It’s a Monday morning in springtime, the air is fresh, the birds are singing and I’m fresh off a relaxing Mother’s Day. It all puts me in the mood to write a great list. Are you a list person? I LOVE having something I can look back on for progress and accountability and nothing beats that productive feeling of crossing things off a list.
This morning’s list is of all the indoor and outdoor projects I’d like to accomplish this summer. I have to be careful, because the list could turn into a “Honey-do” and in order to stay accountable, I need to make this a list of tasks and jobs I can do on my own. Here’s a rundown of what I’d like to accomplish.
Indoor
Hem the curtains in the master bedroom. I’ve had beautiful light and temperature blocking curtains in our bedroom for a couple years, but they are about 8 inches too long. They’ve been pinned ever since they were originally hung, but now it’s time to customize them to fit. Instead of hemming them, I may replace the grommet-top with a tab-backed system which is my preferred look for curtains.
Commit to a new living room rug. I’ve been making do with an old Pottery Barn wool rug in our living room. It works fine and I love the natural fiber, but the colors are drab and I’d really like to add a little life in there. I actually ordered a rug and I was so excited, but I ordered it too big and the colors read more brown and more blue than I would prefer. There’s already a lot of brown and blue in that room and now I need some gorgeous contrast. Here is a contender.
Replace the windows coverings in the dining area. The sun beats into this space on summer afternoons making the room hot and uncomfortable. A few years ago I created lined, fabric shades in the dining area, fashioned after some I had made in our old house. I never loved the fabric and the style looks a little too country-cute. Time for something a little more updated. I’m thinking this fabric.
Outdoor
We have an area of ground cover that has become weedy and overgrown. I’m going to take my edge trimmer to it, to tame the growth and, after pulling the weeds will replace those areas with more of the same ground cover. I’m going to pull all my bulbs from the front and replant them in a new area in the fall.
Last spring, we pulled out a hedge full of snow-damaged evergreen shrubs from next to our driveway. We replanted with mock orange and added some driveway lights on timers. The new plantings look so pretty and we feel good about how they’ll fill-in this summer. They re-bloom with fragrant white flowers twice in a year.
We already added some soil and new mulch to our plants in the area under the birches. I love how simple this area is and I need to remember to replicate that in other areas of my yard and garden. Rich greens with white blooms, lots of mulch, clean lines. For the first time, I’m starting to realize how my outdoor environment has been cluttered with too many kinds of plants. I really admire people who can keep up with their beautiful landscaping and gardens, but I’m going to try to simplify where I can this summer.
Eventually I’d like to order comfortable, stackable outdoor chairs. Do you have some recommendations?
What’s on your list this summer? What are some ways you can carve out time to knock some big and small projects off your list? Share your stories and let me know if there’s any way your favorite Northwest Home Coach can help.
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