Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Moving, Part 2: Dirty Laundry and Other Dastardly Duties


It's moving day, AGAIN, but today's move is a happy one. Today I'm moving here:


Yippee!!!

(Isn't it pretty?) 

I'm a little apprehensive about what my new cleaning schedule will be like, and I'm happy to take on a slave live-in tourist who will help care for the property. Any takers? I'll be listening to/watching fireworks every night from Disney World. Awesome, right? So that's the reason I'm somewhat absent today, but I'll be back this weekend to answer comments and say hi to everyone.

And why not some cleaning funnies to celebrate:

Source
Source
Source
Source
Source


Quick aside, I just have to say it, reviewers are AWESOME! This last week Barb Taub was kind enough to review MOONLESS. Pop over to see what she had to say.

Any big things happening for you this week/month/year?



Ready to guess the lie and win a book? 


Last week, C.M. Keller shared SCREWING UP BABYLON with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win two of her eBooks 

C.M.'s game: 


1. C.M. kissed a gargoyle on Notre Dame cathedral. 
2. When she was a teenager, she drove the car with her eyes closed several times.
3. She has a rare auto-immune disease that makes her hair fall out. 
And the lie is:

#1. She apparently hasn't snogged a stone monument. 

Way to guess those of you who got it right! And the winner is:


...DRUM ROLL...

Congrats Suzi! 

And now to today's feature:
 
“The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.” 

… so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.

People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.

Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything.

Three women. Three stories. One pub.

Get your copy HERE.
Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on her doorstep to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.

Despite her location, she neither surfs nor sails, and has never had any inclination t;po try. She much prefers walking along a deserted beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, she really love the beach in the winter! 

Annalisa says she's a boring cheddar eater (no such thing!) and rediscovered the joy of a cheese and onion sandwich the other day.  

She gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILD. How awesome is that?
You have until Tuesday, September 16, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on September 17.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Annalisa went abroad for the first time when she was 29 and heavily pregnant.
2. She's very accident prone – this year alone she's torn something in her hip, broken her big toe and had her dog land on her head.
3. She's watched The Sound of Music more than 200 times.
Which is the lie? Have you moved recently? Any big news happening for you? One of your own? Do you love time travel stories? Do you like stories that reach deep, emotionally? 

81 comments:

  1. I love your new home. And those laundry funnies were... um, funny. Thanks for featuring me today :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Crystal .. love the new home - and yes I'll be a tourist-cleaner! Enjoy and good luck with the move ... and those laundry funnies are great ...

    Annalisa - I'd say #1 .... but she's so lucky to live in Cornwall! Cheers to you both and good luck with the books - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations!!! Love the house. Take care, though. Don't wear yourself out. LOL Love those images, btw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trying to take care. I forget how much moving takes out of you!

      Delete
  4. Congratulations on your new home - it's lovely!

    And I think #1 is Annalisa's lie.

    Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption

    ReplyDelete
  5. Crystal, your new house is gorgeous! Congratulations and best of luck with the settling of your household.
    I personally detest cleaning and we reside in a condo for the time being. I always say that once we purchase a bigger home, I would hire a cleaning lady... even if that means giving up on some of the things I love to buy. I enjoy doing laundry and cooking but cleaning... not a big fan!
    Our Beautiful Child awaits for me in my Kindle. I have so many books added to my TBR. Books galore!
    I'm going to guess number 1 is the lie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My husband has agreed that for Mother's Day he will hire me a house cleaner to do an deep clean...so at least I have that assurance. ;) It's definitely going to be interesting learning how to keep it up, but I do think that having more space sometimes lends to less mess.

      Delete
  6. I love the new house - it's awesome!
    Good luck with the cleaning slave/live-in tourist... LOL
    I think the lie is no#3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love it too! It is awesome. (You did see I have a few volunteers, right?)

      Delete
  7. Congratulations on your beautiful new home!
    And cleaning schedule? WTH is that? We do all our cleaning on the fly ... which is maybe why my new kitten keeps turning up from behind and under various items of furniture covered in dust and cobwebs.

    That means she's signed up to be the new duster, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! A kitten duster... I love it. If I could do pets, I'd totally get me one. I was debating getting one of those robot vacuums. It's on the dream list.

      Delete
  8. I want a Folder!!!
    Your new house is gorgeous :)
    I'm guessing Annalisa's lie is #1.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on your new house. It looks so pretty and well-maintained. Enjoy it! And hope the move is not too stressful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I want a segway vacuum cleaner! As far as picking out the truth from the lies, these writer ladies are way too clever. They all sound true. Congrats to CM and Annalisa on their book releases.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. Who doesn't? (Unless their ceilings are really, really low.

      Delete
  11. Congrats on your move! Love the cleaning funnies. I would certainly buy that folding machine. I even have room beside my dryer. And as for Annalisa, I love the Sound of Music too but she didn't watch it 200 times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. How many hours is that? That's extreme fandom commitment.

      Delete
  12. I want a folding machine! Congrats and enjoy your new pad!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yay, shiny, pretty house! ^_^
    Happy Moving!

    Where can I get a folder, Crystal? I NEED a folder!
    I'm going with #3 for the lie. That's a bit much maybe. Lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I missed the shiny...but I guess we could glue on some sparkles--or maybe you're referring to the fireworks in the background at night. ;)

      I need a folder too.

      Delete
  14. I guess I could be the live in cleaner. How far are we from the beach?

    Oh my. I should know these things about Annalisa since I stalk her blog and facebook. I'm going with her being a klutz is the lie. She's a trainer, surely she's coordinated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why not? We're about 1.5 hours from the beach. You either get Disney or the beach here (and less hurricane/tropical storm weather).

      Delete
  15. I'm going to guess the last one is a lie.
    Your new house is beautiful.
    And I pick clean house and sanity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No kids or pets, huh? =) I figure that stage of clean house and sanity will come when my kids are moved out. (I HOPE.)

      Delete
  16. ugh, I hate moving!! That new house does look lovely, though. Good luck!!

    LOL. I want a folder!!! Pleeeease?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. (I need all the luck I can get.)

      I know, me TOO!

      Delete
  17. Good luck on the move! It's a pretty house. Hope you enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm already enjoying it--enough space to type without bumping into a kid... Ah, freedom!

      Delete
  18. Congrats on getting into your new home! It's beautiful. And the tag picture made me laugh. My sis-in-law came across a tag that simply said, "Wash this when dirty." So nice that there's humor in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very pretty house, but I'm glad I don't have to clean it. I wish my dogs would learn how to do laundry. Then my life would be perfect.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! Hey, once you've learned how to train a dog to do laundry, share the secret, eh?

      Delete
  20. Oh wow love the new house, I'm pretty good with the vacuum! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  21. I've heard it's because I'm male, but I don't believe in folding.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congratulations on the new house...looks awesome! Can I be the live-in slave/tourist?

    ReplyDelete
  23. That's cool!!! Such a pretty house and fireworks from Disney World? Can't beat that. Plus you can go hang out at Disney's nighttime place for fun. I love that place...something Island? Can't remember now! I like the water taxi at Universal, too. If you're like me, though, you don't do any of the tourist stuff near your house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pleasure Island, and it's been revamped in recent years so it's pretty tame. The whole place just now called Downtown Disney.

      We actually do the tourist stuff. How else are we supposed to serve as guides for family and friends who come to visit?

      Delete
  24. Congratulations on the move Crystal, the house looks amazing, I am soooo happy for you :) And being so close to Disney. There is a goal that my oldest daughter and I have started planning for and saving is to go to Disney World as a family. It will take me a couple of years but I am dropping by to visit you... if you let me... ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh definitely! Heck, if you come when we have passes, we'll meet up with you in the parks! (Not sure how soon that passes thing will happen. We were waiting for a few of the new rides to get completed.)

      Delete
  25. So pretty! It's super gorgeous. And fireworks? Can't beat that? I just hope for you and the baby on the way's sake, that they aren't so close you get the big boom- that'd be bad! And I guess I can't get too mad about all those lost socks if house elves are being freed...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. They're far enough away that we don't have to worry about waking the littles. =) See, now I have a wonderful place to put my cheese sign.

      Delete
  26. That looks like a beautiful home! We recently moved about a month ago, so I know what you are going through. Enjoy your new home1

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am planning to move, though not for about six months, and I'm already jealous of your new home. :P Likewise about the fireworks every night; I think I'd be out there watching them all the time, at least for the first month or so. Hope all goes well in the move and nothing important breaks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a ton! I did drop a light cover...it was glass...but I think that was the only casualty. (So far.) Here's hoping your move in 6 months is easy and smooth.

      Delete
  28. Loved the funnies, especially the last one, and good luck with the move!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Crystal!!! LOVE that house. Wow. Congratulations :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a ton! I love it too...or will once I'm no longer unpacking full time.

      Delete
  30. Your house is super awesome!!! I hope it all comes together nicely. Moving is not fun, but getting a new house is fun:) I think the lie is #3.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Enjoy that new house. I think with Annalisa the lie is #2 because if not that's very unfortunate. I would pick sanity and clean house since I have no kids and live with my parents.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I lived within fireworks distance of Disneyland for 20+ years. At some point, the fireworks became background. To this day fireworks displays feel kind of ho-hum to me.

    Lie...#2...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. I know how that goes, but for us the excitement is reinvigorated every time someone comes to visit and their eyes light up. I guess that's the joy for us.

      Delete
  33. Yay! Thanks, Crystal and C.M.!

    That washer/dryer/folder is missing one thing. A device to transport clothes from one machine to the next. :)

    Congrats on the new house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! My husband talked about creating a conveyor belt system for dishes that runs beneath the counter and distributes dishes to where they go. I just laughed. Still, I wouldn't mind having one.

      Delete
  34. Errm...that's a flippin' mansion! Proper posh! You know you wanna adopt me, right? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! It's not a mansion. We'd have to add at least another 1500 square feet to qualify for that. ;)

      Delete
  35. What a lovely home! That's awesome. :D

    ReplyDelete
  36. Congrats on your lovely new home! Hope the kids don't bug you to go to Disney World every weekend. ;)

    And congrats Suzi. I vote for #3 as the lie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Actually we're the ones who have to bug them to go. They're so spoiled. ;)

      Delete
  37. Congrats Crystal. What a gorgeous home. You'll need a robot vacuum cleaner at the very least!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I KNOW! (Or a home schooling teenager with a vacuum.)

      Delete
  38. Yay for moving into your beautiful home!! So happy for you! Wow, what would that be like to be so close to Disney that you can hear the fireworks go off—FUN!! :)

    When you figure out how to keep your new house clean AND have kids AND sanity, LET ME KNOW! :) I need a washer, folder, vacuumer, duster, wiper, etc. etc. :)

    I'll guess the lie is #3.

    ReplyDelete
  39. That's a beautiful place to live!
    And I'll take one of those segways ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? I wonder if they work on the stairs.

      Delete
  40. Congratulations on your beautiful new home. I should be able to do a similar post in the next few months. I begin house hunting on Wednesday.

    I would love to have a folder and a put awayer!

    ReplyDelete
  41. You sound really busy with all the cleaning that needs to be done. I bet you will enjoy the end result all the more.

    ReplyDelete
  42. bravo!! bellisimo! (sp?)
    love the cleaning funnies! would love the segway vacuum - hey, they did it for a lawnmower, why not a vacuum?
    yay for annalisa! i say the sound of music is the lie =)

    ReplyDelete

Hit me with your cheese!