Now I really did it :((

[rainwood]

Happy birthday, Jimmianne!!!! Welcome to the new decade. It will be great!!!

 

[MarionC]

Thank you everyone!

I got to visit my asscher at the jeweler, and it will now be set in a few days,
and my little chihuahua, Mr.Monet had a good check up.
My friend who has a Greek restaurant next to the vet saw me going into the vet and gave me a huge Greek dinner that will make dinner, breakfast and lunch. And added to the happy events of the day, all your good wishes, my NIRDIs...Such a nice day.

 

[azstonie]

Jimmianne, Bon Anniversaire!

 

[springerspaniel]

Hi Jimmianne--Happy Birthday!
(By the way--I love the name Mr Monet.)

 

[azstonie]

Or it should be: Bonne anniversaire! Jimmianne, grammarian ???

 

[MarionC]

Mr.Monet in his tarzan sweater

 

[missy]

Happy Caturday Saturday girls!

Jimmianne so happy you enjoyed a wonderful (and blingy) birthday. Yay for Mr Monet. He looks so dignified and wise in his sweater. What a looker. HRH said he could make her want to go outside her kitty clan... So glad he had a good checkup.

Callie no I am calling the office today to find out his blood results and if he is given the clear I will schedule the dental work for him. How is your sweet girl doing? And speaking of dental work how are you feeling?

Hello Junie hope you are having a good weekend. Are you getting lots of snow activity like we are here?

CJ sending you and Mousey lots of love and good thoughts. I hope you get the rescue group you want to work with for her and that everything goes smoothly. It is a good time perhaps as maybe a loving warm family is looking to adopt a sweet kitty for the holidays. (((Hugs))).

PierreBear hug your kitty from me and HRH says thank you for your love and hugs. She is all better now. Yay for chocolates for breakfast and you deserve to live a little. Watching what we eat is not for the holiday season...enjoy. Hope last night went well. No kitchen updates yet...we still have a few weeks to go and hopefully all our orders i.e. windows etc will come in a timely fashion. The probability of delays are pretty high though so I am hoping for the best but being realistic. Tis the season after all

Austina thank you and hope your fur babies are doing well too. And yes you are right. I will just have to keep buying new clothes.

Hi Springerspaniel, hugs to you and your fur babies. Are they enjoying the snow?

Hi Sharon hope your weekend is fun and that your holiday season is going well.

Hi Scandi any updates? Hugs to your fur babies.

Hello Kristie hugs to Finn and Maggie.

Hey there Rainwood, have a great holiday.

Marcy girl, hope you had a good night last night and are enjoying a lovely weekend. We are getting more snow. It was snowing much of yesterday and it is supposed to snow later today and overnight and then again Monday. Oh yes the calendar might not indicate it is winter yet but with the temps and the snow we are in full winter blast...I am going to get my warmest winter coat ready for this weekend. Of course it is supposed to be 51 by Tuesday but the milder temps are only predicted to be around for that day. Crazy weather but I know you are well acquainted with the crazy weather.


I organized the big supply cabinet in our Brooklyn apartment yesterday and woohoo. And Tommy was helping me too. By getting into all the available containers I was using to organize the cabinets. Hahaha.




I only have 2 shelves left. Very satisfied with how it is going. My poor toe is paying the price however but I soaked it afterwards and it felt a bit better. Tomorrow we have Nutcracker tickets so looking forward to that despite the frigid temps. I will just bundle up. Everything is a bit more complicated in the colder weather. Gloves, heavy coats, more clothing in general and small seats in the Theater but we will make do. Then we are probably heading to the beach house for the remaining weeks in December. The remainder of the Brooklyn closet and cabinet organization can wait till January and we have work to do in the Beach house kitchen before reno starts. Plus we want to enjoy some quiet time at the beach away from the crowds. So hopefully it will be a lovely and peaceful remainder of 2017 for all of us.

Have a lovely day ladies and leaving you with something Greg sent me last night. Hehe too funny. And true.

 

[springerspaniel]

Just checking in while trying to get rid of a migraine. Sorry we have no pictures from the party, but DH is thrilled that the decorations and cleaning have been done for awhile. We've been having a great time snowshoeing, even though it's been in the teens (Fahrenheit). Dogs are hilarious in their little boots and they do that funny high stepping walk until they get accustomed to the boots.

Jimmianne Mr Monet's ears and tail are just adorable. Why is it called a Tarzan sweater? Is it a leopard print? My eyes are not what they used to be...

CJ You have such a big heart to help Mousey out in finding her furever home. DH and I have been vegetarian for most of our lives--he for moral reasons and me originally to piss my parents off when I was 13. Depending on how fussy you are (me not so much, DH more so), it does not involve more cooking, just different cooking.

PierreBear I so enjoy reading about your cooking class and that is terrific about the student's scholarship.

Austina Clyde and Ellie would never sit still long enough to wear their yarmulkes. What an adorable pair of Spins. I am so happy that Dottie is doing better. My heart dog Coco used to drink sea water too. What was the charity event like? Did you dance much? I miss that about living in a bigger town.

Scandi I have always had a fondness for black and white floor tiles. And as for not having a kitchen--I tell people that the kitchen is "that magical place where food suddenly appears," since I am too lazy to cook, so my husband tends to cook. Can you repurpose the oak floors that were torn up? Can't believe builders would do something like that.

Missy Enjoy the Nutcracker! I hope your toe survives the cramped space in the theater. Cleaning things out is a great accomplishment, right? I love the beach in the winter--have a great time with Greg and thank you for the laugh. If the world were flat, dogs would just lie down and sleep on it.

Happy Saturday to everyone else--the zolmitriptan is kicking in , so I need to go lie down now next to my two furry blankets on the couch.

I am such a dinosaur--still trying to figure out these damn emojis...so afraid I will post something bizarre and unintelligible.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Happy Birthday Jimmianne!

Scandi, your place is looking fabulous. Darn that your kitchen isn’t ready yet. I like the idea of asking for a new brain for Christmas. At the end of the year I certainly could use a new software download anyway.

Missy, we are snow buddies. Oh no that Loofy is acting up again. I think it’s fine to stay in during the cold weather. Woo hoo for organizing your closet. Tommy looks like a big helper and I love your cat joke. I hope you enjoy the Nutcracker even though you have to venture out in the cold. Spending the last few weeks of the year at the beach house sounds like a fabulous way to finish out 2017. Glad soaking your toe helped.

PierreBear, chocolates sound good. I was going to make cookies today but I don’t think that is going to happen. I hope your thank you surprise turns out to be fun. Thermal tops are supposed to help keep you from being cold. I think the most popular brand I know of are called Cuddle Duds. They are the top version of long johns. I swear I am going to live in them for the next 4 months.

CJ, I agree that seeing someone with their hair sticking up is like you are invading their personal space. Funny you mentioned ordering your DH’s watch online so you get a brand new, fully wrapped watch. I do that with purses and wallets. I pick them out in the store then order them online.

Jimmianne, ooh a northern lights trip. They tend to be more frequently visible in the fall months but of course they aren’t guaranteed any night of the year. Do tell how the test run for your Asscher went and do you love your new glasses? That is great you’ll be getting your ring in a few days. Mr Monet looks awesome.

Austina, I am counting down the days until I am on vacation. Woo hoo! Glad you are feeling better. How was the charity ball?

Callie, I am closer to being ready for Christmas. I think I have my shopping done; I just need to wrap some things. And bake. Have you started wrapping yet?

Hi Rainwood and Kristie.

SpringerSpaniel, oh no to a migraine. I hope you didn’t get worse. Snowshoeing sound fun and how cute the dogs went with you.

I am cold right now. Marty is at the gym. I might eat a banana and make some popcorn for me for supper. I watched Despicable Me 3 a while ago; it was cute but didn’t have enough Minions time in it. We are going to watch The Hitman’s Bodyguard tonight. Marty hasn’t seen it yet and I know he’ll like it.

Missy, I thought I might be joining you in being unable to do laundry but I think everything is okay. I was washing towels and it smelled like hot electrical something in the laundry room. We stopped it before we left for lunch. I ran it again when we got home and I still kind of smelled something. I cleaned out the soap dispenser tray and ran vinegar through the machine and it seems fine now. I know soap gunk can pile up and get to smelling bad; I hope that is all it was.

I finished my Christmas shopping today. Now i need to gift wrap, bake, make our food shopping list for Christmas and get busy. The family dinner is a week from tomorrow. Oh oh.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

Mr.Monet in his tarzan sweater

What a sweet photo. Easy to provide xoxo

 

[Calliecake]

Jimmianne, Can I babysit Mr. Monet? He's adorable!

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Missy, your plans for the day sound like fun, have a great time! Your poem to Jimmianne is lovely. Every word of it is true and beautifully expressed. What a great pic of you, Greg, and Jimmianne, you all look terrific and I truly mean that. Lol to Tommy “helping” you organize the shelves! Good for you for doing a task that isn’t all that much fun - but so rewarding when you make progress. I’m hoping Loofy checks out ok and it’s nothing serious. Greg’s picture is very funny, and very true! Spending the last few weeks at the beach sounds like the perfect way to finish up 2017.

Marcy, both my ds and dd will be home for Christmas so that will be nice. I should get myself a few thermal shirts, it got cold here in NJ and I just cannot get warm. Weird that only one box showed up, maybe they’re just backed up because of the holidays. Dh got a new phone too and he really likes it, although it doesn’t seem to be charging when he puts it on the charging pad. It’s always something. Good luck with the gift wrapping, I’ve done a few but there’s quite a bit more to go. Sending good thoughts your washing machine continues to work ok, sounds like you’ve figured out what was wrong. Oh, I forgot to tell you, we ordered the Macan S last week! It will be ready in March.

Scandi, the hallway looks gorgeous The floor is amazing and I love the contrast with the logs. Ugh, that was quite a mistake the workmen made, how frustrating! I agree with the others though, a great excuse not to have to cook Christmas dinner I like your attitude towards cleaning lol!

PB, hope you had a good time at your church function. I agree, 40 degrees is a tad nippy for an outdoor party! Hope you and dh stayed warm and had fun. An ice cream maker for Christmas sounds awesome! And don’t worry about eating a few extra goodies. This is a tough time of year, I’m indulging a little too much myself!

Springerspaniel, so sorry about the migraine and I hope you’re feeling better after getting some rest. Take care.

Calliecake, I’m in pretty good shape for the holidays, have some wrapping to do and I need to mail a few gifts. Better get going on that!

Jimmianne, I have fallen hopelessly in love with Mr. Monet and his Tarzan sweater! He is just too adorable Very happy you had a great day, your dinner looks scrumptious and how nice of your friend to treat you to dinner. And exciting news about your asscher being set soon! I can’t wait to see it.

Austina, hope you had a great time at the charity ball, sounds like a fun way to spend the evening. Funny how sometimes our bodies can manage to fight off the worst of a cold, so glad it was a mild case for you.

CJ, fingers crossed the vet can help find a home for Mousey. She is such a sweetheart.

Hi Sharon and Kristie!

Had a nice visit with dd and her boyfriend. She’ll be back on Friday and stay through Christmas.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Happy Sunday

Friday was fun, we met up with a couple we met at the last one and had a good evening.

The Whitney Houston act was really good, and everyone was dancing. It got a bit dangerous at times as I was worried I might get trampled by a rather large man in wig, full make up, very short sequinned dress and stripper shoes We wondered if he was dressed up as a bet, but he seemed to be enjoying it too much

How lovely that DD will be home to spend Christmas with you @junebug17
Yay to ordering your new car, what colour did you go for?

I hope your migraine didn’t linger too long @springerspaniel and that it hasn’t reappeared. Dottie sends a big woof to your pupsters.

Oh no @marcy I hope the washer is ok and safe to use. Last thing you need is for it to break down over Christmas. Very wise not to leave it on when you’re not in, water and electricity are not a good mix if there’s a problem. Glad to hear you’re on top of things.

I had to laugh at Mr Monet @Jimmianne weighing only 5lbs, he’s a good sized snack for Dottie, although I expect she’d be scared of him, despite her 80lbs weight advantage Cant wait to see Mildred, will she be ready in time for Christmas?

I hope you enjoyed the Nutcracker @missy sometimes it’s hard to feel motivated to go out in the cold. Spending time at the beach house sounds idyllic at this time of year. I know you’ll have plenty to do in preparation for the kitchen work, but hopefully that can wait till after the holidays.

Hi @canuk-gal and @Calliecake hope you’re well and keeping warm.

Oh, I forgot to mention we won 2 prizes in the raffle on Friday, a Star Wars Lego set (which I’m going to sell and donate the proceeds back to the charity) and a hamper of 6 bottles of wine, which we shared with our friends!

Have a great Sunday ladies

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and Happy Big dog Sunday!

Hi Junie thank you. So nice that both your dd and ds will be home for the holidays yay! And glad you had a lovely visit with your dd and her boyfriend. How nice.
Yes it is cold here too. And hard to get warm. Though the apartment is nice and toasty without any heat on because all of our neighbors keep their heat at full blast which keeps us nice and warm. LOL. But at the beach house it is always so much colder. Even if I put the heat at 80 which I often do when it is so cold outside. I am a cold blooded reptile haha cold in winter and hot in summer. So weird. How is Zoe doing? Please hug her from me and my furry crew.

SpringerSpaniel I hope your migraine has gone and that you are feeling better. Headaches especially migraines can be terribly debilitating and I hope the medication provides much needed relief as quickly as possible. Sending you healing headache dust.

So much fun that you are snowshoeing with the whole family. That is a winter wonderland of fun and reminds me what I love about winter. The cold crisp air and fun activities outside and then warming up inside with hot chocolate a toasty fire and loved ones. So glad you are enjoying the winter weather and it can be a magical time of year for sure.

Haha so true yes if dogs were in that picture they would just be laying down and sleeping. Which let me tell you is exactly what the cats do after they destroy and knock down everything possible.

From one dinosaur to another

(no dinosaur emoji so this will use the giraffe because who doesnt love the giraffe) you are in good company as I am tech challenged in almost every way. As for the emojis all you need to do (if you have a mac if you don't we need to get another NIRDI here to help) is copy and paste the emojis from the emoji thread at the top of hangout.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emoticons.116324/

Marcy yes we are snow buddies. Sorry you are cold and having trouble getting warm. Greg always says it is easier to stay warm than get warm. True dat. Loofy is all better. Something silly but the mechanic and Greg got Loofy working well. Now it is my arc trainer in need of service and of course it will be a long wait. I sure hope my back up arc trainer is working as I haven't been on the back up one for years. Fingers crossed. I watched the end of the Snoopy special when I saw that it was on last night. I forgot how much fun and how clever these animated shows are. I love Snoopy and I love Spike. Why couldn't anyone adopt Spike? That made me sad Marcy. I kept telling myself it's not real. But then I remember well it is real all over the world animals need loving homes and there aren't enough homes to rescue all the animals in need. Sorry I turned this convo into a real downer.

Oh no to almost having a problem with your washing machines. Whew that was close. We are bringing all our laundry to the beach house and then lugging it back with 4 cats and all the stuff we are bringing back after 2 weeks there. But that will only work through December as we won't be staying at the beach house while our kitchen reno is happening. So I hope there is a more permanent fix by January. The Board and managing agent are discussing switching all the dryers from gas to electric (our washing machines are electric already) but again we still need a C of O and that is going to take many many months. We have been quoted 4-5 plus months. Ridiculous. But again not a life and death issue just a minor inconvenience so we will manage.

Good for you for finishing your holiday shopping! Very impressive. Good luck wrapping, baking and shipping and with preparing your family dinner. I forget are you and Marty hosting Christmas or Christmas Eve? How many people are coming?

Austina what a lovely evening you had with your friends Friday night. I love dancing and so glad you got to enjoy. Yay to winning 2 raffle prizes and donating the one you didn't drink back to charity. Nice going. We are looking forward to the Nutcracker today. In fact I went a bit overboard last night and purchased season tickets to the Philharmonic and also a few more Broadway shows and looking for an afternoon opera that we could enjoy. Haha I am determined to make the most of living here and enjoying indoor winter activities.

Hi Sharon do you have a lot of snow by you or is it all gone? Our snow has mostly melted but more is on the way. Nothing major here yet though.

Hi Callie, how was dinner last night?

Finished the kitchen supply cabinet yesterday woohoo and it is looking good. So once we return to Brooklyn in January I will start on the rest of the supply closets (we have a few) and the rest of my clothing closets in the exercise room and lots of other cabinets, closets, drawers etc. I expect it will keep me busy much of January/February organizing and getting rid of stuff. Feels good.

And we are now once again season ticket holders to the Philharmonic (we were members in the 1990s and 2000s but let it lapse) and have 3 concerts already in place. Two of the concerts are in January and one in April.

We are going to see Ravel's Bolero, Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Ehnes and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Greg and I love these symphonies so much and are very excited. We used to go often and then just stopped for no real reason but that life got so busy as it often does.

And we also got Broadway tickets in February to Hello Dolly with Bernadette Peters. I actually could have snagged Bette Midler tickets before she leaves in mid January but it would have cost over $1200 for 2 tickets and I decided not worth it. I also love Bernadette Peters and I bet it will be a fabulous show.

I am not done purchasing tickets fyi lol. I am working on opera tickets but it's more challenging as I am more picky with opera. I am a fan of dramatic opera and one of the challenges is I will only attend afternoon performances (for opera especially because the performances are sometimes 4 hours!) and they are limited which operas are in the afternoon. So not sure if I will be getting opera tickets at the Met but maybe. Stay tuned.

Have a wonderful Sunday girls! Stay warm and cozy and safe.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Hello ya'll. We have been enjoying record warm temps which is about to change this week with 20 cms of snow and -20C temps predicted. God I hate the snow and cold. I really do wish I could be a California girl. At least the snow will stop before we travel home for Christmas.

Off to make lasagne.

cheers--Sharon

 

[CJ2008]

Hello my NIRDIs please forgive the super short post I'm on little sleep (Mousey had sounded congested last night so had to take her this morning to the vet - she has an URI - but is OK.)

Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday.

I am about to sit down to a cup of tea and cookies.

Yeah. Cookies. And I don't even care.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Junebug, I am a fan of thermal shirts; they help keep me warm. The other box showed up from Verizon yesterday. Strange it’s marked online as in progress. That’s nice your DD and DS will be home for Christmas. Ooh how exciting to hear you ordered your Macan S. This is like you getting a new diamond for me - what extras did you order and color? I am very excited for you. You should be the first stop in the U.S. when they ship it; if you remember I tracked my cargo ship including getting a picture of it going down the canal in Houston. We ended up getting ours about 30 days early. We also lucked out that it got on the cargo ship the same day it was delivered to the dock. I did some gift wrapping today and have a bit more to go as well.

Austine, glad to hear Friday night was fun and cool prizes you won. You should have picked up a lottery ticket that night.

Missy, I seem to be cold all the time. Greg is so right that it’s easier to stay warm than get warm. Once I get cold I am chilled for the day. I agree those classic Peanut shows are well done and definitely have stood the test of time. I didn’t go watch it last night after all; we watched a movie but I do have it recorded. I’ll probably watch it tonight or tomorrow. I am sorry Spike made you sad. He’s a cutie so I would like to believe in real life he’d had a happy home. Yes hauling your laundry back and forth will be a pain; hopefully they get it fixed for you soon. There will probably be 20 of us here on Christmas Eve. I bet it does feel good getting kitchen supply closet cleaned out and woo hoo for plans on talking other closets in the new years. It sounds like your dance card will be full will a lot of wonderful entertainment. Very nice.

Sharon, sorry to hear the cold and snow is coming your way. Lasagna sounds fabulous.

CJ, oh no to little sleep and a sick Mousey. Glad the vet was able to get her some medicine.

I did laundry, cooked and baked all day. Sadly that means dishes too. Darn. I did get Christmas cookies part deux done this afternoon.

I woke up with a stiff neck and it got worse through the day. I am using a heating pad now which will hopefully help; at least it is warming me up.

Do I really have to go to work tomorrow?

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! How did Monday get here so fast?

Sharon yay for record warm temps in December and I am sorry it will be getting cold again. I am not a fan of the cold either. I would happily join you and be a California girl with you if we could make it work. Wishing you safe travels and yes glad the snow will be over when you travel home for Christmas. Yummm to lasagna. One of my favorite dishes ever.

CJ how is Mousey doing? I am glad the Vet was able to help and I hope Mousey is on her way to a full recovery and that she is feeling much better and that you are doing well. You are taking such excellent care of her. (((Hugs))). And I am right with you on the cookies. Enjoy without guilt!

Marcy darn I am sorry you have a stiff neck and hope the heating pad works for you. And I am with you re Monday...how did it become Monday so quickly? The days are speeding by faster than ever. Wow that's a lot of people for Christmas Eve but I know you are organized and will be a wonderful hostess. I hope some of your guests might help out either in cleaning up or by bringing some food so you don't have to do it all by yourself. Yumm to baking. I am missing that this year and well I wouldn't mind some delicious baked goods about now. And I am a softie when it comes to animals...real or animated.

As for the question if you really have to go to work today well know this Ms Marcy. You are always welcome here and if you want to play hooky we will be at the beach house starting tomorrow...


We had the most wonderful time yesterday. So amazing that as soon as we got home I purchased more ballet tickets haha. This time to the Stravinsky and Balanchine ballet in February. It was between that one and Romeo and Juliet and since we are seeing Romeo and Juliet at the Philharmonic and also because I adore Stravinsky and Balanchine I opted for the S and B ballet. Very excited and lots to look forward to during the winter season now. 2 ballets, 2 broadway shows and 3 symphonies and perhaps an opera. That should warm up the cold months ahead.

I hope everyone enjoyed a fun weekend and looking forward to hearing more about it. Leaving you with a photo from yesterday at Lincoln Center. I will add that it was in the low 30s so you judge who was more appropriately dressed hehe. Only adding this comment because a NIRDI commented that it looked like I was dressed for Alaska and Greg was dressed for Bermuda haha.Let's just say we were both warm and cozy and comfortable. Viva la difference!

Have a great Monday girls.

 

[PierreBear]

@missy – Beautiful picture of you and Jimmieanne. Didn’t you take Scandinavian there as well? I don’t know my NY iconic places. Where is that beautiful venue?

@CJ2008 – Oohhh I have never had panettone before and had to look it up. I bet it’s a treat I would want to slice up badly too!

Yes, making a dietary change is really tricky as it impacts you daily. We have tried to be creative with getting protein such as eating tofu, eggs (we don’t strive to be vegan, making the change to vegetarian is hard enough), and other legumes. I don’t avoid eating meat so when we are at a party or at a restaurant, I still order it. I haven’t eliminated animal protein from my diet since I don’t want to have to track if I’m eating enough or to have to take supplements to ensure I’m getting all the nutrients I need. However, when I cook at home, I strive to make vegetarian meals. So I think it’s a good balance thus far but of course, I can do better.

Since I struggled with it so much, I’ll describe what we ate on Sunday since I can’t remember any further from that… haha…. Sunday morning we both did a work out so pre-work out, DH had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Weird, I know but he loves that stuff. I eat a cold oatmeal mixture with plain yogurt, some honey for flavoring, and diced up bananas/strawberries/blackberries. For post workout, DH had a protein shake (we switched to plant based protein but in the past did animal protein). For lunch I made one of those quinoa bowls so the base of the bowl was red/white quinoa (central market has these pouches and all you do is heat it up!!) with some spring mix salad. Then for the toppings I also had edamame, diced up radishes, seaweed salad, kimchi, and avocado. I also had some left over miso soup with tofu so it went well with the Asian type bowl I made. So the primary protein of the meal was quinoa, edamame, and tofu. For dinner, since we ate cookies and other treats throughout the day, was opted to be smaller. I roasted up butter nut squash and acorn squash together. I also had some toast where I spread some olive tapenade on top and cut up fresh cucumbers on top. In this meal, there wasn’t really much protein in it but after reading the articles and listening to my body, I this it’s a misconception (I still struggle with it too) that you need tons of protein for every meal. So it was a light veggie dinner that left us satisfied and not stuffed. Hope that helps but I’m not that good every day!

@Jimmianne – Can’t wait to see the finished product. Good luck trying on the setting. So nice to be able to see it in person!

Hello Mr. Monet! Nice sweater!

@Austina – Sad to report that I didn’t do any line dancing. But it was so cold that I was moving to the music a little bit?! Just not on the dance floor. : )

Hope you had fun at the charity tonight and how neat that you won raffle tickets! Way to go on supporting chidren’s hospice. How did you get connected with them?

@Calliecake – Oh man 40s sound warm to you? You must live up north! : ) Hope you get your presents all wrapped up and ready for Christmas!

@missy – Way to go on organizing the supply cabinets. Hope you had fun watching the Nutcracker! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ballet performance in person before. Wonder if I will enjoy it? I do like some musicals but not all.

Hope your toe is feeling better! Adorable photo of your cat! Hard to get house chores done with the cats all want to play and get attention. : )

@springerspaniel – Sorry to hear about the migraines but the snowshoeing sounds fun! I’ve never done it before but I’ve tried cross country skiing. OOHhh dogs in booties are so adorable. We did a 14er in Colorado one time. I think we were only engaged back then since it was many years ago and as we were resting, sitting down, a dog went straight up to me and ate the rest of my bagel! The owner was embarrassed but I didn’t mind at all. He did have on his hiking booties though. Adorable pup. Wish I had taken a photo!

@marcy – Cuddle Duds is an interesting name. Hope it keeps you nice and warm.

You mentioned family dinner next week. I’m assuming this is a Christmas dinner that you are hosting? What are you making for the meal. Good luck with it!

@junebug17 – Glad you had fun visiting DD and her boyfriend. I don’t think you’ve mentioned her boyfriend before. Is there mom approval? : ) Have they been together for awhile?

@canuk-gal – Yummm lasagna! Stay warm with those upcoming temperatures!

 

[PierreBear]

Hello ladies! I'll share my update in another post since my catching up was getting so long. The Friday night church surprise was interesting. There were 3 charter buses lined up when we got there. We got there about 5 minutes before the buses were leaving, so cutting it close. Waiting in our chairs was some holiday chex mix and a playing card. We learned later that the playing card indicated the team you were in for some HOLIDAY TRIVIA..... my worst nightmare. Mid-way during the bus ride, where we still weren't sure where we were going to, they start playing the game show host music. Then you were supposed to get with your teams and "buzz in" and answer questions. We must have been the only lame people with an Android instead of an Iphone since the application they told us to use didn't work for us. hahaha... so that was memorable. We finally get to our end destination and it was this ranch retreat. Beautiful round tables set up with candles/ribbons/wreath as a center piece. They served up really delicious food and had a hot chocolate bar station and smores throughout the ranch. They also had a raffle, which was the purpose of winning trivia to get tickets. Memorable time and it was chilly but glad I brought gloves and ear warmers. I know all you northern gals are laughing at me. I didn't figure out my feet situation though. Even with boots on, my little toes were still cold. I guess wool socks are the way to do it!

So that was Friday night. Saturday we did brunch with our run group. Got some delicious tacos. Then went to a cookie exchange. Pretty neat! I made a green tea matcha cookie. Everyone displayed their cookies and at the end of the party, you would take home one of each cookie. I wish I took a photo of the variety but it was soooooo neat to see all the different types. Martha Stewart would have been so proud of that event. Then in the evening we went to my former college roommate's holiday party. There was a DIY white elephant party. I cheated and brought the cookies I made and some of the other cookies that other people made. Making it a DIY gift exchange was pretty interesting. Some people painted a picture and other people made coasters.... etc. Think we might do this idea in the future one day.

Sunday we kept it tame. Needed one day to recover. Whew!! Hope ya'll had a great weekend as well and a wonderful week ahead. Stay warm!

 

[Scandinavian]

Good afternoon girls!
I’m alive despite standing outside selling hot dogs and cakes from 9.00-15.30 both Saturday and Sunday. The evenings were spent trying to get the house ready for a little party on Friday. Have no idea how to pull it of without a kitchen, LOL but we will make due somehow. After all, you don’t really need a kitchen to open Champagne bottles, now do you?? LOL

@Jimmianne, please come on over and stop by anytime!! The northern lights are amazing, but you can’t see them from where I live, unfortunately, not far enough north. Rather cold here now, about minus 14 C, which is about 5 F I think. So pretty cold. At least for standing still outside for two whole days, not to be recommended… But not to worry, I’ll keep you occupied

@missy, worried to read about your toe and thinking of you! The picture of you and G is wonderful. I *really* love your jacket! Is that the new one?

All of you, thank you for comments re black and white tiles!! The kitchen floor can not be saved, unfortunately, because is it gone… It went into the dumpster and of and away before I knew what had happened.

Update as requested :

 

[Scandinavian]

From phone

 

[MarionC]

Ouf! Scandi your fireplace !!! Very Euro (lol of course), it is my dream fireplace
Yes it does sound too cold to stand outside, run outside or generally stick one’s nose outside the door. Forget selling hotdogs and cakes as you did! Very good.

Thanks, PBear, and Mr.Monet fhanks you.
I’m waiting on pins & needles to get my ring, and saying a little prayer that they got it right.
Your event sounds amazing, quite holidayish and fun.

And another person braving the weather to have fun...Missy, fun to see you all bundled up and braving the weather for culture’s sake. Where IS that man’s hat?!!

Glad some of the NIRDIs are getting out so others of us can stay indoors and live vicariously.

June, fun to hear you ordered your car and looking forward to the details.

Hi everyone Happy Monday going on Tuesday.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, it sounds like there will be 20 of us here on Christmas Eve. My sister and nieces are really good at helping me clean up. I get my young nephews to carry all the dishes to the kitchen for me so that all helps. I could drive to your beach house, take a selfie of me and my car by the beach then head back. I wonder if Marty would miss me? You do have a lot of great shows lined up to see next year. I love the picture of you and Greg; that would be me and Marty - me all bundled up and Marty just minimal cold weather clothes.

PierreBear, I am with your DH; PB & J are awesome. That is pretty cute that pup ate your bagel on your climb. Marty and a friend climbed a 13er one time; they camped over night half way up and the second morning saw some speck catching up to them quickly. He passed them by, got to the top and when they got there he was eating some McDonald’s hamburgers that he picked up in town that day. Kind of took the wind out of their sail. I have some of the Land’s End thermal underwear but don’t remember what they call them. I am going to need them all next week. We have 20 people coming here for dinner on Christmas Eve. We are cooking chicken in mushroom sauce, homemade BBQ sauce on beef ribs, seasoned potatoes (both sweet and regular), green bean casserole, dinner rolls, salad and cookies. Your Friday night outing sounds like a lot of fun. Mm to Chex mix - was it homemade? The cookie exchange sounds like a great idea.

Scandi, your house looks fabulous. I am sure your party will be fine - who needs a kitchen to have fun?

Jimmianne, I am so anxious to see your ring. Hurry up and get Mildred home.

One more day of work. Woo hoo! I’ll be skipping all the way to my car about 5 tomorrow.

I am still sore and achy today and my stiff neck gave me headache. I feel like someone beat me up and came back for seconds. Probably a lot of it is the cold front and snow moving our way.

My new Coach Snoopy wallet showed up today. I snagged it already; it isn’t going in my Christmas stocking. Ha!

I moved my retinals exam from this Friday to next Friday. I had no desire to be at the eye doctor at 7:30 am on a Friday when I don’t have to get up to go to work. Especially with the cold and snow they are predicting.

Have a great day.
Marcy

 

[junebug17]

Hiya nirdis!

Missy, wow, amazing it’s going to take so long for the building to get a CO and get the gas back on, ugh. I’m hoping there’s some solution and it won’t take that long. I wonder what others in the building are doing, going to laundromats and dry cleaners I guess? You day sounds lovely and I’m glad you and Greg enjoyed yourselves. Love the pic, you both look great!!! Very exciting you have tickets for other events, it’s a great way to get out of the house and beat the winter doldrums. Zoe is doing great - eating and playing and sleeping, who could ask for more?

Austina, the event sounds like it was a success and I’m glad you had a good time. Lol to almost being trampled! How fun you won 2 prizes, good idea about donating to the charity and I’m sure your friends appreciated the wine. I went with black exterior and light brown interior for the car, I’ve never had a black car before.

Sharon, sorry about the return of the cold weather! I hate the cold too. Hope work is going well for you. Yum to lasagna, one of my all time favorite foods.

CJ, sending good thoughts to Mousey for a quick recovery from her URI. Thanks for taking such good care of her. Tea and cookies sounds delicious, glad you treated yourself! I hope you catch up on your sleep and are feeling better soon, take care and hugs.

Marcy, I do remember you tracking your car! That was so much fun. I couldn't remember what extras I got on the car but I just looked at the order form and we got the premium package plus, which includes upgraded headlights, panoramic roof system, front and back heated seats, and Bose sound system. Leather package in black/Luxor beige. Also ParkAssist front and rear with surround view, thermal and noise insulated glass, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Change Assist, adaptive cruise control, heated steering wheel in dark walnut. Looking forward to getting it!

I’m sorry your neck is bothering you and you’re feeling sore. Hope you feel better soon. Your Snoopy wallet is adorable! Good idea to switch your appointment, no reason to get up early when you don’t have to and one week isn’t going to make any difference. I got very hungry when I read your Christmas menu, it sounds so delicious. Yay to your vacation starting soon!

PB, your church outing sounds like it was really nice! I especially like the part about the delicious food and hot chocolate, yum. Sounds like the cookie exchange was a good time as well. You had a busy couple of days, I don’t blame you for taking it easy on Sunday! DD’s boyfriend seems like a nice guy, I’ve only met him a few times so feel like I don’t know him that well but dd seems to be happy...for now anyway lol! They knew each other for a while but started dating at the beginning of the summer.

Scandi, wow, it must have been tough being out in the cold for so long, really good of you to help out like that. And yes, as long as you keep the champagne flowing everyone will have a fabulous time lol! I LOVE the pics of your finished room, that fireplace is absolutely gorgeous!!! Love the choices you made, you really have excellent taste.

Jimmianne, I am so excited about your ring and I’m dying to see it! You must post pics immediately if not sooner haha!

Spent today going to Costco, the post office, and the bank - oh my gosh it was crazy! A lot of traffic and so many people out and about. I’m determined to finish wrapping gifts tomorrow.

Sorry if I missed something, this thread moves fast!!! Have a good Tuesday everyone!

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!
I’ll have to try to get some work done today. Oh no. LOL.
@missy, all those tickets sound like a dream. Makes me want to take a plane in your direction asap.
@Jimmianne, any ring yet?? I’m also really waiting for it!
@June, picture of the car?
@marcy, oh I love that wallet!! So pretty and cute and fun, all at once!

Going to get some fake lashes today, and then nails tomorrow. Have to be Champagne ready for Friday, LOL. I’m also trying to write a tiny little “welcome” speech, don’t know if that is custom where you live, but here it is all part of good manners for a dinner party. Alas. But a lot of the people don’t know each other, so I was thinking to try to say something a little entertaining about each of them just to give them enough information about each other to get them talking. We shall see how that goes…. Music is organised as in outsourced to one of the guests. LOL. So is a little party gimmick, on of the guests is a professional photographer so asked her to take some polaroid pictures of all guests before dinner. Thought it could be fun as a conversation starter. Oh, and I have sent out gift bags to all the guests with 1920s dresses (after first sending out a cryptic email asking them all for their favourite colour) and head pieces for the girls (amazing how many auctions I won on ebay, I need more guests, come on over?), and hats, scarfs etc for the boys. I must have had too many years to plan this party… LOL. Oh, and one of the girls is an author, so I have asked her to read something festive. Oh, and I have ordered 50 super dark red velvet’ish roses to decorate the house with something red. Can’t do too many Christmas ornaments, gives me a headache LOL. So what have I forgotten??? I really feel like I have forgotten something. The food is all planned, so not that… Wine ordered. So not that either… Hmmmmm……. LOL

Hugs!

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, i seriously covet yur Snoopy wallet. Hahahaha indeed! I hope you feel better soon. Ugh for aches and pains. <3

Holy moly, Scandi. What a party!!! Yur lucky friends. I can’t wait to hear all about it. Maybe you can post some photos??? With chipmunks, of course.

I KNOW! Where is Mildred??!! No problem, though. I know they are working on it as fast as they can.
Today is my knit group Christmas lunch ...with margaritas. Not for me, but it should be fun to see those knitters party. God that sounds boring. I need to get a life!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy love your new Snoopy coach wallet...perfect! And haha yes I am sure Marty would miss you. Just bring him along! Glad your sister and nieces will help you clean up after your Christmas Eve party and that your nephew will do the heavy lifting. Nice to have loved ones who are happy to help.

Aww I am sorry you are still sore. Hoping you wake this AM all better. Your party will be fabulous. How could it not with your home cooking and baking. What time shall we arrive?

Yay your vacation is almost here. Yes LOL I know you would be dressed like me and Marty like Greg. But of course our men cannot let a little thing like subfreezing temps stop them. And we have our own challenges. I had an itchy hot rash on my arms yesterday literally all afternoon and evening and through bedtime. I had to go to sleep with a cold pack on my left arm it was so itchy. There is a remnant of the rash and itch somewhat today but thankfully less than yesterday. Seeing David and we will see what exotic mysterious disease I have this time.

But then hopefully we are onto the beach house woohoo. We have lots of things to do in the next 12 days or so. I am not sure how much of a relaxing staycation it will be but that is OK. Hopefully it will be all worth it by the summer!

Junie your sweet Zoe has the life of Riley and she lucked out finding you and your family. How exciting about your new car. You and Marcy will be car twins haha. Cannot wait for you to get your luxurious car and what a perfect way to zip around town in...in style. I love all the extras you are getting especially the parking help. If only they could make a car that could parallel park itself. Then I would be in business haha. Let's just say Marcy's nickname might apply to me at times too.
So glad your DD's guy is a nice man and hoping their relationship keeps growing strong. Yes I can imagine the post office and the bank are crazy right now and good for you for sending out all your packages and cards and almost being finished wrapping. I haven't sent any cards out. I cannot seem to get my act together. I don't usually send cards out but I do for a few and I haven't gotten started yet. I cannot even find the few cards I did purchase to send out. Thanks for the lovely compliments. (((Hugs))).

I think others in my building are sending it out (my allergies too numerous for me to trust them to do it exactly the way I need it done) and others going to a laundromat which is our other option...or I should say Greg's option if it comes down to us still needing options after the holidays.

And if you and your dh want to join us for anything in the city after the holiday madness is over let me know and I can get us tickets to another performance. I am on a roll haha. Or we can just meet for bling and food. Either way is good and will help cheer the winter blues away!

Scandi love the house. Feels so down home and earthy yet glamorous too. The only time I ever wore fake lashes was my wedding and lol they really add the glamour but once in a lifetime is enough for me. Cannot wait for more photos and yay for your upcoming party. Sounds like fun. I love gift bags-how can you go wrong? Please take some photos of your party in action. Will your pups be in attendance? By the way how is F? Did she recover fully from her summer surgery? Hoping for a happy update.

PierreBear your church outing sounded lovely and glad you both had fun. Brunch with your run group the next day sounded good and the food delicious. Good idea to rest up on Sunday and hope your week is going well. I think you would enjoy the ballet and yes even musicals if it is the right one. I don't like bad musicals either so it has to be a catchy show for it to be worth it. For example I bet Hello Dolly will be terrific as was Fiddler, Carousel, South Pacific, Wicked, King and I, to name a few. But again it has to be the right show. It's worth going to a worthwhile musical to see what you think. For me nothing compares to a good live show be it musical or symphony, or ballet or opera or play. A good live performance makes you feel energized and involved and engaged and alive.

Jimmianne when are you receiving your ring? We are (im)patiently waiting...

Off to see David and then back here to pack up the kitties and laundry (so much laundry) and then off to the beach. Busy busy day and hope you all have a good one.

 

[PierreBear]

It's going to be a good week. DH is taking PTO all week long... well sorta. Still have to put in some work hours but on the most part, there is flexibility to do things in the evening with me. Yesterday we cut each other's hair. I know it's bizarre but my hair is long and straight. Anyone can cut it and he does a decent job. Then I just use clippers on his hair. Then, we cooked dinner together. Lastly, winded down with a Netflix series we are watching together. Tonight, we are going to do a workout together and try out a new restaurant. I long for more nights like this but will appreciate it while it's here. Is it too early for us to retire? hehehe....

Confession from yesterday though. I was a bad cat mama and left a rubber band out by accident. My cat decided to chomp chomp chomp, play away, and swallowed part of it. Didn't pull it away from him in time and he swallowed part of it. After 5 vomit attempts later, he threw it up. Hurray! However, I was feeling guilty yesterday. I haven't learned that rubber bands are more interesting than cat toys. Go figure!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful day. Stay warm!

@Scandinavian – Progress pictures look amazing! I appreciate you sharing. Pictures of your fake lashes please! I bet your party is going to be fantastic! Wish I was coming!!

What are you serving for the meal? Catering it or are you having to cook it all?

@marcy – How funny to see that someone packed McDonald’s Hamburgers. We’ve backpacked for about 3 days straight (you could only access by train) and didn’t have any option to go out and get food. Dehydrated food and dry nuts and jerky sure does get old. I always try to bring a couple of bags of ramen too since it’s nice and light. Ahhhh I miss being in the outdoors. We are going to plan some camping/hiking trips next year and am looking forward to it already after revisiting some of these memories with you.

Goodness, 20 people to serve on Christmas Eve. You are a saint! Your meal plan sounds amazing. Yes the chex mix was home made.

Cute snoopy wallet!

@junebug17 – Oh well as long as DD’s boyfriend takes good care of her, that’s a thumbs up in my book. It is their first Christmas together though. I wonder if they are exchanging gifts. It’s always tricky, is it too early to do gifts or it’s never too early to do something nice for each other. I remember back in the day when DH and I were just dating and getting to know each other, we said no gifts for Christmas. He got me something anyhow and I followed the rules and didn’t get him anything. Ooppsss… haha

@missy – Hope you have a great time at the beach. Thanks for sharing some of the musicals you would recommend. I try to catch a few here and there when they come to town but I bet nothing beats seeing some in NY. The one I’ve seen in NY was called Avenue Q. Pretty hilarious but a bit different from the other musicals you named. It’s more along the lines of Book of Mormon if you’ve heard of that one. Purely comedic.

 

[missy]

PierreBear we LOVED Avenue Q. Saw it 3 times I loved it so much. Twice off Broadway (started as Off Broadway but when it got so popular went on Broadway) and once on Broadway. So funny! I saw Book of Mormon too and didn't like that one much. Especially for the exorbitant ticket prices. I believe we paid twice as much for that musical of any musical I have ever seen. Unless we go to Hamilton and that would exceed Book of Mormon prices. If you and your dh come to NYC we can get tickets for something enjoyable together. That would be lovely.

At the beach now and it is so nice to be here. Doctor appointment this morning was terribly stressful and he isn't sure what I have though he is concentrating on treating my eczema which has also flared right now. Prescribed a bunch of stuff that will not be covered by insurance but hey whatcha gonna do. Right now the itching is excessively uncomfortable and I want to jump (literally) out of my skin. But I am holding it together because what else can I do? David and Greg both said to just hang in there. Easier said than done LOL.

Sounds like you have a wonderful weekend planned with your dh and I love hearing about your plans and your time together...warms my heart and makes me smile...you are a young Missy and Greg in many ways and I mean that in the best possible way dear PierreBear...Enjoy your weekend and enjoy your dh!!!