The to-do list just got shorter

Early in the week I learned I was having some company from away for a few days this weekend.  Just a quick 2 day visit but it was nice as I haven't seen these friends for several years.   Not only was it nice to catch up, but my friend's boyfriend is a bit of a jack of all trades.   So that meant a lot of little jobs got done.  

First they arrived with 2 little ikea side tables as a house warming gift. He put these together much quicker than I would have and surprisingly he had no spare parts left over.  Lol

This one will sit by my hooking chair

And this one has yet to find a permanent home but I suspect it may eventually reside in the upstairs hallway 

Then he removed a door at the foot of the stairs that was bugging me.  And the light switches in the kitchen made no sense.  They didn't connect to the light fixtures you would expect.  It was odd.  Well, he had that all fixed in 10 minutes.  

Then he went to put the now removed door into the garage and noticed that the side "man door" didn't work.  It had just been closed off and padlocked.  He disappeared to the hardware store and after a couple of hours I can now access the garage if the power is out.  

You would think that would be enough right?  Well, yesterday morning I mentioned how dark the back door is when I forget to turn on the outside light when I leave.  I never think of it when I leave and it's daylight.  So off he went again and returned with a motion sensor light for the edge of my garage.  

The only problem was I didn't have a ladder.  Where there's a will, there's a way.  (Due to the obvious safety issues here I've blurred his face to protect the innocent.  Lol)

That chair kept sinking further into the mud. Poor guy!  When I came home late last night, the yard lit up like a airport runway!!  

If they had stayed a whole week I would have a completely renovated house!!  

It's back to work for me tomorrow after almost 3 weeks off.  I'm soooo not ready

It's not all glamorous

The initial homeowner glow is beginning to fade a little.  There is a big rain storm coming so I wanted to mow my lawn before it got out of control.  I start up my dandy new lawnmower last night and mowed for about 2 minutes when it died.   Out of gas!  Arrgh.  By then I wasn't in the mood to deal with it.  This morning I went out and bought my very own gas can.  Partially filled it (because I don't really want to store much gas in the garage in case......boom).   Then I proceeded to spill gas all over the mower and garage floor before I finally hit the gas tank.   (Yes, there was a little cussing).  But I finished the lawn.  

But I mean really, what man can resist a woman with her very own gas can........Once word gets out they'll be banging down the door!  Lol 

Next non-glamorous chore was disgusting.  When I moved in there was a stinky, rotting old compost bag in the bottom of my compost bin.  This house was vacated in February so you can imagine what a treat that was to find. Grossssssss.   My hope that on last weeks collection it might fall out on its one when the truck tipped the bin did not happen.

So this afternoon with a scarf over my face, I dragged it into the garage, tipped it over and extricated the disgusting slimy bag with the help on those shovels in the background.  God, I can still smell it :(

Tomorrow morning is recycling pick-up.  I'm maxed out on the bags I'm allowed to put out.

The rest is stored in the garage for next time.   Ahhh, the glamourous week I've had!

There's a hole in my bucket

Have you ever heard that song?  I'm sure I haven't heard it since I was a little girl but today it popped into my head.  Probably because of the money pouring out of my bank account.  The bucket of money is getting more shallow.  

This homeowner stuff is expensive!  Lol.  I had just come from the furnace oil company when the song appeared in my head. I registered for automatic delivery and set up a monthly payment plan.  Ugh, oil is expensive.  They are supposed to fill up my tank tomorrow.  Let's all pray for a long, mild Fall :)

On the home front, I can "almost" see my dining area.  I've been using it as the dumping/sorting area.  Maybe by the end of the weekend I can actually eat on the table!

On a more serious note, I am saddened by the tragic death of Robin Williams.  In my younger days I remember watching Mork & Mindy and even named 2 goldfish after them.  He was so talented and brought laughter and joy to so many people.  He left us so many incredible performances.  Listen to his monologue on golf and try not to laugh.  I dare you.  Yet sadly depression would not relent.  As a society we often take depression lightly, yet when it has it's grips in you it isn't always possible to just "look on the bright side".  

It is such a shame that it takes a tragic event to put light on this issue.

Construction project

I finally got to use some of my new tools.  My tv stand was delivered - in pieces.  Corner stands are hard to find, especially if you are looking for an inexpensive one.  I don't think the tv will stay in that corner forever so I didn't want to put out a lot of money.

I figured it would be a few pieces, no big deal.  Easy Peasy, right?   When I unpacked it I thought I was building a piece of the international space station! The instruction booklet was about 20 pages.

Seems like an awful lot of screws and nails for a little piece of furniture....

But I would get to use my new pink screwdriver set :).  So it wasn't the 20 minute job I expected.  More like over an hour :(

In the end these pieces were left over.  I've convinced myself they give you a few extra parts. (Don't burst my bubble.  All I know is the thing hasn't fallen apart yet)

The finished product

I'm proud of myself!  Building this thing was easier than getting my new TV hooked up.  I had to call a friend in for "tech assistance".  LOL

After all that hard work, time to reward myself

Mmmmmmmm

Flowers......for now

Yes, I'm still here.  I'm still unpacking, sorting and organizing.  And at least 3 times a day I discover something I need and make several runs to the stores.  It is coming together, albeit slowly.  And my whole body is sore from lifting and lugging upstairs, downstairs, the basement or the garage.  But it's so much fun!

At this point every room is still a bit of chaos and confusion but I thought I'd share some of the flowers around the house.  Most of you are all gardeners.  And as you know, I am not.  So before the flowers and shrubs around the house commit suicide to evade the slow torturous death I will surely inflict on them I thought you should see them.

The climbing clematis was beautiful the week before I moved in.  However since I appeared, the blooms have all disappeared.  Coincidence?? Or did it see me coming and decide to send me a message??  Lol

The house was vacant for about 6 months so some of my friends have mentioned that there are a lot of weeds in the front beds.  Since I can't tell the difference I guess I will wait until Spring and invite some Green Thumbs over for a "garden party".  They can fix the beds and I'll provide the wine.  That seems fair, right?

Home Sweet Home

I'm here and I'm exhausted!!

Packing up

Tomorrow is the big day.  The large stuff from here is going to the new house tomorrow.  I've been sorting and stuffing things in Rubbermaid totes 

Sadly there was no system, just grab and fill. I'll worry about it later ;)

Hang in there with me. As soon as I'm settled I will show you pictures.  

That is, if I survive this move.  Naturally the humidity is wicked so that should make moving extra fun!!!!  Lol

Wish me luck 

July is a blur

This month is flying by.  I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. And I haven't visited you either....sorry! 

I have my family from Vermont for the month. I've been working and driving back and forth from the beach.  I've been spending time here

Such a pretty beach, isn't it?   And I've been eating lots of this type of stuff

The Sandpiper restaurant fried clams  -  I will go out on a limb here and say there are the best....anywhere!  There's also been a few feeds of lobster and mussels 

We have even been entertaining a daily visitor. 

He is so cute and tame.  If we are late in putting out the peanuts, he jumps on the deck railing and chirps!  Lol

And it's 12 days until moving day!  I've been planning, organizing, etc.  Almosy everything but packing. Lol. It's true, I haven't packed one thing yet :(.  But I did go to a lovely House Warming Shower hosted by my friends.  I got so many lovely things. I can't wait to show you once I'm settled.  

I ordered some new furniture today. It will all come together. Hurry up Closing Day!!

Tomorrow night I get to have dinner with the lovely Jen Manuel from Fish Eye Rugs.  She's in town for a workshop at Deanne's.  I can't wait to catch up with her.

So that's what's happening here in Crazy Town and why I've been MIA here on the blog.  Once I get moved and settled I'll be back more regularly and checking in on your posts. 

Hello Arthur

Tropical Storm Arthur has introduced himself. (Not that anyone really wanted to meet him)

Overall he hasn't been as nasty as predicted.  A little rain all day and is just now getting heavier.  The winds picked up speed a few hours ago.  I see the occasional tree branch blow down the street. I hear a few town trees are down but none so far in my neighborhood.  And although the power has flickered a few times, we still have power.  The news is reporting over 140,000 customers are without power in the province so I am counting my blessings not to be one of them.  (yet!)

Not much to do but batten down the hatches, sit tight and ride it out.  I've been knitting my way through the day.

I hope everyone else in the storms path stays safe.

Lists, lists, and more lists

My life has become swamped in lists.  The end of July will be here quickly and I need to outfit a house! I have lists of budgets - plan A and plan B.   I have lists for each room and a budget for each room.  I have a "need" list.  I have a "want" list.  I have a "someday" list.   Soon I will need a list for medications I will need to take if I don't settle down.  Lol  

I am going to put a self-imposed ban on Pinterest because it's just confusing me with ideas.  I have been looking at furniture and have some basic stuff picked out but I will wait until closer to the end of the month.  (Mainly because I keep changing my mind). And I want to arrange another visit inside the new house to measure things again. 

So if you see a crazed woman running around clutching a fist full of lists, relax it's just me.