Listing
Here’s our list of things that we need to do around the house. A fair bit of painting as you can see.
Look how I spelt bitumen! The weird thing is, I know how to spell bitumen, but my brain was obviously feeling a little subconciously cranky.
I think if we do all these things I will be mighty impressed and possibly go and find a new career producing a show on the lifestyle channel. More likely we will do some weeding and then find the need to check twitter 6 times a minute for weeks on end.
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Day five: How are you going? I was up at 5.30 and pumped out 700 words. Played with that scene I started yesterday and had so much fun. Then I got into the shower and thought some more about it realised that I am still listing towards the clichéd obvious so asked “what else could happen here?” and came up with a far better, funny even, outcome. I wrote while Lily had a rare nap this afternoon so my day’s word total (so far) is 1439.
You know your list is frighteningly similar to ours as it was about 2 years go. We have managed to tick quite a few, although painting is our bug bear, all walls painted (by us) but woodwork – ahem, such a pain with small fingers around.We are now facing a new dilema – a growing family (no extras just the existing getting bigger) and a house that is simply not that big. Toilet – one; members of the family who when they say “I need to go NOW” really mean it – two to three depending on the day. We’re now thinking go up, knock down and start again, or move to Koo Wee Rup where prices are more affordable.
Oh, even your list is pretty! I adore lists, make them all the time — at one point I even had a list of lists to make — but they are never as lovely to look at as yours. I bet I’d do things off it just so I could go look at the next thing!
Can I say that I am so happy – proud? can I be proud even though we haven’t met? – that you’re doing the early wake-up for writing. So far my every day in May has been a total failure, but the book is living in my head, at least. Which would explain I’ve forgotten either of the kids’ school packpacks THREE times this past week 🙁
Cleaning the study is a life-long project for me, too. If only it were possible to be productive without spreading EVERYTHING out! 🙂
I must say, your list is very pretty!Am failing terrible at every day in May – can’t seem to get myself motivated to start scribbling.
What do you suggest? Do you ever use writing activities to get started, or do you just write straight off the bat?
Have you seen this new website?http://www.crochetsoiree.com/
I thought of you when I saw it!
I’m so pleased that the 5s are now a regular thing for you.Not bothering to write a list for the current house. It’s just “tart up to sell”.
Your list is rather similar to the one that sits on our fridge. Our kitchen and ensuite need major overhauls – as hubby and I discovered design shortcuts taken when the house was originally built. For everything that we manage to accomplish and take off the list, another two projects get added, so it is ever growing.
Ha ha! Bitumen IS a bitch :PI’m really liking your “what else could happen here?” line – very useful for keeping the plot moving. Often I get trapped into writing long interior monologues for my characters – it’s all thinking, and no action! This is a great tip to keep the action moving in the story. Thanks!
All going well so far with my every day in May – and reading about how you’re going is very inspiring!
I write massive house task lists like that too. Only half of it ever gets done though. Nice Freudian slip about bitumen. Your writing progress is very impressive, keep up the good work. Have you been doing much sewing lately?
Ha ha, I do the same thing – make a big list, do the one job on it that I was going to do anyway, then somehow end up wandering away and doing more interesting things. But for a while at least I feel very organised just by making the list!
love the flower separating the text columns 🙂
Over the years I have unearthed household lists like this, and others featuring all my creative projects, only to discover that decades, honestly decades later, I am still writing exactly the same lists! I can’t even work out whether that is good (that I’m consistent), or bad (completely ineffectual in achieving anything!).Unfortunately my May challenge is challenging me, although we’re heading to Qld tomorrow so my new challenge is to catch up!
Ha – we have The List on our fridge, as well. It started out as a serious project (replace wonky doorknobs, re-glaze bedroom windows), veered into wild fantasy (totally gut the bathroom! Rip off the garage roof & build a lofted greenhouse!), and is now something in between. We pick 3-5 projects a month to tackle & move them to a separate sheet of paper, which is admittedly insane. But it makes it so much easier to actually get moving on those projects – “It’s just three things! In a month! Even WE can do THAT!”Mind you, I’m still duck-taping my dryer door closed & lighting my kitchen with a students’ clamp lamp, so perhaps I’m not the best advertisement 😉
Can I have your list, it is shorter than mine? Please.
I should add that is goes on over the other side of the card too!
Hi Claire, our list looks very similar, we need 36hr days and 10 day weeks to fit everything in… that includes a 4 day weekend… and that’s just to sit and stare at the list make a cuppa, eat some jaffa cakes while we re-read the list and maybe add a few more on!!!I’ve wanted to e-mail you for a while, but being the absolute computer whizz kid savvy person that I am (not) I couldn’t workout on your contacts page what “loobylu@ this domain” meant, (told you I was a computer genius) and after trying to type it in and getting nowhere and asking my equally mac savvy husband what to do, which came the reply “google it” (which seems to be the answer to everything in our house that we’re unsure of)…anyways, I just wanted to thank you for a lovely inspiring blog, and after years of wanting to start my own blog and never having the knowledge or the gumption to do it , I finally did it the other night after finishing the ironing and having a glass of rose and it’s thanks to your lovely blog around the other-side of the world…so thanks for your inspiration, Lisax
I’m impressed you’ve even managed to write a list down!!I haven’t even gotten that far. I think it would be too scary.Happy home doer-upping!!Andi 🙂
Our list would be simply, “Buy new house” but as that would require “Sell (really) old house” that pretty much nixes that.Instead, my tiny paintings theme with Every Day In May is going splendidly- though I do not get up at anything close to 5AM. Good on you for that!
I did a list like this last year, and divided it into months and areas so one kid’s room was painted in May and new wardrobe bought, June new toilet and vanity in the bathroom etc. By the end of the year a whole lot of house projects were finished to my astonishment (and a LOT of money spent, I might add). But now it’s all nearly done and hopefully we can do some travelling.
I’m a spelling nazi from way back, and bitch-umen was the first thing I noticed. I think I prefer it with the bitch though. Innovative.