Daybook: Wednesday, January 31/18

This should have been a Daybook Monday, as I actually arrived late Sunday night. I really wanted to do a post on Monday but I also wanted to unpack, do laundry, download the photos from my camera and rest a bit....I mean, a lot. I still have not been able to read all the posts from my blogger friends, nor have I phoned my IRL friends to let them know I am back, although I have been talking with family a lot. And the reason the phone lines and internet have been all a buzz is a very happy one. My son in BC received a kidney transplant while I was gallivanting around the Caribbean.

Outside my window.....there is snow and cold temperatures. Why am I surprised?  There is more expected overnight.

I am thinking.....of when I should make the trip to pick up my dog, Satchel.  And of course, I haven't stopped thinking that tomorrow is the first anniversary of my husband's passing. I lost my wedding band while I was in Jamaica. I didn't even feel it leave my finger. I have consoled myself with the notion that my Sweetie wanted to stay there on Bamboo Beach where it was lovely and warm and which I considered my "happy place" while I was there. I am not upset about it and feel strangely at peace.

I am thankful for.....the generous gift of life that someone has bestowed on my son. Someone had thought unselfishly of signing a donor card. I am wondering how many other lives were saved that night because of this one act.

From the kitchen.....this week I made up a large soup pot using the chicken broth I froze just before I left for my cruise. I also used up some of the chicken meat to make a stir fry. I made a Tex Mex casserole with ground beef and shredded cheese from the freezer. I have defrosted two chicken breasts for tonight's dinner which I will eat with more cauliflower from the freezer. It was very easy to follow my low carb diet on the ship.

I am wearing.....warm winter clothes again......blue denim jeans, fuzzy socks and a long sleeved tee.

I am creating.....all of my valentine cards for the kids this week.

I am going.....nowhere, unless I have to. February is going to be a busy month and I just want to chill  *laugh* these last few days of January and try to get used to winter once again.

I am hoping.....everything goes well for my son's recuperation. He is at home now and is going daily for his transplant clinics.

I am hearing.....the blower on the furnace coming on every so often. Otherwise, it is really quiet.

Around the house.....my Christmas cards are still hanging on the wall in my dining room. My grandkids' "office" is still set up in my living room where they were playing on the last weekend before I left on the cruise. My souvenirs from the Caribbean are laid out across the dining table. I have some  things waiting to be mailed out to my grand children.

One of my favourite things.....I bought for myself is a scrapbook and ephemera to embellish my photos from my wonderful trip to the Caribbean Islands. I don't know exactly when I will get around to it. I have so many scrapbooks I need to work on this winter.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include some grocery shopping, especially for fresh veggies and some fruit. I need to revisit my goals to refresh my memory on what I hope to accomplish this next month. I am going out Friday night with friends to celebrate one of our birthdays. And I need to make arrangements with my daughter to meet halfway to retrieve my dog. We usually meet in Cobourg and have lunch together.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

Bamboo Beach in Jamaica...my "happy place"

Company's Coming

I laid out very few goals this week because I am getting ready to leave and I didn't want to start any new projects until after I come back. So it was pretty easy to get things accomplished. The secret of course is to set your sights LOW. I got my few goals accomplished and I managed to take care of those "surprise" developments that occur to everyone when they think they haven't accomplished anything but in fact did twice the amount of work they had planned on. After a big snowstorm at the beginning of the week I went outside and shoveled my long double driveway, and still managed to start my packing.  On Wednesday I hit quite a few places to take care of some shopping.  I grouped all my errands into one trip so that the rest of the week would be no-spend, no-drive  days. Then today, after two very frigid weeks, I woke up to almost tropical conditions....5 degrees Celsius and rain. We lost quite a bit of snow in this January thaw, so I took advantage of this to take down my outdoor Christmas decorations. I fit all the garlands and lights into one Rubbermaid bin that I will carry upstairs at the end of the day. I am hoping they all dry out before I close the lid down on the bin. This was another unplanned chore, but I did not want to waste the opportunity of good weather to get it done now. We have to learn how to roll with the punches.

This afternoon I got busy with the real jobs on my to-do list. I cleared off the dining room table from my card-making session yesterday, scrubbed the main bathroom upstairs and vacuumed through the downstairs rooms. I washed up two loads of laundry this afternoon, folded and put away. I replaced the clean furniture cover on my couch. Last night I had 2 fillets of tilapia with zoodles for dinner, and since I still have three more zucchini to use up by Monday, I will probably make more zoodles tonight to go with some sausages I have already fried.

Tomorrow my daughter, her husband and my two grand kids are arriving from Bradford. They will stay for the night and take the dog back with them to look after him while I am away for two weeks. I will have my son and his fiancee come over for a visit and dinner together. I will cook up the other roast beef that is in my freezer with lots and lots of veggies for my vegan daughter. I don't think the kids like red meat, so I still have chicken nuggets and fish fries in my freezer that I know they will eat. When all else fails, I just have to slice some cheese and kielbasa and serve with crackers. They could live on that. There. I am all set for company. I probably won't post now until Sunday. Have a great week-end.  Sorry. No photos. 

Thursday's Cards

After reading my email and blogs and  unloading the dishwasher, I washed the dog's food and water bowls and I scrubbed a toilet, so didn't get started at the dining room table until close to 11 o'clock. I made some die cuts on my Cricut machine from the Birthday Bash cartridge and put together 4 birthday cards before I stopped for lunch (leftovers from dinner last night). When I went back to my job, I decided I would make 2 "Thinking of You" cards to mail out tomorrow and then I would quit for the day. I found that 6 is much more doable than 8. It is 4 o'clock and there is still time left in the day to accomplish a few things besides just making cards. I also stamped a few images that I could water colour if the notion struck me before the next card making session, thereby saving some time. I remembered to take some pictures of the 4 birthday cards that I made for my stash. I also took a photo of the 2 "Thinking of You" cards which I will show you here.

Because I am trying to produce a lot of cards at once, I am using a card map or design to make 2 or 3 similar cards. I might change the colours I use, or change the design of the paper to make them slightly different. So in a way, I am kind of going assembly line, but not exactly. I still continue to make one card at a time, and if there is something I don't quite like in the first card, I will change things up for the second. In these two "Thinking of You" cards, one is going to my Mom and the other is going to the male friend who is battling cancer. Neither one knows I write a blog. I have used the same card design for both.

These are more or less identical. I used two different colours but decided to mat the coloured papers with black card stock.  I used rubber stamps with different fonts as one looked more feminine. Both have a silver snowflake, but the feminine one has a pink rhinestone in the centre. The more masculine one is embellished with 3 silver brads in a straight line across the bottom right. The feminine one is accented with pink iridescent sequins in a random display in opposite corners. I could have used a more masculine colour and pattern for the masculine card, but I decided I could get away with this colour blue because it is a winter card and it reminds me of frost and ice. You could certainly use the blue one to send to a woman as well. I wanted to show you how by changing a few details, you can use the same card map to get different looking cards. (sorta, kinda)

Anyways, that is what I did today. I tried phoning my daughter twice, but no answer. I face-timed with my sister and mother and with my Dad and "Dee". Tomorrow I will finish the bathrooms and vacuum downstairs. My SIL called me last night and we talked about the cruise and how much we are looking forward to it. I have printed out a description of the excursions, so we will probably use the time we have in Tampa to discuss which ones we would be interested in going together on. It's getting closer.

Running Errands

I started my day by unloading the dishwasher, reading some emails and blogs and writing out some comments. I took  the compost out into the backyard and then soaked the kitchen bin in hot bleach water. I cut up the cauliflower for the freezer and I shredded and fried the last cabbage. I had a doctor's appointment at 2 PM and I wanted to run some errands, so I determined I should leave at 12 o'clock noon. I forgot to eat lunch first. I am always giving my blogging friend Nathalie the gears about all the errands she runs in a single week, but I am afraid that I pretty near tied for first place today.
1) I stopped at the Pop-in Convenience store to buy 8 garbage tags for $20
2) Post Office: to pick up my mail. It was just adverts.
3) Home Hardware: to have 2 new house keys cut. I also bought a new snow shovel because the one we have been using for several years now is getting kind of wobbly. The last thing I need is my snow shovel to break off the handle before I clear my driveway in the middle of a snowstorm. They were on sale for 40% off the regular price. My total here was $22.32
4) Walmart: where I picked up a 20 kg bag of Pedigree dog food, some items I needed before the cruise and a few groceries. The total here was a whopping $ 95.40

 Food cost $16.39. I put one of the  450 gm cheese bars right into the freezer.

Missing from the photo is the Pedigree dog food $32.98 and 4 rechargeable batteries for my camera at $17.97  I couldn't find insect repellent anywhere in the house, so I had to pay $8.27 for this bottle. I hated paying full price for the hair dye and the repellent, but I am pretty sure Walmart has the best prices on both of these items. They certainly are the cheapest place to buy the dog food.
5) From Walmart, I went to my Dr's appointment. I drove around for 20 minutes trying to find parking. I just barely made the appointment time.
6) I came into town by way of Hgwy #2, but returned home by way of Bath Rd. I stopped at my Optometrist's office to have my brand new glasses repaired. The right lens has been falling out since the weekend, and I cannot see the screw clearly enough to tighten it up with the teeny tiny screwdriver made specifically for eyeglass repair. No charge.
7) My bank: to pick up $75 American dollars. Cost to me was $96.68 and I hope to bring most of it back home with me. This will be used for tipping.
8) Mr. Gas: to fill up my gas tank. Cost was $48.04

I know that Nathalie goes to more places than that, but I rarely have the patience to handle so many stops. Since I was on a roll, I phoned my credit card company to inform them of my upcoming trip and advise them that I will be taking my card with me. I don't want them to freeze my account when I try to make a payment out of country. It is now 6 o'clock and I am starving. I still haven't had lunch, so I will cook some sausage to go with the buttered cabbage. My SIL might phone tonight to discuss details of our trip coming up. Have a good evening everyone.

Tuesday Afternoon

Accomplishments
I started the day by watering all my indoor plants both upstairs and down, including the geraniums that I brought inside this fall.

I folded all the laundry I did up on the weekend. I dried one load by hanging them on hangers. Two other loads were bed sheets, so I ran them through the dryer.

I made up the queen sized bed in one of the spare rooms. The twin beds are already done up.

I finished packing my suitcase and my carry on, working from my lists so I wouldn't forget anything (I hope). I won't see my suitcase until late in the afternoon of the 17th, after we have already boarded the cruise ship, so I packed my carry on accordingly. I have my PJs, prescription medicine, some toiletries, change of under garments, hat, bathing suit, a sundress for dinner and a change of clothes for warm Florida weather. To travel in Canada, I am hoping to get away with jeans, tensor socks to help circulation in my legs during the flight, a tank top under a T-shirt with sweater and all-weather hooded windbreaker over top. I will carry gloves in the pockets. I am taking a bus from here to Toronto airport and then a shuttle to the hotel. Next morning we have to take another shuttle back to the airport to fly out to Tampa. I will be able to remove layers once I land and take another shuttle to another hotel. On the morning of the 17th, we take a shuttle to the boat between 11 and noon. We will only have our carry on with us, but we can use the ships facilities until we receive our luggage. I want to make sure I have my bathing suit and something to wear to the dining room.

I packed up my new purse that I bought myself before Christmas. I will have my cell phone, my tablet, my camera and all of my chargers with me in my purse. I downloaded 3 Netflix movies to my tablet this afternoon so I will have something to watch during all the traveling by bus and airplane. I can load up more movies in Tampa if I want  for the trip back. There will not be any need to watch movies while on the cruise. I put my bus ticket and airline ticket and Toronto hotel confirmation in my purse with passport and photo ID. I left the Florida hotel confirmation and boarding passes for the cruise ship and return flight tickets in my carry on luggage, as I won't be needing those until after we land.  I still need to pick up some small American bills for tipping,

My suitcase holds the bulk of my toiletries and makeup and some medications which I hope not to need (electrolyte powder, Pepto Bismol, Milk of Magnesia, Tylenol, gravol, antiseptic wipes, bandaids, probiotics, vitamins and calcium supplements that I take every day) I didn't pack soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower cap or hair dryer, as they are supplied in our stateroom. I will bring small scissors, packing tape, a small flashlight, a travel sewing kit with safety pins.  I packed some earrings, a couple of wraps, a watch and some costume jewellery. I have a black sundress, a white sundress, a black skirt, and a white skirt.  I brought several different tops to mix and match with the skirts as well as one pair of denim shorts and 2 pairs of capris. There are no formal nights on this cruise, but the dining room requires smart casual. We are on board for 11 days so I am hoping I have enough different outfits to wear, but I am sure I have over-packed. I usually do.

I have a Dr.'s appointment tomorrow so to combine errands, I have made up a list of items that I hope to buy before the weekend. 

The Week Ahead

Environment
House: No Spring cleaning yet. I will wait until after I get back from my Cruise at the end of the month. This week I need to make up the spare room beds for my daughter and grand kids coming this weekend. I need to clean the main bathroom and vacuum all the floors downstairs.
I have to keep the driveway clear of snow. I was outside this afternoon to clear half of it before I got too cold. Tonight after supper, I will try to get out to finish the job.

Finances
Spending: I need to go to the bank at some point to get some American bills to take with me on the trip. I will need to buy some more garbage tags this week and just a few extras for the kids staying this weekend (juice, chocolate milk, and perhaps more eggs), but I am sure I have enough groceries without needing to buy anything else. I also need to buy 2 more rechargeable AA batteries for my camera. Except for  tipping the driver delivering my prescription on Wednesday and groceries on Friday,  every day was a no spend day. I faltered on Friday when I bought some 75% off Xmas purchases that I really didn't need. I will be e-transferring money (from my gift fund) to my oldest grand daughter this coming weekend for her birthday.

Saving: I called my cable company this week and cancelled my cable and downgraded my phone plan to 100 free minutes of long distance a month, saving me $47.46 a month. On Saturday, I transferred my GST directly into my savings account. GST stands for Goods and Services Taxes,  and for those of us who have a low or modest income, the government sends these cheques quarterly to help offset these taxes that we pay. It is based on the previous year's income  and is kind of like another mini income tax return. They are deposited to my account in January, April, July and October.  I do not calculate this as an income, so banking it is doable.

Family and Friends: A friend of my husband came over for coffee on Saturday and we discussed the work that needs to be done in the Spring regarding the fallen ceiling and the water leak from the dining room window. I sent him home with some sweet loaves and Christmas cookies from the freezer. I have talked long distance with my daughter and four long-time friends. I have used Facebook messenger to face time with my  son in BC, my brother and SIL in Smith Falls, my sister and my mom and every day with my dad and "Dee".  I have texted several times with my other son and his fiancee. I also keep in touch by email. My SIL who is going on the cruise with me, is calling me on Wednesday evening so we can discuss what we are bringing and what excursions if any, we will go on. My daughter and her family are coming this weekend to pick up the dog and take him home with them. It will be great to see them.

Health: I am continuing to eat the diet prescribed to me by my GP. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist this Wednesday afternoon. My exercise has been shoveling snow. Ha.

Crafts and Leisure: I spent last Thursday making eight birthday cards. I mailed one out today. I have been watching You Tube videos to re-acquaint myself with embroidery stitching as I would like to begin a project when I get back. I will continue to make birthday cards as well as two "Thinking of You" cards this Thursday, but I will strive to make fewer than 8. That was too many for one day. 


 

Daybook: Monday, January 8, 2018

Outside my window.....it is snowing and blowing. I definitely have to go out and shovel my driveway today. It will probably take a couple of hours.

I am thinking.....that I did not accomplish anything on the weekend. I started packing but didn't finish. I did not do any housecleaning (dusting, vacuuming). I cooked some chicken and made broth but haven't taken the meat from the bones yet or made soup. I started on my mending pile, but have not finished. I feel like there are several projects in the works and nothing is DONE.

I am thankful for.....family and friends. I know. I know. It seems like I am always saying that; but lately, they are more important than usual.

From the kitchen.....I spent a couple of hours yesterday making moussaka. (It is yummy, but so time consuming). I have to finish making soup with the chicken broth and I need to freeze the chicken meat for future meals. I want to shred and saute the last head of cabbage so I can freeze it before leaving next Monday.

I am wearing..... blue jeans, a long sleeved T-shirt with hoodie and black socks.

I am creating.....cards one day a week. I am considering using two days this week to get ahead. I made 8 last Thursday but I need 7 of them already just to fill my own personal needs for birthday cards this month and next. I need to mail one of them out today. I watched some You Tube videos yesterday to refresh my memory on basic embroidery stitches. I would like to start a gift project when I get back.

I am going.....nowhere today except to shovel the driveway and a trip to the garden composter to feed it kitchen scraps.

I am hoping.....my dad's health improves quickly. He and "Dee" are not going on the cruise. He has spent the last week in hospital with a return of pneumonia. Fortunately, they had cancellation insurance on their cruise so they will be reimbursed. However, I still have to go with my SIL. I don't know this SIL as well as I should because she is married to one of my brothers who has broken ties with his whole family decades ago. My dad and "Dee" have maintained a relationship with his wife and kids however, and this is why they paid for a cruise for her (and me). She is a wonderful person and I shall enjoy her company and get to know her so much better after this trip because we will be bunk mates. Although I am very disappointed that my dad and "Dee" will not be there with us, I understand that my dad needs to stay put and get better. And I will try not to worry about him while we are gone. I will take lots of pictures to share with him.

I am hearing.....only the blower on the furnace. The dog is sleeping upstairs IN MY BED.

Around the house.....I still have towels on the floor where water was coming in from the window. I have two piles of tongue and groove planks with nails still sticking out of them waiting to go back up on my ceiling. I have floors waiting to be vacuumed. I haven't done them since I took the decorations down. My card making supplies are still on the dining room table. I need to give my craft room a good clean when I get back.

One of my favourite things.....is a new Netflix series that Nathalie recommended called "Line of Duty" produced by the BBC. I finished the first season. LOVED IT. I will be finishing the second season tonight (only two more episodes to watch). Thank you Nathalie. You know what I like.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include a doctor's appointment with my shrink this Wednesday. I need to go to the bank to pick up some American bills. Using my packing list, I will finish up packing my one piece of luggage and carry on. I make a list as I think of things, so I don't forget to pack them. (my camera, electronics, flashlight, battery charger, insect repellent, toiletries, etc., etc) Those things like sunscreen, Tylenol, Gravol  cost a fortune on board the cruise ship) When it comes to clothes, I try to pack light.

Here's the picture I am sharing..... The good news is that it has warmed up enough to snow.

Grocery Shopping in Napanee

A number of things that are happening in my life right now are dragging me down. (No pity party please. I am just stating facts). So this morning when I called my daughter, I was nearly in tears trying to explain how I was feeling. I just wanted to hear her voice and know that everything was okay. I got to talk with my two grand children, still home on holidays. My daughter was so reassuring and lifted my spirits so much that I felt able to leave the house to do my grocery shopping. I hope that some times I can do the same for her. She gets me and I appreciate her "pep talks" so much.

I decided to head to Napanee because there is a No-Frills store there, and of course it is home to the Giant Tiger. Love the G.T. It is a discount department store with a grocery section, and this week there were a number of sales on things I wanted. I have combined the purchases from both of these stores under the different categories.

Meat cost me $38.56
Bacon was $2.50 each for 2, and chubs of lean ground meat were $2 each for six. The rest was not sale priced, but I got tilapia ($2.88), chicken legs with backs attached ($6.87) and mild Italian sausage ($11.81) which I still need to repackage into smaller freezer bags.

Dairy cost $9.87
The plain yoghurt was 99 cents and the 400 g cheese were on for $4.44 each for two blocks.

Produce cost $26.76
I picked up a tray of apples from the discounted fruit. There was nothing wrong with them except that they were small, which suited me fine. I got 8 apples for 99 cents. The frozen bags of Asian mix vegetables were sale priced at $1.77 each for 3 bags. I paid $1.98 for 6 avocados. Those items were sale priced. I also picked up 6 zucchini ($3.66), one cauliflower for $2.47, 3 lbs. of sweet potatoes for $2.99, 2 large eggplants for $4.45, and both cabbages for a total of $4.91

Non-food items cost $6.22
The TP was 50% off, which was good. The little Xmas items were discounted even more than that at 75% off, but did I need them? No. I bought them because they were a bargain. Shame on me. Maybe I can use them as little gifts later this year.
My total expenditure for today was $88.33, including taxes. All was food except for the items in the final photo. I did go out on New Year's Eve to pick up a few items at the Shopper's Drug Mart, which I did not share with you yet but I will include it here because it was bought with money from January 2018's household budget.

I needed to buy eggs and milk, but as it turned out, all of these items were on sale. Total expenditure for this sale was $41.20, bringing my total to date to $129.53 The milk was $3.20 for a quart of homo milk, so I bought half and half for $2.50 each. The butter was $3.29 each . Maxwell instant coffee was $2.99  and the eggs were "dirt cheap" at $1.88 a dozen. The glucosomine is for my dog. It really helps with his arthritis, and hopefully the pain that accompanies it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Working at the New Job

Today was Thursday, and it was my first day at the new job. I didn't get started until after 9 AM because I was reading blogs (and not commenting), emails and talking on the phone. I produced two birthday cards before I made my breakfast of an omelet with diced peppers and crumbled bacon. I got the garbage out for pickup last night, but forgot to get the recycling out in time because I was busy with the cards. I had a late lunch of beef soup and before I quit for supper, I had completed 8 cards. Too many! I think next time I will aim for 5 or 6. I did not complete anything else today and that kind of bothers me. My shoulders hurt because I was hunched over the table. I didn't even have to make dinner because I had leftovers from last night to warm up. Eight cards in one day is a lot, but seven of them are already spoken for this month and that is the main reason why I will not show you any photos of them right now. I will take pictures though. I may or may not have to work 2 days a week to get ahead. Maybe aim for 10 to 12 cards a week??

I unplugged my outdoor Christmas lights and brought the timers in.

I unloaded  the dishwasher this morning and had another full load this evening.

Today was a no-spend, no-drive day.

My house is falling apart. Today while working on the cards, I heard water dripping from the window in my dining room. When I went over to investigate I stepped into a pool of water running down the wall underneath the window ledge. I have since put a container on the sill to catch the water drips and I have towels on the floor and the window ledge to soak up the water that has dripped from the window frame. Where is it coming from? My thinking is that it is melt water from the snow on the roof of the verandah. Is there flashing installed between the vinyl siding of the house and under the shingles of the verandah roof? There should be, but there is no way I can check until Spring. I hope this isn't going to be another problem for me this winter. What is happening??

First Day With a New List of Goals

I was going to make this my day for working on my "part-time job" of producing cards. However, this morning after checking my emails and answering phone calls, and a very frustrating hour of trying to send documents as PDF files to my sister, I discovered THIS.

 I don't know if you can see this very well, but the pine tongue-in-grove planks on the back of the ceiling were coming down. I mean, it didn't look like anything was holding them  up. If I didn't take each plank down myself, one at a time, the whole thing would come down on top of someone. I have no idea why they came away from the ceiling. They were not glued up there, like they should have been, but there were several finishing nails in each of the planks. Rick and a friend of his put them up years ago.  I will certainly need someone's help to put the ceiling back up. I took this photo after I had removed about half the planks. Anyways, the day could only get better from here. I made a change of plans and decided that Thursday will be my day to work on cards.

Today is  Wednesday and I need to put out the garbage and the recycling tonight. I have one garbage tag left from 2017, so I don't need to buy any this week. 

The day started out snowy again, although it has since stopped. I knew I had to pick up a prescription  in Amerstview and I like to group errands together. I need to buy groceries some time this week but the grocery store in Amerstview is NOT a discount grocery store. So I asked the drug store  to deliver my prescription  to me. It is a free service that I have never used before but I decided it was well worth the $4 tip I gave the driver for my pills to be delivered to me. I have enough meals available that I don't need to go shopping for a couple of days.

I also wanted to go to the Dollar Store to pick up a new 2018 Agenda like the one I used last year. I decided against it after I printed out a free January calendar from an on-line site.

I made a pot of soup with some beef broth that was in my freezer and added some fried hamburger, dried onion flakes,chopped celery, diced carrot, tomato, burgundy beans and cauliflower (all from the freezer). This pot of soup will do my lunches for several days.

I called my cable provider and downgraded my phone plan and cancelled my cable TV. Since discovering Netflix, I haven't watched much television (except for the news) for most of this  year. My monthly payment for phone and internet will be $123.10, saving me  $47.46 a month. WooHoo.

I walked to the post office and picked up my mail. I received two more Christmas presents. What a lovely surprise. I was told they were coming by mail but I had completely forgotten about  them.

Another Michael's gift card "to feed my addiction."

A "Just Because Box" from one of my nieces, filled with pampering all natural bath and body products ( a bath bomb, body balm, solid perfume, and love those socks). It is one of 3 boxes that are due to arrive in the next 3 months. The "Just Because Box" is shipped out from a company in Texas. This will be so much fun. My niece told me that my gift also includes a weekend of pampering in Ottawa (where she lives) when we get a chance to set a date.

So now I am off to make dinner of a sausage casserole. I cannot believe another day has gone by and it is getting dark again already. The street lamps are on, as well as my outdoor Christmas lights. I had intended to unplug them on New Year's Day, but the snow has been deep and I haven't made the trek across the front snow banks yet. I'll have to get it done soon.

Goals for 2018

Environment:
House- I would like to tackle my Spring Cleaning at the beginning of February as soon as I get back from my holiday cruise. I will post a list of things I want to accomplish during the week on Monday and report on the progress at week's end. I would like to finish Spring Cleaning by the first of May.
With any extra money I can save for Projects, I will use it for paint. Paint is relatively cheap and will freshen up the space immensely.
I will continue to purge, but I will take photos this time and post. 

Garden- I will roto till my vegetable garden this year and tend vegetables that fit with my new low carb diet, including tomatoes, broccoli, snow peas, some carrots, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and the like. I had a difficult summer trying to maintain everything on my own, but I have decided that the vegetable garden has to take precedence over the flower gardens.
I will try to learn more DIY projects to do more of my own home maintenance.
I will learn how to use the riding lawn mower, the pressure washer, the snow blower and some of the power tools that I would like to keep.

 Finances:
Spending- I plan on not spending any money to purchase NEW. I will try to borrow first. If it is something I feel I need, I will try to buy it second hand. I will spread the word that I am looking for something and hope someone can help me out. I will continue to record every cent I spend and mark it as food or a non-food item. I will look for ways to spend less on food by using sales, coupons, rebates and reward points. I need to start today making more of my gifts for next Christmas.  I will try to have a no-spend week once a month.

Saving- I need to get back into the habit of paying X every month into savings and an Emergency fund, as though it were just another expense. I need to find ways of cutting some of my expenses even further. I may look into ways of turning my crafts into a little revenue. I will examine more ways of earning points on-line to turn into credits for Amazon or PayPal. I have to NOT leave free money on the table by letting the dates expire on rebates and free product samples. That means more recording and accountability.

Family and Friends: I will continue to call my sister and my mother and maintain a closer relationship with both. I want to make more of a concerted effort to stay in touch with friends by visiting them more often. I will maintain a close relationship with my children and grandchildren.

Health: I will continue regular appointments with my doctors and stay on my low carb diet in an effort to keep my blood sugar chemistry in check. If I lose more weight because of that, BONUS.

Crafts and Leisure: Card making has been a creative outlet for me in the past. This year I am going to turn more of the focus on making it a part time job by devoting at least one day a week to making cards or some kind of paper craft (mini scrapbooks, card boxes, etc.). If I can sell some of my products, I will. If I don't, I can still use all of it as handmade items for gifting. I would like to better my skills to help me with gift giving or in saving me money through DIY. (sewing, knitting, embroidery, jewellery making to name a few)      
                                     
 That is quite the wish list. It will only work if I try harder to list the steps I mean to take at the beginning of the week and follow up by a weekend report.  Maybe I only have ONE resolution....better accountability.

A Reminder of My 2017 Goals

 

Personal goals for 2017

Family:

 I need to try harder to stay in touch with my mom. Ideally, that would mean phoning her at least once a week....perhaps the same day each week, so she will come to expect them. If I do not phone her, then I must make and send her a card.  I failed miserably in this regard. I did not try to phone her but I did indeed send more cards to both her and my step-dad. Now that she is living with my sister, I have definitely talked to her more often, so this is a very good thing.

Continue to send my young nephews and nieces some cards on special holidays and make more "Just because I love you" cards for my grandchildren. Yes, I have continued to send special occasion cards to my nephews and nieces (Valentines, Easter, Hallowe'en and Christmas) , but I only sent one extra "just because" card to my youngest grandchildren.

Health:

I would like to lose 20 pounds over the course of this year, and keep it off. I will consume less sugar and starches and eat more soups and vegetables. Definite success but not due to anything I attempted. It was due to my doctor's insistence, and I have been successful at keeping up with it. 

I hate exercise, but I will attempt to walk more and work out of doors in the good weather.  I think this was successful. I believe I was forced to work outdoors much more. I still don't take walks and I still hate exercise.

Special projects:

I need to save money just for some special projects I would like to happen this year. (There was no extra money saved for projects)

• tear down and rebuild a new deck in the back yard. The deck was torn down and replaced with 5 yards of gravel.
• outside painting NO
• new laminate in the Master bedroom  NO
• repair and tile the kitchen floor  NO

Crafts:

I will learn to use my sewing machine to use up some of my fabric stash NO
I will make mats for my card making from bits of paper scraps that I have been collecting.  I think I did much, much better in this regard. I still have a lot of paper scraps to use up, but I have researched more card designs to help me use them up.
I will try to learn more complicated knitting patterns, instead of just dishcloths. NO
I need to make at least 3 scrapbooks this winter. NO

Purging and Organization:

I will purge at least 5 items a day, or 25 a week, and I will post about it. Big Success, and it was mostly due to my SIL coming every other week this past Spring to help me purge carloads of stuff to Value Village. Rick's brother took two trailer loads to the dump from the shed, and a neighbour helped me remove another trailer load late this summer. I look forward to continuing the purge into this year as well.

Maintenance and Preparedness:

 I will try to learn more skills for myself in  DIY and upcycling and share about it on my blog. YES!

Finances:

I need to write down every penny I make, spend on food, spend on sundries, and save for a special project
I wasn't always successful, but I gave it a good try.
Accountability:

I will be better at reporting on my weekly and monthly goals.  Nearer the end of the year, I discovered that reporting on weekly goals was better for me and I became more successful with reporting it. 

Tomorrow I hope to present my personal goals for 2018. In fact they will remain pretty much what I proposed for 2017. Circumstances changed my priorities last year, but overall they are still goals that I want to pursue. I will be placing more emphasis on Finances and Environment (Home and Garden)  by laying down some more detailed steps to follow month by month.