The month that FLEW

This month just flew right by... I never had a chance to post what the challenges for the month would be!  Hark, is that crickets in the background?

This month I really focused on getting the outside ready for winter (although I did do things inside, too)... here are a number of things I wanted to do... some of which did not get done, and will hopefully happen in October.

- scrubbing entrance
- pressure wash house
- set up stone area
- finish fire pit
- fertilize lawn
- spray lawn for weeds
- spray other areas to kill grass and weeds
- trim trees
- get rid of dead trees
- cover a/c unit
- check/fix any weatherstripping
- service heater
- painting outside where necessary
- cleaning windows (exterior)
- fixing patio (shifting stones back into place)
- fixing sidewalk (uncovering it)
- draining and putting away hose
- putting away all outside lights that cannot be out for winter
- going through clothes (mine and the kids) and swapping out seasonal stuffs.
- use up those other square bricks on the yard (tired of a 'pile 'o bricks' in front of our vehicles each year)

It's a long list, but it needs to be done.  I've been working hard this last month, and hope to do more shortly.  It's kinda fun to watch the leaves change color as I work on my yard.  I haven't prepped for fall much in previous years besides the absolute necessities...

We'll see where I get this next week.  I am not looking forward to the windows.  I want to have a bonfire on Friday.  Was going to have it today, but it's been raining all week and the fire pit is currently a bit waterlogged.  Sigh.  Well, so is the rest of the yard, but the fire pit area didn't grow the grass seed I planted (bad seed equals loads of work with no reward... grrrrr), so it is worse off because of it.  Hoping for dry weather this week so we can pull off a bonfire on the first!  I want to decorate a birthday cake, haha.

Later, gaters!  :)

Projects Galore

Yup... more pics for you all.  I'm just going crazy over here!

I've been focusing a lot on getting a bunch of work done on my yard this summer.  And to prove it, I've got photos (since a picture is worth a thousand words).  No before shots though.  Ah well.

 I decided to put some mulch in a few areas, and since the one tree was a pain to mow around I decided to pull out as much of the grass as possible and place a black edger in there before adding mulch.  The area where the birdbath is had the same treatment... only no mulch.  I still want to get some pea-gravel in there.

 My fire pit!  Ah, tis my fire pit!  A lot of work but now (for now) it is done.  I'm waiting for the grass to grow in, but need to get different seed since the stuff I bought was obviously garbage.  It did squat all nothing.  Blech.  But doesn't the fire pit look so nice?  I'm so proud (sniff).  And I got another item on my 101 list done... #62: Fix Fire pit area.  And that was a doozy!

 I managed to finish painting our free toddler bed... and now M has it in her room!  She loves it... started saying 'bed' now.  We decided to move it in there even though she was still rolling off her mattress onto the floor while she slept.  Why?  Because during one of her naps when she started crying, my husband went up to see what was wrong and found her in the middle drawer of her dresser... trying to sleep in there.  Obviously a mattress on the floor was not a 'bed' and she needed some 'walls' around her of some kind (and to be off the floor).  Either that or she was trying to reach a diaper, although what she would do with that is anybody's guess!

 Along with all the brick I got for the fire pit area, I picked up some other brick to have a bit of fun with.  Here is my fun!  Doesn't it look like fun?  Now to find some ceramic and metal stuffs to place there for a little whimsical edge.  Decorates the front of my house a bit.

Here is an old sidewalk that was almost completely buried.  My sis in law came down the other day and she chopped away at the hedge that was WAY over grown... it looks so much better now.  We trimmed dead branches and dragged away so many of them... and I got out the edger and scraped all the dirt/grass/sod off the sidewalk and uncovered it again... a lot of work but so rewarding!  I'm so happy!  Those few bricks (that look a bit unfinished) were also from the load we got for the fire pit (would you believe ALL that stone only cost us $36?).  I'm hoping to revisit that quarry and get some more stuff... it's so much fun to see what you can all do! 

That is the gist of what I've been doing this last month!  Crazy... and I've got so much more fun stuff I want to do yet!  It's fall now, so I want to get everything ready for winter soon.  Lots to do... but so much fun!

I love projects!  ;)

Challenge

I forgot to post last week... ah well.  Life has been busy and last week was no exception.  I only had one day where I was home all day.  Every other day I was out... either for the morning or all day long.  Which is fine, seeing as hubby is on the field.  All week.  This week too, it sounds like.  Although, I think I'll try to do a little less around town this week and spend a bit more time at home.  It is a scorcher.

That said, for the month of August, I figured I'd take a break from the challenges... that is, have 'restful' challenges.  The kids will be going back to school next month (for those of you with school aged children, that is), and summer just flies away so fast.  So, last week my challenge for myself was to do something hobby related again (I scrapbooked one page in my daughters first year album).  This week I challenge myself to go swimming.  I still want to finish some projects, so for the whole month of August, my challenge is to finish my firepit.  Modify that for yourself in whatever way you will.  If you have a large outdoor project to do, work on it... you don't have to finish my firepit (although I'd welcome the help, haha).

I have a lot of outdoor related things to do, as well one major indoor project.  What is that, you ask?  Repainting a toddler bed!  I wish to move my daughter into a 'big girl' bed shortly.  I may transition her to a mattress on the floor for starters, but I think it's time.  She slept on the couch at my parent's house like a big girl during her nap time, and there were no problems.  She didn't even get up until I came to her and 'gave her permission'... or so it seemed.  She goes upstairs herself when I say 'nap time' and heads right for her crib.  This way, she may go to bed all on her own.  Or not.  At least it will make potty training a bit easier later on this year.  I think I'll attempt that soon.  I'm still reluctant for some reason... so for now it is very laid back.  She sits on the potty and is rather proud of herself.  Last week on Monday she told me "I poop", so I placed her on the potty while getting her bath ready, and she pooped in the potty!  (well, sort of.  It was a tiny teeny little bitty bit, but it's still something).  She's been on the potty 4 times since then, just sitting.  On Saturday she sort of pooped again (I say sort of... it's more like wet farts... yuck...).  I'm thinking of attempting the 'training in a day' method given to me by a friend and a book I read a while ago, but I'm not ready to do that yet.  I think I want to make sure some other things are going to be easier for her first (like a bed she can climb in and out of herself), and give her a bit of time to get used to that before moving on to potty training (too many new things at once may NOT be such a good idea). 

So, what are your challenges for the month?

Challenging?

A new week, a new challenge.  Well, ok, I don't really have much of a challenge for you, since I can't even manage to do my yard challenges lately.  I get started on them, but don't finish.  Oops.

Anyway, my challenge for the week is to work on/finish a major outdoor project (or in my case, plant grass seed on the levelled yard and start working on the firepit, since I know I won't finish it in the week.  I can work on it though, which gets me closer to finished, right?).

To Do
- weekly tasks
- dust entrance/hall/stairs
- weed main garden, water/fertilize, mow
- Find brick for firepit area
- get loose stone for front yard
- get wood chips for flower garden
- spray weeds by all the trees (man, there are a LOT)
- measure for front gardening bricks (need about 400 bricks)
- start work on fire pit
- seed grass

I didn't get the weeds sprayed last week... was told not to do it because I'm nursing, so my husband is supposed to do it.  So, that means I have to wait on him.  Sigh.  I like doing things myself because I know they'll get done when I want them to.  Ah well, I need to learn patience I guess.

Here's to finishing a major yard project that I've been waiting for 5 years to do!!!

Good luck to all of you on your yards!  :)

Weekly Challenge

I have decided to continue with the weekly challenges on my blog... because I like them!  Ha ha. 

The challenge for this week is to trim some bushes/trees, and in the kitchen to clean the major appliances. 

Basically, take a couple of the messiest trees or bushes (hedges if you have) and trim them up with the hedge clippers (if you have electric ones, lucky you.  If you have a man to do it, you are even luckier!).  My sister in law came down today and ripped out a few of the yucky trees in front of my bay window, and trimmed a few others.  I managed to trim one and put the black garden edger around an area I worked on in my yard last week (I'll have to post pics when it's done, I am SO happy) before my son decided he was hungry again.

As for appliances... I did the microwave, stove top, fridge, toaster, and the outsides of the dishwasher and oven.  Just go for those appliances you use the most.  Since it's Summer and all that, I think my focus is more on the good old outdoors rather than in the house right now.

To Do
- basic weekly chores
- exercise 3 days (did mon, wed, fri)
- appliances
- counters/cabinets
- dust in office and kitchen
- mop
- scrapbook (will I finally get around to doing this?)
- knit (this is MY 101 challenge for the month.  I really want to finish the ... scarf?  Or maybe I'll make it a purse?  Not sure yet, ha ha)
- make birth announcements
- gardening (front yard, trim trees/bushes, weed, etc)
- print preg album pics
- Baby Bram's one month photos (I can't believe he's 1 month old today!)
- prep for garage saling (and go have fun!)

I used my clothesline today!  It's so nice to be able to do that!  Sad thing is, I'm not sure I'll be able to use it tomorrow... due to weather predictions.  It's been so rainy.  I'm praying the rain doesn't come again until the guys are able to get the crop off the field... or else it won't be worth harvesting due to it flowering already.  Alfalfa should be at only 5% bloom... not 95%.  Once it gets too mature, the value for feeding the dairy cattle plummets.  I sure hope we can get it off tomorrow... that it's dry enough and that it doesn't rain... again.

That's all for now, folks! 

So how did you do last week?  Did you have fun getting out in the dirt?  Digging up some soil?  Cleaning your phones (I love that my phones and TV remotes are all nice and clean now)?  I'm hoping to make myself some 'harder' challenges in the near future... for my sake.  I feel like I accomplish something when I have things I can really SEE the difference in.  You know what I mean?

I still want to do a party for Baby Bram.  I'm just not sure how to go about it right now.  Perhaps next weekend?  Sigh.  I think I'll need to ask for some help.

Good luck to you all!

A bit late...

So... I've been meaning to post this week's list, and never got around to it. Oops. Ah well. Here it is anyway... although a little late.

The challenge for this week is... there really is none! Ha! I figured, end of May, perfect time to do some yardwork. So... perhaps that could be the challenge... to fix an area of the yard! Woo Hoo!

To Do May 23-29 (focus, yard)

• sweep
• vacuum
• bathrooms
• laundry
• exercise (did Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
• farm books
• personal paperwork
• scrapbooking
• meal plan for the week
• bake cookies
• wash megablocks (from garage sale on Saturday)
• gardening
• clothesline
• knit
• work on book
• work on website
• mail GforA letter
• price dirt
• start chopping trees
• plan out yard/garden for front
• Pics of Bram

So I've started on this list already... thank goodness. The yard work is a doozy. And I couldn't do any on Monday or Tuesday due to weather (super rainy Monday, super windy Tuesday). Today, just right. So, hopefully I'll be able to get outside a little bit.

Last week went ok. I managed to do everything I set to do except the clothesline and the scrapbooking (reason why they're both back on the list again, haha). Well, I guess I have sort of been scrapbooking. I have been assembling things and putting some stuff away, ha ha. I just really want to do some stuff outside. I ordered some dirt, and I'm hoping to level our yard sometime tomorrow (we're getting it then... eeee!). I want to check out some brick and price it out yet, but it's oh so expensive... especially since I have so much I want to use brick for. Ah well. I can figure that out later in the year.

Oh... as for the last list item... I have a slew of pics I want to post yet. Right now they are on facebook. A whopping 52 of them. And that's less than half of what we took, haha. So, I have to pare it down further and make them smaller to post up here yet. Oh... and I have to post about our day yesturday... that's another post to itself.

Good luck to everyone on their lists! Have fun in your yards! :)

Tired? Really?

Ok, so I'm getting tired of the same old title for these lists, ha ha. I figure I need to keep myself on my toes, so I will continue making them, even though I am prepared not to finish them necessarily. Which is good. Right?

Last week went pretty well. I never did get around to sewing a cradle mattress of sorts, but I have one all planned out, which isn't bad. I love that I was able to make an anniversary card, as well as a cute footprint craft for the upcoming addition... I'll post that one later. I did do the farm books, but not all the elements of finishing everything I wanted. I need to finalize the 2009 year with the accountant numbers (which I had problems with... NOT my fault, ha ha) and file the GST return. So, those will be back to haunt me this week. I am thrilled to report that I DID exercise 3x this week! I put another meal in the freezer, too(bringing the number of homemade meals in our freezer to 19)! And my biggest accomplishment was filing our income tax! Woo Hoo! Show me the money (ha ha ha...).

This week the focus is in the bedrooms. Our challenge is to clean the bedroom light fixtures. I'm not really looking forward to that... I have stipple ceilings so it's difficult to take them down without getting stipple dust on everything. And one is directly over our bed. Joy. I'm sure it'll be ok, though.

To Do: April 18-24 (focus in bedrooms)

• sweep, vacuum, basic cleaning in bathrooms
• laundry (want to launder an old fabric piece of a chair of mine for M)
• exercise (walks count too! did on Wednesday, Thursday, a little Friday)
• farm books (bills, GST, finalize year)
• personal paperwork
• create weekly meal plan
• bake muffins
• bedroom lights
• organize M's clothes... again
• dust bedroom baseboards, trim, extra dusting (under books, etc),
• bleach diaper pail
• set up cradle, make base mattress (cut, just needs to air out and assemble), sew a washable mattress,
• flip our mattress/swap sheet set
• scrapbook 2 pages
• have bags packed and ready
• pick baby names
• wrap a gift for M (told this is a good idea to help occupy children in the hospital... plus if other gifts are brought for the new baby, here or there, it will be nice to have something to give to her as well)
• clean ditch
• put up clothesline?
• work on yard

I absolutely LOVE the weather outside, so I HAD to include a few outdoor activities on my list (because, you know, I HAVE to have it on my list if I am going to do it, right? ha ha). I have SO many ideas for my yard right now. My sister-in-law came down yesturday and worked on the front flower bed I developed years ago. It doesn't ever look that good in spring (soil needs working and such) and I didn't do anything to it in fall (being in the first trimester sucked a lot out of me, and wanting to do things for M's birthday took a toll as well). So, it needed work, and she wanted to do it! It looks SO good now! I'm SO happy! Now I want to go garage saling for a few neat things to add to the area, put in some brick (no, I won't be doing that myself, although I do want to help), and add some free perennials I've been told I can take from my mom's garden! Eee! I'm not really a gardener as I don't know much about it (except that old coffee and coffee grinds are great for the plants... and egg shells), but it's so much fun when you have a sister in law who likes to help and knows SO MUCH about this sort of thing!

I can't wait to post pictures! Maybe I'll get a lot more done on the yard this week than anticipated! Maybe. Not likely, ha ha.

Anyway, I hope you have fun working out on your yards and gardens this week, not to mention cleaning those lights, right? Right? (Lacey, I know you are already done them all! So, maybe you could do some extra gardening just for me? I SO want to work in that soil!).

Have a great week, everyone! :)

Yardwork

I've been itching to get yardwork done... but I'm afraid I won't be able to do much this summer. Being pregnant really takes the breath right out of me. I mowed the lawn today, and it was much more difficult than I remember it ever being. I will need to take care of a lot of the garbage on the yard... much of which was knocked from the trees during the windstorms during winter... the remainder being dragged on the yard by the dog. Hopefully I will be able to at least do some yardwork... at least enough to keep the yard in decent shape... but I probably will need Chuck to do the pushmowing. I'd try to do it in two different time slots, but I hate only half finishing and having to go back. Sigh.

Otherwise, I really want to level out certain parts of the lawn as it will make mowing easier later (right now it's terrible), and plant grass... maybe even sod as planting last time didn't work... I still have dirt in many areas. I want to fix the fire pit too so we can use it again... and remove annoying branches and dead trees. Planting hedges would be nice as it would "clean up" certain edges of the yard and require less mowing between trees and clipping with scissors. All will make my job easier... but require so much work first. And money! I can't believe how much dirt costs, lol. I don't think I'll be bothering with flowers or a garden until I can get this stuff done.

Anyway, that's my thought on the day. Hope you all have fun planning your yards and working outdoors once again! This weather is beautiful!