Well, friends, it’s now getting close to three months into 2019 and like last year, I’m just now sharing out home goals. But, that’s okay, because even though we never cross them all off the list, I still like that it makes us think through projects that we’ve been dreaming about and planning. I appreciate that it gives us something to work towards and to look back on and see how we did. I love that it makes the year feel like it is full of hope and potential.

So, here we go with our 2019 Home Goals!

1. Replace the front door. 

Yes, this is the third time this is going on the list. But, it took us three years to actually get the laundry room done and look how good that turned out…so maybe this will finally be the year for a new front door, right? I think, now that the house is painted, I’m especially impatient to get this done because I want to choose a new color to go with the navy house paint. I’m taking suggestions!

Sidenote, this photo is from when we replaced the weather stripping under the door. This was over 5 years ago and I had forgotten about it totally until searching for a photo of the door. Also, yes, the FRIENDS frame on the peephole will stay if at all possible. Of course.

 2. Replace the kitchen door to the garage.

This door has actually been on the list since 2016, so it will have to be fourth time’s the charm for this one. Fingers crossed. You guys, please hold us accountable to this!

 3. Hang the light in the basement stairwell

Yep, this is another one from last year that we didn’t get to. We DID make a few preparations, like investigating the wiring situation, and planning out where we want the switch to be. Which sounds good, but Wyatt wants to run it as a two-way switch, which makes it more complicated. So, yea, this will be a bit of a job. But totally doable once we just do it. It will likely require a babysitter, or some help though, since it will involve Wyatt being in the attic and yelling down to me helping run the wires, which means we can’t do it while kids are napping since that’s right by Emma’s room and she would totally wake up with someone yelling down from the ceiling right by her crib. We also can’t do it when it is super hot because Wyatt is really sensitive to the insulation and dusk in our attic and this isn’t worth him wheezing. (Yes, he wears a good mask, but it still bothers him.)

Just think how nice it will be to have this light up so this corner isn’t a dark black hole!

4. Build and set up a little free library. 

This has been something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and this year I think Will is old enough to help and appreciate how fun this could be. I have been collecting some old books and am excited to decide on a design, build it, and then have fun stocking it and checking it with new things.

If anyone has one of these, I’d really love to chat about it. Did you register? Do you think it was worth it to do so?

5. Build a new deck, or at least new deck steps

We limped through one more year with our existing deck after just doing some very minor repair work last year, but now I’m ready to really go for it. I just need to convince Wyatt. ha! I am in favor of tearing it all down and redoing it, bigger, better, and more efficiently positioned in our yard…but, Wyatt says the structure of the deck is fine and it just needs some boards replaced…but then maybe the railing too. And also maybe a post or two. And it needs staining. Which, is basically back to my idea of ripping it up and starting over. However, I totally understand his point that we don’t currently use the deck very much at all, so why spend a lot of money on it of we aren’t sure we’re going to use it a lot more than we do. So, my plan is to talk a lot about this during the winter so we can be ready to work on it as soon as it gets a little warmer.

6. Tackle some landscaping stuff 

I would love to say we were going to do a big project like building a bread/pizza oven…but I’m not sure I can convince Wyatt we need that. Or that we were going to landscape in a swing set or play area for the kids. Or that we would plant a bunch of new things and add edging all along the sides of the house. And maybe even build out the front porch area and redo the flower beds up there with something…but, well, I just don’t think that will all happen. In reality, it may look more like removing a bunch of edging and beds we aren’t maintaining at all and planting grass in some bare spots. Or maybe just adding a nice waterproof deck box to store outside toys that we don’t want to put in the shed so our yard doesn’t look so junky. Honestly, it will likely depend on the deck project and how in depth that gets. Fingers crossed we get a plan in place and get to work early so we can enjoy it this summer but it may end up being a fall project.

This photo is from YEARS ago when we dug out all the old, overgrown shrubs and then, guess what? We never put anything back in there! There is also cutter issues to consider, and a few random floating remnants of the previous owner’s privacy fence (not sure why it got removed before we bought the house) like that huge concrete pad just hanging out there.

7. Living room revamp

We got a new rug last year which I do like (don’t love–but it was super cheap, so that’s to be expected I think), but our curtain situation needs work after I threw up some cheap, too long Ikea curtains (not pictured below). I also really want new seating in here. I’m thinking maybe a new couch and a chair or something? And honestly, we might get rid of this TV. We rarely watch it and don’t really NEED it. (Will watches it in the morning sometimes when I’m not ready to go downstairs yet but that’s about it.) Then again, it will leave a sort of weird hole there if we move it, so I’m not sure. We could do two chairs on that wall and then move our couch to the wall where the loveseat is and get rid of the love seat. Hmm… Lots of options here and nothing really in the works yet…though we did just add one amazing new-to-us piece of furniture (a card catalog finally!) that you’ve seen on Instagram or maybe in some videos on my personal Facebook page if you know us in real life—so I can’t wait to finish giving it some love and get it really styled.

8. Organize the hall craft/toy/random item cabinet/drawers

Honestly, we don’t really NEED this storage. At least that’s the conclusion I’ve come to after emptying most of this out early in the year last year and then slowly filling it back up with random stuff that probably SHOULD go somewhere else. Like all the coloring supplies and sticker books and play-doh and other activities that are shoved on the top and bottom shelves. Most of the other items like that are downstairs in the family room cabinets…but I do see the value of having some things up here to grab quickly when needed…so I just need a system. And to get rid of a bunch of this stuff. Seriously. So much junk in here I’m sure!

The drawers are actually mostly empty still…I think. I honestly don’t know because we never open them because they are one of the only areas we actually put child locks on the drawers. I think because I used to keep my camera in there and I didn’t want to monitor the hallway as much. I do know there are empty boxes for my camera lenses and stuff that I wasn’t sure where else to store, but now that I’ve made so much progress in the basement storage areas, I think I can move them down there, which leaves these drawers open for other things…but again…I don’t want to fill them with just random stuff, so we’ll see where this ends up I guess!

I’m open to suggestions of what YOU ALL would put here. (It’s near our bedrooms and bathroom, but we don’t really need it for linens or things. I’m not sure! Maybe future school stuff for kids?? It used to have board games but those are downstairs now…

9. Guest room mini revamp

This room gets messy so fast and I want to change that. One of the things I’ve learned from all the decluttering books I’ve read over the past year is that clutter leads to more clutter, and if I have a messy corner of the guest room where random things get stashed, it’s going to grow and creep and spread out over the entire room. If I make my mind up to keep this room clear and not use it as a “catch all” for random furniture, filing cabinets, office stuff, and more…it will just stay nicer. So, that’s the goal. Get rid of all the extra stuff in here that isn’t actually supposed to be in there. Then, I want to recover the headboard, change the curtains, add some art, and probably rearrange the furniture a bit now that I’ve gotten rid of one of the two filing cabinets and some extra office stuff that used to have to live in there.

 10. Update Will’s bedroom 

Our sweet, strong-willed firstborn will turn four years old in July and that means, it’s time to get him out of the crib and turn his nursery into a “big boy” room.

Yes, he’s still in his crib. No, I don’t regret that. He sleeps great in it and when we ask him if he wants to change, he says no. So, I haven’t been in any hurry to change something that is working so well. Sure, we’ve changed a few things since he was born, but for the most part, it’s largely the same as it was in 2015 when we brought him home from the hospital. And, it’s time. We’ll start by just removing the front wall from his crib, but by the end of the year, I think he’ll be in a twin which will mean several things have to change in terms of layout and design. So, that will be a fun project I’m sure.

11. Get rid of 1800+ things

So, if you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m in an experiment/process to get rid of 2 things every time I bring something new into the house. That includes everything except groceries (and other consumables like toilet paper). It’s going really well so far and I’ve gotten rid of almost 800 things since the first of October (and a lot of things before then, for sure, but that’s when I started keeping track.)

So, I am going to try to get rid of 1000 more. Now, keep in mind that this includes everything, even small stuff, so when I get to culling out our craft supplies, which will be a big job, one piece of ribbon counts as one thing, even if it’s just a small scrap wound around a pencil because I couldn’t bear to get rid of it back in high school and I “might need it for a spirit day outfit!” You guys, I went all out on spirit days, okay?

Now, if that makes it sound too easy, an entire folder of short stories from high school that were printed out and saved (and never looked at in 13+ years) also only counts as one thing, even though it was much harder to let go of, in comparison. So it balances out. I honestly don’t know how challenging this goal will be. I know I have days where I feel like I’ve culled as much as a I can, and other days where I can grab 20 things in one swoop and toss in the garage sale or donate piles. I’m excited to try though, and keep making progress toward our own blend of minimalism.

(P.S. That photo is from several years ago, but it has totally looked that bad again since being cleaned a few times over the last few seasons of life and remodeling. For example, it’s actually pretty bad right now because it is full of furniture we are going to put in the next garage sale.

 12. Hang art in the basement, and maybe some shelves.

We have almost no art of the walls down there. One print I made is hanging in the family room, and one vintage map of our city is hanging in the guest room. And while I love the bright white walls (yes, I do really like them, and no, I don’t find it cold at all, I think it’s refreshing and calming!), I do want to hang a few things to add some personality. I actually have some things picked out, but we just need to get them framed and hung up.

Bonus Goal? Replace the overhead garage door?

So, we had this on the list for last year…but, then our painters just painted it when they did the house and it LOOKED better so we decided to wait until spring to decide for sure. Wyatt is still not sure what he wants to do, as it would obviously be good to replace, but we don’t know if we’ll replace it with wood panels, like it has now, or a metal door which would be much more affordable but not look as nice…basically, we’re not sure, which is why this is in the bonus category. If anyone has feedback or insight on what you’ve done in a similar situation, we’re open to hearing about it!

Ok. so we have a lot of work cut out for us, and I’m excited to see where we end up!

Other optional projects may include a bathroom renovation. Because while we don’t WANT to tackle that right now, there are a few signs that we may NEED to. So…we’ll see!

What goals do you have for the year? I know you have a few things you’ve been dreaming about and planning and trying to make time for, or save up the money for…and friends, your family in your home…is WORTH IT. Love the home you have now, but if it doesn’t make you happy, YOU CAN CHANGE IT. You can! 

Share a few things on your list and let’s all help each other be do-ers in 2019!