One of the perks of my job is that I do get two months off in the summer. Since I work primarily with middle and high schools and they aren't in session during this time, there's not much for me to do in terms of work. However, there's always plenty to do at home -- things that have been put off until I have more time. Time that rolls around in just a few more days. So here's a peek at the list of things I plan to tackle this summer:
1. Paint the wire shelving unit in the bathroom. This thing is a definite hand-me-down. When we moved into our first apartment here in Murray (after leaving Clinton), we found this shelving unit out on the upstairs balcony. At first glance, we thought it might be a plant rack or something like that, but then it hit me -- it's a shelving unit to go over the toilet in the bathroom. (Which was a good thing, because that bathroom and the one in our current place are both very, very small). It's metal and somewhat rusty in places, so I plan to give it a good sanding and then paint it white.
2. Put all of these layouts into albums. I don't even know how many there are -- a couple hundred, give or take a few. They have been separated into different categories -- layouts for Cam's albums, Cass's albums, the family album, etc. I've experimented with a number of different albums, and I've found that I much prefer to just put them into three-ring binders. Last year, Wal-mart had some really pretty binders in their back-to-school collection. I didn't buy them, but I should have done so. This year, once school supplies are put out, I plan on stocking up and finally getting these layouts finished. The plan is to get a certain color or design for each person's album -- that way, we'll be able to find what we're looking for more quickly. I'll probably also add some type of label to the outside spine -- perhaps to indicate general dates or something like that.
3. Get these prints framed for Cami's room. We bought these from The Black Apple's shop for Christmas, but we still haven't gotten them framed yet. (That's something I was really excited about -- that both the girls got art for Christmas. Here's what Cass got.) At first I thought I'd buy some frames from Target, but then I remembered these older prints in the garage with these ornate gold frames. They'll look great painted white, and they won't cost me anything either. It's a win-win situation.
4. Spruce up these bulletin boards in Cassidy's room. While they're nice and functional right now, I'd like them to be prettier. And Cass has a request as well -- she wants them paint-splattered! The idea is to paint the frames white and let her splatter them with green, blue, and purple. The cork will likely get covered with fabric, though I haven't taken Cass to pick anything out yet. I'm sure it will be something in stripes, though. (There are rumors that Grandad perhaps may be working on some type of storage/display unit for all of her medals -- but I'm not sure about that).
5. Find some way to frame or display these larger prints. One is my Hatch Show print from the Damien Rice concert here on campus almost three years ago. The other is a really cool painting that Cami made in art class. I've got different bits and pieces of the girls' artwork hanging in the house, and I love the personal touch it gives everything.
6. Style this corner cabinet. The Nativity is still there because I haven't put it back into storage, and because I don't know what I want to put in its place. I think I might have to bring my sister in for this project, as she's much better at this type of thing than I am. Usually I'm okay with styling, but the triangular space is just throwing me off. This will likely be a project that will bleed over into other areas of the house, especially since I just plan on shopping what I already have (and finding a new place for the dragon collection should prove...interesting.)
7. Create a new pair of kitchen curtains from this vintage tablecloth. My mom had this tucked away, and I'm so glad she asked if I wanted it. It fits in nicely with my kitchen plans -- and the colors pick up the color of my new bread tin and some other vintage goodies really nicely.
8. Fill these photo frames. I've had them hanging on the wall for at least a year now, and while some are full, some still feature the generic kids from the store in them. The plan is to rework them all and fill them with a mixture of family and travel photos.
9. Clean and organize the mudroom. I'm not even going to show you a picture of this space. It's a small room that's between our garage and our laundry room, with a separate door opening to the back deck. It closes off from the main house completely and it's not airconditioned or heated, so it's really just a staging area for outdoor equipment and shoes, or storage for items that don't need to be put completely away (in the garage, for example).
10. Have a yardsale. We finally moved all of our "extra" belongings out of storage and into the garage. Not only are we saving some bucks now, we can also see that most of this stuff is just that -- stuff that we don't want or need anymore. While there are a few things we plan to keep, most of it will be finding new homes.
Hopefully I'll be able to check back in during August and update you on the progress of these items, in another 10 on Tuesday post. What kinds of makeover or other projects do you planned for summer?
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