To-Do List.....March Update

Let's see how March's To-Do List turned out.........

* Pay Bills  DONE  Everything paid early or on time and money leftover this month. yay

* Read 1,2,3,4 Books  DONE  Even before we got the stay home order in PA I was on fire reading.  Ok, one of the books was a lightweight but still....

I read this one...

"Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan
This is a novel, a partially historical novel about Mamah Bosworth Cheney, the mistress of Frank Loyd Wright and their life together.  It was well done and reminded me of "Twain's End" and "Hanging Mary", two other historical fiction books I've read.  5 thumbs up.

Then I read this.....

"It's All Relative:Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree" by A.J. Jacobs
This is a genealogy related book so someone into this subject will find some of it interesting.
I found it a very quick read and a little too lightweight and full of general knowledge with a humorous tone.  2 thumbs up.

Third was this one......

"Papillon" by Henri Charrière
This is the autobiography book from 1969, that was made into a major film in 1973 with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman and was remade in 2017 starring Rami Malek and Charlie Hunnam.
It's about a safe cracker from Paris who was wrongly convicted of killing a pimp in 1931 and sentenced to life in the French Guiana penal colony (called "Devil's Island" in English)through 1945 and his numerous attempts to escape.
It's an amazing book, especially since the writer was not a writer per se.  It will keep you interested and you won't be able to put it down, especially if you haven't seen either movie.
I now need to see these movies to see if they live up to this man's book.  5 thumbs up!!!

Fourth was this.......

"The Birth of Loud:Leo Fender, Les Paul and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock N' Roll" by Ian S. Port

I picked this up on a whim at Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)and thought at least Ex-College Boy being the family musician may enjoy it but I gave it a read first.  I was never a guitar gal but I did grow up during the revolutionary period of 1960's rock n' roll so it intrigued me.  It filled in some history about this era in music and I learned a lot about Leo Fender and Les Paul(and Mary Ford too).  4 thumbs up.


* Manage Money (CD)  DONE  We had a CD mature the beginning of March.  If we left it at the financial institution it was with they had a 13 month CD that gave an extra .05% in interest(not that the current rates are anywhere what they were when we set this CD up in 2019).  Plus if we kept the money with this bank we got an extra .05% in interest at maturity making the bonus .10% extra. whoopee 

* Hold Giveaway  DONE

* Mail Giveaway  DONE  and received.

* Make Face Masks  DONE 
I made myself a mask and one each for my 2 sons.

I also made this one with some "Night of the Walking Dead" fabric I had bought to make shorts to match a t-shirt I bought Ex-College Boy(but he isn't into NOTWD anymore).....

* Bathe Dogs  DONE  Both pups got bathes in March(Dixie got more than one as she is stinkier).lolz

* Take Load to Food Bank  PASS  Ok, I didn't get the food to the Food Bank in March.  I called twice and left messages and they never got back to me in March.  I am not sure if they are accepting food donations with the pandemic or just money.

* List Items on eBay  FAIL  Thought I did sell 1 item in early March I just haven't been motivated to list anything else.  Now with money being tight with so many losing jobs temporarily I just don't feel right selling non-essentials even if someone is nuts enough to buy them.  I don't make my living off of eBay so I'd rather not put anything for sale on there now.  I can wait.  ;-)

* Cash Savings Bond  DONE  I had Hubs cash the bond before our bank closed it's lobby for the duration(now it's only drive-thru tellers).  I've added the proceeds to all the other cashed/matured Savings Bonds.  We really need to dump this stash into a CD or something but with rates in the toilet right now, we'll wait a bit longer.  It's not life-changing to not have this $$ invested right now.

* Hem Hubs' Shirts  PASS  I did work on this sewing project but I didn't have Hubs full cooperation in March so nothing much gone accomplished.  I needed him to try every. last. shirt. on. to mark them all. ugh

* Plan/Goals for 2020  FAIL  A big Fat Fail on planning anything for 2020.  I had some ideas but everything/all the world is on hold right now so we are at a standstill on plans for 2020.
I'll mention what I need to do once it's safe to resume life as normal......
*Go to VA to work on legal stuff with brother(and visit eldest son too)
*Go somewhere on vacation(it's looking like Fall now)
*Get painting in house done(have to wait to hire someone)

So that's where we are at going into April.
How was your March?
Did you get anything accomplished?

Sluggy

March To-Do List.....Update

I have pared down my monthly To-Do Lists.  Between being ill for 2 months this Winter and not feeling much energy to "do" I felt it was better to have a smaller list and actually feel like I was accomplishing something rather than facing a long list of items I didn't get to when the month was over.

With that said, here's what I wanted to get done in March.........

*  Pay Bills  DONE  If nothing else gets done, this does.  I paid two irregular bills early/for the year and earned a small discount off the price of each bill.  Every little bit helps, right?

*  Read 1 Book  DONE

"Twain's End" by Lynn Cullen

This author is making a career of writing historical novels(taking famous folks and writing about their lives in a part historical/part fictional way).

Cullen is a very astute writer and this tome was interesting and enjoyable and dare I say-a page turner.  Having studied Samuel Clemens life a bit myself it follows pretty closely to whom he actually was.....an insecure, narcissist borderline megalomaniac in his later life  as reported from first hand accounts of the people who knew and/or loved him.
This tale is told from the perspective of his personal secretary(Isabel van Kleek)and her relationship with Mark Twain.  It's apparent after reading this book that one of the most beloved popular American authors of the 19th century was a personally tortured man who made those around him miserable.
I recommend this book.

I wanted to read two books and had the time to but after I got started on the second book in March I lost interest in that one temporarily and picked up a third book to read.  Then this month I took a different book to see our eldest son so now have three books started but not finished yet for April. lol
I forsee lots of reading this month.  ;-)


*  Purge Coupon Inserts  DONE   

 I went through my inserts and pulled ones that were 1 to 4 months old and had mostly expired Qs in them.

I clipped any non-expired Qs but only if they were for items I might use before their time was up.

And I tossed what was left.

On the last day of the month I also make a habit of purging the coupon envelope that I take to the stores when I go grocery shopping so that got gone through on the 31st.

I try to purge the inserts every third month or the things just pile up badly.
It's a good habit to get into, to purge the old paper on a regular basis.

*  Sell Stuff  DONE  I sold 2 items on eBay in March....it wasn't much, but I'll take it!  I need to get things going on the local F/B sale site now that the weather is better.  I have shampoo and diapers to get sold. 8-)

*  Relist House in LA  DONE  The house went back on the market in early March.

*  Sell House in LA  IN PROGRESS  If everything goes as it should we will no longer own this house before April is done. 8-)))))

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE  Marie won the box and I am sure the chocolate is all gone by now. lolz

*  Redo Passwords Book  IN PROGRESS  I did start on this but didn't get too far into the process.  It's just a tedious chore but long overdue.  Cross my fingers I get it completed in April!

*  Do Taxes  DONE  Actually Hubs did most of this.  He's taken over this chore since he's retired now.  He insists that we file electronically as he thinks that filing a paper return now sends up a red flag(as most people file electronically nowadays).  Not that we have anything to fear from an audit but you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb and get smacked with one if you can help it. lolz
Anyway, the taxes are done, filed and we've received a refund from the Feds.  Had to pay local taxes and state taxes in PA AND LA plus the cost of the software and filing fees(UGH)but even after these costs we came out ahead for 2017 $5K and change.  I was shocked it was so much but I'll take it. lolz 

*  Plan possible 2018 Travel  IN PROGRESS  Well we went into 2018 wanting to do a couple of trips(big ones)but they involved other people's plans/lives and things haven't worked out to allow us all to travel/see each other at this point.  So we are making alternative plans.  I have been in a funk this Winter and not much wanting to go anywhere far away.  We are working on a trip to the Canadian Maritimes(already been to New Brunswick)but I am still not "feeling it" as they say.  We'll see what we figure out.......

*  Work on 2018 Goals  IN PROGRESS  You would think that by now(a quarter of the way through 2018)we'd have our goals set for the year.
Ummm, no. ;-)
It's still a work in progress.  We've got lots of balls in the air around here.  Selling that LA house, College Boy graduating next month and what is plans are, Daughter still here for another year, where to live in retirement, etc.  We are still at a crossroads of sorts and still figuring stuff out.  Maybe I'll sit down with Hubs this week and narrow down some "life stuff" so I can make some plans or nix other plans.

That's about it for March so let's put that month in the books and forge ahead into April and all the possibilities in store.

What things did you get to in March that were on your To-Do List?

Sluggy

March To-Do List....Update

So how did I do with my March To-Do List?


MARCH

*  Pick up CB from School  DONE
Duly picked up and fed for a week while on Spring Break.

*  Take CB back to School  DONE
Hubs actually took him back.  My contribution was baking CB cookies to take back with him so he doesn't starve between end of break and the end of the semester.

*  Pay Bills  DONE
I done paid them all.  Go. Me.

*  Bike 65 Miles  FAIL

As you can see I only got in 46.18 miles.  I was falling off the mark mid month but still progressing and then I got a stomach flu.  8-(  No more bike at that point......

*  Paint 2 Items  FAIL
Nope.  Didn't do it.  But I did get my paints out.  Baby steps here people, baby steps.....

*  Sew and Complete 1 Item  IN PROGRESS
I decided to make canvas grocery bags.  I have a few rolls of canvas fabric and webbing/strapping I bought on eBay about 10 years ago.  I have cut out 2 bags so far.  I'll cut all of them out before production sewing them all at the same time.  I may not finish this project before the month is out however.

*  Mail CB's Taxes  DONE
CB came home, signed the forms and off they went to the IRS and State Revenue Departments.  He has already gotten his refund as well.
Boy, my kids never appreciate me until they leave home and have to do this shit on their own! lolz

*  Finish Book DONE
Was I ever glad to finish that one....what a snoozefest! lol

*  Nag Hubs about doing Local Taxes  DONE
He was duly nagged and last weekend he got around to doing them. ugh.

*  Buy Stuff for new Bathroom  DONE
We hit Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!) a couple of weeks ago and picked up a new bath rug and a wastebasket that is smaller and fits in the space we have for one in the room now and spent about $12 total on those 2 things.
We also hit K-Mart the week before Ollie's and I got 2 nice white hand towels and a toothbrush holder for FREE, using my Shop Your Way Points.
Nice. 8-)

*  Seal Grout in new Bathroom  FAIL  
Despite my nagging efforts this didn't get done but will happen this coming weekend if I have to get down on the floor myself and do it.

*  Get Construction Binder from Tony  DONE
Finally had the post construction inspection and product/job binder is now in the house.
rah.

*  Plan trip to LA  IN PROGRESS
I've got the route there figured out and hotels booked for the "going" and the stay in LA.  Just have to figure out what route to take home, what to see, and where to sleep.  I hope to get this finished by next week.

Now it's time to work on my April To-Do List.

How did y'all do getting stuff on your list in March knocked off?

Sluggy