January News and Organizing

January makes you think of cold and snow, freezing and ice, dark and dreary...

Not here of late! We have been having mild weather here with daytime highs in the mid to upper 40's and some days 50 and close to 60 degrees!!

My daffodils are about 5-6" tall! I shall have to keep my eye on the nighttime temps though and possibly cover those little stems to protect them if we are forcasted some frosty weather this month or next.

Meanwhile, I have seem to fallen behind on my chores and tasks. The weather has been so gorgeous, that I am outdoors more or wanting to go outdoors more often being shopping or just running around...For January, I am usually holed up in the house getting crafts and redecorating done.....

I did get my calendar set up on my phone and have downloaded some great helpful apps like grocery shopping lists where I can actually scan UPC codes on my phone and it will add to my list. I also downloaded some recipe of the day  apps that will inspire me to make something different for Mr H and me....

Plus I added one more thing to my workload.....

one of the girls at work used to sell Avon and she decided she did not want too anymore....So....everyone said...who will do the Avon now? So I volunteered....I am now taking Avon orders and will soon have a website posted for that. I am not doing it fulltime or going aggressive on it....just mainly doing it for the girls at work and myself. 

Here is my list of January to do's that may also be helpful to you as this is a great time of year to get these things accomplished

• redecorate one room in the house - for me this would be the guest room - I have been talking and talking about getting this done, and this is the week it shall start!
• the livingroom and dining/kitchen are looking bare since all the Christmas decor is down - either keep it simple or start with Valentine's or even Easter/Spring (since it feels so springlike around here!)  I did promise posts of before and after...I still have some things to set out, although it will be much simpler this year being as I have a 9 month crawling around twice a week...
• get income tax items ready and organized. As soon as I get my W2, I file online and get that refund! LOL.
• set up a monthly craft project night with a couple friends. I talked to a friend of mine and we are going to set up a craft night, we are interested in making chicken wire cloches this month....shall be fun and pictures will be posted of that! 
• update or set up a filing system - bill paying, vacations, to do projects/plans whatever you have happening - you may need to have one for your kids school work and sporting events as well....

Starting the New Year off right

• Each night before bed, make sure the dining/kitchen table is clean and clear. All mail and paperwork filed and put away. Coats hung in the closet, laundry in the hamper, no dirty dishes in the sink, pack lunch(es) for next day. 
• Weekly, plan next weeks calendar and look ahead to the following week and make notes for those important dates. (Good to do on a Sunday evening). Have some sort of filing system to keep you organized. 
• Monthly, pick a room in the house to deep clean and declutter. 

Next month....

I will revisit the above list and see what I actually accomplished! 

Next we will  -  Declutter the  computer - purge files, make new files, organize pictures and documents, favorites list updates etc....