# What are your projects for July and how are you doing on them?



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I know we are already well into July, but I thought I'd ask anyway? What are the cleaning/organizing projects that you are working on this month? Feel free to use this thread as a tool to post your progress and for accountability (sometimes I need to have someone expecting me to finish a job to give myself a kick in the bum to START, much less finish).

1. Burn paper trash before they post a burn ban for our area. 
2. Set up the new entertainment center and rearrange the living room.
3. Clear out the back storage room (again) and rearrange it totally (get rid of a whole lot more junk).
4. Help dd decorate the goat barn over her stalls (fair is the 17-19th), and decorate the garden dept (I'm the superintendent and it needs to look good).
5. Dig out all the T-posts a friend gave me and put them in here at home - need more pasture so all the animals can be outside without needing tethered.
6. Fix the fence around the existing pasture and add electric to keep the horses and goats from leaning on or jumping over the fence - while I'm out there, pull out all the foxgloves before they go to seed.
7. Use my friend's chipper and help from the neighbor to clear out the dead undergrowth in the woods. It'll look a lot nicer and not be a wildfire hazard - you see the woods long before you see my house and it looks really bad with all the dead stuff out there.
8. Finish pulling all the weeds out of the flowerbeds and kill the weeds/grass in the parking area and driveway (play with my propane torch  ).
9. Finish my hearth and install the wood stove - finally.
10. Keep the garden weeded, watered, harvested, and preserved. 
11. Keep the daily straightening, dishes and laundry caught up while I do all the rest.

That might be a bit ambitious...

So far, I've put up a lot of strawberries, some rhubarb, but could do more, and have been eating new potatoes stolen from my tater plants, and have been increasing the mulched areas in the garden to cut down on the weeding. I've weeded about half of the flowerbeds and spread the soaker hoses out to water them. I've moved most of the stereo and TV stuff to the new entertainment center, but still need to drill another hole through the wall to run the coaxial to the other side of the room - we moved the entertainment center across the room when we got the new (to us) one. Still have an unfinished hearth in the living room and a table saw sitting on it, not doing me a bit of good. The house isn't too messy, other than the pit otherwise known as dd's room. Dishes and laundry are done, other than dd's in her room - again, that is a major problem. I've made some plans for what I want to do for fair decorations, but haven't done any of them yet. Really need to get on this, as fair is only a week away  and I'll be working 12 hour shifts 4 of the nights between then and now. 

So today: Burn the papers, get the boards prepped and a base coat of paint put on for the goat backdrop, go on-line and look for free clip art of fireworks, print out gardening facts, and research gardening 50 years ago vs today, add colored copy paper to my shopping list, and help dd clip goats, trim hooves, etc. Get some of the fence repairs done and pull 1/2 the foxglove this evening.

Next????


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## pinemead (Jan 18, 2003)

Geez. You make me sooo tired. Think I'll go take a nap for you.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

keep the dishes done

keep the laundry done....

If I get really ambitious, I might get my bedroom cleaned and organized.
It seems by the time I get home from work, I'm toast, but I'm trying!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

pinemead said:


> Geez. You make me sooo tired. Think I'll go take a nap for you.


<giggle> Thanks! I feel much better after your nap, lol. 

Got the papers burned, strawberries picked, cleaned and frozen, the garden soaker hoses turned on for the night, cleaned up the kitchen nook (where all the paper trash had been collecting in feed sacks), and did some weeding. DD is supposed to be cleaning off the 2 sheets of plywood so we can put the first coat of paint on, but I don't think it's happening. Time to go pull foxglove....it's finally cooled off enough. As usual, my to-do list is a lot longer than my got-done list!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Got most of the foxglove in the far end of the field pulled and picked up the wood and rocks as I was going along - working in the dark by the light of the moon! It was nice and cool out.

Today I switched gears and cleaned up around the barn, straightened up the tack/feed room, and pitched a lot of bedding. I also moved chickens into the henhouse after dark tonight, and got dd to work on her room. Kept up on the laundry and dishes, and kept plugging away at the housework. Still have a lot on that to-do list that I haven't tackled yet.


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Wow. All I have on my list is to repair a hole in the hallway wall and paint the hallway! I may get around to repairing a hole in my skirting this month, if I can get hold of some insulation first. There is none under my bathtub and the tub surface gets really cold in the winter. Wanna insulate under there before I replace that section of skirting. 

Other than that, wanna get some veggies going in the turtle sandboxes and see what I can make in the way of apple butter. (first attempt, DH wants some) Pretty slow to look at it, but I have a lot of crochet to do that just somehow never makes the list. Probably because I never know what I"m making till I confer with the yarn. After that pair of capris that decided to be a skirt, I really have to chat with the yarn more before I start working..........lol


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## squeezinby (Apr 26, 2004)

I know what ya mean Ninn,I have to listen to my fabric stash.They have been calling me
for awhile now. I really need to sew them some attention.
Just like manygoatsanmore, I have alot on my list. We just moved to or 15acres and are living in shed/barn. So right now hubby and I are comsumed with trying to make things livable. First thing we have to do is finish putting up paneling on the walls and ceiling in the bedroom area,then move to the living area(insulate,paneling).We've just about got all the windows in place,except for one.Then before winter weither gets here,a bathroom area(we are going to build on to the shed/barn). Washing dishes and clothes out side is fine in the summer,but come winter,I'd rather be sheltered from the wind and rain to do those chores.LOL And of course althe while doing all that stuff,we will be tending a garden,a pregnant goat(due Sept.),Firewood and hopefully get a wood stove in place.
Aren't we having fun...Lol
OH,yeah,put some more gavel down on the drive way.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

OUVickie said:


> keep the dishes done
> 
> keep the laundry done....
> 
> ...


Totally agree!! I think blowing up our apartment would just be easier!
Today I need to *completely* clean the kitchen........then the bathroom...etc.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

moongirl said:


> Totally agree!! I think blowing up our apartment would just be easier!
> Today I need to *completely* clean the kitchen........then the bathroom...etc.


I feel for ya moongirl! You hang in there, it's not easy keeping up an apartment.

My DD lives in a 2 BR apt and is so cramped with 2 kids. She and her fiance are renovating my DM's 3 BR house - hopefully moving in next month.

It's hard for people in apartments! In order to live you have to be totally creative with your space and it only takes about 2 minutes for a toddler and a 10 yr old to make a disaster out of an apartment. 

After I get back from babysitting my grandkids, I realize I have nothing to complain about in my 3 BR comfy country house!!

I did manage to clean most of my kitchen and start trashing junk mail and such, this past week.
Plus, I got part of the bathrooms clean, but I'm planning on working on my BR today, since I'm doing laundry and such today and it's raining - it's a perfect day to clean the BR. Plus, I have to pack for a business trip on Wednesday, so this will help spur me along. If I can get the master bedroom and bath clean, that will be a major mark off of my "To Do List"!!!!


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

OUVickie said:


> .
> 
> 
> It's hard for people in apartments! In order to live you have to be totally creative with your space and it only takes about 2 minutes for a toddler and a 10 yr old to make a disaster out of an apartment.


Have you been peeking in my windows?? LOL


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Wow. My list has completely changed. I am now focused on getting the lawn mower and weedeater repaired so I can knock down my yard. The grass is so high that it is a serious contributor to flies and fleas in my house. This does NOT make me happy, as Marky appears to be allergic to both! The battle is engaged and I intend to win. I"m even ordering nematodes today. I'm not taking any more crap from these bugs.


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## Lynn Bodoni (Feb 10, 2008)

Right now I want to organize my sewing stuff. I love to sew, but we have been reorganizing and moving stuff around as a result of my daughter moving out and other things in our lives. My husband is tearing out the walls of her old bedroom to put in new walls (for some reason the old walls were faulty, plus he wanted to put in insulation). This means that a lot of stuff has spilled into my sewing area, which wasn't too tidy to begin with, but at least I could get some sewing done.


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

You show them who is in charge Ninn!

I am just packing and packing and packing things. It is surprising how messy a room can look even when the only visible thing is brown boxes.

Kayleigh


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi all ~ 

July has been steady here, and seems to be flying by now that I'm back to work full time. 

The biggie for this month is the chicken coop. We are converting the lean to attached to the shed/barn for this, so we don't have to build another structure. Plus, it's quite large. the roof had rotted, but after tearing it down, we found that the rest of the supports are just fine. Whew. 

I've also cleared out some brush and a few small trees for sunlight and better ventilation, and in the process discovered an *enormous* blueberry bush! Nice bonus! 

Hopefully, DH and I will be able to start rebuilding this week, and have everything ready by the end of the month. It looks like we're in for 90+ temps till Sunday, so we may not get in as much work as I seem to think! 


Edited to add: Thankfully, the hard work over the winter _inside_ has paid off. The big indoor projects are done, and I can keep up with the regular cleaning, laundry, etc. Still, though, I make a half hour effort (if possible) each day to straighten, wipe down, sweep, whatever. It makes the "weekly" cleaning much easier to handle after being outdoors all the time now.


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

I'm afraid it would be useless for me to try to plan any July projects. For one, July is half over already LOL! And since the sportsman's club has a big event coming up the 2nd weekend in August, preparing for it will be where a lot of my "spare" time goes. I'll be luck to just keep up with the necessities!

Gotta get the yard mowed tonight before the next onslaught of rain. Going shopping this weekend to replace the wash machine. Need to order a new heating element for the stove. Need to mail newletters out in the next couple of days to remind people of the work weekend at the range next weekend (so need to do as much at home this weekend as I can - the next one is all booked up!!) That pretty much brings us to the end of July. In the mean time I will have pickles and pickle relish to work in there. Maybe even some tomatoes if the plants don't die on me. They look pretty bad. Leaves and stems falling off the bottom half, but tomatoes are still coming on. I'm praying the plants don't die before the tomatoes can turn!

So, I guess I have a list after all!!


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## perennial (Aug 23, 2004)

Keep the garden watered, picked and figure out how to put it all up while having a business that keeps me very busy. With this batch of zucchini and squash, i'm going to blanch and freeze for times sake, there's more coming to make pickles out of (never did that before) and i need to learn to use and use my canner.

make my business time effective, organize the basement, paint a chest and mirror for my bathroom, and work on my flower garden i started and do something with my pitiful herb garden that's more a mixture of red clay soil, weeds, and a few herbs and strawberry plants that are pitifully small ( i had imagined them growing real fast and filling the embankment- not yet),

decorate my house - we built 2 1/2 years ago and just painted the inside (hubby got sick of white), and we need to put up pictures we've stored.,
my list is just too big to go on, but i don't worry about it, i just address what "has to be done" - my moms coming to visit in october so lots will be done by then!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

manygoatsnmore said:


> 1. Burn paper trash before they post a burn ban for our area. - Done!
> 2. Set up the new entertainment center and rearrange the living room. - Done!
> 3. Clear out the back storage room (again) and rearrange it totally (get rid of a whole lot more junk). - Cleared out a lot of the closet.
> 4. Help dd decorate the goat barn over her stalls (fair is the 17-19th), and decorate the garden dept (I'm the superintendent and it needs to look good). - Done!
> ...


We survived the fair! I have a lot of time off the rest of the month and I'm hoping that my back will cooperate with me so that I can get the rest of the list tackled and finished (after unloading from the fair, I'm having back spasms tonight). As you can see, I've only finished a little of the list so far. I have parts of a lot done, but I want to be able to check them off completely. 

*Murron*, great find on the blueberry bush! Any fruit on it? My little blueberries are not producing yet - they look pretty pathetic, actually.


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

Well, a few accomplishments, if you would call it that.

 Got the yard mowed before the rain, but it will be needing it again in a few days! UGH!
 New washer installed over the weekend, and am catching up on the laundry. SO happy to not be hand washing everything!!! But clearing a trail to be able to get the old one out and the new one in leaves a cleaning nightmare of its own. Need to take advantage of this to do some decluttering if I can just find the time!
 Newsletter got mailed.
 2 batches of pickle relish done (one sweet, one dill) Cucs got away from me in size before I could do pickles, so relish it is!!!
 Got about 3/4s of the rabbit fence around my garden (attaching chicken wire or other old wire around the bottom of the existing fence to keep rabbits out) They are still getting in the holes that I've not got covered, but at least when I went out this morning and ran one out, it had to go to the far corner where I had not attached the additional wire. So what I have finished is working. :dance:

So, I need to finish the rabbit fence (my fingers are SO SORE from tying it on, but I keep reminding myself it's an "Investment") and I need to get the house in some reasonable order before weekend company gets here!

How's everyone else coming? Manygoats, I'm glad you survived the fair, and hope your back gets better soon!


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

*MGM* - There you are, gf! I was wondering about you. 

Yes, the wild blueberry bush has fruit! Not quite ready, but soon. *And* I also found some wild raspberries today with DH. Apparently the woodchucks have as well - you can see the little path their bellies have made through the grass!

I've been keeping up with weeding the garden - about once a week. I'm still amazed that my maiden year as a gardner is, you know, actually growing veggies. I greet my plants with a hello, a smile, and a thank you every day. Corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, cukes, onions, beans... Everyone looks happy! Whew! 

I cleaned up the basement yesterday - vacuumed, swept and put everything back in it's place. Did about five loads of laundry today, so all of the "dirty" bins under the fold table are empty. The rain stopped - so I was able to hang almost everything out in the sun for a change!


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## sage_morgan (Dec 18, 2005)

I have had this week off. To make myself feel all accomplished, I keep a list. And I'm quite happy. 

Including all the reading I'm doing. Several Manda Scott novels, Wild Seasons by Kay Young and Keeping Heart on Pine Ridge: Family Ties, Warrior Culture, Commodity Foods, Rez Dogs and the Sacred by Vic Glover, all gooooooood. Summer is the only time I get to read! :happy:

Did on Monday:
Took recycling to town bins
Got fuel for the mowers
Returned booth items to work from powwow
Actually got DH to start cleaning the garage which has never had a vehicle in it. Much trash to the curb for the following morning
Loosed a dorm fridge from garage corner that we are going to try using in our small kitchen
Mowed for an hour and a half

Did on Tuesday:
Went to to the city, visited Home Depot and Loweâs and a used appliance place re: small gas stove, small fridge and the needed on-demand water heater
Bought rechargeable batteries w/WalMart card I won
Got coffee beans for the hand grinder I just got
Got groceries
Cleaned and tested coffee grinder

Did on Wednesday:
Sent out letters requesting back porch estimates
Paid stupid bill for $2 from stupid vendor 
Made list of used appliance places & Called around for used gas stoves
Left phone message for a person who may be able to help me get to school this fall
Began recording ingredients of bins 2nd floor so I can organize them
Realized that the outlet wiring needs to be fixed on 2nd floor room (fans needed)
Found a table to be a substitute for a âpedestalâ for dorm fridge so we don't have to bend down to use dorm fridge
Read books

Plan:
Finish organizing bins (just listing what's in each bin and labeling bins 1, 2, 3 and keeping master list handy)
Clear off launch pad that gets cluttered in the blink of an eye (how?)
Take goodwill stuff to goodwill and look for jeans there
Read books more :happy:

and Friday I have 2 dr appts and plan to pick up Elvis, an elderly brass-bladed fan who is being repaired.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

I feel so good today! We are having a BBQ Sunday. I won a free one from a local supermarket for 30 -40 people. So the best part is it will cost us NOTHING!! The downside is we will be having company. Manic rush to make the place look "presentable". My oldest DD and I scrubbed kitchen walls and floors etc. yesterday. Now it feels so clean!! DH is going to do the carpets today. Bedroom doors will just be kept closed. My dds bedroom would take forever to clean. LOL Besides the fact that nobody will really be in the house except for the bathroom anyways. It is sometimes a good thing to get a push with the cleaning since it feels so good afterwards.


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

sage_morgan said:


> Paid stupid bill for $2 from stupid vendor


*sage* - You made me laugh.  And after reading your list, I feel horribly lazy right now!   

... Going off to sweep _something_...


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

Well, it's the end of July already. Been busy all month, and don't have much to show for it! This last week had been tough, since the battery in the car blew up and DH thinks it needs a new alternator, too. Replaced the battery, and it still doesn't run right. DH just got the alternator off last night. Need to have it checked, and if it's bad it will cost about $275 to replace alternator (special order-ugh!) and belt. But still cheaper than a monthly car payment! DH doesn't see it that way. Either way, I hope this fixes it, because DH was not in the best of humor after what it took to get it off, and I'm not looking forward to what it will take to get the new one back on!

Anyway, DAunt tells me that is our "#3" (bad things happen in 3's) and here it was the washing machine, Oven heating element, and now the car. Hope she's right as we are scrambling to cover the expense of these 3! So.. 

I will make a list for August, but the first 10 days will be devoted to club work mostly. There may be some advantage to this, as DH is taking next week off and plans to haul some of the junk piles outside (and a couple old vehicles :happy to the recycler so we can mow and clean up before the shoot weekend. And I'll be able to haul off some things from the house when my car is running again (beverage cans to return for deposits, trash to dumpster, etc.) Hopefully the weather will hold now. The 3-1/2" rain we got this week slowed us down!

So, manygoatsnmore, if you start this up for August, I might be late joining in, but once this event is over, I'll be there! I can't believe the summer is going so fast!!!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Whew, I've been so busy I didn't even get back to this until today - 11 days into August, lol! I'll start a new thread for August. For July, I managed to get the storage room pretty well cleared out (but it took me into August doing it), rearranged the living room and got everything moved onto the new entertainment center, kept the garden weeded, harvested, etc (put 10 pints of raspberries in the freezer, plus all we ate fresh). Did some of the stuff on the list, but some will need to go on August's List. See ya on the new thread.


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