I finally have a project update for you on how we did with all of our 2020 home goals!

Yes, I know it’s already the end of February, but that’s still almost a month ahead of when I did our 2019 review last year, so…let’s keep things in perspective and say we actually did all of this in 11 months, which is pretty impressive, right…AND, I’m actually ahead of where I was last year, ok?

Ok!

Here we go!

1, Get Emma a bigger bookshelf

Done, and it’s one of my favorite things in our house now! Not only was the bookshelf itself a handmade wedding gift from our brother-in-law, but it’s now painted pink and Emma is a huge fan!

Of course, we’ve pretty much totally filled it up again with books but that’s okay. She has some baby books I’ll make myself pass on pretty soon and that will free up some more space. (Or maybe we’ll just move some into her closet–we ARE the Little Library House, after all.)

After:

Before:

2. Replace the door from the garage to the kitchen.

Um….ok. Why haven’t we done this? Someone give me a good reason?

Nope?

Well, that’s because there isn’t one.

We did add a lot more water paintings to the door though, overlapped and everything. So there’s…that?

3. Organize the kitchen cabinets and the pantry. Finally.

This is crossed off, even though it isn’t perfect. It’s MUCH better.

We use these extra deep trays (actually industrial tool trays) as makeshift “drawers” since we don’t have a lot of drawers and the cabinets just aren’t as easy to organize when we’re working with lots of little things in a big open cabinet.

We also use these in our extra deep (the full depth of our fridge!) pantry that goes floor to ceiling. All that storage is super-duper nice, but it drove me crazy trying to keep it organizes as stuff was always in front of the stuff I wanted. I still want to eventually add some prettier containers to hold things inside the bins in our pantry like powdered sugar, but even if it isn’t Pinterest-perfect, this system works well for us, and I bet it will for you too!

Also, how do we STILL have so much food storage? Leftovers, anyone?

4. Remake the guest room. 

Again, this isn’t totally done or perfect, but we have a new bed, and my favorite hanging chair, oh, and a new office nook! So…yea. Lots of progress was made here, even if I am stuck on some art and some form of nightstands.

After:

Before:

5. Backyard landscaping.

Well, we met with a couple of people about the deck but in the end, we just didn’t feel comfortable spending a lot of money (and time if we DIY) until we had a better idea of what we really wanted. As our kids get older, and especially in this pandemic, we’ve used our outside space differently than we have in years past so what we thought we wanted didn’t seem as defined.

Ultimately, it’s better to wait until we’re sure before spending thousands of dollars. Even though we really wanted to have something done last year. Really hoping we’ll be able to do it this year though!

6. Do SOMETHING to the basement bathroom. 

I mean…I think was better than just something…

So happy with how this turned out. I can’t believe we waited this long to do this $200 makeover. Can you believe that? $200??!?!?

7. Fix the driveway and trim the tree in the front yard. 

Done!

I wasn’t really that thrilled about spending money on a basically invisible fix for the driveway and back patio but Wyatt is the practical one who insisted it needed to be done. So, we did it!

And the tree does look WAY better! I mean…there is a house here!

8. Hang art in our master bedroom. 

Well, this one is done, but really only on a technicality. I hung some stuff (that I haven’t even photographed yet–oops!) but I’m not a huge fan.

In fact, I think I may have created a problem in that now I want a new, bigger mirror! But, we do have some other art in progress still, so I feel fairly good about crossing this one off, even if it’s not DONE done. Stay tuned on Instagram for what I did in there.

9. Finish the garage and shed organization.

We will never have a Pinterest-worthy garage I don’t think. As much as I’d like to…

But, we did make a lot of progress out there this year. And until we decide on some sort of better recycling system and build it, this is likely as good as it can be. I am still loving that we added and customized some lockers to hold our outdoor sports stuff and some other toys and camping stuff!

Oh, and some better tool organization…but let’s face it. I can’t force that. Wyatt has to decide if and how he even wants to add some sort of system. (He would argue he has a system. I disagree. Ha!)

10. Start seriously planning a bathroom renovation. 

We have finally decided to do our master bathroom before the hall bathroom and that has meant a LOT of discussion and dreaming about what can we do in there to make it more functional. We’d LOVE to have a bigger shower and a lot more light and bright…not to mention better, more functional storage!

(Photo of what we have versus what we’re hoping to get closer to!)

11. Organize the hall closet. 

We decided to use the bottom drawers for puzzles, even thought they aren’t all that functional. We have LOTS of puzzles (see the middle image below).

I also moved all my cards and stationary upstairs, and the have a better bin for all our candles. And there is still room to stash stuff on the bottom when someone is coming over and I have junk sitting out that I need to stash away temporarily.

Not that THAT EVER HAPPENS. Of course.

I wish we had a totally different little closet here, but honestly, it is what it is for now. Maybe someday we’ll rip it totally out and redo it. For now, we’ve come a LONG WAY. Once I knew what I wanted to store in here, it’s so much easier to keep it tidy.

12. Get rid of 1000 more items from our home. 

Ok, to be fair, I lost count somehow. I use a note on my phone to track items in and out, as well as a running total, but I somehow got my lists messed up and while I do know we have maintained my “one in, two out” rule, I only have 679 items on my list of “outs” for the year. I know that isn’t correct because we CERTAINLY brought in WAY more than 340 items. (We brought in more than that just in December I bet!

So, crossing it off even though I don’t have a satisfying final number to give here. Either way, less stuff, more love, right?

That’s the goal, anyway!

Wyatt and I are working on our list of goals for 2021 and I’m both excited and a little (lot) scared as at least a couple of things on that list are going to be pretty expensive. We have been saving up for a bit project for several years now though, so I guess we’re due.

What do you think is our biggest accomplishment for 2020? I think the basement $200 bathroom makeover wins, hands down! Any suggestions for what to tackle in 2021??