Below are the items I was able to cross off my original list of goals:
I finished up the entryway:
The guest bedroom was transformed into a nursery:
We added storage in the half bathroom:
And the dining room was finished up:
While I didn’t finish up the living room, progress has been made, & it does look much better:
I didn’t even touch the master bedroom, master bathroom, kids’ bathroom, study, laundry room, or back porch! What was I thinking?
This year, I am really going to try & be more realistic! Here’s what I’m thinking I’ll try to accomplish for our home this year:
1. Finish up the living room, which means recovering four chairs, making pillows, adding art & accessories, & fixing/painting the cabinet.
2. Makeover the kids’ bathroom by sanding, priming, & painting the walls, vanity, & mirror frame, and adding artwork, hooks, a shower curtain, & a new rug. We will also need to replace all the baseboards, as they were ruined when the kids took showers without using the liner. Grrr… It sounds like a lot, but hopefully it can all be done in about a weeks time!
3. It seems silly that the third thing on my list is to re-do the study, which was finished a couple of years ago (especially since our bedroom hasn’t been touched) but it really doesn’t fit what my style is now & it’s one of the first rooms you see when you enter our home. I’m hoping I can change the look with paint (on the bookshelves & walls), new curtains, a free-standing desk, desk chair, & accessories.
4. Change up accessories in the morning room to fit my design style. I’m hoping to find an everyday centerpiece for the table, as well as accessories for the buffet (which I’m thinking of changing from cream to white) & a new pillow for the chair. I may even switch out the secretary for one with cleaner lines. I’d love to get new chairs for the table, but probably won’t be able to make any big purchases since we’re trying to get our new van paid off.
5. Make some changes in the family room by adding art above the gold chairs, hanging the mirror & accessorizing the mantel, adding a plant in the back corner, a console behind the loveseat, a small dresser to replace the toy bookshelf, & a large storage ottoman to replace the coffee table. I would absolutely love to get all new furniture for this space, but I don’t think it’s going to be feasible this year.
6. Add shelving in the basement & try to condense the storage area to where it will be when we finish the basement. (Right now, the basement is (kind of) organized, but full.
7. ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE! I consider myself a fairly organized person, but I’m realizing that some of my systems just aren’t working. I’m hoping to tackle organizing the following areas: hand-me-down baby clothes, shoe storage, gloves/hats/scarves, coat closet, batteries, light bulbs, flashlights, magazines, photos, games, DVDs & CDs, fabric, art supplies, wrapping supplies, school supplies, books, & kitchen storage.
8. Beautify the patio under the deck. Hopefully, we can fix & paint the door, add ferns, lanterns, hang a porch swing, add a rug, & hide the back concrete wall. I’d also love to landscape the area to the right of the patio, near the basement stairs.
9. Add some decorative grass behind the fire pit bench & get 1-2 more red Adirondack chairs.
10. Add some curb appeal by painting the front door black & re-hanging the shutters on the arched window. The window looks too bare without them. (My husband is going to LOVE me for this one!)
11. Grow some fruits & veggies. I’d love to save some money on produce this summer by planting a small garden. I’m thinking of somehow doing this on the deck, since I wouldn’t have to worry about the deer & it would be right off the kitchen for picking & watering.
Aw, crud! It looks like I’ve gone overboard again this year! I’m okay that this list most-likely won’t get finished & will probably get tweaked (although I’m really going to try & not change projects around). I don’t plan on stressing out about getting things crossed off. Instead, I plan on using it as a guide to keep me focused on what projects I can be focused on. (At least, that’s what I keep telling myself…)
On top of these goals, we also came up with some personal & family goals. I posted our family goals on our chalkboard wall & they will remain there all month. Here’s how it looks:
Time to start working! First things first: Taking down the Christmas decorations!
