Tell us: What projects have you taken on? What advice can you share?

[AARPTeri]

What projects have you taken on? How have you accomplished tasks by being resourceful with what you have on hand? What advice do you have to help others through similar projects? Share your ideas here and earn 50 AARP Rewards points for participating in this weekly discussion. We also will choose one post as our weekly winning post for an additional prize: a $50 HelloFresh gift card.  Click here to see our Rules for participating. 

[WayneC292922]

Organized all my important papers in order of importances. And create a spreadsheet budget to control all my spending in these trying times.

[do7998]

As we are considered "an essential business" because we own an auto repair shop, we are still going to work Monday through Friday. However our weekends have changed so much. Now instead of going to see friends or family, we are staying home to reduce the risk of "sharing" covid-19. We have no symptoms but with all the uncertainty we're trying to minimize risk. So that being said, the projects I've taken on have been with materials I already have on hand. I am a lifelong crafter, crocheter and knitter and love all things related to these hobbies. I am in the process of organizing my crafting room which entails sorting and storing all the yarn, patterns, materials and notions that I've collected over the years. I am planning ahead for birthdays, special holidays and Christmas gifts and placing the pattern, yarns and accessories together as well as writing a list of what I've gotten already gathered and what small additions I might need to procure. I find that busy hands are the best way for me to calm my mind and ease the tendency to worry about the uncertain. My God and my crafts are keeping me sane.

[PeggyR704795]

I've made over 150 masks and donated to seniors who need them.  Used up fabric and supplies I have had around home before purchasing any materials.

[p580858m]

Keeping the yard looking better than it has in years. Also cleaning up and orgainzing all the stuff in our 3 car garage.  We only have one car so a lot of extra space to clutter up.

[kitchen7319]

I've cleaned out my computer desk and my computer wgile being stuck at home. It made me very happy.

[SusanL649578]

My brother and I are creating a hiking trail in the wooded acreage where I live. We have cut small (less than 6" diameter trees), cleared vines, bush hogged and treated poison ivy with a herbicide to create intersecting trails of 1.5 miles that are suitable for recreational walking/hiking by family and friends. The trail provides a great way to see people, while maintaining social distancing!

[Denhonk]

I am working on planting a native plant garden and cleaning up my basement.

[GlenaleeF1952]

I have planted a garden.  I have yellow squash, okra, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  I have cherry tomatoes for salad and Big boy tomatoes for salad.  We also take walks daily at least 2 miles. We have a new Parson Russel Terrier (the long legged Jack Russel terrier) puppy for company.  Her name is Daisy.  She is vedry cute and fiesty.  She is learning not to chew on us and play wirh her toys instead.  She goes on walks with us and likes all the different smells.  As the vet says "a tired puppy is a good puppy" so we try to give her plenty of exercise.

[karlgolf]

working in the yard doing projects that have gone forgotten. replacing all the rocks for my drainage ditch thru the yard. trimming trees and bushes. furtilize my rose bushes.

[PennyP672420]

I am reading books, trying new recipes and crafting Christmas gifts to get a jump on my Christmas list.

[jc3424]

I've beern working on new pillows for my living room, making face masks and many other long neglected sewing and craft projects.  This is a great way to use up my fabric stash collected over 50 years.  It has been very rewarding to see finished items made from old fabric which brought back memories of other items made years ago from that fabric.  My next project will be a quilt made from the fabric.

Also, this is a great time to try recipes collected over the years.

My other hobbies/projects include reading books collected over the years plus many of the new bestselling books.  Other projects include painting wookwork and redoing my master bedroom.

Stay safe and make the best of staying home!

[PaulH627938]

the only project i took on was reading books. just the other day i ordered some books from Barnes & Nobles. i usually would not have done that but i have lots of time on my hands & so decided why not! i already read my first one & now on my second. i can read one in a single day, at the most two days if the book is intresting enough & t.v. programs don't get in the way.

[DamonH56036]

I needed extra outside storage and have decided to finally tear down the existing 8x12 shed that was a lean to add on that just couldn't be salvaged (Bad Bones). My tip for going to Lowe's is to order online right now if possible. It will avoid the long lines and the amount of people you come in contact with.

[DeborahO690455]

I have been spending days on end giving my yard a power raking by hand.  Getting rid of all  the moss that has been building up over the years.  Hopefully this week I will be able to put down seed and it will grow and look nice.  

[TWC]

Rewired the back deck

[mawoehler]

Difficult times can develop you! Take that online course you've put off and learn something new!

[hcpat117]

I am taking an online course from Yale, The Science of Well Being (the "happiness" course), thru Coursera. Some nice things about this course are that 1) you can do the minumum or you can take advantage of the additional resources (books, lectures, papers) in areas you find particularly interesting, 2) the course is designed to be experiential in that besides the theory the course features ways to allow you to put the theory into practice, e.g. meditation and gratitude journals, 3) it provides access to resources to find out more about yourself like yor Happiness score and yor chacteristic strnengths, and 4) because it is a very popular online course, the discussion forums for each week's material are very robust and, something important at this time, provide good opportunities for social connections.  

[grandma2849]

The best advice  I have. Take a look around  your home.  My surprise

came when  I found totes of sewing project  I forgot about. We are talking about projects  some were started some were  not.I had to stop and think  what  were they for.? Then as I started going thru them I realized  many were for my Granddaughter s.  I had pack them away when my Husband  pass away.And I move. So count now 3 quilts  done.Mask may for family to wear. 

Also started to go thru old pictures and  put in family books. Never know what you  will find.Good Luck

[ahorselover2301]

I've been working on myself! I received a FitBit Inspire for my birthday in February. Since we have been staying in, I work on getting in my steps. I started with a goal of 5,000, but recently increased it to 10,000. Sometimes it's just walking around the kitchen island, but we do have a beautiful park nearby. We walk there every day when weather permits. Here is a photo of the sunrise taken on one of our walks.

I have also been utilizing the AARP and Silver Sneakers videos for body conditioning and yoga. 

I hope everyone is keeping busy and safe! Anna 

[ManicProgressive]

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@ahorselover2301 wrote:

I've been working on myself! I received a FitBit Inspire for my birthday in February. Since we have been staying in, I work on getting in my steps. I started with a goal of 5,000, but recently increased it to 10,000. Sometimes it's just walking around the kitchen island, but we do have a beautiful park nearby. We walk there every day when weather permits. Here is a photo of the sunrise taken on one of our walks.

I have also been utilizing the AARP and Silver Sneakers videos for body conditioning and yoga. 

I hope everyone is keeping busy and safe! Anna 

---

Welcome to Fitbit!   It's the only thing keeping me sane these days.  Tracking steps and getting exercise.   Unfortunately, it's rainy today, so it will be all inside.  But I love watching my progress and beating old records.   I hope you enjoy!  

[vr2750]

Catch up on life...exercise, tv, email, organizing, new recipes & breathing(non-contaminated air hopefully)! Be Safe everyone!!

[PatK106]

My husband is a good cook, and we have about seventy spices in our corner cabinet in the kitchen on nine small lazy susans.  Over the years, the spices were all just jumbled together with no rhyme no reason, making it difficult to find anything when trying to prepare a meal.  It took me two days, but I took down all of the spices and arranged them into two categories:  baking and general.  One shelf is arranged alphabetically with all of the ingredients I use for baking.  The other two shelves are for general spices arranged alphabetically. Then I created an index of each shelf showing where the spices are and taped it to the inside of the cabinet door.

Pat K.

[KaTayLuCi]

I was about to throw away old sheets, pillowcases & unused cotton fabric when I saw the need for masks. I have a new king size mattress & no longer needed queen or twin size so I recycled them into masks. I also went through my closet & discarded old clothes I no longer wear & switched my winter clothes for spring & summer. It was a good time to coordinate my hanger colors to the clothing, which is amusing to me; we all need a little humor every now & again. I rearranged my sewing room, cleaned out things I no longer needed & found plenty of non woven interfacing for those well needed masks. I cleaned carpets & went through my bathroom vanity. Found things I forgot I had which saved me a lot of money right now! That's really important. Caught up on my reading; Clive Cussler is my favorite author & always wanted time to sit down with my new Nikola Tesla book! In between, I was able to spend more relaxing time with my newly adopted rescue feline, Casper Maximilian (he blends into the carpet-LOL) & catch up on some old movies like Sneakers & The Hunt for Red October as well as series!

[ShannonD868407]

I have found this is a great time to clear out items while organizing closets and pantries.  Also making stacks to donate.

[annkran]

I have been working on digital files of pictures.  I had three devices that had back ups and each of those have multiple files that had the same pictures in.  I am in the process of consolidating these and scanning the pictures that I have that are not digital.  It has been a long and interesting project.  When I am through, I will make books for my kids and myself so that we can all enjoy the pictures that have been taken over the years.

My advise is to label pictures as you take them.  Back up copies so that you do not lose them and as you backup, keep just one file of each so you do not have 15 copies of the same picture.

[LouRotolo]

I been reseeding my lawn and and growming  my flower beds after a long winter.    It's been keeping me active for the last week. And what's great about it, you get instant gratification.  Just a little work spucing up your property certain makes a noticeable diiference 

[RachelPhelps]

My best advice is to keep busy which includes: Painting the dining room walls, deep cleaning the basement, and doing laundry ... lots of laundry.

[cleda]

I tried to make the masks. I got a kit from someone at church. I made 9. I realize my sewing machine really needs to be serviced so I didn't keep making them. I kept 2 for my family and gave 2 to friends. I am taking the rest to a food rescue place today. I tried.

[RachelS169473]

Remodeling a finished room in the basement.  Took out excess shelving, painted everything, redoing all the hardware, revamping a closet.  In essence making a room that looks like it was a throw back to 1958 into something that could be featured in a bunch of Instagram posts.

Advice: Don't let the magnitude of the job stop you.  Break it down into little bits and take them one at a time.  And, it is OK to take a break and work on other things, unless you are remodeling the only bathroom in your home, then you have to make haste.

[marym883953]

Unlike some others who have learned to digitize their photos, I took 12 shoe boxes of photos out of my closet (something I've been getting around to for as long as I can remember) and am in the process of actually placing them in photo albums for my young grandchildren. After adding a few written comments  and a smattering of stickers, the 6-year-old twins are loving their new books. I also unearthed two crumbling albums of post World War II Europe, documented in Brownie snapshots by their great grandfather. I am thrilled to be able to preserve these and read my dad's comments on what he experienced at that poignant period of history.