I’ve been working on organizing several things lately. A few times, I’ve ended up spending more time organizing than I thought it would take, so a few of my goals for pushed aside for the pleasure of getting some things organized.
I decided a couple of weeks ago to start including some of my cooking plans for the week in my list of goals. A lot of what we have on our menus depends on what is ready in the garden, so I am open to what day we will have it; I just plan that we will have that meal sometime this week, when things are ripe in the garden.
Gardening:
1. Spend 2 hours weeding
2. Get rid of grape leaf skeletonizers on grapes (by hand, and using BT, an organic caterpillar spray, if necessary. Note: all parts of these caterpillars leave a nasty sting that lasts for many days.)
3. Harvest chamomile
4. Harvest the last of the turnips
5. Plant thai basil seeds and zinnia seeds in place of the turnips
4. Weed my friend’s garden (I am taking care of it while she is out of town)
5. Pick blackberries as they ripen
6. Pick tomatoes as they ripen
Projects
1. Paint new molding for bathroom hooks
2. Sand baseboard in bathrooms and repaint
3. Sand children’s step stool. Repair and paint it.
Sewing:
1. Finish Wren’s skirt
2. Modify 2 dresses
Cooking:
1. Make balsamic orange vinaigrette
2. Make rosemary olive oil bread
3. Make French bread
4. Defrost turkey. Cook turkey later in the week. Slice turkey for sandwiches.
5. Make turnip gratin
6. Make pizza
7. Freeze any extra turnips
8. Make yogurt
9. Make popsicles
Blogging:
1. Write 3 posts
2. Take photos and edit photos for posts
Organization:
1. Straighten pantry
2. Tackle paperwork
My big goal this week is to finish my reorganization of my sewing room. I am also redoing my linen closet. Over the years my sewing room is just awful. I have a wonderful walk in closet that my husband put a lot of shelves in. I am putting the fabric into color bins and culling the patterns. The linen closet is full of things for beds we no longer have. I am going to make a big donation to the Salvation Army thrift store.Between meeting this week and school events that will be a lot to get done.
Yes; I do it all the time!
We had grape skelotonizers one year, but I had no idea that was what they were. Thought they were really pretty, until I realized they were stripping all of the grape leaves. They do bite! My kids were charged with getting rid of them, and they did an excellent job, as we haven’t seen them since.
That sounds fun, I just love to organize. I don’t know which I like better- organizing fabric or organizing books!
cooking:+ soak and cook beans; bean burritos for dinner and will get wrapped up & froze+ make energy balls x2 for freezer+ make some sweet tea+ make bread+ oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough balls for freezer for quick & easy desserts/snackscleaning:+ wash walls ( we live in an apartment and it is SO dusty; doing this and just changing out the filter should help– our apartment only does this twice a year!!)+ one load of laundry per daybaby prep:+ look online for a cheaper price on a crib we like so we can price match+ make post partum ice packs+ buy some white/neutral onsies
My goals this week are to:Continue to use up pantry food and eat from my garden.Work on my yard as time allows and keep my eyes peeled for garden containersPut down coffee sacks between my garden beds.Make more lentil crackers.
I wish you were close so you could help me get it done. I have already been working on it several weeks. It is almost ‘there’ but a lot more has to happen. I am down to the hardest part now, going through the sewing boxes and do a cull on those.
I’m curious – how do you make your own yogurt so it is healthy AND the children will eat it? My children love the store bought, sugar filled stuff like Yoplait – and I know it has some value in the live cultures. However, I cannot get them to eat homemade versions that I have made with a starter. How do you transition taste buds to eat a healthier yogurt? Thanks!
They don’t eat it plain :). I add a low-sugar jam to the top with homemade granola. I have one child that prefers honey on it, so she has it with raw honey instead of jam. Last week I topped it with peaches, honey, and granola. I cut peaches and poured honey over them and stirred them.I used to like Yoplait, too (the “panier de Yoplait” in France was my favorite; American Yoplait is very different tasting). They will get used to it and most likely come to prefer it.
Resale shops will have used cribs for a lower price than a new one, if you want to consider that route.
They leave a nasty sting, dead or alive, if they touch you. I had half of one fall down my shirt two years ago. I had a red welt and it stung for a week.
I have no skills in this area. I’m hoping to eliminate the pile by trash or filing. Just one pile. I have others (they aren’t on this week’s list!)
I have! .. I have my eye out- but have only been finding bassinets since I started looking, which we already have 🙂
Heidi, what is “hardening off” tomatoes?
Every goal this week is wedding oriented. Ka and her parents moved into their house (side by side duplex) this weekend and we saw the wedding dress. It is very beautiful…it is like a suit: the overblouse has a high (Mandarin?) collar, it crosses in front and has 3/4 length sleeves. The skirt comes just above the ankle and is slightly flared with (modest) slits. It is white (normally they are red for good luck her mother said) of yellow and white embroidered silk and tiny red trim on the front and sleeves. Her mother said it is “Qun Kwa” if you want to google a picture. It is a modernized version. They had it made in San Francisco where they lived before moving to WI according to her measurements and then her mother did the final fittings. Her mother also made a small silk bouquet of white orchid sprays and 2 red anthuriums (they look like hearts!) . There are gold clips for her hair.I readied clothes, shoes and accessories for myself, daughter, husband and bro-in-law and set them aside so all is ready and no last minutes looking/washing etc. We are readying inside sleeping areas for those staying with us…there will be a family of 5 in my daughters room (she will camp out with the other “youngsters” and one person in the sunroom and one in the living room. If it rains this weekend, well, I guess they will be looking for space in our basement and older daughter’s porches. There was snow north of here on Thursday.We start cooking and baking on Thursday. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend…I know mine will be the best ever!
If you have bedding which is not good enough to donate to a thrift store but still has some life left in it, animal shelters and vet clinics are often looking for pet bedding.
How I plan to save money this week: I cut my own hair this morning after researching how to layer, and I am happy with the outcome. I cut about 1 1/2 inch from the back..(hope it’s straight ) and then layered. This saved me about $50.00 plus a tip…I plan to make homemade laundry soap ( Brandy’s recipe…thank you Brandy) which will save so much for the next several months. , as I will only use 2 TBS per wash load.,Total cost about 20.00. I have lots of green onions and butter leaf lettuce to harvest for salad dinners this week, and I will make home made soup and bread. Bought boneless skinless chick breasts at Albertsons for 1.99/lb..to marinate, grill , then cut up and freeze for several meals. Trying not to spend over 2.00/lb for meats. I ca get corn on cob 1/1:00 so I will buy 10.00 worth, blanch and freeze. ~~~This is it for a busy week as I am also working 3 days too ~~Stretching meals this week…So I found 1/2 lb grass fed organic ground beef in the deep freezer bought on sale about 4 months ago, so I browned it with seasonings of salt, pepper, garlic and crushed red pepper…yum smells good, now to divide it into 3 meals. Mel had bought 10 lbs of red potatoes 3 weeks ago for $ 2.00. #1 will be ground beef and vegetable stew with potatoes and carrots,green beans,and corn bread , # 2 is taco soup with corn chips and salad and fresh corn of cob, # 3 will be sloppy Jo’s over leftover hot dog buns that will be grilled first with butter and garlic,and also spicy potato cakes and garden salad, then will make corn chowder from corn on cobs with bell peppers and serve with fresh homemade garlic bread and more salad…Happy Monday and blessings to you Brandy~~Patty from the NW 🙂
I agree with Amy. Adding the cooking goals really makes so much sense. I always think day to day what I would like to do, but writing it down at the start of the week should really help. Thanks.blessings, jill
I think my goals for the week exceed my time and ability, but I am hoping to complete them anyway. I hope to have the 3rd chair in 2 weeks reupholstered. It was put together oddly but I am trying anyway. Fortunately the fabric is not an obvious pattern so matching is not a huge issue. I have 2 bolts of fabric and my sewing machine on the dining room table. Fingers crossed that they turn into curtains tomorrow. ( measuring and cutting tonight). Wednesday, Mom is coming to lend me her expertise about upholstery. She no longer has the strength to do the work, but I am happy to be the work horse in exchange for insight and directions. Sometime during the week I need to hang bathroom mirrors and paint a floor cloth.Fortunately I have several meals prepped and frozen so dinners should be pretty easy.About the only attention my garden is getting is to plant several things that need to be put in the ground (outgrowing their starter pots) and watering.Finish the big seasonal clothing changeover Change bed linens from winter to summer decor. (winter comforter is drying as I type)Finish making throw pillows for den couchMake throw pillows for den loveseat
I have spent some time carefully thinking it through and made the decision over the weekend that it would be best for us if I went ahead and took early social security. I started the ball rolling on that today and hope to be drawing money by July.That had been one of four important calls I needed to make today. All were made.I left a message with the handyman to pick up a load of yard waste when he could get to it. Then, even though it was late in the day, I spent a furious hour raking up pine twigs and cones, and cutting off excess growth hanging over the back fence. It had been meaning to do these things and wanted to get the waste on the pile to get rid of all of it on the same hauling fee.I changed my husband’s dermatology appointment because we are just too overloaded to go this week. Their only timely opening was the day before his next lab appointment. I was able to move that appointment to the same day so that we don’t have to drive into the city two days in a row.Now I need to find time soon to do the second weed spraying of the season before the situation is out of control.We will finally mow the main acre of lawn tomorrow. It is a week overdue because it has rained so many days lately. The central A/C unit suddenly quit working late today. I fear this will end up being a very unfrugal week. Better now at 90 degrees than later at 110. We will be sure to have the freon checked and the drain line blown clear on the same service call, though. This unit is old, so the news may be bad.
Hi Brandy- I have been reading weekly, but haven’t commented in a good while due to the busyness of my schedule. I am happy that things are slowly getting back to normal for us and I’ve made my first to-do list in two months with your inspiration- Take pictures and List jeans on Ebay. I have several expensive pairs of jeans that are VERY lightly worn that I will try to sell on Ebay. If I don’t get any bites I will donate them.-Clean out the extra bedroom storage. I did some deep cleaning about two a month ago, but hadn’t gone through storage yet. Hoping to cut the clutter in at least half. -Go to the Gym at least five times-Go to the dog park once (weather & wildfires permitting)-Get much needed haircut.-Cook big pot of chili, pork chops, bake chicken, and make chicken soup. I desperately need to eat down the deep freezer. It is almost overflowing with food. -Only grocery shop for items to finish meals from freezer. Try to keep it under $20
y husband works net to a children’s resale shop. There are always so many cribs there. Perhaps Craig’s List or a garage sale listing on Craig’s list?
Dear Miss Brandy and readers,I am in a planning phase for the summer. I plan for Mother’s Day through Labor day. I make goals I hope to accomplish. Here are my weekly goals to accomplish the “bigger” goals.Weekly declutter projectsDelutter laundry room, hall closet and 1 item from garageSpring cleaning projectsClean downstairs tile floors Improve communication with childrenPlan one dinner to sit and listen to children Spending planDevelop $0 spending plan using FPUReview spending plan and negotiate with one creditor to reduce paymentsSelect one bill to pay off for June Earn extra income monthlyParticipate in work project for pay-COMPLETED Participate in relaxation activitiesGo to the libraryStart a new book Develop a minimal summer wardrobe using clothes on handWeed out clothes not needed-COMPLETED Return to couponingWeed out expired coupons Give back to communityServe dinner for underprivileged-COMPLETED Create gifts using craft skills Sew 4 hankies-COMPLETEDSew 2 pillow casesMake school cover throwCrochet rows on gold and blue scarf project-COMPLETED FOR WEEKAdd new row to crocheted bedspread Exercise dailyWalk 30 minutes every day Launch child to university lifeMake a list of basic and needed dorm items-COMPLETED Grow a gardenClear garden area Take care of selfTake BP-COMPLETEDOrder monthly medicationsWork on AM/PM routines Go on a vacation this summerIdentify dates for a stay at home vacation Purchase a new carEvaluate cash funds for new car Eat healthy this summer Make a menu plan-COMPLETEDVisit Farmers Market and local farm for produce-COMPLETEDPrepare several vegetable dishesBuy strawberries to make freezer preservativesMake smoothie popsicles-COMPLETEDMake ice-COMPLETEDPlan June baking and freezer cooking CELEBRATE A GRADUATION!!!Blessing to allAnna
The grocery specials are reliably good for the three big long weekends of summer. That is when I buy the majority of our condiments, stock up on meat good for grilling, drinks, and snacks. Things like my husband’s beloved Triscuits, become a bargain when holiday sales are combined with coupons.The period from mid November through New Year’s is the other period when many staples are their cheapest and I stock up on lots of baking items and ham, among other things.
Can you sell the shingles even if only for firewood?