View Full Version : Winter Challenge Anyone?
I am thinking of indoor things I want to do since it's been cold out.
I am aiming for these:
1. Lose 10 more pounds. With Christmas cookies I've crept up 5 pounds, so this will get me below that with then just 5 pounds to go.
2. Get my petition for term limits for the Board of Health before the City Council.
3. Speak at public hearings against renewal of BOH membership for one member whose term expires the end of the year, should the Mayor submit her name for reappointment.
4. Go through my files, culling out old items. Never did this last year, so there should be some things I can toss.
5. Do another burning of old papers with personal information on them.
6. Fully fund another year's Roth IRA.
7. Fix the bathroom light if DS is not able to. I see yesterday he was working on it, but I don't know how complex the fix is and he still does not wish to communicate with me.
8. Continue to go to open houses and libraries in other communities, exploring options should I be able to relocate in the future.
9. Stay on budget every month but January, when I'll probably have both an oil delivery and real estate taxes.
iris lilies
12-21-22, 11:22am
My winter projects are:
Painting several pieces of furniture with ornamental paint jobs
Finish complete move of digital files to Apple environment, 95% of it is done.
Prepare for a bunch of garden club and plant society events, mainly shows by prepare show schedules, help publicize judges’ training event in March, Plan floral displays for these shows.
Meet with attorney in January to update our trust and will and update accompanying accounts and paperwork.
I will continue to amuse myself with seed-starting. I have recently become interested in rock garden plants so getting those going will be a new endeavor. Sedums, yuccas, cacti, ice plants, natives etc. Last year, I did a bunch of winter sowing (starting seeds outdoors in milk jugs) but it was largely unsuccessful so won't try that again. Also my usual end of year clear out the paperwork will also be on my to-do list. And my least favorite job - cleaning out the fridge and freezer.
Have a bunch of books to read.
Continuing to declutter
Get back into working out at home.
Came home last night and the light was fixed :)
iris lilies
12-22-22, 10:43am
I cleaned out my email files, deleting all messages in sub folders no longer needed. As part of that I sent a few documents to the ICloud.
Work on clearing the spare bed
Start organizing the books
4 boxes
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar
sort scraps for quilt
Probably add more to the list later
rosarugosa
12-23-22, 6:53am
Came home last night and the light was fixed :)
Nice!
I'm working on my list.
I spent 2 hours clearing out emails. I have 4 accounts...one for writing groups, one for real mail, one for junk and one google that I had to make for a tablet. The writing took the longest time as I skip over things. All clear now!!!
Reversed the five pound gain, but the holidays are not over yet.
Teacher Terry
12-23-22, 10:42pm
That’s great Yppej! Somehow despite eating more than usual the past week I lost 2 pounds and have no clue how.
rosarugosa
12-31-22, 8:42am
Annual file culling/shredding (will work with Mom to have her do the shredding since this makes her feel happy and productive)
List several items on eBay
Complete cellar cleanout
Complete decluttering of Mom's second floor
Build storage shelf unit (this was on my list before, then I decided not to do it, now I have decided to proceed)
Continue room-by-room review and cull
Light is broken again after I brushed against it while cleaning the mirror.
I am told the BOH member will not be reappointed.
Started on the files.
Continuing with the files.
If they don't cancel them because the houses sold already I plan to hit three open houses and one library this weekend.
Back from vacation and the normal routine. 2022 decided to give a not so nice parting gift, so I haven't been in the mood to do much
Work on clearing the spare bed
Start organizing the books
4 boxes
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar
sort scraps for quilt
Work on tshirt quilt
Stash busting
Pulled out the scrap bag and I'll sort while watching the news. Separating them by size, haven't thought too much about the quilt blocks themselves. Only rule is the top must come from the stash only. Think I bought backing fabric, have to check.
Book organizing and stash busting will be ongoing 2023 projects. Hoping to finish the storage unit decluttering this year
Hana, is stash busting to use up all your quilt scraps?
Yppej, yes and also the small odds and ends of yarn. Many crafters use the term the describe using what you have and not buying more. Going on a big once in a lifetime vacation this year and I decided to spend $0 on crafting supplies to pay for it/money for souvenirs and gifts. I'll sew other things, quilts are a great way to use the small odds and ends.
I may yet stay on budget for January. My car has 48,000 miles on it and at the 45,000 mile checkup Dealership 1 said I need the drive belt changed soon. Went to Dealership 2 today and they said it doesn't need to be done until 90,000 miles.
Went to two open houses today and have two planned for tomorrow. Everything in my price range is junk. House #1 had water all over the basement, which is so small you can't stand upright. House #2 looked to from the late 1800's and nothing done to it since except some new floors. The boiler was leaking. It is my new low cost hobby though I still go to City meetings.
rosarugosa
1-11-23, 7:25am
I completed the file culling yesterday and continue to make good progress on the cellar project. I now have all kinds of records related to expenditures and activities on behalf of my mother, so it's good that keeping records organized is one of my strong suits. I have a pile of stuff for her to shred when I go over there this weekend.
DS has started repairing the light.
The light is repaired. The term limits petition will not be heard this quarter.
Had a realtor run a CMA and my house would, subtracting seller costs, go for less than $300,000 which won't get me a decent replacement home. Hoping the market will continue to slow as I am looking further from Boston than where I live, so might work out eventually ad prices correct faster in the hinterlands. He told me the bidding wars are over and houses are going for around list price so that's encouraging for someone whose offer would be contingent on sale of their existing home rather than being a cash buyer.
Going through some of the files each weekend.
Work on clearing the spare bed cleared off one thing
Start organizing the books in progress
4 boxes 1 of 4
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar Jan done
sort scraps for quilt working on it
Work on tshirt quilt still looking for the missing shirts
Stash busting in progress
Started on the small living room bookshelf, it will be the reference area so it will have the books we use to look up information the most often. While husband is teleworking half of it will be his office library. Last Sunday was the no screen day of the month and I spent the day emptying out a box. Sorted smaller fabric scraps by size and have to do some cutting to make them more uniform. Going to play it by ear and just start sewing stuff together and see what happens. Hoping Ill find the missing shirts as a reduce the stash. Right now I have 25 of 30 shirts sewn on their blocks.
The rest of the week is cutting and pinning fabric, thinking about doing commissions again.
frugal-one
1-17-23, 5:15pm
Hana, So your purpose of no screen days? What you give up for Lent or ?
frugal-one, I work in front of a screen all day and then mucked about on my phone for a few hours after work. The first no screen day happened due to a case of eyestrain. It was nice and I decided to have a no screen day every month. As a result I spend less time overall on my phone after work and no more eyestrain.
I'm Atheist.
rosarugosa
1-18-23, 7:08am
Hana, Would love to see pictures of your quilts sometime.
I may make my January budget. Have $60 to take me to the end of the month, and will need some gas before by early next week. Not much to eat in the house but if I just buy a few food items to tide me over I think I can make it. I'm driving with worn windshield washer blades, but they still work. I will have a real sense of accomplishment if I make this goal.
rosarugosa
1-30-23, 7:45am
Sister and I finally completed the decluttering of Mom's second floor, which was primarily the bathroom. We filled two trash bags with stuff. There was a bottle of St. Ives lotion that I remember from my teenage years.
A lesson I have learned from Mom is that if you think you need more storage space, you probably really just need less stuff. Mom has a big double vanity, and a large horizontal medicine cabinet and a linen closet that were all filled with stuff, not to mention all the stuff spread out on the counter where she could easily find it. I have no vanity or linen closet and just a small medicine cabinet and a very narrow set of shelves, and we are still able to make it work quite well for two people.
It's always a balancing act with Mom, to reduce clutter but to keep things that she really needs on a regular basis out and visible. Getting rid of all the things she doesn't need certainly helps in all respects. It also helps me manage her inventory. For example, she recent asked me to buy her toothpaste, but I knew she had two new tubes in the vanity (out of sight, out of mind), and yesterday I found a couple more tubes. She also had me get her some deodorant last year, but I found about 6 of them in the vanity yesterday. So now everything is more organized, her regular essentials are out and visible, and I know what she has and where it is.
Sis and I are going to try to get over there every other Sunday and deep clean one room each time. There is still way more stuff than needed in that house, but at least we've done a good first pass through all the rooms.
rosarugosa
1-30-23, 8:02am
PS: This is the type of medicine cabinet she has: https://www.houzz.com/products/cosmetic-box-36-x-8-3-4-prvw-vr~152180611?m_refid=PLA_HZ_152180611_18188634453&device=c&nw=x&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8t2eBhDeARIsAAVEga1t4niUnkjbv1zUbOwO c5mwyjrKxSrCZccsEGQycjqKmk6pmZYPZu8aAkmQEALw_wcB
For years, it drove me crazy that she always kept one side open, because it looked untidy and stuff got dusty. Now I realize that the "out of sight out of mind" thing was going on for decades before Alzheimer's was on our radar. There was a similar dynamic going on in the kitchen: tons of cabinets, but all horizontal surfaces covered with stuff. I've been helping her clean and declutter for probably 40 years. It makes me wonder if any of this was tied in with her AD, or if they were totally unrelated behaviors.
I am an out of sight out of mind person. Its the way I'm wired. So I will put all the things I need for an outing on the chair by the door. I keep paperwork in piles on my desk until its dealt with, separate piles for errands, to do's, fun things I want to make time for. If I put it in a drawer it would be forgotten. Lists don't work as well as seeing the physical objects. I do like tidy though, in the bathroom I have a designated basket in the linen closet where extra consumables are kept that I know to check before shopping. I try to have designated places for everything and duplicates for the things I use often (scissors on every floor for example). Its a hard balance sometimes between the need for tidy and the need for visual reminders.
Work on clearing the spare bed better and worse
Start organizing the books in progress
4 boxes 2 of 4
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar done
sort scraps for quilt working on it
Work on tshirt quilt calling it done
Stash busting in progress
Good news is I cleared off most of my stuff on the bed, bad news is husband is using it as a book holding area as he's currently working on the favorite author shelf. As it's contributing to the organize books project, I can't complain.
To make things easier for me I decided that the third Saturday of the month is the no screen day.
Found some leftover pieces from past quilt projects, some are already sewn together some are not. Added them to the pile and need to take measurements. Need to cut everything into the right size pieces, think I'll spend one evening a week cutting then sewing until I have enough blocks.
Calling the tshirt quilt done until I find the last of the shirts, they're somewhere safe so safe I forgot where. The thsirt quilt lives in a bin and if/when I find the shirts they will be immediately transferred.
Have lost 8 1/2 of the 10 pounds.
rosarugosa
2-11-23, 7:18am
Update:
Annual file culling/shredding (will work with Mom to have her do the shredding since this makes her feel happy and productive) - done
List several items on eBay - only one item so far
Complete cellar cleanout - done
Complete decluttering of Mom's second floor - done
Build storage shelf unit (this was on my list before, then I decided not to do it, now I have decided to proceed)
Continue room-by-room review and cull
I continue culling items and got rid of a book I had scribbled in so it's not donateable.
Work on clearing the spare bed still being used as a book staging area
Start organizing the books in progress
4 boxes 3 of 4
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar done
sort scraps for quilt done
Work on tshirt quilt on hold
Stash busting in progress
The bed is going to be a staging area until the books are on their new shelves. Almost to the end of sorting boxes, hoping the summer project will be switching to organizing. Started on putting together quilt blocks and forgot how much math is involved. Having fun playing with shapes and color.
Stayed on budget in February. Fully funded another year's Roth IRA.
Largely stuck on the file culling because I will see things from DS and it makes me sad because he is still estranged from me so I stop.
I've listed 4 items on eBay, so making progress there. Remaining to be listed are a t-shirt, and 28 Brooks Brothers ties. I won't list the ties individually, but will offer them as lots somehow.
Stayed on budget in February. Fully funded another year's Roth IRA.
Largely stuck on the file culling because I will see things from DS and it makes me sad because he is still estranged from me so I stop.
I'm sorry, Jeppy.
Teacher Terry
3-1-23, 10:36am
Yppej, would your son be open to the two of you going to counseling to work out the issues? Although from my perspective he is being a selfish brat since he’s living in your house. But an impartial skilled therapist may be helpful.
iris lilies
3-1-23, 11:18am
Yppej, would your son be open to the two of you going to counseling to work out the issues? Although from my perspective he is being a selfish brat since he’s living in your house. But an impartial skilled therapist may be helpful.
He will never change while all of his needs and most wants are met, all the while him self-justifying his behavior as superior and necessary.
edited to add: which is not to say that joint therapy would not help because it might. But what is his incentive to do therapy with his mother?
He will not do joint therapy.
Work on clearing the spare bed being used as a staging area
Start organizing the books in progress
4 boxes done
Set up no screen days for Jan, Feb, and Mar done
sort scraps for quilt done
Work on tshirt quilt on hold
Stash busting done
Most of my list is ongoing and progress continues, best I can hope for so far. Husband's favorite author bookshelf is complete. Now we decide on how to sort the rest. Thinking about sorting fiction by author and non fiction by category then author. Took a break from sewing quilt blocks to do a couple of commissions, will go back to quilting once they're done.
Have a couple more things to go over and clear out of the storage unit, so I'm hoping to finish that up this spring and spend the summer organizing.
Hana, You are making steady progress. Nice to see.
rosarugosa
3-20-23, 6:36am
Final update on spring list:
Annual file culling/shredding (will work with Mom to have her do the shredding since this makes her feel happy and productive) - done
List several items on eBay - listed 5 items and sold 3. I still have a few more to list, but I feel like this was a good start.
Complete cellar cleanout - done
Complete decluttering of Mom's second floor - done
Build storage shelf unit (this was on my list before, then I decided not to do it, now I have decided to proceed) - done with much help from DH!
Continue room-by-room review and cull - ongoing. I did a real thorough cull of the upstairs cellar stairwell yesterday, and it is so much better. There was a lot of stuff in that tiny space, and DH had recently expressed how it was difficult for him to go up and down the stairs without bumping things or knocking them over (he is more than twice my size). I revisited the space with this input in mind, and now it is so much better.
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