Summer To-Do List

WOW! There are only 14 more days until summer break! This school year has flown by - even my 6th-wannabe 7th graders think so. They've been a good group, overall. Since I don't have kids of my own, I probably invest too much of my heart in them. Unfortunately, too many of them need someone else to care about them. Some don't get enough of that at home. I'll be a tiny bit sad to see them walk out of the school doors on that last day - but don't worry, I'll be over it by the time I drive out of the parking lot! And it will be fun to run into them next year, as big tough Jr. High Schoolers. Hopefully we'll all have fond memories of the year we spent together!

Last summer, being the first I've had off in 8 years, went by in a flash. We had the big bathroom project to start and finish (still LOVE my bathroom, Big John!), lots of gardening and canning, a trip to Vernon/Arkansas, then home to get ready for the start of school. I seem to remember that my energy did peter out once we returned from Arkansas, but there were only a couple of weeks between the trip and inservice. I'm determined this year to pace myself and get lots more accomplished!

I've started my mental to-do list. As peri-menopause approaches, this old grey mare ain't what she used to be! I figured I should write some of these great ideas down, so's I don't forget 'em. I'm already starting to worry that my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak. This year I've gotten out a calendar, we've planned all the days off that Big John has, a week of "vacation" for him in June (that's for honey-dos that he doesn't know about), a week or more off in July to see Su and Dyke, then head to visit Big John's family in Arkansas, and many more days than I'd like of school workshops. Even with all those days accounted for, I still have 45 days to myself. Here's my list of things I'd love to get done:

• paint the living room
• redo the walls in our bedroom to match the bathroom
• get bees and start a beehive
• take a sewing class
• clean out the attic (this is a hold-over from last summer - ugh)
• tile the birdbath in a mosaic pattern
• stain the front porch and back patio (concrete)
• build a pergola on the west garage wall
• build working shutters (hold-over from the LAST HURRICANE, Big John)
• strip, clean, and reseal the kitchen floor - saltillo tile
• rearrange the pantry shelves
• can/freeze/preserve everything in sight
• go to garage sales
• go antique shopping
• lose 15 pounds (hold-over from age 12 - double ugh)

Okay, that's a list of 15 vital items that must be done before August 17th. If I allow 3 days per job, it should be no problem! Check back in August to see how well that worked. I have a sinking feeling that some of these might make next year's list! I promise to post before-during-after pics of anything I tackle. At least I won't be bored!