Look What I Got!!

Remember this beat-up, 10 year old, used-when-I got-it laundry basket? It has been replaced! Last Friday I was in Wal-Mart and they had a prominent display of these just calling my name! At $5 each, I bought two to replace the two ancient, cracked yellow ones that pinched me every time I carried a load of laundry in them.

Simple things really do make me happy!

January Progress

It's hard to believe the month is more than half gone! While I have not accomplished a whole lot, I have made some progress.
We've had some very unusual weather this month: days in the 60's, thunderstorms, ice, and just about an inch of snow. I took advantage of the warmer days to work in the garage. I have a long, long way to go, but I have spent several hours sorting through things and properly packing away Christmas ribbons, wrapping paper, etc. A bag was filled for Goodwill and several for the trash. I also took a walk on each of the warmer days, not a long one but 15-20 minutes each, a start.
On Friday the 6th my grandson spent the night. It was wonderful having him here! The boys get along so well. Lots of Nerf basketball and Nerf guns, movies and popcorn. Nerf bullets were everywhere, like this one on up high on the ledge between the kitchen and living room.

 The next night was my granddaughter's turn to stay with Grandma. She brought along her American Girl dolls, too. We did lots of crafts: posters, greeting card and more!

Jonathan worked on his own poster while Eva created hers. She also wanted to cook, so Sunday we made Rice Krispie treats, one of her favorites, and banana bread. She took home the fruits of her labor to share with her family.

It is wonderful to have them so close! We have been treated to lunch out with the four of them, and they have all spent several hours visiting since their return to the area.
I have kept track of every penny I have spent this month (ouch!). Doing this will help me to identify where I can make cuts and to see where the dollars are going. I've made some phone calls to compare rates on insurance costs, etc.
I have removed everything from the pantry to clean and organize it. I'd like to get a few thing to organize it a little better as I figure out what would work in there. I wish it had wood shelving instead of wire, but I'll work with what I have. Any ideas?

We spent last week-end in Lexington visiting my sister, a nice little break! I am working on eBay and Jonathan continues with basketball, karate and school, which keeps both of us busy!
Overall, I am pleased with the progress made in the past two weeks. I plan to continue with my small steps!

2012: Starting Small

We are already six days into January, and I am still contemplating what I hope to accomplish this year. I am trying to be realistic and not just list a bunch of things I'd like to happen. When I do that, they usually don't.

This year, I am starting small. I am going to try to make a few positive changes and take a look at where I am every month or so. We'll see if that works better for me!

Like most everyone, I would like to see some improvement in my finances. If I am honest with myself, I think I sometimes use my situation as an excuse: I'm old, with an active 5 year old, he takes all of my energy. I don't have a partner who helps by bringing home a paycheck, working overtime, or getting a raise. I have to pay someone to do the things I can't do. I can't use these excuses anymore. Even though all of that is true, I have to work with what I have in my unique situation. I can't eat out because I am too tired to cook. My income doesn't increase while prices continue to do so, so I have to get creative with cutting costs and making a few extra dollars. While most home maintenance and repairs I will have to pay someone to do, I can do some things, such as paint, etc.

I use the same "tired" excuse when it comes to my health. I do have some legitimate problems (knees, etc), however, my inactivity doesn't help matters. My eating habits are terrible.

I am messy and disorganized. That is a trait I just have and need to work on.

So, I am starting small.  Financially, I am writing down every penny I spend, so I can see where the money goes. I am going to try to be more aware of getting things to consignment stores early in the season. I have found a consignment store for women's clothing and will take a few things of mine as I can. I am going to watch the grocery budget carefully, use coupons and start a price book. When it gets yard sale season, I want to have a few more carefully planned sales. While I don't spend very much money on myself, I do tend to overspend on Jonathan, so I need to be aware of the difference between needs and wants. I am referring here to what I want for him (clothing, etc.) and not the type of things kids are always asking for.

From a health standpoint, it goes without saying that I need to lose some excess pounds, but that is not my immediate focus. I need to begin by incorporating more fruits, vegetables and water into my diet. I need to reduce the amount of diet soda I drink and cut back on the sweets. I need to get moving. I can't afford a gym membership (and honestly, probably wouldn't go if I had one), so I want to walk more. I did take a walk yesterday. My feet and knees were hurting when I got home, but hopefully that will improve as I do more walking.

I could spend all year organizing my house! eBay is a messy business, you have to put that stuff somewhere! I have a tendency to leave things lying around and not put them back where they belong. I want to work on that, and I want to work on purging my home of excess, things we no longer need and things that are no longer a part of my current lifestyle. I don't need to hold on to a lot of things from my "former life".

This is just a beginning of changes I need to make, and it seems a little daunting. I am trying to not become overwhelmed and just do the best I can. Every negative habit changed will be a step forward!

March List--How Did I Do?

Not so good. Where did March go? I had high expectations for getting things done and made a list of things I hoped to accomplish. I didn't come close, but I did get some things done. Lots of rainy (and sometimes snowy!) weather prevented me from doing very much outside. Jonathan was sick for a week, and I got very little done then. The rest I just have to blame on my poor planning.

All was not lost, though. I did a little bit in the herb garden, and hired a teenage boy across the street to edge some landscaping for me. He still has to complete it (weather!).

I also had the "handyman" here for an afternoon to take care of some things on my list that I couldn't do.

Jonathan's spring wardrobe is ready. We went shoe shopping at an outlet mall about an hour away to complete what he needed for summer. Now if only it would get warm enough for him to wear it!

I did get several drawers cleaned and straightened, just not one a day! The photo at the top shows the "before" and "after" of one. It may not look alot different, but now I know what is in there. I did my entire desk/wall unit in the living room and threw away a lot of stuff!

I am slowly getting things together for a yard sale, which hopefully will be soon. It was too cold in March to have one.

Garage--nothing much done in there.

Spring cleaning--not very much.

Painting woodwork--no.

These will carry over to April and see what I can get done this month. Jonathan is on spring break next week and only goes to school two days the following week due to Easter break, so we'll see. Hopefully I can cross a few things off the list!

Spring "Honey-Do" List

A few weeks ago I was trying to change a light bulb in my pantry. This is what happened: The darn fixture came right out of the ceiling and I still couldn't remove the bulb cover! Then lightening struck twice. I was attempting to change the battery in the upstairs smoke detector and this happened:

It came right out of the ceiling! What's a girl to do? Especially a single one with no experience fixing things like this! Fortunately, I have a "handyman" I can call. He is a very nice guy whose business is doing odd jobs--or big jobs, depending on what you need. It is very difficult to find someone to do little things like this, or hanging curtain rods, or replacing leaky faucets, or fixing storm doors when your son goes running in to one and breaks the thingy at the top that keeps the door from slamming. I have had him do all of this, and more. I joke with him that I have a "honey-do" list of small but necessary repairs about two or three times a year. He will stop by and spend a few hours completing my list. After a couple of hours here yesterday, I now have:

A new pantry light

And two new smoke detectors, upstairs and downstairs.

He also readied Jonathan's bike for spring, adjusting the seat and training wheels and inflating the tires after it sat in the garage all winter.

He works for a very reasonable wage, charging $50.00 for an afternoon's work. He calls his business Ken's Handy Ministry and says he started it primarily because so many older folks needed little things done and could find no one to do them. I am very grateful I found him. It helps me to maintain my home by doing small repairs before they become major issues, at a price I can afford.

Adios, February!!

I always love the first day of March. To me, it signals the end of winter, even though I have seen some really big snowfalls in March. However, if it is March you know they can't last too long.

I am not big on New Years resolutions, but I make some March-olutions! Time to get out and walk, do some spring cleaning and some yard work.

Seriously, I have a lot I need to accomplish this month. I am planning to work on a list tonight and try to make things manageable. I want to get things better organized around here, so I hope to do at least one drawer or cabinet each day. Things need to be readied for the season's first yard sale. The garage is a mess from the winter and because I tend to stuff things in there when I don't know what else to do with them, especially since I don't have a basement and storage is at a premium. The yard is a mess from winter, also, and I need to get it ready to plant flowers and hopefully a tomato plant or two. Add to that some special spring projects (painting the storage building, painting woodwork). March, and April, need to be productive months.

My problem (one of them, anyway!) is that I am not known for my time management skills. I waste too much time deciding what to do, instead of just doing it!

Here is what I hope to accomplish in March:

• Paint the woodwork in my bathroom


• Start cleaning the garage


• Organize at least one drawer/cabinet per day


• Get Jonathan's spring/summer wardrobe in order


• Do some yard/flower bed work


• If weather permits, have a yard sale. If not, have things ready to have one on the first nice Saturday


• Do general spring cleaning

I'll have to let you know on April 1st how I did. Maybe telling you guys what needs to be done will hold me accountable!