“Tis the Season to be Jolly”

Posted on December 20, 2014December 20, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Happy Holidays my blogging friends and followers! It a busy time of year. The Taunton Green is beautiful. They , like so many other places, used the theme of “Frozen”. I just need an evening when I’m not headed to a party or its not raining to get some pictures to share. Maybe this weekend. I don’t care if it snows. That would be pretty and fit right in with the theme but rain would put a damper on things. 🙂

I made my deadline and got my 2014 Christmas cards out on time! I used my “Christmas House” photo from last year for this year’s card.

I have some ideas for next year. I just have to get time to try capture the images.

Buddy continues to destroy the little Christmas Tree. He knows it wrong because he jumps down as soon as I start toward him. I look away and he’s right back up there!

I’ve been busier this year with holiday parties. I usually stick pretty close to home. I’ve outgrown being a “party animal” but I was invited to a “girl’s night out” for my team at work and I decided it would be fun. I wasn’t disappointed. We went to an italian restaurant in Belmont, MA called Il Casale.

We had a wonderful dinner. My teammate , Eileen had just come back from Italy and she said her meal was better than anything she had while she was there. My chicken parm was exquisite. They didn’t take any of the short cuts that so many restaurants do. But by far the chocolate cream puffs we had for dessert were the crowning glory of the meal.

That was Thursday, then on Friday we had the Redfin Holiday party. It was held on the Spirit of Boston and what a good time! Everyone was smiling and happy, there was an awesome buffet and lots of dancing. I don’t get into the office very often as its just easier to work from home so it was really nice to see everyone.

Of course when I got home the tree had been ravished again. 🙁 I’ll have to re-string the lights this time as well as the beaded garland. But it’s all about the holidays anyway. Right?

Here Kitty Kitty

Posted on December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 by Dusty Roads

You must be getting bored with my renovation project. I know I am. It just seems to be stalled for now.

So how ’bout those crazy kitties? Rocky hasn’t paid much attention to the tree this year (So far) but Buddy hasn’t quite accepted it yet. He’s kind of sneaky. He’ll sit next to it like a very good kitty but the minute I look away a paw comes out to grab something, a bead, an ornament, a garland and I have to tell him no and make him move away from the tree.

Every morning the bottom string of beads are pulled off and hanging and one little snowflake ornament is in the middle of the floor. He must be very gentle to only remove one and never knock the tree over.

Today after shooing him away he disappeared. I gave Rocky a treat and even that didn’t bring him out of hiding so I went “in search of”. (Remember that old TV show?) I found him in the bedroom.

This bed was neatly made up this morning.

Those lumps aren’t the sheets. It’s the “Bud-man” taking refuge under the covers! i didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

Moving Right Along

Posted on December 14, 2014December 14, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Just a quick update.

Still waiting for the electrician but my neighbor came by. In less than 10 minutes we had the hutch moved! I was able to unpack the boxes and vacuum the floor. We found another ton of cat toys!

Moving the hutch and china cabinet just opened up that room. I’m so glad I did it. Can’t wait to get the paint! What picture do I want to put on that wall?

But I am getting ahead of myself. I need to moved the book cases next to make room for the armoire.

All I want for Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2014December 12, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Sigh! I’m beginning to understand a bit about the aging process.

All I want right now is to get my home back in order and cleaned up. It seems like forever that I’ve been living in boxes. First the kitchen and now the furniture that I need moved.

And it’s mainly because I can’t do this by myself. I used to be able to move this furniture alone but now I can’t get it to budge! So I am at the mercy of other people’s schedules.

I can see how someone, particularly the elderly, could become hoarders! No strength or energy to throw stuff out!

The kitchen still isn’t finished.

I’m still waiting for the electrician to install the microwave range hood. That would get one big box out of the way. Then I’m waiting for my neighbor to help me move the sideboard and hutch.

I emptied that out to make it easier and lighter to move but I haven’t connected with him since he said he’d help. So that means I have all those boxes sitting here.

There’s an armoire on it’s way. It’s a Saunders so I know that means it will have to be put together. I hate putting together furniture. My knees and back hurt so much it makes it very hard but the ones that were already assembled were terribly expensive. To make room for the armoire I need to clean out the book case and move it to another corner. I used to be able to move this book case by myself. Now I don’t know if I still can or not. I sure hope so!

Then there’s an old rickety book case in that corner that needs to be cleaned off and thrown out. It’s sitting where I want to put the book case that’s where the armoire is going to go.

It’s like a puzzle.

It makes me tired just thinking about it but everything is at a standstill until either my electrician gets here or my neighbor. Until one of them makes me some room I am stuck and I hate being dependent on someone else. I hope one of them gets here before the armoire otherwise I have no idea where that box will go!

In the meantime I am living surrounded by boxes, dust and cat hair. I may not be the best housekeeper but I’ve never lived this long surrounded by such chaos, not even when I’ve just moved.

I mean it when I say all I want for Christmas is a clean and organized home.

A little Christmas Mischief

Posted on December 10, 2014December 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

There hasn’t been much to report. The install for my over the range micro wave was supposed to be Monday but it got trumped by an emergency out of heat call. Can’t really argue with that. Keeping warm in the Massachusetts winter is a bit more important than whether I warm my dinner in a microwave or in the oven.