Spring To Do

Mr. Cob is big on making lists.  I think he likes having a clear cut plan of what needs to be done and then crossing off things as we go.  We had a pretty big "to do" list before Lukas was born and managed to get just about everything accomplished.  Well we have a new list.  Mr Cob even asked that I publicly announce the list on the blog so as to hold us accountable.  (Although, he should know by now that my public declarations do not make me any more likely to stick with something...for examples, refer to my new years resolutions and 30 books challenge - two public declarations to do something, two failures to follow through...)

 

Numero Uno on the Spring To Do List has been on the "Big Swan House List" since we moved in to our house over two years ago: Fence in the backyard.  Mainly so Wrigley has a place to run free and isn't cooped up in her crate all day.  As of Friday mid-afternoon, we are now the proud owners of a new wooden fence.  It is awesome!  Wrigley, however, has not yet realized that she's allowed to run free in said newly fenced in yard.  We've "trained" her so well to just go down the stairs, do her thang, and come back in the house, that she is still following her trained behavior.  Slowly I think she'll understand that the backyard is now her playground, for real.

 

So here's our new Spring To Do List:

 

1. Catch up on laundry - yes, the laundry had gotten so out of hand that this made it to the major to do list.  I think we did about 7 loads over the weekend and still have roughly 5 to go.
2. Clean laundry room - See #1 for part of the reason the laundry room was out of control.  The other problem is that our laundry room doubles as a linen closet, triples as the cat's "home base" and quadruples as our luggage storage closest.  You'll be happy to know we got this under control this weekend.
3. Clean side of yard with air-conditioner - for lack of a better word, it looks kind of junky right now
4. Build or buy doghouse for Wrigley
5. Figure out lawn stuff - as in, our front lawn needs some help in the grass should be green department and our backyard needs some serious love
6. Fix door holes - Mr. Cob replaced the doorknobs in the guestroom, Lukas room, the downstairs bath and one other door a few months back.  In doing so, he had to take out the really old hardware and it left holes in the doors that need to be filled in, sanded and then painted.  Not a big task, but big enough that we keep putting it off.
7. Fix door jam in basement - we bought a rubber door bottom (and yes, that's its official name) for our door that needs to be attached and the wood around the door may need some tlc
8. Get two hose corrals - we've allowed our hoses to lay haphazardly in the yard, but no more. Problem solved this weekend.
9. Gravel under deck - I had grandiose plans to tile/brick/stone this area and add a table or something to this effect. Perhaps even a lower deck.  This is a crazy idea that would cost too much money than its worth.  But we do need to stop it from being the mud pit it currently is.  Solution: gravel.
10. (long term to do): buy new chair for living room - we have this hand-me-down black leather chair that doesn't match the decor, so I bought a green slip cover for it which does match, but the slip cover doesn't stay put and the cat has ruined it and it's a huge eyesore that I'd like to replace
11. (long term to do): new end table for living room - again, we have a hand-me-down wooden end table whose top is somewhat warped and the lamp is never sitting even.  It annoys me.
12. (long term to do): paint guest room/stair case/laundry room/office
13. (long term to do): remove pond - there's this old broken down pond next to our driveway that has got to go.  It's not kid friendly, or dog friendly.
14. (long term to do): repave driveway - it's cracked and I want to expand it but feel like this is going to be expensive?
15. Move coffee table before Lukas starts crawling - it has sharp edges and is very not kid friendly
16. Organize Lukas' bookshelves - There is no organization going on with the bookshelves at the moment.  It stresses me out to look at.
17. Organize office - Our office is a disaster right now.  It needs major help.  I'm not even sure where to begin, but my end goal is to have a designated place for mail to be opened, bills to be paid, etc.
18. Pick out paint color for basement and then paint said basement
19. Plan what to do, if anything, with dark area of basement
20. Power wash screened porch - DONE AS OF YESTERDAY
21. Power wash the back deck - DONE AS OF YESTERDAY
22. Rematch front beds
23. Steam clean Lukas room and upstairs and then eventually replace the carpet in both areas
24. Uproot front bushes - DONE AS OF YESTERDAY

So we're getting there, slowly.  And once we knock all these items off the list, I'm sure there will be a new list ready to go... it's a vicious cycle.