I am still getting back into the swing of things–my email is haunting me right now–while trying to soak up time with my little family before Chris leaves for his campout on Wednesday.  June is a crazy month here. Especially since we have a handful of unfinished projects looming over us, too.  With so much to do and, frankly, little motivation to do them, we were looking for a little fire to get us going.  And then we thought, “Party!”

Every year, when we have our Halloween party, we run around here frantically finishing projects in record time.  Last year we overhauled our laundry room and DIYed the paneling in the living room and the fauxdenza, all in just two weeks thanks to the party we were throwing.  It’s great motivation for us with an excellent reward at the end for all of our hard work.  So, in the spirit of summer–we have decided to throw an outdoor movie party (shocker–so hip right now) August 2nd to not only get as many outdoor projects checked off as possible, but also because we love a good party with friends and neighbors.  The original plan was to do it in July, but camps, reunions, and business trips are dotted throughout June and July and outdoor projects take a little more time than indoor ones–so August it is.

Before we can sit back, relax, and enjoy a movie on the outdoor big screen, we plan to:

1. Build a Pergola over the patio.
2. Excavate the garden area and plant–like ASAP
3. Move the shed from the driveway to the backyard where we’re pretty sure it used to be.
4. Furnish the patio.
5. Rearrange siding and move the patio light up higher.
6. Take up all of the weeds along the side of the house and fill in with pretty plants.
7. Remove grass along back fence and plant something to disguise it–Hydrangeas?
8. Plant something in the front yard where we removed rose bushes. (dwarf maple tree, decorative grasses, etc.)
9. Overseed the grass to choke out the remainder of weeds. (We’ve already come a long way in the weeded grass department!)
10. Mulch the front flower and tree beds.
11. Touch up the paint on the front door. (Boo.)
12. Bonus–Replace patio door/dog door. (There are spaces where hot air and bugs are getting in).