(Today’s post inspired by In Honor of Design’s similar post)
A funny thing happened once we become homeowners for the first time—the first couple months, we were all gung ho about DOING ALL THE PROJECTS, and we got a ton of painting done, the majority of the unpacking completed, and a bunch of work done in the yard, not to mention a new sprinkler line put in and some major lighting updates done in the basement.
But, once the newness of being homeowners wore off (and I got pregnant and then we added another small human to the mix), the only thing that seemed to make any progress was the yard.
Part of this lack of doing anything on the house stems from the fact that it’s just hard doing anything like paint or work on projects with children afoot—our oldest constantly wants to be right where all the action is (complete with a million and one “why” questions), and our youngest has been definitely on the fussy side lately, as he’s getting over the double whammy of having an ear infection AND being sick on and off for several weeks. And even when he’s not fussy, he’s often napping, which makes it hard to work on a lot of projects anyway (or at least a lot of the projects we’re wanting to do now, because of the proximity-to-his-bed factor, or because of the too-noisy factor).
Another reason we haven’t done much is that we simply burnt out after having several months of hardcore work on the house, followed by some intense months of work on the yard. (Oh, and we ran out of money for house projects, which is perhaps the biggest reason of all.)
But, I think we’re ready to get started on the house again. Sure, the baby has still been fussy and Raven insists on participating in literally almost every activity we do. But we’ve been socking aside some funds (thanks to selling some stuff we no longer need) for house projects, and we’ve got a bunch of reclaimed wood and other things in the garage that Matt scored when an old building near here was torn down.
So, in no particular order, here are some of the house and yard projects we’re hoping to tackle this year (and do try not to be jealous of my prodigious talent for interior design):
- UPSTAIRS BATHROOM: Add shelves above the toilet, and replace the towel rod with towel hooks instead. (Other, less probable hopes for the year: Replace the hardware on the cabinets, and update the light fixture.)
We one day hope to do a more complete update of our bathroom (including painting the current cabinets, adding shiplap to the main wall that the mirror is on, updating the mirror, and changing out the countertops). However, as that’s several hundred dollars away, I figured it was silly to wait to update ANYTHING until we had the money to do EVERYTHING, so we’re just going to tackle some of the easy (read = cheaper) stuff first.
(Also, believe it or not, as boring as this bathroom looks now, it’s WORLDS better looking than when we bought the house! I’ll make sure to post some before/after pics once we get the shelves put in so you can see what it looked like originally.)
2. KIDS’ ROOM: Hang up artwork, and reconfigure the space for the crib (since Mathias will be moving in here shortly). Also, add gallery bookshelves to the walls. (Other, less probable hope for the year: Update light fixture.)
As we’re hoping to move the baby into this room soon-ish, this room will probably need to be entirely moved around within the next month or two. At our request, Matt’s mom painted the cutest elephant mom and baby watercolor painting for this room, and we’re hoping to hang that up soon, along with the shelves. Yet to be determined: How the kids will fare being in the same room. I’ll keep you posted.
3. MASTER BEDROOM: Move that adorable sleeping baby into his own room (and put away the Pack ‘n Play for the time being). Finally hang up some artwork on the walls. Commission Matt to make those bedside tables I want out of the cool ammo boxes we got at a garage sale. (Other, less probable hopes for the year: Rig up some sort of headboard, and have hanging sconce lights rather than lamps flanking the bed.)
We are officially the worst at putting decorations up in our own room. (Let’s be honest, by the time I decorate all the rooms everyone actually sees, I usually am fresh out of motivation or enthusiasm or ideas to gussy up anything else.)
Also, our king size bed is ginormous and entirely too big for this room, BUT WE WILL NEVER GET RID OF IT BECAUSE IT’S OUR FAVORITE THING EVER BESIDES OUR CHILDREN. Seriously, though—our bed is amazing. But ridiculously large for our bedroom space.
4. BASEMENT FAMILY ROOM: Figure out if built-in bookshelves are a real possibility for this room (which would solve the big blank blue wall issue), update the lovely brown curtains that came with the house with something a little fresher, and do some floating shelves and pictures on the wall behind the couch. Also, get with the 21st century and update to a flat screen t.v. (and since we just inherited one from my mom, we no longer have any excuse). Oh, and get new throw pillows (these ones came with the house, as did the couch, and I’ve never liked them much).
You might find it hard to believe, but this room ALSO looks soooooo much better than when we bought the house. For starters, that blue wall used to be dark brown. Ya know, to match the couch. And to make you feel like you’re in a muddy dirt hole. And there used to be a big ol’ boob light (which was dimmer than dim) rather than the recessed lighting we’ve put in. So, even though she’s not much to look at now, this room is still a far cry from before. #focusingonthepositive
5. OFFICE: Stop letting our “home office” be code for “the house’s official dumping ground.” Figure out what the heck to do in here. Also, put that closet door back on (that’s just barely in the frame), since it’s now been not-where-it-should-be for a year and a half. #truestory
Originally, we were going to do our built-in bookshelves in here, but that might not be the best option, as it would make it hard for future occupants (or us in the future) to have a not-awkward space to put a bed. This room could go in a lot of directions this year, but one direction I’m hoping it for sure goes in is a cleaner one.
6. SIDE YARD: Build two more raised garden beds (for a cutting garden and for more vegetables), and a sandbox for the kids.
Sigh. Let’s all take a moment and bask in all the green in this picture, rather than think about how all of this is currently under over a foot of snow (courtesy of yesterday’s snowstorm).
7. BONUS SIDE YARD: Graft non-wild apple tree starts onto our current apple tree situation.
Because apparently, wild apples aren’t good for anything. Except looking like they should be delicious and then disappointing you over and over and over again.
And that’s pretty much it! It’s not like we’re being too ambitious or anything…
What house updates are in your plans for this year?
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