**Warning: the post is really wordy!**
I have a week off from work and I don't want to waste it. Since I am lucky enough to regularly get time off to relax, I feel like this week should be a productivity week. I have set some really lofty goals for myself and I hope that if I post them here I will feel more pressure to be accountable. Want to see the lists? Yes. LISTS.
Cleaning
Clean Upstairs Bathroom
Clean Downstairs Bathroom
Clean Kitchen
Wash Sheets
Make Bed
Wash Guest Sheets
Make Guest Bed Upstairs
Make Guest Bed Downstairs
Tidy Sewing Area
Vacuum Upstairs
Vacuum Downstairs
Cat Box
Wash Floors
Finish All Laundry
Dust
Garbage & Recycling
This list is purely my regular cleaning list. I usually neglect it, but it would be good to get the house really clean before we have 4 different guest over the next 10 days.
Extra Cleaning & Organizing
Organize Linen Closet
Organize Under the Stairs Closet
Organize Pantry
Organize Kitchen Corner Cupboards
Clean Out Laundry Room
Clean Out Bedroom Closet
Clean Out Front Hall Closet
Sort Winter & Summer Clothes
Find Joel’s Sandals
Clean Out Car
Weed Gardens
Cut Lawn
Edge Trim Lawn
This list is the list of things that bother me but I never get around to. For instance, the cat box is in the laundry room, and the cats tend to spread litter all over the floor around their box. I would love to pull up the foam mats on the floor and sweep really well, but I never do it. Or how about Joel's sandals have been missing for weeks and I can't get enough floor space in the downstairs storage room to actually stand there and look through boxes. The mowing the grass and weeding I may farm out to our roommate.
Am I seeming crazy yet?
Cooking
Butter Chicken
Pea & Bacon Pasta
Chickpea Korma
Falafel
Soup
Spaghetti Bolognese
Basil Pesto & Chicken
Pork Chops
The cooking list is a new one for me. A couple of days ago I was inspired to cook a pile of single serving meals for freezing. My hubby and our roommate both work in office buildings and both spend long days there. They each take different approaches to lunches. Joel just doesn't bring one which drives me crazy because I picture him starving all day. Our roommate always packs a good healthy lunch, but it's always whatever is convenient which is usually very expensive and ends up with us having to make more trips to the grocery store than we want. So I've come up with a plan to make (hopefully) a month to six weeks worth of healthy, yummy and interesting lunches that they can grab out of the freezer in the morning.
And finally...becuase I need to do something for myself in all of this or I might go crazy from the stress:
Just for Me
Finish Cosmo Bag
Finish DoublePlusGood Quilt
Cut Pieces for Christmas Stars
DQS11 draft
PLPS draft
Workout
Pillow Covers?
Dr.’s Appointment
Blog
Most of the things on that list are probably not going to happen, but oh well. At the very least I can take a trip to the fabric store on my way back from the Dr.'s office.
Please feel free to call me crazy. Do you ever get in moods like this? You've had enough and you just force yourself to push through all the annoying tedious things you don't usually find time for. Or are you more like the realistic me who knows that 1/2 of this won't get done but the 1/2 that does will make you feel really good anyway?
My plan is to update as I go through the week. Maybe if I get it all done (or at least a respectable amount of it) I will host a giveaway over the weekend. Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
time off plans
I have almost 2 full weeks off starting today (what can I say? my job rocks!) I have decided that I had better use this unexpected gift wisely and try to be productive. So, here (in order to keep me accountable) is a list of the goals I hope to accomplish by the end of the month:
1. Finish the Plain Spoken III top, wash the backing and baste the quilt.
2. Finish cutting all the pieces for my Single Girl quilt. Piece all the rings.
3. Find a great deal and order 25 yards of Kona Snow for my Single Girl quilt.
4. Make a throw pillow to match the Single Girl quilt.
5. Do some spring cleaning and organizing. Mainly in my sewing area and the storage closests in the house.
6. Put away (most) of the winter stuff.
7. Make all of the Craft it Forward gifts that I owe people. (More on that later.)
8. Organize more Crafternoons with Esther (I'll call you Esther!)
9. Do LOTS of blogging!
10. Go to the gym everyday but Sunday.
There is also a distinct possibility that I could end up with a paid sewing job for some curtains that need to be altered. They are massive and heavy and would require me to bring my machine to them, so if I do end up getting that little job I will have to put aside 2 days to go and get that done.
So there we go. 10, maybe 11 things that I would like to get done by the end of my "vacation" time. The gym thing would be really nice to accomplish since I have been super lazy recently. I wanted to start running outside a few weeks ago, but the weather in Calgary has been uncooperative as per usual. I think it would help my energy levels and overall happiness to be doing something active each day.
To help me keep organized, I've started using Teux Deux. Have you heard of it? Not only does the name make me laugh, but it is super easy to use and also quite nice to look at. Check it out. Of course the downside is that when you can keep track of your to do's on a daily basis it's easy to see how little you got done the day before if you were being lazy. Oh well.
1. Finish the Plain Spoken III top, wash the backing and baste the quilt.
2. Finish cutting all the pieces for my Single Girl quilt. Piece all the rings.
3. Find a great deal and order 25 yards of Kona Snow for my Single Girl quilt.
4. Make a throw pillow to match the Single Girl quilt.
5. Do some spring cleaning and organizing. Mainly in my sewing area and the storage closests in the house.
6. Put away (most) of the winter stuff.
7. Make all of the Craft it Forward gifts that I owe people. (More on that later.)
8. Organize more Crafternoons with Esther (I'll call you Esther!)
9. Do LOTS of blogging!
10. Go to the gym everyday but Sunday.
There is also a distinct possibility that I could end up with a paid sewing job for some curtains that need to be altered. They are massive and heavy and would require me to bring my machine to them, so if I do end up getting that little job I will have to put aside 2 days to go and get that done.
So there we go. 10, maybe 11 things that I would like to get done by the end of my "vacation" time. The gym thing would be really nice to accomplish since I have been super lazy recently. I wanted to start running outside a few weeks ago, but the weather in Calgary has been uncooperative as per usual. I think it would help my energy levels and overall happiness to be doing something active each day.
To help me keep organized, I've started using Teux Deux. Have you heard of it? Not only does the name make me laugh, but it is super easy to use and also quite nice to look at. Check it out. Of course the downside is that when you can keep track of your to do's on a daily basis it's easy to see how little you got done the day before if you were being lazy. Oh well.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
rant
I've had a few things rolling around in my head for a few days and I finally decided to put there down somewhere so I can stop thinking about them. Here goes:
1. Almost everyone I know, myself included, has opinions about raising and interacting with children. Since I don't yet have kids of my own, in many ways I don't feel qualified to have opinions. However, I work as a nanny to 3 fabulous kids and have for a couple of years now, and it has provided ne an opportunity to sort out some of my personal opinions and ideas about raising children. Don't worry, I'm not going to share them with you here. I believe that everyone has the right to raise their children in whatever way they feel is right and best for them and I try very hard not to offer advice unless specifically asked. But I'll admit, I have criticized (either in my head or to a family member or friend) some odd parenting choices I've seen from time to time.
The reason I have been thinking about this is becuase of something that happened last Friday. I took one of the kids to a fun morning play group with songs, art and activities. He is normally a very happy and out going little guy but was obviously feeling a little off his game that day. It was a full hour of mini meltdowns and temper tantrums, and if I was feeling bold enough, I should have just taken him home early. That probably would have been the best solution. Not because I felt he needed to be punished, but because he wasn't happy and I wasn't happy and it was stressing us both out. Oh well, hindsight, right?
After the free play portion of the morning, we moved on to art and the meltdown ramped up even more. I did what I could to move him on to doing something he enjoys and try to redirect, and when that didn't work I calmly said "no more" and let him sit where he was and work it out. The idea was that he usual calms down quite quickly and comes back to where the fun is. He had been sitting on the floor crying for no more than 15 seconds when a mother fom the class came up and gave me a faux sympathetic look and said in a very syrupy voice "would you mind if I try holding him?" I was so surprised by this that without thinking I agreed. It was only once she had picked him up that I realized how pissed I was. She proceeded to bounce and snuggle and coo at him like he was an infant and say things to me like "oooh, he's a sensitive little guy isn't he?". After a minute of this, he was more upset than he had been and I regained my presence of mind enough to take him back.
Here's my question: why was this woman thinking it was her place to step in? He wasn't in any pain or being neglected, he was a toddler having a temper tantrum. And why, when she offered "help" did she thinking it was appropriate to do so in such an obnoxious and condescending way?
I am young, yes. Not necessarily too young to have a child of my own, but young. And I look younger than I am. I frequently get mistaken for a high schooler, and I frequently get mistaken for a mother when I am out with the kids I nanny. But still, why would you offer unsolicited parenting advice to a stranger or offer to hold them with the not so subtle underone of "I can do it better than you."
I recently read a serious of posts entitled Momness by Kacy of Every Day I Write the Book, about this subject and I have to agree. Unless you know soneone and their kid(s) personally, butt out. And even if you do know them, tread lightly and respectfully and offer something constrctive instead of just plain critical. Otherwise you may get punched in the face. Because that is what I felt like doing.
Moving on.
2. A sure sign of spring in our community is a sudden and steep increase in the number of people knocking on our door. I don't know what it is about our particular part of town, but I have never had so many unwelcome visitors to our front porch.
To name a few: ADT, the Jehovas Witnesses, the Mormons, municipal political candidates, the scouts, the yellow pages, the Calgary Herlald, the Calgary Sun, it goes on.
Last weekend we had the Scouts AND the Jehovah's Witnesses (twice) over two days. I was irritated by the scouts because they were doing a bottle drive to raise money for their troop and had posted big billboards asking people who wanted to donate to put them on their porch, clearly labeled, by a certain time on a certain day. We don't give money to the Scouts. We don't want to give our bottles to the Scouts. So we didn't put any bottles out. And guess what? They came knocking anyway. I was polite and friendly to the boy that came to the door, because he was a kid, but I was irritated that a leader was sending their kids around to ask.
Not 5 minutes after I sent the Scout away, a pair of men dressed in suits and carrying little pamphlets on Jesus came knocking. I opened the door and greeted them and they immediately started in on their speech. I quickly interrupted them and said as politely as possibly, "I'm sorry but we have a sign on our door that clearly states 'No Solicitors". We are not interested." Big shocker, they started telling me they weren't soliciting but merely telling me about Jesus. I call that soliciting religious information. I wasn't so polite after that. I told them I consider them solicitors and they are not exempt from the sign, and to please leave immediately and by the way, don't come back.
Call me mean or cranky, but if I want information on your religious organization or political campaign, or a vacuum, or alarm system or ANYTHING ELSE, I will come find you. Please do no knock on my door at 9am on a Saturday morning and bother me with it. I will shut the door in your face.
The Jehovah's Witness's came back the next morning and then I was really pissed. I pointed to the sign, said "What does it say???" And again, they told me they weren't soliciting. Seriously. I told them what I told their friends yesterday and to get lost.
Needless to say, I will be our replacing the sign with something bigger and more menacing. How does this sound:
PLEASE NO:
Solicitors, Peddlers, Sales People, Religious/Spiritual Organizations, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Canvassers, Free Trial Offers, Energy Companies, Flyers, Phone Books, Yellow Pages or Home Security Companies
If you think you might be exempt from that list, you are NOT. Do not ring the bell, knock on the door or leave anything behind. We don't want it. If you ignore this we will call your company or organization and complain, and we will call the city and complain about you and your company.
Neighbours, Friends, Family and Newspapers always welcome!
Haha, do I sound like enough of a grump yet?? Obviously I won't put all that on a sign, but people interrupting my personal time make me cranky...so maybe I will!
1. Almost everyone I know, myself included, has opinions about raising and interacting with children. Since I don't yet have kids of my own, in many ways I don't feel qualified to have opinions. However, I work as a nanny to 3 fabulous kids and have for a couple of years now, and it has provided ne an opportunity to sort out some of my personal opinions and ideas about raising children. Don't worry, I'm not going to share them with you here. I believe that everyone has the right to raise their children in whatever way they feel is right and best for them and I try very hard not to offer advice unless specifically asked. But I'll admit, I have criticized (either in my head or to a family member or friend) some odd parenting choices I've seen from time to time.
The reason I have been thinking about this is becuase of something that happened last Friday. I took one of the kids to a fun morning play group with songs, art and activities. He is normally a very happy and out going little guy but was obviously feeling a little off his game that day. It was a full hour of mini meltdowns and temper tantrums, and if I was feeling bold enough, I should have just taken him home early. That probably would have been the best solution. Not because I felt he needed to be punished, but because he wasn't happy and I wasn't happy and it was stressing us both out. Oh well, hindsight, right?
After the free play portion of the morning, we moved on to art and the meltdown ramped up even more. I did what I could to move him on to doing something he enjoys and try to redirect, and when that didn't work I calmly said "no more" and let him sit where he was and work it out. The idea was that he usual calms down quite quickly and comes back to where the fun is. He had been sitting on the floor crying for no more than 15 seconds when a mother fom the class came up and gave me a faux sympathetic look and said in a very syrupy voice "would you mind if I try holding him?" I was so surprised by this that without thinking I agreed. It was only once she had picked him up that I realized how pissed I was. She proceeded to bounce and snuggle and coo at him like he was an infant and say things to me like "oooh, he's a sensitive little guy isn't he?". After a minute of this, he was more upset than he had been and I regained my presence of mind enough to take him back.
Here's my question: why was this woman thinking it was her place to step in? He wasn't in any pain or being neglected, he was a toddler having a temper tantrum. And why, when she offered "help" did she thinking it was appropriate to do so in such an obnoxious and condescending way?
I am young, yes. Not necessarily too young to have a child of my own, but young. And I look younger than I am. I frequently get mistaken for a high schooler, and I frequently get mistaken for a mother when I am out with the kids I nanny. But still, why would you offer unsolicited parenting advice to a stranger or offer to hold them with the not so subtle underone of "I can do it better than you."
I recently read a serious of posts entitled Momness by Kacy of Every Day I Write the Book, about this subject and I have to agree. Unless you know soneone and their kid(s) personally, butt out. And even if you do know them, tread lightly and respectfully and offer something constrctive instead of just plain critical. Otherwise you may get punched in the face. Because that is what I felt like doing.
Moving on.
2. A sure sign of spring in our community is a sudden and steep increase in the number of people knocking on our door. I don't know what it is about our particular part of town, but I have never had so many unwelcome visitors to our front porch.
To name a few: ADT, the Jehovas Witnesses, the Mormons, municipal political candidates, the scouts, the yellow pages, the Calgary Herlald, the Calgary Sun, it goes on.
Last weekend we had the Scouts AND the Jehovah's Witnesses (twice) over two days. I was irritated by the scouts because they were doing a bottle drive to raise money for their troop and had posted big billboards asking people who wanted to donate to put them on their porch, clearly labeled, by a certain time on a certain day. We don't give money to the Scouts. We don't want to give our bottles to the Scouts. So we didn't put any bottles out. And guess what? They came knocking anyway. I was polite and friendly to the boy that came to the door, because he was a kid, but I was irritated that a leader was sending their kids around to ask.
Not 5 minutes after I sent the Scout away, a pair of men dressed in suits and carrying little pamphlets on Jesus came knocking. I opened the door and greeted them and they immediately started in on their speech. I quickly interrupted them and said as politely as possibly, "I'm sorry but we have a sign on our door that clearly states 'No Solicitors". We are not interested." Big shocker, they started telling me they weren't soliciting but merely telling me about Jesus. I call that soliciting religious information. I wasn't so polite after that. I told them I consider them solicitors and they are not exempt from the sign, and to please leave immediately and by the way, don't come back.
Call me mean or cranky, but if I want information on your religious organization or political campaign, or a vacuum, or alarm system or ANYTHING ELSE, I will come find you. Please do no knock on my door at 9am on a Saturday morning and bother me with it. I will shut the door in your face.
The Jehovah's Witness's came back the next morning and then I was really pissed. I pointed to the sign, said "What does it say???" And again, they told me they weren't soliciting. Seriously. I told them what I told their friends yesterday and to get lost.
Needless to say, I will be our replacing the sign with something bigger and more menacing. How does this sound:
PLEASE NO:
Solicitors, Peddlers, Sales People, Religious/Spiritual Organizations, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Canvassers, Free Trial Offers, Energy Companies, Flyers, Phone Books, Yellow Pages or Home Security Companies
If you think you might be exempt from that list, you are NOT. Do not ring the bell, knock on the door or leave anything behind. We don't want it. If you ignore this we will call your company or organization and complain, and we will call the city and complain about you and your company.
Neighbours, Friends, Family and Newspapers always welcome!
Haha, do I sound like enough of a grump yet?? Obviously I won't put all that on a sign, but people interrupting my personal time make me cranky...so maybe I will!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
a random finish
A WHILE back, (like...November?) I made a set of 10 colourful over sized bibs as a custom order. I was asked to make them for a child of an acquaintance of a friend. You follow? Anyways, the girl who got them is around 10 years old and has severe cerebral palsy which means (among other things)that she has no control over her saliva. This results in excessive drooling which means this poor girl has to have her clothes changed about 4 times a day, just to keep her from being soaking wet. The family has tried towels and bibs to help, but nothing seemed to work.
I came up with a plan to make a bib big enough to fit me that had a fun cotton on the top followed by 2 absorbent layers (1 cotton, 1 cotton batting) and backed with a plastic layer to prevent it from soaking through. I had a pile of fun fabrics sitting around in my stash that I had yet to find a use for and I thought that since they were going to become a part of her wardrobe, they should be more fun than just whatever I had lying around. For the backing, I purchased an eco-friendly white shower curtain liner and cut it to pieces. It was a bit difficult to sew with but did the trick.
I picked out some cool stuff and added a second pattern to each bib for the strings. I used 1"bias binding to make the strings and it seemed to work pretty well.
Here they are on their way to their new home. I didn't deliver them in person, but rather let my friend take them over and I haven't heard whether they work well, but I sure hope they do! In any case, they were super fun to make and it was really good to actually put some of my stash to good use.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
random
I got new glasses today!
Clearlycontacts.ca was having a crazy $38 end of season clearance sale, so I picked up this crazy pair of Elvis Costello style, nerd-a-licious glasses for a mere $50.04 including shipping. Now that is an absolute miracle because my Rx is ridiculously strong and my last pair of glasses retailed for almost $800 (don't worry I didn't pay that price!)
They are so over the top different from my nearly invisible glasses I've had for the last 4 years, but I think I am embracing the the dorky statement they make. Now if only I could get the sick feeling out of my stomach from trying to get used to the new Rx.
**
In case I haven't mentioned it enough, my job is awesome!
The twins have finally stopped the screaming and crying every time I come over (they hate when their parents leave)and they are cuter than ever. They are talking more and more all the time and even call me by my name now! Yay! Also, they love it when I bring my camera. They get me to take a zillion pictures of all their toys and show them over and over again!
Last week we all put our aprons on and tried making fruit smoothies together. I put all the ingredients in little ramekins and had them take turns dumping them in. Unfortunately I forgot to prepare them for how loud the blender is when it crushes ice and I nearly scared them right off the chair and onto the floor!
They LOVED the smoothies! It is so much fun hanging out with them.
At the other house, J and I did a little art project last week. Being 16 months, I thought it was time for a little finger painting fun! Of course, I didn't remember that he puts his hands in his mouth all the time because well, he's 16 months old! So finger painting quickly turned into tongue painting and crying. Oops. Don't worry it's no toxic! He made an adorable painting though and it made me laugh. Is that mean?
***
Joel and I were given a very generous amount of money from friends and family for Christmas and decided we are going to use it to go on a much needed vacation in March. We've narrowed it down to 2 possible weeks, and Mexico, and hopefully will actually book something tomorrow. I'm beyond excited! Not only do we get to have some time off together, but I get to go back to Mexico and RELAX instead of work 14 hours a day like I did in December of 2009. I'll keep you posted on where we choose.
***
365 is going well. I'm still having fun taking my camera out every day. I've missed one day and taken a couple of crappy end of day nothing to shoot pictures, but overall I'm having a lot of fun. Once we get to February 1st I'll put up the January mosaic, but you can check the set out anytime here.
***
Okay, done with the random. Have a fabulous week!
Clearlycontacts.ca was having a crazy $38 end of season clearance sale, so I picked up this crazy pair of Elvis Costello style, nerd-a-licious glasses for a mere $50.04 including shipping. Now that is an absolute miracle because my Rx is ridiculously strong and my last pair of glasses retailed for almost $800 (don't worry I didn't pay that price!)
They are so over the top different from my nearly invisible glasses I've had for the last 4 years, but I think I am embracing the the dorky statement they make. Now if only I could get the sick feeling out of my stomach from trying to get used to the new Rx.
**
In case I haven't mentioned it enough, my job is awesome!
The twins have finally stopped the screaming and crying every time I come over (they hate when their parents leave)and they are cuter than ever. They are talking more and more all the time and even call me by my name now! Yay! Also, they love it when I bring my camera. They get me to take a zillion pictures of all their toys and show them over and over again!
Last week we all put our aprons on and tried making fruit smoothies together. I put all the ingredients in little ramekins and had them take turns dumping them in. Unfortunately I forgot to prepare them for how loud the blender is when it crushes ice and I nearly scared them right off the chair and onto the floor!
They LOVED the smoothies! It is so much fun hanging out with them.
At the other house, J and I did a little art project last week. Being 16 months, I thought it was time for a little finger painting fun! Of course, I didn't remember that he puts his hands in his mouth all the time because well, he's 16 months old! So finger painting quickly turned into tongue painting and crying. Oops. Don't worry it's no toxic! He made an adorable painting though and it made me laugh. Is that mean?
***
Joel and I were given a very generous amount of money from friends and family for Christmas and decided we are going to use it to go on a much needed vacation in March. We've narrowed it down to 2 possible weeks, and Mexico, and hopefully will actually book something tomorrow. I'm beyond excited! Not only do we get to have some time off together, but I get to go back to Mexico and RELAX instead of work 14 hours a day like I did in December of 2009. I'll keep you posted on where we choose.
***
365 is going well. I'm still having fun taking my camera out every day. I've missed one day and taken a couple of crappy end of day nothing to shoot pictures, but overall I'm having a lot of fun. Once we get to February 1st I'll put up the January mosaic, but you can check the set out anytime here.
***
Okay, done with the random. Have a fabulous week!
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