The "TO DO" List Isn't Going To Plan

Getting the "To Do" list worked on is getting out of hand. I have been talking to Princess Five twice weekly on video chat as she is in quarantine on her mission. She is a bit nervous to come home after being on such a organized schedule, to my house that is me puttering around working on projects. 

I was looking for jobs for her a few months back, and had some good leads for one in the town where she has housing for the fall, and will be headed to finish up her bachelors degree, but with this new life situation, the jobs all went away. 

So, in order for her to not be anxious to come home and "do nothing but sleep all day" in her words, I have compiled a "list" of things that she could help me with when she gets home. 

She will be under house quarantine as she will be flying home through airports, planes and other places where she could get sick. She will have to be home for two weeks at least to make sure she isn't sick or contagious to others. 

I won't be able to leave either, so I am planning a huge shopping trip right before she heads home and this "list" of things she can do in the house and yard will hopefully give her something to do to feel needed when she gets home. 

Her older sister is finishing up her bachelors degree at the end of next week and is also planning on heading home, so I may have two girls home for the summer as it may be hard for Princess Four to get a job during this crazy time. 

So, I have been writing a list of things they could do when they get home. I asked Princess Five which items on the list she would like to do, and which she would NOT like to do, so that in this last month of living alone, I can possibly get some of the things off the list that she isn't interested in doing. 

One of the things she didn't want to do is to work on organizing the T-shirts I have for future quilts. I figured that was one of the things she would like to do but was wrong. I had been doing some yard work this past week and then thought she may like the yard work, so have a few started projects in the yard that I won't finish in the next month so we can work in the yard and hopefully get some sun time when she gets home. 

I have several outside projects started but not going anywhere, and then I have several started projects inside that I haven't finished and I started another one this week. 

I am trying to slim down my home décor as I have a ton of stuff I have purchased and just stuck on shelves, but haven't really put them in a nice decorative way. I really want to "clean house" and hopefully slim down my belongings in case I decide to downsize. 

I pulled all these décor items out of my beach bathroom and have offered them to others. I gave away some books for a teen on Saturday for free as well trying to clean house. I have been keeping an eye on the yard sale sites, and if I see someone looking for something, I am giving it to them to help me clean house and them finding something they want. The second hand stores are closed currently, and you can't have a yard sale, so those online sites are nice to be able to give things away free. 

I also started working on sorting the T-shirts for quilts into totes. I have been picking up shirts for future quilts as I find the ones I am looking to make in the future. When I did Sesame Street and the Comic quilts a few years back, I had a horrible time finding shirts and paid full price for many, and a friend ordered some on eBay for me. It was expensive to make them. 

Now, when I find shirts that will be one of the quilts I want to do in the future, I grab the shirt for $1 and $2 and maybe $3 but for the most part, try to keep it under $2 for each shirt. So, over the past two years, I have collected LOTS of shirt with some help from Princess Two who has a knack for finding fun shirts. 

I am to the point that I think I have enough shirts for almost all the quilts I want to make. I enjoy making them, and hope that things will calm soon and I will get all the other projects I am working on done, so I can enjoy doing more quilts. 

However, I am currently half finished with Princess Three's life quilt, working on some family history stuff, going through rooms, projects outside, and now the t-shirt sorting project. I was also going through my own jewelry recently and am halfway through that project, so I am getting a bit overwhelmed with my "to do" list as there are so many projects half done that I shouldn't have started any new ones. 

I hope that I can enjoy my time with the girls home, but at the same time, rather than doing puzzles and games which we all enjoy, that I can get their help finishing some things that would help them feel like they are helping me to give some purpose to their time home. 

Lots of crazy things going on in the world currently. I just need to keep the craziness on the outside of the house and hope I can start checking off the half finished projects from my "list" so that it is a little less crazy  in the house! 

Have a Blessed day!