If you are like me, you are in the thick of wondering WHY on earth you do this rental thing. (Yes. Even me.) This is the hard part...the last few strokes to the end. But don't lose your game face. Your house may look at bit "Storm Before the Calm"...with sheets and towels stacked in the living room, bedding folded on the dining room chairs until the morning you actually move out, etc...But you WILL get there! Here are things to remember in these last (slightly terrifying

Week four of Masters prep has arrived. This is generally the week where you live in a state of concern...what are you forgetting? (Keep a list on your kitchen counter and free your brain from the fear of forgetting)....Am I going to finish this? (If you've kept up with this blog fairly well, you will)....How do I finish and house while living in it? (I'll give some tips here.) First on the list, today is planting day. Hopefully you've gotten the yard ready for this final "l

Just a head's up....this weekend you should be getting your plants in the ground. If you want the best selections, get in the garden shops prior to midday on Saturday, when there will be less available. I find it easiest to take photographs of the areas I am working with and then pull the photos up at the garden shops. This will allow you to look at the plants and visually insert them into the areas in which they will go. This is a fun project. Be sensitive to light needs

Welcome to March Week 3. Hopefully you have dealt with the common areas of your home. I was stunned to find my kitchen took two full days to complete! So today I have just one more common area to tackle before beginning the bedrooms and baths. I begin each bedroom by washing everything that is washable....comforters, bedskirts, mattress pads, etc... Then I vacuum under the bed and all around each mattress. Don't forget to dust the headboard, especially the wall-facing si

March, Week Two is upon us! Hopefully your yard is complete and waiting a week for the installation of annuals, your windows are showing off the beauty of your yard, and you are ready to finish the common areas of your home. At this point, you are finalizing the organization of each room. Yes, you will still live in these rooms, but you are making sure things are ready to go. In the living room/family room, make sure fans are clean, any framed pictures are wiped off, and r

March arrives and holds our feet to the fire! But keep in mind, everything you do to ready your home this month will be enjoyed by you and your family for the rest of the year. However, this morning starts the countdown....four more weekends. This is a good week to work on windows, inside and out. If you are one who hires this out, good for you. For those of you who don't hire out, this is the time to pull the vacuum into each room, vacuum the inner sills between your win