Monday and a Mod Talk

labro

@eilis1228 We're going "Ivory Lace" in the dining room to match the color in the living room that's adjacent. The room is kind of dark so I really need a light color to brighten it up. In the foyer I think I might do a wheat or pale tan because I want something other than off-white but still not dark because again, it's a dark area. In the kitchen I'm painting the beadboard an antique/terracotta kind of red and doing the walls in the same ivory lace color as the other rooms.

500days

Good morning! Another snowed in day for me. We are getting another storm. Last day of school will now be June 12th. Oh well.

But, in other news my weekend was amazing! On Friday we just hung out at the house and watched TV, some Celts and went to bed early. Saturday morning I had to go to conference for middle school teachers from 8-1pm. I presented a session on google classroom and went to 2 other sessions. Very interesting stuff. At the end of the session they had door prizes to give away and I won a $25 giftcard to Texas Roadhouse. Win! Sunday we prepped for the super bowl in the morning and then went to our cupcake tasting at 2pm. Since we had scheduling problems before, the owner was so nice and give us a huge discount. Excellent! 

We then went home and got our Pats gear on and went to FSIL's house to watch the game. I thought I was going to lose my mind at certain points. Of course, they won and Tommy was MVP. I honestly thought Edelman or even Butler would have gotten it. Today I will be playing this video as many times as possible, because I am so happy

eilis1228

@Swazzle If you can fit the larger sectional, then go for it! I really like the color in the picture, but a grey one may hide dirt better. Either way, your new couch is going to be awesome. Sectionals are the best.

@LaBro Good choices! I love red-ish kitchens! I hope you're able to paint in the next few weeks.

@futuremrshistorian I understand your frustration that he took the Afghanistan interview, but he's probably just trying to keep his options open in case the stateside ones don't pan out. I doubt it's his top choice even if the pay is great. I hope you have just as much luck finding something!

@audrewuh Can't wait! I've been looking forward to it all week.

@lilacck28 I'm sure your dress looks great with our without the belt. What do you think will photograph better?

@TwoDimes Aw, I'm sorry your party didn't work out. I know you were really looking forward to it. Stupid snow storm!

ETA: Apparently FI's contract renewed at work because he's been locked out of everything at work. He no longer exists in the system. I'm surprised he was even able to get into the building. This happened last year when his contract renewed too... the internal system takes like 2 days to update. It's good news because he's secured for another year with a job, but it's bad news because he can't even log in to his computer... 

lilacck28

@eilis1228

That's the thing! I was going with "no belt" because I thought it photgraphed better... but... that was based on photographs that my mom took in bad lighting with her iphone. And she's REALLY bad at taking iphone pictures. 

My dad was blunt and was like  "the belt hides the little bulge of your tummy in between the top and bottom of the dress" (he meant the place where the bottom of the lacy/ bedazzled bodice meets the plain chiffon of the skirt). SO. yeah. I'm bad at decision making... I tend to follow my parents' advice most of the time. Hopefully I don't regret it. 

On the plus side, I think the BHLDN headpiece I splurged on (but it was on sale!) looks really good with the dress! Dad also said he thought the head piece and belt tied together well. 

[Deleted User]

@lilacck28 - I'm super impressed at your dad.  My father would be like, "You look pretty" even if I wanted him to pick me apart.  He just doesn't notice these things.  Then again, he likes his monochromatic professorial outfits...green button down, green Dockers, green cardigan, green socks, brown shoes.  All different shades of green.

@ellis1228 - Mr. H is definitely the kind of person that wants a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, and he doesn't count anything as certain until it's signed, sealed, and delivered.  Which makes him the perfect balance for me, because I can get really excited about things and jump into them without thinking clearly.  I'm just so happy that after months of looking, hearing nothing and working in a truly awful job with a truly awful team, he's going to have something else soon.

Totally beside the point, but...

Does anybody use a serum as part of their skincare routine?  I had one that I grabbed for cheap at TJ Maxx, and I liked it a lot, but I can't find it anymore and thought I might switch brands.  Anybody have a recommendation?

Dignity100

@speakeasy14 - you may want to look into 'Through A Dog's Ear' it's calming relaxing music for your dog, ITunes sells some of their songs.  I know I hooked up a MP3 player to some speakers and put it on repeat when I was not home.  I've also used Tranquility Blend by Animal Apawthecary (just a squirt on the food).

@Swazzle - Vacation was awesome, it was great to get away and just spend some time with H.  But now it's snowing so this part sucks big time!!

@KeptInStitches - Wish I could help you out in the 'cute bra search' but all of mine are just basic and not all that pretty (the pretty ones don't give me the support I like... the ugly ones do).

@TwoDimes - Hope we get to see dress photos soon!  It might seem super sad now that your friends won't be able to make it to your wedding, but I promise, you'll be in their thoughts (if they're not sleep deprived) and everything will be ok for you.

@eilis1228 - We stayed at Pop Century, next time we're staying at All-Star Sports (it was the cheapest).  IF we go back again for our anniversary trip, I think we'll splurge there (try to rent some Vacation Club Points and stay at one of the Epcot hotels - I'd love Beach Club if at all possible, but Boardwalk is fine too - not sure if anything will be available because we're 7/8 months out).  Glad you had some successful WR stuff going on this weekend!

@Swazzle - love the couches!!!

peekaboo2011

@Swazzle - LOVE your potential new couch. 

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Morning everyone! 

I'm dragging a bit.  I had an early appt with my sleep doctor this morning, and ended up getting into work late.  I have a ton of shit to do this week, but I get to finally get back to running, I think, and I AM SO HAPPY.

I did have a decent weekend.  I had my Junior League Recruitment session on Saturday, which was a ton of fun.  I ended up wearing jeans, a nice top, and heels, and I felt SO underdressed.  I'm going to need to step up my game if I get in.   Post-session, I got some great deals at DSW because their clearance is awesome, and then had to go to Joann's to get zippers and more upholstery tacks. 

I finished reupholstering our couch on Saturday, and Sunday I finished all of the cushions!  I'm never doing it again.  EVER.   They turned out really nice, as long as you don't look too closely at the sewing on the cushions.  They're super comfy, and I'm really glad to be rid of the giant pillows that they tried to pass off as back/side cushions.  They still need throw pillows, and I'm ordering the fabric for those this week.  M ordered our coffee table on Saturday, and that should be here on Wednesday!  I'm so excited to have a new living room!

Last night's party was pretty quiet.  We only had 3 people come over, but the food was good and I have leftover buffalo chicken dip for lunch today.  

eilis1228

@Dignity100 BoardWalk Villas was our top-choice, and it was already booked. Beach Club was out of our budget, but I would have loved to stay there. Old Key West and Saratoga Springs were our back ups, and we got Old Key West. Hopefully you have better luck with the Epcot area hotels! The location sounds amazing. 

@peekaboo2011 The couch looks awesome! You did a great job!

@lilacck28 As long as you're happy with how you look, that's all that matters It's YOUR day to feel like a princess.

lilacck28

@eilis1228 Aww... thanks! 

@futuremrshistorian ... yeah. He waffles between "ugh. I don't care. Stop talking about weddings all the time!" and being VERY particular/ vocal when it comes to his preferences/ aesthetics. Sometimes its appreciated, sometimes it confuses me. BUT he said he liked the dress a lot! He didn't have ANY good things to say about the other dress pictures I showed him. 

AlPacina

@CocoBellaF - I'm so sorry that you're going to have to go through the surgery. I know we were all hoping for better news than that. But hey, we're here to get you through it, and to keep you company during recovery time. You got this, lady! "Tah-mmy Too-mah stahnds no chahnce!" ..... Also, your food sounds AMAZING.

@lmcooper86 - The sharks, and the singing trees and beach balls! So great!.... Missy Elliot is fabulous, but as soon as she came out I was so sad the sharks and balls were gone.

@southernpeach89 - What were you watching on Saturday?

@futuremrshistorian - Duh, it pays well. It's AFGHANISTAN.... Money isn't everything! If there is one thing I've learned from working for the government, it's that my pay is never going to be as high as in the private sector, but I really don't mind only having to work 40 hour weeks, guaranteed. When I have kids, that's going to really come in handy.

@TwoDimes - You have no reason to be mad at the pregnant couples, but you have every right to feel upset! I would feel sad too if two different couples I loved wouldn't be able to make it to my wedding.

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

This weekend was only okay. I spent ALL of saturday online shopping, but ended up ordering NOTHING. This is why I'm still wearing clothes I've had since high school/early college. I need a personal shopper or something. Can I just give one of you a bunch of money and you can clothe me?

On sunday we went to his brother's house so the boys could go to the gun range. I hate visiting his family sometimes because once the dad/brothers get together it's like I don't exist. Apparently his mom and the other GFs/partners feel exactly the same. So we band together, haha. The problem was that he ran off without helping me introduce the dog to his brother's, and they got in a huge brawl and my pup got hurt because the other dog is a friggin mastiff mix over twice his size. I ended up covered in mud and had to do laundry at his brother's place.

Then we drove to Olympia to watch the game with a few friends. It was GREAT food, but everyone else was a huge Hawks fan, so they were pretty depressed by the time we left. I still think it was an exciting game. Way better than last year's. My BF thinks (sorry, KNOWS) that the NFL is rigged and no one is stupid enough to try that play.

bethsmiles

This morning has been really hectic at work. Just a lot of things coming in that I'm unfamiliar with so I have to ask a lot of questions before processing things. I'm hoping the rest of the morning goes more smoothly.

My weekend was pretty boring. BF and I didn't do much of anything which was pretty nice really. We watched the Super Bowl last night. Rooted for Seattle, didn't really care when they lost because they aren't our team. I honestly enjoy watching the Super Bowl more when Denver doesn't make it though because it's much less stressful.

Oh and BF couldn't go get the ring last week because the day he had time he stopped by the bank first and they took an eternity so he ran out of time before the place closed I'm also trying really hard not to go BSC but I really, really don't want to wait anymore!

[Deleted User]

@AlPacina - Yeah...he was in Afghanistan from Aug 2013-June 2014.  I never, ever, ever want to do that again.  Yeah, it paid a lot, but...screw that.

@bethsmiles - I would be totally BSC in this moment.  I admire you for even trying to not be.

speakeasy14

@peekaboo2011 The couches came out great! That shade of brown works amazing with your wall.  I doubt anyone would look closely at the stitching, and if they do, well that's rude. 

@swazzle I like both couches, but if you can fit the larger one, I vote for that one.

@dignity100 thanks, I'll look into the music.  Also, your vacation sounds like it was really fun and relaxing!  Last time I was in Disney, I stayed at the All sports resort.  Loved it there!

@futuremrshistorian  I've used Philosophy When Hope is not Enough which I loved in the winter when my skin needs extra moisture.  I got the Dermologica Ultracalm Serum concentrate with the trial kit that I recently bought, but have only used it a few times since I got the kit (though I do like it).  

AlPacina

6 more weeks of winter, eh? Nothing I can't handle! Anybody ever seen the groundhog before?

I'm also surprised no one has offered to take all my money and buy clothes for me yet, haha!

Swazzle

I'm leaning towards the larger of the two couches. I'm just having a hard time picturing it in our living room! the room is a little awkwardly shaped and there's a radiator on the largest wall so the couch would be pulled out a little from there. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I wish I had a better picture but here's a panorama of the room from when we first moved in. The wall where the TV is is directly across from the smaller, off-white couch.

Swazzle

My picture won't upload WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ETA: Apparently it's there?

eilis1228

@Swazzle TK has been screwy with pics lately. When I click on the little broken pic image, it actually shows the pic you posted. I think the larger sectional would be fine in your living room. Are you keeping the love seat in there too? If so, it may be too crowded. If not, I think the larger sectional will fit really well in there.

Swazzle

@eilis1228 - Much to Lucy's disappointment, we'll get rid of that couch. The dark one with the chaise will go upstairs in the other guest room/H's sports room. I think it'll look nice too. I just have to convince H to ignore the cost now lol

Dignity100

@Swazzle - Are you able to get measurements of the couch and then lay like newspaper/cardboard out in the living room to make sure everything fits with enough space to crawl around (and to better convince H that everything will fit and the bigger couch is the better idea).

cu97tiger

lilacck28 - I don't think you were a prat at all. You should never have to say to someone 'I'm sorry I didn't ask you to be a bridesmaid, here's why.' It's one thing if they brought it up and put you on the spot... 

I just don't see why people get upset about not being in the wedding party. It's a difficult decision to make and yes, we'd all have liked to have had 20 BMs, but it's just not practical. Way to make the bride feel bad that she made the right decision for her and her future husband... </rant> 

eilis1228

cu97tiger said:

lilacck28 - I don't think you were a prat at all. You should never have to say to someone 'I'm sorry I didn't ask you to be a bridesmaid, here's why.' It's one thing if they brought it up and put you on the spot... 

I just don't see why people get upset about not being in the wedding party. It's a difficult decision to make and yes, we'd all have liked to have had 20 BMs, but it's just not practical. Way to make the bride feel bad that she made the right decision for her and her future husband... </rant> 

Agreed! Your friend shouldn't have put you on the spot like that. 

eilis1228

@Swazzle Yeah, I think it will look really good in that room. I'd go home and measure to be sure, but I think it will look great. 

speakeasy14

@alpacina if I lived near you I'd take you shopping.  I wouldn't wanna just take your money and shop for you without you there.  I live in Pennsylvania and have never seen the groundhog other than on TV. 

@lilacck28 your friend should not have said anything about not being happy with your choice.  Do not feel guilty about your decision.  I also do not understand why people get upset for not being asked to be a bridesmaid.  

@swazzle I think no matter what you do with furniture it would block the radiator.  I like @dignity100 idea of using cardboard to measure and block out the room so you can get a better idea of how it would look.

Swazzle

@Dignity100 - That's a great idea! I was going to maneuver the couches to try to do something similar when I measure tonight. 

I'm also thinking of putting a console behind the couch where the radiator is. Something like this: 

The 2 lamps we bought at the thrift shop yesterday will be PERFECT I think. 

speakeasy14

@swazzle I love that look, but is it ok to cover the radiator?

Swazzle

@speakeasy14 - Ok for safety purposes or ok for heat purposes? 

Safety = yes. We asked our inspector a lot of questions about radiators since neither of us have ever had them. 

Heat = maybe. I don't actually notice a lot of heat coming from that particular radiator to begin with so I think it will be ok. We actually have a long skinny table at home that we're going to use to test out tonight so I will check on that then. 

eilis1228

*sigh* Since I haven't had any external email today and FI is locked out of his computer, he and I are making a combined budget for later this year once the wedding is paid for. He wants to be VERY aggressive with savings and student loan repayment, which is great and responsible, but it means I have to say goodbye to having a disposable income... farewell monthly shopping budget. It was great while it lasted. #firstworldproblems

Swazzle

@eilis1228 - Adulting really sucks sometimes.

phira

I've been seriously MIA; work's been busy, and I've been sleeping super weird hours.

We have another snow day today, and we've gotten almost another foot of snow. I'm enjoying the day off, but uuuuugh snooooow.

I watched a little of the game last night, mostly towards the end. Absolutely BONKERS.

@CocoBellaF I'm so sorry you didn't get better news One of my best friends had thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed when she was 18. I wish there was something I could say to make this less scary and stressful!

eilis1228

@Swazzle It's really no fun at all sometimes. I know I'll appreciate it when we're debt free and have a 20% down payment for a house in a few years, but for now it's really depressing.