Now I really did it :((

[junebug17]

Missy, we were posting at the same time lol - Love the pics from yesterday, the food looks sooo delicious! Especially that apple pie. Now I’m hungry! So thoughtful that your guests remembered things you like and brought them for you. Everyone looks great. The view of the water is so pretty. Very glad you had a good time. Thanks so much for sharing the pics with us, it’s fun to be a part of your day. Sorry the blisters are still giving you trouble and I hope they are on their way to clearing up.

Austina, that is a very lovely bracelet and a great way to dress up a Fitbit. Hmm, maybe I would wear mine if I had one lol. Love the pic of Harry, he was a beautiful boy.

 

[Austina]

Thanks @junebug it's definitely a bit dressier than the silicone band. Sorry there's another delay with the closing

Wow @missy the food looks absolutely delicious, how sweet is Greg to bake individual pies for your guests to take home

 

[LLJsmom]

@Austina That fitbit bangle is so cool and clever!!

I went to see Grace when she was in Hillsborough and I wanted share some pics.

 

[LLJsmom]

Finally I am posting some pics from NYC JAWS. I’ve been eyeing emeralds but am just too completely ignorant about colored stones to know how to what to buy. I just know what I think is pretty.



This is an I OEC. Unfortunately the faceting pattern isn’t as pretty as MK.

 

[Calliecake]

@LLJsmom that second emerald looked like perfection on your beautiful hand!!! MK is a keeper!!

Missy, Greg's dinner looks delucious. Was the corn salad hard to make? So nice to see everyone had a wonderful time.

Austina, Harry was a beautiful boy. My furbaby also wasn't happy about the time change. She kept coming up to me this morning as if to say, "Where is my food mom"?

Junie, I'm glad you didn't change your vacation plans. I hope you have a wonderful time away. You deserve it!

Jimmianne, You are a true Pricescoper. That Fitbit must look good with a tennis bracelet!!!

Scandi, Your new ring is so pretty and special. It is wonderful that your mom kept it and handed it down to you. My moms great aunt had a beautiful ring that I loved as a child. She wore that ring every day and loved it. It was left to my mom's aunt who sold it the week she received it. I was 10 when this happened and it made me mad as a child that she sold my great aunt's most prized possession.

 

[MarionC]

Austina, That Fitbit bangle is entirely cool!
Harry was a beautiful boy and that’s a great photo of him - very noble

LLJs WOW that’s an eyeful you posted. All gorgeous...makes the fever worse in a good way.


I had such a good day...bought some big & tall planters and planted trees in them to flank the walkway from the parking area to my front door.
Then starting teaching my mini horse,
Moe, to drive. Haha I know what you’re thinking. I am NOT buying him a car! But I am looking at dog carts for him to pull (he is only 30-something inches high at the shoulder )

Good night to you all and “see”you tomorrow!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandi, beautiful ring and how special it is as a family heirloom. I have no idea what happened to either of my grandmother’s jewelry but I took my mom’s original wedding ring and I thought I got my dad’s original band but later I figured out that band was my mom’s. My mom had a ton of costume jewelry which we gave away and I bet she had some good stuff in there but nothing caught my eye. She also had 30 plus Reed and Barton Christmas crosses. One of my sisters took them all and I bet they went on Craig’s list or Ebay. She wanted things and money not sentimental pieces.

Jimmianne, that is awesome you remember your snowy walks to school or church. I remember crunching through snow in those snow boots with fur lining. That’s great you are finding the fitbit more useful and less distracting. I honestly did not like the weight of the Apple watch the day or two I wore one. My 4 carat bracelet is noticeable on my wrist too. When I wear lighter bracelets now I keep thinking they fell off. Marty was telling me today he keeps thinking he lost his wedding ring; he is wearing his old band since that new thick band we got him is too tight right now.

Missy, I saw Greg’s pie on IG. I can smell it from here. I am sure it’s delicious. I am sure it will take me a few days to adjust to standard time again. I won’t miss the sun in my eye driving to work or coming home but I won’t be excited to getting off work in the dark. I am sorry your sinuses are talking to you; I am glad the pills help. Ouch that one of your blisters popped. I hope it won’t get infected either. When I was a kid I’d get blisters from new shoes and my aunt (a nurse) told me to get my finger covered with wet soap and rub it on the blister; the soap would dry out the blisters so they wouldn’t pop. It did work. All of your photos are fabulous. Dinner looks delicious and the picture of you and Greg is so cute. Your pretty necklace really shows up too.

Junebug, I would be quite nervous about alligators too. We get bobcats but like there they don’t bother people. My astronomy club used to do star parties south of town and you could always hear coyotes howling. One of the guys we from Georgia and they freaked him out big time. They usually stay away from people too. Getting a new setting is fun and not nearly as pricey as a new piece of jewelry. All those rings and pendants my sister has been making from her sapphires are either Stuller’s or custom by the jeweler. I agree - go on your vacation and have a wonderful time.

Marty had 8 guys playing poker last night. I went to bed by 11 and I have no idea what time they all left. They sounded like they were having fun. I went down after Marty left for the airport and the man cave wasn’t too bad. I found 2 glasses that didn’t get washed or brought upstairs. There was a coffee stain in the sink but the thing that made me really glad I checked it out was I found the back door unlocked. I heard someone going in and out last night (probably one of them smoked) and they only partly locked the basement door. It needed vacuumed in a few spots but honestly not too bad.

I washed up my new flannel sheets today and will use them this week. If they are too hot for me I’ll get our cotton sheets put back on the bed before Marty gets home Friday. We could get 8 to 10 inches of snow tomorrow night. Oh no!

We made tacos for lunch and I made extra ground sirloin so I can have leftover tacos for lunch this week and will also make myself some mini pizzas for the freezer.

I was watching some Magnum P.I. episodes today and there was one with Frank Sinatra in it. I was rather surprised he would appear in a TV show.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Callie, we were posting at the same time. I hate to hear your mom's aunt sold that ring especially if it meant so much to your mom's great aunt. Those are the special things you remember.

Jimmianne, fabulous picture of Moe. Have fun teaching him to drive.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!

I love the NIRDI newspaper! A perfect company for lunch

PT session this morning, so again, typing on the computer is kid of hard work, LOL, I have moved the key board further in on the table so that I can rest my arms comfortably whilst typing…. No holding or angling arms or hands here, please LOL. Should be fun tomorrow…. Actually, I’m doing another session tomorrow, because I have to work from home for a week. My mother is leaving us all and going on a holiday – SHOCK – how can she do this???? LOL LOL LOL And puppy is too small for staying at home alone – at least he is too small for not wrecking the house if I leave him alone… so I’ll work from home for a few days. In other words – short story long – 2 PT sessions in a row before she ditches us.

@missy, that food looks divine! I would easily swap our Michelin star Saturday night dinner this weekend for Greg’s cooking. At least I would not leave hungry, LOL. The food was really good, but I like to *eat* food, not just taste it, if you know what I mean. And whilst most people are really nice, some are snobs. Without having any reason to be… Like wine snobs who don’t really know that much about wine. Not sure if they are boring, annoying or amusing. But it is always like that, isn’t it. Anyone who might have a reason to be “above it all” never are. That is the only problem with formal dinners, I think. Table cards. LOL

DH chose the purple dress. It looked nice, I think. A little open but a nice cashmere wrap solved that just fine for the museum and reception, and I just took it off for dinner because it was so hot there. The entertainment was quite good, they had hired in the soprano from the National Opera. And the cakes looked fantastic, but I couldn’t try them because I can’t eat any gluten. Sigh. LOL.

@Jimmianne, oh I do hope you find just the right cart, I think teaching him to drive will be so much fun! I love horses Something so unicorn’ish about them! Little angels on earth That man telling you that you are too short still makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it!

@marcy, really not too bad of the guys I think, but I would be a little upset about the door not being locked. And I live in the country side, LOL. Have you got any snow yet? Pictures please? I love snow Always looks so nice and pretty and clean!

@Austina, that wrap for the Fitbit thing is so clever!! Looks really nice!! I always hate how the sports tech look, LOL. Are you doing Pilates this week? Please tell me that you are and that you are really sore or something, so I feel better about myself and my own dismal physique! The PT is not giving up on me, so he is still trying to train me to do pull-ups. I don’t think he knows how heavy that is!!! LOL. I did do 5 complete sit-ups hanging upside down today though. A little proud of that actually… hahaha. Silly blonde girl!

@junebug17, good weekend? Do tell! And is your brother settling down in his new home?

@PierreBear, how did it go???? Please talk us through it!!!!

@LLJsmom, OMG BLING BLING BLING! Keep’em coming!

Gotta go! People want me to work. So strange! Tomorrow is a non-fun day, have to go to a meeting in a “boys club” committee/seminar that I don’t belong to, because a colleague of mine can’t go so he asked me to take his seat. And I didn’t have the guts to say no, probably because it will be good for me to make some new contacts, but still. I really dread it. And I should probably prepare, the topic is international development in my field of work. Yikes.

Hugs to all!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie what have you decided to do re the trip vs the closing? Did you reschedule the closing? I am looking forward to having you and your dh come to the beach one day so we can take care of you and you can enjoy the serenity here. You deserve a break and to just relax and enjoy. Hope your trip to your beach house provides just the respite while you are going through the final stages of closing on your mom's house.

Austina I LOVE that photo of Harry. What a beautiful boy and looked to be so content and happy in the snow. Happy Guy Fawkes Day yesterday but boo to fireworks and scaring any fur babies. I like that Tory Burch bangle. Very smart.

LLJsmom great photos. So much beautiful bling. I want them all.

Jimmianne I LOVE sweet Moe. Enjoy the driving lessons. LOL. And yes you are PSer through and through. Diamonds and the fit bit. A winning healthy blingy combo.

Callie I have no idea. All I know is he was cooking up a storm. And we are still enjoying leftovers. Always a benefit of entertaining IMO. Make extras for the guests and still have some leftovers for us. Win win. Hope the week goes fast for you sweetie.

Marcy oh no and boo to the guest who left your back door open. That is dangerous and careless of him. I am glad you found it and locked it securely.
Thanks for the tip about the soap drying out the blisters. Too late here but perhaps next time (I sure hope there is no next time however).I am bummed that the one under my lip broke and it is looking like such a mess. And the one above my lip is looking horrid too. Yesterday we were busy looking at appliances and marble etc and I didn't cover them with anything and I know people were like yuck. Believe me I feel more yuck than anyone can feel looking at my yuck face right now.

OMG 8-10 inches of snow. That's a lot of snow. The weather is crazy here. Milder today but turning quite cold mid week here I think. I feel my hermit phase coming on...

Haha Magnum PI with Frank Sinatra. I don't remember that episode but I am confident I saw it back when it first aired. I used to enjoy that show very much when I was young.

Scandi I think the dress your dh chose was a great choice and I know you looked gorgeous. I am with you. I like to eat food vs just tasting it too and I have a great (i.e. big) appetite as you already know from our dinner together haha. I like people who enjoy food and enjoy eating. Greg won me over with his baking and cooking and I know I'm a lucky girl. Good luck tomorrow at the boys club meeting. I hope you make lots of valuable contacts and that it isn't too painful. You can do it!!! You go girl!!!


Yesterday was a rainy day. We went marble shopping and fridge shopping. Found a marble I love (first place we went) called Thassos (I think that was the name but Greg has it written down somewhere). IF we decide we want that must put a 50% deposit down on it. The guy at the quarry didn't have enough so he is calling his guy to see if he can get more before we decide if we are going to put down a deposit.

The shade looks different in each of these photos. So hard to capture the color of the marble.





It was less pattern (which I prefer as I hate a busy pattern) and there was some warmth to it which I think would be OK but not completely sure. I wanted marble with no warm tones but rethinking that now and I like this one. How do you think it would look with dark wood floors? I think our floors are more on the cool side but will have to ask Greg about that. I am just unsure about everything these days.

Speaking of unsure. I hate all the refrigerators. Either they lack enough storage space but look good or look ugly and have enough storage space. The Miele only has 18 cubic feet of storage. Just not enough. But it is the look I want. We found a kitchen Aid that had a good look but too little storage again. These bottom freezers are tiny compared to the Jenn Air side by side we have at the beach house. And it looks like going with a counter depth fridge will be necessary since the brick wall comes out only about 29-30 inches so I don't know what Joe was talking about last week. Contacting him this AM.

And all the fridge reviews are awful. It seems everyone hates whatever fridge they get. LOL and Grrrr.

Our friend Bob (the dentist and photographer) sent me pics yesterday AM from our Saturday gathering and will share here. He definitely did something to them i.e. colorized a few of these but I think they are so cool. We have one photo of his (we have more than one hanging up but only one that is colorized) hanging in our Brooklyn home that he colorized. It is a photo of 6 of us (different than the friends in this photo) hanging out in park slope one winter day back in the early 2000s. I love that photo and some of these remind me of the color in that one. Very vibrant.










So we are heading back to NYC today but not sure when as there is a lot to take care of here. Have a good Monday girls!

 

[Scandinavian]

@missy, just reading really quick. So sorry about your blisters, hope they go away fast! Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is that we bought Thassos marble for a check patterned floor. And you can get Thassos in different "shades" of warmth. So you can request at "higher" quality / colder colour if you like Here, we call the really cold white version for "Thassos Extra", I'll include a few links to the 7 different qualities below. We had to do a very careful selection, and some of the tiles had to go back and be redelivered, but it is possible to get it super white!

Hugs!

http://www.thassosmarble.com/site/selections.asp

http://thasosmarble.com/collection/selections/

 

[missy]

@missy, just reading really quick. So sorry about your blisters, hope they go away fast! Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is that we bought Thassos marble for a check patterned floor. And you can get Thassos in different "shades" of warmth. So you can request at "higher" quality / colder colour if you like Here, we call the really cold white version for "Thassos Extra", I'll include a few links to the 7 different qualities below. We had to do a very careful selection, and some of the tiles had to go back and be redelivered, but it is possible to get it super white!

Hugs!

http://www.thassosmarble.com/site/selections.asp

http://thasosmarble.com/collection/selections/

Thanks Scandi! Appreciate the info and will check it out. It's already quite expensive but perhaps I don't know how much these things should cost. This marble will be 10k for our small kitchen. Maybe that isn't expensive for marble? IDK. I'm out of my comfort zone with what this kitchen Reno should cost.

I will be ask the quarry guy if he can get the Thassos Extra for us and how much would that cost. I'll keep you posted and thanks again!

How is your dear son doing?

(((Hugs)))

 

[Scandinavian]

Thanks Scandi! Appreciate the info and will check it out. It's already quite expensive but perhaps I don't know how much these things should cost. This marble will be 10k for our small kitchen. Maybe that isn't expensive for marble? IDK. I'm out of my comfort zone with what this kitchen Reno should cost.

I will be ask the quarry guy if he can get the Thassos Extra for us and how much would that cost. I'll keep you posted and thanks again!

How is your dear son doing?

(((Hugs)))

If it is too expensive, at least you will know that it is not worth it! DS is OK for now. I'm just not sure for how long they will keep up the "extra security"..

 

[Scandinavian]

But if I remember your brick wall correctly from your pictures, it is very beautiful, and kind of like this one in colour?

 

[missy]

But if I remember your brick wall correctly from your pictures, it is very beautiful, and kind of like this one in colour?

Ours is redder. I love that kitchen you posted! Please send it here please. So just spoke with the quarry guy. They don't have enough of the Thassos slabs for our kitchen. But Joe our contractor said his quarry place might have us. So the marble hunt is delayed for now but we think we know what fridges we are going with...two 36" Kitchen Aid counter depth refrigerators. It's the only way we can get enough storage without going super high end expensive. We will see how that goes...

OK I just took a few pics of the brick in kitchen here. Please excuse the mess...we are getting ready to go and just cleaning up so the kitchen is a bit of a mess right now.


On one side...


and the other:

 

[missy]

Just took 2 more pics to illustrate the brick wall from the other (i.e. dining room/living room) side.

Haha Fred got into the photo. Meoooow.

 

[jaaron]

Hi Nirdis,

I already know I'm going to miss people, but trying to catch up.

Jimianne- I love the addition to your stack. It's all gorgeous. Will. Not. Google. Oakgem... Your story about the date is too funny. I guess he had to be enlightened before he could discover he could only tolerate tall people. Wonder what his threshhold was? Your mini horse is too adorable--although I have to say, my dogs find them very confusing. Whenever we come across one they do not understand why they can't be let off their leads to go say hi to those strange dogs (plus they like to clean up after all horses).

Sharon - Are you snowed under? I have to say, I miss snow. Although not having to get into a freezing car first thing in the morning has probably increased my fondness... The first year we were married, I had a long commute and we lived somewhere very snowy and my H used to get up extra early and warm the car up for me.

Austina - What is Wellingtonia (asks the woman who makes plants die just by walking in the room)? I tried googling but just got giant sequoias (or redwoods) and even I am knowledgable enough about plants to guess you don't have one of those next door. Love the picture of Harry in the snow. I don't think our second dog has seen it either - the older one adores it. Your airport story of the guy with the cash made me laugh- My H sometimes ends up working with foreign governments, and a couple of years ago he had to go meet with ministers from one that is in a near-constant state of crisis and had been having trouble paying them due to various compliance issues- they asked my H if they could pay in cash (several hundred thousand) for him to bring home. Needless to say, he declined. That government was ousted shortly thereafter and I don't think my H's company ever got paid.

Marcy - I'm sorry Marty's travelling so much, but enquiring minds want to know how the flannel sheets are? I'm always hot, so am the one opening windows and turning heat off whenever possible. My family sneaks around turning up the thermostat. I'm sorry to hear your sinuses have been acting up. It sounds like everyone has much more exciting wildlife than we do. I don't think our foxes, squirrels, pigeons, rats, mice and the occasional rabbit in the park can compete with mountain lions and alligators. Although we did recently have a dolphin in the river, or so I hear. Where my in-laws live they have bears and coyotes and (rarely) wolves. I do try to make a lot of noise when I go running there. Lucky you checked the door!

Junebug - I'm sorry the sale hasn't closed yet. I hope you ended up being able to get away and take a break from it all. I love your pendant, and think the setting inspiration pic is great - it would really make the diamond stand out. I hope you had a nice time with your DD.

Scandi- How awful about your son! I'm so glad he's ok and that the school seems to be being proactive, even if it did take some prodding. I think your H chose the right dress, by the way- it's gorgeous, and I agree about table cards- hate them. I feel your pain on the pt front. I went to mine this morning for the first time in a month, have another session tomorrow and a third on Friday. I'm already anticipating barely being able to walk tomorrow.

Missy- oh no on the blisters! I'm sure other people are too distracted by your gorgeous bling and rest of you to notice, but that's hard to believe when it's on your own face. I have a blister like that under my lip a few years ago - I was testing some macaroni to see if it was done, and some boiling water ran out right onto my lip. I kept feeling the need to tell everyone it wasn't a cold sore. But it went away with no scarring - I hope yours do too. The food from your party looks amazing and the pics are gorgeous. We have a very white thassos countertop- I just tried to take a picture, but since it's dark out and all the lamps are on, you don't get a good idea of the colour. I'll try to remember to take one tomorrow in the daylight. Are you thinking of having it honed or polished? The one thing I will say is that you'll have to make a decision not to worry about etching and staining... Living in Europe, we have lots of Miele appliances (washer, dryer, dishwasher) and they've been very good. I looked at their professional range stoves for the house in the states, but ran up against way too many complaints about the service, so got a Wolf instead. Have you looked at Thermidor refrigerators?

Pierrebear - I hope the race went amazingly and you're recovered.

LLJ's Mom- Wow on the bling. That asscher three stone is pretty stunning... but I think I like the one you have best of all. How high does it sit off your finger? I love my Emilya, but am thinking about having Victor re-set it into something a bit lower. I'm kind of a klutz and keep thinking I'm going to rip my finger off.

Ok, think I'm caught up? Have a great day everyone.

 

[junebug17]

Hi all -

Missy, yes, my attorney is going to reschedule the closing for next week so I can go away this week. I would have liked this do be done before I left but it’s ok.

Your friend’s pictures are beautiful. the pic of Greg is great, it looks professionally done! I love the outdoor area, the fire pit makes everything so comfy and cozy.

Ugh, sorry the blisters are continuing to be a source of stress and I’m sending tons of healing vibes that they clear up soon.

Sorry about the difficulty in finding a fridge you like, very frustrating! What you’re considering sounds like a good solution. Love the marble, and the bling! Very pretty and would look lovely and bright in your kitchen and would go well with the dark floors. I hope you contractor can locate some for you. You have a really beautiful home. And Fred is so so cute!

Jimmianne, love Moe, he’s adorable! So nice to hear you had a great and productive day.

LLJsmom, wow, really beautiful pieces! thank you for the eye candy. The Asscher ring looks particularly amazing on you imo! The emeralds look so pretty on you too. MK looks fabulous, she was a joy to see IRL!

Scandi, sounds like you had a lovely time at the dinner. My brother is settling in ok, trying to get organized and doing some minor repairs and cosmetic changes. My weekend was pretty uneventful, just spent some time with dh and ds, and dd stopped by on Sunday for a while.

Marcy, oh no to Marty’s friend leaving the door unlocked, it’s good you ventured down there. Glad the man cave survived the poker game well. Sorry Marty is away and I hope the week goes by quickly for you.

Leaving for SC tomorrow, so just doing some laundry and packing today - have a few errands to run too. have a good day everyone!

 

[junebug17]

Jaaron, we must have been posting at the same time...very impressive job of catching up lol! Had a nice visit with dd, she was in town for a friend’s bridal shower and stopped by afterwards, hadn’t seen her in a while so it was nice to visit. I hope work has calmed down for you a little, and life in general as well. I know things have been hectic for you. Nice to see you!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Another beautiful, bright crisp winters days here. Dottie enjoyed her walk and managed to chase several squirrels up into the trees. Fortunately she's not quick enough to catch them, although I have seen photos of others proudly showing off their prizes

@jaaron, Wellingtonia are redwoods, and our neighbours one was about 80'. Our fear was it would fall on our house. The local Council had a mania for trees, and stuck a protection order on it, but then of course it wasn't about to fall on their home, clog up their gutters or stick to their dogs. We had a diseased oak in our garden they refused to allow us to remove. When I asked what would happen if, (despite our tree experts opinion that it needed removing), it fell on the house, they said they'd compensate us! I told them that would be a huge comfort when we'd been crushed to death by it!!

@Jimmianne your little Moe is so cute, I can totally see him pulling a cart.

Wow @LLJsmom That is some serious bling! I think someone posted that necklace in SMTB a little while back. I the emeralds, the glow is beautiful. I'm no expert, but I do know Colombians are the best, and it's acceptable for them to be oiled, but that's all.

Your diamond has much crisper faceting than the other, it's really stunning.

Has the snow arrived @marcy, if so, I hope you're safe and warm? It's been colder here today, there was a heavy frost this morning, but nothing compared to where you are. It was supposed to be freezing last night, but I was boiling . I did find flannel sheets a bit warm for me.

I'm sorry the closing's been delayed @junebug17 but glad you're able to go away. Have a lovely relaxing time in SC.

Knock 'em dead tomorrow @Scandinavian . I'm sure you looked stunning in your dress, and yes, quite often you meet pretentious people at these things. I have Pilates tomorrow, so will no doubt be aching on Wednesday

Hi @Calliecake Aww poor puss, if only we could explain to them about the time difference. Hopefully another week, and they'll have adjusted, although Dottie is a trier and will probably still be pestering to be fed early

Lovely photos @missy, I especially like the one of Greg, often the unposed and natural ones are the best, and capture the true essence of the person.

I'm sorry everything about the kitchen reno is proving to be so frustrating, hopefully it'll all come together soon. Seeing the kitchen makes it so much easier to visualise things now. The white marble sounds like it'll be really stunning, really crisp looking.

Thank you for all the comments about Harry, I still miss him, he was a special boy and came to us as an 8 month old rescue. He was very neglected, half starved, matted and flea ridden. You could just see when he walked in, that he looked around and was thinking, "I'm home now". It broke my heart that the day after we got him, he went into the garden, found a stone and sat and played with it. Needless to say, we spoilt him rotten and he had dozens of toys. We were lucky enough to have him till he was almost 12.

 

[PierreBear]

Ahhh I can't wait to catch up with everyone and re-read the posts I missed. Just a quick hello to say I'm back home and I'm alive. A bit more stiff with heat rashes and blisters. Ugly tan line on the back. However, I'm in one piece and I did acquire a new "bling" medal but I think I prefer diamond bling instead for the future. Glad to finish the race but could care less about being an "ironman" but made a new memory with DH and in-laws. Grandma came along for the ride too! OK more details soon.

Hope everyone is doing physically better than me! Whew, I have some healing to do... : )

 

[MarionC]

Yay PierreBear! Way to go!
See you all tomorrow

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

I missed a few posts yesterday.

Austina, I forgot to tell you I really like that bracelet. Harry is a cutie; love the picture of him in the snow. I am glad you enjoyed spoiling him for so long. I dug out my adjustable chain again after you mentioned it a few weeks ago. It is a nicer chain than the one I was wearing. I’m with Dottie - my stomach didn’t adjust well to the time change. I was starving at 11 but still had an hour to wait for lunch. Darn. That’s cute Dottie likes to chase squirrels up trees. Trees and things can be so pretty with a heavy frost. We had fog this morning. It looks like we’ve had about 2 inches of snow already.

LLJsmom, thank you for sharing the bling pictures. They are all gorgeous. MK of course is the star of the show though.

Scandi, I completely missed info about your arm - did you hurt it? Have surgery? I hope you get better soon. That will be nice to work from home for a few days. It sounds like your dinner out was fun. Our patio doors have 2 locks and whoever locked the basement door only turned the deadbolt not the handle lock. The handle lock is the bigger lock. So far the snow is just on the grass but I am sure it will get icy over night. I’ll get a picture if we get much snow. It was snowing pretty hard when I was coming home. I hope you enjoy the boys committee tomorrow.

Missy, I always venture downstairs after Marty leaves to make sure lights are off and the door is locked. Our alarm would go off either way if someone came in but still. How are your blisters doing and feeling? I am sure if anyone noticed them they just thought “ouch, i bet those hurt.”. I agree most appliances have awful reviews. We really liked the Kitchenaid refrigerators when we looked but there were too small for us. I don’t mind the bottom freezer; I actually found I like it better than the side by side. I like the marble your posted; of course it looked better with Bea in the picture. I was a total fan of Magnum P.I. too. Great pictures of the view and your guests. Your beach house looks great; I can’t wait to see how you redo the kitchen.

Jaaron, my flannel sheets were very soft and cozy last night but I did get up and put a fleece on top of the bed. It’s going to be colder tonight too maybe I’ll dig the Snoopy flannel sheet out as well. I am always cold. Wow to having a dolphin in the river. Good idea to make some noise when you are out running. They say startling animals is often what gets them aggressive.

Junebug, at least you have an appointment next week for closing. One step closer. I learned a long time ago to check that the door is locked downstairs. That’s why it’s the first thing I do after Marty leaves. Have a wonderful time in SC.

PierreBear, congratulations to you and your HD for finishing the ironman. That is awesome. Sorry you are stiff with blisters and heat rash.

Jimmianne, I keep thinking of your pretty pink spinel ring and band.

Not much going on exciting tonight. Just watching the snow coming down now and then and plan on going to bed early. A friend is bringing over supper tomorrow night and we’ll play some cards. Wednesday night I am meeting a friend for supper. I won’t have time to miss Marty this week.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Thank you for all the comments about Harry, I still miss him, he was a special boy and came to us as an 8 month old rescue. He was very neglected, half starved, matted and flea ridden. You could just see when he walked in, that he looked around and was thinking, "I'm home now". It broke my heart that the day after we got him, he went into the garden, found a stone and sat and played with it. Needless to say, we spoilt him rotten and he had dozens of toys. We were lucky enough to have him till he was almost 12.

This. Just broke my heart. I'm so happy that he found you and you found him. I will never understand some people.

 

[MarionC]

Marcy after Moe passes his driving test can we borrow your Porsche?

Missy that brick wall is awesome!
I can see why Greg would not want to paint it.

Scandi are we going to see some photos of you in your dress?!

It is so gorgeous here. I’d forgotten how uplifting fall is with the crisp air and beautiful colors. Now if we could only get a little to complete the picture.
Happy day NIRDIS

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! If I may for one moment digress from the usual daily updates.
I am fighting a heavy heart after reading the thread about challenges PSers are facing but hoping the support of fellow PSers helps somehow. I always remember that if I had not started this NIRDI thread right after my accident I would have never met you wonderful warm caring women. And my life wouldn't be as rich as it is now. You are all truly wonderful in so many different ways.

And your support got me through some very dark days when I thought the pain would swallow me whole and when the future seemed bleak. My thoughts that I would never get back my function as the break was so bad that even my surgeon (and we know how cocky and confident they are in their abilities to fix everyone) couldn't promise me a future where I could do everything I did before the accident. But you girls were here for me the whole way cheering me on, encouraging me and just here to listen and comfort and allowed me to be myself. Which is what I needed most.

I needed a safe place I could cry and share and just be who I was feeling what I was feeling without fear of judgment. And your love came through and gave me strength. Thank you all for the priceless gift you gave me and continue to give me online and off. In person and on the phone. I only hope I can give back to each and everyone of you. Remembering those dark days and how your collective light cheered me on well I could never adequately express how grateful I am and will always be. And I hope others find comfort sharing here and in other threads around PS. PS is a warm lovely (not to mention bright and blingy) place to be.

Thanks for also allowing me to be my sappy self even embarrassing myself while doing it.

Junie yay so glad you are on your way to SC. And you can enjoy in peace knowing the closing is already scheduled. Have a marvelous time! And thank you for your lovely comments/compliments about everything and right back at ya.

Jaaron thank you and please do post your marble. I am very eager to see it in the daylight! I don't know if we are having it honed or polished yet. I have to evaluate the pros and cons of each option. Would love to hear your thoughts. We have black honed granite in Brooklyn and it looks as beautiful today as it did when we got it in 2003. As for etching yes I agree I have made up my mind not to worry about that. If marble is good enough for Italians all over Italy for everyday heavy use it is OK for our household too! Thanks for your input and please share marble pics!

Marcy I'm glad you won't have time to miss Marty this week. And we are here to occupy your time anytime. You know we are a quick text/call away. The best thing about being in different time zones is there is always a NIRDI around! Thanks for all the lovely comments. You are a dear. And big hugs to you.

Austina thank goodness Harry found you and you found Harry. Like Scandi I will never ever understand some people and I don't want to either. I have no tolerance in my heart for those who abuse animals or children and this world would be a better place without such people. No question in my mind.
Yes I like unposed photos too. They are the best ones I agree.

Jimmianne thanks very much. The brick is staying for better or worse. I honestly just want to throw up my hands and quit the renovation plans because it is such a headache. Every appliance I search sucks. LOL. It's the truth.
And I agree. Autumn can be such a lovely beautiful season. The crisp air and beautiful changing landscape and colors.

PierreBear congrats my dear! I never had a doubt you would do it successfully! Looking forward to hearing more about it and for you to catch up here. We missed you.

Have a good day girls! If I can I will check in later with you.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Well done @PierreBear we knew you could do it When you've got time, please tell us all about it.

It's very humbling reading all about the awful things people are dealing with in your thread @missy, and certainly puts things into perspective.

I'm glad you won't have time to miss Marty while he's away @marcy. Like you, I spent a lot of time on my own when Colin was working. I found things to keep me occupied, and you get used to it. I did wonder if we'd end up killing each other when he was home all the time, as we were so unused to spending time together Now I can't remember all those years he wasn't home much. I'm glad you've revisited your adjustable chain, I really like the flexibility of mine. Be careful in the snow.

I'm envisioning little Moe driving now @Jimmianne, not sure that Marcy will want little hoof prints in her Porsche tho




Not much going on here, it's been one of those horrible drizzly days, I'd far rather it was cold and crisp. Went to Pilates this morning, and we did lots of scissoring exercises, so my hips will be aching tomorrow.

Hope you're all having a good day

 

[PierreBear]

I really missed my routine of catching up on the NIRDI thread and seeing how everyone was doing. @missy – you are right that we all have something special going on here and watching out for one another. Oh and hey…. We have matching blisters! Hope to be matching OEC buds soon enough too. Well I guess this is the best transition I can have to talk about the ironman race a bit. I don’t know how much nitty gritty detail all y'all NIRDI ladies want but I’ll say that it was a long drive from TX to Florida but we made the most of it. Bought some half off Halloween candy along the way and was munching on it. Had my first pumpkin spiced late of the season and shared with DH so we wouldn’t get sleepy on the drive. In Louisiana, we spent the night with grandma and she cooked a meal for us and other family members came in to visit. On our drive out we also picked up some smoked boudin and boudin balls (cajun “delicacy” that is pretty delicious). Got there safely to Florida and went through registration and dropped off bikes etc. At the welcome dinner, DH ran into a college buddy who was doing the race with his father. What a small world to be sitting at the same dinner table out of 3,000 registrants. We weren’t sure whether we were going to stay for dinner or just grab something and eat at the hotel but it was nice to meet new people and old college friends. That evening the in-laws arrived and we made a meal for them at the hotel. Nice to have familiar faces supporting. OK so the race day was bright and early on the beach with wet suits. We were afraid that the sun wouldn’t rise in time but surely enough it did just in time for the race. You get to decide where you want to start on the swim portion so DH and I stood in the same section together even though our speeds are different. This is the only portion of the race that I am faster than DH. I wasn’t excited to start but you just go with it. The waves were calm. It was blue and clear. Very beautiful but not used to salt water in my mouth. Then after the swim, which took me about an hour, you run into the transition tent and put on your bike gear. A volunteer was helping me get ready and I had to disrobe completely in front of her and had the hardest time pulling up my pants. Hahaha… traumatized her I’m sure. Got on the bike and monitored my watch to eat and drink and take a salt tab every hour. It gets pretty gross though and it’s hard to swallow down cliff bars even though it’s wanting to come up. The last 20 miles was rough and my lady parts were hurting. Too much pressure. I was feeling pretty sad on the race but DH and I did see each other on the course and wave. The important thing is that I stayed safe on the bike and there were no accidents 6.5 hours later. Then it was time for the marathon. It was hot, in the 80s but could have been worse. I was feeling decent going in for the first couple of miles and not sure how my legs would feel. However, overtime, I started to get cramps. Unusual ones where it was quick but subsided. I would walk during those times and then would be able to run/shuffle afterwards. Was also really gassy… so there were something going on that was unusual. Saw DH on the run course and he was experiencing the same thing. We decided it was the Gatorade we weren’t used to. Still can’t figure out whether we had too much sugar or salt or some other imbalance but something didn’t feel right. I kept on moving and it wasn’t until the last 6 miles that I made a tragic mistake. I decided to avoid the porta potty because by then it was dark and I didn’t even think to bring a head lamp or a light. I was pretty sure the porta potty didn’t have lights so I thought it was better to find a bush but squatting down just really irritated my muscles. From that point on, my legs were stiffening and it was bothering me to run. I decided to humble myself and just walk as many others were doing too. I didn’t want to over do it and taking an extra hour to finish the race was to me better than hurting myself and prolonging something. I’ll be honest, I teared up because at this point I felt so defeated and alone. It was dark and I allowed myself to cry for a few minutes. Even before this pain, I wasn’t enjoying the race. Since I was slower and there were other athletes finishing you could hear the announcer from the distance say “you are an ironman… or who wants to be an ironman today” from the ending point. When I heard that question, I thought… what the heck am I doing? I don’t care for the title nor about the medal. I don’t identify myself as a “triathlete or ironman” and would never put an emblem on my car or tattoo on my calf. It was just a journey/event to do with DH and this distance isn’t fun for me. I’ll stick to the half distance where it’s just enough of a challenge but the training is tolerable and not too hard on the body. I don’t discount that this sport and those athletes, there are some amazing stories and incredible people. However, I was surprised how easy it was for me to think that this was one of the most unfulfilling things I put my time towards. I’m glad it’s off of my bucket list but it’s not important to me. My favorite part of the race, other than seeing my in-laws and grandma cheering for me, was when DH finished the race and then continued running to come find me. He walked with me to the end and held my hand. We pretended it was a romantic stroll. So 6 hours later from the bike, I finally got to the finish line. Had I not walked, it would have been close to the 14 hours. However, it turned out being a very long 15 hours of stress on my body but it is finished. My one and only ladies! It’s posted on the internet and I’m not going back on my words. My body feels pretty gross right now with heat rashes and blisters. I really hope I don’t lose my right big toe nail! I have these hilarious tan lines on my back where the sun screen sprayers didn’t reach. Oh my… I’m ready for winter to even out my skin again. I’m ready for relaxing and enjoying the weekends without thinking about a race in mind. For now, I’ll just do what feels fun and that’s a great feeling for me. OK super long post but I thought I owed ya’ll some information for being gone for so long. Thanks for the support and the good wishes!!

 

[PierreBear]

@Jimmianne – Good luck to you on the new dating sight. I think 5’3” is a great height to be able to pull off some nice sized heels. : ) Very awesome that you are getting compliments from your Stitchfix wardrobe.

How adorable… you are telling me that you have a miniature horse? What a dream?! Do they behave any differently or have other unique characteristics different from the typical horse?

@marcy – Oohh flannel sheets. My cat would love cuddling in it! I bet they look great too. Red and black?

@Callicake – I wish I went trick o treating at your house since only 5 kids showed up. In the past we always bought too much too. I learned to buy candy that I don’t want to eat if I have left overs. What did your niece dress up as for Halloween? But I don’t blame her for not wanting to be out in the cold!

I’m not really that talented at hosting events but will think carefully about the effort I want to put in for the occasion. Actually yesterday I had a friend over and I knew I was still sore from the race and not wanting to do much. I bought some pre-made items (mushrooms that were stuffed) and baked those up. Baked some asparagus. Tossed a salad. Not much effort at all so sometimes it helps to just cheat a bit. : )

@missy – Oh nooo sorry about the blisters. I hope there isn’t any scarring and you can just put that bad DR visit behind you.

What a wonderful dinner party! Looks like a great time by the fire after a delicious meal via Greg’s amazing cooking skills.

I appreciate you sharing your marble photos but I think I was only look at Bea instead. Hahaha : )

I actually like the brick wall in the house. It adds a lot of character! To modernize it, I see people painting it white though if you want to consider that?! Meooowww to Fred!

@Scandinavian – I hope your work party went well. Small talk isn’t much fun but I bet everyone will be speechless once they see you in your dress!

@junebug17 – Beautiful pendant! Safe travels to SC!

@Austina – How wonderful for Adam to combine a Tory Burch bangle with a Fitbit. You are one trendy and fit hot mama!

Harry is such a handsome dog. I just want to hug hug hug him!

@LLJsmom – Wow thanks for sharing some bling photos with us. Wow that 6 sided elongated trapezoid is really unique! Is it a gray stone? Never seen anything like it before!

@jaaron – Hello! I went back to look at your Emiliya thread again. Such a beauty. : )

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

PierreB--huge accomplishment! I am proud and I've never met you! And my body part were sore just reading about your efforts!! lol

cheers--Sharon