Reframing Chores into Blessings

As the weekend approaches, I always make a to-do list to help me keep from getting distracted by worthless things. One thing that has been on my list the last 2 weekends is to do a freezer inventory. This isn’t a hard chore if one only has the fridge freezer to do. We have a deep freezer as well. It is quite a cumbersome task.

First, it is in our laundry room, which is quite crowded. Being that I am claustrophobic, it can sometimes cause me to start melting down when I feel too cramped. Add to that a bad back, and having to bed over for long stretches to reach everything in the very bottom of the deep freeze, and it can be quite painful.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to do it today. I grabbed my inventory list, a pen, and put gloves on my hands to protect them from all of the frozen food. I knew it would feel wonderful to cross that chore off my list. As I started pulling things out of the left side of that freezer, it felt like it was a bottomless pit. I kept finding more and more meat.

Thankfully, I had the wisdom not to whine about the task, nor to growl about having so much food. With the supply chain still at risk of completely breaking, and seeing the myriad of empty shelves in the grocery stores, I knew I need to have a grateful, thankful heart. Even though my back was really starting to hurt, I kept saying, “I feel so blessed, Lord!” It completely changed this cumbersome task into a wonderful blessing. And I even have time to do some more Bible study before I go to bed!

Staying Productive When Exhausted

Staying Productive

I work in health care. For several months now, I have been working LOTS of overtime. This paycheck will have 95 hours on it. I am exhausted, but life still goes on. Laundry needs washed, house needs cleaned, meals need cooked, groceries need bought, bills need paid, and the list goes on…..

After working 25 hours this weekend, I have one day off. I woke up feeling exhausted. I had things I needed to do, but all I could do was cry. I turned on some hymns on You Tube and headed in to take a hot bath. I used that time to cry and cast my burdens on the Lord.

Shortly after that, I could feel the muscles in my neck and shoulders starting to tense up. Time for some OTC migraine meds. That extra boost of caffeine gave me some much-needed energy!

By 10:30, I had quite a list done:

• washed my laundry
• got the crock pot started for supper
• made a double batch of cream soup for tomorrow’s crock pot meal
• browned some ground beef for Wednesday’s crock pot meal
• washed all the dishes
• got my coffee pot ready for tomorrow morning
• got clothing ready for work this week, along with all the bling (jewelry and face masks)
• cleaned the shower
• cleaned the bathroom mirror (I hate streaky mirrors!)

After eating lunch, I washed and dried the towels, then headed to the store to buy the groceries that I need to complete my menu plan for next month. When I got home, I updated my inventory sheet for our meat. I have chicken cooking now, which I will bag in meal-sized bags to freeze for later use.

I have learned through working all of these extra hours that it is just too much for me to exercise. It is overkill for me when I am this exhausted. By staying busy, it keeps me from being a couch potato. And besides…..my great-nephews will be in town this weekend. I want everything done so that this weekend, my to-do list will simply be “see the boys!”

How to Keep a Freezer Inventory

When your freezer is full, do you ever get a bit overwhelmed when trying to find the meat that you know you have, but can’t find?  I used to do this.  I got fed up and determined there had to be a better way.

Here is an example of how I use my inventory sheet:

Notice how I only use stroke tallies that are straight up and down, with none going across when I have 5 or more items.  The reason is because when I use an item, I use a sideways stroke to cross through it.

You will notice that I have letters written by my stroke tallies.  That is something I implemented in the last few years to make it even easier for me to find the meat when I needed it.  I have a deep freezer, plus the freezer in my refrigerator.  I came up with these codes to help me:

• RDF = Right side, deep freezer
• LDF = Left side, deep freezer
• UB = Under the basket in my deep freezer
• KF = Kitchen freezer (top)
• KFD = Kitchen freezer door
• KFB = Kitchen freezer, bottom

When I am ready to do my monthly menu planning, I make a copy of my freezer inventory sheet.  Next, I check my current menu plan and cross off any meat that is needed for that month.  Whenever I add a meal to my menu plan, I cross off that item from the inventory sheet.  This way, I know exactly what meats I still have to choose from.

This process makes my life so much less stressful!  I love the thought of not having to come up with a meal every evening.  It’s already planned for me.  Granted, there are times we decide to do something different.  In those times, I circle whatever meal we didn’t use.  When I plan the following month’s meals, I plug in those unused meals for later.

While planning my meals, I also write out my grocery list at the same time.  Within a few days, I go to the store and by all of the items at once so I am set for the month.  

Now that we are empty nesters, I’m finding there are many times I have to circle a meal because we still have plenty of leftovers to eat.  Learning to cook for two is a bit different, but we are slowly figuring out where we need to make changes.

For those of you who may think, “That’s a great idea, but how do I even start menu planning when I live paycheck to paycheck?”  I recommend that you start by seeing what meats are on sale, then plan your menu from there.  Try to cut back on extras for a while, and that will give you more money to put towards your goal of menu planning for a few weeks, and eventually, a whole month.

Motivators for Being Productive

In my last post, I mentioned the importance of having a to-do list because it will help you keep focused on what you really need to do.  Plus, it just feels good to cross things off that list!

I have another motivator that I want to share, in hopes that some might find it helpful.  I work in a health care setting.  I have learned that I need to take a break at some point during that season.  If I don’t, I end up physically and mentally exhausted.  My stress level increases to the point that I am just not pleasant to be around.  (Just ask my husband!)  It didn’t help that during this busy time of year, we had one coworker who out on FMLA for several weeks.  Our department is already a very small department, so this meant the rest of us had to pick up extra hours.

This week, I am going to take a 5-day weekend to recoup (Thursday through Monday).  So what is the motivator in all of this?  Trust me, I am getting there.

I worked 12 hour shifts this past weekend.  Even though I am tired, I am highly motivated today.  Why?  I have several things that I need (and want), to do, but I am not going to save all of them until my long weekend.  I want to have FUN on my long weekend, not cleaning house!  So my motivator is to do as much today as I can (without using a to-do list), but at the same time, don’t do so much that I overdo it and exhaust myself.

Here’s what I have done so far:

• Stripped the bed and washed the sheets
• Washed the bedspread
• Pulled everything out from under the bed
• Pulled the bed away from wall and vacuumed
• Decluttered all that was under the bed so I don’t have nearly as much to put back
• Put the box of spring clothing in the spare bedroom so that it is easily accessible when I need to get them ready for the resale shop
• Did another load of laundry 
• Took a break to check emails and type this entry for my blog.

Still to-do:

• Wash my laundry
• Make the March menu plan and grocery list
• Get my clothes ready for work
• Study my bible
• Transfer notes from my notebook into my bible

And now, it’s time to get back to work!

Decluttering

I have today and tomorrow off work, so I’m working on more decluttering, trying to make order out of chaos.

The older I get, the more I realize this truth:

My body is older, so it gets tired more easily.  The world in which we live is utter chaos and life is just downright stressful.  So my mission is to make my home a peaceful sanctuary.  Part of doing that is spiritual (getting into the Word, getting the Word into me, praying, and listening to the Lord).  Part of it is physical — making my home look better.  Having an organized house can help to lessen the emotional stress I feel because things are in order.  I can find things more easily.  I don’t have as much to clean and care for, and when I open a closet or a drawer, it looks nice, not cluttered.

I’ve been reading Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be by Donna Partow.

I’m only reading the parts that really pertain to this stage of my life.  A couple of things resounded with me yesterday.  One was regarding clothes, which I love.  (The owner of the resale shop I frequently visit can attest to that fact.)  Anyway, Donna says we should have a core color, and make our wardrobe from that core.  My color would be black.  Love, love, love that color!

As I was pulling things from my closet to get ready to send off to the resale shop, I was mindful of a few things:

• Does it fit?
• Does the color look good on me?
• Do I absolutely love it?

If the answer was no, it’s not going back into my closet.

Next, I thought about my holiday clothing that I forgot to take to the resale the last time we were there.  It’s taking up quite a bit of space in a cedar chest.  It doesn’t fit me any longer.  However, we can only make 2 appointments a year to take things in to the resale shop we use, and the 2nd one is in June.  This  means I must keep that holiday stuff in my cedar chest until the fall of 2016.  Not gonna happen!  It’s going to Goodwill.  I thought about the space it was using up and how much I thought I’d get in $ if I held on to it for the resale shop.  Is it worth the $?  Nope.  I’m getting it out of here.

Another thing Donna mentioned is going through hair care items and make-up.  That is now on my to-do list.  I don’t think I’ll have anything in the hair care line to get rid of since I’m pretty loyal to the products I currently use.  However, as for the make-up, I have way too much.  Time to clean it out.

I also plan to go through my CDs and figure out what ones I really want to keep.  My tastes have changed a lot throughout the years.  The older I get, the more I just want something soothing to my spirit — something that nourishes and refreshes my soul.  So why take up valuable space with music I no longer enjoy?

Decluttering

While I’ve been on vacation, I’ve been tackling some decluttering projects.  Last night I did the hall pantry closet which looks AWESOME!!!!  (Until I do monthly grocery shopping next month!)

This morning I did two cabinets in the kitchen, the silverware drawer, and the entryway closet.  The entryway closet also looks AWESOME!!!  I had LOTS of notebooks in there.  Some were partially used.  I got rid of ALL of them.  I only kept the ones that were NEW.  Dh said I have a notebook hoarding problem.  Actually I bought them when they were on sale at the start of the school year several years back.  I was thinking dd would need LOTS of them for high school, and she didn’t end up using as many as I thought she would.  I pulled some out to give to nieces/nephews at our Christmas get together.

The older I get, the more I realize that LESS is MORE.  More freedom, more peace of mind, more space…..This quote sums it up quite well:

 

Gods at War

So, I invited you to come back today to see how my multi-tasking came back to “bite” me.  Well, I read an absolutely FANTASTIC book — as in, one of the BEST BOOKS I’VE EVER READ.  It was:

So, I’m reading the book, getting convicted of some things from the very beginning of the book.  However, when I got to the chapter entitled “The God of Achievement,” I noticed that I relaxed a bit because I was thinking, “Oh, this doesn’t come close to fitting me because I’m not trying to climb some corporate ladder and stepping on people in the process.”

The author describes how many people love to make to-do lists, and take great pride in conquering those lists.  After all, we like to do things that can be seen and noticed by others.  Umm…yes, I do.  (sigh)  Busted again!!!  In fact, he even had the audacity to ask, “How often do you intend to spend time with God, only to find at the end of the day, that it’s the one thing on your list that you never got around to?”  (Umm, yes, I understand.  That question made me cringe too.)

While I was deeply convicted over and over throughout the book, it was a much-needed book.  I realized that I was getting too caught up in things of this world (some of which were actually GOOD things), but their position on my priority list had gotten out of order.

I feel much more “balanced” after having read the book.  My focus has changed a lot this week, as well as my attitude.  I’ve noticed that my joy has increased and I have a deeper sense of peace in my heart.

If you haven’t read the book yet, put it at the top of your priority list!!  It is a must-read!

Related articles

• The great god Entertainment
• Spending Time
• The Priority of a Devotional Life – Newswatch Magazine
• If My People, Who are Called By My Name….
• The Power of Prayer
• Praying for Your Husband So That God Will Hear – from the Archives
• Power Through Prayer (Mark 1:35-39)
• Designing Your Habits

Conquering my to-do list

A few weeks ago, I posted about what all I managed to get done on my day off.  A fellow blogger commented about how much I manage to get done after working some 12 hour shifts.  There is a method to my “madness,” as you can see here:

While waiting on my 50-year-old body to loosen up in the morning before doing my workout, I will start tackling my to-do list. After my work out, I need to cool down before showering, so once again, I work on tasks that don’t require a whole lot of physical activity.  It might be washing the dishes or making my facial cleanser while cooling down. If you stay focused, it is amazing what you can accomplish in only 15-20 minutes!

Before starting school stuff with my dd, I might get something baking in the oven so I can still multi-task while working with her on school.

If you could hear the talk going on inside my head, you’d probably laugh at me! It’s all part of being a multi-tasker. My brain is constantly thinking of ways to get as much accomplished as quickly and easily as possible. When I work weekends, and things are slower, I will bring things from home to do — like menu planning, making a grocery list, balancing our checkbooks, home school planning, etc. That way, when I am home, I have more freedom to be present in body AND spirit.

Move forward to this week’s day off:

• did laundry
• boiled 3.5 pounds of chicken breasts
• had my yearly OB/gyn check-up (come back in a few days to hear a hilarious story from that day, as well as a huge turnaround with hot flashes)
• went to the bank
• went to two grocery stores
• worked out
• made smoothies
• made banana bread
• got my clothes ready for the next 3 days
• got evening meals planned out/written out for dh and dd for when I would be working two 12-hour shifts,
• took a nap
• washed dishes at least four times
• did Bible study

This is my weekend off work.  I did the main thing on my to-do list:  I SLEPT IN!  And I also took a nap this afternoon.  I also cleaned out the pantry closet this evening.  I wish I would have taken a before and after picture.  It looks FANTASTIC!!!

Now, I have to admit, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I can tackle my to-do lists, especially when those lists are really long.  However, check back tomorrow to see how my multi-tasking came back to “bite” me.

Related articles

• Conquering the daily cleaning grind
• I’m No Multi-Tasker
• Successful People Do This Daily, But You’re Getting It Wrong
• Looking at the Future, One Day at a Time…

New Year’s Resolutions

I read a fantastic post about New Year’s Resolutions.   Go check it out!

Gifts for my daughter

I made a couple of binders for dd for Christmas this year.  One was a recipe binder.  It is much like the binder I made for myself.  It includes homemade mixes, main dishes, veggie dishes, salads, salad dressing mixes, baking mixes, desserts, cleaning recipes, and body care recipes.

Since she loves lists, I made her another binder that I call her homekeeping binder.  It has all kinds of lists such as: budgeting forms, monthly bills, important phone numbers, information for a babysitter to use, grocery list, food inventory list, gifts, addresses, medical information, car repair info, and so much more.  I did a lot of google searches, as well as checking on Pinterest to find ideas to use in putting it together.

I made one other binder, but it is empty on the inside so she can use it for whatever she wants.  I printed out some photos of Dr. Who stuff and used them on the front cover to decorate it.  Since she LOVES the Dr. Who show, this was a very fun, inexpensive, and EASY gift to put together.  She was very pleased with it.  You gotta love it when one of the gifts that makes your child’s face light up is one that cost the least amount of money!

Related articles

• Binders, Binders, and More Binders (mylittlesliceoftheinterwebz.wordpress.com)
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• Recipe Binder Tutorial by Summer Fullerton (jillibeansoup.typepad.com)