I'm A Voracious Reader : AVR Weekly News ~ 630th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
~ Recap the past week ~
~ Show what's upcoming ~
~ Share news ~
~ Display book hauls ~

Sunday ~ Meme ~ AVR Weekly News ~ 629th Edition
Wednesday ~ Audiobook Review ~ The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates
Friday ~ Meme ~ Friday Featured Spotlight ~ The First Sin

Monday ~ Audiobook Review ~ The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Wednesday ~ BBNYA Tour Spotlight ~ The Revenge of Captain Vessia by Leslie Allen
Thursday ~ TWR Tour Spotlight ~ Lianna and the Hombit by Valinora Troy
Friday ~ Meme ~ Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Aliza in Nazi-Land
Sunday ~ Meme ~ AVR Weekly News ~ 631st Edition

Hello and Happy Sunday!

On the Home Front

Sunday ~ A No Good Very Windy Day. Like, it's a good thing I'm fat or I'd blow away kind of windy. lol I spent the day working on the computer. I had to get caught up on sorting some finances and then I started drafting blog posts. I also created a spreadsheet of all the books I need to write reviews for so far. I made a pork roast in the Instant Pot for dinner.

Monday ~ Cold! Brrrrr! So much for those 70º days last week. It did kind of get up to mid-40s, but it was in the 20s overnight. Ick. I spent all day drafting blog posts for upcoming tours. When the media kit emails start rolling in, I just need to copy and paste. Boom! I have templates that needed updating, so I did that, too. Then I wrote 3 reviews! I was going to write a 4th review, but discovered I had already written it back in April and forgot to remove it from my "needs review" shelf on Goodreads. Oops. Had leftovers for dinner and watched some Bones.

Tuesday ~ Got up a bit late. I had no motivation to get me going. It was cold until about 11:00 when it warmed up to about 50º, so I woke Trip up and we finally went outside to do a few things. Fed the critters, cleaned and tidied the porch, raked the leaves away from the porch, put my little knickknacks back out now that it's stained, and fixed the blocks. There's still a lot I want to do landscaping-wise, but I'll need to get the Kubota out for that. Maybe tomorrow. Then we moved most of the junk to one spot to take a pic to send to Vets Junk Removal for a quote to haul it away. Our gaming chairs were delivered, so we'll need to put those together. Trip showered then I showered. I tried reading and managed to get some pages read, but what I really wanted was a nap, so I did for about an hour. Spaghetti for dinner.

Wednesday ~ Woke up to a grey day. Wanted to work outside before the rain moved in, but it came sooner than expected. So Trip and I made a run to Harbor Freight to pick up a tarp (and some other things) to replace the 10'x20' canopy cover that ripped down the middle during the No Good Very Windy Day. We have 3 canopies. One covers the Kubota, that's the newest one bought in 2021. One was bought in 2020 and I can't even find the 3rd purchase on Amazon which is weird. Anyway, the Kubota canopy is in decent shape for now. The oldest one covering some of the wood stacks is in sad shape. But the one covering mom's trailer, the push mower, wood chipper, and various other things is in really sad shape. The middle is bent at the joint (from a different wind storm) so we can't even straighten it out. And that's the one that had the cover rip. So, while it sags pathetically in the middle it has a nice new heavy duty tarp covering it. The best part? It cost $43 plus 100' of paracord at $5 (I already had bungees) and a bit less than an hour of Trip's and my time (in the cold rain). A replacement canopy on Amazon was anywhere from $80 - $100 and the reviews were not good. So I am satisfied it will last for awhile longer now. Hopefully, we can build either a garage or an equipment shed before it (or the Kubota cover) completely craps out on us. While we were out I made a stop at Lowe's for more of the Scotch brand velcro pieces with tape on them (for under the laundry room sink), O'Reilly's for brake pads for Anna's car, the jeweler's to pick up Trip's fixed bracelet, CVS for prescriptions, and Waffle House because we hungry. lol Nancy came to dremel the dogs' nails. The older they get the more they hate it. It's such a pain in the ass. Leftovers for dinner.

Thursday ~ Cold out today! When I walked the dogs it was 31º feels like 20º. That wind is just outright nasty. Folded 2 loads of towels and washed, dried, and put away my clothes. Put away most of Anna's clean clothes. I was going to just hibernate today with a book or two, but there's always something needing done. Trip bought our tickets to see the Greensboro Gargoyles next Saturday. Met Anna and Kyle at Black's Tire to drop off her car for an oil change and brakes. She said it started making a weird noise, so Timothy can check that out, too. Swung by Dairy Queen for Blizzards since they took tomorrow off so today is their Friday. Made a marinated pork loin for dinner. It's ok. I'm not a big fan of the marinade, but the kids obviously liked it since there was very little left. Went to bed around 11. That's past my bedtime in case you're wondering.

Friday ~ Woke up with 8am alarm then promptly fell back asleep. Woke up before 9:00 with my right lower back hurting. I really need to spin my mattress 180º. That got me thinking about when I was born and the doctor discovered my hip joint wasn't fully formed (hip dysplasia), so I had to wear a brace my 1st year while the socket developed fully. I couldn't remember which hip mom said that was, so I asked my brothers. They couldn't remember either. Which led Wayne to look through dad's diaries (first texting that I'd need to sign a HIPAA form - my brother thinks he's hilarious lmao), but dad wasn't a consistent diarist until later years, so he didn't see it mentioned. Anyway, my lower back aches don't have anything to do with my hip, but I was curious. Funny how the brain works. lol After the usual morning routine, I puttered around the internet for awhile then went to Food Lion to get some groceries. Timothy texted that Anna's car was done. The noise was worn struts and sway bar links. I had him replace those, he did the brakes, oil change, and inspection. Now all she needs is her windshield replaced. I'll have to get a quote from Safelite. The crack is getting bigger, but it's not super bad. Yet. After dropping her off to pick up her car, Trip and I shot over to the grandkiddos' mawmaw's to pick them up for an overnight. Got home, made cookies, fed the furries, then made scrambled eggs and toast for everyone for dinner. Apparently I make the best scrambled eggs ever, according to the knee nibblers. They're just eggs scrambled in butter. Nothing special. Just wait, they'll ask for more scrambled eggs for breakfast. lol

Saturday ~ Woke up at 8 with the alarm then dozed for 45 minutes. Did the morning routine then got on the computer to run through emails and do the Wordle. Created an account on Twitch. When the grandkiddos finally got up I made scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. Told ya so. LOL Did the dishes then took my new monitor out of the box and set it up. And my new mouse and headphones. Now I just need to hook everything up to my gaming computer and get it all fired up. And someone needs to put my new chair together. I'll probably get Kyle to do that tomorrow. Also, Anna suggested that I divide the 4 ethernet cords running to our computers and put 2 each in the cord cover running across the floor since 4 of them make it not stick to the floor. Good idea. I just need to cut another piece. Maybe tomorrow. Anna left to go have a Sister Date with April. I told the grandkiddos they had until I cleaned my bathroom then they needed to get everything cleaned up and ready to go to their mawmaw's. We stopped at McD's, as per our usual ritual, for Happy Meals. Dropped them off then headed home to do the laundry room and litterboxes. Kyle did their bathroom while we were gone and it was Trip's turn for litterboxes. We got that done then I took one of the fastest showers ever since I had placed a Texas Roadhouse order to pick up at 5pm. When I was done I fed the dogs and Trip did a quick walk then we picked up the food. For once, the order was correct. I ate some of my food (I always order a lot so there's leftovers for everyone) while watching Bones. Anna came home and grabbed her food and watched with me. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, put away leftovers, and worked on this post.

Today I'd like to either put my chair together or have Kyle do it and hook up my computer. It would also be nice to work on Kyle's room which I did not do this past week. I asked him if he wanted to do it today or Monday, since he and Anna are off. He didn't answer me. lol If we don't do his room until Monday then I'll probably just read. Maybe write some reviews.

New Year's Resolutions/Goals

I thought I'd keep a weekly record of these so I can see if anything is getting done. 😆

More reading, less tv ~ I got a book done. Yay!

Go back to the beginning and revamp old blog posts ~ I've finished November and December 2011. Which is the year I started. Time to start 2012. Some of these old posts make me cringe. lol

Exercise ~ No. lol

Tidy up outside ~ Trip and I raked the leaves away from the porch, put back the landscaping blocks (need many more), put back all my little knickknacks, tidied the porch, and replaced the ripped 10'x20' canopy covering mom's trailer, the push mower, wood chipper, and various other things with a heavy-duty tarp and some paracord.

Sort through everything (keep, donate, recycle, trash) ~ I haven't sorted anything this week. Been quite lazy.

Touching Nature: Warmish then cold. Then very cold. And windy. Some rain. No snow yet.

Book News: Still watching Bones, but I'm about ready to stop. I asked Anna if she wanted to go back to Lost and watch all that before we start listening to audiobooks in the evening. Finished a book.

Don't Touch That Dial!: Some Bones.

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: 23-19!! IYKYK 😂

Carol's Nuggets of Wisdom: Everything is terrible. Do things that give you joy, so you don't get an ulcer or end up committing a felony. And I don't have bail money. So...joy.

That's it for me. AVR News Update signing off. May all your books enthrall you.