No.647: A Summer Break Challenge // Get Things Finished!

Summer break is here at the farmhouse!  With the time-sensitive homestead work mostly completed and schoolwork tucked away until the fall, this is the time I can finally focus on some projects that have been on the back burner.  These are the projects that I carry in the back of my head in that mental folder called “You really need to finish this up.”  They are the ones that nag and nag at me…and this is the summer I’m going to check them off the list!  I decided to prioritize three house projects, two more frugal/homemaking tasks and five creative/craft projects.  Here’s my list:

+ Refinish the coffee table.

This coffee table has been with us forever and it’s seen better days.  The staining on the top has completely worn off and when our dog was a puppy, she even chewed up one side.  A little sanding and re-staining should freshen it up for many more years of use.

+ Finish the laundry room project.

Remember back in February when I started this project with a bang?  Sadly, life and homesteading quickly took up my free time and I have been working with a construction zone laundry room for months at this point.  I still have one small section of wall to putty and then I can sand the whole thing and paint.  I’d also like to revamp some old cabinets for extra storage above the washer and dryer, but one step at a time.  

+ Paint the back doors.

A year after moving to the farmhouse, I painted my front and side doors Benjamin Moore’s Iron Ore.  I must have run out of steam (or paint) because I never finished the doors in the back!  I have a new can of paint and just need to buy a small roller.

+ Mend some wool socks.

I got holes in a couple pairs of my wool socks this winter and tucked them aside to mend them someday.  This shouldn’t actually take me very long once I get the hang of the stitching.

+ Learn how to make kombucha.

A friend of mine makes her own kombucha and once she told me about her process, I was so excited to try it myself.  I bought all of the supplies in January, but then psyched myself out once I learned that “Cold equals mold” and my house was probably not warm enough to keep things going.  Fast forward to today and it’s definitely a better time, temperature wise, to start the process. 

+ Finish all of the kids’ cross-stitch designs and sew into pillows.

This project has been in the works forever.  I made my three oldest boys superhero cross-stitch pillows years ago and they were loved so much that they literally fell apart!  Last year, these big boys asked if I could make them replacements and how could I say no?  So I’ve been working in fits and spurts stitching six patterns, one for each child (including one designed by a brother because we couldn’t find anything exactly right).  Almost done with the stitching and the pillow part should take no time at all.    

+ Finish hand-quilting the Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt.

I’m about a third of the way through the hand quilting of this behemoth!  Can’t wait to cuddle underneath it in the fall.

+ Finish the 2021 December Daily scrapbook album.

I have participated in Ali Edward’s annual December Daily scrapbook project for a few years now.  Last year, I took the pictures and saved the ephemera, but never got around to completing the actual album!  My kids love looking back at these each Christmas so that’s an added push to get this done.

+ Finish stitching the top of the scrap quilt.

I’m about halfway done with the top of this lap quilt.  It’s loud and colorful, but I love that I can give even the smallest piece of fabric a new life.

+ Dip beeswax candles.

Another project where I purchased all of the supplies, but haven’t taken the time to actually make the product!  I love the way beeswax burns and smells and am anxious to learn the candlemaking process.