Wednesday!

ShesSoCold

H is dropping the dog off at the vet right now. She's getting skin tags and warts and old lady lumps and stuff removed. Since bulldogs apparently have extra skin everywhere, her gums are kind of hanging over her teeth so they're going to slice those off too. My poor heart breaks for her to have to be there all day. I'd be a blubbering mess if I had to drop her off. 

And tonight after work I have to pick up some Hawks tickets so I won't even be able to cuddle her right away.  But H is making dinner! 

What's going on with you guys? How ya feeling MJL?

mrsconn23

This hurricane barreling toward FL is terrifying and is also going to make work crazy for the next week or two.  My friend's parents and aunt and uncle were on vacation in the panhandle and left yesterday.  They moved their party to NOLA.   

I had a massive meltdown on DH last night.  Of course it was something small that snowballed.  I know I'm feeling a ton of stress with my mom's surgery coming up next week.  I finally found a counselor, but can't get in until next month. (It was almost a full time job to fucking find one.  I called so many places and was told they weren't taking new patients.)  Plus, we're dog-sitting for FIL.  She's doing all right so far (a little whiny when everyone left and doesn't understand why it's just her and me), but it would have been nice to have her next week when the kids are on fall break.  Ah well.  

DH did have me book a hotel (I get a vacation allowance for things booked under my name and I have some $$ left for the year), but said he'd take care of the rest of our anniversary plans.  Also, we have a date set for sister tattoos.  I'm hoping my sister can get a mock-up from the artist soon so we can make any changes, if needed, and sign off on it.  

charlotte989875

Aww hope she does all right @ShesSoCold; I’d be a mess!

Not much here today. Work, house projects, work. I slept terribly last night so I’m dragging a bit today. I have meetings all afternoon so that should at least keep me awake later. I can already tell it will be a 2 or 3 coffee day. 

climbingsingle

Aww, I hope your doggie is OK! 

Not much going on here. Another cloudy blah day. Work, gym, dinner, sleep. 

charlotte989875

I’d be surprised if you hadn’t had a breakdown by this point @mrsconn23 you’ve got a lot going on!! When is your anniversary?

ei34

Good luck to the doggy!  And sorry about all the stuff you’ve got going on @mrsconn23 I’d be so drained.
 

Running to a nearby mgmt group on my lunch/free period to interview for a data entry position- my dream is something flexible and WFM with a good hourly wage (unicorn job) to do on the side.  So we’ll see how it goes.

mrsconn23

charlotte989875 said:

I’d be surprised if you hadn’t had a breakdown by this point @mrsconn23 you’ve got a lot going on!! When is your anniversary?

November 4th 

And DH was telling his workout friend this morning about last night and he was asking all sorts of questions and worried about me.  Which was so sweet.  He's the nicest guy and definitely a 'shirt off his back' kind of person.  I was really touched when DH told me he was concerned.  

kvruns

The hurricane does look scary and it is crazy how quickly it grew. I think a lot of people are in the panhandle for vacation since it is the start of fall break. We were originally looking to go to Myrtle Beach this week but then my brother moved home so we didn't have to visit there. I had briefly thought about somewhere like Gulf Shores so I'm glad we didn't end up going as we would have been evacuated.

kvruns

@mrsconn23 if you have an EAP at your work or your DH you should be able to get 3 visits free for counseling. Even though you've already made an appointment as long as the person is in the EAP network you probably can get them to cover it. They can also do the leg work in finding someone for you in the future. 

6fsn

Giant hugs @mrsconn23.

Today is another bleh day.  They trained me on something new.  It seemed so straight forward- do steps 1-6 and you're done.  Except every single step seems to have an "unless this" attached to it that was never explained.  Oh and if it's go this subcontractor you need to do 1-6 for the sub then do 1-6 for the client.  Oh, did nobody mention there is also a step 7-15? 

I'm taking Max to my haircut today.  I know she won't be happy, but it is what it is.  It's not a kid free salon, just kid frowned on.  2:30 is the only time she and I each have free and I need to get in before my NC trip next week.

mrsconn23

kvruns said:

@mrsconn23 if you have an EAP at your work or your DH you should be able to get 3 visits free for counseling. Even though you've already made an appointment as long as the person is in the EAP network you probably can get them to cover it. They can also do the leg work in finding someone for you in the future. 

I tried to go the EAP route and that's when I kept getting rejections.    I don't mind paying for counseling at this point.  We barely used our HSA this year.  

NBSquared2017

Good luck puppers! 

I just bought tickets for our NYE event. It’s cocktail/formal attire and I’m really excited! It’s a venue called the crystal tea room and it’s really swanky. This is the first year H and I are able to do something fun as he’s normally on call the day after or the day of.

I purchased this sequin midi dress from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0799H94ZD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LyGVBbNF13FJJ

I love getting dressed up! 

I work my PT job tonight - nothing else too crazy happening. 

short+sassy

@ShesSoCold, good luck to the pups!  I remember she was just at the vet recently for skin tags.  It does not sound like a fun day for her, but I suspect she'll be pretty pampered and spoiled when she gets home .

@charlotte989875, I didn't get much sleep either last night.  I didn't go to bed until almost 2AM, which is extremely unusual for me on a weeknight.  I just wasn't quite tired, wasn't feeling it.  I finally made myself go to bed.  I'm on Coffee #2, lol.

I got chosen to be in a special series of mystery shops!  The scheduler and I have a phone call scheduled tomorrow to go over all the details.  Phone calls in this biz are rarely done, but this should be quite a few shops for me, for a specific project.  So I think they want to make sure the shoppers are fully understanding all the details.

My H has been super busy!  But lots of good progress going on at the vacant rental.  We've been using a next door neighbor for general labor.  Win-win!  He's been looking for work and I'm sure it's extra handy he just has to walk next door, lol.  And we could really use the help.  Though it is a rough dent in the wallet.

Reno talk:

Almost all the flooring that needs to be replaced has been ripped out.  All the old, crappy trim work in the house has been removed.  All the kitchen cabinets have been ripped out.  I'm excited we decided on a new kitchen design last night...

The old kitchen has a wall to the ceiling between it and the living room, with openings on each side.  One opening just takes you into the kitchen from the living room and the other one takes you to the hallway for the rest of the house.

We are going to take out most of that wall...but leave the corner of the wall that the stove sits in...and install two sets of lower cabinets that are back to back with each other.  So one set faces into the kitchen and the other set faces into the living room.  Put in a counter top across that whole area, rounded at the corners.  Which will allow for bar seating in the living room.  It won't quite be open concept, because we will still have some of that wall going to the ceiling.  But we'll be removing a lot of it and it will really open up the space, with sight lines to most of the kitchen.

We're leaning toward granite countertops, but haven't totally decided.  They are so expensive, mainly because most companies require a minimum square footage ordered and I doubt the kitchen is big enough to meet that.  So we'd be forced to buy granite that we won't be using (sigh).  It's also not the kind of neighborhood where it would be expected.  But it does look nice and it is SO durable.

The new kitchen will be fabulous!  I also think we'll improve the value of the home for more than what we'll put into it.

short+sassy

mrsconn23 said:

This hurricane barreling toward FL is terrifying and is also going to make work crazy for the next week or two.  My friend's parents and aunt and uncle were on vacation in the panhandle and left yesterday.  They moved their party to NOLA.   

I had a massive meltdown on DH last night.  Of course it was something small that snowballed.  I know I'm feeling a ton of stress with my mom's surgery coming up next week.  I finally found a counselor, but can't get in until next month. (It was almost a full time job to fucking find one.  I called so many places and was told they weren't taking new patients.)  Plus, we're dog-sitting for FIL.  She's doing all right so far (a little whiny when everyone left and doesn't understand why it's just her and me), but it would have been nice to have her next week when the kids are on fall break.  Ah well.  

DH did have me book a hotel (I get a vacation allowance for things booked under my name and I have some $$ left for the year), but said he'd take care of the rest of our anniversary plans.  Also, we have a date set for sister tattoos.  I'm hoping my sister can get a mock-up from the artist soon so we can make any changes, if needed, and sign off on it.  

I've mentioned before that the other side of my personal duplex is a tenant who rents it out on AirBnB.  There is a group of ladies who checked in yesterday.  They are from FL and were originally planning to meet in Tallahassee for a "New Orleans themed" b-day party for one of them.  But then, since they had to evacuate, they decided to just come on over to NOLA and enjoy the real thing!  I hope your friend's family has fun down here.

I'm sorry to hear about your meltdown and stress over your mom's surgery ((hugs)).

Casadena

That dress is GORGEOUS, NB!!!!  I love getting dressed up too and wish I had more reasons to do it.  

Mrsconn I'm glad you are taking steps to talk to someone, you've been through a lot lately.  

SSC, enjoy all the puppy cuddles later, I'm sure she will need them!

I was chatting with one of my best friends last night and she was telling me about an interview she has out east in a few weeks (she's graduating from a very intense grad program in May, so she's going through tons of interviews right now) she kind of jokingly asked if I wanted to go with her.  Well, I checked quickly and was able to get there and back with built-up miles, so now we're having a New England girls weekend after her interview!!  I very rarely do spontaneous things like this and we haven't seen much of each other the last few year, so I am super excited!

charlotte989875

short+sassy said:

@ShesSoCold, good luck to the pups!  I remember she was just at the vet recently for skin tags.  It does not sound like a fun day for her, but I suspect she'll be pretty pampered and spoiled when she gets home .

@charlotte989875, I didn't get much sleep either last night.  I didn't go to bed until almost 2AM, which is extremely unusual for me on a weeknight.  I just wasn't quite tired, wasn't feeling it.  I finally made myself go to bed.  I'm on Coffee #2, lol.

I got chosen to be in a special series of mystery shops!  The scheduler and I have a phone call scheduled tomorrow to go over all the details.  Phone calls in this biz are rarely done, but this should be quite a few shops for me, for a specific project.  So I think they want to make sure the shoppers are fully understanding all the details.

My H has been super busy!  But lots of good progress going on at the vacant rental.  We've been using a next door neighbor for general labor.  Win-win!  He's been looking for work and I'm sure it's extra handy he just has to walk next door, lol.  And we could really use the help.  Though it is a rough dent in the wallet.

Reno talk:

Almost all the flooring that needs to be replaced has been ripped out.  All the old, crappy trim work in the house has been removed.  All the kitchen cabinets have been ripped out.  I'm excited we decided on a new kitchen design last night...

The old kitchen has a wall to the ceiling between it and the living room, with openings on each side.  One opening just takes you into the kitchen from the living room and the other one takes you to the hallway for the rest of the house.

We are going to take out most of that wall...but leave the corner of the wall that the stove sits in...and install two sets of lower cabinets that are back to back with each other.  So one set faces into the kitchen and the other set faces into the living room.  Put in a counter top across that whole area, rounded at the corners.  Which will allow for bar seating in the living room.  It won't quite be open concept, because we will still have some of that wall going to the ceiling.  But we'll be removing a lot of it and it will really open up the space, with sight lines to most of the kitchen.

We're leaning toward granite countertops, but haven't totally decided.  They are so expensive, mainly because most companies require a minimum square footage ordered and I doubt the kitchen is big enough to meet that.  So we'd be forced to buy granite that we won't be using (sigh).  It's also not the kind of neighborhood where it would be expected.  But it does look nice and it is SO durable.

The new kitchen will be fabulous!  I also think we'll improve the value of the home for more than what we'll put into it.

I vote granite if it’s in the budget. It’s so much more durable, and even if not expected you can (I’m assuming) up the rent a bit for having it? Also much less likely to be damaged say if a tenant leaves something hot on a counter. Plus if you are thinking of reselling I’m assuming that will up the value. 

charlotte989875

Casadena said:

That dress is GORGEOUS, NB!!!!  I love getting dressed up too and wish I had more reasons to do it.  

Mrsconn I'm glad you are taking steps to talk to someone, you've been through a lot lately.  

SSC, enjoy all the puppy cuddles later, I'm sure she will need them!

I was chatting with one of my best friends last night and she was telling me about an interview she has out east in a few weeks (she's graduating from a very intense grad program in May, so she's going through tons of interviews right now) she kind of jokingly asked if I wanted to go with her.  Well, I checked quickly and was able to get there and back with built-up miles, so now we're having a New England girls weekend after her interview!!  I very rarely do spontaneous things like this and we haven't seen much of each other the last few year, so I am super excited!

How fun! I forget where you are; is this a far trip? Where in NE are you headed?

ShesSoCold

Thanks for the good thoughts, ladies! Edna's a tough old gal so she'll be fine.

I agree with going for the granite, S&S. If you have to buy extra, could you put it in the bathroom? People love that cohesive look. Or, do you have another unit with a small kitchen that you could get the counters for now and hold on to them until the tenant moves out? Just a thought if you have to buy it anyway.

STARMOON44

NBSquared2017 said:

Good luck puppers! 

I just bought tickets for our NYE event. It’s cocktail/formal attire and I’m really excited! It’s a venue called the crystal tea room and it’s really swanky. This is the first year H and I are able to do something fun as he’s normally on call the day after or the day of.

I purchased this sequin midi dress from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0799H94ZD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LyGVBbNF13FJJ

I love getting dressed up! 

I work my PT job tonight - nothing else too crazy happening. 

Gorgeous dress!

Casadena

charlotte989875 said:

Casadena said:

That dress is GORGEOUS, NB!!!!  I love getting dressed up too and wish I had more reasons to do it.  

Mrsconn I'm glad you are taking steps to talk to someone, you've been through a lot lately.  

SSC, enjoy all the puppy cuddles later, I'm sure she will need them!

I was chatting with one of my best friends last night and she was telling me about an interview she has out east in a few weeks (she's graduating from a very intense grad program in May, so she's going through tons of interviews right now) she kind of jokingly asked if I wanted to go with her.  Well, I checked quickly and was able to get there and back with built-up miles, so now we're having a New England girls weekend after her interview!!  I very rarely do spontaneous things like this and we haven't seen much of each other the last few year, so I am super excited!

How fun! I forget where you are; is this a far trip? Where in NE are you headed?

I'm in the Chicago suburbs and we're going to Portland, ME! I've never been to Maine or really spent much time on the East Coast - New York a few times for work, but that's it. Recommendations are definitely welcome!

short+sassy

ShesSoCold said:

Thanks for the good thoughts, ladies! Edna's a tough old gal so she'll be fine.

I agree with going for the granite, S&S. If you have to buy extra, could you put it in the bathroom? People love that cohesive look. Or, do you have another unit with a small kitchen that you could get the counters for now and hold on to them until the tenant moves out? Just a thought if you have to buy it anyway.

I had this same thought also!  The house has 1 1/2 baths.  I don't remember how the bath vanity cabinetry is, but I'm sure they're cheap and crap-tastic like their kitchen friends, lol.  I'm just not sure how expensive it starts getting to cut pieces for multiple countertops, plus all those installations.

This will be the 4th kitchen reno we have done.  Omg, really?  Has it really been that many, lol?  But we've never used granite before, because all of them didn't have much counter space anyway.  Though, hindsight being 20-20, I wish I'd used granite for the other side of my duplex.  Ironically, this kitchen is the smallest area-wise, but will have a good bit more counter space than the others because of the bar area we're adding in.

The more I think about it, the more I agree that we should really do granite.  It will be a brand new kitchen.  On brand new, beautiful wood-look vinyl plank floors.  And that bar counter is going to be a real feature and focal point for that living room/kitchen area.  I think we need to keep it on the nicer, upgrade side.

And now that I just said that, I'm waffling and thinking about concrete.  But, for resale down the road, I feel like a good swath of the population is just not that familiar with concrete counter tops and their awesomeness.  Whereas, everybody knows what granite is. 

MNNEBride

I'm 10 days in on my 3 week work trip with 10 days to go.  It's been good.  A friend flew out last weekend and we took a road trip to Sedona on Saturday.  It was gorgeous there!  I have a small suite at my hotel with complementary breakfast and happy hour with free food and drink.  I'm finding my way around and am looking forward to exploring a bit more this weekend.  There are other people from my home base here working as well but we aren't at the same hotels.  

I think DH misses me a bit as he's been very chatty on the phone at night.  I'll be ready to get home at the end of next week too.  But will miss daily housekeeping!

Casadena

short+sassy said:

ShesSoCold said:

Thanks for the good thoughts, ladies! Edna's a tough old gal so she'll be fine.

I agree with going for the granite, S&S. If you have to buy extra, could you put it in the bathroom? People love that cohesive look. Or, do you have another unit with a small kitchen that you could get the counters for now and hold on to them until the tenant moves out? Just a thought if you have to buy it anyway.

I had this same thought also!  The house has 1 1/2 baths.  I don't remember how the bath vanity cabinetry is, but I'm sure they're cheap and crap-tastic like their kitchen friends, lol.  I'm just not sure how expensive it starts getting to cut pieces for multiple countertops, plus all those installations.

This will be the 4th kitchen reno we have done.  Omg, really?  Has it really been that many, lol?  But we've never used granite before, because all of them didn't have much counter space anyway.  Though, hindsight being 20-20, I wish I'd used granite for the other side of my duplex.  Ironically, this kitchen is the smallest area-wise, but will have a good bit more counter space than the others because of the bar area we're adding in.

The more I think about it, the more I agree that we should really do granite.  It will be a brand new kitchen.  On brand new, beautiful wood-look vinyl plank floors.  And that bar counter is going to be a real feature and focal point for that living room/kitchen area.  I think we need to keep it on the nicer, upgrade side.

And now that I just said that, I'm waffling and thinking about concrete.  But, for resale down the road, I feel like a good swath of the population is just not that familiar with concrete counter tops and their awesomeness.  Whereas, everybody knows what granite is. 

Have you thought about Quartz? It's usually a little less expensive, need much less maintenance (no resealing, hard to stain, can set hot things right on it) and I feel like it looks pretty similar to some granite. I personally love concrete countertops, but I agree that most people are not super familiar. However, I feel like quartz could be a good compromise?

VarunaTT

short+sassy said:

And now that I just said that, I'm waffling and thinking about concrete.  But, for resale down the road, I feel like a good swath of the population is just not that familiar with concrete counter tops and their awesomeness.  Whereas, everybody knows what granite is.  

IDK if it matters for you at all, but most of the design magazines I read say that granite is on it's way out.

I can't believe it's only Wednesday.  That's really all I've got.

6fsn

My house smells like apple cake. It might have been 88 Monday, but I’m seeing 30s next week!! I’m actually excited about this. 

short+sassy

@Casadena, I love the look of concrete countertops also!  If it was my own personal home, that would be a no-brainer.  I looked into Quartz back when we redid the kitchen on the other side of my duplex.  Thanks!  I forgot about it.  I'll look into that again.

@VarunaTT, Good point and I've considered it!  But, for NOLA, it is hard for me to picture granite becoming a less favored choice here anytime soon. 

short+sassy

6fsn said:

My house smells like apple cake. It might have been 88 Monday, but I’m seeing 30s next week!! I’m actually excited about this. 

Whoa!  What a difference!

My H and I were talking excitedly this morning that the low tomorrow is 63!  Though the high is still 81.

We're finally starting to work our way down from being in the high 80's (or worse) all the time.

mrsconn23

The hurricane just made landfall on the first beach we ever took  DefConn to.  I have pics of him on that beach (Mexico Beach). 

Also SIL lives in southern GA, about 1.5-2 hours from the Panama City area and they are experiencing 85 MPH sustained winds.  Their town is shut down for the next few days and she's pretty sure they might lose power. 

banana468

@short+sassy up here in CT the new trend is moving to quartz.   DH's cousin in law has his own kitchen business and the trend is definitely moving in that that direction.   Just some food for thought. 

ei34

T & P to everyone/their families in the hurticane’s path. 
@NBSquared2017 love that dress!
@Casadena how fun!  Spontaneous trips are great.  I really love Ogunquit (although any coastal town is a homerun)...I’ve only been over the summer but Perkins Cove would be enjoyable in any season. 

The job/interview was a bust.  Indeed listed it as WFM/part time but they wanted full time and for less than I’m making now 

missJeanLouise

SSC- still pregnant. Thanks for thinking of me.

S+S- I love concrete counters too! I have never been a huge fan of granite but quartz sounds like a good compromise.

That’s pretty much my update. Still pregnant, but getting closer?? My stepdad is hopefully getting moved to a rehab facility that specializes in spinal injuries on Friday. It is an hour away from my mom but the one closer doesn’t have the same specialty.