<p>Now that the holidays are done, do you have any winter projects that you want to get done (notice I said “want” not “will” get done)???</p>
<p>Organizing photos? Cleaning out your closet? Redecorating a room? Vacation planning for summer? </p>
<p>What’s going to occupy your winter??? </p>
<p>My extra project on top of daily tasks that I’d like to tackle is to take down the wallpaper in my small, off the kitchen bathroom and repaint it. I know taking that paper down is going to be a pain in the you-know-what!</p>
<p>Figuring out what to do with all the digital photos that are on the computer is always on the “to do” list and never gets done. The dust ruffle on my bed is about an inch too long all around and it bugs me every day but I never seem to get around to hemming it. I have two days of Spring Break left to plan. Then, of course, there’s income taxes. I’d love to do a whole house (and attic and garage!) purge but Husband is such a packrat that it’s really hard to get rid of anything. The kids got a Wii for Christmas and I haven’t played it yet. And there’s the new DVR that none of us know how to use. Then there’s getting in shape for the terrifying part of spring break (hiking down and up the Grand Canyon.) Is that enough? Oh, yeah, and we need to get to four colleges one more time.</p>
<p>I have a room to paint. The wallpaper came down in the summer…now all I have to do is pick out a color of paint and put it on. Should be done by August.</p>
<p>2007 was supposed to be the “Year of Remodeling the 1986 Bathrooms”…well, at least the downstairs powder room got done. We hired a contractor to do it and after a short time of trying to get the wallpaper off, they put “mud” on it, textured it, then painted it. It looks fantastic.</p>
<p>Missypie:
You can hem the dust ruffle in place by using an iron and iron-on hemming tape. Makes the project much easier. And put all the digital photos in digital photo books using MyPublisher.com which means you end up with nice neat printed photo books, which is fun.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s mostly the taking the mattress off and putting in on again part that makes me never get to it…someone else needs to be around and if someone else is around I’m usually not in hemming mode.</p>
<p>missypie, i ‘hemmed’ my new long dust ruffle on my old short bed by stapling it to the box springs, i pushed the extra fabric into the space between the two twin box springs (king bed) and stapled on the unseen fabric around some of the frame. It has been working for a couple of months and it is so nice not to see that bedskirt dragging on the ground!</p>
<p>I need to reorganise my basement, and pack up the Christmas decor- everything is down and in college kids room, awaiting my attentions. Good that I have delayed, as I keep finding little things up (like the wreath was still on the front door!)</p>
<p>Pictures, don’t get me started, I used to be so organised, every developed roll went into an album the week it came home, then came life with 3 kids and working and somehow I got behind and never caught up. I need a place I can leave the project our for months so I can work on it a little at a time, just sorting them into time/date order.</p>
<p>My project is to figure out how to get rid (permanently) of the mold that we get on the ceiling over our shower. I periodically get a ladder and clean it up with bleach but it comes back. Someone told me there’s a product I can add to paint to prevent the mold from developing. There’s a fan system in the bathroom and we always use it when we shower. The shower is separate from the tub area. Anyone know how to fix this problem?</p>
<p>Here’s an easy “project” that I’m doing this week: I’m unsubsribing from every unwanted email - you know, like the ones that tell me there’s a sale at Limited Too when no one in our house has worn their clothes in years, etc.</p>
<p>missypie, that’s funny I am doing the same. I was still getting emails from American Girl and my daughter hasn’t been interested in their dolls in five years!</p>
<p>I want to clean out a bedroom that is just filled with junk. We keep saying, in the fall when D goes to college, then its after the holidays, etc. I want to turn it into my Bead Room for my bead projects. I hope I get to it, but hubby and I think of so many other enjoyable things to do instead.</p>
<p>ebeeeee - D & I just found out how much her American Girl and outfits (all retired) are going for on ebay, I think we can cover books for the first year easy!</p>
<p>For those of you doing “clean out” projects (and maybe the stuff isn’t eBay worthy), I just registered on freecycle.org. There are hundreds of local groups. It’s basically a message board where folks offer stuff and ask for stuff - the only condition is that it be free.</p>
<p>i signed up for freecycle and gave some stuff away - was overwhelmed by requests!!! it’s been months and I still get e-mails asking for my stairclimber -</p>
<p>I took a lot of digital photos on a trip last year and want to select some of them, put captions on them (how quickly one ruin looks like another!) and send them to some family. Can anyone suggest the easiest, quickest program to use?</p>
<p>Bromfield, you’ll need to do a bit of detective work. There are a number of commercial mold resistant additives that can be mixed into the paint. Ask at your local paint supplier. These are actual mold resistant, not mold proof. Zinsser’s products
[Mold</a> and Mildew Removal - Specialty Mildew Products from Zinsser](<a href=“http://www.zinsser.com/subcat.asp?CategoryID=4]Mold”>http://www.zinsser.com/subcat.asp?CategoryID=4) among other manufacturers offer a wide selection of mold resiting paints and mold/mildew related prep products. </p>
<p>Recurring mold issues in a residential bathroom are typically the result of no or inadequate exhaust ventilation, or failure to use the existing exhaust fan if one exists.</p>
<p>There can also be deeply imbedded mold actually in the drywall, if the issue has existed over time (either in the surface paper, or the gypsum substrate) which is virually impossible to kill by surface washing even with a mold kill product.</p>
<p>Two other causes are mold infiltration from the unfinished side THROUGH to the finish side of the painted drywalll surface caused by mositure from above. This scenario usually occurs if there is an existing bathroom exhaust fan improperly vented in an attic area above the finished bathroom, or dampness from a minor prior or active roof leak. </p>
<p>I’d suggest having a knowledgeable painting contractor or home improvement pro assess the situation if you are unwilling or unable to do it yourself.</p>
<p>Corrective measures may include a simple mold kill washing prior to reprepping/painting, cutting out and replacing affected drywall or plaster, replacing a worn or inadequate ceiling fan with a correctly sized unit.</p>
<p>If you have an exhaust fan currently, take off the grill cover, inspect the cover for dust and buildup which may be restricting air flow, and if accessible check the attic and make sure the fan is vented (with insulated ductwork) to the exterior through the roof or wall.</p>
<p>I’m thinking I may work on recipe organization. Not sure why it’s such a chore for me, but I always have tons of recipes–cut out from mags, passed along from other cooks, dowloads from epicurious.com, etc. etc…that need to be organized. Any progress would be an improvement!</p>
<p>Fix the giant hole in the living room ceiling. Replace the 1960s bathroom with bubblegum pink tile above the hole. Install fan in said bathroom so we get rid of mold problem similar to Bromfeld’s. Do something with loose recipes and cooking magazines. Put an addition on the kitchen and add a master bath. Get rid of games no one plays. Realphabetize the fiction.</p>