Thursday, October 12, 2006

It's an addiction I tell you

So, being inspired by seeing some other bloggers TBR piles, I decided to organize my own. I know I really need to do this because when I was pulling them all out, I noticed duplicates. Duplicates in a TBR pile! I have't kept up with recording them on my spreadsheet and I really must do that to avoid future duplicate purchases!
As I glanced at them all lined up in the hallway, I realized that I really MUST stop buying new books! Today! Like no bookstore visits for a year. (hah! As if that will happen)

At the moment, I have no idea how to organize them, but here they are - in all their splendour.


Now for some close-ups


I still have a few more scattered around the house too!

And for Cindy & Megan - here is just some of my Anne Stuarts


Now I thought I would add a story. We got new windows a few years ago. Most of them are pretty straight forward open and close, but there is one in the dining room that opens a bit different than all the other ones. I'm sure Ron showed me how it worked, but as with so many things he showed me, I didn't really pay attention to what he said. And since we got Central Air last year, it didn't really matter, I wouldn't be opening it anyway.
Well, I cooked a turkey on Sunday and it got hot in the kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, and without realizing I had no idea how it really worked, Lisa opened the dining room window. It was warm out Sunday and Monday so I didn't really notice the draft coming from that window. Not until late Tuesday night. Then when I felt the breeze I checked the window and sure enough, it was open. "This isn't going to be good" I thought to myself. First off, we have these REALLY HEAVY blinds on the window and when you lift them up, they are difficult to get down. So, since it was late at night and I didn't really feel comfortable trying to open them in case they proved to difficult to get them down, I just kind of stepped behind them and tried to close the window. Well, the bottom part went down fine, but then so did the top part. Go down that is. I tried to lift it up but ran into problems (of course I did!) I am of the vertically challenged persuasion and the window goes to the top of the wall. I had to duck out from behind the blinds and get my little step stool. I got back behind the blinds and up on that and tried to lift the top section. And didn't it not line up with the bottom section so that I could lock them in place. I struggled with that damn window for about 15 minutes. Now I have a short patience level and by that time I'd reached it. I sent a quick email off to Lisa asking if she had opened the window and saying I couldn't get it closed. What I expected her to do, I'm not sure. She was out of town on business (and this time left Arthur the dog somewhere else) I mean, it's not like she was going to get up and drive 2 hours at 11:00 at night so she could help me figure out how to close a bloody window. But I was frustrated and it was either that or throw a chair through the damned thing in annoyance. So - here it is 11:00 at night, getting cooler by the minute and I can't close a stupid window. Luckily our kitchen has a door leading into it I can close and another door on the the other side. I just closed them for the night and let it get cold in there. The next day I called Brent, our oldest son, to see if he could stop by on the way home and close the window for me. Naturally I had to try out my new toy on him

(poor dear - he looks tired doesn't he? And he just got off work and looks a tad scruffy)
And please ignore the kitchen background. I HATE the kitchen. It's the only room in the house we haven't gotten around to redoing. Mostly because I have no idea what to do with it. I'm hoping someone who knows a lot more than me about decorating, who is making a trip to London soon, will have some ideas.

So there you have it. My incredibly frightening TBR pile and my incompetence at closing windows.

'til later

10 comments:

Jenster said...

LMAO!! I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing with you. Unless you're not laughing, in which case I suppose I am laughing at you.

What a good boy you have to come to his mama's rescue like that. :o)

Jen

Kristie (J) said...

Jenster: No - I'm laughing about it now. I wasn't at 11:00 Sunday night - but I am now.

Rosie said...

I will never feel guilty about my TBR again. In fact I'm marking this blog so I can show the guy I live with the pictures! : )

You've got some great reads ahead of you in there.

Sorry about the window blues. As for the kitchen, we did a remodel of ours 3 years ago. It is a major undertaking, but so worth it. Someone gave me this advice. Buy lots of magazines and just start cutting out pictures of stuff you like. When you are ready to remodel look at the pictures group them by similarity and then start narrowing it down. It really worked for us.

Mailyn said...

LMFAO!!!! OMGawd you have some of the funniest stories ever. That window thing was priceless.

You TBR...I have no words...I am beyond amazed and a little frigthened...will you ever get through that?!?! That's just huge.

Kristie (J) said...

Mailyn: I'm frightened by it too!!! I knew I had quite a few but it wasn't until I got them altogether that I realized how many I really had. And I could probably get through it - if I didn't buy another book for a long LONG time. And it seems I am such fodder for humour *sadly shaking my head*

Rosie: Glad I can be of help in showing your fella that you are not alone in TBR piles *g* I know I have some great reads - it's picking the right ones that is getting a bit daunting :) And good idea about the kitchen. All I know right now is that I want to gut the whole thing! New floors, new cupboards, new counter tops, new paint, new wallpaper, new furniture - you get the picture. The only thing I'll keep is the appliances - oh and the cuckcoo clock - fodder for another story let me tell you! My struggles with a simple clock! I think that's part of what is so daunting - it just needs SO much done to it!

~ames~ said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
~ames~ said...

Ooops, let's try that again. hehe

KRISTIE is the WINNER!!!

Seriously, I think you have more books than everyone else. LOL

I am so jealous.

(Ok, how crazy am I that I'm scared of my little pile and still envious of your true tbr mountain?)

CindyS said...

First, Lover Awakened is in your TBR pile!!?? Don't make me make a list ;)

Also, I have been afraid to repost pictures of my TBR piles since I have met Ames and Mailyn and Jen. They are upset by having 40 books! I have probably 200 in the TBR pile and I just added another 8 more. Bob knows I have an addiction but like that guy House says, it's only a problem if *I* say it's a problem ;)

So, the window. Were you cursing? That's when I know I've lost it. When I start yelling out loud about the people I'm going to hurt when I get my hands on them.

I hate gas powered stuff because of the pull cord. Can't tell you how many times I have been standing over the old lawnmower cursing the air blue.

Sooo, you're looking to remodel your kitchen? You really shouldn't tell me stuff like that. I love nothing more than to spend other people's money ;)

AND - your template is friggin' gorgeous!! Another Mailyn masterpiece I think!

Cindy

Kristie (J) said...

Ames: And the scary part is there are probably about 20 more around the house - some on shelves in the 'library'.

Cindy: For some reason the other JR Ward I have has gone missing *sigh* I hate when that happens. I like the House guy's philosophy *g*. Sadly - when confronted with it taking up space in the hallway part of me IS saying it's a problem. And yep - I was cursing all right. And ideas - I need ideas. I've been looking for them for years now.

Megan Frampton said...

I like the new look, and thanks for the special Anne Stuart section. Warms the cockles of my heart, if I knew what a 'cockle' was.