Thomas Jefferson is my neighbor

The weekend after we bought the house my husband and I sat down and made a massive list of things that need to be done to the house before we can move in on October 1. That's right people, Oct 1 is D-day. We've got 107 days to get this house to a place where I would feel proud to invite people over.

The fact that we created a list without bickering is a small miracle unto itself. Caleb, my husband, comes from a very frugal Mennonite background and thinks we can go without most things. I, on the other hand, come from ~~materialistic suburbia~~ people who value a high degree of aesthetic beauty. And, (I am about to say the most sexist thing I have ever uttered) I think perhaps that's the job of a woman in a marriage - to make things not only functional but beautiful.

All of this to say ... drum roll please. Here is our massive "To Do" list! Complete with pictures to make it more interesting.

OUTSIDE

- Put up fence with house numbers

- ~~Pot plants~~ (done!)

- Power wash cement pad

- Walkway from front door to driveway

- Re-gravel (reroute?) driveway

- Put up Lucy’s play structure

- Paint front door

- Paint hand rail

- Paint shutters

- Paint trim

- New hardware for front door

BASEMENT

- Seal cement blocks

- Put up shelving

- Fix double doors from outside to basement

- Replace door between basement and garden room

- Put a ceiling in the basement

- Buy generator for when we lose power (very likely in the country, and without power you have no well, without a well you have no water)

- Address sediment issues in well?

FAMILY ROOM

- Paint trim

- Paint walls?

- Buy couch

- Buy shelving

- Hang pictures

- Fix fire place

- Replace bifold door in storage closet

- Install a handrail on the stairs going to the basement

- Pretend hideous, cheap carpet isn't there

LAUNDRY ROOM

- Buy washing machine

- Buy dryer

- Remove wallpaper

- Remove linoleum

- Put in new linoleum

- Paint walls

- Paint trim

- Install cabinets

OFFICE

- Take out intercom (ain't it a beaut?)

- Paint wood paneling

- Paint trim & cabinets

- New window treatments

- Wallpaper/contact paper behind bookshelves

- Space plan

- Pretend hideous, cheap carpet isn't there

MASTER BEDROOM

- Space plan

- Take out intercom

- Paint walls

- Paint trim

- New window treatments

- Replace door to room (Holes in it. Who lives here before us? Angry elves?)

- Fix fire place (it's missing some bricks and mortar)

- Fix electrical outlets

GUEST ROOM & LUCY'S ROOM (they are two different rooms, but for the sake of brevity - ha! - I'm including them as one because they have the same tasks)

- Take out intercom

- Paint walls

- Paint trim

- New window treatments

- Wall decals?

- Replace bi-fold closet doors

- Replace doors to rooms

SCREENED IN PORCH

- Paint trim white

- Remove carpet

- Install new floor

- Rebuild stairs, railing and screen door

- Stall guard rails

- Fix screens with holes

- Extend and/or rerouting some downspouts to prevent water leaking into the basement

- Clean gutters

GARDEN ROOM

- - Remove wall paper

- - Paint trim

- Paint walls
- Put in sink
- Put in shelving
- Space plan

LUCY'S BATHROOM

- Replace counter tops

- Knock out odd built-in cabinet

- Hang new shelving

- Paint trim

- New hardware

And, just for fun, I'm going to include a few "before" pictures of the rooms we're not attempting to do ourselves - the kitchen (which will one day flow into the dining room and formal living room) and the master bathroom. We've hired Tamara Lacy with Interior Concepts to help us tackle those monumental tasks.