Birdie's List

I think this type of list is what other's call a "Honey Do" list. I don't make lists for my honey, (or ever call him that) but anyway, this list is for me!

My house hasn't been renovated or updated since 1975. Ah, the era of wood paneling and purple shag carpet (2 layers, different purples). Everything about it needs SOMETHING done and I'm working on having all of it done by the end of the year.

It is remarkably cheap to renovate when all the labor is free! Plus, I'm the biggest penny pincher you're likely to ever find so, I'm surprisingly resourceful. We get some items from Habitat for Humanity's Restore, usually the big things (doors, vanity cabinet etc..) and some from Home Depot or Ace Hardware, if there's a great deal. We recently found a store called Ollie's that carries Pergo laminate flooring for .69 a sq. ft. which is a huge bargain! Every single room in my house has different flooring, and eventually we'll install the laminate in every room except the bathroom and kitchen, which I plan to tile.

So for the sake of accountability, this is what we've yet to do. I'm sure the list will grow, but as of today:

1. Rake. (house sat empty for years and the grass is in terrible shape. We've been here for 3 rs and it's about 30% better than it was! We have to rake a LOT and spread grass seed to fill in patches.)

2. Build front columns

3. put gutters on garage

4. fix the drainage situation on the house

5. paint outdoor trim/window frames (they and the soffits are all black and so dreary)

6. paint garage door (got it on Craigslist for $100 :) while hubs was installing it, he managed to get (black) bearing grease all over it. In handprints. *sigh*

7. Finish deck. (our deck is old and extremely weathered, yet strong. We found if we flip the boards they're brand new on the other side. We're flipping, re-attaching them staining, and sealing them)

8. New porch lights

9. New address numbers

10. edging and stones (we have a u shaped driveway with a huge tree in the middle, we're going to edge the U and re-gravel it)

11. mulch Forsythia

12. paint flower boxes ( I have 2 huge flower boxes running along the entire front of the house. For some reason someone painted the top stones black and I'd like them to be brighter)

13. organize garage

14. buy shutters (Restore will be where I get them)

Today, we built our raised garden bed, put down some weed blocker fabric, and I've been weeding like crazy. We gardened last year with minimal success for way too much effort. Our soil is pure clay and it is a bitch to work with! I'm taking the lazy way out here and starting with store bought topsoil. I don't know the first thing about conditioning soil. My seeds are coming along nicely, and I can't wait to pop them into the new garden bed in a couple weeks.

My list was considerably longer last week, so I'm just happy it's down to these things..for now!