happy Monday!

[Deleted User]

good morning!  I hope everyone had a fun weekend... fill me in!!

this morning has already been busy.  I've been at work for a whole 20 minutes, and I've already made a pot of coffee, dropped the coffee filter thingy in a kitchen dumpster, so I had to dig it out (I'm 4'10", so I was basically dumpster diving, in a new sweater, yuck), dripped old coffee that someone left in the filter on Friday, so I've had to hand-mop the floors to clean it up, and been called a "little girl".  *sigh*  hopefully it is not going to be one of those days!!

@GoldenPenguin and @TwoDimes are new homeowners!!  come share with us!!

I had a pretty good weekend.  Friday I was off at lunch... I tried to go home and take a nap, but someone was drilling on the fence outside so I couldn't sleep.  boo!  we had our family photos.  I've seen one teaser, and it's very pretty!

we went to the outlet malls on Friday night.  they were having a 50% off (plus 10% more with a coupon) and I picked up some cold weather things.  I got the CUUUUUTEST black and white polka dot puffy vest.  totally wearing it this week when it isn't supposed to get above freezing.

I also found a purple lace dress to wear to H's company cocktail party in December, so hooray!

Saturday was my LAAAAAST PMP class!! I submitted my application for the test, so I'll hear by Friday if I am rejected or accepted, and then I can schedule my PMP certification exam.  I have to take a class final this week, so that will be a good indicator of how I'm doing.  after class, we gorged on Guatemalan pancakes and breakfast burrito, went grocery shopping, and took a nap.  my mom and I went shopping that evening.  I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping!!

is anyone off tomorrow?  technically I'm not, but the base will be closed so I either have to work or use leave.  since I don't have any leave, I worked 4 hours over the weekend and I'll make up the time this week.  I plan on taking my class final tomorrow, and then H has the day off so we'll spend some time watching movies or something.

[Deleted User]

That awesome moment when the lone Okies on the board think alike and start the Monday threads at the same time...

[Deleted User]

#highfive #boomer!

Hummingbird125

Good morning!

I had a lovely, fairly lazy weekend. Saturday morning we took the pup to her favorite dog park in the city, spent most of the afternoon snuggling on the couch and catching up on our shows, and then we went to BBB to start our registry. FI had more fun than he thought he would! After that, we picked up pizza and went home.

Yestetday I cleaned while FI watched football, and I spent almost two whole hours on the phone with one of my best friends. FI found an awesome website builder for our wedding website, so we did a lot of work on that, and we had fondue and wine for dinner. Today the lucky guy has off from work, and I haven't had nearly enough coffee :-(

[Deleted User]

my coffee is so strong this morning!  we had a new bag, and apparently it's a lot stronger than what we usually buy at work.  WHOA.

@Hummingbird125 - fondue sounds really good!!  did you get a lot of your registry done over the weekend, or do you still have a lot left to do?

Dignity100

I had an OK weekend, I'm trying to remember what we did.

Friday we went out to Panera to figure out our health insurance situation.  H and I are just going to combine during open enrollment, it made the most sense and was the best for our out of pocket expenses.  We also booked our January Disney trip!!!  YAY!!  We're *only* going for Wed - Sat.  H said he'd like to go back in May for Star Wars Weekends and he knows I'd like to do an anniversary trip, so hopefully we make the most of our annual passes!

Saturday we got up late.  I had to do some grocery shopping, got home later than I wanted to.  We watched some TV when we got home and I fell asleep during the Ohio State game.

Sunday I got up early.  MIL had given us a ton of apples, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.  I knew we had a play that night - so I made corned beef and cabbage and an apple pie.  I did 3 loads of laundry as well.  We saw Disney's Newsies for our play - it was ok.

I think we're going to renew our gym membership.  We didn't go at all, but I need to get back to working out and eating right.  Since the wedding I've gained 2lbs, and I would prefer to lose weight instead of gain.  I need to figure out some motivation!!

MsSparky

Good morning! Congratulations to the new home owners! Had a fairly low key weekend here too. Friday I went out for sushi with my parents to one of my favorite places. Saturday was work for most of the morning, then I reorganized my kitchen which I've been wanting to do for months. Sunday I ran a 10k over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which was so much fun. At the top you're 200 feet over the water! Sunday night BF and I tried a new local pub then came home and played board games. Now it's Monday and time from drink all the coffee

[Deleted User]

@Dignity100 - please send me a piece of apple pie!!!!  I've never made corned beef and cabbage, but it's definitely something I want to try sometime.

[Deleted User]

Good morning!

My weekend was much needed. Friday night we went to Mexican with some friends and we drank lots of margaritas. We had a rough week to say the least.

Saturday H and I lounged all morning and then I went shopping with my mom and @LaPeanut1018. I bought lots of Christmas things and some new things for myself. We went to lunch at Carraba's because I was craving some pasta! It was noms! H's friend came to visit us that afternoon and he hung out with us for a little while and watched football. It was a pretty chill day.

Sunday we watched more football and the Falcons finally won a game after a 5 game losing streak! Then we went to H's mom's house to pick up a car for us to drive this week since one of our's is in the shop. We went on a long walk and Maddux was soooo tired when we got home. He just passed out on the bed and didn't move for a good two hours until H and I got ready for bed. 

lmcooper86

Goooooood morning!

I need my tea to cool down to drinking temperature...I'm not fully functional yet!

My weekend was nice and fairly relaxing. Friday night I went to pick up FI's Christmas present, which turned into a 2 hour ordeal with traffic and other nonsense. And FI got stuck in ridiculous traffic coming down to my place so he was not impressed. But we went and grabbed groceries and picked up something quick for dinner and went home and watched the most recent X-Men movie and just relaxed.

Saturday I had a whole day to myself. FI left early for hockey and had some stuff to do at home, so I got to sleep in a bit and then I cooked and cleaned pretty much all day. It was incredibly relaxing and was exactly what I wanted and now I have rice pudding in the fridge and a ton of soup and 2 pre-made mac and cheese in the freezer. And then FI came back downtown and we went to the Leafs game and watched them beat the Rangers (woo!)

Sunday was church, lunch with FI's dad, caught up on Big Bang Theory and Homeland (@Swazzle you were not lying about last week's episode!!) and took a nap. And then last night we went out with my parents and my sister and her BF for my dad's 60th birthday.

So a lovely relaxing weekend, and now I'm back at work. Boo.

Swazzle

Good morning, everyone! 

My weekend was lovely. I worked a half day on Friday and drove down to my parents' house. My mom and I were lazy all weekend and I snuggled my babies the whole time. We saw Nightcrawler which I thought was great, Jake Gyllenhaal is such a creep, and my mom fell asleep during. 

I got home last night and cooked dinner and packed! H and I are staying at a hotel tonight and tomorrow night and we leave early Wednesday morning for FL. We're flying into West Palm Beach and staying in Fort Lauderdale. We'll be at the Dolphins/Bills game Thursday night. I can't wait for warm weather and relaxation! 

Swazzle

@CocoBellaF - I'm off tomorrow! And the rest of the week

@hummingbird125 - I want pizza and fondue, please.

@Dignity100 - Yay for vacations!

@MsSparky - I hate bridges and that one scared me the most when I was little. 

@southernpeach89 - I'm thinking of starting my Christmas shopping today. My mom spoke of nothing else all weekend and it stressed me out. I have no idea what to get anyone

@lmcooper86 - Wasn't it SO good?! I can't wait to watch this week's episode which I'll probably save for tonight with H. 

[Deleted User]

@swazzle -I know I started making lists this weekend of who all we need to get gifts for. Luckily this year will be less than last year since most of our family (mainly H's) is going out of town so we would usually only give gifts if we were getting together with them but since they are going to Disney, we will just send probably some wine or coffee.

KeptInStitches

Good morning!

The weekend was pretty overwhelming for FI and me. Friday I was at my parents' place, tagging my inventory for the show and watching "The Roosevelts." I got through the first four parts, and I'm enjoying it so far.

Saturday morning my mom and I went out to the craft show before FI got the call that they were turning off the machines. His grandma died about 3 hours later. I am gutted that he was alone. I feel so guilty, but we didn't know things were going that badly, none of us did. They'd been keeping us fairly well in the loop, so all I can assume is that things went south really fast.

Not that it matters in the slightest anymore, but ... my mom, dad, FI, and I all worked the craft show at one point or another on Saturday. Mom, Dad, and I were there from the beginning; FI came over mid-afternoon. It was a nice day with my mom, but I didn't move nearly as much inventory as I had thought - only about 1/4 of it, and I think of the crafters there I had the worst day. I will have to reassess my long-term strategy. Ah well. I'll move 2 baby afghans this week and maybe a lapghan as well. FI was so helpful at the end of the day - he got my mom's and my inventory packed up, loaded all three cars (inventory, pop flats, Christmas trees, etc.), and did a bunch of other stuff. It made it possible for my mom, dad, and me to work on high finance for the lady who runs the show.

Sunday was quiet. FI and I were both pretty overwhelmed from the whole weekend, so we laid around and watched football for most of the day. I cast on the new baby afghan for his stepsister - she's due in February. He worked on fixing his sister's laptop. Things to keep us slightly occupied.

[Deleted User]

LINK - this is the lace dress I found, only mine is purple.  they had it in petites, so it fits really well!!  I plan to put a little black cardi over it (I'll freeze to death!) with a sparkly brooch.  not sure on shoes, yet.

labro

@KeptInStitches I'm so sorry about your FI's grandmother. I hope you are both holding up ok today.

@Swazzle Have fun on your vacation this week!!!

My weekend was pretty low-key. My mom came to stay with us Friday night while my dad went for a hike on the Appalachian trail. On Saturday we woke up early and had coffee together before meeting up with @southernpeach89 for some shopping. I thought about doing some Christmas shopping but didn't really see anything that caught my eye. My dad cut his hike short that day because of a severe cold front coming in so he came home Saturday and had burgers and French fries at my house with me and my mom and H.

Sunday we got some projects done around the house before we went to the mall to spend some of our giftcards. We ended up ordering some more of the crystal we registered for (4 wine glasses and two double old fashioned glasses) and got a super deal on it. The lady gave us 25% off instead of our completion discount of 20% and then because I had a Macy's card she gave me an additional 15% off of our total. I also bought some regular wine glasses from Pottery Barn with another giftcard (because all the ones I have now are either chipped or I hate them and I've also broken a lot) and bought a cast iron dutch oven from Crate and Barrel. We tried returning a couple rando gifts we got from H's extended family but since they didn't give us gift receipts we don't know where they came from and none of the stores we tried would take them. So I guess it's off to Goodwill for them! I gave my dad the bendy floor lamp we received to use in his shop so I guess one of the gifts will go to some sort of use.

For dinner on Sunday I made a super tasty chicken enchilada soup recipe (clicky!)!!! It was in the slow cooker allll day and came out perfectly spiced and tender and delicious. I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!

speakeasy14

Good morning everyone! I had a decent weekend.  Friday, bf & I worked on the house for a little until the fumes from the caulk gave me a migraine.  Then we went to his friend's house and I brought a cake since half of bf's friends are veterans.  Saturday, I went for a pedicure with my mom and it was soooooo amazing.  When the woman was finished I was able to easily move my foot and toes -- which made me feel brave enough to not wear my brace yesterday.

@cocobellaf I am one of those people who have to work tomorrow. I think Veteran's Day should be a national holiday where everything is closed; I never understood why places are closed for Columbus Day but not Veteran's Day.  Also, corned beef is really easy to make, we make it every year for St. Patrick's day.  It is really salty and I never eat salt which is why I only have it once a year, but it soooo good.  

@dignity100 yay for a winter Disney trip!! I went around Christmas one time, and it was sooo nice to wear shorts in December.  

@southernpeach89 it sounds like your weekend was way better than your week! How are you feeling?

[Deleted User]

@speakeasy14 -I'm feeling much better. I just got a call from the collision center that is repairing the car and they are getting started on it today so I'm hoping that by the time they are finished that the insurance company has the police report and can therefore intercede with the other insurance company and get that paid for.

GoldenPenguin

Good morning! I had a good weekend. Friday night I worked. Saturday morning, I got up & went over to the house to meet with another floor guy to get an estimate. I liked the guy from Thursday better. FI wants to get one more estimate, and then hopefully we can get them done asap. Saturday afternoon/evening, I worked more - two hockey games. We won Saturday night, which was awesome - and means we're in first place in our conference! Yay!!

Yesterday, FI & I went to get breakfast at our favorite diner, and then went to the Home Depot for the fourth time in less than a week. We got all the painting supplies we need, a new lockset for the backdoor, and some cleaning supplies. Then we spent the rest of the day at the house, painting the kitchen! 

Before: 

After: 

I am SO happy with it. The color is exactly what I wanted - I think it brightens everything up so much. We're going to paint all the doors white too, which I think will look way better than the tan that they currently are. I read on Young House Love about a way to lighten the grout in the tiles, and I think I want to do that on the floor. 

After we finished inside, we did a little yard work before it was too dark, and then went back to the apartment and crashed on the couch. We ordered in some food, watched TV, and went to bed early. It was a delightful little Sunday.

speakeasy14

@goldenpenguin I love that color! I was planning on painting most of the rooms a grey/white color because I like that better than beige.  Also, it goes really well with your back splash.

[Deleted User]

@GoldenPenguin -It looks sooo good! Love it!

Dignity100

@CocoBellaF - For Corned Beef, this is the recipe I always follow and it turns out really really really good: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-corned-beef-and-cabbage/

@Swazzle - good to hear you're getting away for a few days - you deserve it after the ordeal you guys have been going through.

@Southernpeach89 - You could send them like an in-room celebration surprise at Disney (if they're staying on site or at an area resort that Disney Floral would deliver too - http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandgifts.com - they are kind of pricey though).

@KeptInStitches - Sorry that you feel guilty about not being with your FI for when his grandmother passed.  

@GoldenPenguin - the space looks SO much bigger with the lighter color.

Swazzle

@GoldenPenguin - I CAN'T EVEN. IT LOOKS SO AMAZING IN THAT COLOR!

Peaseblossom55

Ah this reminds me I really need to work on my Christmas lists

Friday night I was at the theater. I ran into a few friends, stayed pretty late but it was fun catching up with people. Saturday we ran a bunch of errands did some stuff around the house and went out to dinner.  H & I noticed on Saturday evening one of our cats wasn't feeling well.  She seemed to not want to eat as much and had puked.  She still wasn't better this morning or Sunday.  We have a vet appointment this evening.  I hope she is ok. 

Sunday H had a hockey game and I was just lazy watching football and reading.  It was a nice weekend though.

GoldenPenguin

@speakeasy14 - the color we went with is Glidden Stone Harbor Greige. I originally thought it was going to be too light, but it ended up drying the perfect color! 

speakeasy14

@goldenpenguin Thanks! Definitely wrote that color down

[Deleted User]

@speakeasy14 - it was a year and a half before I was brave enough to go get a pedicure after my last foot surgery.  *embarrassed*

@GoldenPenguin - that is the perfect color, I love how it transformed the space!!

Peaseblossom55

@GoldenPenguin I love that color!

speakeasy14

@cocobellaf I've been really babying myself.  My mom basically dragged me and said I needed to relax.  I was so nervous the whole time and the poor woman was so nervous and kept asking if I was ok.  I kept anticipating for it to hurt, but it didn't at all. 

AlPacina

@MsSparky - That sounds like such a great run! I'm trying to get myself motivated to go run in the next hour. But it won't be nearly as nice as yours sounds. What board games did you play?

@Swazzle - Is it worth seeing in theaters? Or will it be as good if I wait for it to come out on disc? Your trip sounds fabulous!

@keptInStitches - I'm so sorry to hear about his grandma.

@LaPeanut1018 - Bendy floor lamp? Yes, so glad your dad is able to take that off your hands, haha. I don't know if I'm picturing it right, but I had one of those in my college dorm room.

---------------------------------

I got so much freakin cross stitching done this weekend. It's so colorful and awesome! That's about all I accomplished though. My dog had his play date, but the other dog was already all tired from going on a long walk, so my pup didn't actually get too much exercise. We didn't end up trying the dog park either, so still no idea how that's gonna go.

I'm working from home today because most people in my office decided to take monday off and make a four day weekend out of it. I didn't run as soon as I got up, like normal, so I'm going to do it soon. The dog is so hyper and driving me crazy. I'd better get out of here ASAP.

eilis1228

@CocoBellaF HOORAY FOR YOUR LAST CLASS! I know you're ready to have your Saturdays back so you can spend time with H and your family. I hope you're able to take the test soon! Also, please AW pics when you get them back.

@Hummingbird125 Did you guys register for anything unique or goofy? I always love when you see something random on registries that deviates from the typical flatware, china, towels, etc. 

@Dignity100 YAY for Disney! I hope you guys are able to go for Star Wars weekend too. It looks like SO much fun!

@southernpeach89 I'm so glad you were able to relax this weekend. Are you sore at all?

@lmcooper86 Ugh, traffic on Friday nights is the worst. Were you able to pick up his present at least? What'd you get him?

@Swazzle Ahhh so jealous of FL! You guys are going to have so much fun.

@KeptinStitches Oh wow, I'm so sorry about everything. I completely forgot that you had your craft show this weekend on top of your FI's grandmother passing. What a rough day. *hugs*

@LaPeanut1018 Holy awesome deals, Batman! 

@speakeasy14 That's great that you were able to get away with not wearing the brace! 

My weekend was really busy. FI and I didn't have time to run errands or clean or anything that we normally do on Sundays to prep for the week. Methinks I'll be doing all of that tonight.

Friday I was in Missouri until about 7. I'm not a fan of Kansas City's airport. It's itty bitty, and the food/security setup is really weird. There's basically no real food other than a couple of restaurants (one was named Budweiser...), a Starbucks, and the snack places at all airports. All of this food was outside security. Security was set up at the gate, and it encompassed maybe a handful or two of gates. Once you passed security, you only had access to those 10 gates, and there was one bathroom and one snack food place inside. So, my dinner was a muffin from Starbucks that night. I was not impressed. Anywho, I chatted with a really nice lady the whole flight back, and then we landed around 9. We were stuck on the runway for about half an hour because they couldn't find an open gate for us, and then the gate they did find was malfunctioning. I finally deplaned around 9:40, and then FI and I grabbed dinner for him and got home around 11. I passed out pretty quickly after that.

Saturday I woke up early and got my stitches out! Hooray! My appointment was at 8:30, so it was waaaay too early for my liking, but oh well. When I sat down in the chair, the dental assistant looked at my file and said that since it'd only been 2 weeks since the procedure, the peridontist may not take my stitches out after all. Obviously I was not happy to hear that since they're the ones who called me to reschedule to an earlier appointment... but they ended up taking them out thankfully, and all is well. I got my nails done after that, and then FI and I went to my brother's swim meet nearby. We hung out with my parents and had lunch with them afterwards. It was fun. That night FI and I went to a friend's house to celebrate his birthday. It was a low-key night with lots of board games. 

Sunday was consumed with engagement pics. I woke up, went to MAC to get my makeup done, and then FI and I got ready. We were both REALLY nervous and kept changing our minds on clothes. It was pretty funny. Pictures started around 4:30, but unfortunately since yesterday was the last pretty, warm, sunny, not windy day we're going to have for a while, there were TONS of photographers at the park we chose. We found a few different places around the park where there weren't people, so I think it will still be OK. The whole picture-taking process was awkward... I dunno, it was weird trying to look natural and be aware of my body and also basically make out with FI while someone takes pics of us for an hour. Hopefully we'll get some good pics. We have another engagement session soon... just trying to work out logistics with the Half Price Books corporate office. 

Other than that, there's not too much else to report. I'm trying to work in real, not super soft foods and eat more calories. For the past two weeks I've only been eating about 1000 calories each day because my diet is so limited. I think my stomach has adjusted to that because forcing myself to eat more is making me feel nauseated... so yeah, slowly working back up to normal intake. Once I get that straightened out, I'll go back to the gym. *sigh* Stupid gum graft...

Oh! and I'll AW a pic of my makeup from MAC:

Sorry if they're huge. Imgur seems to always have huge pics.