A Holiday Hiatus for the Mule

To all my friends in the US, an early Happy Thanksgiving! I've decided to take another week off to finish what I started. Right now, I'm worried it might finish me off too. LOL!

The past week has been a GRUELING week of of 18 hours days. I don't think I ever worked so hard in my life. Everything hurts on me. 

For those of you who don't know, hubby lives 300 miles away. We're trying to get his house ready to put on the market for next year so he can retire and we can live like normal people. What is normal anyway?

Most of my chores at Casa South involved cleaning or throwing stuff out. You cannot imagine what you can accumulate in nearly 40 years of marriage. (I see a massive garage sale in our future.)

Then came the painting. Lots of painting.

I'm still not done. Lots more to do inside and out, but I think I got the extra-hard stuff out of the way. Now it's a matter of fixing anything that's broken, painting the outside of the house, and clearing five acres of overgrown woods.

I'm hoping I can finish everything in three more trips.

We took the weekend off and we've been vegging on the couch and catching up on movies we'd missed. But Monday starts another week of endless chores. (I swear, if I'm ever rich, I will never scrub another floor or wall again!)

How have you been? If you're in the US, are you traveling or planning Thanksgiving at home? How about all you NaNo-ites? How did the writing go? I'll have more internet access this week so I'll be able to catch up on your blogs.

I will be back on December 2nd with harrowing tales of BBQ, (the goat) and other (more delicious) stories about smoking our first turkey.

It's a bit chilly here in north Texas so I'm battening down the hatches and putting out more hay for the animals. Me? I'm experimenting with cranberry margaritas. It warms you right up. :o)


Comments

Jackie said…
Welcome back Maria, three more trips may finish you before it does the house readying chores from the sound of it!

Thanksgiving at home for us, weather here is finally winter and we have already battened down the hatches for over a week now since rain and cold wind totally make the wind chill much worse than these old bones of mine can stand.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Maria Zannini said…
Jackie: Happy Thanksgiving! That rainy-cold is nasty. Though I heard it will warm up later this week. Best thing to do is stay indoors and crank up the heat.
Stacy McKitrick said…
I'm exhausted just READING about all you've done. Yikes! 17 years is the longest we've lived in one house during our 34 years of marriage and it's in the house we're currently living in. We already have too much junk!

Thanksgiving will be at our friend's house again this year She loves to cook - we love to eat. Makes for a perfect friendship! :) It already feels like winter here, though. It might hit 35 today. Ugh!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Angela Brown said…
All I can do is admire the hard work you're doing. You are always one with some amazing tale of overcoming some kind of obstacle...as you and hubby are doing now to reconcile two long distance households to bring things down to one. Just. Amazing.

Can't wait to see what's up with BBQ. I keep wondering if he realizes what he's setting himself up for.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday! As for me and Chipmunk, it's visiting with family and friends, though i plan to make a mean batch of loaded mashed potatoes :-)
Crystal Collier said…
Enjoy your time away. That would be so difficult to be living so far away from your hubby. We did that for a month when seeking work in NYC. I stayed behind (2000+ miles) with the littles, and whew! I'll never do that again. Here's hoping everything comes together well for you.
Sarah Ahiers said…
ooh i can't wait to hear harrowing goat stories!
I don't have to travel far. I feel sorry for your sore muscles! I hope you get it all done soon and that it looks great and sells well. I'll be lifting a turkey leg in your honor.
Maria Zannini said…
Stacey: I'm keeping my eye on July 2014 when all this craziness will be over, God willing.

PS I need to make friends with more (nearby) people who like to cook.
Maria Zannini said…
Angela: I'm so glad you'll be seeing your friends and family. Stay safe with this wild weather.

Re: loaded potatoes
You must post that recipe! I sometimes mix sour cream in my mashed potatoes, but that's about as elaborate as I get.
Maria Zannini said…
Crystal: By the time he retires it'll be 14 years apart. Once we got over the initial stumbling blocks, the day-by-day got easier, but you miss each other so much. I don't recommend it as a lifestyle--especially if you've got little ones. Thank goodness for cell phones and the internet. We're never out of touch.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah: My friend risked life and limb to keep BBQ at bay.

Let's just say she wants to be present for his honorary dinner.
Maria Zannini said…
Barbara: Thank you! Lately, aspirin and a heating pad have been my constant companions.
Anne Gallagher said…
Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are. We're getting ready for some nasty weather. But I'm only up the street from my parents so we can walk to dinner.

Have a great week.
Jenny Schwartz said…
Happy Thanksgiving, Maria. You've earned it :)
Thanksgiving at my house for a big crowd of family and my daughter's room mate from college. Fun times.
Feel for you getting the house ready to sell. We'll be doing that next year at this time.
Anonymous said…
I'm ready for a nap after reading that and, knowing you, just the tip of the iceberg. Good luck getting everything done. I'm sure the two of you are looking forward to the next stage of your lives :)

Enjoy your week and happy Thanksgiving!
Maria Zannini said…
Anne: That's so nice to live just down the block from your parents. I know it's got to be a comfort to them too.
Maria Zannini said…
Jenny: I'm really looking forward to next Thanksgiving. But for now I'll be happy to rest my back every once in a while.
Maria Zannini said…
Susan: Wow! You're going to have your hands full. But at least you'll have plenty of helpers--I hope.

Good luck to us both when we sell our houses.
Maria Zannini said…
Raelyn: I keep my eye on the prize and try not to let the aches get the better of me. I can rest after July. :)
Dru said…
Happy Thanksgiving Maria! Miss you.

My sister is traveling from Texas to NY by way of North Carolina. Once she arrives, we'll go to my aunt's for T-Day.

Good luck with getting the house ready for selling.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: I hope your sister has a safe trip in. The weather's a little rough.

Happy Thanksgiving, Dru!
Mike Keyton said…
Happy Thanksgiving, Mule. Those Cranberry Margaritas sound tempting. Anything Margarita sounds tempting. Enjoy the break.
Maria Zannini said…
Mike: Thanks, Mike. Some friends sampled the cranberry margaritas and I got two thumbs up. It was so strong, a few sips had my head spinning. But they were good!