Works For Me Wednesday - List Making

I am a list maker.

There I said it. I have come out - do with me what you will.

If I really want to accomplish anything, I MUST write it down.

Once it is set to paper I WILL remember it. And usually, if I remember it, I will do it.

I love to make lists. I have too many lists all over the place, on paper, in my email task files, in spreadsheets.

I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I am able to take a pen and draw a line through a completed item on my list. I'm a list geek Yes.

Now just because I make lists, doesn't mean I complete EVERYTHING on my list, some things get moved to tomorrow's list, but still I do love my lists :)

Lists work for me.

To see what works for everyone else, go here.

Getting stuff done

While my mother in-law was visiting, I found myself cleaning as I went as she is very much a clean freak and if I left even one dish in the sink, she would wash it while making that sound that says I'm a crappy house cleaner. So I kept up with the dishes and kept the kitchen tidy.

Once she left, I returned to my old habits. Stupid, because cleaning as I went wasn't hard and it kept things nice.

So Friday I tackled a sink full of dishes, as well as a bunch of pots. I also baked another batch (35ish) of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, as the 1st batch vanished so quickly. I put most of this batch in the freezer packed 2 to a baggie for J's lunches.

Saturday & Sunday pretty much flew by.

Here in Ontario, Monday was Family Day and both DH & J had the day off work and school.
J actually has a pretty elaborate project to do on Leif Ericsson, so we spend part of the day creating a shield and battle axe out of cardboard and tinfoil. I sewed him up a simple tunic out of some black fabric I had laying around.

Today (Tuesday), I am doing laundry, ran a full dishwasher load and attempting a new bread recipe.

I haven't made bread in quite awhile. I usually use the bread machine to do all the work and then bake it in oven for more normal looking loaves. This recipe wasn't written for the bread machine so I did it by hand with the mixer.

It is on its 2nd rise right now and so far so good. If the recipe turns out decent, I will post it here and start using it regularly instead of buying bread.

Store brand bread is up to $2.49 per loaf. We don't actually eat a lot of bread, but it will help. Anyone have any experience with freezing bread dough and rising and baking it later? I would love to make a bunch ahead.

BTW I survived :)

My mother in-law went home Wednesday evening and said what a lovely time she had at our house. How it is so nice and quiet compared to home. She also didn't have to do all the cleaning here.

After she got finished telling me everything I was doing wrong, she settled in and we had a relatively nice time.

She showed me how to crochet granny squares so now I have yet another project :) I have about a dozen finished. Only a hundred or so to go. They are easy to do while watching TV.


DH & I came to realize that she most likely is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. She has no short term memory to speak of. This became frustrating, but I had to remind myself that she can't help it.

She lives with her daughter over an hour away and we have no control over getting her to a doctor to be tested, so our hands are tied for getting her medical help.

Her daughter does shift work and gets 4-5 days off every 6 weeks, which is the only time MIL can come visit. So she plans to come back the next time her daughter has time off - if she remembers that is.

Frugal Friday - Making Do With What we Have On Hand

I have been out of work for awhile now as many of you know. I am beginning to feel the pinch.

I have done a freezer and pantry inventory and know what I have on hand and plan to make up a meal plan to use up what we have, which is really a fair amount.

I have noticed though, when I get the weekly grocery flyers, there are many sale items I want to go out and grab. And I have also noticed, if I go to Walmart or any store for that matter, I feel like I want to just buy something, not necessarily something expensive, but also not necessarily something I really need.

But no more. I have decided to make do.

Dinner tonight will be made with what I have on hand. I won't get my DH to stop on the way home from work to pick up that one item I need (and he always buys more than that one thing!). If we end up eating odd meals, so be it.

The other day I made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for my son's lunches. I don't usually bake, but it really didn't take that long. He loved them! (And since they are all gone, I need to make more...I have the ingredients so why not).

Sometimes we just fall back on the habit of buying stuff for the sake of buying, or getting a good deal when we already have 3 of that item at home waiting to be used.

We grocery shop on the weekends - from now on there will be no mid-week trips to buy something, if I forget to get it on the weekend, we will do without it.

I am attempting to keep the groceries to under $70 each week and only buying what we really need (produce, milk etc...).

I'll let you know how it goes.

For more Frugal Friday inspiration, go to Biblical Womanhood.

Will I survive?

My mother in-law is visiting for about 5 days.

She arrived yesterday at about 2pm. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and she is driving me nuts.

She has no concept of keeping things to herself - if she thinks it, she says it.

So usually the first thing out of her mouth when she sees me is "you look fatter".

Ya just lovely to see you too!

So far she has told me I should change where things are in my kitchen cabinets.

My TV shouldn't be in front of the window, I should put the couch there instead.

Why do I watch TV all day (I don't, I am rarely even downstairs, but was because she was here and I was keeping her company while SHE watched TV!)

Why am I letting my completely capable almost 12yr old prepare his own bowl of cereal, I should be doing it for him.

Why am I spoiling my lap dog by letting it sleep on my lap?

She looked at the laptop bag I am making for my sister and told me how I should have done things....ummm I followed the pattern.

She goes into my pantry and turns all the canned goods so that the labels face out.

She makes this annoying "tsk" sound whenever she disapproves of anything.

Argh! Nuts I tell you!

To top it all off, DH had a work dinner event last night, so wasn't home till 11pm and has to work on Saturday to help with inventory, a once a year thing where they pull people from the offices to help - on the one weekend his mother is here.

Pray I don't lose my mind (or kill her) will ya?

Changed my mind again :)

So I told you I had decided to stop going to the Weight watcher's meetings and just follow the plan online. Well since I activated my 2 week free trial of the online plan, I have come to realize that you really aren't getting much for your money.

All you get over the free member is the online point tracker. All the boards are open to the public, and therefore you cannot discuss the program or point values in great detail because you will be disclosing copyrighted info for free. There should be a member only board where paying members can talk freely, but there isn't.


So...

I have decided to just use SparksPeople.com. It is a completely free site. I can track my food and exercise daily (only in calories not points), I have access to all message boards and there are tons of useful articles as well as user blogs.

I have been doing ok eating properly on my own. I am down 2lbs today for a grand total of 10lbs lost!

SparksPeople even has several Weight Watcher themed message boards, so I can continue on with that plan if I want to.

It's a great site - check it out!

Common courtesy no longer exists

Why do I get stuck with dumbass neighbours?

On one side of us there are two dogs that bark from the moment they are put outside until hours later (ok it only feels like hours) when they are let back in.

Peanut will not do her business if they are out there barking at her, so now we have to open the back door to see if they are out before letting her out.

This happens as early as 7am and as late as 11:30pm.

Then on the other side of us is a the guy who made an ice rink in the backyard for his 2 boys. The ice rink right next to my bedroom window, which he shovels off at no earlier than 10pm every time it snows (which is often). Did I mention it is a huge rink? I get to listen to the scrapping of the shovel for at least 30 minutes before being able to go to sleep.

And then there was last night, when he decided it would be a good idea to snowblow the driveway at 11 friggin 20 pm!

I went out front, waved at him, and asked if he realized it was after 11. To which he replied, "oh is it that loud?" I said yes, and that my son's window is on the front of the house where you can really hear it. He said he was sorry. I said thanks and went back inside.

What makes a person think it is ok to do that stuff so late at night? Just because he is awake doesn't meant he neighbourhood should be too.

DH says I shouldn't have said anything. I wasn't rude to him so I don't think it will be a problem.

What do you think? Would you have said something to him?