Spring Break: Day 4

OK, finished painting the porch today!! I also painted these two small wooden benches that I usually put my house plants on over the summer (if I take them home from work that is). I didn't want to paint the railing because they are aluminum and it never looks good painted unless you have a spray painter. I also didn't want to be spray paint on the front porch (just ignor the little spill of paint on the porch - I'm working on getting that out now). So instead, I got me some hot water, a little Greased Lightening (this stuff is AWESOME) and cleaned the railings and my screen door. I think it looks pretty damn good!! I sort of keep going back and forth on whether or not I should paint the gutter.



Untill I tackle the yard situation, I think I'm done with the outside of my house for now. Now to move indoors!

Spring Break: Day 3

Took a much needed break today! Spend most of the day knitting with friends and had a few people come out to my house and give me some estimates about my back yard.

Spring Break: Day 2

So, here it is the day after I power washed my house and I have muscles aching in placed I didn't even know I had muscles!! I never realized just how much you used your stomach muscles to keep your balance on a ladder! I hurt!!

But I was on a mission to get work done over break so there was no resting for me. Sunday I had to make a quick trip to the Home Depot to pick up a good stiff bristled brush to clean my deck and some paint for the porch. I forgot to take a before picture of my deck, but I found this from back when I was having the trees cut down in my back yard. See all the icky black and green on the wood.



I filled a pail with some hot water, bleach and a little dish soap and got to scrubbin'! Then I used the power washer to remove all the soap and can you believe I found some wood under neither it all?! There are still black spots, but it's certainly not from mold. I purchased a nice indoor/outdoor rug for the porch. As soon as I get it out there, I'll take another photo.




You would think "Ahhhh a major task accomplished. Now I can rest." Nope, I apparently don't know when to quit. I went right around to the porch and started scrapping off the paint that was peeling off the ceiling, sanded it down, and primed the porch. My arms were screaming at me for the brutality I was inflicting upon them.

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.