One House/Garden Home Improvement a Day Challenge

[BloodiedGhouloshes]

Does anyone want to join?

I seem to get bogged down in the day to day grind of keeping the house running and never have time to do the stuff I want to do.

I have so many projects I want to get done... from small (washing curtains!) to large- renovating the kitchen/conservatory and the back garden into a patio.

I thought if I made it an imperative to do something each day, by the time one year is up this place will be transformed.

My place... mid-terrace Victorian. 3 Dcs. 3 dogs 2 cats. Total chaos.

Today I:

1. bought from the local charity shop 5 little cut glass tiny vases of varying heights and put roses in them and bundled them together 'artfully' on the mantelpiece.

1. strung fairy lights up our bannister.

Okay- it's two things. :)

Tomorrow I plan to repot some plants before winter.

Anyone want to join the 365 day challenge?

[SlightlyDampWellies]

Well, the pictures did not happen, but I did clean the kitchen window sills which have been filled with junk like broken scissors and ashtrays (neither of us smoke ffs) and potted up some herbs into little terracotta pots and put them out nicely. Then I started cleaning the kitchen grouting. Tomorrow are the pictures.

As an aside... I went to a hardware store asking of they had grouting cleaner. No. But they suggested grouting remover and said I could then re-grout. . Um, no. Bleach and a toothbrush worked quite well.

[Witco]

Feeling exhausted just reading through these! I did a sort out and filing of a lot of paperwork this morning and I made a long list, then got sidetracked! Starting again tomorrow morning

[Littleredsquirrel]

Well we managed to shift loads of wood up to the house and I'm now snuggled in front of the fire. Loft still isn't finished but I did start sorting out the garage and ditched some junk.

Loft is the task for tomorrow. We will get it done before we get really cold weather!!!!!!

[SecretLimonadeDrinker]

Bit of a change of plans, DH replaced the extractor fan and we got the parts to fix the toilet. I clean out the fridge in the garage and the Christmas boxes are now down from the loft so I can see what needs replacing. Have also been looking online for Christmas bunting and bought a few more Christmas presents.

[Doodlekitty]

Hope I'm not too late to join in! Yesterday was my ds first birthday so I can officially no longer use a baby as an excuse for my messy house! Today I want to tidy and Hoover the upstairs landing.

[Dilidali]

I have a few jobs that need doing round the house.
I have a chair that needs repairing, must google/youtube it. It's part of a pair sitting in front of the sofa, every day someone forgets it's back is gone, leans over and hits the wall.

I have a nest of tables in a hideous brown. The rest of the furniture is steel/gray/black and this nest is used extensively. I need to paint them.

I need a couple of newspaper/magazine racks to go on each side of the sofa.

I need some lamps. The living room is huge and there is only one lamp good for reading.

Must learn how to change light fixtures. I am still scared of this. I would like a low hanging light shade to go over the dining room table, scandinavian style.

I need some new voile curtains. I saw what I wanted but I shall wait for the sales (almost muselin white, but in a fine thread). I almost bought them but remembered I have no measurements.

I need some new bedside tables and lamps for bedroom. Can be old, I am happy to paint them.

Must buy orchids next time they are on offer.

I am also saving for a new TV.

And that's my year challenge.

[SlightlyDampWellies]

Day 10 of operation365.

:)

Welcome everyone who is joining us!

Today those pictures are going to be hung. I have also found too little old pencil drawings that DH had forgotten he had and those are going up too. :)

This thread is making me focus!

[ooerrmissus]

Right it's all gone tits up here. Got the new steam cleaner out and set it up to clean the grout in the shower room. Utter utter rubbish so ive packed it back up and sent it back. Then DH decided to wax the wooden floor in the study. It's now covered in a layer of wax about three inches thick. You can't walk in there without risk of getting permanently stuck by the filing cabinet. Even worse he was so thrilled by this he went on to put some sealant on the marble floor in the downstairs loo. Totally wrong stuff and its now got a very interesting crackled effect surface a la changing rooms circa 1995. So today's jobs if I ever get over this damned hangover and shift my bum off the sofa will be to strip the wax off the study floor and try and order some no doubt expensive marble products to shift whatever he's put on the marble floor. Brilliant. Hope everyone else has a more productive day!

[CiderwithBuda]

Ooerrmissus - sounds a nightmare! I must admit we haven't found th steam cleaner that good on grouting. It works but still a bit too much elbow grease for my liking. We have tiled kitchen and utility room floors and the grouting desperately needs doing. I saw a tip on another thread for grouting - I think it was 3/4 cup bicarb and 1/4 cup bleach applied with an old toothbrush and left overnight then washed off.

No advice on the marble though. Hope you manage to sort that. Any idea why he used the wrong stuff?

I didn't do any of my jobs yesterday. So need to get a wriggle on today. DH is in garden mode though. Have two plants to put into planters by the front door so we will do that and he has lots of bulbs to plant. Also want to get some cyclamen to put into a bed just outside th kitchen window.

[ooerrmissus]

Cider it's because he was so desperate to put something on the floor to protect it from Ds2 and his appalling aim that he ignored all advice and used a marble sealant. Unfortunately as he had been warned it puddled on the polished marble. So I need to basically strip everything off and start again. He really tries hard but he is a 'just do it' kind of guy and sometimes that means 'don't spend time researching first'!
For the grout I've found bleach and a toothbrush works well. Just takes forever. And that's fine on the tiles in the shower room but not on marble which we've got in the kitchen as well as the loo. So I was hoping steam would be a good solution. Oh well. Back to the drawing board!

[LoisEinhorn]

Me!!
Today I've tidied and weeded and de-pooed the front garden and picked up all the apples in the back garden :)
Many jobs done

[LoisEinhorn]

Manky not many

[Mum2Fergus]

10/365 - unproductive so far...took DS and DP shopping this morn, new boots and thermals for us all! Off out in a bit to tidy car and sweep up the crap that the birds keep pecking off my roof lol may attempt downstairs back windows too

[Mumof3xx]

Oh this looks good!

Today I have - begun operation de clutter kitchen which has so far involved taking about 6 piles of clean dry washing upstairs, doing all pots and work tops
Need to - put said washing away (half done) throw away all the junk in cupboards that we don't need, would also like to go over the paint work as it's a bit grubby

[SecretLimonadeDrinker]

I have the lurgy so am now tucked up in bed, not the productive day I was going for. Have been busy making a to do list and Christmas shopping and did manage to do two lots of washing and clean out the animals earlier.

ooerrmissys hope you get your floors sorted.

[phlebas]

on no ooerrmissus your poor floors :(

dd's birthday party this weekend - I've drunk too much wine, eaten too much cake & not had enough sleep (also don't put kinder eggs in a pinata unless you want a lot of mess - oops!) - made myself get a couple of extra jobs done though.

9/365 - sanded & re-oiled oak window sills in the kitchen.
10/365 - made a cutlery drawer divider & re-organised the cutlery drawer.

My mum has said she'll have ds1 & dd2 for a couple of hours one day this week so that'll be my afternoon for an ambitious job ... maybe all the windows?

[Mum2Fergus]

Nothing more achieved today...though we did finally agree on which colour patch we like best for our bedroom, so off to buy that in the morning

[Crikeyblimey]

Marking place.

I spend all my time just maintaining - I NEED things to move on. I'll be back with a plan for tomorrow.

[PennySillin]

Fab thread - I'm in

Not sure what I'm going to do today though.............ok will sort out a drawer while I watch tv tonight

[CatAmongThePigeons]

Houseplants have been repotted barring the rose which was forgotten Didn't do the paper work last night so I shall have to crack on tonight.

I also moved the ottoman box so I can store the woof basket and coal scuttle. Hopefully now the ottoman won't get ruined as quickly as the wood basket was always on top.

Feels great to have most of the plants repotted, a small achievement accomplished.

[NameoftheRose]

Yesterday finished the last of the paperwork. Fantastic feeling to have that all done. Looks so much better and I haven't got to worry that I've missed an important letter or form in the muddle.
Today I moved a whole van load of one of my DC's belongings from my spare room to their new home. Oh joy unconfined!!! Tomorrow I'm moving another van load. All the space!

I'm a bit happy about this.

[SlightlyDampWellies]

Day 11 Operation365.

Pictures are up. :)

Today I am putting together a shoe rack that will then be painted in a matching shade to the hallway so it 'blends' and we can finally get the piles of shoes organised.

[CatAmongThePigeons]

Morning everyone! I sorted through the paperwork file last night, which i am so pleased with.

Today I need to shred/burn the old paperwork and clean the kitchen and utility room window sills. That's if DS2 naps longer than 15 minutes today

[Mum2Fergus]

Just back from B&Q with paint and a few other bits and bobs for main bedroom. First job is a wee light in my cupboard (no more blue tights and black shoes lol), a tidy up and might make a start on coving

[betterwhenthesunshines]

I hope you're all keeping a note of everything you've done, and are enjoying a very self-satisfied glow every time you notice the improvement!
slightly damp we have some B&Q shoe racks which I scrwed together and added casters to the bottom. It lives under the stairs but can be pulled out easily anytime as the hoover lives behind it.