I’m the handyperson of the house. Hubster does the things I can’t stand to do, which is to say: dishes and laundry. So I’m totally okay with the gender role switching. I know nobody actually cares, but here’s today’s¹ project list:

¹ Today. Heh. I must learn to lower my expectations.

1. clean out garage and work bench (and find some of my tools)
2. plant lily of the valley

^{3/27/07 6:30 p.m.}

3. square away The Girl’s room since we moved her ^{3/24/07 5:30 p.m.}
4. patch a hole in the wall where once a wall heater was^{3/27/07 12:00 p.m.}
5. rearrange outside hoses
6. build a frame for the cat flap^{3/27/07 12:23 p.m.}
7. install security bolts on the doors so the too-clever-by-half 3-1/2-year-old Girl can’t sneak out at night as eventually she will try to do^{3/24/07 5:30 p.m.}
8. put an insulated plywood patch over the jalousy window (like someone thought this was a good idea to use jalousy windows in a non-tropical climate)
9. fix the front screen door hardware^{4/11/07 5:30 p.m.} and change out glass panel for screen^{4/15/07 DH}
10. clean out the cat boxes really REALLY well^ongoing
11. organize the garage sale stuff
12. sew curtains and tiebacks for the French doors and hang them

Speaking of involved projects, this morning, The Girl and I went grocery shopping–at Wal-Mart on a Saturday at noon. If I never do that again, it’ll be too soon. We also went to Sears for my little Craftsman fix and then to CVS, which is its own story.

I’ve decided that since CVS Pharmacy pays me to shop there, I should probably go ahead and let them. Today’s total after $25 gift card for switching a $3.59 prescription plus a $5-off-a-$15-purchase coupon plus $1.75 in manufacturer coupons equals a $37 shopping spree for $2.40 (it would have been less if I’d actually stuck to my list and not bought a few things on impulse). Add that to last week’s score and I’m batting .995 (calculation not exact) with CVS. I love ya, Walgreen’s (who owes me a $12.50 check in rebates), but you will NEVER be able to beat what I’ve done at CVS the last two weeks.

The grocery budget is $125/week (this doesn’t include the cost of the side of beef we buy every year). Today’s total expenditure (like, cash out of my pocket) was $130.12. Of that, $33.00 was actual food. The rest? Summer kids’ clothes, diapers, hygiene and cleaning products, project hardware, and my Craftsman fix.

We spend a lot of money in fresh fruit every week. This year, I’m going to try to plant some fruit trees (apple and peach), erect a trellis for a microvineyard, start in with the berries–and possibly try a potted lemon tree. If I don’t get to it this year, it’ll be next year, but eventually I expect to grow the fruit and veggies we actually eat.

I’ll post a picture of our terrace gardens pretty soon. That’s a whole ‘nother brain dump.

¹ Today. Heh. I must learn to lower my expectations.