Listography

I know it is only June (far away from Christmas), and my birthday is just past, but on a recent trip to Barnes and Noble I found this book, Listography, and now I must have it. :-)


Um, is this book not totally made for me? I would say so. (I mean, I have an entire category on my blog dedicated to lists). This book has lists of greatest accomplishments, favorite food, best friends, greatest acts of kindness, guiltiest pleasures... sigh. How marvelous would it be to have your whole life categorized into lists? Am I the only person that feels better after making a long list of everything in my head? Yes, it is a sickness. I know.

Makers of this awesome book, if you would be so kind as to send me a copy, I will post a raving review. :-) Pinky swear. :-D



Speaking of lists, here's what I've been working on around the house and yard lately:

• Weeding all gardens, battling Virginia creeper as usual and planting new flowers.


• Installing a brick border around the peony bed


• Removing heavy, concrete based planters to plant grass.


• Planting said grass


• Vegetation killing around house and on patio


• Fixing broken garage door (Ok, this one was Lover. Thanks babe!)


• Painting deck


• Planting gorgeous petunia baskets for front porch


• Adding plants to step garden


• Redecorating living room mantel


• Rearranging master bedroom


• Refreshing guest room


• Adding functionality to office


• Cleaning up debris and mess in basement

Whew! I am exhausted! I love warm, almost-summer days, there is so much to do outside in the lovely weather, and this is definitely the best weather we get all year!

Friday Favs: My Project List

Last year, in a fit of despair after our trip to Florida was canceled, I made up a list of the house projects that needed completion. At that time, I thought the trip had only been delayed three weeks, and so I made us a "to do" list for those three weeks. The list contained pretty much all of the house projects that I blogged about last year. So you would be safe in making the conclusion that it took us a bit longer than three weeks to accomplish. :-)

I made the list almost exactly one year ago, and it has hung on our fridge since then. The last item was crossed off probably sometime in the fall, and I left the now completed list hanging there to boost morale. :-) It was nice to look at it and think "look at all that we HAVE accomplished." Especially once we turned the heat on and I had to dust multiple times a day due to the incredible amount of dust the furnace was pulling out of the basement and spewing throughout the house. Let's just say that we will need a spring cleaning this year. :-)

Every once in a while I would think about making a new list. There are some little odd and ends projects that need completing, and then, of course, there's everything that needs to be tackled in the basement. But, to be honest, I didn't want to start another list. I didn't want to think about more projects. So I left the completed one up, and it made me smile every time I saw it.

I blogged Tuesday about how we were seriously needing some encouragement in this renovation process. I think the combination of a large renovation project, the exhaustion of the holiday season, Lover's traveling, and the fact that we had plans to be gone for another month long business trip were really stressing us out. It wasn't fun anymore. We were trying to finish the basement by March 1st, for a visitor, and it just wasn't happening.

So we sat down and had a long talk. We reminded each other of the promise we made when we moved in: this house was for us, and always would be. We'd renovate on our own schedule, and we wouldn't become crazy, stressed out, maxed out renovation people. We told our upcoming visitor that the basement wouldn't be done in time, we took a weekend off, and we both felt better. And the funny thing is, we've accomplished a lot more in the last two weekends than we had previously been getting done. It's fun again!

So now that I've gotten my second (fourth? fifteenth?) wind, I'm ready to make a new list. This crisp new one is hanging in place of the old one, inspiring me to get moving on some new projects. And this year I'm being realistic. I probably won't get them all done in three weeks. ;-) Heck, the basement may take us another five years, for all I know. :-)

You'll notice that the right side, where it says "basement" is blank, with a lot of little boxes. I figured it might get depressing to list every single project that needs doing down there, and if I summed it all up in one, a la "finish the basment", well, that would just be depressing. I've told you before how I like lists, and being able to check things off. One line item for the basement just wouldn't cut it. :-)

Oh, and the old list? It's going into the scrapbook. I want to make sure we document all of the hard work that's going into this old castle. :-)

I've got some fun news coming up next week for the blog. It's something I've been working a ton on, and I am really excited about. Don't forget to check back in with me next week!

Linked to Finer Things Friday @ Amy's Finer Things

Household Notebook

One of the ways I stay organized around the house is with my household notebook. Seriously, this thing is a life saver. It keeps everything together in one place, and also helps me contain paper clutter. And paper clutter is my nemesis, so anything that helps me fight it is welcome in my home!

I got the idea from several places on the web, mainly Organized Home. Here's a link to their section on household notebooks. I read all the information and then put it into action, which was easy peasy! I already had a 3 ring binder laying around from post college days, and lots of tabbed dividing folders. I listed out my categories, and started sorting all my papers!

I decided on ten categories:

To Do, Cleaning, Shopping, Contact Info and House Projects

Activities, Decorating, Projects, Christmas and Birthdays, and Parties.

The To Do folder has any RSVP's I may need to answer, bills to pay, house to-do lists, and other items I need to take care of. Cleaning, as I mentioned in my cleaning schedule post, has all of the lists I use to clean the house, as well as a yearly schedule so I don't lose track. Shopping holds my grocery database, comprehensive pantry list, and any coupons/deals I don't want to forget about.

The Contact Info has been the most helpful category so far. In it I have a sheet of important numbers (Lover's work #s, my parents' phone number, etc), a copy of our budget, a list of when infrequent bills come due, a master list of our filing system, and an "Important Information" sheet with pertinent phone numbers and account numbers for utilities, phone bills, etc. In this section I also have stamps and return address labels, as well as a plastic business card holder for the hair salon, car repair shop, etc.

I actually have a separate folder for most of the house stuff, as we are in the process of remodeling and there are many house related papers. I kep paint chips, measurements and to-do lists in this section.

I use the Activities folder to keep brochures we pick up of places we would like to go to, camping info, etc. Decorating has inspiration pictures from magazines (I keep most on the computer so there aren't a lot in here) Projects is mainly for sewing info, and other crafty projects. I'll put organized lists for my scrapbooking in here too. In the Christmas/Birthdays folder I have a list of everyone's birthdays and anniversarys, as well as ideas for gifts throughout the year. This folder is always marked "Don't Look!" :-) The last folder is for Parties, mainly Culoare Zi as that takes many months to plan! I also use the back folder on the binder for gardening info and yard plans, which I don't have a lot of yet.

The plastic folders are great for holding little notes and bits of information, and in each section I have some plastic sleeves to hold more permanent papers like the budget.

If you don't already have a household notebook, I highly recommend that you make one! It will simplify your life and make finding those important papers or pieces of information a breeze. Try it for yourself!

How to Develop your Own Cleaning Schedule

Image courtesy of nowsourcing.com

Have you ever struggled with keeping your house looking spick and span, but still having time to do other things? I hear you, my friend, and what you need is a cleaning schedule. Having a cleaning schedule ensures that you won't forget important tasks that need to be done, and you will always know when it is time to do them. My schedule has every cleaning task for each room in my house, and it tells me when to do these tasks. This simplifies the process and allows me to have room in my brain to remember much more important things, like my parents' international phone number. (Not!)

The first step I took to assemble my own comprehensive cleaning list was to find exhaustive cleaning lists. Flylady.com has a great detailed cleaning list, and Martha Stewart has a great spring cleaning list here as well.

Next, I customized this list for my own home. We don't have a family room or a master bathroom, but we do have a deck and a porch that I wanted to include. I made a list of each room that would need cleaning. They are:

First Floor: Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Front Entryway and Porch, Back Entryway and Deck

Second Floor: Master Bedroom, Bathroom, Hallway, Office and Guest Room

Basement: Rec Room, Laundry Room, Bathroom and Kitchen

Then, I listed each task that needed to by done by room, and how often it needed doing.

Example: Dining Room - Wash inside of windows - Seasonally

Bathroom - Wash fixtures and mirrors - Weekly

Kitchen - Wash outside of cabinets - Monthly

Once I had each task assigned to each room it was valid for, and when to do said task, it was a cinch to assemble my lists by frequency; Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Seasonally, along with Spring Cleaning and Fall Cleaning.

An important point to remember in making your lists is to customize the tasks and frequency

to your own home. We don't drink coffee regularly, so cleaning the coffeepot is not a part of

our daily routine. It may be for you. However, we spend a lot of time on our deck in the summer,

so I like to add that to my schedule in the summer months. Don't be afraid to add some things in,

or delete ones that are not necessary.

I have summarised the lists by frequency for you to use, if you would like. These are not the

exact lists that I use on a regular basis, as I like to have my tasks broken down by room so that

I can see that everything is getting done. I'll show you where I keep my lists in another post, it's

a lifesaver!

Oh and you may be wondering why my fall cleaning list is longer than my spring list. I am

anti-tradition, what can I say. :-) Actually, because we are inside all winter, I clean a lot more and there really isn't a need for a big spring clean. But, throughout the summer, with parties, bare feet, gardening, and open windows, the dirt piles up. Come fall, the house needs a good cleaning! Plus, a big cleaning in the fall means that everything is spick and span for the holidays, and ready for the hard winters here in upstate NY.

Sure hope this helps you keep your sanity, and still have a clean house!

Luggage and Life

Once again I am packing Lover's suitcase. Something that I seem to be doing awfully frequently the last few months.

Go ahead, ask me how I really feel about it. I dare you.

Anyways, Lover travels light, so it is always a cinch to pack for him. There are a few things I try to make sure always go with him;

• Fiber One bars. He is notorious for not eating well while he is gone. While he won't always eat the bars while he is traveling, it makes me feel better, kind of like I am taking care of him while he is gone.


• Extra change of clothes. Oftentimes his travel is last minute, and there have been innumerable delays and extra, unplanned for, nights. So I always send some extra stuff to get him through.


• Web cam Neither one of us is big on the phone, and while we do still use it when he's gone, we'd prefer to see each other. Every once in a while the hotel internet connection is fast enough that we can web cam. It's always a special treat.


• Love notes for each night This is a tradition I started the first time he had to spend nights away for work. Since then I don't think I've missed a night. They're always short and sweet, something akin to "I love you and you're the best," but they help us feel connected when we are so far apart.

And yes, his suitcase is ridiculously small. If it were any bigger I totally would have tried to stowaway on one of his many trips to New York City. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he doesn't have a bigger suitcase. He's a sly one! ;-)

Lover travels so often that it has become a habit to keep the suitcase half packed to make my life easier. He has extra toiletries that stay in the suitcase, along with a few other necessary travel things. I've found that it really simplifies the process. I'm applying this principle in other areas of my life such as;

• A ready to go bag of toiletries in our overnight bag to make last minute trips a breeze.


• A plastic tote full of our camping supplies, with a list on it of additional things to pack for camping, along with some menu ideas.


• My latest project, a small box for the living room, with pens, bookmarks, stamps and return address labels for easy note writing and magazine marking.

What do you keep prepared ahead of time? I'd love to hear about it!

Friday Fav: Lists

If you know me at ALL, you know that I love lists.  There are times when I consider the fact that I may be addicted, and promptly dismiss it as crazy. I really couldn't function without my many, many lists. To prove it, here is a sampling of the lists I currently have floating around:

• Grocery List
• To Do List for Bellisima Photography (my business)
• House Remodeling To Do List
• Wardrobe Shopping List
• Plant and other yard shopping list
• A complete shopping list for every room in the house with estimated prices
• Today's to do list
• Yesterday's to do list
• A list of the goals we have for 2009
• A list of pantry essentials we need to stock up on.

Are you convinced? As overbearing and nitpicky as this may make me sound, lists actually help calm me down. In fact, one of the best stress busters I know of is to sit down and make a list. I have done this for to do items, for identifying the things that I am worried about, or of the qualities that I admire in my husband. :-) 

What about you? What coping mechanism do you have for handling stress and keeping your day-to-day life organized?

Summer Goals

Being homeowners means that your house to-do list is miles long, and your want-to-do list is even longer. That said, there are a few things that we want to try to accomplish this summer:

1. Turn up our curb appeal

Our house is the only one like it on our street, and dare I say, the only one of its kind in the neighborhood. The outside, much like the inside, has been sadly neglected and abused, so we'll be ramping up the TLC so that the outside starts to match the beautifully renovated inside! Stay tuned for our outside to-do list of summer projects and gardening.

2. Refinish this dresser

I'm thinking a deep dark stain, and pretty glass knobs. It will either stay in the living room, or move up to office. Or the attic, or the basement... ah the possibilities! ;-)

3. Refinish the floors in the living room and dining room

Nuff said. We're gonna try to DIY, so we'll let you know how that works out.

4. Paint the kitchen walls, and possibly the cabinets.

The plan is to paint the walls, and then evaluate whether the cabinets should be painted as well. We'll keep you posted.

5. Finish guest room, living room and master bedroom.

Our to-do list for the guest room is as follows, you can read about what's still to do in the other rooms here and here.

• Cut, install, and paint baseboards in guest room.
• Finish outlining and painting damask design on wall.
• Buy rug for guest room.
• Cover or paint chair for desk
• Make cushion for window seat
• Paint doorways

6. Begin next four big projects; the front and back entryways, the office and the basement.

Stay tuned for posts about these spaces in the next few weeks. UPDATE: Front entryway is done!

I know that this list is ambitious to say the least, but at least we are shooting for the stars, right? ;-)

My list for my life

If you know me at all, you know that I l-o-v-e lists. Here's a great one I stole from Jen who stole it from a bunch of other people. As the New Year approaches, and we set goals for 2009, this is a great review of your life!

Things you've done: bold
Things you want to do: italics
Things you haven't done and don't want to do: plain

 

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars …yes please!
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea.. as long as I am safe
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty (ok, most of the way)
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping… hee hee!
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset (both actually!)
31. hit a home run 
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors 
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris (I was at the bottom, but I think it still counts!
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre 
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person 
80. published a book 
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby 
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee