Not Gonna Stress …March’s Projects!

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“Remind me how I felt at this moment the next time I want to eat as much as I did today,” I groaned to my husband as I curled up on the bed holding my stomach.

I remember the day I overindulged on too much food. It was delicious at the time, but I felt horrible at the end of the day.

The memory fades as I look at all of the items on my March to-do list.

“Sure, it’s a lot to do, but you can get it all done,” I tell myself hopefully.

I so badly want to be on the other side of all the chores and responsibilities that come with being a homeowner … to have it all done and just bask in the satisfaction of not having to think about all the yard work and messy parts of my home.

In contrast, there are also things I’m looking forward to doing like Designer in a Binder, Elite Blog Academy, talking to the people at Budget Upholstery (a local shop that does free in home estimates), taking a day trip in the Jeep, and reading and reflecting on Dynamic Catholic Best Lent Ever email series.

And I can’t forget the School Year Challenge projects!

Even as I tell myself I can get it all done, I remember the stress I experienced in the recent past when I tried to do too many things in a month.

Just like the day I ate way too much and told Douglas to remind me of how I felt anytime he saw me eating more than I usually do.

In the first situation, I put myself through days and weeks of pushing myself to the mental limit. When I got to the end of the month, the sense of completing long-wanted projects was satisfying.

In the second situation, the journey of eating was enjoyable but the physical feeling at the end of the day was not.

Being aware of these feelings, knowing what caused them, and acknowledging them is liberating!

I know at the end of the day (or month), I will be okay if everything on my list doesn’t get done. There will be progress in every area and that, my friends, is an iccomplishment* for me!

THREE PROJECTS for MARCH

Wash Tub and White Table

These two items are sitting in the garage right now. Can you see why decluttering the garage is on my to-do list?

The plan is to use the wash tub as a planter so it will be outside on the deck. It was suggested to spray it with a clear protective coat to keep it from rusting. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do that or just go straight to picking out flowers to plant in it.

My sister-in-law, Tracy, gave me the white table when we visited them in MA last summer. It has a wood base and an enamel top.

It had multiple layers of paint and my brother was sure some of it was lead-based. With three children, the youngest almost 5, they didn’t want it on their deck exposed to the elements and shedding dangerous flakes.

Douglas and I had taken a road trip in the Jeep to see them, and I made sure we made room for the table before we headed back!

The plan for the white table is to finish stripping the paint and repaint it, possibly with a distressed look.

Grandpa’s Table

The third project, Grandpa’s table, sits on the front porch. It was a table my Grandpa made.

When my grandparents had to move to an assisted living facility, my dad and aunt had to sell their house. It was one of the last items in their garage.

Grandpa’s table had been a bonus project in October but all I managed to do was to get it cleaned off. The table color in the pictures below look different because of lighting, but I didn’t paint it then. My plan now is to give it a fresh look by painting it.

Planning

For the Project Wall I made cards for all three projects. However, my goal is to get at least one of the three projects done this month for the School Year Challenge. I just don’t know which one I want to do yet.

If I happen to get more than one done, it will be another completed project I can enjoy sooner than I had planned.

Whichever one(s) I don’t get done will become project(s) at a later time and that will be one less card I’ll have to make in the future. 🙂

With all the other tasks and chores on my to-do list for March, I want to try time-blocking again using my planner.

Budget – $30

Douglas and I are still watching our spending and using a budget to keep track of our finances. We’ve been successful in having weekly meetings to enter our receipts and pay bills since July 2017.

These are tasks we have taken turns doing throughout our marriage but never did together. The time we spend at our weekly money meetings has brought another level of closeness to our marriage.

Fabric for reupholstering the many pieces I want to do (future projects) is an expense I’m saving for, therefore, the budget this month is small.

There is some paint left over from previous projects that I can use on the the two tables. In addition, I have the brushes needed for painting. I also have clear protective spray paint for the wash tub if I decide to go that route before planting in it.

I will need soil and plants to put in the wash tub and I think $30 is a generous amount for those supplies.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot on my March to-do list but I’m not going to stress myself out.

My family and friends do not judge me when I don’t get everything done. I am the one doing the judging and I am slowly learning to not be so hard on myself.

My list is ambitious but time is limited. I’ll iccomplish* what I can and be happy. Progress in small increments is still progress.

Read the previous post in the School Year Challenge.

Read the next post in the School Year Challenge.