I'm A Voracious Reader : AVR Weekly News ~ 623rd Edition

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Sunday ~ Meme ~ AVR Weekly News ~ 622nd Edition

Sunday ~ Meme ~ AVR Weekly News ~ 624th Edition
Wednesday ~ Tour Review ~ HomeAdrift by Soheil Mirchi

Hello and Happy Sunday!

On the Home Front

Sunday ~ I woke up with every muscle in my body aching from staining the deck. I went to Lowe's and bought a new washer. I bought the 5 yr warranty because fuck this shit. We emptied the pod in prep for pick up tomorrow. Then the boys unboxed the washer and we hooked it up. A few months ago I bought a flat dolly at Harbor Freight for $12.99 and let me tell you, that thing has come in more handy than I anticipated. We've used it to move the kitchen fridge back into place, moved the two mini fridges (more than once), moved the freezer out of the laundry room then back in, moved the shit washer out and new one in, moved the art wardrobe, and I've used it many times to shift boxes and tubs from room to room. Ok, so when everything is done I probably will never have to use it again, but for now, it's one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. lol We tried using it to move the oak secretary, but it has legs and those antique wooden wheels that don't roll very well (especially on smooth floors, it did better on the carpet where it had some friction) and it was a bit too narrow to sit on it, so we put a long rug under it and dragged it along the hardwood floor. I swear, I'm glad there's no hidden cameras in our house. We'll have to do the rug trick with the china cabinet that's in my room and needs to go to the livingroom. But we'll have to carefully carry it from my room, though the office to the hardwood floor first.

Monday ~ Boys put together the last of the bookcases while I ran the cabinets I can't use to the wasband. I thought I'd have to use the trailer, but they both fit in the back of the Pilot. When I got home I anchored the first bookcase while they finished the 2nd one then we went out to do some Pokemoning in the morning so we could finish some tasks and get the rewards. Then we came home and got to work. We moved one wardrobe (used for art) out to the craft area and two cubes. We emptied the other wardrobe that had art stuff in it but left it in the room for Trip's jerseys since it has a rod for hanging things and that room no longer has a "closet", just some open shelves. He's also putting his slippers (he has many pairs lol) in there. We moved the temporary cubes out of the living room so I could put my oak secretary there. Trip's soon-to-be room has so much stuff in it. We've been using it for storing shit that has no other home, like craft things, luggage, pet stuff, etc. etc. If I had a garage or basement this wouldn't be a problem. The craft stuff should all fit in the new craft area when we're done. Kyle's new bed (not put together yet) has a frame that lifts up for storage underneath so I'm hoping luggage and maybe sleeping bags can fit there, at least for now. I can make room for pet blankets and things in my office. I have no idea what to do with all of the toys leftover from their childhood that the grandkids now use. We have tubs of stuff under their bunkbed because it had a trundle bed that we never used, so it sits high off the ground. I'm not kidding, there's probably 10 Rubbermaid tubs full of Play-Doh equipment, wooden railroad track, various cars, trucks, and other vroom things, Nerf guns, and stuff I can't even remember. lol Trip moved the trash and recycling cans up the drive for pick up tomorrow. There are a lot of boxes out on the front porch that need broke down, but both recycling cans are full. The boys cleared stuff off the back deck. The pod didn't get picked up until nearly 6pm. Around noon it dawned on me that I never rec'd a 2nd confirmation for my pick up so I called and the autovoice said my wait was over an hour and my callback was over an hour. I opted for call back. 4 hrs later I got a call back except it was the autovoice telling me I was next and to wait for the next rep. I was on hold for nearly 30 minutes when I heard the beepbeepbeep of the truck backing down the drive. Sheesh!

Tuesday ~ Electricians here to put outlets in the floor of the computer area. Yay! Boys put together the desk I'll use for my sewing machine. Continued to move around stuff and unpack. Boys broke down all the boxes for recycling now that both cans have been emptied. Except now they're both nearly full again and we're two weeks from pick up. lol I anchored the art wardrobe, the cubes, and the last bookcase in the computer area. I also hung the blinds in the living room and put up the curtain rod. Finally. lol

Wednesday ~ Hunter and Andrew here to finish up all the little things on the contractor list. I even talked them into hanging some cubes on my wall over the sewing desk. They did it so much faster than I could have. Thomas the plumber here to install a cover under the laundry room sink. He didn't have it when he finished up over a week ago. I had 16 ton of gravel dropped off. We'll use a good portion of that under the back deck. It's going to be a royal pain because the Kubota bucket can only get so close then we'll have to shovel. My back already hates me just thinking about it. The rest we'll spread around the driveway. The boys moved their computers out to the computer area and unboxed their stuff that used to be in the old computer area. Slowly we're getting things situated. I tidied up the office and moved the mini-fridge that Trip mostly uses to the office for now. It was in the craft area and Ill need that space soon.

Thursday ~ We took the day off from the stressful grind of moving shit around and unpacking things. The only thing I had the boys do was bring the dining table they were using for a desk in their room out to the kitchen so I could pull it up to the bench in the island. Yay! I talked with my oldest brother, texted with my other brother and SIL, then the kids an I went Pokemoning for a bit. I got the turkey in the oven later than anticipated, but it was still done by 6pm. I made mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, rolls and a pumpkin pie. But forgot I was going to make home-made mac-n-cheese. Oops.

Friday ~ I cleaned my bathroom and the kids' since they were moving stuff out of Trip's soon-to-be room, mopped the laundry room and put down rugs, then anchored a bookcase they moved out to the craft area. Why do we have so much stuff?! Especially since I'm losing the room where I store it all?! Ugh. It is uber stressful. The craft area is overrun with boxes and tubs of stuff, my dining table that was nice and clear now has boxes and misc. stuff on it, and my office, which I tidied Weds., needs some things moved around. I tidied up all the bags and boxes of Christmas presents in my room, sorting it into the boxes I made a week or so ago for their stuff. I'm still waiting on a few things, but other than toys for the grandkiddos, I should be about done. We went to get the Christmas tree and a wreath after it got dark because that's our tradition. We played some Pokemon on the way there. It was cold out and the wind made it especially so. Brrrrr! 🥶 Found a tree we think will fit in the new spot of the new addition. Everything is different this year, even more so than last Christmas, after I kicked the lying cheating bastard out of the house. Anyway, we'll make things work. We might not get everything decorated the way we want this year simply because we don't have things situated yet, but next year should be better. We ate Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and watched Scrooged as per tradition.

Saturday ~ Woke up to the 8am alarm then fell back asleep until nearly 9. Oops. Did the usual morning stuff. Chilly while walking the dogs. Brrrr! Trip and I went to Jewelers Mark to pick up his replacement bracelet and Kyle's 2 Christmas presents that had come in. One I don't think he'll enjoy so I'll give it to Anna (who I think will love it) and look for something else for him. Hit ACE Hardware for some Command clips to hang lights on the ceiling without leaving marks. The only good thing about the old popcorn ceiling was using tacks and not even noticing where they were after we took them down. lol I am not putting a bunch of holes in my nice flat new ceiling though. When we got back home Trip started on the outdoor lights. He does the roof stuff and Kyle does railings. Anna tried sorting the mess in the craft area, but really we can't do anything until we actually have storage to put it in. We'll just have to live with the mess until the new storage units get here. The boys will love putting more stuff together. That's sarcasm, just so you know. 🤣 We have more stuff to take out of Trip's room before I can paint, but hoping to get to that this week. I cleaned up the dresser we dug out of the shed the other day. Then Kyle and I moved the shoe stand he and his dad built years ago to the front porch so I can put the dresser where it was (temporarily) sitting by the patio door. Then he and I hung one of Trip's cubes in his area of the computer room, but I miscalculated and the other won't fit there. It'll have to go in his room. I finally made the homemade mac-n-cheese to go with the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers then after we ate Trip brought in the tree and we got it situated in its stand. Should be ok in the spot we picked. Gonna have a hard time getting the lights on unless someone helps me.

Today I told the kids we'd take the day off. I may putter around until Pokemon Community Day which is 2-5. Otherwise I think I just want to recharge my batteries which could involve napping in my chair. I may try to dig the tree lights out of my closet, but I'll probably wait until I can get some things out of my way.

I just feel so worn down. However, I think if I squint really hard I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm hoping to get back to visiting blogs again and just being a better blogging friend in general. And I really really really miss reading. I've missed nearly all my tour reviews for months, so I need to get caught up on those, not to mention the deadline for the judging of BBNYA is coming up fast. I'll need to concentrate on those books ASAP. The plan is to push push push, so I can get back on track by the New Year. I have an appointment with the divorce attorney Tuesday to see how the final paperwork works in NC. This state is so assbackwards in so may ways. In any case, I think I can put in the papers to have the wasband keep me on his insurance until such a time as I can get my own. I'll know more Tuesday. Not having universal health insurance like every other developed nation on Earth is so fucking stupid. Health insurance should not be tied to employment!!!! It makes me so fucking furious! *deep breaths*

Construction News ~ Construction is technically done. I'm waiting on my replacement handle for my casement window. It's taking its sweet time getting here. And I'm going to call Raul this coming week to schedule him to stain the front porch. Because fuck that shit. lol

Touching Nature: Weather has been nice and slightly warmer than typical Fall. But then the temp dropped Weds night and now it's been windy and chilly - something I call nipply.

Book News: I've literally read nothing this week. I have fallen asleep in my chair by 8pm every single day this week. Except Friday I managed to stay awake to watch Scrooged.

Don't Touch That Dial!: Finished Angel. Anna puts some of her subscription stuff on while we eat dinner. I watched an episode of Bones while eating dinner Saturday and we watched Scrooged Friday.

At the Flicks: Nope.

Cyberspace Playground: Wordle, Word Lots, Crossword Jam, Solitaire, the Finch app - if anyone wants to be friends just let me know.

Randomness: A groaner for you.