Monday, January 16, 2017

Monthly Goals Update and This Week's Goals

Winter is definitely here in full swing right now.  I'm not looking forward to the twenty below temps they're calling for this week (when your highs are going to be ten below you know you're in for an awesome week).  We're definitely getting some snow this winter too (as you can see on my back deck above there), so hopefully it'll warm up decently quick so the kids can enjoy some serious sledding sometime soon.  Today we're curled up under blankets, enjoying some hot cocoa and cherry pie and watching the snow fall. 

Looking at my list for last week, somehow I got like nothing accomplished on said list for the most part.  I DID get a couple of things done on it, thank goodness, but not as much as I'd hoped to get done.

I got the laundry folded, put away and most importantly CAUGHT UP!  I have been making sure, no matter how exhausted or cruddy I'm feeling to keep the laundry rolling and get it washed and put away in the same day.  Yes, I still have bedding I'm having to do, but it's slowly getting there in the caught up department as keeping on top of the clothes means I have one load of clothes per day, one load of bedding per day pretty much a given with my son and then I've been getting about two loads of bedding done on top of that, so I'm getting there.  Slowly but surely.

I didn't get my sewing done this last week just because my arms started aching worse at even the THOUGHT of it, but I did manage to get my bedroom really mucked out and looking good.  Amazing how much paper accumulates over a couple of years just from junk mail you put in a pile or papers that were important at the time, but once the year is over...not so much.  So, I got all of that weeded out and thrown away or filed into the "important to keep" category. 

Some things that weren't on my goals, but am proud that I've been keeping on top of is making sure all the dishes get done and put away and the table gets cleaned off and a new tablecloth put on everyday again (it gets hard keeping on top of my son when it comes to getting crumbs and things all over the table, so I've just found it easier to change out the tablecloth every day).  I've also been just mucking out and reorganizing the kitchen more to get it more streamlined to make my life easier (one of my goals this year...I've REALLY got to post those *laugh*).  I've also been proud to send my daughter to school with home made treats (like this week was cookie bars and rose hip fruit leather) instead of having to worry about throwing in some packaged thing that I really couldn't afford and the home made stuff probably tasted better anyway :).

And I managed to stick to my menu plan this week!  Only one day ended up getting kicked down the road because of my husband not feeling good (so we're having sloppy joes tonight instead of last night), but I feel really good about sticking to my plan instead of deviating.  The shelf I put up by the china cabinet with the materials I need from the pantry and things is working FABULOUSLY well so far, so yay for that :).

This week's goals...well there's a lot of sewing goals on here.  I want to get the towels and handkerchiefs sewn this week as we need them so I can throw out the truly "there is no saving these" thrashed ones (or, more likely with the old towels I'll be sending them out into the garage to be used as rags).

So, here are this week's goals.

Sewing Goals:
  • Continue to work on mending comforters and requilting when I have time
  • Mend daughter's teddy bear (she plucked the material in the hand and now there's a hole.  Kids.  What motivates them sometimes?)
  • Sew new towels
  • Sew handkerchiefs

General Goals:

  • Sketch out embroidery designs onto pillow cases (also links in with yearly goals...promise I'll get to posting those, probably today or tomorrow :).
  • Confirm PFD applications went through okay (already done)
  • Get menu plan ready for this week (nearly done)
  • Get massive order from Amazon put away when it gets here (they FINALLY shipped the majority of my orders that I ordered from my family for Christmas and they're supposed to be here today.  Just a LITTLE excited as things I need like paper towels are in this order!)
  • Shovel off deck (we have a foot of snow on there right now and I have to walk over it to dump the garbage.  Oh and it's snowing again today so yeah...deck is getting shoveled off pronto here).
  • Continue to work on cleaning master bedroom and getting things mucked out and better organized throughout the house.
  • Clean out car well.
  • Make appointment to get oil changed on car.
There are other things I'm hoping to get done this week, but I'm going to leave my list there to keep it realistic.

How about you?  Got anything planned this week?

15 comments:

  1. How do you make towels?? I bought lots of the like $5 ones at target to "stage" the bathrooms before we sold our old house and they have held up incredibly good!! Almost 5 years now and they still are fluffy and good shape. The old ones re being used still, but one dqy heading to the rag pile.

    I do have some goals,cleaning, finishing a scarf and more cleaning. That part is always so discouraging because I just can't keep it nice. Ever. And then like today, went to someones house for a lite, and her massive house is neat as a pin out of a magazine. And it makes me feel even worse!! I know part of its that I jusy need to get rid of stuff, but its all usedul, or will be used, I think to myself!! Just can't quite seem to get myself organized, but its not for lack of trying!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love reading your goals. This is such a good idea! Yay for the things you got accomplished last week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A FOOT OF SNOW! Wow! With the temperatures down to -20, how do you keep the house warm? How do you stay alive when you go outside? Aren't you afraid your car will breakdown when you go somewhere? How do you do it? Well, I guess the $400 electric bill explains part of it. I still cringe at that, ouch.

    My goals...well, the boys left today and I sat with my friend and cried so I guess I will think about that tomorrow.

    Jeannie
    GetMeToTheCountry.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honestly this comment made me laugh! Not in a bad way, just a "oh, someone who probably doesn't live where that much snow is a regular thing" laugh. We live in MN in we've had several highs this year that were in the below zero neighborhood and a foot of snow at once is perfectly normal for winter.

      Really, we're prepared. Roads get plowed, sanded, salted, whatever on a very regular basis (we had the ice storm yesterday and the roads were being treated *before* it hit) and were already plowed clear before we woke at 6am this morning. Down/thermal jackets, long undies, hats, mittens (not gloves), and the like are normal. And you always carry a break down kit in your car - blankets, food, pocket heaters, lights, etc. plus a shovel and cat litter (works better than salt) when you travel. Many cars have snow or studded tires and maybe carry chains. We have all forced air gas heat so our electric/gas bill isn't as high as Erika's but we still spend a lot on heat - flip side, we don't use AC as much in the summer!

      For us in the cold north it's just a normal thing. :)

      Hugs about your boys, Jeannie. The goals can wait until tomorrow.
      Lea

      Delete
    2. Thank you Lea. You are definitely ready! I did wonder about how ya'll survive the bad weather. When it snows here (southern middle Tennessee), everything stops. Only the big cities have "snow plows" which are trucks with snow plow blades bolted on the bumpers. They do salt the bridges and main roads leading to the hospitals, but forget the back roads. We all just run to Kroger to get milk, bread and eggs, then wait it out. I do like Erika's idea of hot chocolate. I think I will add that to my emergency list.
      Jeannie
      GetMeToTheCountry.blogspot.com

      Delete
    3. You're welcome, Jeannie! My parents live in TX and it's pretty much the same there so I had some idea of where your questions were coming from. My parents grew up in North Dakota so they giggle every time it snows down there and Dad usually takes a trip to the store in the middle of everything just to be ornery.

      Our snowplows tend to look like the one in this article for city streets: http://www.startribune.com/the-drive-no-wake-zones-can-appear-on-freeways-too/243265191/

      The freeway plows are larger and have a side blade as well.

      I think I'm going to add hot chocolate to my emergency list too! I love that idea!

      :)
      Lea

      Delete
    4. Today we were hit with a wicked ice store here is Ontario. It's the same one that has caused chaos across the states. Canadians are pretty used to dealing with bad weather, but this one was particularly interesting. Here's what happened today in Toronto (this is a plow/sander trying to lay salt down on the roads, then the tow truck coming to help it): http://globalnews.ca/video/3185848/freezing-rain-sends-salter-trucks-sliding-into-guard-rail

      Delete
  4. I work an extra day this week. In between that, i need to make a menu plan for my husband while i'm away. He chooses the easy route, fast food and cardboard pizza, when i'm gone for long. I'll be gone three weeks (maybe) when i visit our daughter in Fl. He will also be in charge of writing checks and mailing the bills. So, i need to have it all itemized for him.
    We're in the U.P. of Mich. Our snow should melt some this week. They're calling for 40's: I'm so happy! We visited Anchorage in 2001, a month before 911. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have some really good goals! So much snow! I would have to have lots of goals in the house with that much snow.

    Come by for a visit:

    http://www.frugalhappyhome.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. My goals this week is to catch up on the wash and put it all away, haul the Christmas tree outside, meal plan and cook for the week, work 2 days at my job, home school and try to get the house and meals set up so I can relax for the weekend as Thursday is my birthday. I plan to hit the library Friday so I can just read and relax Saturday and Sunday. Wish me luck! I was supposed to chill and relax yesterday, Sunday, but my son cut himself whittling with his pocket knife so we had an impromptu field trip to the ER for stitches!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know, I keep reading about the extreme weather that areas of the states is having and I'm a bit worried. We fly out from Toronto to California on Wednesday with my daughter. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that the weather is good and our plane isn't delayed or cancelled. We're OK if we have delays or cancellations on the way back...just not going there!

    I have a pretty loaded week this week with appointments, meeting and doing the last minute preps for our vacation. The high school open house has already been rescheduled as we are expecting freezing rain tomorrow (of course on the day we head to Toronto, so can't go now). That means another possible snow day...the third since the kids went back to school last Monday.

    So my goals this week are to get everything organized as much as possible for next week, attend meeting and appointments as scheduled and try to plan meals around everything to avoid grabbing take-out as much as possible. Oh yeah, and try to stay sane while getting my daughter to do her homework as she will be missing 2 weeks worth of school already.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My Momma gifted me with a quilt she made about 30 years ago that has only been used for de'cor so I need to get it put in the cedar chest. (Not any of the color in our house). I've been working on cleaning up my grandmother's old cast iron that has rusted. I really want to be able to use the smallest skillet and the big "chicken skillet".
    I mended a sheet by hand this week. A first for me and was only brave enough to try because of you Erika! Before torn sheets either got tossed or taken to the cleaners for mending. I will see how it holds up. One of my goals this YEAR is to dig my sewing machine out from under the piles of well everything and have it available for things like that.
    It wasn't a frugal week for us since DH missed 3 days of work (no pay) due to sinusitis and went to the dr 2x with it. 2 rx's and 2 shots. And lots of shakes and malts were bought since that was all he wanted to eat. And since we have trouble keeping weight on him (so unfair!), we go get them.
    Big goal this week is to clean out from under my kitchen sink. It's a mess under there and I am almost afraid of what I will find! Small goal is to zest and juice the oranges we got on NY's Day for 10¢ each before they go bad.
    k in NE TX

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm so sorry your arms are giving you so many problems, Erika. Prayers for swift healing.

    Getting the laundry caught up is huge! Good job!

    Lea

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad you had a good week. You deserve it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm here in Mid GA- we don't know from day to day what the weather will be-- we have mid 70's temps this week. We're keeping our fingers crossed for some low temps as the peach crops are a big deal here and we haven't had enough cold hours for there to be a good crop this year. I've also been cleaning out and reorganizing. I am doing the buy little- eat out of the pantry-- this month. The grocery bill has been really low as a result. I did go to Goodwill today and got 2 slightly worn dish towels and 2 hand towels for $1.41. These will come in handy since I try to not use many paper towels. Yeh I try to be one of those tree huggers and even more I'm frugal. Good luck on your goals.

    ReplyDelete