One Day at a Time

In the span of less than two years we have relocated across the country and embarked on a series of renovations which have included:
• the replacement of carpeting and laminate flooring with new hardwood flooring in the LR/DR/front hall and the entire upstairs
• drywalling over the stucco ceilings
• gutting/redesigning the kitchen
• removing and replacing the floor of the mudroom/office (off the kitchen) and installing cabinetry
• installing a closet system in the upstairs master bedroom
• replacing numerous light fixtures
• installing a new exterior door
• removing a closet in the guest bedroom
• extensive electrical and plumbing work
• gutting and creating a basement media room with gas fireplace, a 3 piece bathroom and the laundry/utility room
• removing the old LR fireplace surround
• installing baseboards/trim, and
• painting the whole house inside and out

Phew!

While the improvements and changes have been significant, as you can imagine, we have a long list of small projects that remain.

This past weekend we spent more time than you would think necessary to install knobs and pulls on cabinetry in the office, the cabinet which holds our wine and bar glasses, basement closet cabinetry and laundry room and cover plates on the electrical outlets. In addition, hubbie patched some nicks and dents, primed and patch-painted and moved an electrical box up about ½” in order to accommodate the baseboard molding. He then had to patch the drywall, prime and paint before re-installing the baseboard and caulking it in place).







I’ve decided that rather than creating a long/overwhelming to-do list of small projects, I’m going to commit to performing one small task per day. I’m not talking about the necessary daily chores (i.e. cooking dinner, loading/unloading the dishwasher, laundry, grocery shopping and walking the dog). Instead, I’m talking about the little unfinished reno/decorating projects (like hanging pictures, installing shelving, re-organizing a cupboard, that sort of thing).

So tonight, my focus was on the laundry room. I hung a picture and a hook (for a wash cloth), and gave the sink a good cleaning (my husband had been painting on the weekend and using the utility sink). I put the dog towels in a basket and the dryer balls in a pretty tin. Total time = <30 mins (ok, truth be told, I looked for the picture hanging kit and some nails for about 20 mins, grrrr).

I’m not going to think about what I’ll do tomorrow night or the night after. Instead, my plan is to perform a task that seems relevant/compelling on that particular day…I figure that way it will feel less like “work” and more like a creative endeavour, and bit by bit we’ll finish our list of small tasks and create a more organized existence.