Tackling To-Do's on Tuesday

I love the new way I've started doing my to-do list. Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting gave a link for html help regarding just these kinds of posts. So now when Blogger is cooperating, I can update my progress daily as I get around to it.

It really helped last week to see how much I'd accomplished and how much I still had left to go. Also, the public display factor helps to motivate me, and keeps me accountable. Even my kids read this blog sometimes, so I can't check it unless I've actually done it!

So this week, I'm tackling another to-do list to work on throughout the week. Even if I don't get through it all, I've got a good jumping off point for NEXT week, right? Here goes!


Daily Items
Continue daily bible study/prayer
Read/Respond/Clean Out emails
Read/Clean Out Reader
Do item from Office Organization list

Tuesday: Already off to a bad start. I had some last minute plans and was gone until 8:00 tonight for an important meeting, so I accomplished pretty much nothing today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow!
Weds: Kept up, but didn't do any catchup
Thurs: Getting alot accomplished today. Caught up some of the items from Tues.
Fri: Getting a late start on the list. This week has been full of sideroads (necessary sideroads but sideroads nonetheless!)

Weekly Items
Laundry Catch Up
Pay Bills/Paperwork
Plan/preparation of Blog Posts
Kitchen Prep
breakfast sandwiches
cookies
church pot-luck cancelled this, not going to the pot luck this time (something came up)


Spring Cleaning Items
Porch
Entryway
Dining Room
Declutter books from book shelves
Change clocks on Sunday (time change)
Check batteries in smoke alarm

Reunion Items
Mail out surveys/bios to new addresses
Research more banquet venues-delegated this item out but I'm adding new ones :)
Try to make calls on the short list
Update my spreadsheets and email them to the boys by next week
Get with H. and see if she can use a hand getting started on her list or with making a website

Other To-Do Items
Boxes from Storage
Prepare Garden Beds

Phewww!!

That's a pretty long and ambitious list. I know though, that it can be done if I will make good use of my time, and be like the Nike commercial..."Just Do It!"


Be sure to check back throughout the week as I'll be marking these off as I do them! And if you're interested in seeing what others in the blogosphere are tackling this week, be sure to visit Tackle It Tuesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom and To-Do Tuesday @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting.

Weigh In Wednesday

Some of the blogs I read are participating in something called a Weigh in Wednesday over at Happy to Be at Home. Every Wednesday, people in Bloggy land that choose to participate in this carnival discuss any weight loss they have accrued and how they have done for the week in a number of areas.

I've decided to start this today and will report back next week. I will share everything except for the NUMBERS of my weigh in. I've noticed in this carnival that some do that and some don't so it appears to be optional. I choose opting out!

Posting goals publicly on my blog really reinforces my accountability. I seem to follow through better and feel a bigger sense of accomplishment when I fill out that "ta-da entry" that states my follow through. So hopefully this will be the case with this challenge as well. We'll see how I do each week and I will post back here next Wednesday to be accountable for any missteps or to cheer for victories! Wish me luck.

Food
Next week I will discuss how I handled food choices. Some people are doing low carb, others are counting calories. I think to start I will choose to eat only what will go on a child-sized plate and choose predominately salads and vegetables.

Water
I need to increase my water intake.

Exercise
I hate exercise. I'm going to shoot for exercise of some kind three times a week and then try to build from there.

Challenges
I'll let you know! Consistency I know will be my main challenge, so I'm hoping this accountability will help with that.

Successes
If only!

Plans for Next Week
Cut out all Dr Pepper (even diet), switch to water and I will allow myself tea if I need to fill a craving. That's a better choice than Dr Pepper.

Weigh In
Ok, I have my number...but I'm not telling you! haha

Tackling Catching Up After Being Sick

My To-Do List was left unfinished last week because midweek I got the flu. I've been sick really up until today when I've been able to catch up a little bit. I still have a laundry list of things I need to accomplish to get back on track though. Here's my list to be checked off as Ta-Da's on Saturday:

• Keep after the bible study program and intensity of prayer
• Organize the file cabinet (I got started on that a little last night, purge done, need to finish)
• Get tax stuff together and take to accountant (I got it all together but haven't made the trip to town since being ill)
• Continue working on photo project (this will probably take MANY weeks, the goal is to work towards the finish line a bit at a time)
• Garden planned out (need to start indoor seeds next month)
• Blog work (got the plan last week, but didn't write while ill...need to develop that a bit more)

Another thing happened last week. Some of my high school friends and I realized it's time to organize the 20th High School Reunion. We were the class officers so we need to try to find all our classmates, plan activities, organize lodging options and venues for activities and send out invitations in time to do a reunion before this summer is over. So each week I will be making reunion goals for my to-do list as well.

Wish me luck working on my goals this week. What goals are you working on this week? You can see what other people are doing, and let people know what you are up to too, by checking out 5 Minutes For Mom and her blog carnival Tackle it Tuesday!

End of January Accountability

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is making an accountability post at the end of each month to see how she is staying (or not staying) on track for her yearly goals. I thought I would join in and keep myself a running update this year as well.

My ultimate focus this year is frugality.

Frugality in Spending

Learning to use coupons to save money and stockpile bargains to stretch a smaller budget

I did really well with this one this month. I was spending alot of time trying to learn how to work this system the way the "coupon queens" do at first, but by the end of the month I'm figuring out how to find the deals fast and that you don't have to catch EVERY deal that comes down the road.

In addition to getting more for my money, I want to spend less this year.

I can do better in this area. I'm by no means doing poorly, but there is room for improvement. Learning to coupon has helped me get more for my money, but in February I'm going to concentrate more on staying on budget than getting "the deal".

We still haven't eaten out or done take out (other than McDonalds for Abby on shopping days)

WooHooo!! 1/1 on this one!



Frugality with "Stuff"

Declutter and Organize our home.

I want our home to be a place of comfort and warmth, so I'm decluttering room by room and getting rid of things that we don't use or don't love...and not bringing IN anything that doesn't meet that criteria as well.

I need organization to stay sane. So I'm also organizing the house, room by room as I go.

So far so good...January I got alot done but I still need to finish up several things and I'm just taking it week by week until I've accomplished all the tasks I have set before me.


Frugality with Food

Eat less...move more. I've GOT to take this weight off. I didn't make a goal lose x amount of pounds this year, but I want a healthier lifestyle and I'm making sure that the quality
and quantity of food fits the frugal choices I'm hoping to make this year.


If you want to see other's updates, or you want to join in yourself, go visit Crystal at Biblical Womanhood

From To-Do to Ta-Da

Well I have alot of goals to accomplish this week. What I have decided to do for Tackle It Tuesday's from now on is list my goals for the WEEK, and try to accomplish as many as possible on Tuesday, and on Saturday I will report back with whether I finished up or not with my list for the week on Ta-Da Saturday (my own thing, not a carnival). So To-Do's on Tuesday...Ta-Da's on Saturday.

I will update the list throughout the day with red check marks, for the things I have accomplished today.

• New Bible Study Program daily (3/7 days done!)
  
• Organize File Cabinet (this is a big job, I'm redoing the whole system)
  
• Get tax stuff together to take to accountant next Monday
• Continue working on photo project
• Get garden plotted out
  

• Blog planning and posting list
  
• Bake and Decorate Evelyn's cake

• call school regarding some paperwork needed

• freezer inventory update and reorganization

updated 4:12 pm Tue-accomplished the checked items. I will hopefully have the remainder finished by Saturday!

Great Website for Bible Study

I have read the bible three times all the way through on purpose. I'm sure that the bits and pieces I've read in other study methods have maybe given me another time or two as well. However, I have never read the bible in chronological order and I have only read two versions of the bible (King James version and American Standard). I just found a website though that I'm very excited about.

At Bibleyear.com you can choose from several bible reading plans to read the bible in one year right on your computer monitor. You can choose both the version of the bible you would like to read (from a list of several versions), and you can choose the type of "year" you would like to accomplish. The types of year arrangements vary from beginning to end, to when history has dated the books to have been written, to the chronology of the subject matter dealt with and there are many other choices too.

I have chosen to do a chronological year. The best part about this site, is being able to compare and contrast the different versions of the bible. For example, if I read in the King James version the days material, I can switch back and forth to look at Young's Literal Translation to see exactly how the language translates VERBATIM and I can look at any one of the 19 versions they have available if those two don't suit my needs or questions about the verses. English isn't the only language available to read either. They have every living language I can think of, and latin too.

I'm really excited about this website and study plan. If you want to join me in this study, please leave a comment or send me a message and we can encourage each other!

To Do List

I try to follow a basic weekly plan and then have a set of to-do's for each week that I can fit into my days. Here is my to-do list this week. I will come back and edit it as the week goes by and let you know how I finished up with the list.

Monday: Shopping day
lunch with my dear friend Cindy (actually just drinks and visiting...lunch will be for Abby, we're meeting at McDonalds to visit while she plays!)
straighten pantry and fridge as needed when putting groceries away


Tuesday: Focused Cleaning day (this week it's the bedrooms)
Do a basic overall cleaning of the house
focus on the bedrooms/closets upstairs


Wednesday: Free day to read/learn/etc
Work on current project
Work on blog preps
finish any work not done yesterday with the bedrooms
Prep work in kitchen that needs done if any

Thursday: Laundry/Catch up day
Interview with job I've applied for (pretty much all day with tests, etc)
Work on the laundry and the photo project while watching my tv night

Friday: Desk/Bill day
pay all bills of course
make any adjustments to budget and make next months
send in any extra money for snowball
write/send correspondance
plan errand day for next monday (get it ready if errands need run)


Saturday: free day for family
Kitchen prep/baking for the week
overall pickup/quick clean of house for weekend
Do something with the kids

Sunday: Day of Thanksgiving and Preparation
Sunday school and church
pick up paper
Go to Scotts for any good deals there
clip coupons
plan menu
plan shopping strategy
Blog preps

Starting on the right foot and feeling a little froggy

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood had a great post today about the importance of staying on a routine. I have noticed, since I'm not working right now, that on the days in which I get up with Jason when the alarm goes off that the day goes much more smoothly. The temptation for me, while I'm not working, is take advantage of "not needing to go anywhere". I am able to wake up with the alarm, get up see everyone else off to work and school and then just snuggle back into bed with the sleeping Abigail.

I have been pretty good about not doing that however. Most days I do get on with the day after everyone else leaves. But I don't have an actual written out schedule of the things that are the most vital to be done in the mornings. I decided since Crystal threw out the challenge, this is a good opportunity for me to do so.

The directive is to list the five most important things we need to have done first thing in the morning. I found six (of course I have to be different!)
So I'll make number five a two-fer because when I'm really on top of things there might not be one or the other!

1. Get up and make bed
2. Shower and get dressed
3. Get Abby up, dressed and fed
4. Start any dinner prep, if any, while Abby is eating
5. Start a load of laundry and eat that frog (put away dishes, start breakfast dishes)

Crystal from Biblical Womanhood inspired the schedule, but this post from Simple Mom inspired the accompanying rules...which in my particular case is the crux of making the plan work.

I, Lisa aka The Owl, solemnly swear (ok...I'm trying not to do that...so how about I just pinky promise!) That I WILL NOT get on the internet until the morning routine and three items from my to-do list are done. Period.

I really think that will make an enormous impact on my productivity in a day. I can get online to check email and then bounce over to Living like No One Else forum, and before you know it, I'm checking (just for a second) the Google Blogger and then I'm lost in blogs for hours, learning all kinds of wonderful information and not using the time to do anything that I know I could or should.

This time between jobs is a blessing. I am able to spend extra time with Abby and get my household into the best shape it will ever be in before I have to go back to work. I can use this time to streamline things and make things easier for me when I go back to work, or I can waste it all by a lack of self control. Like I said, I've done "the right thing" most days. This schedule (and rule) is for the days when it doesn't come easy and the "right thing" is something I have to talk myself into.

New Year...New Goals

Happy 2009!

My ultimate goal is to finish the journey out of debt and to be in a place where we can begin to accumulate wealth and have the life we dream of when we retire.
That means that my New Year's resolutions should get me closer to that ultimate goal. I'm tempted, like many others, this year to make resolutions like "losing ten pounds" or "finally getting organized". These are good resolutions, but where I think they fall short, at least for me, is how they fit in with the big picture. For me, this year should bring us closer to the end goal and that means "frugal living" is the keyphrase for the year. I'm thinking if I expand on the habits I've already created and get a few new ones that we'll be that much closer to the end goal at the beginning of 2010.

I'm not knocking the "lose 10 pounds" or "get organized" resolutions either. God knows I could use two or THREE of each of those. Frugal living, I believe, would incorporate both of those resolutions and still. Being frugal, including my eating, should help me to lose a few pounds. And to get the most of our resources and budget, then being organized is a key component. Another key component to gaining on my resolution (and ultimately our goals) is accountability. I am accountable each month for our spending and saving by looking at how the budget went. That was a great motivator and worked wonders for us last year. That's another reason that I started this blog. To know that I am accountable each week, even if it's just on paper(or monitor? lol) for having done something to get us closer to our goals could be a big motivator for me.

Seeing patterns from week to week, month to month can be a key component to getting more organized and I guess I can also report pounds lost as I report on other tasks day to day as well.

Most of the blogs that I read day to day also blog day to day. I don't think I can do that. I do well on some days just to get my email read and read other people's blogs. I have to keep in mind that I can't do everything and a frugal use of computer time will allow me to be frugal elsewhere too! What I am sure I can do is an entry once a week. I may be able to blog more than once a week and I will shoot for three or four times a week. However, since this is really an experiment in accountability (and expression) I have to save some of my "free" time for projects to blog about! haha

Dear Diary...errrr, I mean Blog

Well, today was not as efficient as I had hoped. I had to roll some things over to do tomorrow that I would have liked to have gotten done today. I made my oatmeal/chocolate chip/toffee cookies today and that's about all that got done towards the Christmas cooking besides the normal day to day meals and clean up.

I spent a little more time working out my budget for 2009. I really revved up my spreadsheet to include each month of the year, include percentage of income for each catagory and it will automatically inject the remaining balance of income after all bills, expenses and funds are paid towards my debt snowball (the bill I'm currently working on paying off, the one with the smallest balance) While that took up a chunk of my day and should really have been done on a day that my goal is at the desk, I went with it because the Excel juices were really flowing! lol

Tomorrow is normally my cleaning day, but with Christmas coming, I'm changing the days all around. Tomorrow will be my baking and desk day. I need to finish up some shopping on Tue and I try to make only one trip to town, so to get my menu's and grocery lists ready I'll need to have them done tomorrow. Then Tue will be my errand day. I will go to town and finish the last minute shopping, get some groceries and run them home. Then I'll go to my hairdresser to get Abby and my haircuts. Wednesday I'll clean the entire house, get the cornbread cooked off for the dressing, pack for our trip out of town and finish any pies or baking that hasn't been caught up by then.

We are having Christmas with the inlaws on Christmas Eve/Wed. We will travel to Oklahoma for Christmas with my Dad on Christmas/Thurs. We will have Christmas with my mom and her husband on Friday and then back home on Saturday. Sunday, friends and family that live close by are invited to our Christmas party here. I cook a big dinner (Turkey, dressing, etc) and that's where all this baking comes into play. Since I will only be home hours before that event, I'm getting all the baking done these last couple of weeks so that all I will have to do Sunday is cook the dinner.

I'm tired already! lol

Well, on second thought, I guess I will try to finish some more of those cookies tonight before bed...I don't know when else I can get them done.

Jello Cookies
(red and Grn sugar cookies to pretty up the cookie platters)

and if I'm feeling ambitious, I will make the dough for my pinwheel cookies. That's just red dough layered onto white dough, flavored with peppermint extract and made to look like peppermint candy. I can roll them out tomorrow if I get the dough ready tonight.

To Blog or Not to Blog

I have so many friends and acquaintances that are now doing the "blog" thing, that for some time I've thought "One day I'll start a blog too."

Well, as I'm looking over the past year, appreciative of the things that are so right and evaluating the things that need improvement in my life, I've decided that "one day" is here. It's now or never.

I have so many interests that I would like to blog about. Gardening, Cooking and canning, my frugal lifestyle, motherhood, my goals and accomplishments while doing the TMMO, losing weight this next year (hopefully), housekeeping and organization, self improvement, politics and other things that interest me.

The main obstacle that has kept me from blogging before is, "What do I have to say? and who the heck cares?"

Well, I've decided that even if I don't really have anything important to say, it might be a fun experiment anyway and what do I have to lose? Stating things in a diary type of format might be fun for me. I have an excessive love of spreadsheets, I use them for budgeting, grocery shopping, home inventory, etc. I was thinking that as much as I love putting things on paper (or computer) for planning and goal setting, already, that it is just a natural progression to blogging. So I might as well give it a try.

So I guess the format that I will try is just following my weekly plan. Whatever I'm doing that day is what I will be blogging about.

Today I've canned some Christmas presents (a cinnamon apple jelly and a jalapeno jelly for my DFIL) and I'll be making a few of my candies and cookies for my cookie platters that I will also hand out as gifts.

To make the Jelly:

8 cups apple juice
1 pkg red hots (about 8-9 oz)
2 pks pectin (powdered kind)

mix and bring to a boil

Add a bit at a time about 8-9 cups of sugar and boil for another good two minutes or so.

Add to your 8oz jelly jars (with new seals/lids) and then flip. If you flip the jar while it's still hot you can get a good seal and can skip the water bath canning step. On such a high acid food like jelly, a water bath is not really necessary. You can do a water bath if you choose but I've found it's not necessary with these types of recipes.


For the Jalapeno Jelly


www.recipezaar.com/Hot-Pepper-Jelly-2686

I am making some modifications on this base recipe. I don't have the liquid pectin so I'll be making some out of the powder. I believe half a package of the powder dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water will make the liquid. Add enough COLD water to make 1/2 cup. (I will only use half the mixture and will hope to find another recipe I can use for the remainder tomorrow...it's good for a week)

I'm also mixing up my cut out cookie and gingerbread recipes today to chill until tomorrow.

The candies I'm making today:

Peppermint Bark

It's merely 1cup crushed candy cane, 2lbs of white chocolate melted and peppermint extract (just a touch)

Baked Fudge (this recipe comes from my Aunt Sharon)

cream:
4 eggs
2 c sugar

add in:
1/2 flour
1/2 cocoa

Then Stir in:
1 c melted butter
1 c pecans
2 t vanilla
1/4 t salt

pour into 9x9 pan and put that pan into another pan of boiling water. Bake @ 325 for 45 mins or until set. (center will still be soft but it will set up)

Then I'll be making my Grandmother's recipe for Bon-Bon's and a new recipe that I saw on a forum that I read (http://organizedchristmas.com/topic-christmas-cookies) for Chocolate Mice. I can't wait to try these!