April To-Do List Outcome

 Let's see what got done and what didn't in April at Chez Sluggy........

APRIL 

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Everything was paid on time or early.

*  Go to 1 Dr. Appointment  DONE  Well "WE" were there but the doctor was not due to catching Covid. lol

*  Do and File Taxes x 1  DONE  Hubs did them and we sent them off with what we owed the state of Louisiana.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House  PASS  This is still a work in progress.  We still have tubs in the garage to move and sort through.  I have given up hope of ever seeing my kitchen cookware lids, my pasta roller, my food processor, the cord and pedal to my serger and the base to my iron again. sigh.  I have almost got my sewing room and supplies finished being set up(aside from the serger and iron stuff that's MIA).  The wall of closets in the master bath is done.

Basically this is our linen closet.

The top shelf/doors are for miscellaneous items like Bi-Pap supplies, heating pad, etc.

There is no place in the guest bath for towels. washcloths, etc. except under the vanity/sink so it's all got to go in here unless we have company and need something else in that bathroom that needs using.  Man, do I miss my huge upstairs hallway linen closet in PA!

We do have these 6 shelves surrounding the ginormous bathtub.  So far I've but hair products and body wash on these(and my stock of Q-Tips on one of what are empty in these photos after I took these pictures).

I've got a basket of dental stuff in the photo above which won't fit on one of those shelves so I need to find a home for that too.

We also have a long vanity cabinet with 6 drawers and open areas on each end of it.  Hubs and I each have personal stuff in the open area under our respective sinks and we have divvied up the drawers with stuff in use as well as medicines(allergy, cold, etc.)  The bottom drawer is still kind of empty so again, organizing all this is a work in progress.

*  Buy Stuff for House  PASS This item will remain on my list for some time to come as we need to replace so much to make this place livable to our specifications.  Moving is hard and expensive as I've said so many times before.

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  As I have printed so few coupons out this job has become pretty much a non-job. lol

*  Edit More Photos  PASS  It seems I am always editing photos. lol  As the trip is coming up I also need to finish taking old photos off my phone and upload them to my computer that no longer need to be there(I'm looking at you Dec. Cruise and Xmas!).

*  Post about Old Trips  PASS  I worked on a trip post but didn't get it to the point of publishing. sigh

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE  One of my favorite hobbies so I work on this whenever I get the time to.

*  Prioritize Repairs/Improvements  PASS  We've got a list together but as other things pop-up items are getting either bumped up or down(or added)to the list.

*  Organize Clothes  PASS  Still a Work In Progress.  We have gone from "Winter" to "Spring" here.  My Winter clothing never got taken out of the packing cubes where I keep out of season clothing because it's not PA(snow and temps of Zero F anymore).  I need to keep the Winter clothing though for traveling to other climes but unless we are going somewhere cold they will stay in the cube.(Same with coats-they stay in the back of the closet.)  As I lose more weight I am having to shed some too big clothing and did order some smaller size items.  I  still have some shelves I need to organize still in the closet.

*  Find a New Bank  DONE  We set up an account at a credit union and once the transfer of funds into it have cleared we'll cash/deposit that Savings Bond.

*  Cash Savings Bond  FAIL  See above.  But we are making progress on this one. 8-)

Of course this isn't a complete list as the normal "day to day" stuff  isn't on here.  
These are just the projects and setting up housekeeping here things. 
As for outside, I am not ready to do a garden as the yard is a mess and needs so much to get it to the point of having/making a gardening space.  By the time we get back from the trip it will officially be "Hell's Front Porch" weather and I've got surgery to get so the garden is a non-issue this year.

Things are slowly getting to where they need to be but I am impatient.  

Sluggy

To-Do List.....April Outcome

Another month in the books so let's see what go accomplished or not..............

* Pay Bills  DONE  Always first thing, then we move on.

* Read 1, 2, 3 Books  PASS 
Since I read a record 4 books last month I hope to read 3 in April what with Coronavirus and all but I only finished off 2(though I got about 1/3 of the way through #3).

First I read this one..........

"Everything All At Once:How to Think Like A Science Guy, Solve Any Problem and Make A Better World" by Bill Nye

I have always felt a connection to Bill Nye-first my kids loved his "Science Guy" shows on TV-especially my daughter who grew up to be a scientist and second because his mother went to my college alma mater(and was recruited from there to work in a secret code breaking department during WWII-the Dean of my college, Dorothy Stimson happened to be a cousin of Henry Stimson, whom FDR brought back into government as his Secretary of War once WWII broke out, so with all the men off fighting Henry asked his cousin if any of the ladies attending her school would be smart enough to help out behind the scenes and Bill's mom, Jacqueline Jenkins, was one of those selected).  And who doesn't love a man in a bow tie? lolz

Anyway, this book took a long time to slog through.  Basically it's a book on how to think like a nerd.  Be forewarned going in that Mr. Nye is passionate about two things-space and climate change, so much of it involves those subjects.  There are some interesting biographical tidbits and peeks at his early career that I found lovely.
After I got through with this book I decided that Mr. Nye is an odd duck overall but I am glad I read his book.
3 Thumps Up

Then I read this one........

"Beethoven's Skull; Dark, Strange and Fascinating Tales From the World of Classical Music and Beyond" by Tim Rayborn

I needed a "light" read after Nye's book and this didn't disappoint.  If you like the macabre and strange read this book.  It's all about the strange tales of famous(and not so famous)musicians/composers in history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Who knew that Anton Bruckner had an unhealthy obsession with dead bodies?
Or that Arnold Schoenberg suffered from Triskaidekaphobia(fear of the number 13)?
I even found one of my direct ancestors in this book!(Of course I did, I am related to everyone. lol)-William IX, the Duke of Aquataine, my 27x Great Grandfather.  He was a Troubadour, one of the first of the Middle Ages who's musical works survive into today.  

This author has written a book in a similar vein about theatre called "Skakespeare's Ear" which I'll have to find and read as well, because....theatre!
4 Thumbs Up

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

I actually held Two Giveaways in April........

* Mail Giveaway  All mailed and received.

* Clean the Masterbedroom  DONE
Hubs helped me do a thorough Spring cleaning in our bedroom the last week of April.

* Clean the Masterbath  DONE as well.  Well except the bath as Hubs has to do that one.

* Make Face Masks  DONE  I made about 16 masks(maybe a few more)I didn't keep records of them all.  In PA we were required to don them early on, especially if you worked at a drug or grocery store.

I made a few for friends at Rite-Aid before corporate got them PPE.
A couple of them were fighting over this one above. lolz

I made myself some masks..........

I made one for Ex-College Boy and when I sent Eldest son toilet paper in March I threw in a mask as I figured he'd need one eventually down in VA.

I sent this lot to Daughter in LA, both elastic looped over the ears small ones and larger tie behind the head ones for work(these cover more area with less gaps).

I didn't make tons for donation as just making these many killed my hands(I had medical issues with my hands).  If I get a "good hand day" I'll make more.

* Take Load to Food Bank  DONE  The Food Bank finally called me back and they were at least at the beginning of April still accepting food donations and not just money so Hubs took what I had gathered  up...........

All that baby food I got back in February.

And then stuff I bought(or got for Free on Freebie Friday until they stopped doing that until further notice)for donation and foods I gleaned from the stockpile.

* List Items on eBay  FAIL I figured with this pandemic folks wouldn't be buying stuff on eBay much unless you had TP or hand sanitizer for sale or other essentials so I didn't bother to put anything up there.  The bouts of anxiety last month didn't help either.  When I didn't  have a pressing task I was pretty much paralyzed and didn't get much done other than what HAD to be done.
sigh.

* Hem Hubs' Shirts  DONE  After trying on a shit ton of shirts it was determined that only 2 needed to bee taken up.  In between mask sewing, when I had to change to a color of thread that matched the shirts in question, I worked on those shirts.  Done and Hubs is pleased which is what this was all about.  Though there was a time or two I just wanted to hack him up with my scissors.......*shhh, don't tell him.

* Plan/Goals for 2020  PASS  Well unless you've been sleeping for the last 8 weeks you know why this hasn't been finished.  We did work on it some but with not knowing when it will be safe for us to travel a component of our Plans for 2020 can't be scheduled.....the component related to us moving.  
Once Ex-College Boy is back to work he will be moving out(not right away but sometime later this year)so we can begin repairs/renovations on that bedroom and the main bathroom which gets us closer to the finish line with having the house ready to list.  So there's something.
I am so tired of this stay at home order and I want to travel.  I keep threatening to drive to Kim's Sissie's house since it's pretty close and I wouldn't have to stop to pee anywhere or get gas.  lolz  I could stand to stare at her four walls for awhile rather than my own for a bit. lolz

I am hatching a plan to go see Sonya Ann this coming Winter too.....unless she moves to somewhere cold(but that ain't happening if I know her). ;-)

Eldest may be moving sometime this Summer and starting a new job in the Fall but with the global pandemic that's all up in the air still too.

While we sit here contemplating our navels we've been talking about where to move.  Besides the probability of back down to Virginia or one of the tax-friendly states I've identified there is also maybe staying in PA, but further South in the state and not here.  Not living on a mountain in PA means less snow than here and I am sure we can find someplace closer to Maryland but in PA that has less expensive housing.
I don't know and it's all still up in the air for us.

So what did you get knocked off your To-Do list in April?

Sluggy

April To-Do List.....Update

We had a pretty long To-Do List for April so let's see how things turned(or didn't turn)out..........


*  Pay Bills--DONE  Everything got paid early or on time.

*  Read 1,2,3 Books--DONE  I had time leftover after reading my 2 books so I read a 3rd small book.

"George Washington and Benedict Arnold-A Tale of Two Patriots" by Dave R. Palmer
It's a more thorough history of the life of Benedict Arnold than any I have read before(not that there are many BA books to begin with).  It delves into his part in our American history and his intersecting history with another American Patriot that is revered today, George Washington.  You will learn many things in this book that I am sure, unless you are a American Revolutionary scholar, you didn't know and they don't teach in school about Benedict Arnold.
Did you know that George Washington thought Benedict Arnold was the best battle tested and valuable General in the Continental Army?  That had the Northern campaign of 1775 to take Quebec from the English of which Arnold helped spearhead had been successful, what was Canada at that time may have become America's 14th state?  Just a couple of nuggets of information contained in this book.
Written by a former Lt. General of the US Army and a past commander of West Point, the author Dave Palmer is well versed in and knows his territory here.

My take away from this-had Arnold's character been less flawed(who of us is perfect?)and there had been less backbiting and in fighting between and among the American military staff and the Continental Congress(even then the politicians added little to our progress!)would Arnold have become a turn coat?
It raised a lot of questions about how our history could have been different if certain dominoes hadn't fallen in the way they did.
Four thumbs up(if you like history).

"Presto!-How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales"  by Penn Jillette.
I love books by people who think outside the box and have a non-conformist outlook on life.  Jillette is funny as heck, profane and a Libertarian to boot so how could I NOT read this when I saw it at Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)?!?
Besides anecdotal stories and ramblings about his life/outlook it's all about how, when faced with a life/health crisis he took his life into his own hands and make big health changes(and thus lost over 100 lbs.).  It pretty much spurned me on to take charge of my health and medical issues and attempt to make my own changes.
Even if you aren't contemplating health issues and changes it's a very interesting read.
Four thumbs up.

"You Can Stay Home With Your Kids!-100 Tips, Tricks and Ways To Make It Work On A Budget" by Erin Odom

This book took me a couple of hours to finish as there wasn't much new information here.  the author runs a blog which is highly subsidized and commercialized(her husband quit his job to help run the blog so it has to furnish a living for their family).  I don't fault her for her blog, she is doing what she has to do to make it profitable.  I just don't think her blog has much in the way to help someone else stay home with their kids.
The title-about making it work on a budget-is silly. Of course you need a budget to make this career choice work, unless your name is Gates, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, etc. and money is no object. lolz

She has filled her small book with what would be a starter's guide to being able to afford to be a full time homemaker/mother.  If you are young and wanting to be a stay-at-home-mom, this book may give you some food for thought on the subject but there is nothing really new here.
It was not applicable to me in my season of life.
I give it a one thumbs up.

*  Make Food Bank Donation--DONE

I got off my a$$ and got this done in April finally with Hubs' help.

This food bank takes toiletries, laundry detergent, paper goods, etc. too so 
I loaded them up.

Laundry and cleaning supplies

Non-perishable foods and even cookies! lolz

Some soups and even canned dog food

A few more items I pulled from the stockpile.

*  Take Food Bank Donation--DONE
We were able to take it in surreptitiously this time.  The doors were unlocked as there was some sort of Lenten weekday service starting when we went so no having to get buzzed in.  We got to be Anonymous this time.  ;-)

*  Hold Giveaways--DONE

One giveaway for non-winners

And one for previous winners and/or folks who brought in new readers.

*  Mail Giveaways--DONE  All mailed and received.

*  Work on Health Goals--DONE  I've been fine tuning what I eat and am preparing to go on an Elimination Diet of sorts later this month.  I need to "restart" my metabolism both to reduce my weight and to deal with diet issues with my HS condition.  We are ready to start this adventure once Daughter leaves on the 19th.

*  Fill 6 Months of Giveaways Boxes--DONE

 6 boxes ready to fill.....

And 6 months of giveaways ready to go!  I have since filled another 3 boxes too. ;-)

*  Plan Home Projects Timeline--SORT OF DONE
It's impossible to plan EVERYTHING that needs doing at this time so we have planned out(and time lined)the first 4 or 5 projects with the steps necessary to completion arranged in order.
These Home Improvements/Repairs will be ongoing for a while.
The first items to complete are.....1-Daughter's ex-bedroom, 2-Ex-College Boy's ex-bedroom, 3-Hubs man cave room.  Also involved will be moving items out of the master bedroom and walk-in closet and once those are moved the master bedroom and closet to can addressed.  Sluggy's big ol' game of Dominoes begins!

*  Email a Company--DONE
On the way back home from SC in late March we stopped in Chambersburg, PA for a late lunch at a Bob Evan's(love me some Bobs).  Our waiter was really GREAT(the right mix of personable/friendly/above competent)! I got his name and made a point of emailing the company about him and what an outstanding job he does.  I did get an email back from Customer Services.  Here's the bulk of what they replied.

"How nice of you to share such kind remarks about Terrance!  It is always an encouragement to our employees when they receive positive comments from our guests.  Your compliments have been shared with the restaurant and the director of operations so proper recognition can be given."

I hope that "proper recognition" included some financial recognition(not just a pat on the back).   They would REALLY NOT want to loose him to another employer.  I hope they thanked Terrance well.

Also contacted was Rite-Aid Corporate about a candy bar I bought down in VA that looked like this when I opened it...........

That white thing on the left in the bar is a MAGGOT!  The holes were were it had eaten out the almonds in the candy bar while sealed in the package.  
ick

I did a chat w/a CS person online and they said a "team leader" would contact me.  The next day an asst. manager of the store where I bought this called to apologize and said I could get my money back if I came into the store.  Well, I live 375 miles from that store so I said no, I can't come in.  SUPPOSEDLY they were going to contact me again and mail me a check.  That was about a month ago and I have heard nothing.


*  Purge Garage--SORT OF DONE
We went through everything out there and pulled out all of Daughter's crap(except for the dreadmill)oveer the course of April.  It's sitting in my living room waiting to leave now. yay!
We still need to finish purging the rest of the stuff out there over the course of the Summer.

*  Clean Garage--DONE
Well it WAS clean but then Ex-College Boy started cleaning out his room and he's strewn stuff out there.  Once we get around to purging the rest of the garage the cleaning will happen in earnest.

*  Dental Appt.--DONE
Teeth are cleaned and checked and no cavities.  Go me.

*  Prepare Garden Bed--DONE

We picked up more top soil in April.  We raked a bunch of leaves into the fire pit and once the ashes were cooled we put them in the garden bed. The bags of fertilizer I got last Fall at Walmart for $1 each were mixed in with the ash, top soil and all was tilled.  A photo of the result with Cinnamon the dog supervising pictured above. 
The planting will happen in the coming weeks.

*  Cash in Savings Bond--DONE
Bond was presented for redemption the first trip to the bank we made last month.  No point in keeping the thing once it matured, right?  Get it somewhere else it can earn interest again.

*  Purge Q Envelope--DONE
I always purge the coupon envelope(the one that accompanies to the store)either at the beginning or the end of the month.  The Q inserts on the shelf didn't need purging in April but will get purged in May.

In the end it was a pretty successful April and we ticked off lots of items on our list.
Did you get a lot done on your To-Do List in April?  Tell us about your successes!


Sluggy

April To-Do List......Update

Let's see how we did on April's list of stuff to get done..............

* Pay Bills  DONE  First thing I do every month(or when the bill arrives that month)  Generally I sit down every two weeks and pay what arrived during that time.  That helps me stay more organized and not forget to pay something. ;-)

* Read 1, 2 Books DONE
I read this one........ 

It's a retelling of the California Gold Rush from 1848-1853.  It relies heavily on first person sources, diaries and memoirs of a varied lot of everyday folks who traveled to CA during this time who were intent on profiting off the event.  Very few made lasting fortunes mining the gold.  It was an interesting time and the author feels the spirit of innovation and the free spirited society still resides in and helped shape what CA is today.  There is also a bit of the unsavory that helped make CA what it is today if you hold to this author's suggestions here.
I especially liked the actual excerpts of the diarists over the author's take on "what it all means" and conclusions.

I also read this one.........

Gumption by Nick Offerman(actor and manly man extraodinaire)
This is his follow-up to his successful "Paddle Your Own Canoe" book.  This sequel(if you will)is more a vanity piece for him.  It's basically 21 chapters, each  about a person he admires for some reason(s)and how/why this person defined/defines "gumption".
He starts off with dead historical folks and then quickly veers off into current celebs/famous folks he admires who he considers full of gumption.
At times I think Nick Offerman is full of something other than gumption but hey! it's his book.
I won't say anything else bad about the man who gave us Ron Swanson. ;-)
This book shines at times and then there are the other times......not bad for an actor overall and a fun read.

I also started in on two other books in April and hopefully I'll get those polished off before May is over with and can let you know about them.

* Purge Coupon Envelope  DONE

Every 3 months I clean out the coupons inserts but every month I clean out my coupon envelope(it's a pencil case I life hacked for this purpose).

* Sell Stuff  DONE

 This sale was basically pure profit as the shampoo didn't cost me anything out of pocket at Rite-Aid.

This sale was at a loss and was something I was just trying to get out of the house. lolz
Both sales meant stuff left my house so I am good with it.
I do need to get back onto the local Yard Sale site and get some things sold there now that the weather has improved greatly.

* Sell House in LA PENDING
All the repairs have been made, contracts signed, we are just waiting on their mortgage company's appraiser to sign off on the repairs(taking their everloving sweet time on this!) and to close.  
Can't come soon enough for me!!

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  And the winner started enjoying her goodies this past Thursday. 8-)

* Finish Redoing Passwords Book  DONE

I got all the current information transferred into this nifty little spiral notebook.  I can't show you the insides for obvious reasons. lolz
This one should hold up better than the last book as the covers are plastic not thin cardboard/paperboard and not as likely to be torn off as easily. 8-)
It does feel good to let go of all that old out-of-date information and there is plenty of room before I get this one filled up.

* Plan possible 2018 Travel  PENDING  Still working out the kinks and maybe changing direction on this one.  Stay tuned.

* Work on 2018 Goals  FAIL  Well we are at a place where it's very difficult to plan any more goals for this year(mostly).  So much is up in the air.....this house sale, travel plans, College Boy's plans, etc.  We are sort of in a holding pattern at this point in our lives.   Maybe once we nail down the travel itinerary and the house sells we can move forward and think about the future.

Mostly we got what we needed to get done in April.
I'm now working on my To-Do List for May and am posting items on the side bar as I figure them out.

What did you get marked off your To-Do List for April?

Sluggy

The To-Do List....April Update

Here is how I did with my To-Do List in April......

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything paid and on time, no interest charges levied or paid out.  Why pay extra of your hard earned income for not being mindful of deadlines....am I right?

* Read 1 Book  DONE  Well, actually I read half of two books which makes 1 book read.  That's my story and I'm sticking to that.  I like alternating my reads that way so if I don't feel like reading one right now, I can read the other.  They are different enough that I can keep the plot lines/stories straight.  I plan on finishing both books in May.

And no, I am not related to the Hatfields and/or McCoys of KY and WV. lolz

I also have 3 more books to bring along to VA this month as I'll have tons of free time for reading.....

And yes, I DO have a connection to the subjects in two of these books.  8-)


* Go to Dr. Appointment  DONE  I went and all my blood work was good or better than good.  My numbers are even lower and my weight is trending down again.  Go me.

* Go to Dentist Appointment  DONE  I had a crumbling old filling that needed mending.  All done and just waiting on what we need to pay that insurance didn't.  I go back in 6 months for a check-up.

* Go through Q Inserts & Purge  DONE  I reduced the stack of coupon inserts substantially.  I like to purge them every 3-4 months.  I will cut out any Qs in the inserts I pitch that haven't expired yet.  I now have none that are older than mid March on the shelf now.

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  Rhitter won the goodies and I shipped them off to her.

* 1st Load to Salvation Army  FAIL  I just didn't get the paperwork written up for this so Hubs could drop the load off.  Oh well.....it will go out in May instead.

I had a short list in April so not much of a stretch for me but I got all but 1 chore accomplished.

Sluggy