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?

good plan Wellies!

Dh has done quite a lot of stuff, I finished the draught excluder (works nicely) & sorted a bag of books for the charity shop. Also went to the dentist & looks like dd1 has bloody tonsillitis :(

Today I sorted the piles of rubbish on top of the wardrobes so there's no longer any danger of falling items as you walk past.

Tomorrow I need to figure out a decent storage solution for DS1s room as it's in a very awkward space.

Delegation is all good Wellies!

I went shopping this morning, Somebody PLEASE stop me buying Xmas stuff for me! We have far too much already but I can't seem to stop buying.

Operation 365 wise I emptied a basket that had stuff dumped in last Xmas! It's just a small storage basket that was on a small shelf unit in our dining area. It's now in the utility room and i can use it to put tea towels etc in while they are waiting to be washed.

No idea what job to tackle tomorrow. I need to change my bed and fix curtains in my room so might try and sort out summer clothes and store them.

Evening,

Nice work on the delegation!

Today, I've sorted two boxes in the dumping ground study.

Delegation is fab.

Sorry about poorly DD phlebas

Yesterday I sorted out underwear drawers and dropped a bag of baby clothes at Oxfam.
Today I plan to take some more clothes into m&s.
I'll wash dining room curtains too.

Can I join please? Excellent idea for a thread!

We moved into this house just over a year ago and have slowly been decorating it but this means we're still quite disorganised and it all feels a little overwhelming....

So yesterday I tidied away a box of stuff that has been sitting in our bedroom for the last few weeks. Only a small job but I feel at least I've made a start!

Yesterday I spent an hour on huge outside project, denting it very slightly. DD3 visited and more of her stuff was pressed upon her to take away. DS1 visited and ditto his stuff, including a warm pair of gloves he'd forgotten about. So he was happy about that.
The lamp I'd found in the basket of DS3's belongings was fitted with a new shade (bought the previous day, I actually remembered) and bulb and put on DS3's bedside table. It was my lamp, don't know how it found it's way to basket.
Today more outside stuff.
Since starting this thread I've found I've got more organised generally, upward spiral and all that. So I've contacted a roofer for AP's property, which I look after for him. Also arranged to get carpets fitted here, instead of procrastinating so long the carpet people, in desperation, break in and fit them anyway. Several other put off things too. I'd become so overwhelmed by the massive amount needing to be done I was nearly paralysed by it. Doing one thing a day means I at least get one thing done, so the feeling of overwhelm reduces. Often I've got several things done or even one really big thing done.

Thanks OP. Really.

Preen

Good morning!

Day 14 Operation365.

Today I plan to buy wood treatment, but may not make a start yet. I want to do some of the manky jobs I have been putting off- dog poo pickup, plus a few other things. I cannot treat the furniture inside or under cover and it is all pretty damp and a damp looking day, so will see what may be possible.

This thread is making me focus too, and also I find I am doing more than I plan. I am also going to try the 1 bag a day challenge- I have baby clothes and children's videos ('gifted' to a very unwilling me- we do not even have a video) that all need to be donated to others who may need them.

Hi all. On sofa feeling sorry for myself after over an hour at the dentist. Jaws ache from keeping them open so wide for so long and the tooth and gums that were worked on are aching now that the an anaesthetic has worn off.

About to have some painkillers and a cup of tea and will start doing something once they have kicked in. Plan is to fix curtains in bedroom and empty a laundry basket of summer stuff and store properly.

Cider I hope you are feeling better soon. Your poor teeth.

Me today:

• cleared and cleaned the hallway and organised all shoes, scarves, hats and gloves.

-Put DH's cycling stuff that is all over the place into one of the now empty toy boxes -Told DH that is where his stuff in order to avoid the inevitable frenzy and cursing -put together one bag of toys that I no longer need and charity shopped them

I plan to do next - dog poo pickup, maybe.

14/365 - dd does indeed have tonsillitis :( but my mum took dd2 & ds1 for the afternoon so I've only had two children at home & been pretty productive. Washed & dried all the bed linen & towels after the puke-fest, sorted several piles of papers which had been dumped in the sitting room & properly cleaned the kids' rooms - one bin liner of rubbish, 2 bags of grown out of clothes & one bag on books for the charity shop.

I found the long lost kindle charger & added rug doctor for upstairs carpets & rugs to my to do list. Jobs which need doing soon - deep clean of bathroom, sand & re-finish dining table top, clean windows & skirting boards & sort & declutter toys before Christmas. I must wash the kitchen floor & hoover the carpet tomorrow & get rid of cobwebs. I need to buy a new blind for the sitting room, another medicine cabinet & a new back doormat (threw the old one away today as it was absolutely disgusting)

I still haven't done any Christmas shopping or planning - starting to panic slightly!

Thanks Slightly. Painkillers worked. Sounds like you got loads done.

My bedroom curtains are now hanging properly again. And the laundry basket of summer clothes that has been on my bedroom floor for months has now been emptied and the clothes put in the drawers under the bed. Hanging summer clothes are in the wardrobe in the spare room.

I have a bag of DS's outgrown uniform ready to go to school shop tomorrow. Will also do a charity shop drop.

Phlebas - sounds like you got lots done too.

I cleaned the bread bin , sorted out the fridge and got rid of some rather unpleasant looking sweetcorn , leftover veg and old mozzarella .

Did a base coat of Annie Sloan paint on a child size chair as a test .

The painter has finished the ( hopeful ) B & B room , so I made the bed up , and put the Welsh blanket on , and it looks lovely ! Might move in there myself

Changed the sheets on our bed , washed the used ones but it was blowing an absolute gale so they're still in the machine

Ooh ! And forgot to post yesterday , but we've sorted out the life insurance .

Had a few non productive days this week...w/end nearly on us so here is the plan:-

• Fri, catch up on laundry, clean bathroom and attempt to disguise missing tiles on floor (replaced shower cubicle with bath a they stop just short)
• Sat, clear out my clothes, charity bag and summer stuff to loft
• Sun, clean paint from window ledges of my room and wash inside and out as PerfectFit blinds due Mon, coat of paint on cornice
• Mon, blinds fitted, 2nd coat paint cornice and 1st coat on at least 2 walls

Evening all,

Today I have cleared out the bottom of our wardrobe, sorted out some paperwork and started clearing out underneath the desk in the study.

Not sure how much I'll be able to do over the weekend as we are away for part of it, does shopping for the home count?

Hope DS is better soon Phlebas

You're all so industrious.
Yesterday I washed DRoom curtains and cleaned the patio door windows (inside only).
Also washed the toys from the sand tray.
I might wash the sand tray today . Not looking forward to that tbh.

Good morning!

Day 15.

Today I plan to charity shop another bag of toys.

I have also started a word document list of everything I have done/achieved so that I can look back on it and see the changes.

Right I'm back.
After the floor debacle on Saturday I have just about got the study floor to a state where it's not actually potentially fatal with slippiness. I have got the stuff to clear off the PVA glue in the cloakroom or whatever DH bloody idiot used on it but I need to strip it, leave it to dry with no-one walking on it for 24 hours and then re-seal it so that will have to be next week when the kids are at school.
In the meantime I have conquered mount Washmore that was starting to take over the utility room, chucked out all the half eaten jars of gunk that were festering in the fridge and sorted out my in tray. That took bloomin ages but the upside is I found some tickets to a show I had forgotten about!
Today's job is to sort out DS2s wardrobe, I'm sure he's grown out of most of the stuff in there.

day 15 - lovely sunny day here :) Lugged the table into the garden & sanded & stained it, it is drying now then it needs waxing. Also cleaned the fronts of the kitchen cabinets, hoovered the stairs (I hate doing that as our hoover is so heavy) & put away all the clean bedding & towels from yesterday (as a bonus I discovered a set of books I bought for dd2 & had forgotten about - so I have one Christmas present!).

Both dds made it to school today but ds1 is now ill & has spent the day in bed. Ds2 has been 'helping' me ;)

I've decided I want to repaint a sideboard thing we have - it's really dark wood atm & I'm just fed up of it.

Been at work today but have
Dettox sprayed the manky tiles in the ensuite , and given them a good old scrub . Looks so much better , I really should do it more often

Second coat of paint on the chair

Emptied the ironing basket ! All done and put in the appropriate rooms ( put mine away , but DH and DD can put their own away )

Yesterday I put a couple of bags of clothing in the clothes bank. Also fitted replacement bottle rack into fridge and disposed of the old one and the new one's packaging. Cleaned bathroom tiles.

Today I cleaned out the freezer which our son is having from us. Sparkling now.

Dd3 also had yet more of her belongings pressed on her. When will it end? How can she have accumulated so many belongings in just 22 years? She doesn't know what she's started.

I've also started a list on my iPad of everything I've got done. It's all really adding up. Very encouraging.

Well done everyone managing a project a day no matter how small while also juggling work and/or small children. In my experience of kids, one thing you can rely on is for them to throw a spanner in the works of any plan made. No matter how small or simple ( the plan, that is, not the child.). Really, I had a large family and felt I barely got an organised thing done for years except meals, laundry and getting them to school.

Sand tray all nice and clean and covered.

Great idea to keep a list.

Today I've cleaned the sofa, spoken to DS's nursery about them having all the stationery I found in one of my old boxes from uni and packed it up ready for dropping off next week, washed the chair cover for DS's swing seat and decluttered the ensuite.

Have a great weekend.

name it is true what you say about not being able to do things with small DCs.

And also true what you say that no matter how 'small' it all adds up.

In Feb of 2013 I quit my out of the home job, and started working at home doing freelance stuff and admin for my DH's business. I have 3 dcs. My DAunt came to stay in July for a few days and at the end of it said 'but what is it you DO all day?'. I could not answer anything specific. I am busy all bleeding day. With 3 primary school and pre-school DCs, one of whom has some small niggling health problems, a fledgling business, the house, an elderly relative that I also do admin for, shopping, a few meals a week, doctor's appointments etc. I felt so diminished. I could not say to her what it is I did.

Today the only thing I did for my Operation365 challenge was to dump stuff at the charity shop, and to buy a new breadboard because ours was stuffed. I think that was an achievement. I do not care how small or insignificant my daily challenges are, just achieving them has meant something quite real to me.

:)