Well, it’s March, so I figure it’s time to share an update on our 2019 Home Goals, right?

Of course, I didn’t post them until March 13 last year, so even though we’re late for a year-recap, we’re still a couple of weeks early in terms of being 12 months after we decided on what we were planning to work on for the year. Maybe next year, we’ll be all the way caught up and back to doing this in January?? A girl can dream, right? And then take steps to make it happen I guess!

Ok, let’s see how we did!

1. Replace the front door. 

So…this one gets crossed off, sorta-kinda? We ended up painting the front door instead of replacing it. We went to look at the door choices (because I had thought I wanted a window to let in more light) but didn’t love any of the ones available and couldn’t spend the money for a custom one. Our main issue with the door was how hot it smelled when the sun shines on it in the afternoon, particularly in the winter when the sunlight is more direct, and going from black to yellow almost entirely solved that problem so I think we are no longer planning to replace this door at all! Just goes to show that sometimes it’s okay to change plans halfway through a project.

 2. Replace the kitchen door to the garage.

So….this one is STILL not done. Why?

Well, because I haven’t pushed for it. And because Wyatt is sort of dreading digging into it and finding a mess even worse than we might imagine. And because I might want to redo the steps in the garage and that would affect this project too. All excuses? Maybe. But…still on the goal list for our home.

 3. Hang the light in the basement stairwell

DONE! And it’s lovely and amazing! So much brighter over the stairway. Now if we just added a handrail, we’d be back to having safe steps! 😉

4. Build and set up a little free library. 

Yes! We love our little library and even though we don’t get a lot of traffic, we are so glad to have done this. It’s a really small way to build into our relationship with our neighbors and take another step towards a life built around hospitality. Plus, it’s fun for our kids to help maintain it.

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

Well, we added a slide off the deck so now we don’t have to use the steps? Can that count?

Probably not. And in fact, that may have complicated the deck project because we’re now rethinking the design a little bit. But spending almost $6000 to replace our heating and air conditioner unit ate up our deck budget, and that means we’ll try again next year.

6. Tackle some landscaping stuff 

We did a little landscaping around the new shed in the backyard so that’s something, but not much. We had hopes of working on the front yard, but we ended up with not enough cash in our project budget. Looking back, we were probably over ambitious to think we’d have the funds to do major landscaping AND a deck. As it turns out, we didn’t have the money for either.

So…this one is sort of done. I didn’t specify how much landscaping “stuff” needed to be done to count, right?? But, I think for the spirit of the goal, it should stay on the list to be done.

7. Living room revamp

Well, I still haven’t hemmed the curtains, but the living room has had a big shift since this time last year! For starters, we’re rocking a totally different, much more open layout and we got rid of the TV in there!

It has totally changed the way we use this space. I’ll be honest, it used to be mostly for the kids watching TV while eating breakfast and snacks. And it sounds simple, but getting rid of the TV means they do a lot more playing and a lot less TV watching. We keep books and blocks in this room and that’s where a lot of reading and building happens now. It’s also the preferred baby doll and car playing spot. I love that we can cultivate the kind of playtimes we want our kids to have simply by tweaking a space.

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

Guess what? I did this twice and it’s still not really done. Why? Because it’s mostly empty! I finally moved all the art supplies to the empty cabinet in the kitchen nook which is working pretty well. Not perfect, but better. And now I’m trying to figure out what to put in the drawers in the hallway. Does emptying count as organizing? I guess it does! So, crossing this off!

9. Guest room mini revamp

I wish this was done, but it turned into a bit more of a full on revamp than I originally planned so it’s going to take a little longer. We used one of the twin beds for Will’s room. We were using two twin beds pushed together as a king simply because we had them from my parents. But now we only have one twin bed (but a king-sized headboard–that we DIYed) and that means we’ll need to do some shopping.

 10. Update Will’s bedroom 

Mostly done! I’m crossing this off because the only things left on the list to do in here are some wall art projects and it’s okay if those take a bit to flesh out. I want to get them right, and sometimes that takes time.

The biggest thing is that he’s happy. And I love that it still feels playful and fun, but more grown up. And that it should grow with him pretty well. We can switch out little things and let the major pieces work in this space for a long time to come.

11. Get rid of 1800+ things

Well, I’ve gotten rid of over 2000 items over the last 12 months! (Of course, some are still in our house in totes waiting for our next garage sale, but that’s okay, after that, anything that doesn’t sell will be donated or tossed out.)

I still have a LONG way to go toward minimalism, but every room in our house has a little more breathing room and I feel it in my soul, too.

Getting rid of enough of my clothes to sell my dresser was a huge accomplishment that I’m so proud of, even though I fretted over what to do with our dresser. (In the end, selling it was the best decision!) It has made such a huge difference in how I feel in our space.

I now look around our rooms and think, “what big pieces do we really not need??” and that’s been a huge perspective shift for me.  It’s what led to us reconfiguring the living room without the TV and the TV table. And it kept me from buying a bunch of new stuff for Will and Emma’s rooms as we shift things in there. And I think it will help with the guest room project too.

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

Well, I’ve added four large scale items to the walls and even though some would say it still looks bare, I think it’s a step in the right direction. I still think we’ll add some shelving as we move forward into this space, but I like the direction we’re heading! I’d rather take my time than add a bunch of things before I’m sure.

Bonus Goal? Replace the overhead garage door?

Well, we looked into this around the same time we considered the front door replacement and, you guessed it—decided it wasn’t in the budget for this year. And that’s okay. Maybe next year? Or the year after that? Who knows! We’ve been working toward some other financial goals and haven’t been putting as much into our home projects savings. And that’s okay.

One of the things this year taught me was that while we are working towards a long term house plan, it’s okay to focus on what we need most right now. Like a working air conditioner. Or a shed. Or a side table for the new living room furniture arrangement that I never expected, even if those things weren’t expected purchases. That’s the point of all of this anyway, making our home work for the life we actually live here.

What do you think about changing plans and making the most of your home now? Is there anything you’ve been beating yourself up about or wishing you could change?