Pre-Baby Bucket List

The time has come to get all of our ducks in a row. And by ducks in a row, I mean a list of all the things that need to be done around the house before Baby Taylor arrives in November. Most of these things have been on the list since we moved in almost exactly one year ago, but now it's time to hop to it.

And here it is:

• Remodel Master Bathroom - Time to say goodbye to the blue tub and toilet, the faded old linoleum, and the popcorn walls.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom - The shower has been re-tiled, but they left the grout haze which is seemingly impossible to remove. And the small space outside the shower needs to be tiled. And the walls need a splash of paint.

• Landscaping - The monkey grass is out of control. All the beds around the house need to be cleaned out and the hedges need to be trimmed.

• Critter Removal and Blockage - Squirrels, groundhogs, squirrels, raccoons, an army of squirrels... You name it and it probably lives in our attic or crawl space. It's a bit unnerving to be sitting in the office and hear scratching and jumping above you.

• Rewiring - We live in a very old house. We have one three-pronged outlet. Yes, I said one. And, let's be honest, almost everything electronic in this house has three prongs. Not to mention the wiring itself is old and probably half-eaten by the critters mentioned above.

• Find a New Home for the Office - Ahh. I spend more than half of everyday in the office because I work from home. Unfortunately the office is the closest room to the master bedroom and is really the only nursery option. But where to put all of our work stations?! We need to keep the other guest rooms open because we like to have company over. I've been tempted to put my office in my newly remodeled studio but with that comes the need for new windows and some way to heat and cool out there. Something to look into and ponder.

• Hang Smoke Detectors - I didn't even realize we didn't have any up until my mom asked me if I needed any. I have one up now, but need to get the rest up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage - Certainly not an easy feat. So much furniture and junk. Of course, I say junk, but as I'm a bit of a hoarder, it's all junk I want to keep. Somewhere along the lines I have to rid myself of that mentality and purge.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else - Closet spaces and such in the house. Must buy more plastic bins so I can store more things in the attic. Or maybe I just throw everything into the burn pile out side and get rid of it that way. :)

• BURN THE BURN PILE - It's more of a mountain of collected limbs and branches that have fallen over the last few years. It's huge. And it's probably home to a billion snakes. But the key to getting it all burned... is doing it without burning down the well house simultaneously.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch - Our front porch is being destroyed by boaring bees. Time for them to find a new home. Not to mention they interrupt my front porch swinging time.

• New Doors - It's possibly time to update a couple of our flimsy doors.

And last but certainly not least,

• The Nursery - It needs new paint, furniture, and of course, Baby Taylor.

That is a huge, and quite ambitious list we have there. And it's a big list of thing I really can't do myself. (Except the smoke detectors... totally got that one.) But alas, it's in writing now. If you're interested in helping, let me know ;)