To-Do List.......July Update & An Introduction

Here's the July To-Do List and how it all turned out last month.


*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always at the top of my monthly list.  Pay everything due and no slacking here. ;-)

*  Read 1, 2 Books  DONE
I read this one...........

"Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy" by Judd Apatow

If you've been in a coma the last 20 years and don't know, Mr. Apatow is a prolific writer/producer/director of both tv and movies.

In high school Judd began his career in comedy by joining the school's radio station and going about contacting famous comics to interview them.  Many comics took his calls since he said he was from the media(didn't tell him it was a high school radio station)and he taped the interviews on a cassette player.  He picked their brains about life and comedy.
This book is a compilation of those interviews(plus a few non-comics)along with ones he's conducted since becoming a comic writer and along the way to becoming an award winning writer/producer.

He started as a stand-up comic, went on to write for "The Larry Sanders Show" and is best known as the writer of the movie "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and others.
He has in some capacity or other worked with just about every big name in the comedy world today-writers, actors and producers.  Most anything you've paid a movie ticket for or switched a tv on to watch he's had a hand in.

This was a fun(but very, VERY long-over 400 pages!-read)but great read except for the conversations with some folks I really don't care for......I'm looking at you Lena Dunham.
It also gets bogged down in Judd Apatow's neuroses but then again, without these he wouldn't be the comic genius he is(but every interview has his side of the conversation so you'll get tired of hearing about his childhood and hang-ups pretty fast). lol

If you can get your hands on a copy and love this area of the arts, do pick it up and take a look.

"The Man Who Loved Clowns" by June Rae Wood
I found this book among droppings from my Daughter's old room when we were cleaning it out.  It's a YA story but was enjoyable(plus a fast read and after slogging through the book above I needed a quickie).
Based on Ms. Wood's own life/her Down's Syndrome affected brother this was a thoughtful and warm book about seeing the world through different eyes.  A love letter to her brother and dealing with difficulty in adolescence.
If you have a 10+ year old in your life(who someone who is young at heart)who likes to read, find a copy of this for them to enjoy.

*  Have Carpet Replaced  DONE

After waiting for what seemed like years(it was only 3 weeks)the carpet got installed.  The room is now nice and clean.   

*  Move My Stuff into Bedroom  IN PROGRESS

I am now filling up the room with my crap.  My 2 shelving units were put in first and then all my tubs of fabric were brought in so I could go through it all and decide on what to keep and what to get rid of.
It's a work in progress still......


*  Purge Inserts  DONE

Every month(or I try to do this every month to cut down on clutter)I pull the coupon inserts where most if not all the Qs have expired.

I'll clip and toss into my coupon envelope the ones that aren't expired if I think I'll use them.

This last shot is the stack of whole inserts left after the purge.  Not much of a stack really. lolz

*  Prep and Freeze Beans  DONE

Local Green Beans finally went to rock bottom price so I bought 8 lbs. to prep........

After blanching I put 7 x 1 lb. bags into the freezer and had a sore thumbnail for my troubles(if you've every snapped beans you know the struggle).  ;-)

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

I was a bit late getting this up in July due to some health issues and a trip to the ER and the fallout from that.  Then we had a long distance medical appointment and all that entailed but I did get the Giveaway up before July was over.

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE

It went out earlier this week and should be arriving sometime today at it's destination.

*  Can Jams  DONE

Within the span of 6 days I found deals on both fresh local blueberries and not-quite-local(nobody grows it up here)peaches for .99¢ lb. each.

I set about to making jam, not a ton since we aren't big jam/jelly eaters here.  We do like to have some available.  I put a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon in the blueberry jam.
I ended up with 5 half pints of blueberry and 8 half pints of peach(besides the containers of each in the fridge to use soon).

*  Keep on top of Garden  DONE

While Hubs does the bulk of the weeding in our tiny garden I do the picking and monitoring.  We picked the bulk of the broccoli and the first of the cauliflower in July.  Everything picked was either eaten or blanched and frozen for later use.
I think the summer squash will be a bust and the cucumbers will do poorly as well.  The Morning Glories however are just taking over! lolz

*  House Train Puppy  IN PROGRESS

I guess it's about time I introduced the newest member of the family here at Chez Sluggy.

We added another puppy to our household.

This was a baby photo of our new doggy that was named "Cinamon" (1 n, not 2).

Chester was pining for a playmate since my daughter's dog moved to Texas and we found an older puppy that we thought would be a good match for him and us.

We renamed her "Dixie Belle".  She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the "Ruby" type(a mahogany color).  Think Cocker Spaniel but smaller, more compact. 
Now I have the redheaded child I always wanted. lolz

Dixie has fit right in here and she and Chester get along very well already.  While Chester is our fierce guard dog, Dixie is laid back and the only time you hear her bark is if Chester is ignoring her and won't play. lol
We are still working on the house training and teaching her doggy manners but it's progressing well.

She is just a love who wants to be near you or on you and she has bonded with Ex- College Boy(and him to her)quickly.
Cavaliers are the largest of the toy breeds and were bred in Spain(where the term Spaniel comes from)from it's predecessor the Toy Spaniel and soon spread throughout Western Europe.  They were brought to Scotland from France by Mary, Queen of Scots. 
Cavaliers are named for Charles II, the Cavalier King, of England as he was exceedingly found of the breed.  He was said to travel with and keep 3 of these dogs on his person at the Royal Court.  They were bred to be lap dogs for royalty.

They are called "love sponges" in the dog world because they just want to be with their humans.  Not a dog you want to get if you don't have someone home most of the time so perfect for retired folks.

Queen Victoria's childhood dog, Dash, was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. 
Hey, if this breed is good enough for my 13th Cousin, it's good enough for me. 8-)))


*  Continue to Clean Out Garage  IN PROGRESS

Still plugging away at clearing out stuff from the garage(and the house). It's been too hot to spend much time out there.  Some empty boxes as well as some of Hub' stuff have been thrown away.  Come September when the weather cools off more we'll focus more on going through more crap out there.

*  Move More $ Into a CD  FAIL

We didn't get around to moving $$$ around in July. sigh.  Just too many other pressing matters going on last month.

*  Host Company  DONE

Our Eldest son and his GF came for a visit for a few days in July.  Eldest turned 28 last month so there was a birthday cake and gifts involved.  We had a family cook-out with the BIL and nephew too and also took son and GF to a small amusement park West of here one day(man was that expensive!).  It was a laid back fun visit.  Here they are in front of the antique carousel ride at the park.
They couldn't stay long as the GF had to get back to work at Mount Vernon and son had to return to his teaching job the beginning of August.  But it was nice to see them.

That's all from here.
How did your To-Do List turn out for July?



Sluggy

As Ready As I'll Ever Be

Most of the tasks have been completed in preparation for the Great Moving Adventure of 2016.

Daughter's room is emptied and ready.........

All my "things" are out of the room and closet, leaving 2 dressers and the shelving attached to the wall.  Except for the basket of cough drops the rest of the things in there are Daughter's.
I vacuumed and shampooed the carpeting, cleaned the ceiling fan and Hubs put the window a/c unit in.  I didn't move the dressers and vacuum/poo under those.  If they want that done, they are welcomed to do that. lolz


In preparation for more bathroom use in the main bath I had Hubs dig our narrow bookcase out of the garage(where it was holding canned goods).
When all 3 kids were at home it lived in their bathroom for storage for all their personal toiletries so everything wasn't sitting along the tub or under the sink.  They use to just throw shit under the sink in the cabinet and it was a colossal mess!  The under sink area is reserved for cleaning supplies(kept in a plastic basket)and/or bulky items(like an electric razor, hair blower, etc.)  The medicine cabinet is for medicines only.

The bookcase could use a new coat of white paint but that's not happening now, but I did put vinyl shelf liner down on each shelf.
Each of the 3 of them get a personal shelf with the bottom shelf reserved for toiletries I found under the sink cabinet that were opened and not claimed.(I found SIX opened toothpaste tubes in this bathroom!)
If someone runs out of an item, they are to take something from that collection of opened items before opening a new one from the stockpile.

We also moved an over the door peg hangers unit to this bathroom's door to solve the towel hanging space issue, as there is only one towel bar in this room(besides the hand towel ring).

I suspect there will be more "Musical Chairs" moving things about the house once they get here and we set up a routine of sorts.

They have a large(I mean LARGE!)TV they are bringing which won't fit into their room.  Daughter wants to hang it on the wall in the den(and put our much smaller TV in their room I suppose).  This would mean we either have to get rid of or repurpose our TV cabinet in the den(as this new tv won't fit into it).  Plus the wall that would make the most sense to hang their TV has the a/c split unit on it so won't work, meaning the furniture arrangement currently in there won't work and everything has to be rearranged. sigh

And I still have to figure out how to handle the laundry room and laundry.  I am not doing Daughter and BF's clothes and will stop doing College Boy's as well this month.  The configuration in there won't work if 4 people are doing their own laundry(I do Hubs).  We only have room for two dirty clothes hampers in the laundry room(1 for whites/1 for colors)but we'll need at least 3-4 and at most 7-8 hampers for all the dirty things to keep the owners' clothing separated.  I hate the idea of keeping hampers of dirty things in a bedrooms(as the closets aren't spacious enough to keep them in there).
But we'll figure it out in time.

I still have piles/tubs of crap to go through and figure out what to do with in the living/dining room.
We aren't out of the weeds by any means but I'm ready as I'll ever be at this point.

Let the games begin! 8-O

Sluggy

Still in the Weeds in PA

Tonight will mark a full week that we've been home.
And I am still "in the weeds" as they say in the restaurant biz.

While I was gone PA went from late Winter temps to Summer temps.
What the heck happened to Spring temps?!?!  I done missed Spring here.
It's hot and muggy here already.  It just makes me want to leave and head North or hide in my bedroom in the a/c. ugh.

The yard is sad and neglected.  The gardens are overgrown with actual weeds and the beds have not been worked nor anything planted.  Bags of mulch still sit on the side of the house waiting to be used in the flower bed out front......the flower bed without flowers to this point.

I have so much to contend with inside the house that I can't even THINK about the yard.  As long as the lawn gets mowed we are all good out there as far as I am concerned.
So much for having to decide whether to have a garden this season.......

Add in that the deck needs de-molding, cleaning and sealing again this season and it's all too much to think about.

I have finally caught up on the laundry.
Go me.

I came home to a stack of this.......

Bills and more bills!
Another 4 bills arrived and were paid this week in addition to these seven bills.

I've also been tallying up the expenses for May and I can tell it won't be pretty. 8-(  Our c/c bill will be very high for June(but I'll still pay it off in full).

The labs came back from my dr. visit on Monday and I also have a bacterial infection so an antibiotic prescription to clear that up.....which will probably cause the other infection to return so I'll be doing more drugs for that one too.
yay.

Plus my blood work is all kinds of out of whack which has me stressing out, which in turn has my HS acting up.
Oh, the fun just never ends, does it? ha!

Have I mentioned that Daughter will be arriving in 12 days?
The house is nowhere near ready for that either.
And this makes me stress out even more and makes my body turn on me even more.

We've begun the furniture moving in the house.  College Boy's bed, a day bed affair has been moved down into the den.

That was the first item moved and it got done last weekend.
It can be used as a sofa-like item down there and probably a place for Daughter's large dog to recline.

This week we've moved the stockpile of TP out from under the bed in the Daughter's room.......

The TP along with tubs of toiletries and tubs of fabric are temporarily living in Hub's man cave room.

Saturday will see the bed in Daughter's room move to College Boy's room.  Then CB's room can be put back together.  As this bed is higher off the ground, we can store all his college supplies(things he doesn't need to use while home)neatly under that bed and out of the way.

On Tuesday as we started the "Big Reorg", I made CB take everything out of his room, since he said he was incapable of putting it all away.  It became clear as we dug the room out why he had no room to put stuff away.  Since high school this child has thrown nothing away.  As long as his room contents didn't spill out into the hall I didn't worry about it.  He was gone most of the year at college so I could just shut the door and ignore the growing menace contained without his room's walls.

The child couldn't put any of this currently wearing clothes away because his closet and dresser were crammed full of old clothes and shoes that either no longer fit him or were worn out. sigh.

So I sat there and personally supervised as he pulled everything out and decided which pile to toss it all into-the keep or the get rid of pile.

An hour later and this is what came out of his room......

There was also a garbage bag full of trash as well.

Now all his clothes/shoes fit neatly into his room.

And here is a neat-ish pile of cast-offs to take to Salvation Army.

As I went through this discard pile of clothing I put aside a few things that CB threw out.....like brand new pairs of Levis and shorts he has never taken the tags off of and that still are the correct size.  I've tucked these things away for once what he is wearing wears out.....

That bag is a brand new pair of black dress slacks he's never worn as well.  He'll need all this later and I really don't want to have to re-buy all this when he does. sigh.  It can all get stored under his bed once we move it.
The backpack was also uncovered.  It is brand new with tags.  He's also got another one identical to this one that has plenty of life left in it, as well as the backpack he is currently using that I bought last Fall.  I have told him I am done buying backpacks so he'd better make these last for the next 2 years.
If this one is still not needed before he graduates college it will head to eBay as Vans backpacks bring a pretty penny.  ;-)

And another 3 bags of stained, ripped or just worn out clothes headed for the garbage.....

I whittled down the fabric stash and am sending 2 garbage bags of fabric to charity(McVal, look away!!!).........

Now I can fit the fabric I want to use soon onto one shelving unit, which was moved into the corner of my bedroom............sort of fit it all....lolz......

The empty identical shelving unit will go into College Boy's room after we get the bed moved into there.

CB needs places to set stuff other than the floor, which has been his "go to" place for stuff the last 2 years.

I also took a bit of time out to go to Weis(PMITA)Markets on Wednesday.  I picked up 6 different Instant Discount Stickered Meats.......

After discounts I paid.....1 package of Italian Sausage patties($2.62), 1 package of Salmon($3.74), 1 packages of Chicken Thighs($1.90), 1 package of 2 small steaks($2.31), and 2 packages of Cubed Steaks($2.13 and $2.68).

Back to the house and by Wednesday I've got both dressers in Daughter's room emptied(save for the tops of both dressers which still have toiletries on them).  Still to come out of that room are a small rolltop desk, the recumbent exercise bike and a small rickety shelving unit which will be put on the trash pile when it is removed.

So this weekend while everyone else is cooking out and partying, here at Chez Sluggy, we'll be moving furniture, organizing crap and storing it away.  And making multiple trips to Salvation Army with discarded stuff.
And hauling out the 2 room window a/c units for the s bedrooms upstairs.  It's already in the 90 degree range here now and muggy as heck!

Once we get the house put back together I'll be tackling the garage to make some space in there too.
The fun just never ends here.......... 8-)

Sluggy