June To-Do List 2023.....Outcome

Here's how the June 2023 To-Do List came out...........

JUNE

*  Pay Bills  DONE  All paid on time or early

*  Go to 1 Dr. Appointment  DONE  Got a new PCP, YEAH!

*  Buy Car Port  DONE and paid for.

*  Clean & Organize Stuff in House  IN PROGRESS  This may be in progress until I die at this rate.

*  Buy Stuff for House  IN PROGRESS  Don't remember what we bought in June but it wasn't big ticket stuff...probably hardware for installing ceiling fans and such.

*  Price Generators  IN PROGRESS  Looking into which kind/size to get

*  Clean out Q Inserts and Envie  DONE

*  Edit more Photos  IN PROGRESS  I've got all the "old" photos edited now I need to edit everything from Dec 2022 until now but using new-to-me editing software so that's going to go slower than it should.

*  Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Just didn't feel like it and then typing got very hard.

*  Work on Genealogy  DONE

*  Hang Ceiling Fans  FAIL  We weren't home for much of the month so no, this item moves to July

*  Organize Clothes  DONE  Mostly Done.  I've still got to fold and put some pants on shelving in the closet but I'm calling this done.

*  Unpack from Trip  DONE  Washed and put all the clothes away.

*  Convert Foreign Currency  DONE  Hubs took what we didn't spend back to the bank.

Sluggy

To-Do List....June Update

So another month done and dusted.  Let's see how the JUNE To-Do List turned out, shall we?

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything paid early or on time as always.

* Read 1, 2, 3 Books  FAIL  I went to VA with high hopes on getting lots of reading done.  What I did get done was lots of napping instead. lolz  I got halfway through a book at home but didn't take it with me.  I started another book on the way down at my son's place but promptly left it there so another book begun(barely)but not finished.  
Oh and I made two trips to Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)-one trip with son and another trip with brother and sis in-law, and besides a few pantry goods to bring home guess what I mostly bought at those two Ollie's?

If you guessed MORE BOOKS you'd be correct! ;-) That's my cart with the 5 or so I picked up in Va. Beach.
But!  I did get one book completely read in June.

"Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain Without Turning Into One" by Karen Duffy
If you are a wise-ass, have a sarcastic gene and especially if you are a fellow chronic pain sufferer, I implore you to find this book and read it!  The book is enlightening and uplifting and a reminder that you can thrive even if you are among the 1 in 3 Americans who suffers from some form of chronic pain.
I felt like she was speaking directly to me.  5 Thumbs Up!!!!!

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

It took awhile to get in touch with the winner as she just had surgery and is enduring a tough recuperation period.
Please send out good thoughts out to Lisa B. if you would as she gets over this time.
I hope the package lifted her spirits a bit too. ;-)

* Mail Giveaway  DONE
Mailed and received quickly.

* 2 Doctor Appointments  DONE
Got a semi-annual check-up with one doc which went well and all blood work came back good.
Had a check-up and TB test with my dermo doc to see how the Humira was working or not.  She is recommending a Laser Excision Surgery on one spot of my HS that the Humira is not helping.  She gave me the paperwork/info on what that surgery will entail and I should be scheduled for surgery later this month.  Oh goody. 8-(

* Change out Clothing for Summer  DONE
I finally got around to changing the wardrobe for warm weather out before I left town.

* Pack for Trip  DONE
I sort of killed two birds with one stone by packing for the trip while changing out my clothes for Summer.  It was far easier since I was already reorganizing clothes in the closet.

* Sew Masks for Folks  DONE
Eldest had told me that VA had recently gone to face masks in public mode before I left home.  I had sent him a mask I made back in March(along with tp as he couldn't find any at his stores back then)so I spent some time a few days before leaving making more fabric masks-2 for Hubs, 1 more to bring to Eldest son and 3 masks for my Brother and Sis in-law as well as another mask for myself in a lighter colored fabric.  My  brother never leaves his property but my sis in-law is a realtor so she's been spending for disposable masks as she doesn't sew.  Having 2 so she can wash and change it out daily will help her and her wallet. ;-)
Some where along the way I lost the new mask I made for myself so I need to make another one soon. 8-(

* Deal with "Stuff" in VA  PASS
Well we've done some stuff and gotten the ball rolling but there are more hoops to jump through.  Decisions have been made and more are to come.  That's about all I can say for now on this.  We are waiting on some blocks to fall into place and the lawyer to return from vacation now so we are in "wait" mode for now.

* Visit my Son  DONE
I stopped for 2 days on the way down and 1 night on the way home.
He's leaving where he taught for the last 5 years and relocating to NJ so we had a lot to talk about.
Atlas, the cat was always nearby to comfort him. lolz

* Visit my Brother/Sister in-Law  DONE

Besides a quick trip to Ollie's my brother didn't go anywhere.  But we did get visits from the neighbors and their dogs while I was down there.  That's Harper and Truman and their humans visiting in the photo above.  We also got a visit from Petey on another day and his human.
Sis in-law and I, on the other hand, hit various Rite-Aids, Kroger, Aldi, Lidl, Cracker Barrel, Walmart and an Estate Sale while I was.  We bonded and laughed a lot.

* Plan Goals for 2020  PASS  Hubs and I have hashed out a few goals and made some decisions about our living arrangements going forward.  There is still a lot to do and it feels overwhelming at times so I'll be biting off a bit at a time for now.  Mostly, the Goal for 2020 is now to survive it! 8-)))

* Arrange for Painter  FAIL  This was on Hubs list of stuff to do while I was gone.  He got a list of painters at the hardware store then the store owner told him, "frankly, I wouldn't recommend any of these guys to paint inside your house". lolz  I am thinking once we contact a realtor about selling our house they might have better sources.  So this search for a painter is ongoing.

* Have Money Meeting w/Hubs  PASS  We had a half-assed financial meeting.  Half-assed as some financial things were up in the air and I was gone half of the month.  July's money meeting should be more productive but we did make a few money decisions in June so I am giving us a pass. ;-)


Did you have a To-Do List in June?
Tell us how you did with it.


Sluggy

The To-Do List....the June Edition

Let's take a look at what got accomplished(or didn't)in June.......

To-Do List for June

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything got paid on time or early including credit cards so no interest charged or paid.

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

"To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee

I hadn't read this since high school so it was worth picking it up again and reading it for "fun" this time.
I got a lot more of the subtext this go around.  Comparing  it to the 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck that was in my head was a challenge.  The book is so much more nuanced and delves deeper into characters other than the few leads.
If you know anything about Nelle Harper Lee's life you know that much of what is in this novel is autobiographical.
A classic novel is always worth a leisurely read.

And this one......

"Muskets and Applejack: Spirits, Soldiers and the Civil War" by Mark Will-Weber

This is a strange little book which explores a small corner of American history from a whisky soaked perspective.  As one reviewer on Amazon wrote, "....Spoiler Alert-nearly everyone drank and behaved badly."  I think that summed up this book perfectly! lolz
Spirits fueled the men who fought this war from the Generals on down to the lowly foot soldier.  It on one hand helped and on the other hand hindered each sides campaign against the enemy.  
There are many first hand accounts written by folks who lived through(or not)and saw the effects of alcohol on the war years about beyond.  After reading these journal entries how anybody stayed upright enough to wage war is beyond me.   Maybe applejack(and the sobering up time it took)is why it went 5 long years to finish this bloody shoot fest?
And another Spoiler Alert--troops from Louisiana were obviously the champion Wallpaperers and best friends of John Barleycorn!

An interesting, light read.....easy to pick up and put down, reading in fits and starts, which is how my June went. ;-)


* Get Chester's Shot  DONE  Chester needed a shot for Bordetella(Kennel Cough)before he could go to the doggie spa.

* Change out Clothes for Summer  DONE  I finally got all my clothes gone through and changed over for the hot weather.  Some clothing got thrown out, some packed off to Salvation Army and a pile was made of items that needed to be hemmed/fixed/taken in.  Of course I haven't gotten to any of the mending/fixing pile as the house is still in chaos with the bedroom redo.

* Have Trees Taken Down  DONE  Another item on our home projects was having 4 trees removed.  The bank account is very sad but I am glad to mark this project off the list.

We had 4 trees total cut down-2 on the side yard by the road and 2 in the backyard.  3 of them were to open up the yard, to get more light.  The monster tree above was a worry to me.  So tall and massive and not very deep roots.  With all the excessive rain and windstorms we'd gotten the last few years I'm amazed it hasn't fallen yet and taken out half our house(because it's so tall it could if it fell just right).  This was something that we needed to do in order to sell the house eventually(and for my peace of mind). 
It was interesting to watch(free entertainment! lol)the whole process and the massive combination saw and crane gizmo they used on the monster tree was way cool!
I can post some more photos and video if anyone is interested.....

* Repair Bedroom Walls/Ceiling  DONE  
Ex-College Boy and I got the bedroom repaired and painted early on in the month.  It has been sitting since then awaiting new carpeting being put in by the carpet folks.  Hurry up and wait.........sigh.

* Paint 1, 2 Bedrooms  PARTIALLY DONE  We got 1 of the Bedrooms painted, ceiling and walls.  Can't really do the second bedroom until we can empty it and we can't do that until the carpet gets replaced in the first bedroom(and it's STILL not in at the store yet, let alone on the schedule for installing ugh!). 
Here's a piece of what Dan's room looks like until we can move all my crap out of there........

* Take Chester to Doggie Resort  DONE  Chester went to stay HERE while we were away.  I think he had a better time than us! lolz  


* Clean Out Closets  DONE 
 I had a burst of energy one day and got lots of closets cleaned out and organized, my bedroom closet, the foyer closet and the linen closet.

*  Clean Out Fridges/Pantry  DONE

The fridges still need a good washing down inside but I got them cleaned out/organized.  I also got the pantry in the kitchen cleared out.

I found TWELVE open boxes of crackers in there!  TWELVE and many were duplicates of the same crackers.  Heck, I didn't even know we had TWELVE boxes of crackers!!  
After consolidating, and repurposing some(crumbs for breading)we have a more manageable amount(and certain people here have been warned under penalty of death NOT to open another box of crackers until the open boxes are gone).

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  And it was received and enjoyed by the winner. 8-)

* Pack for Trip  DONE  I got to break out my new fancy shmancy lime green suitcase.

* Go on Trip  DONE

This trip was so out of my comfort zone and Hubs and I didn't know a soul going in.  But we had a good time.  I'll blog about this trip soon.

* Use Ollie's & CVS Chits  DONE

All this was free from CVS and I earned $5 more in Extra Care Bucks before going on our trip.

I rolled some Bonus Cash before we left and again while on the trip as we passed by some Rite-Aids in Maine and New Hampshire.

I also used my 15% Ollie's discount before we went away.  I hit some 50%, 60% and 75% off food stuffs and used the 15% off on other things like bird suet for Hubs' feeders and potting soil.

* Continue to Clean Out Garage  PARTIALLY DONE

After 3 weeks worth of crap from Daughter moving out leaving the porch and garage we again had a clear passage through the garage on both sides of my food storage shelves.  
I wish I could say that I've made more headway in there but it's been too hot since getting back from NH to spend much time out there.  Maybe I'll take this item off the To-Do List until September when it cools off.

* Move More $ Into a CD  MAYBE DONE  I didn't get this goal finished in May before the month ended so it straddled both months.  The money is now moved.

* Sell More Locally  PARTIALLY DONE  Well I listed some things when we got back from NH but I didn't actually sell them yet. lolz  I tried.....  I am putting this item on hold until after garage sale season and it's pointless to try now.

* List Items on eBay  FAIL  I didn't even get one thing listed on eBay as there is just too much still going on here to concentrate on that.  Fall is the high season for eBay so I'll wait until September to list there.

* Gardening  I know I didn't put this as an item on the To-Do List for June but we did have some growth even with our wet/cool month...........

Other than the broccoli and cauliflower the plants didn't seem to visibly grow much in June.

But the lettuce seeds I sowed mid month in June popped up quicker than they usually do and are making strides.
We should be in salad material by mid July.

That's about it for my June report.
Did you accomplish anything in June?


Sluggy

To-Do List...........June Update

The To-Do List update for June....let's see how it all shook out!


* Pay bills  DONE  Everything got paid on time, no interest or fees assessed or paid.

*  Read 1, 2 Books  DONE

My Brother's Crown by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould.
I picked this one up because of the Huguenot emblem on the cover....had no clue if it would be good or not.
It's one of a series of books by these two authors all about women from one fictional family, a Huguenot family from France that immigrated to Colonial America.  It jumped from a story line in present day Virginia to 1600's France and a story line of the present day person's ancestor.  It was well done and flowed well, very readable.
Not too heavy on the history but I still enjoyed it.
If you have Huguenot ancestry you might want to give this a go.

Then I read.......

"The Great Influenza" by John M. Barry.  This was a historical account of the Spanish Flu Pandemic that swept the world between 1918 and 1920.
As the generations that actually experienced this world changing pandemic have died off, the horror of this time in our history has faded from our collective memory.  Just to refresh the scope of this disease, the Spanish Flu killed more people in 20 weeks than AIDS has killed in 20 years and killed more people in a year than Bubonic plagues during the Middle Ages killed in a century.
Choked full of detailed medical history, important researchers and leaders in the field of American medicine, as well as timelines, how authorities greatly mishandled the outbreak(from the government to the military to the news media) and the first hand accounts of victims and others from that time.  This book gives one a real sense of just how devastating this influenza outbreak was everywhere in the world and how it's consequences affect our lives today.
The influenza affected the waging of World War I all the way to the terms of surrender and our then current POTUS and his life and term in office.
Any history fans out there need to pick this one up and give it a go!

*  Clean Laundry Room  DONE  Our laundry room was in need of a good cleaning, including the machines.  The pan under the washer was removed and scrubbed down(and then promptly broken but fixable)and the dryer was disconnected and the hose and back of the machine were cleaned out.
The pan being broken happened because Hubs didn't reconnect the water hose tightly enough and a week later we found that the leaking hose started to over run the pan with water which meant moving everything AGAIN to dry it all out and during this transfer period it got cracked on one corner.  Luckily there was no floor(or ceiling on the first floor)damage since we found the problem quickly and some duct tape fixed the pan edge.
After all the extended work we had to do cleaning and moving stuff times 2 I am calling this a....

 *  Do 1 Home Improvement Project  DONE  The floor has never looked so clean in the Laundry Room after two scrubbing downs. lolz  Hubs even removed the louvered vent where the dryer hose attaches and I scrubbed that.  Other than some paint the laundry room is in ship-shape shape now.

 * Organize Garage  FAIL  It's been too hot and Hubs hasn't cooperated  when it wasn't too hot to go through stuff.  I have been picking up in there and moving stuff around a little and tidying a bit but no major clean out yet.  I did get Hubs to dig out the old a/c unit to give to his brother and the nephew as they have no air in their apt. and we had a week long of 90+F heat wave.  It's an even bigger mess at the moment and I am hoping I can get Hubs to help me this weekend(the weather is suppose to be less humid and cooler)to go through and put some of it right.
The garage can only get so clean until next Spring when Daughter moves out and takes all her stuff stored in there(plus the stuff stored IN the house).  I guess I need to be less critical and don't expect too much until that happens. ;-)

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Mailed and received.

* Purge Coupon Inserts   DONE

Went through all the inserts, clipped a few Qs that weren't expired yet that I might use before they did and put back about 10 whole inserts on my bookshelf.
It feels so good to purge papers sometimes.  8-)))

*  Plan possible 2018 Travel  DONE...sort of
We've got a possible plan....nothing wild or crazy or long and nothing happening until September.  Still working on some Winter plans too and lots of details need to be fleshed out still.

* Work on 2018 Goals   PASS  some of the big yearly goals have been worked on or finished, some have not.  Here they are.....

  *  Sewing--NOT DONE  Other than hemming and mending I've done nothing yet on this one. I'll try to dig out and decide on which fabrics to use in July for the table runner I want to make.

  *  Dropping some weight--NOT DONE  Well I have lose some weight but it was weight I put back on this Winter.  Winter and being sick for 2 months is not conducive to weight loss I have decided. lolz

  *  Culling more of my toiletries stockpile--SOME DONE  Until this week, I had been scaling back on the freebies from Rite-Aid but having to roll Bonus Cash within 2 months is crappy. 8-P
I did make a Food Bank donation already this year(Was it March? I don't think I wrote about it when I did it.).
I'll be giving the Brother In-Law and Nephew some stuff in July which will jump start the purge again.  And once we go traveling I'll be giving stuff away too so I see more toiletries flowing out of here.

  *  Make a new Password/Log in Book and new Address Book  DONE AND NOT DONE.

  Password Book done.
  Address Book not yet.  I still need to buy an Address Book.

  *  Deal with the house in Louisiana.  DONE!!!

  Goodbye house!

  * Sell more stuff.

   Done and done.

    I should start ramping up some more eBay stuff in the next 2 months since we aren't leaving      town until September.

  * Start putting together a punch list of things to address in the house here in preparation for         putting in on the market--NOT DONE
     We will sit down and put a preliminary list together in July, along       with a timeline and           how to handle paying for it all.

  * Put my genealogy stuff in a software program--NOT DONE Still looking for which software        I want to use.  Will make this a priority to get done by January 2019.

  * Gardening and travel--DONE  Gardening got done in May.  Travel is still up in the air                 though we do have a soft plan now.

Looking at the Yearly Goals list we still have plenty to finish there along with smaller monthly goals I have planned.

June was productive overall and we'll head into July with good intentions on getting lots accomplished.

How was your June in terms of getting to chores and plans?
Any successes or epic fails?

Sluggy

June To-Do List......Update

Let's take a look and see how I did with my To-Do List in June.

JUNE

* Pay Bills DONE  Everything paid and on time.  No late fees or charges.

*  Read 1, 2 Books DONE  I read these books......

I finally got through this one.  It was going swimmingly until the author got bogged down in the legal trial stuff which seemed to go on forever(and in real time it did).  It was a well researched book with much of the meat of it sourced from actual descendants of Hatfield and McCoy clan members.  And the true "feud" is complicated.

I was looking forward to digging into this one.  Ms. Gregory is an award winning popular current author and the subject matter is about two of my ancestral third cousins, Henry VIII and Kateryn Parr(and Henry's two daughters and one son, my fourth cousins).
The author really brought Henry and Kateryn to life in this book.  I was reticent when the book opened with a fairly descriptive sex scene, between Kateryn and Thomas Seymour-who she would go on to marry after Henry died.   Overall an enjoyable read about a tumultuous period in English history.  It got me thinking about what a dangerous thing it was to be in the King's social circle or in the upper echelons of English society.  Not only did Henry the VIII change the destiny of a country but he nearly tore it apart.  At times the way Gregory blended accurate history with fiction was confusing but the novel worked well on the whole and drew the reader in.  I even learned a few things along the way.  ;-)

*  Hold Giveaway  Yup!

*  Mail Giveaway  Mailed and received by the happy winner. 8-))

*  1st Load to Salvation Army for 2017  DONE

Just some of what I finally sent off to charity in June.  I've already started another load but it won't get taken in until August probably.

*  Contact Folks to Meet-Up in Jul/Aug  DONE  Everyone has been initially contacted and I'll be following up this week on the particulars.

*  Finish Road Trip Itinerary  DONE  I still need to nail down some details and side trips but the main route is mapped out.

*  Make all Motel Reservations  DONE  All reservations are in place.  17 nights in motels.

*  Sew two Shirts  FAIL  Well I wanted to make a couple of shirts for this road trip.  I spent most of June looking for my pattern for them(an old worn out shirt I took apart)and couldn't find it.  It didn't help that when Daughter and BF moved back in last year all my stuff got shoved places I couldn't remember. lol  I finally found the "pattern" 2 days ago.  My memory was faulty because the shirt never got taken apart, so now I've got to pick the seams apart before I can even cut the pieces out. Ugh.
And anyway, after hearing a weather report from Kim, I'll be living in dresses on this trip and won't be needing shirts.  It's going to be too hot for pants and shirts.
When I get back I'll still make those shirts but I don't have a big hurry now.

*  Post Tag Sale Site Items  DONE(sort of) I did post at the beginning of June my items to a lukewarm response.  Only a few responses and every single on wanted my stuff for almost nothing.  Didn't actually sell anything.  I think it's just bad timing as everyone is yard saling now and wants items for pennies(yard sale mentality)so I'll wait until the Fall and re-post it all so this item will come back on my list in September.

*  File Retirement Forms  DONE  Completed and turned in on time and we've gotten our first annuity payment already.

*  Attend Lunch for Hubs' Retirement  DONE  We brought home a TON of cake but the kids took care of most of it.  ;-)

*  Mend or Replace Swing Awning  DONE  

It didn't take long once I got my supplies downstairs.
And it's much better than having to spend cash to replace it too.
We'll get the rest of this season out of it and make a decision next year on what to do then.

*  Prepare front Flower Bed and plant it  DONE

I didn't actually do this.  I nagged first via long distance from Virginia and then in person until Hubs and College Boy took care of this.  Hubs spent minimally for some petunia for it and  the deer and bugs almost did them all in.  Most have recovered now though.

*  Go Over New Budget w/Hubs  DONE  We sat down last week and planned out our new retirement budget.  We only did a 3 month plan since we won't be accessing the 401K monies until October.  As much as possible we need to live off of the monthly annuity payment until then.  I'll go into more detail in a separate post on the new "financial normal" here.

*  Set up Savings Goals for College Boy  DONE  He's got his plan in place.

*  Implement Savings Plan for College Boy  DONE  I've been taking his money each week and holding it for safekeeping.  He hit a money threshold last week and ordered his new computer.....

We've now got another paycheck in hand so he's rebuilding his cash savings.  He's got no other big planned spending until he goes back in August and he should hit his savings goal by the time he wraps up his Summer job.
There will be no going back to this........

Spending willy-nilly on vape juice like last Summer.  That and the coffee drink here and energy drink there, plus eating out with his friends took care of the bulk of his earnings last Summer.

While I didn't have much on my To-Do List in June I feel good about what got done.

So did you get anything done in June?
Tell us about it!

Sluggy