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2015 To-Do Challenge

217K views 4K replies 41 participants last post by  ermadunk 
#1 ·
Happy New year!!

Heres how this works

1. List 3 things you want to get done

2. You have 24 hours to get them done

3. Mark them off and start again!


Can someone please make this a sticky, thanks.
 
#1,200 ·
FW, didn't you mention your family room ceiling is bowing? Do you know why? We had an incident in our house in Minneapolis where the drain trap in our bathtub was leaking upstairs above the living room and we didn't know it. One day the family was all sitting around watching TV and a three-foot circle of plaster let go and fell right into one of our easy chairs. Luckily, no one was in it at the time. Could a leak be the cause of your ceiling woes? We never had a clue about ours. There was never any sign of water stains or anything amiss in the LR, and the tub was enclosed on the bottom so we couldn't tell anything from upstairs, either. Just a random thought.
 
#1,201 ·
om - I'm not ignoring you, I can't hit any of the "hugs, thanks, WTG" buttons without a error coming up. Just on your posts. :(

SD - I too hope that your eye surgery will go well. Bet you will be glad to get that behind you.

pinetree - first time I made the sweet potato salad, found a recipe that I wanted to try. It called for cilantro and I wish I had skipped it. I'll let you know if we like it. It is sweet potato cubed, chipotle seasoning, brown sugar, corn, black beans, roasted red peppers and cilantro.

2.5 for today. Not going to make a list for tomorrow because what I do all depends on if the yard is dried out enough to cut. If not, there's a lot I can get done inside.
 
#1,202 ·
Thank you, Rabbit. It's actually going to be two surgeries, one on the 17th and one the 30th. Yes, I'll be very happy to have them done and over with. I'll be even happier if I have 20/20 vision restored and the astigmatisms corrected and can get rid of the three pairs of glasses I've had to deal with for about twenty years. They don't guarantee that much improvement but it's not uncommon, I guess. We'll see. :lolpoint: If I don't need glasses anymore, I might break down and buy myself some fancy Oakley sunglasses to replace my pair Husby ruined years ago. Loved those things!

I don't know why I make lists lately. I'm just not getting done what I should be. Not sure why. But I did get all the plants into planters and watered everybody for good measure, fed the birds and squirrels and doggies and kitties, and walked or biked over 4K steps. It needs to be 5K but I might not make that today. Although I'm not that far from it. I should walk down to the dock and see if the small fry that were schooled up by the shore this morning are still there. They're so cute, only about an inch long. I only need about 400 steps so probably will get that before midnight, so I guess I won't worry about it.
 
#1,203 ·
Can't type much. i found our stinging nettles in the garden. I soaped,used alcohol.tape and now first aid creme. Gloves from now on!!

The ceiling in bowed from the roof leak. I didn't let Ds drill holes at the time of the leak-regret that. I need most if not all of it done IMHO plus insulation and I fear mold (can of worms comment) DD has crafts stored but we don't use the room. AND i would like it back.
Have to go help Dh outside. I can point at least?
 
#1,204 ·
Ouch! Hope your hands are better soon.

Yeah, we were worried about damage with our roof, too. Luckily there wasn't any. There was when we did our house in town years ago though, and it did add thousands to the bill. When they opened that roof up, you could smell the mildew for at least a block in any direction. We also had them rip off our enclosed back porch and rebuild it because it was built by unskilled amateurs with no foundation and was falling off the house and also rotting. The back porch had a staircase in it because the house had been converted from a duplex into a single family house. When they pulled the ceiling down, there were thousands of carpenter ants. What a mess! We were so glad to get that mess all done. That house needed a lot of work when we sold it but we had poured thousands into it and the outside was completely done, which helped sell it. We made back about twice what we had into it, which was nice.
 
#1,205 ·
3/3 today, the linen closet took forever! I rearranged the whole thing, and now everybody should be able to find what they need without making a mess of everything else.

SD, I keep thinking about your bikes, and I was wondering if something like a ladder with PVC tubes over the rungs would work as a ramp. I'm guessing you would need to make two(one for each pontoon) that would hook together. I can't imagine they would be too hard to make. I love seeing the pictures of the lake and your property. I live at the edge of a city, so I don't have that kind of scenery.

My hubby is going back tomorrow to get his results, but he says his knee seems to be getting a little better. I really hope it was just a minor injury and not something permanent, he loves his bowling and has really missed it the last few weeks.

Tomorrow:

1. Crochet a couple of washcloths. Mine are getting kind of threadbare.
2. Grind up lemons. They're dry, they need to be powdered.
3. Chop up some of the aging celery and onions and dehydrate.
4. If I'm up to it, go to the farm and see what she has. I'm hoping for black raspberries. They're my favorite!

Have a fantastic day, Everybody!

Jen
 
#1,206 ·
Hope your husband gets good results tomorrow, Jen.

Thanks for the idea about the ladder. What you're talking about is about the same as I finally came up with. If I do end up building something, I want to make a 'ladder' type of frame using PT 2x4s and 24" rebar, with PVC slipped over the rebar before the whole thing is assembled. I think that would work because the PVC would roll on the rebar, or at least that's my theory. But after dragging my bike up onto the shore today, I think the whole process might get easier as I get more practice and think up some tricks as I go along. Today was much easier than yesterday, and the lift assist strap that I put on the pontoons has made a huge difference. If I can avoid the ramps I will because I have enough projects and also because anything we put into the lake has to come out in the fall before freeze-up and then be put back in each spring. Less is more! Our bikes only weigh 125 pounds and I don't have to lift all of that. The lift assist strap helps me because I can lift in the middle between the pontoons with my hands together right in front of me, meaning I can stand up straighter and take a lot of the strain off my back, instead of having to be hunched over trying to pull with my arms out to the sides. I think that alone is going to make a huge difference. I also know now that if I pick up one of the pontoons while I'm on the dock and get the bike started up on shore that way, it's much easier to pull it up. I really do think this problem will work itself out as we go along, and I'll get stronger as I lose weight, too. But I'll never say never because the shoreline changes every year and it might get to where we really need a ramp. Thanks again for sharing your idea. I appreciate that you thought of me. :)
 
#1,209 ·
Because I'm sort of bored and too tired to do anything about it, I went over to eBay and looked up the vintage Sprout Farm by Corning I bought for $3 last week. Apparently they sell for about $30, more if the sellers are charging shipping. Then I looked up the vintage Pyrex Visions saucepan set, and it looks like they're around the same, plus shipping. The pans came out of a free box. Still can't get over that because they're not even chipped and look brand new. Someone just really wanted to be rid of them! I always like to know what I 'saved', but in reality I wouldn't have bought either of those for that price. They'll both be nice to have and I think we'll use them, but they weren't a need. It's still fun to know what stuff is selling for.
 
#1,210 ·
SD-isn't it a shock sometimes. Breadmakers. That was what got me. We never see things like that thrown out however, I was super surprised the new neighbor tossed a mission style oak entertainment center to the curb and NO takers. I thought about it for a cook book book case. I have a mission style LEGEND china hutch by Basset that matched. I just have too much stuff already and there was no room in the garage to store it. Heavy rain got it 2x. Definitely thought of you and your repurposing.

The areas we cut back already have more sun and a more relaxed feel. I want to cut down on skeeters too. Part 1 of many. But it's a start.
 
#1,211 ·
Good morning I slept till 6:30 so I feel much better with sleep today is a shaky day for and the house is a mess gonna sludge through it.
Hikroo u and hubby are so busy with all the fixing up of the h ouse. Don't wear yourself out
fw I bet the deck is one of your favorite places....... I am surprised by what people throw away
ILC a shark mop they are so worth the money and buy extra pads. ... I miss mine
spirit deer I hope the surgery is not hard on u and u get 20 20 vision
yes pinetree sticky chicken was not hard to make at all will post for u all making it today for supper.
Rabbit in can't see them on my tablet so I can't give any either. .
Jen hugs
sticky chicken
3 lb of chicken I used boneless breast the recipie called for thighs
3/4 up brown sugar divided
1/4 cup of soy sauce dividid
4 cloves of garlic
pin c h of cayenne I used red pepper flakes
1/4 up of tomato paste
1/2 cup of water
take 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce g a ric and 1 teaspoon of ginger and set aside.
cook for 4 hour on in slow cooker. Put on baking dish pour sauce over hit broil. She said to doutlet the sauce so I did.

Sweep and mop house
bathroom
kitchen couter
Laundry

Sticky chicken and rice for supper.
 
#1,212 ·
fw, your poor hands---hope they are better soon.

SD, hope all that surgery does the trick. I can't imagine having 20/20 vision and no astigmitism. Mine keeps getting worse.

om, thanks for the recipe. Sounds good. I know friends who use a Shark and they love it.

RABBIT, hope you can get that grass cut.

Jen, let us know how your DH's tests turn out.

Didn't get much done yesterday---got a headache and some dizziness. Felt better by bedtime and today I feel fine.

For Thursday:

1) Dentist 11:30
2) Bake something. The brownies didn't last long.
3) Shop for a steam mop
4) Mop, if I find a mop
5) Gather some items to donate to cat rescue organization yard sale
6) Go by vet and get flea meds
7) Enjoy the rain

Have a good day, everybody.
 
#1,213 ·
FW, we rarely see anything out at the curb. Did I tell you about the entertainment center we got off the curb for my mom's cookbooks? I should take a pic of it. I can explain to you why people don't rush to pick those up. :D They weigh exactly FOUR TONS and if you're by yourself and/or don't happen to have a truck handy, forget it. As it was, the two of us really struggled to load it, damaged the veneer at the bottom, and both hurt our backs. Husby had to ride in the back of the truck with it so it wouldn't tip and I drove ten mph (idling, basically) the whole way to Mom's, easy in a small town, maybe not so much in a bigger place. Luckily it was on wheels or things would have been worse. Gravity was our friend when we got to Mom's house and could drop the thing off the tailgate and just wheel it in. It really was in good shape till we banged up the veneer. She just loves it, so it all worked out great. It was just so weird how that thing appeared out of nowhere just where and when she needed it. I bet the people who owned it were happy they didn't have to deal with it, too. Especially since it stormed that night which would have made that thing even harder to get rid of.

Husby said later he couldn't believe I didn't stop and claim it as we drove by. He was watching in his rear view mirror to see if I did. LOL. He knows me so well! But I couldn't talk to him about it since he was in our van, and didn't know if he was willing to deal with such a big, heavy, awkward piece when we were both so exhausted already, and didn't know if Mom would even want it.

We've seen so many entertainment centers for sale lately at give-away prices. It's like everyone's analog TVs are finally dying and they're getting rid of them now. We just love the one we bought at SA for $30. We've seen cheaper ones since but not any we would have wanted. Husby wants a 60" flat screen when the old analog we're using dies, and this cabinet is the perfect width and height for that. We're loving all the storage for TV stuff, and the glass door that has shelves for all the various TV boxes. We're so glad we bought it, and glad we had the van that day and not the truck so we could bring it home easier.

But yeah, I'm shocked what people throw away. Lucky us, who love a good freebie and are in the right place at the right time! I'm careful what I haul home these days because we don't have room for any more furniture. We're selective about the smaller stuff, too. If it's not an upgrade or something we really need, like our entertainment center or the recliner we just bought, I'm usually not even tempted.

Good about the yard work. Hope it helps with the bugs.

OM, thanks for the recipe! It looks tasty! Glad you got a good night's sleep. That always helps a person feel better, no matter what else is going on. Thanks, about the surgery. I'm not anticipating problems. Everyone that's had it done that I've ever heard of says how easy it is, so I hope I get to say the same when it's all done, too.

ILC, I need the surgery due to cataracts, so it's get it done or eventually go blind. The vision correction is just a bonus. The surgeon is putting in some kind of lenses that will correct some of my vision problems, which insurance isn't paying for. It'll be an extra $2,200 and I wasn't going to do it, but Husby wanted me to because it should save in the long run if I can quit buying eye glasses. I'm all for that! So we're taking the gamble that I won't need glasses. I've had astigmatism since high school and it's getting worse for me, too. Glad you're feeling better today. :)
 
#1,214 ·
I put a bungee (reddish strap) on the lift assist strap on my bike today and it works great now. I don't have to make any other changes, and because the bungee stretches, I don't even have to unhook it to pull the bike out of the water. No more noise from the strap dragging in the water and no more downwind splashing to get me wet, either. Perfect!


I think maybe people have problems picturing how these bikes work, so here's a shot of what I see when I look down as I pedal. It's just like a land bike, only the chain is attached to a propeller at the back instead of a gear that drives a rear wheel.


I also used my little bag with some accessories for the first time today. It needed a loop added so I can hook it around something to keep it on the bike, so I made one with a piece of webbing and a parachute buckle. Hope that works. I can see I need to add sun block and a pair of binoculars.
 
#1,216 ·
Husby's home from St. Paul so we went out for a spin. It looks like we might have some weather moving in. Hope it doesn't storm. I finally remembered to wear water sandals and found out I actually have to try in order to get my feet wet. I guess my legs are too short or something.

I also found out making a loop to hold my bag wasn't good enough. Once I unfastened the buckle, duh, the strap pulled out of the loop that's sewn into the bag and the bag dropped. Luckily I found that out once we were back on dry land! And luckily as well, the strap I made was long enough to just tie around the bag's strap, so no more work was needed and it can't fall off now. I can just set the bag on top of one of the cup holders and it stays right there. The strap goes around the frame where the handlebars are in case it decides it might like to go for a swim.

Saw a beautiful large walleye out in the lake. Unfortunately, it was dead. :( But I'm sure an eagle or somebody will find it to be a tasty meal. Maybe that's why it's dead in the first place. But there were lots of live fish jumping out there, with the lake so still and the bugs landing on the water. It was suppertime for everyone, I guess.
 
#1,217 ·
Well, I got nothing on my list done today. I was busy all day, but never got to the list. I guess I need to manage my time a little better.

My sister in law called and let me know the farm has a sign out for berries tomorrow, so I'm going to be there bright and early!

Tomorrow:

1. Go to the farm and get some goodies.
2. Clean out my car. This is dependent on the weather. If it's too hot, I won't be outside.
3. Pick some cherries and some more snow peas. It looks like the regular peas might be ready, too.
4. Crochet some washcloths. I did get the yarn out today, but never got around to actually using it.

Have a lovely day, Everyone!

Jen
 
#1,218 ·
Sd-last week alone-the entertainment center,A huge metal garage cabinet and a single dining chair that looked fine,and those flat baby gates. All of which I left.
We have a lot of turn over right now so that was just our block except the chair.Plus the guy up the street sells for his friend who cleans out apt.after evictions and that.

My hands are back after a night of just burning and vibrating. Stupid me-nettles are no joke. I went to go out and work more but literally as I touched the door handle the skies opened.

Rented the "duff". kinda cute. Really want to see Jurassic World. Prob. wait until the crowds die down. Dh would like that as a Fathers Day gift!

yum Walleye $9.99# on sale. You should fish off those hydro bikes!!!
 
#1,219 ·
Good morning! Missed my updating the last couple of days. Yesterday was beautiful. 85, sunny and breezy. We spent an hour and a half in the pool. The water temp is 70 (this is Maine, things don't warm up fast. LOL) and that's the bare minimum I like it at before I"ll go in. I've done the ocean swimming at 55 degrees when I was younger. I'm not younger anymore! I gotta say the first few steps in were the worst. The water felt like it was about 40 compared to the air. Once I got in though it was blissful. DH finally made it out there and it took him a while to get in. I told him I wouldn't splash him but I swam around him humming the theme song to Jaws. :) He was very impressed. ROFL!. He did finally take the plunge though and get all the way in. So that was lovely. And a good calorie burn too. I need to find a waterproof stopwatch so I can do some laps and time myself to try and increase my speed. I like to do some exercise type stuff for a bit then goof off and float on my chair or just leisurely swim then switch back to exercise mode. Our oldest granddaughter loves the water and she'd stay in there till her teeth were chattering. It's hard to get her back out.

The craft room is done! Now he's got the other bedroom taped out and will start painting that either tonight or tomorrow. We are taking this morning off and going to the wildlife park then out to lunch. We allow ourselves one day to eat out and it's always Friday and typically lunch.

FW2 holy moly! The stinging nettles sound awful!! I'm so sorry you got into those. I am glad though you've made some progress on the bushes etc that you wanted to clear out.

Jen happy shopping at the farm! And yay for berries. DH and I were just talking about berries yesterday. Strawberry season is coming in the next few weeks and he's waiting to see what the prices are this year for pick your own. I need to plant some raspberry and blackberry bushes at the new house back towards the woods area because I love to use those to make jams etc. I don't want to plant them though till the excavator is done with his grading etc and lawn work because I'm afraid I'd put them in the wrong place and he'd bulldoze them.

OM thanks for the chicken recipe. That sounds pretty good. I love finding new recipes. I bought a spaghetti squash the other day and am going to have that with sauce one night soon. I've never had spaghetti squash but in the interest of trying new things and decreasing my sodium intake I'm going to give it a shot.

ILC what flea meds did the doc give you? I"m trying to remember the name of the one they gave us but I think it began with a C. Comfortis maybe? We had one cat that was flea free one day and the next day he was covered in them. As luck would have it he was going in that day for teeth cleaning so I asked them what to use and they gave him the Comfortis pill. The vet said they gave him that and had him on the OR table sedated for the teeth cleaning and fleas were literally jumping off of him (so she said anyway!). Seems like we gave him a pill once a month for three months maybe? We never saw a flea on the dog or the other cat but we treated them as well. Plus had to spray the floor (carpet) with some flea stuff and vacuum that up to get any hiding there. Oh it was awful :(

I hope you all have a good day!
 
#1,220 ·
Good morning house work done. Sweet and mopped. Washed 3 loads of clothes 1 hanging on dry rack today, 2 for dryer. Changed sheets, cleaned off patio table. Hubs helped me. He is bathing the dogs.. Taco pasta for supper
Fw be gentle on those hands
Spirit deer u are having too much fun lol
Hikroo congrats on the craft roo. U have busy
ILC I need to pi k up fleas meds for my dogs
jen hugs
rabbit hugs
pinetree hugs
 
#1,221 ·
fw, just reading about your hands made my hands hurt. Take care. We use Gold Bond itch cream and it feels wonderful.

I got a Shark steam mop so today I'll try it out. We forgot to go by the vet yesterday---all our errands were in the opposite direction of the county.

For Friday:

1) Mop
2) Wash a load of towels and washcloths
3) Reset the house
4) Hose down screened porch
5) Clean out car
6) Call about having old fridge picked up

Have a fabulous Friday, everyone.
 
#1,222 ·
Forgot to post yesterday!

hikr - how nice that you were able to swim in your pool, even if it was a little cold! I love spaghetti squash.

fw - never heard of stinging nettles, how awful. Glad your hands are better.

Jen - hope your DH's doctor appointment went well. Have fun picking berries!

om - now the "thanks, WTG, hugs" buttons are working!

ilc - how do you like your new mop? I have never used a steam mop.

SD - were you in socks in the picture? Wouldn't that be hard on your feet? I'm thinking of bike pedals which would not be comfortable.


Well, I am one of those people who would like to get rid of my entertainment center. We have had a pine 3 piece unit for 23 years and I'm sick of it. When our tv died a couple of years ago (at 27 years of age) we had to buy a new small tv to fit in the doors. It was smaller than my old tv. That's not why I hate it though, it's just such a big piece of furniture and I'm all about less is more now. I love the bottom part of it but hate the top part where all the shelves and tv doors are so DH suggested cutting the top off and painting the bottom and using it that way. I LOVE the idea and that is what we will do when we have time, probably this fall. I just hope that it is paintable.

I have the day off and no where to go. Love days like this where I can stay home all day, I could stay here for 2 weeks straight without leaving my property in the summer and not get sick of it or bored.

Friday
1 - make crockpot black beans, roast veggies for tonight's pizza
2 - dailies
3 - vacuum furniture and carpet

Our zero radius is being delivered today and of course it's supposed to rain every day this weekend so we won't even be able to test it out. It's already poured this morning and I think it's supposed to rain on and off all day.
 
#1,223 ·
I sleep late and then do some work in the kitchen before logging on, and this place explodes! Everyone has a lot to say today. Love that.

Jen, have fun berry picking! The strawberries are in bloom there but we rarely see any. All the wild critters love them too. We do get some wild raspberries sometimes. Our house is surrounded by them.

FW, we've picked up several metal garage cabinets from the metal pile at the dump. One is an old exam table, like a medical clinic would have. It's on really nice wheels and has lots of good storage. Someone had put a thick wooden top on it, so when I get that far I'm going to put my drill press and router table on it. Or maybe the chop saw. I like cabinets on wheels because then I can easily move tools to the center of the garage floor so there's plenty of space around the tools for long pieces of lumber or pipe or whatever. We might have been interested in the metal cabinet! Jurassic Park does look interesting but we'll wait till it comes on the regular channels on Dish. We'll have to watch reruns of the first three till then! LOL. We could fish off the bikes. People do, and there are accessories for fishing from them. We just can't get into fishing though. I know, we should have our Minnesota citizenship revoked and be forced to move off the lake. :D We're a disgrace as Minnesotans.

Hikr, I'm so impressed with the progress you're making on the painting. You'll be able to move in in no time! If it was me, I'd be moving stuff already because I wouldn't be able to stand waiting.

OM, we are having fun! I've been worried all winter we wouldn't like the bikes once we could really use them. We don't have a good track record with outdoor toys and usually end up liking the idea of them more than the reality. Which is why we had a runabout, a canoe, and a paddle boat we never used and finally got rid of.

ILC, I love that phrase: Reset the house. Let us know how you like the new steam mop. I've looked at those and think they're a great idea, but never have heard from someone who actually has one how well they work.

Rabbit, yes, I had my shoes off in the pic. The Crocs just weren't working for me. They felt like they were going to fall off for some reason, so I beat them to it and took them off. The bike pedals are comfortable and I'm sure there will be times I pedal barefoot when the weather gets hotter. I'm not a person who wears shorts, so when it's hot out I like to put my feet in the water to cool off, so that's the plan. Although I wore one of my pairs of Keens (the cheap thrift store ones :)) which are meant to get wet last night, and those were very comfortable to pedal in so I might designate them my official bike sandals. The bike pedals are flat with ridges on them for traction, but they're not sharp or anything. There are instructions online for painting different surfaces, so I bet your entertainment center can be painted. Taking the top of it off sounds like a good plan if you like the bottom. Maybe the top would make nice storage in some other spot. You know me, not afraid to slice and dice if something isn't working for me, so I'd go for it of course! :D I'd love to see before and after pics when the time comes, if you want. I love a good redo and it doesn't have to be mine for me to love it!

Husby agreed with me that moving the rocks he moved Monday improved the problems with our lake shore and makes it easier to lift the boats out, so for now, we don't have to do any more with the project. Things are always subject to change due to erosion, but for now I'm very glad we didn't waste any more time trying to figure out what to do down there. The new dock box still has to be bolted to the dock, but I don't expect to do that till next spring because I think we'll have to get underneath the dock to do it, and I'm not very interested in doing that with the dock still in the water. My luck I'd lose a toe to a snapping turtle or be attacked by a giant muskie and need 900 stitches.

My eye surgeon's office called me yesterday afternoon and SURPRISE! they want me to come in today to measure my eye and make sure the new lens they ordered for me will fit. I love how doctors assume we can just drop everything to make these last minute appointments. So yippy skippy, we get to make a 100-mile round trip on a June Friday afternoon, when northbound traffic is always crazy. At least it's not a holiday weekend and hopefully all the boat-pullers will have gotten a little practice already after not towing anything all winter, and nobody does anything too stupid around us, like pass on a blind curve while towing a huge pontoon or camper and yes, that happens more often than I really like to think about. I just keep reminding myself we chose to live in a town without all the medical services of a bigger place, and are choosing to stay here now because of all the other benefits we have, and chose to live in a tourist town, too. I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm just grumpy about having to go.

I got salads made for supper, so when we come home hungry, it'll be ready to eat. Fast food at its best, and I used up a bunch of stuff from the fridge and some cooked chicken I had forgotten about from our over-stuffed freezer, which is actually beginning to show some empty spaces, finally. I'm trying to figure out what to take in the cooler for snacks because I'm sure we're going to be hungry. I'm hoping we don't go anywhere but the eye place. That would save time and money and general grumpiness.
 
#1,224 ·
Sd-no because if i got after you for that then you could get after me for the never had venison thing. Yes,i've been offered to try it but I worry about eating wild game people offer and health of the herds.

Still sick and it's gone from my nasal area to my chest. I will just curl up today and work tomorrow in the yard. Weather is off and on dreary w/ a side of rain anyway.
 
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