I feel so accomplished!

[jessmarimba]

I did more general housework today than I've done since...July 10

I swapped litter boxes for the cats - they now have a giant sterilite tub b/c I got tired of litter flung all over the utility room.

I did a ton of laundry and two loads of dishes.

I made homemade oatmeal muffins.

I unpacked a bunch of boxes - and found my DVD player (finally!!)

...and...

I FINALLY painted the second coat of paint in my bedroom (that I started working on in JUNE). And slowly-carefully wiggled the furniture back. And bought and hung a curtain rod for the side window. My room feels so much bigger now that the furniture isn't all clumped in the middle! All I have left to do is tear up the nasty old carpet

I'll post a picture tomorrow once the linens are dry and put back on the bed. I actually sort of need advice with window coverings - I think I'm stuck with blinds but you'll see my dilemma tomorrow. (and you'll also see that, while my room feels huge to me at the moment, it's really quite small. Like the rest of my house).

[Bike Chick]

Wow! What an energetic woman!! I need one of those bursts around my place. Isn't it a great feeling when you are done?

[Roadtrip]

I need some of that energy too!!! I tore the place apart looking for a receipt yesterday-- receipt still MIA-- but did get a head start on cleaning and got laundry done.

Shannon

[Cataboo]

I've been doing some of that in fits and spurts over the last week. I spent a couple days organizing my basement (classic quote from a houseguest that braved the basement "it looks like REI threw up down here) - my skis are put away just before ski season. You can actually use the basement couch, 'cause I tend to just throw all the laundry on that couch when I need to do more laundry.

I have a slight tendancy to keep the upstairs of my house clean by carrying everything and dumping it in a pile in the basement.

i made my huge pile of gear hoarders gear that never gets used and thus should be sold or ebayed.

[solobiker]

That is great!! How is the back after moving the furniture around?? Can't wait to see the pics.

[Owlie]

Yes, how's your back?

I could use a good burst of cleaning energy right now. This place looks like a pigsty.

[withm]

Well I've had the "honey do" list of stuff to do growing for some time. Too bad it's MY list, and *I'm* the "honey" that gets to do it all.

It was 40o when I got up (thanks for the extra hour of sleep!) and blowing from the north about 25-30 kt so I gave myself permission to pass on a bike ride and tackle THE LIST. I did have a short ride yesterday, just as cold, almost as windy, and no sun to speak of. Somehow I didn't mind not riding today.

Today I....

Set all the clocks back. Baby steps....

New batteries in 2 clocks, one outdoor thermometer

Re-installed the cross bar to my outside shower door - the screws holding it rusted through and it fell off. (Damn that salt air.) I was amazed that my drill still had enough juice to complete this task - it probably has not been charged in months.

Turned off the outside water to hoses & outside shower.

Slithered into the crawl space to open the drains for the outside water hoses/shower for the winter. (I hate, hate, hate, doing this)

Installed winter access door at crawlspace. (Sheesh - it's a new door system that really does not fit properly. This took at least 1/2 hour! Who knew?)

Put a new end on one of my hoses where it was leaking - hose repair kit.

Raked up 5 standard trashcans full of pine needles from front yard and deck

Harvested almost the last of my herb garden before it all freezes.

Spread out 1 bag each dirt and mulch.

Put deck furniture/accessories into the storage shed for the winter.

Changed the furnace filter (requires removing a bi-fold door to gain access. Removing is the easy part - replacing it can be a lengthy frustrating experience. I set a new record with this project today! Woo hoo!)

By then I needed some Vitamin I - Advil - and nice long soak in the tub.

And now a glass of wine and some aged Gouda & crackers while I get ready to heat up some leftover Boeuf Bourguignon (a la Julia Child) for dinner. Hmm and probably another glass of wine with that.

Do I really want to vaccum too????

Or not.

[jessmarimba]

Woohoo! I haven't messed with anything outside. I don't even think my outside spigot has a separate water tap...and I can't get to the water shut-off under the house so I'm not going to worry about it

I did spent about 5 hours today trying to figure out how to put a shelf and/or extra clothes bar in my baby closet. I managed to get a shelf, but I will never EVER buy any of that closetmaid stuff again. I'm just not strong enough to install it. I didn't hurt this morning after moving the furniture, but I'm pretty useless now. Thank goodness I cleaned the tub yesterday!

So here's (my favorite part) of what I accomplished. This was what my bedroom looked like before I bought the house:


My whole life, I've wanted a yellow bedroom. So bright and sunny. But that particular shade of yellow is only pretty for about 10 minutes when the sun is coming right in those windows. So after 2-3 coats of white ceiling paint and 2 coats of wall paint, we have this:




All I have left to do is pull up the carpet...I'm going to whitewash the hardwood that's underneath.

(the turtle on the floor is a cat bed now. And please also pardon the ugliest nightstand light ever...it's easily 15 pounds - it must be solid brass, or something - it's the only one that neither of them can knock over.)

If any of you have suggestions for window treatment - curtains, blinds, shades, something, please speak up! The fact that the ceiling was finished much later than the window trim was installed makes it really hard to hang anything on them.

[solobiker]

Looks great!! I love the angled celiling that you have. Do you think roman shades would work? We have some challenging windows too and the roman shades work well. We got them embroidered with a Mission style to match the era of the house. Good luck on your search.

[Melalvai]

Wow! What an energetic woman!! I need one of those bursts around my place. Isn't it a great feeling when you are done?

You need* something to trigger the "nesting instinct", like the end of a pregnancy, or a traumatic event. I haven't stopped cleaning since we got my daughter home. Unfortunately I'm easily distracted so it's not very effective cleaning. It goes like this:
Hm, I need a drink of wat--
I'll clean the cast iron sk--
Oh, I need to swap the laundry.

In the end the laundry is still in the washer, the cast iron skillet still on the stove, and I never did get that drink of water!

*not really

[Cataboo]

I typically clean when I am going to have people over (I'm not sure why, everyone knows I'm a slob, but I'd rather not make them put up with it - okay, I will qualify that with - I'm not dirty dirty, the bathrooms get cleaned regularly, so it's not disgusting, there's just gear or equipment or projects everywhere) or when there is some other task that I really don'twant to do, so I procrastinate by cleaning as an act of desperation.

[Roadtrip]

And now a glass of wine and some aged Gouda & crackers while I get ready to heat up some leftover Boeuf Bourguignon (a la Julia Child) for dinner. Hmm and probably another glass of wine with that.

I made that and DH says.. wow.. that's good. I say with a $20 bottle of wine in it, it had BETTER taste good. LOL

I made it again, with less-expensive wine, just wasn't the same.

[PamNY]

(classic quote from a houseguest that braved the basement "it looks like REI threw up down here) .

That is the funniest thing I've read in weeks. And could so easily be said about parts of my home...

[redrhodie]

Woohoo! I haven't messed with anything outside. I don't even think my outside spigot has a separate water tap...and I can't get to the water shut-off under the house so I'm not going to worry about it

I did spent about 5 hours today trying to figure out how to put a shelf and/or extra clothes bar in my baby closet. I managed to get a shelf, but I will never EVER buy any of that closetmaid stuff again. I'm just not strong enough to install it. I didn't hurt this morning after moving the furniture, but I'm pretty useless now. Thank goodness I cleaned the tub yesterday!

So here's (my favorite part) of what I accomplished. This was what my bedroom looked like before I bought the house:


My whole life, I've wanted a yellow bedroom. So bright and sunny. But that particular shade of yellow is only pretty for about 10 minutes when the sun is coming right in those windows. So after 2-3 coats of white ceiling paint and 2 coats of wall paint, we have this:




All I have left to do is pull up the carpet...I'm going to whitewash the hardwood that's underneath.

(the turtle on the floor is a cat bed now. And please also pardon the ugliest nightstand light ever...it's easily 15 pounds - it must be solid brass, or something - it's the only one that neither of them can knock over.)

If any of you have suggestions for window treatment - curtains, blinds, shades, something, please speak up! The fact that the ceiling was finished much later than the window trim was installed makes it really hard to hang anything on them.

I really like the architecture of the windows, so something clean that would not cover it up. Maybe honeycomb blinds? Here's what I'm picturing:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/w...e-after-119024

[ClockworkOrange]

I did more general housework today than I've done since...July 10

Yippee............broken back behind you (literally)

Jess that's fantastic news, at long last being able to get about and do so much.

Do still be careful and not do too much, too quickly (hahaha, rich coming from me).

You will soon be back doing all your extreme sports.



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