Check This and Check That...

Well, we have been busy all week checking off items on our list.

Some projects we have moved off the short list and

put them back on the long list.

We have also come up with a few new ideas to add to the list,

but we are making progress and that is the main goal.

This may be my longest and most boring post ever,
so get a cup of coffee,
take a seat,
and hang in there.

We are finally done with staining the deck and I am

really happy with how it turned out.

I am also really happy with my

birthday present...

Scott bought me this pretty wicker set.

It is PVC wicker so hopefully it will stand up to the

weather better than traditional wicker.

I am on the hunt for cushions.  The store we bought them at

had lots of cushion, but if they had one for the love seat, they wouldn't

have cushions for the chairs and vice versa...

and Scott was not loving the lime green zebra stripe set.

Hopefully we will find some cushions soon

and we can check that off the list. 

This local store keeps this style of furniture year round and I

have already made my list of pieces that I want to add

over the next year or so.

There is a tall, bar height bistro table that I would like to put

in the corner upstairs and eventually I would like to

add the dining set and a swing downstairs.

A little at a time and hopefully it will last for years to come.

Moving inside, we have been marking projects off the list.

Austin has needed a book shelf in his room, but with his furniture

there is not a lot of room left.

We had some MDF left over from Jackson's

board and batten project so Scott whipped him

up a little shelf that will sit in his closet.

A couple of coats of white paint and it's ready to go.

Austin even painted it himself!

Another quick project I had for Scott

was to cut a board for me to put

a little vinyl sticker on for the Laundry room.

It says

"Laundry...Loads of Fun"

ha ha

I really do not find any part of the laundry fun...

but the sign is going to look cute.

As soon as the paint dries I am going to put

the vinyl on and hang it above the sink and

then we can check that one off the list.

Since Scott was working on my little sign I decided

to start in the laundry room.

(not to mention that we couldn't walk through the back door)

My laundry room is really not a room.

It is more of a pass through coming in the back door.

There is a lot of cabinet storage but as far as a

place to store baskets and dirty clothes,

it is lacking.  Well, it had become a dumping ground for junk

and also the place where clothes were hung to dry,

but never were taken to the closet where they belonged.

But not any more....

all of the junk has been picked up

and put away...or thrown away.

Clean counters....ahh

Oh, and check this out...

EMPTY SHELVES!!!!

I need to go back and move the shelves

on the right down a notch...this photo is giving me a twitch.

Glorious, empty shelves...

I also combined all of the cleaning supplies in one place,

hopefully after I use up the 4 cans of carpet cleaner,

3 cans of toilet cleaner, and umpteen bottles of

"all purpose cleaner"

this will be all nice and organized too.

and yes...two EMPTY cabinets on either side of the sink!

Not only did I find a lot of change laying around the

laundry room, I also found several rolled coins that

we had rolled several years ago.

When we moved in, they were put in the cabinet and forgotten.

But, they are now going to be used to open savings accounts

for the boys.  Austin was pretty excited about that.

(Another thing to check off the list)

We even pulled out the washer and dryer

and vacuumed behind them and cleaned out

all the hangers, socks, and umm  general yuck that was

behind there.  I highly suggest that if you haven't

pulled out your washer and dryer and cleaned behind them

in a while...yeah, you might want to do that.

WOW...it was not a pretty sight!

But, now it's another thing checked off the list.

Ahh, it feels good to get that done...

but we are not done yet.

On to Jackson's room.

His closet had become a mess.

Is there a floor in there?

Jackson loves to play in the closet and lately

he has made a big ol' mess.

So after a little clean out and sort through,

the closet floor has reappeared and

another box of stuff has been loaded into the garage for

the big yard sale! Whoo hoo!!

Definitely an improvement.

I still need to sort through some of his clothes

and see what is going to fit this fall, but for now,

I am happy with seeing the floor.

We spent some time going through his toys today.

Packed up a lot of stuff that he doesn't play with anymore

and made plans for some storage boxes to put under his bed.

These plans involve some power tools.

Scott likes plans like that.

I told him if he would build them, I would paint them.

So, while one project gets taken off the list,

another one is added.

Funny how it always seems to work like that.

Once Jackson's closet was done,

we moved Austin's new shelf into his.

Fits like a dream...

now he just has to go through all of his books

and sort out what stays and what goes.

Yep...another thing to check off the ol' list!

Another thing, that is not exciting at all

(not that any of this post has just kept you

on the edge of your seat or anything)

was to carry out all of the things that have been

collecting in the dining room floor for the yard sale.

WOW...that's a lot of stuff.  I have been pricing it as I go,

so all we'll have to do is set it out and hopefully someone

will take it all away.

We have also been trying to check off a few outside

projects off the list as well.

But, they are limited to early morning hours.

In case you have been under a rock,

it's HOT outside.  We have had several days near 100 with

the heat index between 105-110.

Needless to say, I don't do much outside when it's

that hot.  Well, truth be told, I don't do much outside anyway, HA!

Austin is my early riser so he has been helping Scott early in the mornings

weeding the flower beds and trimming up some of the shrubs.

Scott worked on this little area by the garage this morning.

He trimmed up the crape myrtle and cleaned out this "grass" stuff.

I don't remember what it is called but it has gotten over grown and

just looks nasty, so we decided to pull it out.

Scott finished this side and it looks so much better.

We are trying to figure out what to plant in the corners,

but for now I think I like the clean look.

If it cools off, the boxwood's need a haircut.

And the Nandinas definitely need to be reigned in.

If you ever decided you want to plant a Nandinas...

DON'T.

These silly bushes have taken off and grow by leaps and bounds.

They also grow out...the silly little roots go everywhere.

You start to pull up a straggly little piece and it runs

clear across the shrub bed.

And they are tough to pull out.

It usually requires a hatchet.

I really do not like these silly little (HUGE) bushes!

I am trying to keep my flowers alive in all of this heat,

but I don't think I am doing so well.

Today I tried to clean up my petunia's on the front porch.

They were looking a little sad, so I tried pulling out some of the

sad, dying little spots.

Well...they apparently were connected to some still healthy

and flowers blooming spots.

So one still looks nice and full

and the other...

Not so much.

I guess I still have a lot to learn. HA!

Well, if you are still reading and have not fallen asleep,

you win a prize.

If I have totally bored you to death,

come back again, I promise it will be more fun.

I think...

Well, I am off to bed.

More items to check off the list tomorrow.

It has been nice having Scott home this week to help

get some things done.

Hopefully, we can start the school year off on the right foot.

Organized house, schedule, and get going with a

good routine...it's all part of the plan.

That's the first step, right.

At least have a plan.