Thursday DECLUTTERING!

[Jekka Renee]

I just got home and made cocoa/ coffee (most had mochas, I had coffee) to warm up.

Home Construction:
Drywalled rest of bath 1
Drywalled all but one small part of Pantry
Drywalled last bit of kitchen
Still have one bath and utility to go

So Far:
Went on Nature walk to Maplewood State Park (which is practically in my backyard) with a friend and then went on a nature walk literally in my backyard. It is so amazingly pretty outside right now. That first fat/ fluffy snowfall of autumn is gorgeous.

I dont know what I'm doing for the rest of the day. I just walked in the freezing cold for 3 hours. I'm taking a break.

Heather: i love the IT for today. Thanks, Isaac!

Michelle: Detailed, simple lists are so great for keeping on task. Good job writing it all out. I love your description of the sunrise!

Jen: I love seeing your Street Cats on the list. It sounds like such a great/ fun thing to do.

Paige: Hooray for feeling like fall, finally! (ooh, that had a lot of accidental alliteration in it). And I was thinking the same thing about the devastation everywhere. Natural disasters everywhere it seems.

Robin: I'm sorry to hear that there are more plumbing issues. Praying it can get fixed and you can leave it all behind you. Plumbing trouble causes so much wreckage in houses - you have enough stress going on without it.

[Heather W]

Paige- Yes, it seems like Michael did not get the press that the last hurricane did. So much loss for farms and people and another long stint of rain for the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic.

Jekka- You are a workhorse! All that drywall work and hiking in the cold for three hours. Yikes!

Update:

• folded more laundry!
• moved my last load to the dryer
• Isaac started his own bedding in the washer- which will need to be moved
• blog work- updated some Instagram page links, shared around my new blog post, did a check on third quarter finances because something didn't seem right to me- glad I checked!
• work pick up
• started dinner- just Naan pizza before choir tonight

I will likely save vacuuming until tomorrow morning. It'll be cold and I'll need a reason to get warm!

Still more blog work to do this evening after choir practice. We need to remember to leave a little earlier to get R. She has a fashion collective meeting at 5 on Thursdays. So far, they get out early enough for her to make choir practice. I imagine on toward the fashion show, the meetings will get longer.

I'd better check on those pizzas!

[Robin in Colorado]

Just checking in!

I have two business-y phone calls to return yet, but I just got off a call with Mom's facility; we are going to have a family conference (my sister will attend via the phone) on Tuesday. The prom meeting went well.

We had a couple of sunny, warmish hours this afternoon, so Boyo and I got done what we could on the coop to give the hens some more heat. DH called and said the word in the street is that we'll be down to 14 degrees by Monday night. If it gets that cold, we'll move them inside in a dog crate.

The good news is that, though we will sorely miss them, Robb and crew are on to other pastures. Plumbing is fixed. Hopefully nothing new will happen with my pipes. So now, we re-group. The mudroom and powder room ceilings will need to be drywalled and painted. We have to either drywall the powder room wall or something else, then paint and rehang the light fixture.

The pantry is the big issue. The shelves are built in. While their arrangement wasn't perfect, it held everything. Now, two of the three longest shelves are gone; one is too damaged to reuse. As well, there are huge holes in the wall and ceiling. And it's filthy. I don't know if I can even get the remaining shelves free from the sludge stains (fortunately these pipes are only from tubs / sinks, but still). I was going to get in there and clean and put back what I could but I don't even know if I should start. Waiting until DH gets home so we can make a plan.

Meanwhile, the kitchen surfaces are completely covered, including the island where the cook top is. Twice today fires almost started during cooking from things that encroached on the burners. Obviously getting that area cleaned off is a priority.

But at least we can begin.

[Heather W]

Robin- I'm glad to hear that the plumber gets to move on from your house. I hope the reclamation goes smoothly along with the family meeting.

Update:

• worked on the title for a new post
• picked up R- gathered a few supplies for her (she requested her paint brushes and some canvases)
• choir- a little shorter than normal since the choir director was under the weather
• walk- I had over my goal in steps for the day but not heart points, so now I have well over 10,000 steps for the day and 14 out of 10 heart points. Thanks Google fit.
• drank some water
• Dh has been working on the first floor thermostat- it's not working properly (thankfully the upstairs one is) and it may not make it to 50* tomorrow. That's a 30 degree drop in a little more than 24 hours.

Now that my walk is complete, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I might try to print something...that is a task unto itself.

[Jekka Renee]

Robin: Great news on the plumber! I know Robb will be missed, but I don't want him to come visit you again anytime soon Any chance you can use this as an opportunity to brainstorm and re-do the pantry into a well functioning, enjoyable space?

Heather: EEk on the thermostat not working! I hope your Dh can fix it pronto! It's cold out there.

[Heather W]

Jekka- He just installed new Nest thermostats. The downstairs one is not playing nicely with the boiler yet. It might be chilly on the first floor until he figures this out!

[Angela Rose]

We are in the Honolulu airport and have one quick flight left to go to Kauai.
It has been a long day! We left the house at 4:30am EST. It will be 11:30pm EST when we land, but only 5:30pm here!

[Heather W]

AR! So nice to see you! How amazing that you are in HI!

[Paige P]

AR

Heather — brrrrrrrrr.... it’s 50 here this morning and chilly!!!