Whistle while you work Friday

[Elizabeth]

Well, I am back to document mods. However, interspersed with that, I am researching Stockholm shore excursions. They have a bicycle excursion at several ports. I'm not doing that, but it is interesting to note. Tonight, I will try again to get my camera's pictures onto the computer. I will also update Quicken and try my new budget system. It is: Move everything from checking to savings except for my latest paycheck. Use only the paycheck to live on. If that is not enough, then adjust expenditures. If it is more than enough, put more into retirement/investments. I really need to get a handle on my cash flow. I am not extravagant except that I like to go out for lunch and Girls' Night Out and weekend lunches. Well, maybe I am extravagant, but I don't engage in 'retail therapy'. Whenever I feel the urge to shop, I examine my list of things I need to buy. My last shopping trip resulted in a shredder and letter opener.

[sherinjoy]

Hi Elizabeth - speaking of Quicken, I just reconciled two months of credit card slips into Quicken. All caught up now, feels satisfying. I've used Quicken for years, but I know there are lots of features that I've never figured out. I'm thinking this year I would like to get more precise numbers of our financial picture, so maybe I'll try learning some of their input features and load the data I have elsewhere to consolidate financial reporting.

Taking a break now - I did make progress on a few tasks.

[Elizabeth]

I just looked up shore excursions in Visby, Sweden, completing my assignment of doing the research for the shore excursions. All I have to do is print them off and make selections, then mail them off to my friend. One thing off the to do list.

I wish I had plans for dinner, but I don't.

[Indiana]

My days and nights are backwards. Up last night and slept today off and on.

We have 7" of snow. They plowed all night. Now it is blowing and drifting.

I fell asleep and I'm missing going to the dining room. I'm going to have soup.

[OKay]

Our time outside was enjoyable and productive. I cleaned out the fire pit and put the ashes on the garden. We gathered wood that needs to be burned and loaded the fire pit so it is ready to use. LO was a good helper gathering wood by pulling his wagon around the pasture until he had a full load of sticks. I weedeated around the vegetable garden and LO sand box.....it feels unreal to be mowing and weedeating in JANUARY!!

[Nancy]

I'm back from the library I returned the videos & donated a book that I'm done reading. So that felt productive. Also got on the wait list of two other books I want to read and requested one other.

Had a nice visit with dson when he called about the platform with wheels on it from the farm to move furniture with. I remembered it was in the back of the truck and hubby is in dson's area today so when he's done he'll just leave it on their porch. Dson said that last weekend dgds #1&2 did not come down as they were on the mend from the flu. They did not celebrate dgd #2 's bday yet bc of that. She will be here Mon. part of the day.

I mixed up a batch of cookie dough.

Watched a couple of movies; slum dog, and the soloist; I had not seen either of those they were on cable so that was nice then I went for a short walk.

Enjoying my day of solitude still trying to get the kink out of my back I was so hoping that the walk would do it for me ~sigh~ but that was not the case.

[Elizabeth]

Good night everyone! I'm off to the grocery store. See you Monday.

[DeeClutter]

Been working off and on on the treasurer reports I have. Sent the first one of "accounts" and he responded that it was GREAT and wanted to copy my template for next year. YAY!! Now working on expenditures -lots of changes and challenging.

I'm procrastinating on a DPC. Why do I find phone calls so difficult?

When you discover the answer to that, Twins, I'm sure plenty of us would appreciate hearing WHY. I have several I keep putting off that are really to friends. Sigh. Of course most will mean jockeying our calendar.

DD, DSIL & DGD have gone to get supper for them -we've already eaten. Quiet here for a little while -certainly wasn't earlier. DGD has an extreme way of "pushing buttons". Not good to push her dad's especially when he's going through so much at work right now!

So good to see you, Indiana.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm exhausted and sore.

I got the kitchen floor properly scrubbed. Dh offered to help but I told him I had to do it to my standards.

He wanted to walk for the mail and for me to come with him so I got him to vacuum the foyer and then I mopped it after rinsing the kitchen floor. By then he was outside, shoveling again because our driveway clearing guy was here. I finished up when he finished up so we walked.

Tough walking. I had on my grippers and took a walking stick which helped but my back was already sore and the uncertain footing didn't help. On the way back was high wind and snow blowing onto us so we both were caked in snow when we got home.

I moved the car into the driveway and washed all the windows and the lights (in winter the salt and sand and dirt from the slush makes them opaque) and then moved it back into the garage. I would have bucket washed it but dh didn't want too much water out there to add to the ice from yesterday. I figured it wouldn't make a difference.

Tomorrow will be freezing cold (-18F in the wind, 3F out of the wind) but sunny so today was my last chance for a few days to get the windows cleaned off. I had done them with snow on Tuesday when I was out because I was having trouble seeing in my side-mirrors but that wasn't a good job. Today I did a good job. I tidied inside the car as well, including wiping down the floor mats. Then I remembered to leave the window open so the moisture would evaporate. I keep forgetting to do that and coming back to a car on really cold days with ice on the windows on the inside.

We had Shepherd's pie for dinner so that just had to go into the oven when I got inside. Then I did a round of physio for my back. Dh had finished the vacuuming on the main floor (I still have to do the basement but that can wait until tomorrow.) We watched Pan Am and Big Bang Theory while we ate.

The dishwasher is running now. I also cleaned the oven. I thought I was going to have to run the clean cycle but the build up all wiped off the warm walls so it won't smoke next time like it did tonight. Must have been the chicken grease from last night's dinner.

I have a load of laundry to run tonight and then sheets to run in the morning to go out on the line. Cold weather also means sunshine and I want to take advantage of it. Dh has been shoveling the deck each time he does the front walk so I have no excuse not to hang things out tomorrow.

[Nancy]

It never ceases to amaze me how much I get done in the kitchen or focus room just working on it during TV commercials. Today I was able to clean up the mess from mixing up cookie dough. I have granny duty on Mon. here with dgd#2 and maybe the youngest one; I'm not sure if dgson will be here or not yet but I thought I'd get a bit of a head start on that.
Need to get in a store run and snow in the forecast so bumping that up a bit.