projects in the house and diligence

Are there certain words that just resonate with you? I love the word diligence. President Thomas S. Monson defined it as "constant, steady effort." It makes me feel like everything doesn't have to be completed all at once and is doable. Over the next little while, the word diligence will be a great reminder to me to stay calm. Let me explain.

Every once in awhile, I'll ask Lynn, "Okay, what are we avoiding?" I know, a very dangerous question, but also necessary at times. I can't say we've really been avoiding, it's more the craziness of the last couple of years put us in survival mode, so many projects were simply put aside. There are things that simply need our attention, so we now have three big projects in the works.

Project One.
Personally, I've been avoiding the storage room downstairs that's overflowing with "stuff" that needs to be gone through and either thrown away, given away or used. A lot of it is paper--memorabilia type stuff and scrapbooking product. I know I've mentioned before that the paper chase is my biggest organizing challenge. It was driving me nuts, so for the last couple of weeks, I haul out a box or two a day and go through it. It feels good to clear things out.

Project Two.
The front yard is looking great. The backyard, we've avoided. It's time to start working on it. We hauled in six yards of soil last weekend and Lynn, Patrick and Ella spread it throughout the flower beds. I love the smell and look of the dark soil. Now for plants and flowers.  I have in mind something simple and low-maintenance with splashes of color. We also need to fill our planter boxes on the porch rail (see below).

Project Three.
Ella has about three inches to grow until she'll hit the ends of her crib. I know, I know. She started asking for a "big girl" bed, so we've been looking. We ordered a set--bed, dresser and nightstand--on Monday. It arrived bright and early today! Three big boxes on the porch. I'm not ready. I called Lynn and he said he'd put the bed together tonight, but I reminded him I don't have bedding yet! Here's the other part. We're switching Ella's room and the office. And the office needs to be painted. Even with the little blips, this is going to be a fun project.

I'll keep you posted on our progress with each project. Our aim is "constant, steady effort" and keeping things simple. I find when beginning a large project, it helps me to make a list of "what I'd like to do" and then a more realistic list of "what's doable or most important."

I'd love to hear what you've been avoiding and your plans for tackling the project. We can keep each other motivated.