I have talked often about checking off chores on my “honey do” list.

Now that I have completed a few major projects I am working my way through the list of “mundane chores” on my refrigerator….

Some people make their lists on their phones…some on erase board calendars. Me…just a plain ole’ note paper on the fridge.

It works for me. You do what works for YOU!

But just do it…make a list and complete one little chore at a time.

Whether it be repair something, paint something or clean out something.

This one has been on my fridge since this spring…nothing happens overnight!

My neighbor wants to paint the inside of her house. She doesn’t want to pay a fortune for someone else to do it but she is completely overwhelmed with the thought of painting IT ALL!

As I have said before…how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Case in point…one of the chores on my list is “paint trim.” By that, I mean ALL the trim throughout my entire house.

Why? Well I painted it lighter when we first moved in and now I found a white I like better. As I have completed a few trim projects around the house (the dining room wainscotting, the breakfast trim, the entry board and batten) I have painted them the “new” white (BM Chantilly Lace). That makes the old trim look “dingy.” Course now my kitchen cabinets look “dingy” so that will get added to the list

Holy crud what a chore.

So I have broken it down into manageable small projects. A few weeks ago I painted the trim in the entry. Then the trim in the living room and dining room. One day this week I did all the crown in the den and kitchen and the next the base and door trim. Still haven’t painted around the windows and eventually I will work my way to the master bath.

Only then will I mark that chore off the list!

I told my friend to do the same…make a list of all the rooms she wants to paint and break it down…each room…ceiling, trim and walls…then just start working the list, one area at a time. It may take a few months, but I really believe that if you break down the BIG projects into small manageable chores you are more likely to start and complete the BIG project…eventually.

So make a list and start eating…one bite at a time!

We returned from our annual Colorado trip last Thursday. We rode trains, zipped across the Royal Gorge, rode bikes from Vail Pass, did our guided fishing trip, shopped, gambled a wee bit and drove the mountains looking at Aspens! Glorious!

Before we left I completed a few “honey-dos.” I got my fall decor up, we got our back yard sodded, I got the yard over-seeded, I painted some of the trim (repainting it with my new favorite white but still have more to go!)…just a few things on my “Honey-do” list I keep on the refrigerator.

Back home and back to work!

One of my spring projects this year was another swing pergola. I love these little projects and we sit in this swing all the time. (HERE you can find a pretty decent tutorial!)

One thing I knew I wanted to do from day one was to stain it black. I like the natural look of treated wood but it does grey over time.

I used Cabot Semi-sold stain mixed in black. I wanted black, but I also wanted to see the grain through the stain.

Almost all tutorials I have read on sealing or staining treated wood suggest you wait 3-6 months to treat it. Treated wood tends to be “wet” and it is important to give the wood time to dry out and “cure” a bit. In my case I waited around 5+ months…I would liked to have waited a tad longer but we had a super dry summer and I wanted to get it done before it gets too cold.