The New Water Cooler
Replies
-
We hung the floating shelf in the laundry room and I started organizing my basket storage. I need to clean out the under sink cabinet and the two above the washer and dryer to see what I need easier access to and what can be tossed. I am almost finished with the linen closet, one shelf to go. I still need to record acct and phone numbers for my emergency info.
It is very cold and snowy here. I canceled Power Books today since I had the urge to clean and organize. That doesn't happen very often! When I get these projects done, I will go through my clothes and donate some to the thrift store. The pole barn is too cold to finish the boxes out there so that will be an early spring project.
Next weekend we will be packing for our 3 week southern trip.
I hope you have a good week.
0 -
Zach is really enjoying his new job. He has been so happy and just happy! It just really shines a light on how not great he was doing before. I’m so relieved and happy that it makes me teary.
I made double batches of lasagna and enchiladas and took a pan of each over to Michele so they could have a couple of easy meals. Of course I got to enjoy it too. I also baked up a batch of ginger cookies and a pot of baked potato soup. I did some good eating this weekend.
0 -
The visitation was yesterday and we went to that. I planned to go to the funeral this morning but I couldn’t get out of work on time. That made me pretty unhappy.
The weather has hit a stretch of the bitter, dangerous cold. Hopefully after tomorrow it passes
I can’t believe it’s almost time for your trip to Florida!
Happy almost birthday to Russ0 -
I'm so happy for Zach! I hope he loves it for a long time.
Cold here too. I haven't left the house since Sunday. MN is even worse. My friend reported -16 in her suburb and I imagine wind chill must be below -30. Are your temps that low?
Linen closet done. My vanity cabinet done. Still need to clean my drawers in bathroom. Next is under the sink in the laundry room. We are going to remove the old glass sliding doors from our shower and put up a shower curtain. They are gross with a scratched brass frame. When I clean, mold comes out from under the frame along the bottom. So gross and many years of accumulation. We will take it off and put up a shower curtain until we eventually remodel the bathroom. We did this in our old house in the lower level bathroom and my first husband and I did it in our first house that was a fixer upper. So much cleaner and throw the liner in the washing machine or buy a new one.
I didn't go to Aquafit today. Bad roads and too cold. The roads are so snow covered even after plowing, a person can't see the lanes, and where the sides of the road end.
That was nice you took food over to your sister's for them to eat. It's too bad you couldn't make it to the funeral. Did she understand?0 -
I just have shower curtains too. I have never had doors, but I agree that I think washing or replacing the curtain is better.
Oh boy, it was the feels like 30 below. Thankfully we are back in the positive and it was 20 today.
Yuck week. At least it’s Friday tomorrow.0 -
I went to Aquafit this morning. Russ went with me and filled out the paper work at the Y to discontinue his membership. I'm still a member but we will save money this way. He never goes to the Y. We did some errands and went to our favorite burger place for lunch and called that our meal of the day. I took a nap this afternoon because I tossed and turned all night last night.
The snow is deep and keeps falling. It is beautiful here right now.
This weekend I signed up for studio yoga on Saturday. I need to start packing and gathering stuff I want to take to the kids in FL.
The cake I made for Russ is really rich dark chocolate. I've had two pieces and that is my limit. Each set of grandkids sang Happy Birthday to Russ on videos. They were so cute. Miles and Layney kept singing Happy Birthday to You over and over and Karah had to help them close out the song. It was so cute to hear and see. Halen and Ellis in AK seemed to know the song and did a great job too.
When we remodel our master bath, I would like a large tile shower with no glass doors, just a half tile wall. I would love a soaker tub too but I'm not sure I could get out of it easily. With my knee implants, I'm not suppose to kneel so I'm not sure I would feel safe trying to stand up and get out. Maybe just a big shower with a bench and then storage across from the shower. We will have to have someone give us design/layout ideas when the time comes.
I'm nervous about the so-called tariffs. I really wanted to get a nice used car this next year to replace my 2016 Subaru Outback. If the tariffs happen, new and used car prices will go up. On top of that, parts for repair that come from China or any where else out of the U.S. will be more expensive. I saw a report that we can expect all cars to go up as much as 15% in price to consumers. If they haven't started by the time we get back from our trip, I will begin looking for a nice, used car only 2-3 years old.
Why has your week been so rough?0 -
Yeah - the tariffs thing is definitely a worry. I need a new/different car too. Right now things are actually swinging a bit of the way back to consumers with finally seeing some of the financing promos and somewhat better deals. I just can't find/figure out what I want. I think maybe a Toyota 4runner but there aren't a ton of them out of there - which makes me think they are pretty good for long-term.
I would like to have a bathtub again myself (only a shower in the master) and the bathtub in hall was weirdly small. I tried it once right after we moved in 20 years ago but felt like my knees were in my chest. Not relaxing. But same with your thought can I really get in and out of one safely any more? Just getting up off the floor involves spinning around to my hands and knees and pushing upright that way. So....probably no baths... boo.
I meant to mention when you wrote about ordering a bamboo nightgown. I highly encourage trying the "cool nights' pajamas from Soma Intimates. I discovered those a couple of years ago when I was desperately trying to find something while dealing with the evil hot flashes. I still sweat, but these cool nights are soft, light, breathable, wicking in some way. I love them so much. Every time they are on sale I order more. They are spendy at full price, but like at Black Friday and other shopping promos you can get them for 19.99. There are also robes and other separates in that 'cool night' material. Love them!!!
Mmm, chocolate cake. So sweet the g-babies sang to him. I love that.0 -
Things are just deteriorating at work. They continue to bring in these new executives who make it clear they don't respect anyone (several have publicly said the reason they have to keep hiring from other states is because there is no one smart in this town). Sales are slow right (which is typical for this time of year and a change in administration) but all the fluffy executive keep wasting money on frivolous things and thing scrutinize and take away the actual manufacturing ability to do the things that make money. But they won't cut the things that are the true 'fat'. It's so sad and frustrating.0
-
Your new executives sound like our govt. Yuk! Is anyone kind of professional anymore? Why are people name calling, insulting and acting like children, while not taking personal responsibility for anything? Your execs don't understand maintaining morale. Maybe it is just about the money in their pockets.
I've made my packing list and cleaned a big shelf in my closet and re-organized it. I'm going to do one shelf/drawer at a time and then take things to the thrift store.
We will be in St. Augustine a week from today! So far weather is looking safe for driving it in 2.5 days.
I'm going to yoga in the studio tomorrow and continuing to work on packing.0 -
Did your Florida kids get all that snow that I saw on the news?0
-
They have had cold temps but no snow. The snow fell in the panhandle and Pensacola which is near the Alabama border was dumped on.
Still working on packing. I hate packing so I last about 10 minutes at a time.
Visited Sarah today and told her I would be gone for a few weeks. Absolutely nothing she says is based on reality and truth but it is her story to weave and what she believes.0 -
Ugh. Yesterday was not the Sunday I was hoping for. The smoke alarms were blaring repeatedly and it took me and Zach hours to figure out how to get them to stop. Bernie had disappeared hunting (and I didn’t know and he wouldn’t pick up). Even with taking all the batteries out they still kept going off. We had to keep manually resetting them every few minutes. Finally after about three hours Bernie finally answered my text messages and said turn on a ceiling fan (it wasn’t smoky but some error). It worked but I was red hot pissed. And stayed that way until I finally saw him after I got home from church that night (by myself of course). I ripped into him hard. I just had enough. Enough of him never finishing anything (the alarms have happened before), never cleaning his stuff up, always putting me last, etc. I just came unglued. I feel a little bad, but unfortunately I needed to say it. I had also told Zach during the day that I’m done pretending in front of him. Zach is a young adult. I’m done acting like how Bernie treats me is enough.
Oh and today at work we got gathered up as a team and told we are getting another new boss, above Dawn because things on the floor are a disaster. And this new manager (for a job that wasn’t posted) is going to fix everything. Wow.0 -
That sounds like a *kitten* Sunday. You should have laid into Bernie for all that frustrates you. Did he listen and how did he respond? How did Z take what you said?
Last minute cleaning and packing today. I'm pretty much packed except chargers, table and computer. I've vacuumed the car, washed the mats, stripped our bed and will remake, soaked my house plants and divided some starter for Karah and fed it. Russ is vacuuming and running cleaning cycle for washing machine. Dishwasher is running for the last time, fridge cleaned out, mail stopped. Getting ready to go on any vacation/trip is exhausting!!
We are going out for an early dinner in town so we don't cook, clean up, etc.
What is your gut feeling on how Behlen is doing? Is there a chance they are mismanaging so much that it could close up?
I'm taking my computer with me so I will be checking in.0 -
I wouldn’t be surprised if any number of things happened to Behlen. Closure is possible, them relocating is also possible with this new team. Previous leadership believed in Columbus and local ownership. None of the new leadership even live in Columbus so it doesn’t matter to them if Columbus is ok. It’s so sad. It would hurt this community so much.
I don’t know if anything I said did or will make a difference. I’ve said these sorts of things before and he never seems to “hear “ it0 -
Are you traveling already? I hope things are going smooth.
I can't believe a Blackhawk helicopter and a passenger jet collided. Terrifying. Sad. And I am already heart-sick and terrified of the next four years and it's only been days.
I took another vacation day to as I work to get them used up before my anniversary date. I went in and got a good coffee and some delicious treats. Strawberry-rhubarb roll, cream cheese danish, kringle. So many yummy choices. I get about a full treat total by the time the others 'help' too. I also picked some things up from the grocery store and tried a few 'healty' casseroles. I did a riced cauliflower enchilada type casserole - the rice cauliflower, enchilada sauce, diced up a few tortillas and then cheese. Pretty good. Then a chicken, broccoli, and riced cauliflower then I put some mushroom soup, milk and cheese. It was pretty ok too. Don't know if I will do them ever again, but doing food when I have the house to myself is relaxing. I did chicken with hot sauce and cream cheese in the crock pot and Zach hammered it.
Zach got his first pay today. He is so proud. I am so happy for him.0 -
We arrived in St. Augustine yesterday afternoon. Weather was dry and warm all the way once we got to lower MI. The warmth came in Ohio. 40's to 50's with sunshine! The sun was the best! The second day of driving was stressful due to traffic stops and road construction on I-75. We were relieved to arrive in Macon and walked to Outback from our hotel for dinner. I had a margarita and a rib eye/coconut shrimp dinner. Driving from Macon to St. Augustine was smooth and we stopped at the outlet mall so I could buy some new sandals. When we got out of the car it was 81 and sunny!
The kids are so big. Miles is riding a two wheeler and Layney races around on her Stridor bike. Hayden is so cute and reminds me of his Dad, Jeff, when he was an infant. So chill, observant and the same features. Karah cooked us Indian Buttered Chicken with rice, broccoli and Naan bread for dinner. The kids warmed to us pretty fast so that was nice.
Our rental is cute. It is in an old Spanish style stucco house two blocks from Jeff and Karah. We have a downstairs apartment that is perfect for 2 people. Nicely updated and very clean, whew!! The only downside are the thin walls but we won't be here much.
I hope Behlen doesn't leave Columbus. I'm glad Z had a good week and he got his check to make it even more real. Bernie really needs counseling to develop listening and communication skills. Most of married couples, male or female, would benefit. Russ and I struggle with communication. He always misinterprets what I'm saying but insists he is right in how he interprets it. I'm the one that knows my intent but he can't see my side at times. Marriage is a lot of work and often frustrating.
I don't know what we are doing today. Spend time with the littles. I need to walk daily. Russ already took an hour long walk when he woke up at 6:30am. He said he will walk with me later today again.
Have a great weekend!
0 -
We had a nice weekend with the family. We took walks, played with toys and ate dinner together. Miles wants to come here and "play" but all we have is Pokemon Coloring Sheets. He seems to like that so they walked over in the mornings.
Temps cooled off here to 50's at night and low to mid 60's during the day. It looks like it will begin to warm up again tomorrow.
I want to walk on the beach so hopefully we will in the next days. Karah is on maternity leave and wants to hang with us when Jeff works. We discussed going to parks and the beach with the kids. She is going to resign from her job and stay home with the kids and see if she likes it. If they find they can't sustain it financially or she needs more adult time and work, she will find another job. She is so chill and seems to enjoy being with the kids and home. She has been having play dates with friends and similar age kids. We will go to library story time on Wednesday with the kids. The kids seem so happy to have her home. Jeff and Karah have made more friends down here since last year. It's nice to see that they are finding other young families to get together with.
How was your weekend? I hope you have a good week.0 -
I’m so glad you made it safe and are having a great start to your visit. Soak up all the gbaby love.
It sounds like Karah could do well staying home. Having three in daycare would likely eat up most of her salary.
The weekend was pretty chill. Today was not. I had to go to the doctors office to get lab results and got told at the reception that my appointment was tomorrow. I angrily went back to work and pulled up the email conversation that said Monday 2/3 and contacted his scheduler and was pissed. They said that I could come back today. I’m like, are you kidding? You sent me away but I can come back and you’ll squeeze me in. Why does everyone have to suck? Met our new Sr Director of Production Schedule or whatever the heck she is. She talks a lot. I’m sure I’ll get to spend some time justifying my job soon. We’ll see. I’m sure she’ll save us.
Enjoy your family time!0
