Sum- sum- summertime!

No matter what the calender says, Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer for me.  I love summer...there is just so much to see and do! It's hard to fit in everything before Labor Day (the end of summer in my mind), but we sure are going to try this year.  To keep us on track, I made a (Pinterest-inspired) kid-friendly summer fun list to keep track of our goals and plans. 

The list includes visits to three zoos, three festivals, two theme parks, several area attractions and one water park.  I also listed stuff to do, such as watch a movie in a theater, make snow cones, go for a bike ride, and more.  There's 25 things to do and places to go on that list. Summertime fun will be ours!

The kids' summer to-do list was so fun to make that I made a to-do list for me in the same style.  While most people might find their summer fun hampered by to-do's, accomplishing big projects gives me such a great feeling that I had to plan some for the summer.  My list includes painting rooms and furniture, tackling huge projects like the garage and basement workroom, and catching up on the kids' scrapbooks and photo albums.  My list isn't as long as the first one, but I'm sure as some projects are checked off, other ones will be added.   

With the start of summer, we already got to cross one thing off of the summertime fun to-do list...we watched the Memorial Day parade.  My Little Guy was more than happy to mark the occasion. 

Then Little Miss kicked off summer in her own way by putting her purse on her head.

That's just how she rolls, I guess.

What do you have planned for this summer?  Do you plan or do you just go with the flow?  Whatever your plans may be, I hope you have a fun (and safe) time.

Happy planning and happy summer!

My work is cut out for me

Spring is here, and I can finally get started on the garden I've been planning since last summer.  But first, the garden beds need a lot of work before they are ready for seedlings.  Actually, the whole backyard needs a ton of work before anything can happen. My to-do list is long...very, very long!

As you can see, the weeds took advantage of the ridiculously warm summer-like weather we had in March, and are already taking over my vegetable beds:

Obviously, I need to spend a good amount of time weeding the beds before they can be tilled.

And I finally gave in to my OCD tendencies and purchased landscaping timber to border the garden beds.  This will give us a clear border between garden and lawn, making it easier for The Big Guy to mow and trim, and better protecting my precious vegetable plants.  Thanks to Handy Freddy for picking up the lumber!

Once the garden beds are weeded and tilled, I'll install the border. Here, I put three sections of the timber together so you can get an idea of where I'm going with this:

I have a few peony plants coming up on the north side of the house, and I need to get some mulch around them before The Big Guy accidentally mows them down.  In which case, I will accidentally punch him in the throat. It happens, right?

Note to The Big Guy: This is what a peony plant looks like. Do not run it over!

In fact, all of the flower beds need to be mulched, as do all the fruit trees.  Add that to the list!

The compost bins (all three of them) are 2/3 full.  I need to do some rearranging of the piles to make room for all of the stuff that will be coming its way in the next few months.

Gasp! See that bed of weeds in the foreground of the picture?  That's where my asparagus is planted.  Weeding is making several appearances on my garden to-do list.

Item #458 on the to-do list is to hook up this rain barrel.  I am the proud owner of two rain barrels, but this one (that I got for my birthday last fall...thanks, Big Guy!) needs to be connected to the downspout.  I'm searching online for a fancy connector that will let me switch back and forth between directing water to the rain barrel and keeping it moving through the downspout, so if you have any sources, please let me know in the comments.  Thanks!

Add to the list cleaning out the gutters, making the trellises, and on and on and on, and I have a very busy spring ahead of me.   I can't wait!

Martha Monday--On my to-do list

Martha provides me (through her books, magazines, television show and website) with endless inspiration for recipes I want to try, crafts to make, projects to do and more.

Here are the current Martha-inspired things I have on my to-do list:

1. Get started on my gardening

I've been planning my summer garden for quite a while, and it's almost time to start my indoor seeds.  Ideally, I'll have the peppers, tomatoes and broccoli started by mid-March. I'm itching to start seeds RIGHT NOW, but if I start the seeds too soon then I'll have spindly, and less productive, seedlings by the time I'm ready to transplant them outdoors.  Plus, I'd like to buy a few more varieties of seed (winter squash, anyone?)...I need to get on that!

2. Make some tasty Broccoli soup

I have yet to make my own broccoli soup from scratch, a problem which will be remedied later this week.  Maybe I'll add some potatoes and cheddar cheese to transform this recipe into a full meal rather than a starter course, but either way I have a bunch of broccoli in my fridge that must be put to good use.

3. Try my hand at Parisian macarons

That's not a typo...macarons are a beautiful and delicious French sandwich cookie made from almond flour, and making them has been on my to-do list for years.  I have almond flour in my pantry, so making these cookies needs to go from a "to-do" item to a "ta-da DONE" accomplishment.

Right now, the bag of almond flour mocks me every time I'm in the pantry which, based on how much I cook/bake and how popular a hiding spot it is during games with my kiddos, is several times each day.  STOP MOCKING ME, ALMOND FLOUR! 

Don't even get me started on the taunting I receive from my knitting supplies.
They're all "We've been in this closet for over five years! LEARN TO KNIT ALREADY!" 
And I'm all "Your sass is not appreciated. DON'T USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME!" 

I've been getting a lot of attitude from inanimate objects lately.  Also, I might need more sleep. Or coffee.  Maybe both.

Manda Monday--Countdown to Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner. I started preparing over a week ago with shopping and decorating so I have good head start on this busy season.

Before Thanksgiving, we managed to get five Christmas trees up, and four of them are decorated.  The Christmas Village has yet to make an appearance, despite Little Guy asking me to put it up at least four times a day.  I hope to get that done, along with decorating the big tree and setting up the remaining trees, this week.  And if the weather is dry and not bone-chillingly cold, the outside lights might get put up as well.

For the record, we are the proud owners of eight Christmas trees of various sizes. My goal has always been to have a personalized or themed tree in each major room of my house.  But not in the bathrooms, because that would just be excessive.

When the decorating is done, I'll turn my attention to shopping and baking.  Little Guy is not much into shopping, but he is just as excited as I am to start baking. Already we've gone through six cookbooks to mark the recipes we want to try.  While he declares every recipe as one we have to make, I'm going to try to limit our efforts to just 10-12 varieties of cookies.  I don't want to go overboard--my Christmas is all about moderation.

In all seriousness, I do like to give baked goods as gifts.  Our neighbors and coworkers will get cookies this year...all 93 of them!...so I'll be making three batches of each of those 10-12 cookie varieties.  The amount of butter I go through at this time of year is criminal.  

Shopping will certainly take some time.  All told, we buy gifts for at least 38 people, not including the TMI household.  Fortunately, gifts for Little Miss, Little Guy and Big Guy are almost entirely done, and that is a big load off my shoulders.   

When it comes to shopping, organization is key.  I already have my gift ideas and budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and I'll take that with me to the stores. I find that this one piece of paper saves me a ton of time and money. Time, because I go into a store with a good idea of what to look for, and money, because I have a set budget and seeing it in print helps me stick to it.  If you have problems shopping for gifts, I strongly recommend that you make a list and budget, and then stick to it.  Hey, it works for Santa!

In addition to the decorating, baking and shopping, I'd like to get the kids out to see fun Christmas light displays, a trip or two to see Santa and some other fun holiday activities in the lovely city of Aurora.

This is going to be a busy, and fun, season! 

Martha Monday--September To Do's

Martha has a planning calender tool on her website (I've mentioned this before), but did you know you can also see her To Do list for the month?

Go ahead and take a look at that calendar. It's blissfully empty--Martha has a few things going on, but not much. I can only assume that this is not her actual calender. We all know that she's busy working, managing her farm and other properties, gearing up for a new season of The Martha Stewart Show, travelling and more. Quite frankly, I feel a little cheated.  I want to know Martha is busy running around like a madwoman, because that's exactly what I've been doing lately.   Knowing she is busy with life, work, family, etc. and making it all work would give me encouragement and motivation I need to keep pace with my own life, work, family and more.

Fall is a busy time filled with lots of birthdays and fun activities.  The Little Guy's birthday is next month, and there's A LOT of work I want to get done around the house before then.  Basically, we've lived here for almost three years and there are many rooms I don't consider to be finished--master bedroom, guest room, family room, living room, etc.  In fact, until September, only three rooms have been finished: Little Guy's room (see here and here), Little Miss's room and their bathroom.  I'm really sick of living in rooms I'm not happy with, and that has to change.  And I want it all done before Little Guy's fourth birthday.

Because there is nothing like a huge looming deadline to make me kick it into gear.

Here's what I have planned for September 1--October 8:

Paint the master bathroom (The Big Guy and I actually did this over Labor Day weekend--I'll be posting pictures soon!)
Hang artwork in the bathroom
Paint master bedroom and hang artwork
Paint guest room, hang artwork and display shelves/hooks
Get storm door for front entry
Paint the front door
Paint the half bathroom and hang artwork
Paint the family room
Finish art display project for living room

And those are just my "home improvement" to-do's.  I'm not including other stuff, like putting the garden to bed for the winter and basic household maintenance.  It's going to be a busy few weeks, but I am looking forward to it. The happiness I get from a finished task and great-looking room far outweighs the struggle it took to get the job done.  I'm already looking forward to enjoying these made-over rooms.

What do you have planned for this fall?  If you have nothing going on, feel free to come hang out at the TMI household. I might have something you can do. ;)

The football team

Six weeks after winning the Deluxe Gardening Package in a live auction, the football arrived to complete the prize.  I had a HUGE list of things for them to accomplish, and only three hours (with threateningly gray skies) to do it in. Needless to say, I was worried and stressed to the point of nauseousness that we wouldn't get everything done, either because it was simply too much to accomplish in three hours or because the skies would open and heavy rains would force us to take cover.

Seriously, my garden plans are ambitious, and I needed these guys, and their physical labor, to get it started. There's just no way I could do this by myself.   So, at 8:30am nine players and one coach arrived, looked at my yard, at me and at each other, and then got to work. 

Here's what happened:

1. Dethatch the entire yard.

2. Dig up all the bush roots in the front yard (this is where my new flower beds will go).

3. Transplant three lilac bushes to the side of the house, and dump the rest.

4. Dig holes for the six fruit trees hanging out in my foyer (more on those next week).

Take a good look at the above picture. See the big brown trench on the right side next to the fence?  That's just a small section of the yard that The Big Guy prepped for my garden area. 

5.  Lay the sod that The Big Guy cut the day before.

6. Move the Arborvitae from the side of the garage to the southeast corner of the house. The tree was slightly damaged during the move, but I can deal with that. After all, these kids are football players and not landscapers, and some mishaps are bound to happen.

7. Shovel one ton of partially-composted horse manure into the new vegetable garden beds. 

Seriously, you should have seen the looks on their faces when this load arrived!  But I have to give credit where credit is due: they all dug in and got to work with minimal complaining.

8. Distribute the topsoil around the house to prep flower/vegetable beds and otherwise fill in holes by the house foundation.

Notice the Little Guy trying to help with this one--he's the short kid on the right.

While the prep work the day before was tough, and I was extremely stressed out about everything going right with the football players on the day of, it was all worth it in the end.  They got EVERY SINGLE THING done on my list.  And bonus: they even got my fruit trees planted! That item never appeared on my original list because I didn't think there would be time, but they made it happen.

These great guys accomplished things in three hours that it honestly would have taken me all summer to do.  I could not be more pleased with the result of their (and mine and The Big Guy's) hard work.  Thanks so much to the ACCHS football team for donating their labor, and once again, thanks to The Big Guy for winning such an awesome auction item. 

This week's goals...

First and foremost is to recover from the first birthday party we just had for the Little Guy.

It was fun, but absolutely exhausting. Note to self: do not give children birthday cake within 90 minutes of bedtime. No good can come from this!

Now that one party is done, I need to prepare for the next two.

Monday
Relax. Recover. Write some thank you notes.

Tuesday
Make sugar cookies. Try not to eat too many.

Wednesday
Decorate sugar cookies.

Thursday
Bake cake and cupcakes.

Friday
Decorate cake and cupcakes.

Saturday
Grocery shop. Cook like a madwoman. Party at 3pm.

My mantra for the week? Be like Martha, be like Martha, be like Martha...

Here we go...

This week is madness. Madness, I tell you!

I must admit that it's madness largely of my own making, and I really don't mind it. The Little Guy turns two very soon, and with extremely large families, the Big Guy and I thought it best to divide the parties up. We'll be having three parties over two weekends.

The first party is in one week. There's so much to do that my to-do list spans five pages, along with additional pages of shopping lists.

Thankfully, we completed almost everything on time last week. The Big Boy room is largely done, and the Little Guy is really enjoying it. He even tried to sleep in the Big Boy bed on the first night! Naturally, the whole event was so exciting that he couldn't fall asleep, so he went back to the crib.

Time to get started on that to-do list for today!

Planning for the week

It's a busy week ahead. The Big Boy room MUST get done this week, because all next week will be dedicated to preparing for the Little Guy's birthday parties.

Yes, I said 'parties.' There are three sets of doting grandparents and only one Little Guy to go around. Splitting the family parties up allows me, the Big Guy and especially the Little Guy to have more time with family members and friends.

Plus, I just really like to throw parties.

But I digress....time to focus on what needs to happen this week:

Sunday
Finish the first coat of paint in the Big Boy room.

Monday
Second coat of paint and all trim work.

Tuesday
Clean the door, windows and floor. Clean up all painting supplies. Install the closet organizer.

Wednesday
Bring in the rugs, bed, bookcase, etc.

Thursday
Buy nightlight, curtain rod and other miscellaneous stuff for the room.

Friday
Finishing touches. Make the bed. Hang curtains, hat rack and growth chart.

Saturday
Introduce the Little Guy to the Big Boy room. Watch the hilarity that will surely ensue.

See, I told you it would be a busy week.

A to-do list interuppted

So last Sunday, I made a detailed list of what needed to happen each day for me to be productive and see some results around here, especially in the Big Boy room makeover.

Because I am a woman of my word (usually) I'm following up on that list to see what I've accomplished.

Sadly, hardly anything got done this week. My original plan was to be done painting the Big Boy room by now. Woefully, only 1 and 1/4 walls are done, and those only have one coat of paint. Let's see where things went wrong...

Sunday: Buy closet organizer and paint. Prepare room for painting.
Yes! We did this! The week started out so well...

Monday: Paint inside of closet. Paint ceiling.
Woohoo! We were still on track on Day 2!

Tuesday: Paint trim and closet doors. Start painting walls.
This is where things went horribly awry. I felt especially tired and miserable that night, so instead of painting, I went to bed.

Wednesday: Finish first coat of paint on walls.
This didn't happen, because I forgot that the ceiling might need a second coat. Which it did. So that's what the Big Guy and I worked on Wednesday instead of tackling the walls.

Thursday: Second coat of paint, if necessary. Any necessary touch-ups to trim and doors.
We painted two walls. Badly. You can see the ridiculousness here.

Friday: Move rugs and position bed.Install closet organizer.
Bwahahahaha...we're so far off track by now it's funny. The Little Guy was sick, so we just crashed after he went to bed. No painting for me!

Saturday: Shop for nightlight and lamp shade. Shop for organizing bins and laundry basket.
This did happen--does that mean there's hope for the TMI household? We bought a lamp shade and organizing bins. I forgot about the laundry basket (no hurry on that) and couldn't find a nightlight that suited the Big Boy room.

Well, there it is, dear readers. My few successes and many failures in accomplishing my goals for this week. Just reading over it makes me want to stop with the posting of the to-do lists for a while. Being accountable kind of sucks.

What do you think?

Detailed to-dos

Last week, I just had a checklist.

This week, I'm listing the to-dos by the day they need to be done. Martha style.

Actually, I don't know if this is how Martha organizes her time. When the Martha Stewart show is taping, her scheduling is done in (I believe) 15-minute time increments in order to be efficient and effective. But I'm sure that Martha does have an organized plan every day.

She has to...she's Martha Stewart. Right?!

I just had a terrible thought: what if Martha doesn't make lists? Is that even possible? If that is the case, my world would fall apart. Please, if it is the case, don't ever tell me. I just couldn't take it.

Here's what my week looks like:

Sunday
Buy closet organizer and paint.
Prepare room for painting.

Monday
Paint inside of closet.
Paint ceiling.

Tuesday
Paint trim and closet doors.
Start painting walls.

Wednesday
Finish first coat of paint on walls.

Thursday
Second coat of paint, if necessary.
Any necessary touch-ups to trim and doors.

Friday
Move rugs and position bed.
Install closet organizer.

Saturday
Shop for nightlight and lamp shade.
Shop for organizing bins and laundry basket.

It will be a busy week, but I'd rather exhaust myself by getting something done (in this case, one of the unfinished bedrooms) as opposed to exhausting myself by fretting and procrastinating.

I'm sure that that isn't the Martha way.

The week is nearly over. Let's see how I did with my to-do list from Sunday...

1. Bake cookies for work event
Done.

2. Decorate cookies for work event
Done.

3. Package cookies for work event
Done.

4. Head to Kohl's for pants and purse
Done.

5. Send out invitations for the Little Guy's upcoming birthday party
Done. I was able to deliver some invitations personally, thanks to all the family get-togethers over the Labor Day holiday.

6. Head to hardware store for closet organizers and nightlights
Um, no. This didn't happen. I knew that this would be a stretch considering how busy the week was, so this is going on next week's list.

7. CVS shopping
Again, this just didn't happen. I need to get there soon, though--I have nearly $30 of product rainchecks I need to redeem.

8. Walgreens shopping
Done, but done pitifully. Wags is not cooperating with me lately...the stuff I want is always sold out. I am considering dropping Wags for the next few months. Seriously.

Not too bad. I know we have a lot going on in the TMI household next week, so I'll need to plan the week's activities carefully in order to get everything done.

On to the next list...

To Do List

I love lists. Making lists helps me organize and prioritize my day/week, and crossing things off those lists fills me with a warm and fuzzy that says "You've been productive. Hooray for you!"

With that in mind, I'm going to start putting weekly lists here to hold myself more accountable, and stay on top of all there is to do. Plus, it's less actual paper to deal with, which is great considering I am drowning in reminders scrawled on post-its and my list collection now spans at least three different notebooks. I guess I'm just complicated like that, okay?

For this week:

1. Bake cookies for work event
2. Decorate cookies for work event
TMI note: baking and decorating are substantial tasks, so they get their own lines.
3. Package cookies for work event
4. Head to Kohl's for pants and purse
5. Send out invitations for the Little Guy's upcoming birthday party
6. Head to hardware store for closet organizers and nightlights
Another TMI note: this one is not absolutely essential, so don't be surprised if you see it on next week's list.
7. CVS shopping
8. Walgreens shopping

Thanks goodness tomorrow is a holiday--that means all my productivity will happen on the home front. Have a great week!

Revisiting the blog to-do list

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning of The Martha Initiative (or, if you've just gone through the archives), you know that I started with a TMI to-do list:

1. Upload a picture. CHECK
2. Update the profile. CHECK
3. Write witty post #1. CHECK
4. Write witty post #2. CHECK
5. Subscribe to some blogs I like. CHECK
6. Review blog and consider stylistic changes. CHECK
7. Look into this Google Adwords business, so I can make millions of dollars and live a wonderfully fabulous and ordered life and have a staff of 40 people to carry out my orders/creative ideas, just like Martha Stewart. CHECK
8. Continue with the witty posts. CHECK

While the wittiness of each post is up for debate, I have blogged faithfully for 36 consecutive days. My to-do list is complete. CHECK!

Regarding #7: I had thought about putting that wacky Google Ads feature on my blog, but decided against it. It's not the Martha thing to do--she just doesn't endorse anyone, right? I had no idea what ads they might feature, nor do I want just any old ad on my site. So, I went out in search of advertisements from companies and products I use and like--you can see those ads in the right-hand sidebar and at the bottom of the page.

Vistaprint, Betty Crocker and Coupons.com are all reputable companies. I use/buy their products, and I am comfortable recommending them to anyone. After all, how could I enjoy the 40 assistants I plan to hire with all that ad revenue if I were recommending crappy products? I couldn't fully enjoy a life of luxury that way, and that's how you know I'll only include ads on my blog for products I use myself. It's the Martha way, right? Actually, she makes nearly everything she buys, but I digress...

And a big thanks to all of you readers--all 10 of you! ;) I really enjoy blogging, and I appreciate everyone's encouragement as I continue on my quest for domestic diva-dom. Diva-ness? Diva-ocity? Diva-tude? Diva out! Happy Friday!

First things first--a blog to-do list

I'm new to this blogging thing. But if Martha does it (and golly, is she a dedicated blogger!), then I really should give it a try. And how do I start new things? With a list! I love a good to-do list, and I suspect Martha does, too.



My Blog To-do List:



1. Upload a picture.

2. Update the profile.

3. Write witty post #1.

4. Write witty post #2.

5. Subscribe to some blogs I like.

6. Review blog and consider stylistic changes.

7. Look into this Google Adwords business, so I can make millions of dollars and live a wonderfully fabulous and ordered life and have a staff of 40 people to carry out my orders/creative ideas, just like Martha Stewart.
8. Continue with the witty posts.