Project Deadlines

We have been working on our unfinished house projects and have actually accomplished some of them! I have to tell you the truth. I didn't really think that writing dates next to these projects would help us get them done any faster. I was just doing it to humor Julia but low and behold, it really works! Most of the things on our list seemed too hard to even try to get done but we've been working on them one by one and we're seeing results.

So far I have installed towel hooks in my bathroom, designed and ordered the island for my kitchen and the mirrors for our bathrooms. That alone would be enough to amaze you (right?) but we have also installed our house numbers, Stranger installed the faucet for our garage sink and he has our chicken coop half built, I have a guy coming over on Thursday to finish a landscape design that he started for us last year, I designed my pantry cabinets today and we have men coming tomorrow to get our cement work prepped and ready to pour. I thought I would cry if I had to go another winter without a driveway but I think I'm going to cry from happiness now that I don't!

You can see that this is really working for us so I want you to try it for yourself. Make a list of all those unfinished house, craft and other projects you have floating around in your head. Write a finish date next to each one and watch how much more you accomplish in your life.

Now go take a look at my list and tell me whose is longer. If it sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself, I am, but not as sorry as I would feel if I didn't have a my amazing plan!

13 Things

There's nothing like finding old unused articles to post when you're sick in bed. Remember my last dinner party?

"I was not home getting dinner ready for 14 people coming over that night for dinner and a book club. I'm so organized that I stopped by the store on my way home to grab the food and was just getting out of the shower as everyone was arriving at my door. Yay for me! They only had to wait an hour and a half till the food was ready to eat. It was honestly one of the most brilliant
(brilliantly stupid) organizational moments of my life.

The food was great though. Especially after I burned the sauce and had to start over with it which was totally worth it because as Stranger just pointed out, not one single person even mentioned liking it.

Ya, good times. For more tips on organizing your cooking and meals please visit http://someone_elses_cooking_tips.com/ because I clearly don't have this figured out."

I think I have it all figured out now (in theory anyway). Here is my list of ten things I should remember to do BEFORE I have my next dinner party.

1. Decide what to make.


2. Buy the food.


3. Cook the food. Yes, before the party starts would be nice.


4. Buy big people sized paper plates instead of the little snack plates we use. That way I don't have as many dishes to wash three days after the party when I finally have the courage to re-enter my kitchen.


5. Put out the big garbage can instead of thinking everyone will use the tiny invisible one that sits on my counter. At least I think it must be invisible because no one can seem to find a garbage can that is sitting right in front of them.


6. Offer my guests something to drink. This is a good one to remember.


7. Figure out how long to cook the sauce and learn to use a timer so I don't burn it the first time and then in a crazed rush to get it ready to eat, seriously overcook it the second time.


8. Find chairs for everyone to sit on so they don't have to use the plywood topped fireplace.


9. Take serious action about the fly infestation in my house. And by action I mean something besides installing fly strips right inside the front door so that guests get their hair stuck in them when they try to enter the house.


10. Petition the city to install a street sign so I don't have to tell people to drive until you see a green house and then turn around (because at that point you've gone too far) and take a right on the dirt road without a sign.


11. Get a sidewalk with steps so people can get to my front door. Or else tell them to bring a chainsaw so they can blaze a path through the weeds.


12. Repaint my house so I don't have to hear for the millionth time, "Why did you paint your house green? Do you like that color?" For the record... no. I looked at all the paint chips for the ugliest color I could find and then used it to paint my house. But thanks for asking.


13. Invite all the same people again to see if I can do any better impressing them the second time around. That is, if I can get them to come after their first horrifying experience.

Project Management

Thanks to Julia, I now have a new game plan for getting all our projects done around the house and Stranger has agreed not to divorce me for spending all our money on them. Until he changes his mind that is. Yes, I had to remind him of how much he loves me and wants to do this for me. Or I had to bribe him, whatever you want to call it.

Now how to fit it in to my daily or weekly schedule. Since most of these projects are time and labor intensive and very messy they don't suit the fifteen minute a day philosophy. So instead I am going to try setting aside one week a month for our monthly project. Of course I will have things come up during my project week but I'm going to keep my schedule as clear as I can and neglect my kids more than usual. If you were thinking of asking me to host a book club or teach an organizing seminar next week, don't. But if you were thinking of having my sweet little trouble makers fly out for a visit, do.

Of course you know what all this really means don't you? Great blogging photos! I bet you just can't wait to see what I come up with for my new kitchen island or my pantry shelves. You'll find out when I do! All I require of you for this fabulous blogging entertainment is that you send positive project finishing vibes my way. According to some people, your positive thinking molecules will bounce off the molecules next to them and ripple that positive-ness all the way to where I am. Or just say a prayer for me. Either way.


My new updated (more organized) list. Projects we're actively working on are in red.

• August 07
Build chicken coop
Install house numbers
Design and order Island for kitchen
Buy storage shelves for basement
Clean out garage
Order planting design


• September 07
  Install garage sink faucet
  Design pantry cabinets
  Order cabinets for pantry
  Bathroom Mirrors
  Shower curtain rod for girl’s bathroom
  Install two curtain rods in Master bath
  Sew curtains for master bath
  Asphalt Driveway
  Cement sidewalk and steps
  
• October 07
  Install pantry cabinets
  Add railing and paint the girl's bunkbed
  Plant trees and shrubs
  Find someone to put the finished touches on our foundation cement (I guess I'd better figure out what that's called first.)
  Order studio window


• November 07
  Sand and paint shutters in master bedroom
  Install trim and paint bathtub skirt
  Paint and install bathroom mirrors
  Paint kitchen island
  Build pantry shelves
  Order railing for the basment stairs


• December07
  Install new studio window
  Install hood cover
  Start decorating girl's room


• January 08
  Order and install studio cabinets


• February 08
  Build, paint, install shutters for the rest of the windows


• March 08
  Install brick floor in sunroom
  Choose sunroom paint or stain color


• April 08
  Paint sunroom
  Design sprinkling system
  Start perennial seeds
  Install clothesline outside


• May 08
  Install sprinkling system


• June 08
  Install steps to the side doors
  Install sidewalks and patios on the side and back of the house


• July 08
  Plant perennials
  Finish girl’s closet


• August 08
  Brick fireplace
  Install stove


• September 08
  Design and build front door storage space in the corner


• October 08
  Design and build front door storage space on the wall


• November 08
  Design and build master closet


• December 08
  Knock down wall in pantry

House Project List

Ever since Rosie made a master to-do list on her blog I have wanted to do the same thing. This is a list of all the projects we have to do around here to finish and organize our home. I've added some links if you want to see photos. (I need to look at this photo whenever I get mad at Victor. Doesn't he look so sweet and not like the trouble maker that he is?)

1. A driveway would be nice. (o7)



2. And a sidewalk. (07)



3. And steps to the front door. Those would really be nice. (07)




4. Build a chicken coop (we started this yesterday!) - will it make up for losing the yummy grasshoppers?



5. Hang house numbers (How about if I do this tomorrow when Stranger is here to help me decide where to put them.) - Do you think I can handle this one? I have had the numbers sitting in a box for a year and a half!



6. Order island for my kitchen (I should do this tomorrow so I have it for Holiday cooking and parties.) - the white plastic folding table isn't so cute in there.



7. Buy and install bathroom mirrors (September) - No wonder I go out looking like I do.



8. Find a curtain rod that will work for the guest bathroom shower and install it (September) - who could have known putting a ceiling fan in a bathroom could cause so much trouble?



9. Install two curtain rods in master bath and sew curtains. (September)



10. Order a counter for the pantry (September)- I know what I want now so I just need to order it.



11. Build pantry shelves (October) - I can't do this until I get the counter in so maybe it's better not to order the counter. Then I won't have to feel like I have to build the shelves.



12. Sand and paint the shutters in my room (November) - I'll explain about them later but they sure are cool!



13. Install trim and paint the master tub skirt. (November)



14. Order and install new studio window (December) - The window I picked out is hideous and we hate it so we're going to change it.



15. Install studio cabinets (January) - Getting this done will be organizational heaven!



16. Build, paint and install shutters for six more windows. (February 08) - Must have shutters!



17. Install brick floor in our sun room (March) - we will not miss the sand room.



18. Sand and paint or stain the walls in the sun room (April) - I figure I have another ten years to decide. Or else maybe I'll decide in April.



19. Brick our fireplace and install wood burning stove (September 08)- We will miss our "stage".



20. Sand and stain all the doors in my house (08) - 15 In all. Doesn't that sound like fun?



21. Install built in benches in sun room (09) - I'm pretty sure this is never going to happen.



22. Add trim and paint the bathtub skirt in the master bathroom. ( November)



23. Outside clothes line - I can't wait for this. (08)



24. Install sprinkling system. (Spring 08)



25. Steps to the side doors. (07)



26. Install back and side patios. (Summer 08)
    
    
27. Install stone pathway around house. (summer 08)
    
    
28. Install landscaping (08) - the chickens will miss all the weeds and the grasshoppers that go with them. Maybe we can save a special weed patch just for them.



29. Finish building the other half of my girl's closet (October 08) - Nope, not in a hurry to do this either. It will just add more places for them to stash junk.



30. Build the storage space intended to go by the back door (November 08)



31. Build Master Closet (December 08) - I've got dressers and a bar that we hang clothes on so no wonder I'm not in a hurry to do this.



32. Knock down a wall in my pantry that I had built in the wrong place. (January 09) ?

You didn't think it was going to be a short little list did you? I'm sure there is more that I have forgotten.

Short little list of projects we have finished

• I painted the trim in Victor's room and decorated it - he has the only decorated room in the whole house. Not because I love him best but because I reused all the stuff from his old room and it was easy.



• I built Victor's closet - Again, it was easier than the others so I did it second.



• I built the hall closet - It was the easiest of all so I did it first.



• Basement - Stranger and Victor got all the garbage (from the builders) and mud (from the flooding)cleaned out of the basement and moved shelves down there for me to put my junk on. I got the junk room cleaned out but I need about 16 more sets of shelves for the stuff in the garage! We actually went to buy more but they don't make them anymore and all the new styles are cheap but expensive junk! We can't have our junk sitting on anything less than the best right? This is valuable junk we have!



• The boys also built a temporary pen for the chickens that doesn't keep wild animals out or the chickens in. Sorry boys but I had to say it!



• We did have our yard graded this spring but you can't tell because the weeks are so high.

5 Really Lame Organizing Tips

1. Use an envelope for a planner pocket. I bought a new planner last month and it didn't have any pockets in it like my old planner so I improvised. I cut the top off an envelope, folded the flap backwards, licked it and glued it onto a page in my planner. Am I brilliant or what?



2. Use a Post-It note for a book mark. (I told you these were lame tips.) I got tired of my two year old pulling my book mark out of every book she got a hold of so I finally started using a Post-It note. It's hidden in the pages so she can't find it and it sticks so it doesn't fall out while she's "reading". I stick it to the back cover while I'm reading so I always know where it is but it doesn't get in my way. I can also stick it to the exact sentence I ended on so I don't waste time re-reading to find my place.



3. Tie a thin cute ribbon on the top spiral of your notebooks or planner to use as a place holder. My friend Amy showed me this and I love it. My two year old isn't allowed to "read" my planner.



4. Keep a cup of ice cubes in the freezer. That way the noisy ice dispenser on your fridge won't wake the kids up in the morning. I'm not the only one who puts ice cubes in their cereal am I? I like cold milk ok!!!



5. Keep a stash of $2 bills on hand to give away as Birthday presents. Every body thinks they don't make them any more but you can stop by your bank any time and pick up a handful. The kids (and parents) at the party will think you're cool. And who doesn't want to be cool! Especially in the morning while you're eating your cold cereal? (Seriously, I cannot be the only one who does the ice cube thing.)

Don't forget to check out other "not lame" tips at Shannon's place.

Shameless self-advertising:

Have you bought a ticket yet for my Foster Care Quilt Raffle?



My Lazy Organizing Bags are now available for pre-order!

How?

How do you start when the mess is so great that you can't face it? This is how Stranger and I have been feeling about our basement and garage this last year.

Last spring before our gutters were on and before the yard was graded all the rain water and mud ran into our basement. Not only that but it was full of trash that the builders left us to clean up. Aren't they so thoughtful? I have a feeling that they don't have any better manners in their own homes so I'll forgive them.

Stranger and Victor have recently spent several days cleaning out the mess and it is now clean, clean, clean! Do you have any idea how excited I am that we can now move all the junk from the garage down there? I'll tell you. I'm excited!

(Don't even talk to me about just getting rid of all the junk. That's a whole different project!)

But first of all we got started with the guest room slash junk room. (Is it sad when you have containers for containers? What else am I going to do with all those lids I never use?)

Victor carried all the heavy boxes down stairs and I got to do my organizing thing. Have I told you lately how nice it is to have a big strong nine year old around the house? It's nice.

What do you do with a clean room after you've vacuumed up all the spiders?

Fill it up again of course.

Now instead of a junk room we have the beginnings of a play room for the girls. It's a little roomier than their walk-in closet that I have yet to finish.

But that's my point anyway. We just keep working on things a little bit at a time and hopefully our house will be finished before it's time to redo all of it again.

How are your organizing projects going this week?

10 Weird Organized/Unorganized Things about Me

1. I sleep with my planner every night so I don't forget to look at it in the morning. I still forget to look at it in the morning.

2. I have the attention span of a very organized four year old. I can look at my planner and see that I have a dentist appointment that day and still forget to go to the appointment.

3. I got an organizational high from sewing loops on my towels so they would stop falling off their hooks.

4. When I sew with patterns I fold them back up on their original fold lines so they will fit exactly back into their envelopes. See Mom? I wasn’t doing it just to annoy you. I still do it!

5. I love my houseplants. Sometimes I love them so much that they start growing mushrooms. The rest of the time they don’t so much feel the love.

6. I set up my computer to remind me when my friend’s and family’s birthdays are coming up. Not because I’m organized enough to call them or send them a card or a gift but so that the next time I see them I can say, “Hey, I was thinking about you on your birthday!” I think that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside don’t you?

7. I get lightheaded and my heart races when I walk down the container isle in a shopping super store.

8. I wear my cell phone around my neck so I don’t leave it on the roof of my car for someone to steal. Is it technically called stealing if you put a note on something that says, “I was too dumb to take care of this so you are welcome to have it”?

9. I collect storage containers like some people collect spoons. They’re useful but also oh so pretty to look at.

10. I don’t see clutter, I see organizational possibilities!

Let me know if you want to post your own Weird Organizing list so I can come read it!

New toys that make me feel so much more organized.

This is what I'm playing with this week.

We made a trip to the thrift store and came home with 8 little cups to store in my dry goods. I'm always looking for one and one half cup measuring cups for a few pennies but I never have much luck. These cups almost exactly equal one cup so they'll work fine.

How I organize my measuring cups.



I also came home with this $8 bench for my bathroom.



I think it's hideously ugly but I love it! My closet is in this bathroom so the bench will give us a place to sit while we dress and dry off after a shower or bath. Originally I thought I would paint it and just use it until I could find or build something better. I wanted some kind of bench with a drawer for storage. But this one is so perfect that I think I will just make a cushion and skirt for it and store baskets under it full of towels. The transformation will be fabulous. At least it is in my head.



If you've ever been to my house before you will notice something different about the front bathroom. A mirror! Now the whining can stop. I don't know what the deal is with people who think they need to look at themselves.

It almost looks like a real bathroom now and someday way in the future it might not be so boring and plain. I bought the mirror at a garage sale years ago for a couple dollars and painted it white. When we moved here last year a gust of wind blew it over as it was sitting in the hall and the glass shattered. It cost me $15 to replace it but I think it was worth it because I like this old mirror.



A new $150 faucet to replace the one on the garage sink. The first one froze and cracked when our builder left the water on in our garage. No, he didn't replace it and we have finally got around to doing it ourselves. Hopefully Stranger will get it hooked up this week.



And how exciting is a new bug sucker hose cover? I knew you'd be happy for me. Now there will be no more saw marks on my corner baseboards. If you have a central vac then you understand.

Organize Your Packing

I took a few minutes to make a packing list for a one week trip to my sister's house and watching the kids in action was pure heaven. They picked out the clothes they wanted to take and laid them on their beds so I could check to make sure they would work. Then they busily ran around the house collecting the rest of the items while I soaked in the tub. No, not really but it was a nice fantasy. I mean the tub part. I think I was busily scrubbing the kitchen sink.

The kids got the car cleaned out and vacuumed this afternoon while I did the really hard stuff like plan meals for a week at my sister's house for 10 people, forward my e-mail and make this list. I started with one I had made for our two week trip to California last December. We could get by with fewer clothes I guess but I don't want to spend any time doing laundry that I could spend visiting with my big sister and I don't know, ripping down walls and pulling up carpet. Hopefully none of that will happen on this trip but you never know. I'm trying to talk her into starting a new business and I have finally talked her into homeschooling next year so we have a lot of planning to do on this trip.

I'm taking my crock pot because I am in love with it now. Aren't I SMART?

Did I forget anything? Feel free to study my list and let me know if I need to add anything.

Kids Clothes
8 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of pants
2 pairs of shorts
7 Shirts
Church clothes
Two pajamas
6 pairs of socks
Jacket
Hat
Tennis shoes
Cowboy boots

Kids Swimming
Snorkel bags
Towels
Sunscreen
Flip flops
Swimsuit

Kids Other
Bikes
Activity books
Reading Books
Library CD’s
Scriptures
Sewing project
Drawing supplies
Games
Checkbook
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Flash light
Stuffed animal

Kitchen
Picnic Organizer
Plastic Cups
Granola (No, I don't go anywhere without it.)
Crock pot
Water bottles
Big water jug
Small cooler with snacks for car
Big cooler full of food for next week

Mom
Camera with charger
Cell phone with charger
Mp3 player with batteries
First Aid kit
Medications
Dramamine
Garbage bags
Quilting projects
Toiletry bag
Brush
Hair Straightener
Book

Lovely
Doll
Stuffed Animal
Blanket
Stroller
Sipper cup for car
Bib
Plastic pants (no diapers, woo hoo!!!)
Wipes
Swimming float
Swimsuit
Hat
Play Clothes
Church clothes
ALL the Panties she owns
Jacket
Mud boots
Crocs
Travel activities

Here are some things I had to do before our trip besides pack.

Visit the library so we don't have any overdue books while we're gone and to pick up books on tape for the drive.
Clean out the car
Collect ice in bags for the cooler. I never buy ice because it's not as cold as the ice from my own freezer and it melts too fast.
Forward e-mail to my web account
Charge batteries

Go swimsuit shopping

Lose ten pounds

Go back and actually buy a swimsuit

I still need to water the plants, clean out the fridge, wash all the sheets so we have clean beds to come home to, and finish my packing. What am I forgetting? Oh I know. Going to bed.

Stranger says he's not going to miss us and to make sure we don't come home until I'm positive the Lovely is completely potty trained.

Things I Organized Last Week

1. I’m so tired of the kids losing their stuff that I wrote our name and phone number with a permanent marker on every coat, jacket, bag and backpack I could get my hands on. Don’t ask me why I haven’t done this before! Hmmmm, could it be that I’m lazy?

2. I bought 9 under-bed totes, on sale for $3.50 each at Target, to organize the kids’ toys. I filled one with Lego’s, one with K’nex and one with cars to go under Victor’s bed. Persistence and I filled one with dishes, one with animals, one with her sleeping bag, and she used one for her “special” things that she doesn’t want her little sister to get into. Not that it will take Lovely long to figure out how to get into it. I filled two with extra laundry supplies and toiletries like soap and cotton balls to stash under my bed until I get my laundry storage finished.

3. I discovered, after printing labels for the containers in my baking center, that clear labels with black writing were not going to show up on black lids! I finally bought white tape for my label maker and made new labels.

4. I bought three more under bed storage containers. I love these! The kids and I organized our movies in them. One for me and one for them. There wasn’t quite room for all our movies so we put the extra in the donation bin. The kids and I all decided together which movies would go. Now I just need to buy more beds because there is no more room under beds we have and I want more of these containers!

5. I installed a towel hook in the front bathroom by the sink. Finally!

6. I hung a hook in my front entry for my chalkboard and another to hold chalk in a tin heart basket.

7. I installed another hook in my kitchen to hang a dish towel up away from little people and their dirty hands.

Don't be shy. Share your completed organizing or project list in the comments!

Things I Organized Last Week

• I went through all our financial files and put them into new folders with new labels. I’m too cheap to buy the $40 boxes of printable labels so I make my own format for the cheap little boxes of sticky labels. This time however I found that they make those to go through your printer now too and you can get the layout on Avery’s website. Oh how I love being cheap.
• I made an attempt to clean off the computer table. It was a very poor effort but it was an effort none the less.
• I spent an hour lecturing Stranger about helping me with projects around the house during the 45 seconds that he’s home and not playing with the kids. It’s a good thing he likes his kids. They get him out of a lot of work around here. Ever since the lecture he’s been a project maniac. #1 We cleaned and hauled my 3,000 pound industrial serger into my sewing room. I haven’t used it yet but I’m thinking about it REAL hard. I definitely will as soon as I can find my sewing machine that is sitting right next to it. #2 Stranger installed the shelves for my bathroom cabinets making them oh, so much more useful than when they were piled at the bottom of the cabinet. #3 He installed the door knob on the hall closet. Lovely is so sad now that she can’t get in there to play with strips of nail gun nails, tasty little screws and cans of floor stain. #4 Stranger attempted to balance one of our ceiling fans (one of MANY) before the rhythm got us, tonight. Unfortunately it’s pretty near impossible to balance a ceiling fan with one warped blade. Have to work on that one later. #5 Stranger actually asked me what I wanted him to do next time he was home. If we weren’t already married I would want to run away and marry this man! Kind of like when we had been married for a month and we finally got my wedding ring and I tried to get him to propose to me with it. He didn’t think that was very entertaining but I think watching a big strong husband install door knobs is VERY entertaining. Hopefully I’ll be doing that some time this week near the vicinity of the guest room and the garage door.
• I moved a small comfy couch into my master bedroom. I just can’t get enough of that room now. Did I ever mention that we slept on the hard floor for the first month we lived here and since then it’s been box springs? No, I’m not kidding. I have severe back problems from our sagging, over-expensive, king sized bed and we were just to distraught to think about buying a new bed at this time of our existence so I took the top mattress off. Having boards running down my back is apparently better than a saggy mattress because my back has been feeling better. But, eventually I got the bright idea that we could be sleeping on my daughter’s queen size bed at least! Without the King we have room for the aforementioned couch in our room. Now the kids have a place to lounge besides on me, when we’re in there reading.