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Spring Cleaning Time!

I am wired to spring clean.

Not sure what in my DNA makes this so, it just is. Did I spring clean with my Mom while growing up? I don't recall exactly, but I'm guessing I did. Also, I believe I was a farm wife in a past life, so cleaning out the house after winter finally departs is embedded deep in my psyche.

This year, we've been doing so much travel, that I haven't even thought about Spring Cleaning 2015 and what I want to accomplish. Work is exploding, I'm coaching two youth soccer teams, two big birthdays and all the other general wackiness that accompanies early April is heavy upon us.

But, so is the need to shovel out under the mountain of STUFF that accumulates over the winter months. I don't know about you, but I spend the winter burrowing under stuff and crafting, and not throwing anything away.

So, what am I planning to do this Spring? Other than the usual clothes sort and cleaning out the piles of mail, papers and toys that are piled all over the house, here are the biggie projects:

- Family Room: The new sofa is here and the room is now a brilliant white -- I am just THRILLED with the way it looks. Truly. But that fireplace is killing me. I'd love to reface the whole thing, but that sounds pricey and I have bigger fish to fry with any home-repair budget, so I'm going to de-brass it. With a little high-heat paint, I can take it down a notch on the builder-grade meter.

I'd also like to add valences to the two windows around the fireplace, but that's low on the list.

- Entryway: Well, it's all glorious white, too, so I just need to paint the new Ikea bench to match. There's also that wall by the stairs, that is going NAVY as soon as I can possibly get to it and white furniture will get moved onto the wall, so it plays well with the entry. More to come.

- Trim Work: While I'm at it, I'll get the white trim paint out and continue my campaign to kill all the beige trim. That includes the tops of the columns in the dining room. They have been neglected far too long.

- Front Door: Last fall, I painted the trim around the side lights a black color and that was a huge mistake. It looks horrible. So, as soon as I can get out there, I need to paint it back to white. And if I can get that door a bright navy, that would be a bonus.

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