Spring Cleaning...it has begun...

Spring...I love it.  I love the freshness it brings.  The warmth of the sun during the day and the cooler, crisp temperatures in the evening.

Hydrangea - a childhood favorite of mine.

Our family spent some time this past weekend working in the yard.  That is when we weren't at swimming or soccer or baseball or church or celebrating Moms.  Jeter mowed the grass.  Simms is really liking the fact that this responsibility has been officially passed to the next generation.  Jeter said he's looking forward to Barber getting old enough so they can share the responsibility.  Barber 'helped' Simms connect the hoses to the sprinklers and set them up in the gardens.  He asked questions about the timers that were being set and why his Daddy had to do all of this work.

Love these beauties!

Simms and I cleaned out the shed / pool house.  Not really a house - more like a finished changing room.  He shop vac'd all the spiders and I sterilized all the surfaces and rearranged the furniture.  It was exciting getting the patio furniture out and prepping the yard for the fun we plan to have as a family...dreaming of times we will share together and of those who will join us in the warmth of spring and summer.

It was a great weekend.  And then I walked into the house and suddenly saw a whole lotta work waiting for my attention.  You know the cleaning that isn't done on a weekly basis.  Things like washing the windows inside and out, cleaning the baseboards, getting all of the gunk out of the track that the sliding door goes over, etc., etc., etc..  Maybe you don't have these issues because you just know how to maintain it all...all the time.  I like my house to be clean but I'll be the first to admit it - I'm just not that good.

Rather then get completely overwhelmed, I made a list.  I like lists.  I like to cross things off of the lists.

This week I am focusing on the main floor which includes the family room, kitchen, dining room, foyer and bathroom.  Normally I can get the whole area cleaned up - mopped and everything in a couple hours sans kiddos.  Yesterday I spent double that time (at least) and I got to the family room, foyer and bathroom.  Guess who is not starting on the upstairs today?  Not me.  I'm just hoping to get the rest of the downstairs done - including the mopping because that was not accomplished yesterday.

A few of my basics...together they clean, degrease and safely scrub / scour.

And I still have to bake a pie.  But I'm not even going to go there right now.

Here's the crazy thing.  Although I am enjoying the newly cleaned / springified spaces in my home, I also am aware that I am adding things to my list.

1.  Front Door.  As I'm cleaning the front door - inside and out - I cannot help but notice that the paint is looking old and worn .  It will definitely need to be repainted.  But I want to change the shutters.  Well that's not going to happen this year.  Hmmm...I'll have to talk to Simms about this one.  

2.  Baseboards.  While cleaning the baseboards the issue of painting arises again.  The rooms would just pop with a fresh coat of white paint on the molding.  That doesn't mean just the baseboards - we're then talking chair rails, molding around the doors and windows.  This job is HUGE.  This is definitely added to my list.  Just don't know when I'll get to this.

3.  Garage Sale.  I need to have one.  Don't know when.  Can't be until school is out and spring sports are done.  

Just note - I joyously crossed three things off of my list yesterday and then added three.  Chalk it up to life...it is definitely a journey, not a destination.