The New Water Cooler
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We didn't take long at the shredding place so we had an hour and a half to kill before our first apartment tour. We went to check out a town home complex I saw online to see location, grounds, etc. We hadn't made an appointment but there was someone in the office so he sat down and explained information and gave us a tour of the model They had two 2-bedrooms available that accept pets so we checked out their locations within the complex and really liked the one that had privacy with trees and a pond behind it, no neighbors on backside. Amenities included outdoor heated pool, fenced dog park, clubhouse with fitness room and common area/party room (very nice), outdoor grilling patio by pool, and complex in very nice residential area with biking trails, regional parks with beaches, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and biking. Easy access to our work. So after that we went to the apartment tour. Nice building and nice apartment, grounds, amenities (no pool, weak fitness room, nice common area, heated underground garage and car wash bay, dog friendly) but those hall ways were long! Lots of walking to get to the apartment but spacious balcony looking over a treed courtyard. The unit we looked at was first floor (at end of hall) with electric fireplace, two bedrooms,... When comparing the two, town home vs. apartment and accessibility with dogs, groceries, etc. we liked the town home and all it had with it. We cancelled our afternoon apartment tour after seeing the location and grounds and what was around it. Went home and applied for the town home we wanted. No reason we shouldn't be approved. I'm sure we will hear something this week. It will be a relief if all goes as planned. We won't be homeless!
Warm here today. Sunny, light coat, not buttoned...
How are you and what did you do this weekend?
Jenny1 -
The lady came today to see our house. She is going to clean on Thursday. I guess she is also a realtor so she was telling me tips that I should do for pictures and showings. I didn't like her ideas and will stick with my realtor's tips. Very warm today so I washed the car to get two months of salt and grime off. It will be dirty again in no time. It's suppose to freeze overnight so the roads will be treacherous for work tomorrow, yay:(
Tired and time for bed. Hope you had a good weekend.
Jenny0 -
I hope you do not have icy conditions! So exciting to hear you found a place that has so much great stuff. Actually both places sounded pretty good - but I agree the town home sounded particularly nice. Yay!!
I am glad you also found someone to clean. I am so jealous. Although with all the work you have been doing it shouldn't be too terrible.
The super bowl was a yawn and meh the Patriots. Feh.
My dad wanted Bernie to help him do something on the farm this weekend, but Bernie had taken everything out of one of the bedrooms and was finally painting it (it had never been painted) so he wanted to stay home and finish that - so of course then my dad was sad. I'm sorry dad, if he's actually doing something to my house I am going to encourage that.
I should have been more productive myself but mostly only did some tax work and filing. I am definitely wasting my chances to get stuff done early for graduation. Why can't I be productive early?
You are inspiring how you are tackling so much!0 -
Icy today! Our driveway is a skating rink. Russ barely stayed up right to get to his truck. Luckily my car is in the garage and I got out fine. Hwy was salted and okay on way to my first visit this morning. Traffic was slow but no crazy careless drivers so that was good. Both my morning appointments took time to salt their driveways and sidewalks so I would be ok. So nice of them! Some families don't think of it or don't care. Sitting in a boring training right now, stuff I already know. I have a late appointment with a student at 4pm so long day.
Tomorrow carpet cleaner comes for all the stairs. They need it badly. I have another late appointment tomorrow at 4:30 so Russ will be home for carpet cleaner. Wednesday we clear off kitchen and bathroom counters and put anything that shouldn't be out in its place. Lady cleans on Thursday and we won't touch kitchen after that except for drinks, toast, sandwich. No cooking!
I need to make my list and start packing for Mexico. Tonight I need to sew my dress where it shows too much cleavage.
More snow coming our way. I hope weather is calm on Sunday so we can fly out.
Glad Bernie was painting and getting something done. You just don't feel the pressure yet for graduation and weather is so yucky. Make a list and go room by room or start buying what you need for decorations so that is done while stock is still there. Cleaning and cooking is the last thing anyway. Plan your menu, dessert, etc. Are you having party catered or cooking yourself?
Jenny0 -
I suppose I will do the food mostly myself. It will either be the traditional (for the area) slow cooked pork and then some salads - pork is easy, I hate making salads, but still not terrible. I was playing with the idea of something breakfasty. Donut holes and bagels, maybe scrambled eggs and ham, fruit. Could make sandwiches out of the bagels even. It sounds yummy, but maybe not any less work and probably too weird.
Stay safe on that ice!0 -
If you are doing morning (11:00ish) breakfast is good, like a brunch. Egg bake, fruit, bagels and cream cheese, juice or punch, coffee... We went to a waffle bar at a party last year. The mom had her daughters friends making waffles and keeping trays filled and there were lots of toppings people could put on themselves. She had a coffee bar, different juices, donuts, bagels, bars and cupcakes.
What does Z want?
Well off to drive in this terrible weather to a 4:30 home visit/conference. These parents had better be there and also have the ice on their sidewalk salted. I'm tired of people not shoveling, salting or showing up.
Crabby today...
Jenny0 -
so I am freaking out and trying not to - took Caleb to urgent care last night because he had been complaining of his ear being plugged for a few days - I figured it was wax and needed to be irrigated - it was - while we there I mentioned that Caleb has been complaining about his knees of and on since football and while it is probably growing pains just get the medicals take on it - so Benesch (a p.a. we have seen at our regular clinic many times) agreed it is probably osgood-schlatters (growing pains) but he's taking x-rays too just in case. One of the x-rays show a spot on the tibia (I think) near the knee on the right - so now we have to wait for a radiologist to review and then maybe off to an ortho or something else. So of course you know where my brain has been for the last 12 hours.
So, if you are the praying sort - please pray.0 -
so the radiologist thinks it is a fibrous cyst and not a tumor. I'm still pretty weirded out, but it sounds like it is not something overly worrisome (to them) - but that we can get with the ortho for peace of mind. Which I definitely will. I read a bit about that and I want to talk if they think it will weaken the bone, or what we can do to alleviate the pain he is having.
Oh jeez. This has been a terrifying day. I am so thankful, grateful, and blessed to have healthy kids. I know you just 'man' up and deal with the bad, but still - terrifying.
hope your ice is going away. Stay safe!0 -
I've never heard of a fibrous cyst on a bone. I'm glad it isn't cancer and they aren't concerned. I hope the ortho gives you some good info and reassurance.
Our ice is not leaving. I took the day off so I didn't have to drive. I did a conference call at noon regarding a student but otherwise got my kitchen and entry mini blinds cleaned, cleared kitchen and bathroom counters for realtor photos, and cleaned the floor in the entry closet. Tomorrow the cleaning lady will attack the whole house with my list of things I want done. Snow is going to fall all night and tomorrow covering whatever ice is out there that people are falling on constantly. Great...now we won't see it but will have to be extra diligent. Temps are going to drop again too. This is one long winter! Book club was cancelled for tomorrow eve due to weather. One person had fallen several times this week so she is not excited to go out. My theater peeps are at a play tonight. I gave my ticket to the friend that fell so she backed out. Someone else said they would use it. I'm glad I didn't go to the play. I feel too stressed right now to sit at a play thinking about all that needs to come together in the next 4 days.
Maybe we both need to meditate?
Jenny0 -
I agree.
Do you have those things that go on the bottom of the shoes for extra traction - sounds like they could be useful up there right now.
It is so cold again today -negative-20. Yikes. I guess Caleb convinced his dad to drive them to school so he wouldn't have to walk from the lot 'all' the way to the door. Sigh. I don't really mind, it's just that the roads are fine and now I have an extra two pick ups to do. So I'm a little perturbed. Hey guys - if you wore winter attire you could walk five hundred feet and not freeze. **chants** I'll miss these days, I'll miss these days, I'll miss these days0 -
I do have yak traks but have forgotten to put them in my car. I could have used them this week. Today was another awful driving day. Heavy snow, snowy/icy roads, accidents...My first appointment was a mutual cancel between the grandma and me. She had to commute to downtown Mpls and I knew it would take me an hour or more to get to her home by 8am. I went to Caribou Coffee and did some work and on to a conference at a home at 9:30. After that I didn't have to drive far to my afternoon meetings at a building. They let us go early due to weather. I'm home now.
The house cleaner came today. House looks great!!!! The floors look new again and the stainless appliances are shiny. It smells wonderful! We will only have to do a light vacuum, clean out sinks and toilets and wipe shower doors Saturday eve before we leave Sunday morning. No cooking in our kitchen until we return.
Dogs are nervous. They've had to be kenneled twice this week due to people coming in. Now I'll kennel them tomorrow so they don't shed everywhere and jump on furniture. Carpet cleaner suppose to come at 4 tomorrow. Hope he can make it. Dogs go to sitter at 10am on Saturday.
I remember when the boys did not dress for the weather. Their lockers were so narrow they couldn't fit in boots let alone a jacket and books. Drove me crazy but I learned to let it go. When temps are so low it is a huge worry. Long winter...
Well stay warm tonight. I'm hoping for a wind chill advisory and low windchill tomorrow so school gets called off. Fingers crossed...
Jenny0 -
We took Maggie to vet. She has pancreatitis. I guess it is episodic and comes and goes. She has had some weird symptoms for awhile but vet says it could be acute in the last two weeks. Russ and I have seen symptoms such as tremors, lethargy, some vomiting, stiffness and difficulty moving about. Life is about to change. She will have to be on a low fat diet, no people treats (Russ), and take antibiotics initially. Luckily our sitter is willing to deal with it while we are in Mexico. Bad timing!
Our carpet cleaner just called and backed out again stating weather is too cold. Must affect their truck or it's Friday afternoon and they want to go home. The roads are pure ice around here so getting around is slow. Oh well! I'm done, I tried. Realtor put the lock box on today.
Tomorrow I have to take dogs to sitter, pick up paint to touch up kitchen wall gash, varnish wood by front door that dogs have torn up with their claws (Russ sanded it as best he could).
Pack and do a last minute wipe down and vacuum tomorrow eve.
I feel so stressed! Russ and I didn't go to work today (they didn't call off). The garage door rail broke (bolt snapped) and Russ' truck handles froze his doors shut and the driver's side broke off. Maggie needed to go to vet so we both took the day and got her there, did a couple of errands, and he was able to fix the door.
Get me to the beach!
Jenny0 -
That’s a lot to deal with. Soon you’ll be basking in the sunshine with a drink in your hand!0
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Hope your vacation has been more happy than sad. I know the pain you are also feeling with losing Maggie. Looks like you got lots of virtual hugs - sending you more.
Taking tomorrow off. Just because.
Have a great one!0 -
We made it home late last night. I showered and was in bed by about 2am. Went to work but was very unproductive. Didn't accomplish anything and went to lunch with a few coworkers. We picked Charlie up at sitters. He was glad to see us. He wants lots of pets and is chewing on his penguin right now. It's sad without Maggie but I'm glad she's not suffering. When I was blow drying my hair this morning I heard her bark at the back door to come in. They say our animals stay around us. I still hear Leo my black lab bark too. Sometimes I hear a cat meow. Sam or Tommy? Not sure. Maybe I'm crazy?
We had a great week, the wedding was beautiful, and I didn't want to come back to the cold. More storms starting tomorrow morning. We had 35 showings in 3 days for our house and 23 offers by Saturday night! Wow! We accepted one and the inspection was today. Hope all goes through and we don't have to do too much that is expensive. Hopefully the buyers stay with us and want the house regardless. Otherwise we will contact the next in line. If you go on Zillow.com and search 95 116th Ave NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 you will see our home. We worked really hard and the cleaning lady did a great job. The realtor had me strip down rooms to create less distractions. Not normally that clean.
Well school could get called off tomorrow if the predictions are right for snow starting early morning and going all day tomorrow.
Hope you are doing well.
Jenny0 -
Rare snow day here. CPS rarely cancels bc they don’t bus. I stayed home too. Just because. Trying to get motivated to do some graduation stuff. Been working on pictures. Zach decided he wants mashed potatoes. Sigh. My potatoes boy.
Your house looks amazing. I’m not surprised you got so many offers. That’s such a relief I bet.
Your vacation looked great too.
Caleb got his letter for 4.0 recognition for first semester. Very proud of him. Ceremony tomorrow. Zach gets to go for reaching the act benchmarks. Exciting!0 -
Glad you took a day off. It's so nice to be home in this weather. We don't have school today so no work either. Good to be with Charlie as he's adjusting to being our only dog.
You could do toppings and have a mashed potato bar that people could put on what they want. Have burgers or brats with buns for those who like meat. Lots of options...Exciting.
Congrats to C and Z!!!!!!!!!! Proud Mama!
I'm going on Pinterest to check out my moving board for what happens next.
Jenny0 -
It sounds like we are going to get hammered by snow and ice this weekend. Oh boy. I'm glad at least we don't have t worry about driving to work. But many people have plans that I will be worrying about.
If he's serious about mashed potatoes - I think I am going to check with the local caterer to see what that would cost to get me set up with the potatoes in one of those hotel servers. I did mashed potatoes in crock pots for his confirmation, but I didn't love the way they turned out -0 -
It's been a crazy couple of weeks with lots of decisions, travel, and trying to get back to work. My mind is foggy and feels over loaded. I came home today and took a nap. We received our lease for the townhome and welcome letter. We take possession 4/10. Our closing for the house is 4/15. The inspection showed what we thought it would but they mentioned we had several rotted window sills. We know we have one and plan to fix it as soon as weather allows. It also talked about siding which we disclosed when listing. It also mentioned our original furnace. Hello, the house is 25 years old! The people knew that when they made the offer. Due to siding, wood pecker hole in eve, and window sill(s), we agreed to pay some closing costs for buyer. We are still getting off cheaper than we thought and will have more money in our pocket than we planned on so it's a win. It will be interesting to see what appraisal comes in at. If it doesn't meet the buyer's offer price they will have to make up difference. We aren't putting any more money in for them.
We aren't sure that storm will hit us this weekend. Possible icey rain, yuk!
Charlie seems to be doing okay without Maggie. I let him stay out of his kennel while we were at work today and he did fine. Once we get to townhome he can go to little dog park every day after work and run, smell and hopefully see other dogs.
Well I love mashed potatoes so let me know what you come up with. It's a fun option for a party. Think of the toppings you could provide, endless!
Jenny0 -
not sure what happened to my little weekend post - but the blizzard came - we only got about 6 inches, but Omaha got over 10 with the 50 mph winds - it's been a mess. More snow this week. Good grief. Like a half inch from the most snow ever in a February.
Spring sports start today - but with six inches of snow and ice - golf is a no for the foreseeable future.0 -
Snowing here today, cold and icy. Enough!
I am so far behind at work and can't concentrate with all the stuff in my head with the move, my surgery, etc. My pre op is Thursday. I need to find and review my instructions sheet for things to do and not to do before surgery the night before and morning of. Where did I put it?
We signed our lease and sent it over to the leasing company. We will get occupancy 4/10. I need to schedule some movers but we have only a small amount of furniture and some boxes.
Rory got his first job in solar and begins 4/8. He will be installing residential solar panels for this first job. He has the opportunity to become a crew leader and move up. The job includes travel in MN, WI, and IA and they pay for his expenses and provide the work truck. He gets overtime when he goes beyond 40 hours per week. He likes to work with his hands and outside. He works with a crew. It also comes with vision, dental, and medical benefits which is nice. Paid holidays and time personal time off.
Stay warm and safe. The icy sidewalks and parking lots are stressing me out.
Jenny
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You have a lot going on! I am completely scattered and don't have nearly as much to keep track of as you do.
I forgot your surgery was coming up too. I hope you get amazing results from it and feel so much better.
Congrats to Rory! Sounds like this job checks a lot of the boxes. Hopefully he likes it too.
More snow this weekend and record cold. Enough!!0 -
Snow starts tomorrow morning, yuk! Cold temps coming too.
Pre op today. Unless blood work shows something wonky I'm good to go. Found a place that sells CBD salve today. Very expensive but helps my knees. I've been rationing my jar I bought in October in MI. It's almost gone.
We will go measure townhome model this weekend so we can determine what will fit in each room. Moving company has not called me back. I'll try tomorrow and then look else where.
So behind at work and need to start packing. Stressed!
Hope your life calms down too.
Jenny0 -
TGIF - this week has been... unpleasant - just a lot of snapping and unhappiness.
Makes it hard to stay upbeat.0 -
Sorry you had an unpleasant week. I think this weather is getting to everyone. Looks like no end in sight here. New snow today and slow driving. It's a wet snow so kind of slippery on the sidewalks and driveways.
Moving company contacted me to quote some prices. We will measure our furniture that may go with us and go to model tomorrow to measure space That will help us determine what goes and what gets stored. Our realtor contacted me about our couch. She said she knows someone that may want it. If they pick it up they can have it. I hope they take the whole set. Ugh! Fingers crossed!
Russ has an upset stomach and has had one for a few days. I told him he should get checked for a parasite since we went to Mexico. But, what do I know? He won't follow through.
My brother had his second knee surgery and is doing great. He's doing his own rehab and can be home. He seems to be feeling great and is convinced he can take care of himself. He lives alone in northern Arizona.
Watching news. Cold weather and more snow for the next couple of weeks. Make it stop!
I hope your weekend goes ok. Do something for yourself!
Jenny0 -
Got the stuff from the soffit down and washed everything. What a yuck job but glad it’s done. That’s about all I managed. Just in a funk.
Hope Russ feels better. You are still so busy! Getting a lot done.
This weather!0 -
We went to the model and the livingroom and bedrooms are larger than I remembered. The kitchen is tiny and won't have storage for much. We will put our tall restaurant shelf by the entrance door in the garage for extra storage. Hope it fits. Garage is pretty small too. We have figured out what we are taking for furniture and what we may purchase (small couch and end table for upstairs den.
The guy and his son were suppose to come pick up our couch, chair and ottoman today but they blew us off and never showed up. Pretty rude! I guess they didn't want some decent furniture for free. We will call a place that gets homes ready for homeless/needy people and see if they want it.
Rory came for dinner tonight. Russ cooked a roast in his new Instapot. It was very good. We were celebrating Rory getting his solar job. We gave him all the leftovers to take home. He is suppose to start back at the fencing company tomorrow and will work for them until his Solar job starts in April.
I have a busy day tomorrow starting with a conference at 7:30 and ending with a home visit from 4 to 5 pm. Suppose to snow by afternoon again. Please stop!
I haven't been sleeping well so I've been up since 2:15am. I did paperwork for my job in the middle of the night and then it was light out so I stayed up all day. I've had to stop taking Ibuprofen in preparation for my hand surgery this Friday. That means I'm not taking Ibuprofen PM which helps me get through the night asleep and with less pain in my knee.
A four day work week, then surgery, and two weeks off. Not excited to be in pain and on pain meds but I hope this surgery relieves the pain in my hand.
Have a great Monday!
Jenny0 -
hopefully there will be very little post op pain and much improvement overall!!
sigh - Monday.0 -
I had 6 visits scheduled today with students but my back and ribs were hurting so bad I cancelled the 4pm visit and went home at 3:15 to sit in a hot bath. Now I have a heating pad on my back. It felt like a band of pain around my front and back just below my bra. If I took a deep breath it hurt. My sister thinks I could have shingles. I think it was just a strained muscle but I'll see tomorrow.
I have so much paperwork to do! I should be doing it tonight but just can't. Tomorrow I will have to hide out in the afternoon and get it done. My students seemed to feel blah today too. I chalked it up to Monday.
Sleep well.
Jenny
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Oh man. I hope you are better tomorrow!!!
More snow Thursday and Saturday. I’m over winter!!!!0
