admire your work.

CJ, you have beautiful, shiny hair.

Hi Kristie and Callie. How are you ladies today?

We had a bit of rain / light snow over night but none of it stuck to the ground. My car is pretty dirty though already.

Marty’s trip to Atlanta got moved to the day he’d be driving home from a strength training seminar in Omaha. I guess he is going to fly to Atlanta from Omaha, leave his truck at the airport there, fly back to Omaha on Friday and then drive the 8 hours home. I just know that day will be the first snow storm of the season. I am already nagging at him to get a winter survival bag in his truck. He ignores me.

So today I found out I can finally order a personalized license plate with 5 letters. I could do CURBY, TBEAR, BEARS, SNOPY, STARS, SPRKL . . . Decisions, decisions.

Take care. Have a fabulous day!
Marcy
 
Missy, you already know I like the idea of taking down at least some of the brick wall, and putting the sink and dishwasher in the island (wink)! And if you aren't keen on moving the door, I think your latest layout could work. One thing you might want to look at is the sight lines from the dining room (and maybe the living room) because it looks like you might see the sink, any dirty dishes gathered around the sink, the faucet, the range, and the refrigerator and freezer. The fridge and freezer aren't such a big deal if you're going to panel them, but everything else might be what some of your guests (or you) see from the table. If you're okay with that, then that layout works.

If you'd rather not see those things when eating or entertaining (I fall into that camp and it's one of the things I don't like about my city kitchen), then you might want to consider scooting the sink and the DW to the west side of the island and have a dual-height island with the high side toward the dining room. It gives you seating and also hides dirty dishes and the range. And when either of you is working at the island, I assume you have a view toward the beach. I love that part of my island kitchen, looking out at the water as I prep the food. And if that configuration messes up the work triangle too much, I'd move the fridge & freezer to where the range is and keep the range on the same wall where it's currently located. The range is the least in your face, and the fridge/freezer can be paneled.

You also want to make sure you have at least 3 and 1/2 feet between the edge of the island and any countertop runs/appliances. A lot of experts recommend 4 feet but I did that in the island kitchen and wish it was a little narrower. I think three and a half is perfect. You don't want to do 3 feet because your fridge and freezer doors have a 3-foot swing.

I've seen glass countertops, and think they're pretty but too shiny for me because the light will bounce off those surfaces like crazy and I don't like the aesthetic of those big pools of light on the counters or the reflected glare while I'm working. They are also prone to scratching and maybe cracking if something heavy gets dropped on them. I have decorative glass stripes in my 30-year old tile counters and they were the first and only part of those counters to either chip or scratch. Don't know about fingerprints, but they'd probably show if the light hits them right. Plus, the ones I saw were crazy expensive. So they wouldn't be my first choice as I'd rather splurge on something else.

Hope all goes well with Theo. Love the feral feeding station. Greg really is both a prince among men and a great woodworker.

Marcy, love your attitude about work. Some days are just going to be like that. And it allows you to stay busy and drive a Porsche. And if you ever find yourself with not enough to do, come see me as my whole house needs a major de-cluttering and re-organization. I've made some headway, but it's more like a spoonful when it should be a backhoe. And there's the garage which has 40 years of my DH's stuff. That will take months and not the way I'd like to spend my time.

Junie, fingers crossed your beach house is okay after the hurricane. So scary. I've been in 3 hurricanes, all while traveling but only one bad one. It is really something to see mother nature at her most powerful. And scary.

Jimmianne, you're right about having to stand up for what you want with designers. You're the one who has to live there, as well as pay for it. Remember that for France! And glad you and your DD are getting along well. So nice to hear.

CJ, gorgeous and shiny hair!

I did not get my heat fixed, but I'm not surprised. The system is custom from start to finish, really, really complicated, and he didn't have enough time to figure out how it worked or what was wrong with it. So I have to wait for 2 weeks when he has more time and can bring a second person. I knew this was going to be a problem if something every happened to the man who installed it (which it apparently has as he hasn't returned my calls which is totally not like him). The man is (or was) a creative genius, the MacGyver of HVAC, and irreplaceable. He also was a one-man shop and I was worried about what I'd do if something happened to him. I tried to get him to write down the specifics of the system because I knew it would be tough to figure out, but he never did. I even dangled a few of my DH's best tools as a bribe, but he never had time because he was always in high demand. So the worst has apparently happened. I have supplemental heat in most rooms so won't freeze, but it won't be toasty, that's for sure. I just hope they can figure it out because otherwise I'm not sure what to do.

I'm off to Canada tomorrow for Thanksgiving so may not be able to check in until sometime next week. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
 
June, thinking of you this morning. I love that you cleaned shelves and now go to admire them. Do you have a lot to do?

Missy, it's nice & good that you and Greg are working on the plan. Funny that all your NIRDIs jumped in and joined the project!
Yay for boots. I love your boots, obviously you do like them too : ). Are you still in the Tunics and Tights mode for Fall and Winter? It's such a good look on you.
I saw a lot of radical, wonderful tights at the mall but advised myself that the tights I bought a year ago at Target still look like new after many wearings and washings, so I'll check Target out first. The tights I loved at Free People were $130. ouch!

Rainwood, hope you have a good trip to Canada. Sorry to hear about your HVAC - not a great time of year to have a problem. Good luck with that. I like all the input you are providing on "our" new kitchen project and learned something about nano glass. Is there any perfect solution for countertops??? They all get marred over time. I have very unglam Corian in my farmhouse kitchen and it is so scratched up with fine lines that it has developed a nice patina. You might say the older it gets the better it looks. I'm talking countertops, but it could apply to goddesses as well : )

Marcy, BLTs are the food of the gods. Yummy!
I'm so happy you had the presence of mind to get such a beautiful color for your car. I think people tend to be boringly conservative, including myself. I always liked Porsche lime green as well, but your sapphire is the best. No wonder people are teasing you - in their minds I'm sure they are bowing in reverence to the beauty. Seriously! You ever read Huxley's Heaven & Hell? Beautiful shiny & colorful things have a positive effect on our brains. I'm glad you added to the beauty of the road.
Can't wait to see what your plate says. [Mine is Joy]. I like something that has to do with bling for yours and must now stop writing and start thinking of 5 letters plate names.Good game.
 
Good morning girls!

Rainwood, ugh, I am sorry your HVAC fix was a fail. Your previous guy was amazing and I wish he had written it all down for you for just such a time. I am sorry it seems something has happened with him and that sucks too and I am sorry this is proving so challenging to fix. There has to be some other HVAC geniuses around who can figure out what he did. And I am hoping at the next visit in 2 weeks just that happens. What are your other options? Redoing the whole HVAC system? If he brings enough manpower (i.e. brainpower) at the next visit they just have to go in there see what is going on and figure it out. I mean this is their area of expertise and I am hoping that is exactly what they do during their next visit. And in the meantime I hope your supplementary heat keeps you warm enough. I don't suppose staying at the beach house is a good option if it gets colder in the city?

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions! I am going to share them with Greg and I think they are all great recommendations.

The sink placement on the west side of the island was something we were considering but not for the reason you suggested as that hadn't even occurred to me and that makes sense. I think we should go back to that idea and move the sink there.

The double fridge/freezer is a pain no matter where we put it and I am thinking that if we move it from the west wall where it is now it should look less in your face but I think no matter what it is going to be in our face being 72 inches wide. I was also thinking of separating them and placing the fridge on the west wall and freezer on the east wall thereby breaking up that block but I would want it exactly across from each other to keep it somewhat symmetrical.

EDIT: So I am discussing this with Greg and he pointed out the island and pendants are in front of the fridge/freezer combo so when you enter the front kitchen door it will break up what you see re fridge/freezer...thinking perhaps that would be OK leaving it on the north wall then but not sure. He is redrawing plans. The problem is we are trying to maximize our storage space and don't want to give up a corner because I had an idea to put in on the east wall and have the window there b/w the fridge and freezer and that way it is also out of the way when you first enter the kitchen from the front door. But that takes away valuable storage space. Just thinking aloud.

Who knew designing a kitchen would be such a royal pain in the you know what. If we had more space it would be easy peasy. Small spaces=big challenges for kitchen reno.

Reading what you wrote about the nano glass is definitely giving me paws (hahaha) to reconsider and I don't think it is a good option. I so want to find a white background granite but we have gone to 5 or 6 quarries now (it's fun looking so even though we are doing it ahead of the plans we are enjoying that part) and what I want doesn't exist in granite. I wonder how durable honed marble or leathered marble is because if it is durable I would definitely consider that as an option but I have a feeling it is only durable when compared to polished marble and not really durable in general. I also found out there are different quality quartz (not to mention quartz varies re harmful vs non harmful emissions) out there so reluctantly I might decide on quartz though I find it lacking in luster and liveliness. I am also keeping an open mind re quartzite and all the quarries we have visited have excellent reputations and test their quartzite but as of yet I haven't found quartzite that sings to me. Yeah I am demanding and want it to sing and look pretty. Things I can't do. :lol:

Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and info. I wish you could come here and design our kitchen in person. 8)

Have a great trip to Canada and visit with your family!

Callie, thank you sweetheart. With Greg and Rainwood and all you girls helping I think we will figure out the best kitchen layout.
Hope all is well by you and thinking good thoughts for your family. (((Hugs))).

Jimmianne, haha yes I like your analogy of patina to countertops and us (and don't forget our valuable platinum bling). We all get better and sweeter (and more beat up but we have more character too) with age. :halo:
Yes I am wearing my OTK boots and tunic dresses again and enjoying it.
I love your 3 letter license plate. What a wonderful sentiment and what meaning we all know it has for you. :love:

Marcy, Grrr I dont find your coworker blocking your car funny at all. And yes don't worry I got back at Julius and Mark many many times. We enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other quite often on those Saturdays when we all worked together. Gosh we were so young and carefree. I sort of miss those days though I had not yet met Greg. It was an entirely different life if you kwim. Julius lives in the South now and Mark married my sister. Oh well life moves forward no matter what we do and time never stands still. I cannot believe how much time has gone by and how fast it is all going. Speaking of which YAY it's Friday and the weekend is upon us and you have 2 full days of NO work! Enjoy your beautiful new car and enjoy being away from your job for a couple of days!

Sorry Marty's business trip to Atlanta got moved up and I'm with you. He should get a winter survival kit in the car. Winter means business where you guys are and I would have a healthy respect for winter and what it can do. Mother Nature doesn't fool around. :blackeye:

As for your license plate I like all those choices. CURBY is funny because only your friends know what that means. But I also like STARS just because you love astronomy and it is a big hobby for you and also it can mean you reach for the Stars (which you do) and also how pretty Stars are...so lots of reasons.

CJ, I love your hair color. So shiny and rich. Beautiful. I would love to see a before and after so I can see what the shiny gloss color did for your original hair color. LOVE your straight smooth pretty hair! I would love hair like yours!

Junie, honey, I am hoping that Matthew misses your beach house and I am sending good thoughts your way. (((HUGS))).
I am relieved you are here while the storm is there. Watching the news coverage brings back all the bad memories from Sandy and I have this pit in my stomach just hearing about the horrors of this storm. Keeping everyone in the affected areas in my thoughts. Thank you for hugging and kissing Zoe for me and please do it again. I cannot get enough of her. :love:


We enjoyed a long bike ride yesterday and finally the weather cooperated. It was a beautiful day. Hoping to have another good ride today. On the bike I feel free and happy and when the weather cooperates it really is heaven on earth. (Despite the pain I also am in being on the bike seat for 6 plus hours lol).


Have a good day girls. :wavey:
 
OK Just another 2 quick thoughts...

Option 2: Breaking up the fridge and freezer which is out of way when you come in from outside and gives me the entire length of island as work space. The prep/work space makes sense here for Greg so not giving that up either. Form and function is what I am looking for as best a compromise as possible because no matter what there will be a compromise b.w the 2.


Option 3: Then there's the option of placing the sink, dishwasher and range not in island giving me the entire length and width of the island to work while still allowing Greg a space that makes sense for him while cooking and prepping (and baking!)...

Which of these 3 options (or another one altogether) makes the best marriage b.w function and form?

kitchenoption2.jpg

kitchenoption3.jpg
 
this is totally off the top of my head as I am on my way out the door, but in the first you have a nice "work triangle" but I would put the sink in the middle of one side of the island

it might be fun to mark out the arrangement on the floor with painters' tape and pretend to prepare a meal to see how it works for both of you.
Also - what about having Two places - his & hers prep areas, each with cupboards & sink. Greg's could be a cute bar sink and use as a bar for entertaining, but nice for him to have his personal "baker's" area.

more later - off to buy food before the storm rush - although we should not have problems here, people tend to clear the shelves.
 
Wow, these are all great plans missy, I really like the first one, my only thought is you guys might be bumping into each other if one person is using the sink and the other wants to get into the fridge, but maybe that really wouldn't be a problem, I don't know.

I'm leaning towards plan 3, I think I like the sink/dishwasher off to the side.
 
Hi NIRDIs!

Rainwood, have a nice time in Canada and enjoy your Thanksgiving up there. You nailed it on work; today was busy with assorted unexpected tasks handed to us and a few problems but when I got in my Porsche to drive home it really didn’t matter anymore. I should come help you clean out and declutter - it sounds way more fun than working on our clutter. It is amazing how much one can accumulate over the years. Going through your DH’s stuff would be sad but kind of fun at the same time. I know when we were cleaning out my parents stuff we found many cool things that brought back so many memories. When it became apparent my mom wasn’t ever coming home my dad started cleaning out her stuff and hauling things away. I think it gave him something to do. When she passed away he was relentless at getting rid of most of her stuff - like clothes, purses, her sewing stuff, craft stuff and based on how much we hauled out of their house we were glad he had done some cleaning out already. Oh no that our heat isn’t fixed yet. It sounds like that guy will get it figured out though.

Jimmianne, good idea to not bring home $130 tights. I mean they are tights. BLTs are definitely a special treat. I like a nice colored car. The lime green cars including Porsche do look great. I like yellow, red and blue cars. Marty says white and silver remind him of rental cars. I have not read Heaven and Hell - it sounds like a good book. I like Joy for your plate. That is awesome. I agree 5 letters to do with bling sounds appropriate. Definitely let me know what you come up with.

Missy, those young and carefree days were fun but I am glad I’m not there anymore either. My life is way better and more stable now. That is cool Mark married your sister. Time does fly by for sure. I agree people here need that winter survival kit. Marty thinks he is young(er) and invincible. I have seen blizzards move in to the forecast the day before; maybe I’ll just pack that kit for him. Ha! I like STARS too for my plate. I’m hoping to make CURBY a joke from my past. I like plan 3 as well.

Today is Marty’s birthday. To him it’s Friday. I got him this plaque that is painted with a Flesh Wound game. He loves it. He also bought his strength training seminar next weekend.

We had grilled burgers and potatoes for supper then went to the mall. I needed some more cleanser and wanted to look at purses and Marty got his protein shake. Darn! That stuff is expensive and he forgot his $20 off coupon I handed him before we left the house. I did not buy a purse. I was looking for something without a lot of metal on the outside - in addition to being a CURBY I tend to hit the car with the metal clasps and straps on my purse.

I spent my evening on the phone being a good sister and visiting with my sisters. One of them can talk your ear off for 2 hours. I swear you could tell her the house was burning down and she’d keep talking. I am going to go visit her though the Saturday Marty is gone.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Take care.
Marcy

screen_shot_2016-10-07_at_9.png
 
Marcy, I like STARS too. Even the word sounds blingy and it ties in with astronomy. The only thing I could come up with is BIJOU. I like STARS better! Have you thought of any other names?
I think we may have the same sister!

I am up at 2:30 because I woke and felt compelled to check DD's flight status. Flight was on time. 8am there and she still has a 4 hour train ride from Paris to Dijon, but she's on the ground. :appl: It is always nerve wracking when she travels. When I got to her house she had not packed yet, so we were behind schedule, then traffic was stop&go on the freeway and when we finally got to the airport she decided she didn't want to go. :errrr: After I dropped her off I went home and very uncharacteristically had a bottle of apple ale :dance:

Lots of rain here, but gentle.
 
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