The Golden Casket is their first new record in six long years.
I absolutely adore this song!
Check out We Are Between by Modest Mouse and let me know what you think.
Please listen resonsibly.
The Golden Casket is their first new record in six long years.
I absolutely adore this song!
Check out We Are Between by Modest Mouse and let me know what you think.
Please listen resonsibly.

Can you see the blue painter’s tape on the poorly painted window way up high?
Meh…it’ll get sorted one way or another.

My pantry is ready to go! (Container Store here I come)
Actually, I’ll most likely hit up Home Goods before I head over the Container Store…you’ll notice I said before.

Laundry machines are here!!
ALL! THE! HYPE!

The bedside lights have their sparkle and I love it even more than I expected!

You know we missed last week because we were in Carlsbad.
I said to YBW on the way to the house, “I’m so excited to see the house this week! I feel like it didn’t change much from week to week there for a bit and now it’s been two weeks and it feels more exciting and new again!”
While there were new things, the reality is it isn’t that much different than it was two weeks ago.
That won’t stop my excitement!

YBW and I went to visit friends last week.
I’ve known this fam for nearly twenty five years, our kids grew up together, the mom and I taught together at the old preschool. They were here for our wedding in 2015, and YBW was enthusiastic about spending good time getting to know them. Y’all, he fit right into their family, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about that!
We needed a break.
We needed to get out of this house we no longer own before we move to our new house.
We needed to disconnect from everything here.
We needed to breathe new air.
Um…the air in Tucson is fucking hot! One hundred eight degrees is no joke!
Of course it is the desert.

But funky 4th Ave provided relief in one form or another.
We got to see all four of the (adult) kids, ranging in age from twenty-seven to about to be nineteen. Even my Goddaughter, the second eldest who lives just outside of Phoenix, was able to come down and ‘work’ from her mom and dad’s for a few days!
Joy is not a big enough word, y’all!
After a few days in Tucson, we (only the parent-y adults) drove six hours to spend a few days in their house in Carlsbad.
The perfect little Pacific coast beach town!
We’re back in Virginia where we belong.
Laundry, grocery shopping and tidying the house were on my list this week.
East coast time is our enemy…but we’re hoping to become friends again sooner than later.
After sleeping from only 10:15 to 11:30pm Wednesday night, I crashed about 8:15 Thursday night and woke at 9:40 this morning. Let us hope I broke the cycle.
As we head into the weekend, I’m disappointed we won’t be at the beach with our friends, but I’ve already hugged Meredith and Beau and their mommy this week, and this weekend we’re going to see Baby K for the first time since Sunday two weeks ago!
I came home feeling refreshed (apart from the wack-a-doo sleep schedule) and ready to organize and pack for our move the end of this month.
I knew I needed a break. I knew my husband would benefit from a break. Traveling is stressful, but visiting people we love is not.
We needed this break, this trip, this time with our family of friends.
I’m ready for what’s next.
I first heard this song on Mark Foster’s show Escapology.
I like the way Mark Foster approaches music. Music he makes, music he listens to.
When he introduced this song, he said something like: It sounds so 1978 but came out last week.
He ain’t lyin’.
And that’s actually what I like about it.
Check out Witchoo by Durand Jones & The Indications and let me know what you think.
Please listen responsibly.
This week at the house there are good things and bad things.
I figured out I can install swings under the deck

And when I say swings, I mean a bench ‘porch swing’ style swing, but I also mean ‘playground swing’ style swings.
From this angle, the porch style swing will be in the back of the shot hanging so the swing faces away from the house in front of the two stationary doors.
The playground swing swings will hang in the front of the shot parallel to the side of the house.
While Baby K isn’t a fan of swinging, her Mommy, Auntie, and Birdie sure as hell are and you can be damned sure to find me out there swinging as often as possible!
Bad things:
that fridge isn’t the one I wanted, but the one I had to settle for
that window up on the fourth floor is fucking white
I spoke with the building manager who told me they painted it and “it looks like crap”. The new bronze window has been reordered. (apparently the guy at the window company never actually ordered about half of what he was meant to so he no longer works for the window company and the new woman is on top of all the chaos…this is me still not holding my breath)
If worse comes to worst they’ll replace the window after we close.
I’m over here like, well, at least it won’t rain in our house anymore…?
So window ridiculousness aside, our home is coming along nicely!

I haven’t done a favorites list in quite some time and I realized I missed it.
So, I thought: what the hell, let’s do one.
This favorites list focuses on all things fictional. Any- and everything made up.
Buckle up for my fictional faves.
fictional place
The Wood between the Worlds
(The Magician’s Nephew, Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis)
fictional fam
The Dashwoods
(Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen)
fictional couple
Gomez and Morticia Addams
(The Addams Family – Charles Addams)
fictional animal
Appa
(Flying Bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender – Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko)

fictional character – male
Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce
(M*A*S*H – portrayed by Alan Alda in the television series)
fictional character – female
Pippi Longstocking
(Pippi Longstocking, et al. – Astrid Lindgren)
fictional villain
this one is a no-win tie between:
Iago
(Othello -William Shakespeare)
and
Maleficent
(Sleeping Beauty – Disney 1959 animated film)
fictional world
Neverland
(Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie)
fictional name
Ramona Geraldine Quimby
(‘Ramona Series’ – Beverly Cleary)
fictional duo
Margo and Eliot
(The Magicians – Lev Grossman)

AND
Sherlock and John
(BBC Sherlock)

AND
Jay and Silent Bob
(Clerks, Dogma, et al. – Kevin Smith)

Yeah, I know. There are three fave duos…
But I honestly couldn’t choose!
What are some of your fictional favorites?
Forty years ago on this day a British band released their self-titled debut record.
Ten year old me didn’t waste anytime getting my own copy.
This one’s for all the Duranies out there.
(I was always a Simon Le Bon kind of girl.)
Here’s Anyone Out There by Duran Duran.
Let me know what you think.
Also, let me know if you were (remain) a Duranie.
Please listen responsibly.

Stupid construction vehicle parked in my driveway!
But…I love the dark siding and entry color.
And…railings up on the front.
And…some landscaping.
First coat of stain on the stair treads and I’m loving the way this looks.

They built the deck off the living room last week.
YBW is all about that telescoping door, y’all!
Here’s the deck view from the roof terrace.

Front roof terrace banister railings are finally in too!

I’m leaning towards creating a potted garden out here, but still not completely sold.
What would y’all do with this space?
Meanwhile we’re still missing windows…
Spoke with the building manager Monday, he says they (the window people) told him June 17.
I’m over here not holding my breath…
I am completely obsessed with this song!
I especially love the live version.
This is Colors by Black Pumas.
Give it a spin and let me know what you think.
Please listen responsibly.
Siding is going up on the front and back of the house!
Railing on the roof terrace is finally in place and I gotta tell y’all, the view is great, the breeze is spectacular, and I’m so ready to enjoy cocktails in this space!
Overstock was having a good sale and I had a twenty percent off coupon, so we ordered furniture for the roof terrace. Partially delivered, sitting in our current dining room in boxes ready to move and be assembled as soon as we arrive.
Tankless water heater was finally installed!
We close in fifty one days!
So much more to get done, but we’re so ready!
(...and some I have)
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