Ahhhh… a week’s vacation… so nice, so productive, so relaxing… so sad that it’s coming to an end. 😦

Curious exactly how productive I’ve been with my week off?

Well, I slept in everyday. I went snowshoeing twice a day until the snow melted enough that Baxter and I could safely go for a run on the road. Wow are we out of shape… although only one of us ended up with his tongue hanging out of his mouth… not mentioning any names.

Hmmm… what else? I cooked. I baked a pie for goodness sake. It’s only the second one I’ve ever made. (Pastry and I do not get along). I snacked. I read some magazines and a book. I watched movies. We visited with family and friends.

Oh, and I made some really good progress on my March projects.

The fourth item on my list, light fixtures, is completely done. (Although I’m not sure the foyer light is going to stay).

• Buy a second light for the kitchen island – By March 9 Done March 9
• Finish foyer light fixture – March 10 Done March 9
• Install foyer light fixture – March 11 Done March 10
• Install a new light fixture in the bathroom – By March 16 Done March 10

The first item on my list, the ping-pong table, is also completely done.

• Figure out how to configure the legs and what I need to attach them to the tabletop – By March 11 Done March 10
• Buy lumber, screws and whatever other materials I need – By March 11 Done March 11
• Build a frame – By March 16 Done March 11
• Drill the legs – By March 16 Decided this wasn’t necessary
• Attach the legs and frames and tabletop together – By March 16 The frame is attached to half the tabletop and then the whole thing is just set on the legs. Done March 11
• Set up the net – By March 16 Done March 11
• Practice my ping-pong skills… which currently do not exist Done everyday since March 11. And I’ve actually found a few skills… not very many, but some.

Item #2, my home office, is in progress and on schedule.

• Sort and file the mountain of paperwork that’s built up on top of the filing cabinet – By March 16 Done March 12
• Add organizers to the new dresser and start filling the drawers – By March 22
• Make a bulletin board – By March 22
• Pull together all of the forms that we need for our taxes this year – By March 30
• Figure out how to make better use (temporarily) of the closet – By March 30
• Unpack a few boxes, repack some of the boxes, repile the boxes – By March 30

Item #3, my work office, is not started. Wop-wop. However, I have three days until my deadline, so I should be able to return to work next week with a few pretty pieces in tow.

• Make a bulletin board – By March 16
• Recover the shade from my desk lamp – By March 16

Once again, setting deadlines has saved me. Heading into my holiday, I had a moment of “I don’t know where to start! How am I going to get everything done?” Then I reminded myself to check the blog and see the timelines I’d laid out.

I realize that I may seem really rigid, but I promise I did relax and have fun this vacation as well. I’m sure my approach wouldn’t work for everyone, but honestly having some kind of structure is really helpful for me.

Can you believe we’re already halfway through March? How’s the month going for you? What do you like to do when you’re on vacation?