Getting Ready to Move Out...Cleaning

So one thing that really stresses me out before moving is "how are we going to get everything cleaned"?!  I hate moving from an apartment and leaving it a mess.  Last time we moved I made a spreadsheet for everything that needed to be cleaned.  Yes, I was mocked and made fun of for it greatly. But who left a clean apartment...WE DID!

Here is our checklist for moving this time.  We just made it in excel :) 

Amazing Recent Find...ReStore

This home improvement stuff is pretty expensive!  We have not spent very much so far, but the future costs are a little overwhelming.
We went to a home and garden show yesterday and decided to talk to Habitat for Humanity.  We have been wanting to volunteer for a long time.  Not only did we get info on how to do that, but we also learned that they have a store.  It's called ReStore! 

Today we went to ReStore in Orem.  Wow!  It's is like a glorified D.I.  for home improvement.  Toilets $25, Sinks $30, and a whole bunch of other stuff that you would need.  We bought 2 outdoor lights for $5 each...and they were brand new, along with a few other things that we are going to be needing.  They have a few really nice things, but most things are old and in good condition.  Perfect for us!

They also have FREE TOOL RENTAL.  Power washers, line trimmer, lawn mower...the list goes on.  We can't wait to use this, too!

DIY Weekly Menu

With our blustery weather, I have not been wanting to work outside our duplex.  We also cannot work inside until April 23 so I have been seeing what little projects I can do inside at our current home :)  I'm not always in the mood to do crafty things, so when I am I do take advantage.

I have been wanting to make a menu board for years!  I found a free printable on Smitten Blog Designs.

Picture Frame Updating!

So while I have been packing, I have also been going through old boxes. I found some post cards that had some flowers on them. I was wandering around my house looking for a picture frame to put them in. Then I found one! I have had this picture frame for about 4 years with pictures that are that old, too. Here is my before and after. I can't wait to find a spot for it in our new house!

Project #1 - Rid the Lawn of Weeds!

Our first little project was to spray our lawn to get rid of all the weeds. We aren't able to move in yet, so we are just working on the outside for now. A few days ago we went to Walmart and got ourselves some Ortho Weed be Gone Max. One bottle with the spray nozzle that connects to the hose and another bottle of just concentrate.
Today, I went out to our duplex to spray. I became quite overwhelmed at the lack of grass and large amount of weeds! I think the previous owner didn't really care about the lawn...and many other things :) I sure hope that we can work our magic on it this summer!

I made sure to wear good tennis shoes, pants, long sleeves, gloves, and a mask so I didn't have to worry too much about the weed killer. I started about 9 a.m. to give the grass enough time to dry before our renters came home.

I had to water the grass first. Man, I had no idea how big the lawn was until I was watering it by hand! After that was finished, I hooked up the bottle to the hose. It seemed to go on very well. It only took about 15-20 min to cover about 3/4 of the front yard, then it was time to refill the bottle.

Well, I did not know that the bottle with the hose connector can't be opened. Arg!!!! So I had a nice bottle of concentrate and nothing to put it in. I called Scott to see if his mom (an amazing gardener) had a hand sprayer. She did! I hurried on over there to borrow it then I was back into business.
The hand sprayer is like 95% slower than the hose sprayer to cover a yard, but it got the product on the weeds. I guess we will see in a couple of days which one did a better job; the hose connector to the bottle, or the concentrate in the hand sprayer.

After about 40 min. of finishing the front yard I went to the back yard. There is a pretty good part of grass, then a pretty healthy patch of weeds. I started on the nicer side just focusing the hand sprayer on the weeds there. Soon I noticed that the sprayer was not working how it had been earlier. I looked inside and there was a little bit of dirt on the bottom. It must have gotten in when I was filling it up with water so now it was clogging the hose that connects to the sprayer. Note to self: make sure no dirt gets in a hand sprayer. I could not put my hand in to unclog it because there was still a lot of weed killer in the bottle. I ended up dumping the rest, about a gallon, of the mixture on the weeded area and got ready to go home. I will need to clean out the sprayer and make sure its working properly again before I return it :)

My plan is to go check on the lawn in a few days. I hope to see dead weeds :)

Our First Duplex

We just purchased our first duplex! We want to share our experiences and adventures while fixing up our properties. Let the fun begin!