Checking the List

Where did the year go? I realized last night that we only have six days left between now and Thanksgiving to complete our projects. November and December are always super busy for us. I don’t even try to complete projects in December anymore. That was a difficult lesson to learn. Ryan and I developed a plan last night for completing our projects and transforming our home for the holidays. The transformation begins on Halloween. It’s all about Christmas at our house! While I’m transforming our home for the holiday season, I’ve also got to complete a few more projects.

Before I mention what I hope to complete, I think it’s important to mention the progress we’ve made this year. I was really ambitious going into 2017, which was good from an accomplishment standpoint. I overworked us and spread us too thin though. Not so good. I am really proud of what we accomplished even though some of it isn’t 100% complete. If you live in a fixer upper, that’s just life.

• Converted the garage into additional living space (that was a massive project)
• Installed flooring downstairs
• Widened our closet doors and installed a new organization system
• Refreshed and reorganized our pantry
• Moved the dining room light
• Installed new window treatments
• Installed shiplap in the downstairs hallway
• Framed artwork
• Bought furniture for the den and cat room
• Installed organizational system in the downstairs closet
• Installed trim downstairs
• Tore down and rebuilt the front porch
• Built a coffee table for the living room
• Completed the dining room
• Finished craft room trim

 

 

As I mentioned above, we have some tasks I’d like to complete before Thanksgiving.

• Paint trim downstairs
• Paint the front porch
• Replace window trim in the guest room
• Install new lights and fan in the master bedroom
• Replace the old window in the cat room
• Build the bar for Ryan’s den

There are some tasks that we didn’t get to this year that I will conquer next year along with other projects.

• Install subway tile in the laundry room
• Replace the back door
• Install crown molding in the laundry room
• Finish Ryan’s office

I think we did really well! Converting the garage was the largest project, and it took months to do. It was most certainly worth the time and money. Our home has come a long way since we purchased it, and I think we are getting closer to the finish line. In a few more years, the house might actually be done! I can’t even imagine.

Starting next week, I’ll have lots of Christmas related posts for you all. From our holiday transformation to family activities, we will cover it all. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Ryan’s Den: Update

Ryan has been wanting his own space forever, and it’s finally taking shape. This room captures his love for Snoopy and all things Peanuts. I’m so excited to share our progress with you, and I hope it inspires you to make your home a place you love.

If you don’t remember, this is what this space looked like in March after we started construction. This space used to be our unfinished garage before we had the window and walls added.

Many weekends later, we now have a really fun room that we can enjoy. Take a look.

More pictures of the space & décor thus far.

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We still have quite a bit of work left to do in this space including: trim, painting, finishing the ceiling with grid covers, hiding television wires, and replacing the door to the exterior. We also have custom furniture coming and a couple of art pieces left to get. I’m hoping for a final reveal in September, so stay tuned.

A Window, a Floor, & Patience

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that we took on this remodeling project back in March. These spaces are really starting to take a life of their own, and I’m excited to share the progress. Some of the pictures aren’t too great, you’ll have to forgive me. It’s a diamond in the rough after all.

Cat Room

This space is coming along nicely, but I’ve still got some work to do. The main obstacle is a window that needs replacing. An issue that our contractor reassured us would not be an issue became an issue. Basically an existing window in the space (not seen in the photos below) needs to be replaced with a shorter window for everything to look right. Once that’s done, I just need to build a table and decorate the space.

I originally wanted a pair of black rattan chairs from Ikea, but I decided against it after seeing the chairs in person again. We built a shiplap display board for photos of our babies. I really need to get more printed.

Den

Ryan’s den is coming along. We actually started installing the tile floor over the weekend. Tiling takes time, which is why we had been putting it off. It also requires patience, and I don’t have much of that. I think the floor looks great thus far, and I can’t wait to finish it over my extended 4th of July weekend.

I love the light fixtures in this space, but I’m not sold on the bulbs.

I can’ wait to get the furniture into this space and display all of Ryan’s treasured Peanuts items. I hope to have another update for you in a couple of weeks.