Guess where we’re going this weekend? That’s right, Bryan!

We’ll be holding a

We need to get rid of some furniture we don’t want to keep/store. Hopefully, we’ll sell enough stuff to be able to rent a smaller storage unit or one that isn’t climate controlled.

So, stop by Saturday morning if you need any of these things:

• coffee, sofa, and 2 end tables
• couch (hide-a-bed, one corner of torn fabric)
• wooden office cubbies
• dresser
• long, black “crafting” table (one draw is broken)
• 2 bookcases
• heavy duty extension ladder, one of the long ones
• microwave (super nice)
• birdbath
• fishing poles
• unbuilt models
• CDs
• end tables
• Halloween decor
• Christmas decor
• Aggie tshirts
• 8′x12′ bound carpet/rug

I’m sure we’ll find more.

For years, I’ve been hoarding “good” boxes. I use them not only for wrapping gifts, but also at events to create height and interest in displays. They are especially good for silent auctions! We had waaaaay too many. I had every intention of culling them and taking them to the recycling center, but for a couple of years, now, it just hasn’t happened.

One of the things I did in December (as I was trying to get some of our home in order) was purchase bins for recycling. So, while I had not been doing this good deed for our planet as much as I should have, now, I am. Diligently. So, I had 3+ months worth of glass, aluminum, plastic, etc.
Neighbor South, Jessica, had almost as much as we did. So, we loaded up the truck and made a run to the local recycling center. Wow. We looked like Sanford & Son going down the road! And, the faces of the staff at the recycling center were hil-air-i-ous! Jes pointed out that, as neighbors who are friends (and I’ll add, and as home owners instead of apartment renters) many of the parties are at our homes. Of course, this is true, but we mostly needed something to keep us from feeling like total lushes with all the beer boxes, beer bottles, and wine bottles.

Baby Truck was full

Of course, it’s not as bad as it looks. Most of it was cardboard. And, the stuff underneath was all sorted.

Lesson learned: I knew there was one kind of glass we couldn’t recycle. Turns out, it’s green. So, no more purchases of Dos XX (or Hiney or Rolling Rock). And, I need to be careful when purchasing red wine as some of my favorite brands come in green bottles.

OK, so most of you know that my new job came with some giant first/urgent tasks (don’t they always?). But, given the calls and emails I’ve received, most of you don’t know just how giant these tasks were. While I appreciate you all checking on me, I hope you’ll understand why I have not yet responded. After all, I even had to “close” As You Wish for a few days, a rare occurrence—maybe first ever—on a non-holiday. Since there are a ton of new-engagement-ring-wearing girls who have been a bride-to-be since the holidays, this is baaaad timing.

• Sunday – came to work at 4:30 in the afternoon; left at 10:30 or so
• Monday – came to work at 7:30am, left at 12:30am (yes, am); was too wired to sleep and was up until ~2am
• Tuesday – came to work at 8:30am, left work at 8:00am (yes, a 23.5-hour day); went home to work by Internet so I could shower, be in a quiet environment, and settle my tummy from the junk food I’d eaten that night; worked until ~11am; Emil brought me lunch and then I slept from ~1pm until 7am!

So, thank you all for checking on me. I appreciate the “you’re done, right” messages yesterday. I’ll start getting back with you all today.

Today was our annual “Thanksgiving 2″. We got up at six, left Bryan at seven, and got to Paris just after 12noon for Thanksgiving dinner with Lori’s mom and grandparents. We spent the day with them, watching the Aggies beat the Longhorns (Whoop!), and catching up with family. Lori worked on a scarf project, too.

Around seven, we headed over to Mom’s, unloaded the truck, and settled in for the night. It was easy to crash when it came time to crawl into bed.

Garden-safe Fire Ant Killer

(as described by a manager at a local nursery)

Supplies

• 5 gallon bucket of water
• shovel

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Turpentine (not “turpAtine” sold at places like WalMart)
• 1/4 cup ammonia
• 1/4 cup Lysol® cleaner
• 1/4 cup Dawn® dish washing liquid

Instructions

1. Add each of the ingredients to the bucket of water and mix gently. (Add the Dawn last to keep the suds at bay.)
2. Quickly and carefully, dig up the fire ant mound at lest 1-2 feet into the ground. Remember the queen lives at the bottom. Work quickly so you don’t get stung.
3. Gently, pour the entire 5-gallon bucket into the mound. The water will carry the ingredients deep into the mound. The suds will coat the ants. If you dug down far enough, you have a good chance of killing the queen.

Notes

• I like to leave the mound uncovered for a day or two to monitor activity. If necessary, I make another batch, dig further down and try again. When I stop seeing activity, I cover the hole back up.
• My grandfather shared this recipe with everyone on his street. They had enormous success in getting rid of the ants in their corner of the neighborhood.

Guest bath: first coat of sealent is on the perimeter. It takes 24 hours to set before we can do the 2nd coat, another 24 for the second coat to set before we can reinstall the toilet and trim the room, and 72 hours to cure completely. So, we’ll work on that room each evening this week.

Hall and closet: planned and partially laid. Since so many doors join this “room”, it’s taking a very long time. We stopped about 1/3 of the way down and will work on it again when we can finish it all, so we don’t accidentally ruin the exposed transition tracks at the thresholds. The good news is that Emil found a very good way to secure the end at the top of the stairs where the Pergo meets the carpet that will remain in the house (until we get around to doing the stairs and living room.)
So, we fell a little short of our hopes, but, more than anything, we just ran out of steam.

Bonus: Indi has adjusted well to being left “alone” downstairs while we are upstairs or in the garage. He only ruined one pillow and ate waaaaay too much batting.

Now, it’s time to tackle a couple of small computer projects for BV QueSt and As You Wish and then relax.

Well the guest bath is laid, but not sealed or trimmed. The craft room is trimmed. We unloaded all the things from the master suite that we don’t use on a daily basis (of course, this still leaves a lot, like closet shelving units that reach the floor.) We ripped all the carpet, padding, tacks, and staples from the hall and have it prepped for floors.

Day 5 gols: seal the bathroom, lay Pergo in the hall and closet, trim the hall and closet.