Spring Break!!

I remember when those two words use to cause such excitement in me. It used to be a week of being lazy, hanging with friends or someone special. This year though, "Spring Break" translate into "getting shit done around the house" and I'm not talking about a normal spring clean where we pack away our winter stuff and bring our the spring/summer items. I'm talked about an overhaul to the house. *sigh*

Here's what I have on my ever growing list of what needs to be done to/in my house that I know will not all get done this week, but I have to start somewhere -

• power wash the siding, porch and maybe my deck (big maybe there since the former owners really didn't maintain the deck very well and it really needs to be torn down and replaced, but that's more money that I don't have right now)
• paint my front porch
• have a landscaper till up my back yard (cost pending of course)
• replace fence posts in by backyard
• plant grass - front and back
• replace the current rotting wood retaining wall with stone (cost pending) and around the flower garden patch in the front
• paint all the interior doors of my house
• replace handles on all interior doors
• replace the handrail for the stairs inside
• touch-up paint some walls inside
• replace all the electrical outlets upstairs
• clean out and organize the basement (haven't touched it since the cleaning crew came in to take care of the water damage back in January!)

Yeah, just a few things on my list.

My parents want to come down and help - actually my mother offered my father's help. Although my father is very good with things around the house and especially so in the yard, his temper fuse is minuscule and his patience is even less. I'm not sure my stress level can deal with that right now. My BIL had offered to come down and help out with some stuff, but his request is that my father be working on something far away from him, so you see, it's not just me :) Anyhoo, I don't think BIL is coming down and Dad is currently battling a bout of Shingles he got down in Florida last week.

Oh, and somewhere in there I need to do my regular house cleaning, laundry and of course knitting! Can't forget knitting - especially since I have a Christening blanket that I need to get finished before April 19! Although that is being crocheted, so that will be done a lot quicker!

Now, ask me what I would RATHER be doing on my Spring Break??? Well DUH! I'dather be spending it with two certain someones, but that's neither here nor there.