The “Making Home” List

Monday’s early morning plan came off with success, despite the fact that it happened in my nightgown (not dressed for the day as intended) and that I drank Bengal Spice tea instead of cappuccino. Whatever works, right?

February’s calendar is filling up. Knowing I’ll be stretched to get everything done has me desiring my house, at least, to be in good order. So with that in mind, I read my Bible, prayed, and made a list.

Don’t know what it is about making lists, or implementing schedules, but it’s amazing how it motivates. I listed things I knew I could accomplish today–or this week, got dressed, fed the girls their breakfast and got them started making birthday cards for their grand-dad.

Then I was off! The red-checked ones are accomplished!

• catch up on housework from the weekend, pretty much a: (Check!)
• catch up on laundry which includes scrubbing some pretty gross stains from toddler’s two “incidents” yesterday–at church, no less (Check!)
• change and wash sheets on all the beds (Master bedroom–Check! Crib–Check!)
• sort out the overflowing basket of mismatched socks on hubby’s dresser–where do they all come from? (Check!)
• HOMESCHOOL (easy to forget once I get to cleaning!) (Check!)
• deep clean the bathroom (except for washing curtains) (Check!)
• mend the following: hubby’s two sweatshirts (front pockets and tear in back of one), hem 6 yo’s skirt, re-attach 9 yo’s sundress strap, sew tie tabs back onto kitchen chair cushion (Check to all those!)
• help 6 yo make oatmeal cookies for her grand-dad (Check!)

Still to do, sometime:

• print out a Google calendar and use it to plan my next quarter as Education committee chairman–or I might just make a notebook for that job, haven’t decided (Georgiana D at her new blog: Honey Do, has some great ideas on this)
• patch dh’s jeans and wonder-under tiny tear in one of his nice shirts
• make posters in prep for my spelling rule classes
• finish making flash cards for each family participating in the spelling rule classes
• organize my words/sentences for this Saturday’s spelling bee (I’m the pronouncer)
• write the second part of a two-part blog post for MInTheGap’s site (I’ve been contributing there this week, while he’s being a new daddy to baby #3)
• wash and change sheets on girls’ bunk beds
• deep clean/rearrange living room
• take pics of my quilts in hopes of using them for my new blog header
• finish critiquing one friend’s wip, read and review another’s, work on my own (?) (that’s a hopeful question mark!)
• trim up dh’s curlies (do all wives do this? shave the fuzz that grows on a man’s neck in between haircuts? Dh is looking neglected!)
• back porch? Not sure I want to go there after a couple week’s snow and mud

That’s all I came up with for this week. I’ll probably add more. Fitting it in between:

1. Tuesday morning’s Bible study and lunch here at my house with my parents
2. Homeschooling
3. Blogging each day (my reward for getting above accomplished!)
4. Possibly taking a meal to a friend who’s just had a baby
5. Helping a friend put up wallpaper border–several room’s worth in her new house–if I can round up a babysitter for toddler

The torture of it is I have an advance copy of Deb Raney’s Remember to Forget just begging me to pick it up and read away…I have a feeling that it’s going to be the escape I need at some point during this coming week!

Plus, the weekend holds not only the spelling bee, but our 4H Groundhog feed fundraiser…

On a nice side note, my 9 yo invented a candy just like Reese’s peanut butter cups. She used our candy molds, and melted a mixture somewhat like the chocolate glaze we used when making cream puffs…only it was all from memory…then she put a dollop of peanut butter and covered it with more chocolate, then refrigerated them. Yum!

We ended the day going to Grand-dad’s to deliver the goodies and wish him a happy birthday! (I wonder if dd saved back some of those chocolate things for me…) :O)