It's About Time

My plans for the house in 2014 are probably my most ambitious yet.

No, not probably. Definitely.

My goal is to be able to call most of the house done. We have lived here over a decade, and I have never felt a room was done. There's always something lacking. There's always a project that has been pushed off because of budget or time or simple laziness. For years I've settled for good enough because making it awesome seemed impossible.

Usually, I tell myself that the motivation is to get it sale-ready. My dream for selling this house is speed, but I'm extremely rational and know that, in this market and this location, we're probably looking at a fair amount of time with a "for sale" sign in the yard. My goal is to get it as ready as possible, to fancy up this ol' lady to the best of our budget and ability and make her desirable.

But also, more and more, I've wanted to feel like rooms were done because, quite frankly, it's time.

Now, there is a part of me that believes a home is never finished. It's job is to evolve and rise to whatever challenge we ask of it, like three kids and homeschooling. But at the same time, a room can be done in the sense that there are no major projects hanging over our heads, or if there are, it doesn't feel that way when I look at it.

So, lofty goals, yes. But I'm determined, and we're *this close* to being out of debt, so our cash flow might be a little better this year. Time is still a tricky issue, since Seth still works two jobs, but hopefully we can make it work.

We'll be starting with the living room as soon as the Christmas decorations come down. We're starting there because a) it's easy--mostly just patching and painting and b) it will segue into the kitchen, which we're hoping to do when the weather warms up. The big jobs in the living room will be sanding down a repair in the ceiling (that has been proudly ugly for years), and if that doesn't work, we're going to have to cover it with something like beadboard. I'm really, really hoping that sanding alone will be good enough. I don't care as much about perfection as I do not visually horrifying. There's also some patching on the walls to be done. Our walls and ceilings aren't drywall, but rather plaster, so that makes it a little trickier. Then, once those jobs are done, paint and decor.

The hardest part in planning has been narrowing down my style. If you look through my Pinterest boards, you'd think I have style ADD. There is far more that I like than I don't like when it comes to home decor, but I want the house to flow and make sense, so I'm trying to make my decisions based on the big picture. I don't like anything too modern, but I think I'm leaving my country/cottagey phase into more transitional territory. So, I have to figure out how to like something, but be ok with not including it in my own home.

Here's my list of what I know I gravitate toward:

1. Lines and angles more than curves.
2. Geometric patterns and stripes more than florals and paisleys.
3. Deep colors, like navy, mustard, kelly green, turquoise--set against a contrast of crisp white.

And above all, I need it to work. I need to take advantage of every square inch without it feeling cluttered or overwhelming.

PS: Sorry for the lack of pictures. All in good time, my friend.

Christmas 2013 (so far)

I've been decking the halls. I still feel like there's more to do. I just want to drench my house in Christmas awesomeness. But I'm also a slow moving vehicle. I've been decorating for about three weeks now.

So here's a sampling of the Christmas atmosphere around here. The general theme this year is gold, but I've also included some mercury glass and silver. These photos are all in a jumble, but since I'm a blogger who makes nary a dime on her blog, I don't feel the pressure to organize them coherently.

Got these cardboard letters at Hobby Lobby and spray painted them gold. 

I think the owl is from Marshall's a few years ago. The sparkly cones (which Seth thinks are weird) are from Meijer.

Snow! Hopefully, it will be a white Christmas.

I made the garland from scrapbook paper I had on hand.

I think the tree needs garland of some sort. But it's too late now. Next year.

The tree skirt is one of my favorite parts. It's two faux sheep skins from Ikea. The kids love that it looks like fluffy snow.

I made the chalkboard from a scrap piece of shelving I had laying around. I have to redo it. I should have sanded and primed first and the chalkboard paint scratched off in a few places. (Spoiler alert: I probably won't redo it.)

I have more to show you, like the kids' trees and how everything looks at night. In fact, the week of the 16th is going to be "Christmas week". I have lots of projects and crafts planned for the kids. I'll try and remember to share some of them with you guys. 

Swamped

Well. Where was I?

You may have noticed that my last post was right around the start of school. I guess my absence here means I'm winning somewhere else (or at least trying). Fall has been busy. And school this year is quite a handful with two elementary students and one toddler fervent on making a ruckus each day. 

Plus, we took a mini vacation. Michigan is beautiful in the fall.

I've also been quite busy with photo shoots.

Not to mention various birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and family get togethers.

Housewise, I have been busy, but not doing interesting things. I've been purging more and cleaning out cabinets and drawers and under beds and in closets. Nothing picture worthy, but it is rewarding seeing full trash bags leave the premises. I've also been making lists and pinning lots of things and organizing a "project schedule" for us to tackle in the new year. I'm hoping for some big makeovers next year. 

And, of course, I'm *this* close to being done with my Christmas decorations. Gotta tie up the loose ends, clean everything, and then wait for a bright day to photograph it all. 

But I'm getting there. Slowly.