A long holiday weekend has come to a close and alas, I had to return to work today. I haven’t been able to blog like I wanted due to some unforeseen circumstances but I’ll try to give you a quick update.
Since the city held its major Independence Day celebration on July 3rd, we had the 4th and 5th to really sink our time and efforts into cleaning the house. The place has not been occupied in a year (as best as I can tell) and it has the dust and cob webs to prove it! After stocking up on cleaning supplies at Lowe’s, my husband and I were ready to give it a go!
Sunday was spent with mopping/scrubbing the hardwood floors starting at the back of the house and moving forward. Hubby did that while I started wiping down the granite counter tops in the kitchen as well as cabinets with wood cleaner. All the cabinets needed to be vacuumed out as did behind the stove. We sprayed and scrubbed down the sides of the stove (amazing what gets stuck on the forgotten sides of an appliance). Spent light bulbs were replaced while light fixtures received a strong wipe down followed by a soaking in the sink. Even the ceiling fans on the porch received some TLC. We managed to get as far as the front living room before calling it a day.
Our new refrigerator arrived on the 5th. I absolutely love it. Thankfully, it fits perfectly in the space. Two massive dudes brought it in and installed it. Whew! Now that it is hooked up and making ice, it is ready for some groceries!
On Monday we decided to tackle some of the outside chores. First we took a blower to the deck which ended up being a fruitless exercise after getting deeper into our work. In the back yard there is a massive magnolia tree which is beautiful but a nuisance when it comes to dropping leaves. I am not sure when the yard was last raked but it feels like you are walking on a mattress of leaves rather than solid ground. Not sure when we’ll try to bag those up but it is on the to do list. We cut a ton of branches off the magnolia tree and they are now occupying the cleaned off deck surface. We’ll haul them off later when we have renewed energy. More need to come down but we had to start where the canopy had grown over the roof (and was resting on it) as well as the deck.
The blower also came in handy on first floor roof. Remember those leaves I mentioned? Not only do they cover the back yard but they were also layered on the roof. It was kinda fun blowing leaves everywhere but I seriously do not want to spend all my time on the roof getting rid of leaves. We’re borrowing my brother-in-law’s saw this weekend that has a 15 ft. extension pole. That will hopefully do the trick.
We also decided to work on the gutters which were full to the brim with rotten leaves/dirt/debris and little plants growing in them. We managed to get most of the first floor gutters scraped and washed out. This weekend we are going to try to get the second floor gutters done and invest in some type of much needed gutter guards.
The lawn guy is supposed to come today (please!) to cut the front and back yard which is unreal. Once he does that then my husband can come back through and treat the weeds. Thankfully we own a lawn maintenance company! Tons of mosquito spray will be put down as well. Again, remember those leaves? Magnolia leaves tend to trap water and create an instant breeding ground for blood suckers. I forgot to mention we bought some bottles of outdoor/woodsy cutter to coat our exposed skin in from top to toe. Those critters are thirsty (and I have the bites to prove it!).
I did take some before and after pictures and I will try to post them soon. You won’t believe your eyes!
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