Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Monthly Goals: March 2016

I wanted to post this up yesterday, but wanted to wait as it kind of ties into my post for Thrifty Thursday.  No really!  It does!

My one big goal this month was going to be paying off the first portion of my husband's dental bill completely before we ended up with huge amounts of interest coming due.  Through a wonderful Godsend we came into a check for 1/2 the amount we owed so we were able to pay off that amount early and still have a bit of extra money in the bank (I was holding onto the tax return till the last possible moment just to keep any interest we could make off of it happen).  So, luckily that goal is already met before the month officially even started.  So, yay!

We still have other goals to meet financially in the coming weeks and months, though, so keeping every penny we can is super important.  Although it is nice having some money in the bank, even a little bit, as it is allowing me to breathe again.  Always a nice feeling :).

The goals for this month are primarily going to be centered around cleaning and sewing as I've got a lot I want to accomplish that has kept getting put onto the back burner when it comes to sewing.

And I added a new project to my list.
I found this at the thrift store yesterday.  All bunched up with ribbon tied around it it just said, "6.00 as is".  I tried to pry up as much of the quilt as I could to see what was up with it that the words "as is" would come into play and I saw where a few seams had gone on the quilt top.  I kept running into more as I looked, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.  The quilt was old...not antique I don't think, but I could see that there was some age on it from the now off white backing that years had added to the fabric.  I also fell in love with the fabric colors and patterns on what I could see on the quilt.  There was hand quilting here and there where  repairs had been made to the quilt, but it did look like originally it had been machine stitched.

I went back and forth about it, but finally decided I wanted to buy the quilt.  I kept going back to the little crib quilt I'd bought and ended up turning into a pillow sham and things for my daughter.  This quilt had been made with love for someone and it had been held onto for quite a while to the point the fabric was faded in places and repaired, so the quilt had meant something to someone.  And I fell in love with an untold story of what the quilt had been through.

I brought the quilt home and immediately unwrapped it to not only assess the damage but also to fully LOOK at it.  The broken seams....well there are a lot of them.  The fabric is faded, but still solid, no holes developing or anything that I could find.  And the pattern was lovely.

See, I finally decided something standing there contemplating buying the quilt.  I am not a quilter.  I do not have the patience to cut out hundreds of little diamonds and things to make beautiful designs in fabric.  My patience doesn't run in that vein.  But, after the last year I have come to the conclusion that I AM a mender.  I may not be able to make a quilt that would look that pretty, but I can fix it.  I can mend this quilt and make it shine again.  I have the skills.  I can rebuild it.  Make it stronger.  Faster.

Wait *shakes head*...where was I?  Ahem.

I'm hoping to start hand sewing the quilt in the evenings, maybe add in some embroidery to add my own stamp to the quilt and things as I work on it.  I am really looking forward to it :).

Anyway, onto the other goals for this month!

Sewing Goals:
  • Make new bag holder or repair old one (which I'm thinking I might be able to repair it with a little elastic and a few small patches).
  • Work on quilt
  • Work on mending
  • Embroider napkins to go with Spring Themed tablecloth
  • Sew dress
  • Sew robe 
  • Make pillow shams for couch downstairs.  Try to figure out a way to slipcover cushions and repair corners of couch itself.
  • Repair husband's recliner 

Cleaning Goals:
  • Wash walls.
  • Wash kitchen cabinets, including tops.
  • Clean objects on top of kitchen cabinets (I don't have a proper hood in my kitchen, so grease starts to settle on things and needs to be cleaned up)
  • Dust house.
  • Wax furniture.
  • Polish silver (one of my least favorite tasks, but it needs to be done)
  • Shampoo carpets
  • Clean outside of downstairs windows and windows on front door
  • Weed through children's clothes and donate what isn't being used or doesn't fit (both kids are growing again)
  • Clean Washing Machine
  • Clean dishwasher
  • Clean coils on standing freezer
  • Clean out furnace room and transfer things to storage as needed

General Goals:
  • Fix vase (I'll get into that one more later.  It's a pretty funny story actually)
  • Fix frog chef magnet (my first anniversary gift from my husband.  I love the magnet but the darn thing LOVES to fall off the fridge, so it's back to super glue to repair it once again)
  • Repair daughter's various toys that need super glue (note to self:  Buy more super glue)
  • Cover new "incoming mail" holder

Financial Goals:
  • Get husband's licensing renewed and get continuing education credits done (this has to be done by the end of the month and is spendy)
  • Save money to go toward car insurance due in the next couple of months.
And there you are folks.  My goals for this month.  It's going to be busy!

14 comments:

  1. I am so happy that you were blessed with unexpected money! That is wonderful news!

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  2. That quilt is lovely. It is great that you can fix it. I'm also glad you got that extra check. Extra money can only be good:)

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  3. Congratulations on the unexpected check--and the accompanying reduction in stress . . . a bit of breathing room is always good �� !

    That quilt is lovely! It was clearly calling to you in the thrift store, lol. With some work on your part--especially adding your beautiful embroidery--I'm sure you'll make it even better than it was to begin with. I hear you on the quilting (I come from a long line of quilters, have been sewing various things for over 50 years (and I'm not 60 yet, lol), and do custom sewing for $$--yet I seem to lack that burning desire to quilt. I've "thought about it" for probably 45 + of those years, but haven't got around to it yet ��). Being a mender is a good thing, on many levels.

    Sounds like you've got a busy month ahead!

    Sharon

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    1. *Laugh* yet another thing we have in common. I come from farming stock/country on my mom's side. My mom used to make money on her embroidery...starting at seven. My grandmother used to commission out her work she was so good at it. Then there was her leather working (also works of art) and her quilt tops (ditto). Funny part is that the one part of quilting my mom always outsourced was the actual quilting part because she didn't like it, so we outsourced that to other family when she'd make a quilt.

      She's a super domestic when it comes to doing things. I wear one of her Fisherman knit sweaters around an inevitably I get at least one business owner begging me to get my mom to sell them inventory to sell. Alas, my knitting skills will never be as good as hers, I doubt, and I don't know if any of my things will ever be good enough to sell, but I enjoy myself which, I think, is as just as important :).

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  4. So happy to hear that a bit of extra cash has found it's way to your bank account. I'm sure you have lots of things you can use it for! A head start for some of those other looming bills, I'm sure. Glad to hear that it has brought down the stress level a bit as well.

    The quilt is just beautiful! Great choice in buying it. I was wondering if you could work on the mending when you take your son to therapy? It would be a perfect project for that if you don't think it is too big and awkward to transport. I'm looking forward to you sharing all those sewing projects when you get them done!

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    1. Right now his speech therapist does home visits and I am on stand by the entire time to help with feeding therapy or I am the "reward giver" by passing out Starbursts for a job well done. So, I don't get anything done during therapy time.

      OT right now is every two weeks due to scheduling until the end of school, when hopefully we can get it up to be a bit more intensive. I do take embroidery to that sometimes, but it's a pretty small waiting room.

      No big deal, though, I can definitely do the quilt here (preferably when the kids are at school ;).

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  5. Beautiful quilt. The Frugal Girl had a post this week about how mending is often the biggest bang for your buck (for your time) in the sewing world, and her logic makes sense. As you pointed out, with just a bit of mending you'll have a beautiful quilt (compared to cutting out hundreds of squares to get a beautiful quilt).

    Would your daughter like to polish silver? Just an idea, as many kids love it. So much so, that it is often an activity available on demand for kids to do at Montessori schools around here. Something about the child being able to make something really shiny (fancy) appeals to many.

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    1. Hmmm...good idea! She does love shiny fancy things. I will definitely have to try that. Thanks!

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  6. Nice quilt, that was a lucky find.

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  7. It is so wonderful that you came into some unexpected money, I am so happy for you! It is always a blessing when we are blessed with the unexpected good grace of God :)

    I love the quilt that you found. I absolutely love, love, love quilts. My dream one day is to own an Amish made quilt but they are so out of my price range that I seriously doubt I'll ever own one. I live in a small farming community and we have Amish communities all around us. There is a very long waiting list for the quilts, years to be exact. Not to mention they sell for the hundreds and some of them sell into the thousands of dollars....but they sure are beautiful.

    My goals for this week are to clean my kitchen cabinets, start going through tons of stuff for a big yard sale my sister and I are having in April. My hubby and I will be married for 20 years in September so I have a ton of stuff to go through lol. I need to go online and price carpet shampoo machines as mine bit the dust a month ago. We have a very old little white shih-Tzu dog that we rescued a long time ago. His arthritis hasn't allowed him to do most of the things he used to. He sleeps in bed with us every night and when it's really cold outside he just cannot go potty outside because it hurts him. He has started to go potty on our bedroom floor. I have been scrubbing our carpet by hand and started laying those puppy pads on the carpet for him. He has been our companion, our best friend, guardian of our family and protector of our children when they were little. Carson has been faithful and he has been true. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that his golden years are as comfortable as possible for him. He has been a member of our family for 13 years now, he has given lots of love and laughter to our family over the years......carpet is replaceable, this little white ball of fluffy lovins is not replaceable. The poor little guy would hang his little head down after peeing on the carpet because this is something that he would never do before he got old. I would pet the top of his head and tell him it was okay, that I understood (hey, he's a cherished family member lol!). Since I have been putting the puppy pads on the floor he has been going on those and wags his little tail now. I have scrubbed the carpet constantly but it doesn't go without saying that it is now stained. So once my sweet boy crosses over the rainbow bridge, I will replace the carpet. Until that day happens (our hearts will be truly broken when this happens), we will see that he lives the rest of his days out like a king. Okay, I'm done talking about my dog now lol! I also need to start planning my garden. Those are my goals for this week.

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    1. I totally understand. We have a 13 year old cat that is getting too old to get up on things by jumping because of her arthritis, so I make sure to put objects out so she can jump from one to the other carefully to get up on our bed at night (she loves sleeping by my husband as she's always been his cat whether he likes it or not *laugh*). Our cat box is in our laundry room on a tile floor, and so far she's making it okay, but I keep waiting for the day that stepping into that cat box might be a bit much for her on some days. Such is the burden of old age.

      I have a Bissel carpet shampooer and it has worked to remove a potty training 7 year old's accidents from our carpets, so you might want to try that brand (I'm not associated with them or anything, I just like the shampooer *laugh*). I do not recommend their upholstery attachment, however, as that thing pretty much broke on me at day one. I was not impressed. But, the carpet cleaner (big part) is solid and has served me well over the past four years.

      Resolve products are great for removing things from carpet too, in my experience, although they sure do leave heavy fragrance behind.

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    2. Lisa,
      I think they make cosequin for doggies also
      Blessings
      Patt

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  8. Hi Erika,
    Lovely quilt :) great find. I am with you I just do not want to sew lots and lots of of pieces together. I like the idea of repairing the already
    made one. I am happy you got a miracle check. When we had older kitties
    the vet told us about Cosequin for cats. They have it on amazon and chewy
    I would only order from sites you know are not selling a fake. First we bought it at the vet and then found it on amazon. I am familiar with the one with the orange cat. Anyway we gave it to our 15 year old cat and after a few weeks he could jump up on the couch and we bought stairs for the bed you are smart to just stack things for your kitty.
    Have a blessed week
    Patti

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    1. Huh. Thank you. I'd never heard of Cosequin before. I'll check into it as if it'll help her get around better it'll definitely be worth the money!

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