SHEs Organized

Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.
- Ted Williams, professional baseball player

At what homemaking skills have you gotten better because you kept at it?

At which ones are you speedier?

Taking care of our homes efficiently leads to more free time, to creativity, to meeting our "someday" goals! (yay)

I've been wanting to post that as a morning opener ever since I read it again recently.

Nobody's going to say of any of us decades from now,
"She sure did learn how to clean her house fast."
But I hope they will say,
"Somehow she found time to ___________ like she always wanted."

Other notes for today:

It's Small Business Saturday for small local U.S. merchants.
There are 3 (Whoops, no 14) days until Hannukah.
There is one month until Christmas.
There are 37 days until 2013.

nice start Harriet - ty

I am getting better at food choices. Buckwheat and seed cereal carried me thru the day today. I cooked double serve this morning before I left home - didn't have time to eat it so packed it to go. Ate it in 3 helpings and got thru a long day that included driving talkative folk to the city. And a day long meeting. And to side step provided food that "didn't work for me". The chicken - I ate a piece. The rest - I passed knowing I had what I needed with me.

Tonight my aim - tend dishes now before bed. Its not yet an automatic thing but life is so much better when it is done.
umm
other things that help
Stowing shopping as soon as I get home.
the don't leave things worse rule certainly helps.
When the 1 load clothes basket is full - wash them
Putting washed things away as I bring them in works ( when I do that)
having places for things and putting them there helps - though I need step up on many more areas needing reclearing. Surfaces are my downfall. Floors are much improved.

Now - I need get the end of my day tied up.
good night.

I made up a grocery list last night but ds was up this morning and wanting eggs and bacon (no eggs yet) so we discussed what else he might want to eat and he added some food to my list. If he doesn't have to buy food for a week, can't go shopping, and I'll pay for the oil change and winter tires on, maybe that will help offset his losses from being sick. His snow tires are stored here so I can run his car over to the village mechanic and get that chore done now. I'm having dfs bring out all ds's dirty laundry when he comes on Monday so I can send ds home with enough clean clothes for 2 weeks. He objected but I told him that he'll only have enough energy for 2/3 of a shift, let alone a shift and minimal housekeeping so doing laundry will help him out. Plus I can do a load a night and it doesn't add to my work load. (Dfs is coming out Monday to pick out a cane as his knee is shot from repeated injuries from running and Ultimate so it is an easy way to get ds's stuff.)

Ds is back in bed now but watching tv. I'm on the treadmill at long last (it is 9:40, I was out of bed over an hour ago.)

Goals for the day - major grocery shop (which I'll do at noon in the market town so it shouldn't be too insane even though it is a weekend), wash floors, finish dusting and polishing main floor furniture. Maybe a couple of small zone chores as well.

so perfect d harriet!

Keeping at it has helped me be less embarrassed, have a happier family, being ready - years ago I remember running always at the last minute and coming up short for people who depended on me - I work now really hard to think of what needs to be done (not natural for me) and be ready before major events when people are counting on me.

Keeping at it helped me: I used to complain and have an excuse a minute and act the victim (my excuses were huge: I wasn't taught this, my .... person in my young life did this....expectations were too high or too low, my so and so told me I was lazy), I also learned that everyone has to keep at it and everyone fails (even born organized) at their house work endeavors and not every day is going to be a clutter nightmare or a chaos nightmare if I keep at it. I learned one bad day doesn't make a bad life; it's all attitude and perseverance. Also there are days I don't wanna keep at it and that's okay. (hard one to learn )

keeping at it: lol my family always has clean under garments - I had to wear a bathing suit to work when I was first married because I didn't do wash on a regular basis - I prayed that day that nothing would happen and had a dilly of time during my bathroom breaks with the blouse and skirt I wore to work. (truth moment )

yesterday I had the best day with d in laws and dd older (missed dd younger) at Black Friday shopping day. so much fun and ended up with lots of presents and cloths for me (casual that I can rarely find).

today: dd's and I are going shopping to try to finish most of it. 2 names have not given me ideas yet.

Harriet - sorry I keep beating you to the punch with opening the thread...

I don't know that I am quicker at doing anything in particular... my problem is my OCD. When I get started cleaning something and I find something unorganized I then get side-tracked and have to organize. Gives all new meaning to S.H.E. I guess what I have gotten better at is waking up after 8 hrs of sleep. I purposely did not set my alarm last night planning to sleep in this morning, yet I woke up at 9:00 am. Since I ended up working a 16 hr shift yesterday and did not get home until after midnight that was 8 hrs of sleep. I was supposed to work tomorrow, but after whining and looking at the staff schedule for tomorrow I was able to beg off for tomorrow. I know I really need the hours but with looking at my schedule for the week I need the weekend off more. So now my schedule is now off today & tomorrow, work 12 hr shifts Monday & Tuesday, then off Wednesday (w/ dentist appt) then I am heading to Portsmouth Thursday morning for a Navy Conference through Sunday. Now you see why working tomorrow was not a great idea.

I have checked Fly ladies site and since the zone for last week 11/18-24 was MasterBR and the zone starting tomorrow is the LR, I am going to work on my room today and the LR tomorrow. Need to get my poop in a group and get going. I also want to get the leftovers cooking down.

ToDo
d2s
coffee
feed Bert & Ernie w() d() f() p/a()
turkey in stock pot to boil down
Put away clothes in hamper
start decluttering bedroom
sweep bedroom
clean off surfaces
strip and flip bed
make bed
dinner

BBS

Good morning to the village!

We had a very lovely evening last night - service at temple was wonderful. Two Muslim imam and a woman Episcopal pastor and our rabbi spoke. The woman commented that one might notice that she alone was different from the other three who spoke - she was the only one with a southern accent. There were also Muslim students from a major university there with one imam and we answered questions for all. After the service dh and I went out to eat with rabbi and wife and another couple at one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. (How often does one have the opportunity to hear two imam speak?)

Today I need to run some errands and continue with some house straightening, cleaning, putting things away. I'd like to be to the point where I feel like we can invite company - or even have a party someday.

PODA, off the top of my head:
-p/u dog meds at vet
-cleaners
-groceries
-go somewhere (Target?) and buy a hair dryer (mine has quit!)
-try again today on the challah with dd
-cook dinner tonight with dd
-what else?

Haven't walked ddogs yet, temp is 35, I'm trying to let the sun warm things up a little more. It's a beautiful morning here. Ddogs didn't get a walk last night - we got home fairly late and I pretended they had already walked and they bought it.

-kitchen clean up
-clear kitchen table
-get dressed, brush teeth
-walk the ddogs when temp rises a little more
-start a load of delicates in washer

Harriet gave me a fright about Hanukah, but she must be looking at last year's calendar as the first night this year is Dec 8, I think. DD will be home by then but ds still at school.

what a wonderful experience d twins. I wish they had in my area an interfaith symposium for women.

Twins - What a great experience.

DS13 and I have stripped and flipped both of our beds, it amazing what happens when I start to get the House clean. Went into the laundry room to find presents left by DCat3 The room he has been kept in is directly off the laundry room. I need to "stitch" together the kennel, we are missing the rods that hold it together and DCat3 pushed through my makeshift fasteners.

I put my coffee in a to-go container so that I can carry it around with me. Watching Mary Poppins on my breaks. Need to feed B&E on my next groove and sort lol in hamper upstairs.

ToDo
coffee
feed Bert & Ernie w() d() f() p/a()
turkey in stock pot to boil down
Put away clothes in hamper
start decluttering bedroom
sweep bedroom
clean off surfaces
"stitch" together kennel
make bed
dinner

TaDa's
d2s
strip and flip bed

BBS

I'm not sure I've gotten better at anything... * sigh * I still feel so inadequate and lazy so much of the time.
BUT...
I am not depressed about it today BECAUSE...
* Hooray * Drum Roll *
I AM HOME, ALONE, FOR A SATURDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME, I BELIEVE SINCE SCHOOL STARTED!!!!
Oh my goodness, I could just turn cartwheels!!!

I have sooo sooo sooo much that needs to be done today... but I plan to use my timer and do as much as possible while dh is gone to ballgame w/ds & dbil.

I'll put it all here so y'all can help me stay on track:
[ ] put up Christmas tree, etc.
[ ] color hair
[ ] vacuum
[ ] s/s bathrooms, including dh's shower
[ ] s/s kitchen, including washing dishes that have been in the sink forever
[ ] water plants
[ ] laundry
[ ] iron
[ ] grade papers
[ ] check Christmas card supply, etc.
[ ] begin Christmas cards
[ ] check grocery list
[ ] write check for paper delivery man
[ ] watch the Other Team in the state have their way with us, wait for news re: coach's firing...

* sigh * That is kinda a daunting PODA...
I really would like to just snuggle into the couch and be lazy... but I did that yesterday... so I guess I better follow Ted Williams' advice and keep at it. It'll be nice to see how much of that I can check off later.