Prioritizing

Hello.

Checking in today to share my summer project list.  Do you have one of those? 

Do you ever just get so excited about starting so many awesome, fun projects that you don't actually start any of them?  Oh, I dream and scheme and chart and list to my hearts content.....and then Saturday rolls around and my bed is just so comfy, and there are yard sales to pillage (I mean, where else are you going to find all the treasures your, at this point non existent project, will need?) and then the children have birthday parties to go to, there are tubs to be scrubbed, laundry to be folded, beds to be made, floors to be vacuumed, etc...

And when you do have those free moments....there are books to be enjoyed and family movie nights to attend.  The park with its splash pad beckons, and the sidewalks call out to be enjoyed.

You get the point.  All good and lovely things....but not a lot of time left for the ol' project list.

BUT, if I haaaaad to be honest, I squander time sometimes.  I'm not always busy.  I often have time for a project and I choose not to do it.  Why?  I don't know.  Lazy?  Complacent?  Maybe I just need some time to do nothing....yes, sometimes I do need that.  And that's ok.

However.  There are spaces in my house that aren't working well for us and I find myself cleaning up the same messes time after time and I'm getting irritated with myself.  Jamming the same junk back into the same spot (hello papers from school year 2012-2013 still on top of the toaster oven!), reaching for something only to have stacks of things fall over and scatter, etc....

SO.  We're making that list.  It's a relatively short one for us.  But, we want something attainable.  We plan on focusing ONLY on these items and letting the rest of the list go for now. 

First up:  the linen closet.  Not HORRIBLE, but not great either.  Most definitely could be better.  We're on it.  This closet needs to hold A LOT.  Beach towels, cleaning supplies, blankets, camping cots, batteries, light bulbs, candles, extra bathroom essentials, gift bags, vacuum, etc...  When the closet was initially made, I opted to have the drawers and shelves stay their natural wood colour.  I'm kicking myself.  I don't like it.  Am I crazy to paint it all white?  What would you do?  Shut the doors on the natural wood and leave it? 

 Paint cans used to live in here and it bothered me.  But during a morning perusal of a friends yard sale goods, we found a nifty little cupbaord for $1, that sits in our laundry room (don't judge it's current unsightly existence) and holds all the paint nicely for now. 

Next up (and this is where things start to get a little more ugly): spices and baking cupboard

I have threatened to throw that basket of spices clear across the room many a time.  I hate it.  Henry hates it.  And I'm not quite sure why we've lived with it for this long (pretty much 16 years).  On the right is our previous coat closet.  We are turning it into a pantry to allow for some more organized kitchen living.  On the bottom right you can see the shelves leaning against the wall. They've been sitting there ready to be painted since...oh, I don't know...MARCH.  Lazy I am.  

Next up: Riley's new-to-her dresser.  *Stacey hangs head in shame* 

We are in the process of re painting all of the upstairs bedrooms.  I'm also planning on redoing this dresser for Riley.  While I get my act together, the girl is living like this.  Yikes.

Alrighty.  So, the list looks like this:

  Linen Closet
  * buy and organize bucket/baskets for linen closet.
  * possibly paint shelves and drawers
  * install handles on drawers

  Spice cabinet
  * clean out and sort which items will go into pantry
  * clean cupboard and organize items going back into cupboard
 
  Pantry
   * fill holes/cracks, sand, prime and paint inside
   * prime/paint shelves and install
   * organize items going in the pantry

  Riley's dresser
  * sand dresser
  * prime and paint 


We do have a outdoor project we'd like to get to this year namely staining the shed and making new flower boxes.  We've given ourselves until the end of the summer to get everything done.  I know that if we put our backs into it, we'll have no problem getting everything done.  We can be very productive if we want to be!!  We may even get around to the "secondary list"...Haha!!

What about you?  Anything fun on your summer project list??

  *side note:  this brown closet organizer is free to a good home...know anyone who could use it?!*