Table Saw 101

So we finally had a free weekend that my husband and I could both be in the garage together.  I needed him to be there when I started building the bench because I needed him to give me a crash course in Table saw 101.

I was pretty freaked starting out, because it's such a dangerous piece of equipment.  I wish we would have got the one that the blade stops if it senses skin on it, but we don't have the luxury of owning that one.  Maybe someday.

Like Norm says "measure twice, cut once".

Started out with all my measurements.

Then it was time for me to put my big girl pants on and make my cuts.  It's tricky holding onto the wood while pushing it through.  The table saw is also pretty quiet.  Our miter saw makes a BIG scary noise, this thing is pretty quiet.  That helps calm the nerves a bit.

You may be tempted to grab the wood next to the blade to move it out of the way. DON'T do that.  This is me jumping back after I make my cut.  Yeah, I was pretty freaked out.  I like my fingers and really want to keep them.

Here is all my wood, cut, sanded and ready for assembly!  I would say I made a good portion of the cuts myself, the rest my wonderful husband did.  SO proud of myself for using the big scary table saw!

Rethinking Running

Lately I've started to rethink my plans on running. If you read this post it will tell you about my journey into the running world.

In fall I took a running hiatus, and even though I finished C25K I never actually RAN a 5K.  I know.  What was the point.  When I started running again I realized I wasn't ready to run a 5K, so rather than jump into the 10K program I did the "Ease Into 10K plan."

The first few weeks went really well.  Even now It's going ok, but there is a problem.  The workout is LONG.  Like almost an hour run long, and that's fine if that is my ONLY workout of the day, but then I ended up giving up my Zumba classes (which even though they make me crave Mexican food, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Zumba.  It's SO fun).

So I came up with this CRAZY workout schedule.  It failed.  Miserably. 

As awesome as P90X is.  I CANT workout at home.  Two little ones under my feet just isn't working.  Also I get too distracted.  I need the gym and I NEED their daycare.  I wanted to do it ALL, but at this time in my life raising small ones I just can't.

I also CAN'T give up running.  The difference that it's made in my body is unbelievable.  I never want to stop running and I always want to incorporate it into my workout regimen. 

The long runs are draining me.  Don't get me wrong, I plan to finish the 10K program and run a 10K.  I want to be able to say I did it.  But I'm thinking that I don't want all my running to be for endurance.

My husband and I started discussing sprinting.

Then I saw images like these:

img from HealthierLiving.com

And these:

img from HybridFitnessSolutions.com

Also, the more I started to read and research, the more it started to make sense.  PLEASE don't think I'm hating on marathon runners.  There is definitely something to be said for endurance.  As much as running has helped me shed the pounds that I wanted, I'm just not seeing the muscle definition there that I want, and SOMETHING has to change in my schedule.

I ran across this today and I LOVE it.  (Three Simple Sprint Workouts).

So I'm thinking now of somehow incorporating sprinting into my schedule, keep up with my strength training in my boot camp class, and bring BACK Zumba, because nothing is more fun than dancing to Latin music, even if it does make me want to eat tacos. 

My First Pinterest Wednesday

Ok, I'm doing my very first "Oh how Pinteresting Wednesday".

What is Pinterest you may say?

img source cheezburger.com via ragebuilder.com

Not kidding.  That's pretty much all it boils down to.

So I decided to share my favorite pins from the past week with you all.

Img from Anawhite.com via apartmenttherapy.com

My 4 year old has been begging for a desk, but with a huge dresser, toys, and sharing a room with little sis, doesn't give us much room.  I think this would be a PERFECT solution.  I love it.

img from BHG.com

A "command center".  A place to put all the school paperwork and stuff that goes in and out of the house.  I LOVE it and hope to someday have this in my den/office area.

from impatientlyprayingforpatience.blogspot.com

These little bad boys were staircase newel posts turned into candlesticks.  SOOOOO doing this.

img source julievic.polyvore.com

I discovered Polyvore last week also.  Let me tell you I could spend hours putting together outfits I'll never wear.  Seems like I may have pretty decent taste because this little bad boy had 17 repins.

img source bamboofloorings.org

Wide plank walnut flooring.  Oh, I could just die.  LOVE it.

img from houzz.com

LOVELY barn doors that my husband hates.  Sigh.  Still trying to win him over, but it's not working.

And the crowing jewel of my week on Pinterest.  I laughed so hard at this I was crying.

no photo credit available.  Sorry!

I still look at that and laugh and laugh.  So funny!

I'm linking this post up to The Vintage Apple "Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday."

Cleaning Checklist

Has it really been over a WEEK since my last post?  I was doing so good getting in a few posts a week.  I've been off doing important stuff (you know, like pinning all kinds of projects I'll never make.)

I did finish my cleaning checklist last week and started it.  The house has actually remained pretty clean the past week and laundry caught up!  Who would have EVER thought a list could keep me so on track. In fact I was SO on top of things I realized I don't have enough drawer space to hold all my clean clothes.  (Talk about first world problems.)

I am TRULY blessed and I need to realize that more often.

Also, in keeping me focused and on track a friend of mine posted this blog on Facebook, and I tell you with everything that I've been struggling with lately, this was the MOST FREEING thing to read.  It allowed me to forgive myself and actually relax a bit.  I swear if you are in or have ever been in mommy burnout mode you MUST read it.

Back to my cleaning checklist.  Talk about something else that has been completely freeing.  Seriously this little checklist has changed my life.  I feel organized and so put together.  I feel free to blog or get on my computer because I know that there is nothing lingering to do for the day.  It took me some time to figure it out but after several hours of planning, and tweaking my schedule and spreadsheet I think I've finally got it. My version of our cleaning checklist.

I first came up with this idea after seeing it on I Heart Organizing. The problem is I needed it to be tweaked a bit to work for our family. However if you LOVE the idea of a cleaning checklist as much as I do, and don't want to invest the time to make your own, please pay her some love and respect and hop on over to her Etsy store to purchase some of her printables.

After printing it off I went to the dollar store and picked up a document frame for a buck.

I went to HL and bought sick on magnets ($1.99) to stick on the back.  I decided to go with level "3" magnets (mainly because they all ready had adhesive tape on the back and I didn't want to glue) .

I quickly regretted that.  It took ALL of them and it does not magnetize as much as I would like it too.  Currently I'm afraid the slightest nudge is going to make it come crashing to the floor.  Time to purchase some more powerful magnets I suppose.

Now I can use my dry erase markers on the frame and just wipe it clean at the end of the day/week etc.  Saves a TON of paper from printing each week.

I'm hoping that this will keep me more focused on the house and get the stuff done that needs done on a regular schedule.  It seems to be working GREAT so far!  Now it's just time for me to delegate some of these chores out ;)

Weekend Detour

My weekend took a bit of a detour from what I thought it would be.

Yesterday was supposed to be spent in my garage woodworking on my entryway storage bench, as you saw from my previous post, however upstairs was feeling pretty dirty and gross so my husband and I went into a full cleaning frenzy, and ended up rearranging our room in the process.

We decided to move the bed under the window.  I know that this goes against some peoples home decorating rules and according to Feng Shui all our Chi or whatever would go out the window and it would disrupt our sleep.  Yeah, I totally don't buy into that kind of stuff, and I slept GREAT last night.

Now of course re-arranging our room puts me into a "I need to completely redo this room" mindset and once I get there it's VERY hard for me to get out of that mindset.

I actually considered axing the entryway project and starting to work on night stands instead.

I told you I'm nuts, and completely indecisive. 

It's SO hard for me to prioritize when I have a HUGE list of what I want to do.

Do I need matching nightstands?  Yes.  Do I want my king size bed with a new headboard?  Yes.  BUT I need to be content where we are at.  We will get there and the journey is the fun part, and by lamenting about what I want and don't have, I don't enjoy the present. 

I plan to get a perfect little corner chair and move that wing back downstairs and recover it and put it in my den.   Also we will get a regular bathroom door (we removed the two double doors because frankly they were a pain in the rear). We will move the TV over a bit more centered to the bed, and hide the cables in the wall, and have a tall chest underneath it.  Also I want one of those pretty benches in front of the bed with storage.  

It is ok to dream a little.

Here is my vision (but with Ana's farmhouse headboard and side tables):

img from Houzz.com

Image from Decor Pad

It's fun to plan and dream.

But ahem, back to my weekend detour:  Flippin. Cleaning. Frenzy.

My husband is such a sweetheart and offered to clean our bedroom and let me go woodwork and have a day off.  Because I'm such a control freak sweetheart I decided to help him instead.  (This had NOTHING to do with the fact that I'm a big sissy and scared to use the table saw by myself.)

We usually end up moving beds, vacuuming under them, vacuuming mattresses, vacuuming corners etc.. and doing BIG stuff like this when we just get sick of the mess. 

This is NOT working for us.

With four kids, two dogs, two cats and a hamster I need to get better control of this home.  I need a cleaning schedule that KEEPS it clean throughout the year, and so I don't spend days at a time killing myself because it got so out of control we couldn't handle it anymore.

My weekly cleanings keep the "appearance" of a clean home and keep it from getting totally disgusting, and goes over the major stuff, but there are honestly all kinds of corners I'm cutting because of time. 

I found this AWESOME blog called I Heart Organizing a cleaning checklist and I've been meaning to do this for a long time, it was just sitting down and coming up with a schedule.  Currently I'm putting together a spreadsheet/checklist and a schedule that works for our family.  Here is what I've come up with so far:

DAILY

    Wash dishes
    Empty dishwasher
    vacuum downstairs
    vacuum upstairs
    beds made
    rooms picked up
    full house pick up
    wipe down sinks
    empty garbage
    empty recycle bin
    wipe kitchen counters
    put away toiletries (a.k.a. bathroom is picked up and sinks clear)
    laundry

WEEKLY

    MONDAY
    wipe down fridge
    wipe down microwave

    TUESDAY   
    dust
    clean glass (tv, computer, etc...)

    WEDNESDAY
    vacuum under sofas/chairs
    vacuum stairs

    THURSDAY
    clean toilets
    mop bathroom floors
    scrub bathtubs
    scrub sinks
   
    FRIDAY
    vacuum kitchen floors
    mop tile floors
    scrub kitchen sink
    wipe down kitchen cabinets
   
    SATURDAY
    wash sheets
    clean rooms
    clean hamster cage
    clean liter box

MONTHLY

    WEEK 1
    wipe down walls
    wipe down switch plates

    WEEK 2
    vacuum corners/ceilings
    vacuum inside sofa cushions
    vacuum air vents
    dust fans

    WEEK 3
    launder bathroom rugs
    cycle clean washing machine
    cycle clean dishwasher

    WEEK 4
    vacuum under beds

QUARTERLY

    JAN/APR/JUL/OCT
    wash comforters
    vacuum mattresses
    scrub grout (not sure if this is quarterly annual or bi-annual thing...)

    FEB/MAY/AUG/NOV
    vacuum/dust above cabinets
    change air filters
    clean out fridge/freezer
    clean oven
    descale coffee maker

    MAR/JUN/SEPT/DEC
    wash sofa cushions
    vacuum window coverings
    wash windows

Bi-ANNUALLY

    clean out cabinets/drawers
    wash shower curtains
    change smoke detector batteries

Anyhow, when it all pans out and is finished, I'll post my spreadsheet/checklist to share and let you know what we have come up with. Also share with me what your cleaning schedule is and any tips that you may have!  I could have EASILY forgotten something!

First Project of 2012

The wood is purchased!

I finally went out last weekend to Lowes and spent my gift card from Christmas. When you have a hundred projects in your head that you want to do, it's so hard to narrow it down to just one thing you want.

Also because I'm so indecisive, I go back and forth on even the smallest decision.

So much so, I considered RETURNING the wood I bought last week.

Yes, I'm THAT crazy.

I finally settled on making the entryway storage bench/coat shelf from Ana White's plans. I've wanted this for like, um forever. Also because I get SO frustrated trying to get my gloves/hats and scarves out of the bin from under my stairs EVERY time the weather goes arctic.  I NEED a better storage solution, and I can't wait until my hallway and stairs are picture perfect.  I need this now for my own sanity.

Here is what we are going for:

img from anawhite.com

The problem is the wall where our coats currently hang is only a little over three feet and this is a four foot bench, so there will be some modifications!  However, I will progress my steps along the way!  I plan on painting it an espresso color, putting hats, gloves and scarves in the top three bins and the bottom bins will be for shoes and miscellaneous items.

Assembly starts this weekend. 

I can't wait!

 

A Bet is a Bet

A bet is a bet, and although I would have LOVED to get over a thousand hits on that blog post, I think this is even better.

For those of you who missed it, you can read that post here.

Thankfully my husband is such a sport. And a bit of a ham.

 

When he is NOT goofing off, he really does help me like crazy around this house.

 

And even though he is a total GOOF sometimes, I'm so thankful that he makes me laugh.  

A LOT.

 

Even though he is a bit of a ham....he is the best husband and daddy this family could ever ask for.

Thank you babe for bringing me so much laughter, and for being such a good sport. 

Fitness Goals 2012

In the summer of 2011 I really hit it hard at the gym. I was doing boot camp two days a week, Zumba twice a week and C25K three times a week. I saw some massive results once I started in with my running.

Once I finished C25K though I never actually RAN a stinkin 5K. Then fall came and the kids went back to school, our schedule got crazy busy, and I went full force into a BUNCH of DIY projects followed by the Holidays. I still continued to work out, but I ate everything I wanted. Funny thing is while I was downing all the sweets in the world I wanted and NOT watching my eating, I lost like 5 pounds. No kidding. I know I know, hate me if you like.

Even though I may have LOST weight during the holidays, I felt gross. I was tired. I felt weak. I wasn't hitting the gym with my usual passion and my nutrition was going downhill fast. I was still hitting my Ease into 10K plan, but I'd hit it three times one week then skip a whole week, or only do it once. THEN I realized I'm getting these massive migraines on running days. I'm sure its from dehydration and improper nutrition.

So, here I am, feeling like a total mess. I feel weak. Something MUST change.

We've all seen this on Pinterest right?  Exactly how I feel.

So this past week I've been eating MUCH better and I've come up with a new workout routine to hopefully help me get to my goals. My weight is almost to the place I want it, what I REALLY need now is some muscle. My husband wants me to do Crossfit, but as much as I'd LOVE to it just doesn't fit in with my schedule at this time (childcare issues and such). I know Crossfit and running alone could take me right to the level that I would want, but I have to find something that works with my life right now so I've come up with a plan.

I will continue with my E210K plan and run a 10K the beginning of march. I will be running Mon, Wed and Friday morning at the gym while the rest of my family sleeps. Six AM and 30 degrees does NOT agree with me. I HATE the cold. I know running on the treadmill is NOT the same as the street, so I plan to mix in some street running when the weather gets a bit better.

Tues, Thurs and Saturday I'm mixing back in P90X. I never felt more bad ass and strong than when I did that program. (You can read about my journey here). It will help me gain the muscle that I really need. I'm not doing Plyo, Kenpo or Yoga, I'm just doing the strength days and Ab Ripper X.

THEN if my schedule allows and I feel like it I may hit up Zumba on Tuesday and Thursday. Depends on how my day is going. I also may hit up boot camp every now and again on Monday & Wednesday. I like the girls in those classes, and it gives me time to unwind and the kids can play in the daycare.

It's a crazy workout schedule. My husband said that If I stick to it all this week, at the end of the week he would detail my van for me. He he.

Him doing dishes in an apron and detailing my van for me in one week would just be crazy awesome.  He really needs to learn to stop betting me.  I always win.

A Work In Progress

Ok.  Take a step back.  Breathe.

Something is terribly wrong in this home, and I'm pretty sure that it's me.

The more I try to let things go, to let go of perfection, to care less about what people think the more it eats at me.

The more that God tries to work on this area of my life, the more it hurts.  The harder it gets.

People will be coming into my home in the next few hours and I'm freaking out over the crayon on the walls, the dog hair on my sofa and the clutter in my home.

So I get up and I start cleaning.  As I start to clean I notice a pair of my husbands shorts next to the bed on the floor.  I pick those up.  After I pick those up I realize laundry needs done.  I start collecting a mess of dirty clothes that was strewn about my house.

I come downstairs to load the laundry and notice about a dozen pair of shoes in my basket by the door.  I throw those on the stairs and start making a "go upstairs pile".  I notice pieces of paper that my daughter has thrown all over the floor.  I pick up all the little pieces of paper and I can feel myself getting more frustrated.

Every room I go into has a mess to clean up.  Once I get a room clean, and move onto the next, by the time I go BACK into the first room, there is a NEW mess, a new blanket fort, something else to pick up.

I'm truly chasing a tornado.  My effort is all in vain.

So what do I do rather than give up on perfection?  I cry.  I yell.  I get angry.  I give into my sin and disgusting behavior rather than pray, work on it and do what I need to do.  I take my frustration out on those closest to me, my kids, my husband, my WONDERFUL family.  Those who it will effect the most.  Those who are watching me and learning what it is to be like Christ. 

Then I hate myself.  So I cry more, I feel shame. My sin disgusts me.  It makes me physically ill.  I feel pain in my body, I feel an ache in the pit of my stomach when I allow it to take control.  It hurts.

Then it hits me.  A song I haven't heard in about 25 years.  A song I sung in Sunday School as a kid.  A sweet little tune.

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.

I'm currently taking a parenting class at church.  The other night they used an example of a blacksmith forming a horse shoe.  Sometimes the blacksmith has to bang on it gently to get it the shape that it needs.  Other times he has to apply heat, put it in the fire, to really shape it to where it needs to be.

Right now, I think that God is putting me under the fire.  It burns.  It hurts.  But he is shaping me.  He is making me the wife, the mother the woman I am supposed to be.

Rather than worrying about the way my home looks, I need to worry about my homes atmosphere.  I want people to feel the love of Christ as they walk through my door.  I want them to feel joy.  The wonderful joy that comes from my amazing kids.  I want them to roar with laughter like we do at times.  I want them to experience the feeling of family.

I can't do it on my own.  I need Christ every day to give me strength, and patience.   I need him to make me less selfish.  Because on my own I will only fail.

Most of all I need to realize that He's still working on me.

 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.^{[a] 2} For the law of the Spirit of life has set you^[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,^[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
 ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 

 -Romans 8:1-11

 

Home Goals

So there is this amazing blog that I stumbled upon one day. I think I found it as a referral from another site, and honest to God I can't remember from where.

It's called the Nesting place, and as I read her story (the Nester) and as she opened up her heart to her readers I just fell in love with her. Her testimony was amazing and her advice was so poignant to my life at that moment I became an instant fan.

So next Wednesday January 11th she is having a home goals linky party. Where I will link up this post about my goals for my home this next year. I think it's an amazing idea because when you read her post she comes up with some really thought provoking questions.

Here is what she says:

• What’s my favorite room in my house? Why?
• How and where does my family hang out together?  What’s working for that room? What’s annoying in that room?
• Is there something in my home I want to do but I’m afraid?  What if I take that risk?  What’s the worst that can happen?
• What’s the purpose of my home?  Is that obvious by how we use it and what is filling it?
• Do the objects in my home reflect our family or do I just have things because someone told me it looked good, gave it to me or bought it for me?
• Am I neglecting my home and not putting money into something that is needed?  Am I squandering money on something I don’t need or enjoy?
• Stop apologizing for your home.
• Say more kind things than negative things about your home.
• Your home is for the people who live there first and foremost, honor them and also think about your guests.  This means you can ignore what your well-intentioned neighbor, 80-year-old male painter, and kind-hearted father in law have to say about your paint colors and furniture placement. Make it work for your family for this season of life.

I can't even begin to tell how how relevant this is to me in my life right now.  So I started pondering this and came up with MY goals for the following year. (now, keep in mind MY goals sometimes seem a bit lofty, but I'm REALLY trying to be more realistic about the budget and our capabilities to handle renovation at this time in our life.)

So here goes my goals and thoughts for this year, and answers to The Nester's questions:

WHAT IS MY FAVORITE ROOM IN THE HOUSE AND WHY?

I would have to say that my favorite room in the house right now is my den.  Painting those cabinets white has been such a HUGE transformation in my home.  It has made it feel cleaner, crisper and brighter.  It's the room that has helped me find my style and figure out what I want my home to eventually look like.  Though the room is not quite finished yet, I still love coming in here.

Before

After!  So MUCH brighter.

Although I still have more to complete in this room I love it and it works right now for us.  My goal (hopefully this year) is to get rid of the overstuffed furniture.  Also waiting in my garage are two wing backs.  My plan is to recover the two wing-back chairs in a charcoal/gray fabric and place them under the window with a table in between.  I plan on getting curtains for the window, and on the north side of the room put a desk like this Ana White plan underneath the some shelves.  SOMEDAY (not this year) I would like to close off some room with some pocket doors, that we can open/close whenever we wish.

Image from Pinterest/Conspicuousstyle.com

Wouldn't those pocket french doors just be TO DIE FOR?  Even better would be barn doors, but I can't convince my husband to jump on that bandwagon yet, and since this is his home too, I guess I have to consider his opinion ;)

Hmmph.  Whatever I think they are gorgeous.

Img from Pinterest

HOW AND WHERE DOES MY FAMILY HANG OUT TOGETHER?  WHAT'S WORKING IN THAT ROOM?  WHAT'S ANNOYING IN THAT ROOM?

Our family hangs out now in the front main living room (we used to have the TV in the den, but had to move it to get the computer out of our master bedroom).  The ONLY place that we had to place the TV was on my mothers cedar chest in an odd corner.  I'm not at all thrilled with the placement of the TV.  I think that room was meant more for a sitting room, because there is really NO great place for a television set.  Problem is it works better for us to have the tv in the front room.

I love our fireplace.  During winter we love to chill out in there, watch movies and have a roaring fire going while we pop popcorn and drink hot cocoa.  As you can see though, the TV is just a HUGE eyesore in that room.  It REALLY needs to go above the fireplace, so our goal is to get the cedar chest OUT of that room, and add a mantel and trim work to the fireplace and mount the TV up there.  I know MANY people are either FOR or AGAINST a TV mounted above a fireplace, especially one as large as ours, but it really needs to happen for my own sanity in that room.  We also need some type of storage solution for our DVD player and cable box.  My husband and I are still formulating a plan for that one.

Below is our vision:

Img from Pinterest/DIY Chatroom

ALSO...

After putting the TV in there we realized you can see EVERYTHING going on in that room from the street so I recently ran across black out curtains for $7 each at Target.  A total steal, we LOVE the privacy they give us. Problem is they are a smoky blue/gray and just are not working with the color of the room, so I have to find some new wall color to match these curtains.  Since my husband has never really been fond of the wall colors in this room I chose, it's a good opportunity for us to make that change over.  So I'm hoping for this room to get a small renovation this year.

IS THERE SOMETHING IN MY HOME I WANT TO DO BUT I'M AFRAID?  WHAT IF I TAKE THE RISK?  WHATS THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?

I'd have to say without a doubt it's my staircase.  You can read about my vision here.  I want to rip up the nasty gross dirty carpet and go for a clean fresh look.  I want to paint the rails espresso and the treads espresso as well, with white balusters and white trim.  There are some issues that I need to work out, but really the worst that could happen is that we live with some wood stairs for a while until we re-carpet the house.  I think anything has GOT to be better than the carpet we currently have.

 

Also this year hoping to get my entryway storage bench/coat rack complete.  If not this winter, maybe in the fall! 

Here is my vision:

Img from Pinterest/Remodelaholic

Gorgeous, I mean, WOW, I just need to go for it.

WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF MY HOME?  IS THAT OBVIOUS BY HOW WE ARE USING IT AND WHAT IS FILLING IT?

This is a strange question.  I guess I could answer this by saying our purpose is to be comfortable and relaxed in our own home.  I want my home to be pretty but we actually have to be able to LIVE in it and keep it reasonably clean with four kids, two dogs and two cats!  Also we do LOVE to entertain and have people over, and I think that we have updated our seating and dining area enough to accommodate guests comfortably.   I would like to get the kids bath/guest bath complete this year (we had a water leak issue, the floor is sagging and come spring we need to repair the floor and start working on that room).  I want to get that up to code for our guests to use.  Oh, and I really need to get better about having more guest towels and washcloths.  MAKE MY GUESTS FEEL WELCOME AND COMFORTABLE.

DO THE OBJECTS IN MY HOME REFLECT OUR FAMILY OR DO I JUST HAVE THINGS BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD ME IT LOOKED GOOD, GAVE IT TO ME OR BOUGHT IT FOR ME?

Yes and no.  I'm starting to replace artwork with things that are my own, rather than store bought items.  Also some furniture was given to us or was passed down after my mother and grandmother passed away, but it's working for now, some my husband has made, some I bought myself before we were married (can you say purple overstuffed sofas?) , but some like our dining table we bought together.  It's a work in progress.  I'm learning to let go of things that were my mothers but don't reflect my style.  For the longest time I would hold onto things of hers because they were hers, even though they didn't reflect my particular taste.  I'm learning that my home is MINE, not hers.  She would want me to enjoy my home and be happy with it, rather than just holding onto a piece for sentimental reasons.

AM I NEGLECTING MY HOME AND NOT PUTTING MONEY INTO SOMETHING THAT IS NEEDED?  AM I SQUANDERING MONEY ON SOMETHING I DON'T NEED OR ENJOY?

Ok people, here is where I get real and honest.  We have a BAD eating out habit that needs to be broken, and we are TRULY getting better about it.  I wonder just HOW much could we have done to our home last year with that money?  Instead, we just ATE it.  

STOP APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR HOME

Stop griping about my tile when guests are here and apologizing for it.  Stop apologizing for our bathroom upstairs, hey, it's not pretty but at least it works and it's clean.

My husband has a great saying "Those that matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."

REALLY good saying.  Those who truly love us and care for us don't mind that our home is a work in progress.

SAY MORE KIND THINGS THAN NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT YOUR HOME

Stop griping about my tile.  (See above).  Stop pointing out all my homes imperfections and show them what I'm proud of and all that I've accomplished in this home on a very small budget!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my home, and there are times that I forget how much I love it when I see the stains on my carpet, the scratches on the trim, and the fingerprints on the walls.  Every once in a while I'll get a glimpse of my home through a strangers eyes, and what I see is absolutely beautiful.  After all it's not the walls, furniture, paintings or carpet that make this house our home, it's the people living in it, and I honestly couldn't be happier.  This is our home, and I love it.

Linking up to the Nesters Home Goals Linky Party!