Now I really did it :((

[Calliecake]

Re: Now I reall

Missy, Just checking into to make sure things are well with your MIL this afternoon. Is she doing well? How was your day today?

Sharon, I'm so sorry. It is very unsettling to know someone was in your home. Do you have a security system or a dog? You, your husband and your son are okay, correct? That really is the important thing. How are you doing emotionally? I'm sure you were very shaken by this. Please know it takes time to adjust and feel safe again when you are dealing with something so upsetting. it's a pain in the neck to deal with replacing a car and things but at the end of the day, they are things, My husband always says if you, our dog and I are okay everything else can be fixed. Please know if you need to talk I am here for you. I am so sorry. Honey you did have a very hard year.

Rainwood, Great to see you back here. Well I can see someone has been having fun. It sounds like you had a great experience. You will have to teach Missy and I how to cook... or maybe not. I've lived in my house a long time and the packaging is still in the oven. It has never been turned on.

Scandi, My first thought was the same as Jaaron's in the floor would be so hard and slippery with children and dogs. I love hardwood floors but you are correct, they can get damaged easily with larger dogs. I have no idea what I would choose. Probably the lighter color. It has been my experience that darker floors show more and tend to look dirty quicker than lighter ones.

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone -

Missy, I'm glad your mil is home and I hope she's feeling better very soon. Tuey's diamond is amazing and I hope an appraiser can supply an answer as to a good asking price. You hair is lovely no matter how you style it but it sounds like keeping it curly is the way to go. Such a sweet picture of you and Greg. I love your Valentine's Day poem.

Marcy, I agree a round stone will give you more sparkle. I guess it comes down to what you'll be satisfied with in terms of cut quality. I would think a GIA excellent would be fine, especially if it fell with the recommended measurements but it comes down to what you'd be comfortable with. It might be fun to just check out some diamonds in Denver to see if anything appeals to you. It's nice Marty wants to treat you to a day out. I hope he's on the mend and feeling better. I love all of your Valentine's Day presents and your new bear is adorable. I'm glad you got a more reasonable quote for the earrings and I can't wait to see them.

Scandi, the pics of your furbaby running in the snow are so cute. I really like the green marble, I think it would look so pretty against the white walls and I love the color green. I will check out your Mrs. Fisher recommendation, I love Agatha Christie and the show sounds like it's along those lines.

Jaaron, what a frightening experience, I am really sorry you and dh had to go through such a disturbing thing and I'm so glad it wasn't more serious. Big hugs to you.

Poodles4me, Foyles War sounds like something I would like. I will definitely give it a try.

Sharon, I am so distressed to hear about your burglary, it pains me that you experienced such a traumatic event and I am just so very sorry. I'm glad nobody was hurt. I can see how it will take time to recover from the whole episode and I'm sending lots of hugs and comfort to you.

Calliecake, I hope you're healing well and feeling better.

Rainwood, your trip sounds like it was a lot of fun, I'm glad you had a great time.

Things are ok with me, although I guess I've been feeling a bit down and stressed lately. I went to my mother's house this week and my brother and I made a little progress but it is very overwhelming. My mother wasn't exactly a hoarder but she lived in the house for many years and there is just so.much.stuff. And the furnace isn't working. A realtor is coming tomorrow to give a price opinion so I'll be heading up again tomorrow. There are a few other things going on too, so honestly right now life just sort of sucks. Sorry to be such a downer. I'll snap out of this funk, just having a couple of bad days. Thanks for letting me vent a bit!

Hope everyone has a good Thursday!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Rainwood, welcome to the CIA! I bet your culinary boot camp was a blast.

Scandi, I like light floors. They look cleaner. We have tile floors in our entry ways and they aren’t slick. I was kind of worried about that but they are fine.

Missy, I am glad your MIL is home. Sending her more PS dust to continue improving. That is too bad about your friend who became a chef then had damage to her hands. That is very nice of her taking care of her ex who needs help. Thanks for the compliments about our wall art. Those are titled “honey, I can’t believe my eyes” and “honey, I can’t believe my ears”.

Jaaron, I totally get what you are saying about granite and marble countertops. I swear I am scrubbing on our countertop all the time.

Callie, how are you doing? Has your swelling gone done? I hope your pain is becoming more tolerable.

I am quite bummed out about my sapphires earrings. My jeweler called and started the conversation with “I’ve got really bad news” so I was sure one of them broke when he was trying to mount them. But he said it changed colors when he got heat on it when mounting the first stone. I told him to stop and not do any more work on them. He was very nice about it. He said I won’t owe him anything but I think I’ll give him a few $20’s for his trouble.

We had our Valentine’s supper tonight but the little tenderized steaks I picked out for beef parmesan weren’t very good. They tasted okay but were very tough.

I guess we are going to look at a small business office tomorrow that rents for $375 a month including utilities. That train is coming I may as well get onboard. I told Marty he needs to check on theft and liability insurance and become more frugal at spending money. Funny thing is it sounds like a lot of projects may be coming his way at work. Times, they are a changing. As I heard my mother’s voice say in my head a few weeks ago – what the heck are you doing Marcy? Quit feeling sorry for yourself and get on with your life.

I was up late last night watching WF and CBI diamond videos mostly looking at HIJ colored diamonds to see if I think they are white enough. I think I like the thrill of the hunt more than having new jewelry.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

June, we were posting at the same time. Hugs to you. Taking care of your mom’s house is a huge and overwhelming task. I found it helped me to work on little pieces and parts of what needed to be done. I hope things go well with the realtor tomorrow. The guy we used was very helpful to us. I hope things look up for you soon.

I do think going with a RB is the best option for my pendant. I might still go look at diamonds this weekend.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!

I so appreciate all your feedback and thoughts re flooring!! It is always good to think through everything and all arguments before deciding, no matter which decision you make

Jaaron, that French floor sounds really nice!

Missy, hope you had fun at work! How is your MIL?

Marcy, oh no to the earrings !!! Bummer! Renting an office might be nice, is if for regular work or for a personal trainer kind of job? Always good to stay positive, and you should have an extra cookie or ten for being so supportive!

June, my only trick for horrible tasks is to go into "combat mode", lol. Put on exercise clothes, put my hair up, and tons of really loud exercise music Might not work for normal people who probably prefer more of a zen environment for such tasks..

I'm apparently obsessed with floors, so here is a few more pictures! Appreciate if you scream out if you see anyone you think might be nice

 

[Scandinavian]

French farmhouse


Tiles


Hallway, travertine tiles

 

[Scandinavian]

Travertin

 

[Scandinavian]

More marble - green and black combination



English farmhouse

 

[Scandinavian]

Black granite that will not stain. (It has such high density and is so dark that the producers guarantee for it)

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, it's challenging and unpleasant and I am sorry you have to go through this. Sending you strength, good vibes and lots of hugs. You will get through it successfully I promise but in the meantime it is a pain in the neck. Hang in there and one day at a time!!! We are here for you no matter the time of day online and off. Lean on us and vent away...(((HUGS))).

Callie, it was a super busy but good day at work. Everyone showed woohoo and the day went super fast. And my MIL is doing great! I spoke to her for a long time when I got home and she sounds wonderful! Hope your day went well too.

Marcy, oh no! That sucks about the sapphires and one of them changing colors. What are you thinking you will do with them? Oy. I am sorry. I hope Marty is feeling better. Exciting news about possibly finding office space for him. It is understandable you are a bit worried and stressed and don't be so hard on yourself. It will all work out but in the meantime it is stressful. Sending you lots of positive energy and good luck vibes! And of course (((HUGS))).

Scandi, one thing I forgot to say yesterday besides beware of the hardness of the flooring (which believe me when you are in your 50s you will totally appreciate what I am saying lol) but also beware of the grout. I absolutely detest grout and hate all tiles because of the grout. I find grout ugly and unattractive and just yucky especially with time. OK I am no help whatsoever lol sorry. But if you are going with a hard surface floor my first choice would be a lovely white pattern floor. And I also loathe beige so cannot in good conscience recommend the Alaskan white granite choice as I have seen it in person and it is super beigey. At least the samples we looked at. Good luck and looking forward to hearing other thoughts from the NIRDIs. I know when Rainwood chimes in she will have lots of excellent advice re choices for you.

Love the last choice you just posted. The black granite. Pretty! And please ignore my ranting about grout and beige. Many people love both but I just don't happen to be one of them and that is OK. Viva la difference and it is for your home not mine. I have to remind myself of that and not be so passionate. Beige can be a lovely choice if you like it. Versatile, goes with everything and hides dirt!

We finished Fleabag from Amazon Prime last night. We LOVED it!!!! I hope the series is coming back next year. It is excellent and I wish there were more than 6 half hour episodes but OMG they were so enjoyable those 6 episodes. Smart, poignant and funny and sad and heartbreaking. And funny. Really highly recommend and Greg does too. !!!!

Yesterday was a good work day and also great news re my MIL who is doing very well. Thanks again for all your good thoughts for her.
Off to work today. Gotta earn money for bling!!! JK! Sort of...

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning Missy

 

[missy]

Good morning Missy

Good morning Scandi! Edited above post to include your last choice!
Is that black pearl granite? We have that in a few of our bathroom for the counters and it is lovely.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning Missy

Good morning Scandi! Edited above post to include your last choice!
Is that black pearl granite? We have that in a few of our bathroom for the counters and it is lovely.

Missy, I like your strong opinions!! Better yours now than later my own! If you know what I mean! I like a good "argument" inside myself, because then I'll be sure that I'll stand up for my choice also after it has been purchased

It is a Norwegian pearl granite, http://lundhs.no/nb/products/ They have the original blue pearl, but also black and blue versions. We have the black polished one in our cabin on the bathroom floors. It is very pretty! I hate grout too, no worries. I helps if it is the same colour as the tiles, so I don’t really see it, lol. But we really need a floor that is made from some kind of stone. And the construction is already made, only tiles missing, so no turning back now

 

[Calliecake]

Scandi, i love the lighter tile rooms that you posted the pictures of. For years I wanted darker stained hardwood floors. We had all the hardwood floors stained darker a couple years ago. Honestly it was a big mistake on my part. Dust shows up immediately after cleaning the floor and I am a neat freak about my home. I wish I had left the floors the light color that hid EVERYTHING. Lighter floors also make the room look larger in my opinion. Missy was correct about noticing the floor being hard on your joints once you hit fifty. I noticed it the first week and after that everything went back to normal for me....my husband on the other hand says at least once a week that he wishes we had carpet in the master bedroom. I also always go with neutral colors for permanent things in a home and just add the color with artwork, furniture, pillows. That of course is just my preference. I used to love decorating and now I'm so afraid of making a mistake. The staining the floor darker woke me up to mistakes and having to live with them. If we don't end up moving in the next two years I need to redo the decorating in my house and I am not looking forward to it. Twenty years I would have been so excited by the idea. My only advice is be sure you know what you like. It's not even the money. It the whole disruption of your life. We lived in a hotel for a month when we did the floors and other things done to the house. I have no idea what we would do now that we have a dog. It kills me to not be with her for a week let alone longer. The dust for months was a whole other problem.

Marcy, I hear you about the hunt! I was certain I was going to purchase a new ring this week. Talked myself out of it as quickly as I worked myself into a frenzy that I needed it. I had a couple things I wasn't certain about and my husband made the remark to go try on the other larger rings I had that I don't wear because I feel they look too large. Five minutes later I knew it wasn't the ring for me. But yeah the hunt is almost as much fun as getting a new piece.

Junie, I'm sorry that you are feeling down. My husband felt the same way before we sold his mom's house. Just going to house he said kind of made him feel down. All the memories and the finality of it all hits you in the face. As least that was his experience. Please be kind to yourself and try to do some fun things to help you. I wish I lived near you. We could go jewelry shopping.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandi, the office would be for Marty to work out and do training there. One of the guys in an office in that building was interested. I think a few chocolate chips would help me feel better. Good idea! I like the tiles you posted. I swear that travertine noce looks very similar to our tile floor. The black granite is so pretty. Such a tough choice.

Missy, woo hoo that your MIL is feeling better and your day went fast at work.

Callie, I agree that dark flooring shows dirt way too quickly. Our living room throw rug has a dark brown background and I swear it’s clean for maybe 15 minutes after our cleaning lady leaves. The jewelry hunt is a lot of fun; sorry you have some large rings you don’t like. I think rings are hard to buy without trying them on. I can usually tell about other pieces of jewelry from a picture but not a ring. I hope you are doing well.

I met Marty this morning at the office space he found. It is pretty decent. The rent is $375 a month including utilities. It is an L shape about 300 square feet. There would be 2 spots to set up racks for lifting. They would accept a 6-month contract and offer some kind of insurance for $14 a month. He would definitely need to make sure liability is included.

After we checked out the office I stopped and picked up my sapphires. The one that changed colors is definitely lighter yellow; not washed out but certainly not the vibrant yellow it was before. I asked again if I couldn’t pay him and he said if I would pay him $100 towards the parts he’d already used he would appreciate it. Considering it was custom I didn’t think that was bad. I got an email from the sapphire vendor who claims any jeweler who knows what they are doing wouldn’t use heat on a colored gemstone. He even said “what was he doing that he used heat on the stone?” I’m no jeweler but I am pretty sure they have to heat the metal to mount things. I guess I got 2 sapphires for my gem jar and learned once again why you don’t spend more on custom jewelry than you are willing to lose.

It was gorgeous here today. Breezy and over 60. Wow what a nice day for February in Wyoming.

Marty is still really sick with a cold. He got up about midnight looking for some cold meds and couldn’t find anything. I knew right where they were but of course I was sleeping. I noticed stuff out of place in my basket under the sink so I figured that was what he was looking for; I dug them out for him tonight. Poor guy has a conference call for work at 10 pm tonight but then plans on sleeping in our guest room and hopefully sleep all night.

One more day at work this week. Woo hoo!

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Goooooooood morning ! And hello from Scandinavia

How are you doing? Today is Friday! Wohooooo! In "Scandinavian" (Norwegian, Danish and Swedish is pretty much the same) "fri" means free. So its Freeday! LOL Kind of ironic as in the "good" old days, only Sunday was a day off work (needed time off to go to church, off course).

Aaaanyways. No church for me today Tomorrow we are heading towards the mountains! Our cabin this time, which is a bit further, but we are staying for almost a week so very exited! These are "proper" mountains without any trees in sight Next Friday we are meeting some friends for the weekend at a skiing resort so a bit of driving that day... (we are meeting them on their way to their cabin, they are coming in by plane from somewhere else, and as they are going to a different area, we are driving down to meet them before they head out there)

Any exiting plans for the weekend?

I'm still fretting about the floors. But no more pictures for you today. So far. LOL. I have so many thoughts in my head at the same time! A greyish-yellow light travertine might be nice for picking up the warm colour of our windows. Then again, that might make the over all impression too warm. And we do not exactly live in the south of France... The natural light here is quite cold. I would do some sort of white marble in a flash if I was not so concerned with the walls. They are white stained, not painted (log walls, so no painting them for at least 50 years, or the lines and cracks will be awful). So I worry that if the floor is white, the walls will look less white, and kind of show the yellowness of the timber, which I really don't like. But I do love dark floors. They are a pain, but very pretty! We have a very dark wood floor in our cabin that I love. Kind of sets off all the white walls/ceiling/windows. So black honed marble or granite might do the trick. I have ordered a few samples of black pearl granite. At least that one is impossible to destroy even if you try, lol.

Callie, thank you for all your input! I love to read about other peoples mistakes instead of my own And from another thread: of course your dog is your child! I always answer that we have three children - and add that one of them has a tail... I totally agree on having a neutral colour scheme for permanent things! But sorry that you don't look forward to redecorating! That can be fun too At least if it is only the floors? Have them sanded down and stained white, perhaps? And yes, living in the building mess is horrible! We were supposed to be on vacation for most of it, but with all the delays - not so much! But then again, we are not really in the middle of it. We are still living in the old part of the house, and I have decided that we will not start renovating this part until the new part is finished and we can move in there! Will take a bit longer to finish the whole project, but perhaps I will keep my sanity...

Marcy, I'm really sorry about your sapphires. I don't know if it is the jeweller or the seller, but for one of them -> I think the office thing will be fine. Sometimes you just need to test new things, and as long as it is only a 6 month rent and all insurances are OK, the downside should be limited I guess. Cookies always help

Missy, I kind of agree with you on beige. At least if it is beige, I think it needs to be a travertine/sandstone/limestone version, because those are supposed to be beige A white granite that looks beige would just drive me nutty! (Well... nuttier... LOL) Glad your MIL is doing better!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Scandi, I agree you don't want the walls looking dirty or not quite right white...that black pearl granite might be the way to go. Indestructible sounds good. After all it is a home to getaway from it all and you sure don't want to be dealing with constant maintenance issues. I know you will figure out the best choice for you. I love our light medium rich hardwood floors in NY. They are very warm and stay looking good for long periods of time as opposed to the beach house dark hardwood where we have to constantly vacuum because dust and cat hair shows up so easily. Of course one could argue that is a good reason to maintain clean floors so if dirt shows up easily you will keep it cleaner. Many schools of thought on that one. I will add that our floors in NY are worn in the kitchen area due to lots of traffic and abuse so not as indestructible as your black pearl granite and I suspect if I wore heels it would have made many marks in our wood floors. But I don't so that wasn't an issue for us. I am leaning towards your indestructible black pearl and you cannot beat the name. Unless it was black diamond granite... Hmmm a floor made of diamonds. That is a pretty hard material.


Marcy, good news about Marty finding his new office space to rent for such a sweet deal. I hope he starts feeling much better soon. Sorry again about the sapphire changing color. Great weather you are having in Wyoming in February. Hoping it is coming our way.


Callie, I am still frustrated for you re the stitches being missed and I still think it is because you were the last patient of the day and they were rushing to finish with you. I am almost certain of it. I am sorry but that office is incredibly unprofessional and I am furious on your behalf. The way they always call you last minute to move up your last appointment of the day so they could finish early. Unacceptable. I am sorry you have to go back now. But relieved you are healing so well and looking great!


Rainwood, looking forward to hearing your culinary adventures. My good friend A shared all her crazy CIA stories with me and I cannot wait to hear your experiences. It was exciting when she was working as a sous chef at one of the best restaurants in NYC and very satisfying for her despite being the hardest job she ever had.

LLJsmom, yay! So excited about our new bling link haha. Wish I had a spare 168K. I wanted to tell you in case you weren't aware the Chef's Table season 3is on Netflix now.

Yay it's Friday girls and I hope you all have a great day!

 

[missy]

Scandi, I just remembered your request re hair photos showing my color and cut. I washed it Wednesday morning and forgot to take a photo but just took a photo now.

My thoughts. The color is fine as it covers most of the gray in a natural way matching my hair color but it is temporary and I already see grey coming through despite only having washed it once since Tuey colored it. It is a losing battle with the grey hair I fear and just wish I was more grey so it wouldn't be this mish mosh of grey and auburn.

Also, Tuey cut it too short however but I guess that's because my split ends extended that far down. So my hair is shorter than I wanted it but it looks healthier to me for now at least. The photo is not great in that they don't show it looking healthier because I haven't washed it for 2 days and it is a big bedraggled and weighed down and I will wash it today. Sharing the photo as promised for you Scandi.


Girls,could I request you share some of your hair pics too? Especially ones showing your color and cut. I am leaning towards a big change next time because sometimes you just need a change you know? Short equals sassy. Would love to see some short and sassy or long and sassy cuts...or any self hair photos you are willing to share.

 

[Scandinavian]

Diamond floor! Now *that* would be something !

Merry weekend girls

 

[Scandinavian]

Missy! Your hair is fantastic! Love the colour and especially your curls!

But here is a thought! I know how to do a big change and get rid of the grey - two birds with one stone - just cut ..... it all off! You know, army style lawnmower haircut kind of style?

Oh how lucky I am to be far away from you so you can not throw that vase at me... put the vase down Missy....

 

[missy]

Missy! Your hair is fantastic! Love the colour and especially your curls!

But here is a thought! I know how to do a big change and get rid of the grey - two birds with one stone - just cut ..... it all off! You know, army style lawnmower haircut kind of style?

Oh how lucky I am to be far away from you so you can not throw that vase at me... put the vase down Missy....

You forget, I am seeing you in just a few more months so perhaps not as safe as you thought...

Seriously I wish I could carry off short hair but my features are not good enough to handle very short hair. Oh I wish because there is nothing smarter and more sophisticated than a sassy elegant smart pixie cut on a beautiful lady yanno?

Found a photo of when I was an early teenager with a shorter do. But my face was so much fuller! Oh aging is really not for wimps!
OK found another pic of my hair short this time in my adulthood. Still so youthful compared to now! Scandi, I was probably your age (with Tom and another friend) in this last photo!

 

[Scandinavian]

OMG Missy, I think you look fantastic with "short" hair!! IMO you could totally pull of something like ms Alba!

 

[Scandinavian]

Then again, a pretty woman can do no wrong

 

[LLJsmom]

Ok I think my short term memory will last this post.

Scandi - floors? I'm a scardy cat. I would go for light beige cause it can't be that wrong. Dark is dramatic and cool and chic. Good for families without kids. . Can't wait to see what you go with. I have made my share of mistakes. Think window coverings. I always screw that up. And freaking custom black out drapes are not cheap.

June, I hope you are feeling better. I think of "the mean reds" sometimes... it's Friday now so hope you have a good weekend.

Missy, any updates on you MIL? Instagram is fun. I don't post much but love the daily bling updates. Hair! I'm actually considering some changes to color. And growing it out. I have so much gray. Missy you can totally go shorter, shoulder length. You can! You have a beautiful face.

Marcy, hope you are feeling better too. I missed why Marty is looking for a retail space. What are you going to do with the sapphires after the color change?

Darn that is all I remember. I will go back and review again.

 

[rainwood]

Hi, all! I'm just going to admit defeat and declare there is no way I can catch up with everything that's going on with everyone for the last two weeks. I'm just going to touch on what little I can remember.

Missy, so glad your MIL is doing better. It must be a relief for you and Greg. And I envy you your long or what you call short hair. I need to cut my hair because it's now past my shoulders a little and that's when it starts to drive me crazy. Plus it doesn't look good long as it's much too fine and thin to do anything other than peter out. I'm still enjoying Elle though she didn't go to California with me. I did wear her to work which was a big step for me. No one commented but then I mostly work with men who wouldn't notice unless I was wearing it through my nose and maybe not even then. I also enjoy Miss Fisher's Mysteries (just watched one last night on PBS) but I'm not surprised it is ending after 3 seasons. it does get a bit repetitive and it's very highly stylized so I'm not sure how they could go in different plot directions. But the period clothes and hair for Miss Fisher are enough reason to watch all on their own.

Junie, I understand that having to deal with your mom's house is getting you down. It's a lot of work plus it's tied up in memories and loss. First step would be to remove anything of sentimental value you want to keep or anything of great monetary value that could be easily stolen. Then talk to estate/auction people, then have a dumpster sent over and you and your brother and whoever else can throw a toss party to get rid of stuff that isn't sellable or able to be donated. There will be more of that than you think. Once you get to that point, the estate/auction people can take care of the rest (keeping only what the realtor wants to stage the house) and then repair what the realtor thinks might need fixing for the house to sell (mine says there had to be at least 5 years left on the roof for a lender to lend).

Jimmianne, glad you got a new vehicle that's just right for you. Hope all is well.

Scandi, I'll do a separate post on floors. Have a nice week in the mountains!

Callie, I started cooking when I was young and became responsible for making dinner from age 12. I have a couple of friends who don't cook. One has a husband who does, the other is single and I'm still baffled how she gets through life without cooking. But not cooking clearly works for you and you'll be able to say your stove is in mint condition when you go to sell!!

Kristie, you have lovely, thick hair. I hate you (except when I go to dry my hair and it takes 3 minutes).

Jaaron, scary about someone trying to come through the skylight. Your guard dogs don't seem to work the night shift though. Mine was very vigilant about noise, especially when she was younger. But I also know that if someone handed her a steak, she'd gladly shut up and go wolf it down someplace. And I'm with you on the floor discussion which I'll do in a separate post. And I'm a fan of Catastrophe too.

LLJ , glad you had a great time. Amsterdam is a great place, right? We went to the Rijks and Van Gogh and Anne Frank House as well, plus the food really is delicious.

Marcy, I have one stone from Whiteflash that is medium blue and two sets of studs that are Brian Gavin blues, which at least one of is strong blue. I'd be surprised if any of them would sell a stone that is a subpar performer because of fluorescence. All of mine are I's or J's.

Sharon, hi! And say hi to your PM Joe Trudeau for us. He's a lot cuter than our guy.

Speaking of which, I'm just heartsick about what is going on. Worse than I could have imagined and I would be even more upset if I had children who were going to have to live in the mess that #45 and the Repubs are going to leave for them. I'd like to see the silver lining, but I'm not sure there is one if companies have free rein to destroy the planet, it's okay to sell guns to people who are mentally ill, deny women needed healthcare through PP, and stop immigrants from coming to a country that is built on immigration. And that's just part of the disaster headed our way.

Enough about that - it's too disheartening. So here's a little more about working at the CIA. It was three days - the first day was more about techniques and we split up into four teams. Sometimes the team was responsible for making 3 dishes, the last night it was 4. It was a full-on commercial kitchen with stoves that get twice as hot as mine at home (30,000 BTU's). One thing I loved is that when you were finished with a pan or a bowl or whatever, you just took it into the dish room for the kitchen staff to wash. I'd like to have that at my house!!

Here is what we turned out the first night, which was all about cooking techniques. That's Chef Josh in the front checking out what we made:

And here's a close up of my plate with a little bit of everything on it. I can never remember to take a photo BEFORE I start eating!


I didn't get photos of the second night which was Italian. I learned to make pasta by hand and we made spinach and ricotta ravioli from scratch as well as caponata (a spread that goes on bread for bruschetta) and a cippollini onion dish. I actually made the pasta myself including putting it through one of those pasta machines!

Third night was French. I made the French onion soup:

and also made the noodles for the Coq au Vin from scratch:

It was really intense and we had to get dinner out and ready to serve by a particular time which was really tough on Italian night, but we all ended up being late that night as every team had to make fresh pasta and there was only one machine.

Weather was a torrential downpour much of the time - I learned the hard way my phone is signed up for emergency alerts when a flash flooding alert went off at 7:15 in the morning. The day after we finished, it was raining so hard we decided to go to the movies instead of sightseeing. We saw 'Hidden Figures' which is excellent. I highly recommend it. I have some other stuff to share about my trip that you might enjoy and will try to post that over the weekend.

 

[rainwood]

Scandi, I'm not sure how much help I can be, partly because I'm not sure what style and look you're going for in the rooms overall and partly because I would never, ever put in granite or marble floors, partly for the reasons Jaaron said.

One of the first things you're going to want to do is figure out what you want to be the focus in the room. I'm assuming it's the log walls so if that's true, you don't want the floors to compete with the walls for attention. Some of your choices would probably do that, more so the marbles and granites than the tiles. Second, log walls are usually casual/cabin/lodge in feel but I remember you were planning on a fairly ornate chandelier so you may be going for something more formal or eclectic. Third, how are the rooms really going to be used? And last, what are you most concerned about? You said staining, but most flooring materials, including hardwood floors, don't stain all that easily. And the things that do stain will probably also stain any of the materials you're looking at - pet urine, red wine, etc.

That said, marble or granite floors have a specific look in the US and you usually see them in a hotel lobby, museums, vintage looking bathrooms or McMansions that are trying to look like a palace (you probably won't get this reference but they look very Real Housewives of NJ, particularly Teresa's house). They are formal and cold in appearance and I'm not sure that's the look you're going for. As you said, polished is too slippery (and I think too shiny) and takes a TON of maintenance when used for a floor. The housecleaning people would need a special polisher. If you hone the floors, they will still be slippery if they're honed granite like my counters at the island house and will be really slippery if they get wet from shoes or paws. Your fur baby is not going to have good traction on those floors and will dig in her nails to try to steady herself. It won't be safe for her ever unless you put down rugs where she usually goes.

And every granite supplier/fabricator I've ever talked to said honed surfaces take more maintenance than polished and if my island counters are any indication, that is true. They show every water ring which does ultimately dry, but takes a few hours and they will also show oil spots until you clean them really well. They also can and do scratch. And my granite is sealed and quite hard and dense. That's just the nature of the material so I wouldn't count on them being indestructible. And if you go with a black granite or marble, it will show every speck of dirt and you'll have shoe prints and paw prints immediately as well as dust. Dogs can even leave paw prints just because they're sweating through their paws. So you'll be yelling at everyone to be careful if you use granite. Marble would be even worse. Travertine isn't marble but is softer than granite. Travertine floor tiles were popular here for quite awhile but that trend seems to be over and lots of them end up looking pretty beat up because they are rougher in appearance to begin with so hard to clean and more prone to staining and scratching.

If you want something low maintenance, you should go with porcelain tile, not natural stone. Use larger tiles and thinner grout lines, seal the grout (you'd have to seal the granite so there'd be less sealing with tiles and grout), and don't worry about it. I'm not sure why people are so down on grout. I've had terrazzo tiles with thick grout lines in my entryway for 30 years and they look just as good as the day they were put in. And put in something dirt colored if you want low maintenance. If you decided to go with natural stone, I'd go with this tile you posted, maybe slightly thinner grout lines but not much because those are big tiles:


That is beautiful stone and would be a lovely look in you house, but my guess is that is sandstone or limestone which is really soft. Better traction for your fur baby, but more prone to staining.

If it were my house, I'd go with hardwood floors, no question about it. Maybe in a herringbone pattern if it wasn't too busy with the log walls. I'd also pick one of the harder woods like maple in a neutral sort of stain that goes with those gorgeous walls and put rugs that can be cleaned where there is likely to be heavy foot traffic. You'd probably have to do that anyway if you went with granite because it's so slippery. And realize there are going to be scratches which just shows the house is lived in by those you love. Anything that would stain a hardwood floor is going to stain a granite floor too regardless of what the people tell you about being indestructible. I've spilled tons of stuff on my hardwood floors and never had anything leave a stain if it was wiped up within a reasonable time. And I wouldn't worry about going too warm in color on the inside. I live far north too when it can be gray much of the time and people here are usually more comfortable if the interior has warm rather than cool tones. And whatever you do, don't do white floors unless you plan to have a cleaning service on standby at all times. Total nightmare with kids and pets.

 

[azstonie]

Scandi, re floors. Furbaby. Every joint she has is going to scream on tile, marble or granite floors. She will never have traction so she will constantly slip and fall, and have what Maggie's orthopedic surgeon calls micro tears and breaks in her knees, wrists, shoulders, etc. This leads to terrible circumstances. I live in Arizona, and you'd think most homes would have tile floors. People get them and then have them removed due to musculoskeletal pain from the toll it takes on your body.

Anything you drop will itself break and also damage the flooring.

Anyone who falls on it is going to get hurt.

Its terribly loud acoustically too.

I'm with rainwood also in that I feel like institutions have marble and granite floors, not private homes.

My house started with a mix of tile and carpet. Then we got Finn, who is allergic to wool, so carpet had to go. I was having back pain (first time ever) from the tile, and Finn was falling on it, so it had to go. Back pain gone. First was pergo. Liked it. Put non-wool rugs down for Finn. Then we got luxury vinyl planks and the angels sang. Perfect for my house/dogs.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandi, have fun at your mountain cabin. Sounds like a blast. Diamond floors would be fabulous.

Missy, I think you’d look great in shorter hair. It always grows back if you don’t like it. Your hair is beautiful and I like that is curly. How is your MIL doing?

LLJsmom, freaking blackout curtains are not cheap but worth every darned penny. Marty is looking for a retail space to move his weights and start training. I believe my sapphires are going in my gem jar. My $240 mistake.

Rainwood, your blue diamonds sound fabulous. Do you have a UV light? I sure enjoy using mine. I told it to the mall with me the other day when I was looking at diamonds. I agree WF and BGD sell excellent diamonds. I almost pulled the trigger on a BGD medium blue but decided to go with a CBI diamond. The CIA kitchen and your food looks delicious.

Kristie, glad you found the floors that don’t hurt you or your furbabies. Thanks for the reminder about how some fluorescent stones look. I absolutely love the fact diamonds and gems can change color like that but I will keep those for RHR rings. I have 2 medium blue diamonds; both ½ carat – one RB and one heart shaped and they always had an off look in the sun. Both of them are pretty but I never could put my finger on it until I got my UV light. Of course neither of them are certified; just out of the case jewelry from a mall jewelry store. My medium blue EC is very sharp and clear though which is what helped me make my decision.

WF and BGD have fabulous diamonds but I keep reading on here that CBI have a crispness or sharpness you don’t see in other diamonds so I decided to buy one of them. I wish I could afford a carat diamond but I can’t so I want that ¾ carat to be the best diamond I can find. They are bringing in a f .76 si1 and a .81 i VS diamond for me to see through video next week. I will probably go with the F just because I do like colorless diamonds but I am worried about the feathers in it. They have a G and H in the 3/4 carat range too but the I gives me a slightly larger size if I go with it. I kind of like this setting but have not ruled out a basic basket 4 prong setting with rabbit ears.

The 2 diamonds:
http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/f/HPD8346/?shop=yes
http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/i/HPD8437/?shop=yes

Have a fabulous weekend.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Presidents weekend and happy Saturday! It is a beautiful weather weekend here and I feel Spring in the air! The days are getting longer and the promise of milder weather that is kinder to everyone including the fur babies is on the way woohoo!


Scandi, thank you for the hair pics. I love them all and especially love Julia Roberts short do in that pic. But she would look good bald. I think you received a 100% vote for hardwood floors. Of course you will make the right decision for you and just use the info everyone shared to get to that decision. Please keep us updated and have a great weekend at your mountain retreat!

Rainwood, glad you are enjoying Elle and yes no need to feel self conscious about her. Most people (not just men) don't really notice these things. Your CIA course photos are wonderful and it was an intense experience. Glad you enjoyed it. I am like your friends who never cooked. We survive and while Greg does all the cooking remember I was single till my early 30s and never ever cooked. LOL I am thinking back to what I did and basically went out for meals (I was dating and never at a lack for food that is for sure). In fact, and I know I have shared this story before I never even unwrapped my oven or knew I had a dishwasher in my first adult apartment after I graduated from school and dorm life. Hahaha true story!

Marcy, how is Marty feeling today? Thank you for the compliments on the hair. I do like how super easy it is to care for and that I can wash and go. Something I share in common with Rainwood because our hair is so fine/thin. Easy air drying. Gotta look at the bright side. I like your pendant choice. Very sweet and pretty.


LLJSom, thanks for the compliment and so do you! What are you thinking about doing to your hair color? I love your color and thought your gray was unobtrusive (that is also what I keep telling myself as the color lasts 3 weeks max on me and as I wrote before it is already going and the gray is back). Losing battle re the grey and I am just accepting of it as best I can as I refuse to be a slave to my hair. Not worth it for me. Low maintenance please. Short hair is smart and sassy but not as low maintenance for the curly haired girls. I bet you would look great with shorter hair btw. So what are you thinking re the hair? Growing it even longer? Or cutting it? And as far as color if you have never colored it try temporary color first and see what you think. Good luck and see you on instagram.

MIL is doing very well and thank you all for your inquiries about her. She had her eye injection this past Thursday. Getting older is challenging but again I prefer it to the alternative but sometimes you just gotta take each day as it comes and keep a good attitude because it isn't always easy. But it is always worth it. My wisdom for the day.


Greg is on the way to the beach house to refill the feral feeders and go to Costco afterwards. We were thinking of spending the weekend there but it will be cooler at the shore and too cool for cycling this weekend so I decided it would be more fun to enjoy urban adventures this weekend. Love the long holiday weekends and spending time with my sweetie. Hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXO.


OMG I almost forgot to share this tidbit. Greg thinks if we want (and I do I do!) we can hold on to both homes till our 80s (g-d willing we remain healthy and able till then!) and then sell the beach home to pay for medical costs and care and just keep our Brooklyn home at that point. Very excited at this possibility and hoping it can go this way!!! Fingers crossed!

 

[missy]

Aaaand may I present Rigatoni! Our friend just adopted this sweet sweet baby and I am officially IN LOVE.