I’m connecting up once again with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer.
Sunday got up around 8 am and my mom and I ran out about 10 to try to beat the crazy shoppers at Sam’s Club and Dollar Tree and Walmart to finish up our gifts for the family we adopted. Then we had lunch, and then we each went to our own homes to get some stuff done around the house. I did laundry, made ice, and blogged. I did some more clearing things out in the laundry room closet as I prepare to once again have an appraiser come to my house in the hopes of refinancing and paying off some of my debt with my equity. I signed up for the 3 free months of Spotify paid version, as well as Passionflix for the Kylie Scott book Lick movie that comes out this month. In the evening we had the official birthday celebration for my nephew. I got him the newest Dog-Man book. Then the Chiefs game was on at 7:30, and I had to stay up till it was over, even if that was a half hour after I usually turn off the tv and go to sleep. And we won, in a crazy last minute field goal.
Monday was busy for checking out laptops to students who needed them for testing but of course forgot to bring their assigned laptops from home. Or they didn’t bother to charge them over the weekend, so I checked out a ton of chargers for those students. We had the speakers for the 9th graders all day again. Stopped by the grocery store on the way home, and then came home to just relax for the evening with the dogs. Oh, I think I forgot to share the fun little desk thing I got. With batteries in it, the fire images light up and make crackling sounds and it says “This is fine.” It’s basically my computer screen background.
Tuesday was not as busy, and nothing really was going on in the library. I got home and had a Zoom meeting that fortunately didn’t last even a half hour. Then I got a call and I’m trying to refinance my house to get some equity out to pay off bills and while the company told me it probably wouldn’t go through till January, the appraiser wanted to come on Wednesday, basically right when I get home. She didn’t like to do late appointments. Um, I get home at 3, that’s not late. Fingers crossed it will appraise for what I need this time so I can get this taken care of and feel a little more financially secure next year. Of course I’d hoped to have time to get some stuff out of my house that I’m getting rid of at school or taking to Goodwill. So I had to load all that in my car and also ran around like a mad person cleaning and straightening. Then I had another Zoom meeting for an AASL committee I’m on at 6 pm. And it was payday, so I had to pay bills after that!
Wednesday morning was another frigid morning. It was pretty slow in the library again, which was nice because the next two days of the week are supposed to be busy with make up for state testing. The appraiser came by and she was really nice and we actually talked a ton about books and Outlander and dogs and so many things! Unfortunately I know that doesn’t mean she can make sure my house gets appraised for what I need, so we shall see. Then I went to see about upgrading my phone, and since I’m on my brother’s account, and he just upgraded 4 other phones, there isn’t enough credit for me right now to be able to upgrade mine without paying up front. He just has to call and see if they will extend his credit enough for me to get my phone too, so we’ll see. Then I did a little blogging and hung out with my dogs for the night watching Survivor.
Thursday, another frigidly cold day, we had test makeups in the library all day. I thought I was supposed to help, but the AP had her secretary, my former clerk, in there all day as well. There were several fights throughout the day too. Not in the library fortunately. I got a few things done and for the most part had the time to just do library stuff. I came home and did some blogging, then went to my mom’s for dinner and to wrap the gifts for the family at my school that we adopted.
Friday was another cold day, but also crazy at school! They were testing in the library again. But the AP kept getting calls on the walkie-talkie for issues. The forensics teacher and students were in the library conference room most of the day getting ready for a tournament. After school I went home and took care of my dogs before my author friend came and picked me up to go to the Sports Romance book event. There were really only 6 authors there, someone who had the stuff to make “trucker hats” with all the patches that is in style right now. Plus as cold as it was on a Friday night there weren’t a ton of people. My friend did sell 3 books which basically made back what she paid to be there. I was bad and bought a book, and my author friend bought me another one as my Christmas gift, lol. I came home and wanted to watch the new Outlander episode, but was too tired and went right to bed, well after reading for a bit.
Saturday I slept in and then my mom texted to say she was having a bit of vertigo and wasn’t going to the craft fair with me. So I decided to go a little earlier. Got up there and I would have had to park a street or two away and just decided I didn’t feel like messing with that. It was gloomy rainy day, but in the 40s fortunately, so not sleet or ice. Then my mom texted and wanted to go to this other place because she was feeling better. So I went and picked her up and we went there. There is a Long John Silvers close to that, and since there isn’t one very close to us anymore and we both like the food there, we had that for lunch. I came home and did some laundry, blogging, and made the next recipe I created with ChatGPT for a pasta sauce I bought. And of course read and then watched the latest episode of Outlander.
Books Finished
No review books definitely scheduled other than one I decided to DNF based on not really getting into it. So it was kind of a free read week, in fact the rest of this month is. Although I’m going to try to sprinkle in the review books for next month if I already have them and am in the mood. First was a newer paperback I bought by a favorite author. The rest were audiobooks that were very short so I got them listened to in a couple days! I’m going to probably do a holiday themed L-L-L post before Christmas for these.
I also had a blitz this past week, and joined into the Countdown to 2025 tag one day.
New Additions to My Library
ARCs:
none
Audiobooks:
These were all really cheap on Audible this past week so I got them, a couple holiday ones to maybe listen to as well!
Bookish Stuff:
Some author Christmas post cards.
My December picklegram from author J.J. Knight came, and as others who’d already received it found, the cute little ornament didn’t make it through the postal service unscathed. Mine was broken in half as you can see at the bottom of the picture.
E-galleys:
First is for a blog tour review in January. Second is an e-galley from the publisher, also for a review in January.
Free E-books:
On Thursday there were several books for free that a group of authors emailed about, this is the only one I got that either I didn’t already have or that I wanted.
Physical books:
This was a Kickstarter special edition for a series I didn’t get time to fit in and read when they were out, so I did the Kickstarter to get this beautiful hardcover with all the books in the series.
First is the one I had to buy at the sports romance book event on Friday night. The second is the one my author friend bought me from another person at the event that same night.
What I’m Watching
The new Outlander episodes have been so good! I’m also watching the new Survivor – which I’m very happy with how that episode went – and Ghosts and another winning Chiefs game. In between, when I have time, of course I fit in more rewatching of past Outlander episodes.
I almost went to see a movie on Saturday, but once I got home, I just wanted to stay home in my pjs for the rest of the day.
What’s Coming Up Next Week
I have no set review books for the week. I’ll post as I read and have time to review I think. I might keep doing some of the Countdown to 2025 posts. And I do have a couple book blitzes scheduled for the week. Continuing reading what I want! I might do a post with my 2025 challenge sign ups too.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget I added in a monthly wrap-up giveaway again because my read ARC pile was getting big again! It just started this past week. And as I’m going through and getting rid of books, I’m finding I will probably continue to do 2 winners as I pull out more ARCs from my shelves that I’m not going to keep.
How is December going for you so far? Can you believe we hare halfway through and only 10 days till Christmas? This is the last week before my Christmas break and I am sooooooo ready! Especially just to sleep in.
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Doesn’t sound like too bad of a week! Hopefully your house appraises for a good amount that you’re hoping for to help take care of things. These are things I’m not looking forward to being a homeowner, but I keep telling myself, my own space, my own space. It will work out in the end! Lol. Hopefully, just need to find something I can afford that’s what I want where I want…which is anywhere that’s not near the city area! So not too picky, but so far that’s really all I can afford. I love your little dog figurine! I’ve seen the meme and it always makes me laugh!
Nice new reads too! All totally new to me ones but I hope you enjoy them all!
Here’s my StS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Well, the needing to refinance is from my own mistakes financially. But if it goes through this time where I need it, I have a whole budget set up to help me make sure I don’t get this problem again. I plan to try the budget either way, but having most of that debt taken care of in the mortgage instead of full minimum payments every month – which doesn’t pay it off – would be a help. I sure hope you are able to get a home soon, I totally understand that feeling! And I should be sending that little mini-book on Monday when I stop at the post office on my way home from work.
Not a bad week there but brrrr. I love that Farm 2 Forking set you got. I read the Karen Grey book. I’ve been sort of reading what I want but this next week I really need to get on some of the 2025 reads both because I want to read them and because I like to be a little ahead.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Yeah, I wanted to read hers and Erin Mallon’s for sure, but didn’t have time to fit them in. Now can’t wait to have time to start! I think after I finish Fourth Wing I’ll start my first 2025 review book. I need to get the audiobook for the first read along book too!
Lisa if you still have Audible. The first 3 Edge books are in Audible Plus.
I paused my membership til March to save some money. Maybe if my house refinance goes through I’ll unpause and get them that way.
They are also at the library.
That’s probably where I’ll end up getting them.
It was pretty cold here too, but luckily not cold enough to freeze. I like your new desk thing, I’ve seen that meme around the internet a lot. That’s nice you didn’t have a lot of review books and could read some non-review books, I am trying not to get as many review books for the next few months so I can focus on catching up on the review books I didn’t get to this year. What a shame that cute little ornament didn’t survive the post :(. I always love it when I can get some audiobooks for cheap. I hope you have a great week!
I always say I’m going to stop taking review books and then I don’t. I need to stop taking so many and read more of what I already bought! January already has quite a few, and there’s like 2 in the first week that are my author teams that I don’t want to give up.
I have a lot of those author teams too that I definitely don’t want to give up and sometimes those books all arrive at the same time. It’s definitely is a struggle to take less review books, there just are so many good sounding books out there. I already accepted too many this year and really hope I can get through those ones.
I’ve been trying to get those on the calendar as soon as I know, but there are a few authors who publish and don’t let you know till like a month before, so I have to miss out on those. Yeah, I’ve already accepted more than I should have with my plans for next year.
I hope your house appraises well. That was such a stressful time for us, so I know how it feels! Good luck!
I tried last spring to refinance, but it didn’t work out, I’m just hoping it is a better appraiser this time!
I sure hope the appraisal works out the way you want it to! Since you are a kind, generous person who adopts a family in need, you deserve that appraisal!
Made ice…yah, I was wishing I had made ice yesterday because my Dr. Pepper from Wingstop arrived with very little ice.
Can we please go back to the school days before computers? Must annoy the heck out of teachers when the kids arrive in class without their laptops or else claim that they forgot to charge it. So much easier in the olden days when all they forgot was a pen.
That This is Fine desk thing is cute.
Love the Taylor Swift theme and glad you got some books!
Oh man, Long John Silvers!!! Haven’t had that since I lived in Phoenix. Where’s my nearest one now? Gardena! Where the heck is that? 45 minutes down the 110. Noted.
I’m really just wanting to be able to get some debt taken care of that way and then I have a whole budget plan to start next year. Yeah, I don’t understand why the teachers can’t have a separate pen and paper assignment in those cases, but since I’m not in the classroom, I guess I don’t understand as much. Lol, you sound like me and my favorite Taco John’s. I work about 10 minutes from one now, otherwise it is an over 30 minute drive to get it from my house.
Sounds like a decent week. And what – only one more until vacation? I can’t believe it’s almost here. I have procrastinated so much (and blame the late date of Thanksgiving). In fact, the annual calendar I do for my family won’t be delivered until the day before Christmas, so I’ll have to bring them to some of the family after Christmas. Oh well. I hope you have a great week ahead.
I know! I keep thinking about having 2 weeks off, but once that next week start, Christmas Eve is that Tuesday! I hope you get your calendars in time!
Oh your poor Mom! Vertigo is the worst experience and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. Have a great week Lis!
She thinks it has to do with some changes in medications. So hoping it goes away soon!
I hope you get your refinance approved to make things a little easier for you! Can’t believe the year is almost up. Nice that you’ll have some time to rest and recharge! Have a great week, Lisa!
Well it didn’t go through for what I needed. The appraisal came back almost $30K less than I needed. And it was about $15K less than the comparable houses, so not sure what in the world. I’m ready for the break though!
Good luck with your house appraisal, I know that can be stressful. I’m not posting very many reviews this month, and it’s a nice break to not be on a schedule. Stay warm and have a good week!
Appraisal did not come back anywhere near where it was needed. So that sucked. But I’m at least enjoying reading what I want right now!
Anything below 55 is cold to me but we were in freezing temps a few times this week. Then yesterday all that was needed was a jacket. The Midwest is so unpredictable.
Ghosts is really the only thing I’ve been keeping up with. Mahomes is out due to injury so I’m not so sure we’ll be able to keep up the wins. Hopefully he heals quickly.
I think Mahomes will be back, thinking his injury isn’t quite as bad, but we’ll see when it comes time to play! If he’s out one game, we are still okay for now.
Sounds like you had a really nice week. It was nice you got to go to the author event. How neat that your friend is an author too!
It is fun to go and be the author’s assistant!