To-Do List......the February & March Updates

FEBRUARY

* Pay Bills   PASS

* Read 1 Book  PASS

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

"Rivals Unto Death: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr" by Rick Beyer

Not a big book but interesting about the love/hate relationship between Hamilton and Burr.  Sometimes they were friends and allies and at other times they were on opposite sides of an issue or down right enemies.  The term "frenemies" may have originated with these two.  If you didn't read the Ron Chernow book or you want more on this part of history then pick this one up.

* Organize Pantry  FAIL  Just didn't get to it.

* Hold Giveaway  PASS

* Mail Giveaway  PASS  It was mailed and received though I hear the chocolate didn't last long. lolz

* Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  PASS  

The stack of old expired stuff that got pitched.  Go me.

* Finish Editing Old Photos  FAIL  Didn't get to it all but I did a bit.

* Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Nope.

* Work on Genealogy  PASS  I was on fire in February with genealogy research!

* Re-Organize Toiletries Stockpile  PASS  The guest room/toiletries room got done.  I don't think I took a photo though(can't seem to find one anyway).  But with all the freebies I've got at R-A since then it's a big old mess again. sigh.

* Fill 6 more Giveaway Boxes  PASS  I didn't take a photo evidently but trust me, they are sitting stacked up on the floor of the dining room(well 4 of them that are left are).

* Roll/Spend ECBs  PASS  Yep, did that.

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  PASS  Yep, did that too.

* Clean my Desk  HALF and HALF  Cleaning my desk is an ongoing chore/project.  As soon as I pitch stuff and/or organize things it just accumulates more stuff.  I'll either keep this on EVERY To-Do list or just drop it altogether because we all know it's something that needs doing every danged month! ;-)

* Stay Warm  PASS  Yep, I managed to drop the heat a couple of degrees and donned a sweater or hoodie to keep warm without letting the electric bill get outta control!

* Eat down the Freezer/Pantry  PASS  We got down a level or two on the archaeology dig I call a freezer.  Of course, with new deals I managed to add back a new layer. lol

MARCH

* Pay Bills  PASS  Always at the top of the financial things to complete each month.

* Read 2 Books  HALF and HALF

Well I only read one book, not two.

"Hottest Heads of State Volume One: The American Presidents" by J.D. and Kate Robson

I totally misconstrued the title of this book when I bought it at Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!).  I thougnt "hot" meant foul tempered, mean, rotten, etc. not "hot" as is handsome, a dreamboat or desirable as a mate.  lolz  My bad.

But still, it was a light, fun read full of sarcasm, which I like.  And I still learned a couple of quirky things from it.  It was fun and funny and a change of pace for me and parts of it did make me LOL.

* Have Financial Meeting  PASS  Hubs and I had two meetings in February.  The immediate issue was about taking a 401K withdrawal to cover some irregular bills like the taxes, etc.  That was the easy part.

Then we talked about what made sense for us in terms of starting to take Social Security.  Now since I'll be claiming on Hubs since mine would be much lower than half of his we need to figure when he should claim since I can't claim until he his.  If he waits until full SS at 66 years and 10 months that pushes my claiming back until I am 66 and 1 month.  We did some calculating and with all our savings(401K/non 401K)and our annuity we actually will be more than fine if he claims later this year(and then I can claim too).  Still stewing some stuff over but right now that's the plan.

* Organize Pantry  PASS  Yep, I finally got to straightening the pantry out.  Now I just have to straighten out the stockpile in the garage....again.

* Hold Giveaway  PASS

* Mail Giveaway  PASS

It got mailed out quickly and received in a timely manner and was much appreciated by the recipient.

* Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  PASS  No photo of this clean out but enough inserts got pitched as to fill up my small wastebasket. 

* Finish Editing Old Photos  HALF and HALF  I did edit a few photos on the computer but I worked more on scanning old family photos from my mom's scrapbooks to digitize them.  Here's an example.....

This is my maternal Great Great Grandfather(my mother's paternal Grandfather), Robert William Harper taken in 1950.  Born in 1881, Robert had a hard childhood with both of his parents dying before he turned 15.  He outlived his wife, 7 sisters and a daughter as well.  He was 69 in this photo and had written on the back "Looking good for 69.".  He died before I turned 2 so I have no memories of him.  I'll have to ask my brother who is 6 years old then me what he remembers the next time I see him.

* Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Nope.

* Work on Genealogy  PASS  See the item above on photos. lolz

* Roll/Spend/ECBs  PASS  I managed to extricate myself from the CVS merry-go-round in March.  No more ECBs to roll and I don't plan on going back(at least until Black Friday if their deals tempt me enough). ;-)

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  PASS  Yep!

*Clean my Desk  PASS  I did clean it good in March.

* Eat down the Freezer Pantry  PASS  We had a low spend month again in March and managed to eat from the freezer/stockpile a good bit instead of bringing more into the house(besides Ibotta deals).  Go us!

So now I am caught up at least for a few days until April ends. lololz

Sluggy

2020 To-Do Lists.........January Edition

Here's how the January To-Do List turned out...........


JANUARY

* Pay Bills  DONE  It's always done early or on time each month..

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

"Tethered Citizens:Time to Repeal the Welfare State"
by Sheldon Richman

I am going to use an excerpt from an Amazon buyer's review here as it sums up my feelings so well about this book.
By A. Locke.....
"'Tethered Citizens' is truly an eye-opener.  Sheldon Richman illustrates persuasively and with much historical evidence why our welfare system fails and why it will always fail.  He shows that in fact our welfare system, which many believe helps the poor and uneducated, in fact tethers and enslaves them to the state.  He proves convincingly that welfarism does not work no matter where it has been implemented and in what fashion.  He also shows how the idea and methods used to implement welfare are inherently wrong and inhumane.
I especially enjoyed Mr. Richman's detailed historical examples which help to brilliantly illustrate and prove the point he is making.  Not only does it show the blunder that is the welfare state, it also proves that it is a blunder created not by one of the two major parties, but equally by both......"

I was given a stack of this book by one of the Porcfest speakers, Jacob Hornberger, when I attended his lecture last June, with an eye to distribute it among my readers who wished to read it.
If anyone would like a free copy of this book, email me.  I'll send them via media mail until I run out.  Just pass it along after you read it if you want or keep your copy.

And this one...........

"The White Princess" by Philippa Gregory

At Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor(later King Henry VII of England)defeats King Richard III of England. One is affiliated with the House of Lancaster, one is of the Houses of York and these and additional cousins have been battling over the crown of England, also known as the War of the Roses(Lancastrian sides' emblem was a red rose, Yorkist sides' emblem was a white rose-thus the name given to their ongoing struggle over who ruled England in that time).

In order to unite the country Henry Tudor must take as his bride Elizabeth of York, reported to have been Richard III's lover before his death in battle, and the oldest sister of the 2 Princes(Edward and Richard)who were locked up and purported to have been murdered by Richard III.
But even after wedding Elizabeth of the enemy's camp, Henry VII can't unite England, due to the unknown nature of whether the 2 princes are dead or merely in hiding.  The House of York supporters plot to put a York on the throne and it drives everything Henry VII does as king. (Spoiler Alert-Henry VII was NOT a popular king. lol)
Elizabeth is torn between her familial ties(she was also the daughter of King Edward IV-my 1st cousin, 18 x removed)and her new role as a Tudor Queen and her children, including the future King of England.

I enjoy reading these English historical fiction books by Philippa Gregory and this one didn't disappoint either.  After all, the subject of this one, the White Princess aka Elizabeth of York is my 2nd cousin, 17 x removed.  Her husband, Henry VII is also my 3rd cousin, 17 x removed.
They were the parents on good ol' Henry VIII whom everyone is familiar with(as well as his 6 wives). 8-)))
These Gregory books are an easy and enjoyable way to expand your historical knowledge of the ruling class of distant English history.  They are part history and part filling in all the details of all those interpersonal relationships/emotions that are lost to history but are plausible, the fiction part.

*  Hold Giveaways  DONE

2 Giveaways were held.

* Mail Giveaways  DONE
Both were mailed, one on Friday and the other on Saturday.  Still waiting to hear from Wendy if she got her box a ok.

*  Go to Louisiana  DONE
We drove to LA for the wedding.  Between the cost of flying and getting to the airport and driving and those costs it was a lot cheaper to drive there.

*  Wedding  DONE

It was a lovely evening and my daughter glowed.  More on the wedding and our trip another time.

*  Come back from Louisiana  DONE
We had some fun both on the way to and on the way home but of course there was a clusterfu**k on the last leg of the journey since of course this is how my life goes. lolz  More on that later too.

*  Put Christmas Away  DONE
It took about a week to get it all put away once we got home so mid January before this got accomplished.  But then again, we were in no hurry.

*  Declutter Linen Closet  DONE
With Hubs and Ex-CB shoving stuff in there all willy-nilly the linen closet had become unmanageable.  So I tackled that mess.
Before......

After.....

It's more organized now, stuff taken out and other stuff put in and more stuff moved around to make better sense.

*  Declutter Pantry  FAIL
I didn't get around to this item so it goes on February's To-Do List.

*  Clean House  PASS  
While I didn't get a deep clean accomplished between  putting Xmas boxes away, cleaning the living areas and a bit of garage reorganizing most of the house saw a good deal of cleaning.

*  Prefill Giveaway Boxes  DONE
I couldn't finish cleaning the living and dining rooms until I finished this item since filling them meant spreading toiletries and candy all over two rooms. lolz

But it's done now and I have 7 giveaway boxes ready to deploy when needed.
Added bonus(ie-cleaning....all the giveaway items left after filling these 7 boxes fit into 4 Rubbermaid tubs and are neatly stacked away.

*  Clean my Desk Area  FAIL
Again, parts got straightened up but it's still a mess.  I may need a better system and just less stuff kept there.
And I didn't take a picture of this mess. lolz

*  Celebrate my Birthday YAY!  DONE

It was a nice low key celebration....a cake, a steak dinner out and a matinee discount movie.  That was plenty for me though. 8-)

*  Have Dixie Fixed  FAIL
Well this didn't get accomplished due to not being able to book an appointment with the vet until February.  It's scheduled and getting done in February though.

*  Have a Financial Meeting  DONE
We got the meeting about our finances finally done right before the month ended.  With so much going on in January I didn't get the 2019 calculations finished until mid to late month, then we both needed time to sit down separately once I had all the numbers written out to ponder areas we needed to take action in.
But it's done and at any time in 2020, if we feel the need to reevaluate and change course that will happen too.

*  Plan Goals for 2020  IN PROGRESS
I am still working on what Big Goals need accomplishing in 2020.  Mostly these would be home repairs/improvements to get the house ready for market, any big trips/vacations, and some projects I need to progress on....more of those later in another post.

So it was a pretty good month with many things accomplished.
Three fails but one is not my fault. lolz

Onward and upward to February!  I still have some items to add to my To-Do List for this month.

Do you keep a To-Do List?
How did you do knocking items off your list in January?

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

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

Goings On Around Chez Sluggy Lately

Oh, where to start.

My drug regime shake up has had some positive results on me.....well, after my angioedema/hives episode happened.
First off I had ENERGY last week!  That's something I've had none of most of this year.
I am actually getting things accomplished that I've wanted to do for months.
Go me.

Last week I........
* Cleaned out my painting supplies(plus washed the tubs I keep these in).
* Cleaned out the pantry
* Cleaned out the cabinet to the left of the stove
* Did some reorganizing in the garage/stockpile
* Cleaned the bookcase next to my desk
* Got together a Food Bank Donation
* Got a Salvation Army Donation ready to go
* Went through some files and purged a bunch of paper
* Cleaned and vacuumed my car(This is something I NEVER do!)

All this was in addition to my usual routine of cooking/laundry/shopping/blogging/etc.

And all this moving around has had me losing weight too, 8 lbs. so far.  I suspect one of the meds I was on that I am now off of was hindering me dropping weight.  Has to be a combo on exercise and off the drug as my food type/intake has not changed at all.

And then Daughter got sick and shared her grunge with me.
Ugh.
This week has been spent in a brain fog and 1 activity.....just trying to be able to breath out of my nose. ;-)
I suspect if this thing doesn't loosen it's grasp on me by Monday I'll be sitting in the Urgent Care early next week.

Another thing I got done last week was to prepare a whole slew of Giveaway boxes......

The open box is for December's Giveaway and the stack contains goodies for 6 Giveaways for 2017.
As long as the blogging ad revenue continues to come in(in drips and drabs)and I can cover the postage to mail these boxes with that tiny income stream(and I get stuff for Free to use as prizes)the Giveaways will continue!
Rah.

So barring catastrophes I am well ahead of the game for at least half of next year on this score.
I just need to figure out where to store these boxes in the house until needed. First world blogger problems, eh? lolz

Putting these boxes together came out of cleaning the dining room.  I had a large box of toiletries in there that needed to be moved out before Thanksgiving as we'll need that room then.  This box was overflow from the toiletries stash in tubs up in Hub's man cave room.  So instead of shoving them goodness knows where in the house and then trying to dig it all out to make up prize boxes for Giveaways I just "got 'er done" now and that potential job is off my plate.  I can just photograph the contents and write up each Giveaway post as needed next year.  I think I have room under the daybed that the dog spends her days napping on in the living room to tuck these away until needed.  This hiding place will be easy to access too.

Here is the Food Bank donation I gathered so far......

Assorted foodstuffs and 10 bottles of shampoo

I'll probably add to the food component before I take this all in next week, as I will be reorganizing the stockpile in the garage some more and will most probably find more "goodies".

And speaking of the garage, next week once I am feeling like myself again I need to concentrate on going through stuff in the garage to donate to charity.  Between the stockpile, Daughter and BF's stuff and all my old eBay selling days stuff out there it's just too, too much in there and I am ready to let go of more crap!

I want to do at least another 4 Salvation Army donations before the end of the year(not counting the one ready to go this weekend).  I've still got lots of new/unused toys and gift wear and this is the time of year that sort of stuff is highly sought after for gifting in the charity stores.
I'd rather donate and take the tax write-off(if we hit the threshold this year-last year we didn't)than spend lots of time and energy on eBay attempting to sell it.
There are a few items if I get the "umph" that I will try to sell....mostly items I know I can get a good price for(to make the hassle worthwhile).

Ok, I am off to breath and maybe get some more cleaning/organizing done today.
Oh, and a trip to Rite-Aid too if I can sustain some energy long enough to do that. 8-)))

What are y'all up to today?

Sluggy

March Goals Results

* Start Crochet Project
DONE!
Just barely though.
I did the first row, aka the chain.  Here it is.....lolz

* Get College Boy/Return College Boy
DONE!
I didn't actually have to return him as Hubs did that part of it.

* Clean House
FAIL
We did a little cleaning before company came for Easter(cobwebs, floors downstairs)but the house still needs some deep Spring cleaning.
Have I mentioned lately how much I despite cleaning??

* Use Exercise Bike 25 Days
DONE!
I have turned using the exercise bike into a habit at this point.  There were a few days earlier in the month where I didn't get on it.  I started slow, trying to do half a mile was a struggle!  I am an old woman who is out of shape after all.  Now I am up to having biked 22 miles for March and am up to almost 1.5 miles per day by the end of the month.

* Use Hand Weights 12 days
FAIL
While I have made the bike riding a habit I only did the hand weight exercises 3 or 4 times(see?  I didn't even keep track.)
I need to put more of an effort into getting this one done every other day.

* Pay the Bills 
DONE!
Everything was paid either on time or early and in full.

* Go the Dentist
DONE!
Had a cleaning and 2 fillings done and the bill just arrived so that will be paid this week.  I am good for another 6 months on this chore.

* Have eye surgery consult
DONE!
What a long drawn out day.  But it's over, now we just have the actual cataract surgery to go at the end of April.  I'd love to get this done sooner however.

* Make vacation plans
IN PROGRESS
We have the stay in LA booked we just have to plan the route both there and home.  We may take a bit more time getting there and stopping along the way to do things(still to be determined).
Anybody out there located between PA and LA want to get together for a meal or something mid to late May?  Email me.

The APRIL To-Do List is now posted on the blog.

How did you do on your March goals?

Sluggy


 

What's Happening at Chez Sluggy This Week

I've got lots to do here at Chez Sluggy this week.  Some run of the mill stuff and some projects comprise what I need to get done.


This Week's To-Do List--

*  Finish cleaning #2 Son's room
*  Clean out & organize Hall Entry Closet  done
*  Clean out & organize Hall Linen Closet
*  Write 5 Letters
*  Complete car donation to ARC  done
*  Call motel to make reservations for September
*  Call Boarding Kennel for October
*  If time for it, start in on Garage Cleaning/Organizing  done
*  Finish load to Salvation Army  done
*  Finish straps on the nightgown I sewed
*  Reconsider how to proceed with the Etsy store and eBay
*  Work on a home project this weekend with Hubs(probably the Garage)


And here is what's on tap for this Week's Blogging Schedule--in no particular order

*  TWOTDT/Food post  done
*  Post about the Kitchen cleaning/organizing I did last week  done
*  1 or 2 Posts on my Road Trip in July
*  Something Genealogy? done
*  My Shopping this Week-probably a trip to Rite-Aid  done
*  Update on what I got done this Week

What do you have on your plate this week?

Sluggy
 

Well That Wasn't Fun

I sat down last night and had almost finished my last Louisiana trip post when I did something.......hit something and my text and pictures highlighted and then disappeared.
Yep, the entire post got blown away!

And then, when I tried to rewrite it all my text was highlighted in blue and I couldn't figure out how to fix that back to how it regularly is.

Sigh....sometimes I hate being a computer boob....hehehe, I said boob.....

Of course, today everything is fine in my dashboard, etc.
Go figure!
So my last trip installment will be awhile coming since I have to recreate the 90% of it that I lost to the computer gremlins.

It's a beautiful day here today, as was yesterday.
We got lots of household chores completed including some outdoor stuff.

And my Peony finally bloomed.....

The bloom on the far side opened up this morning.  The near side bloom from yesterday is already looking "ratty", isn't it?
Peonies are pretty but they don't last long.

Ok, I am off to get some things done today.
The relatives start arriving on Wednesday and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I've got to whip this house into shape and plan this party.

Have a great Sunday!

Sluggy