I like goals. They help keep me focused and accountable for getting things done. I do not, however, ever think of them as absolutes or set in stone. I know not everything will get done, but I try to aim high so that as much gets done as possible. Lots of factors go into whether home project goals are accomplished over the year so I need to be flexible. Money being a big one. Before we chat about goals....
Let me know if there are any tutorials, gardening tips, or any other things YOU would like to see on the blog this year.
To start off, let's review last year's goals.
#1. Gardening Shed
Nope.
I stated that this was an expensive goal and probably would not happen. I was right. The one I want is large and custom and I am not willing to cave and get a cheap small one. Our garage will have to continue to double as a shed for now.
#2. Add Storage to Our Attic
Yes!
We added a pull down ladder and finished a fourth of the attic which is about 11x14 feet. It has been SO NICE to have all that extra storage. It has been one of those "Why the heck did we not do this sooner?" kind of projects. It took a long time to finish just that one corner (We had to sister 2x6's on all the ceiling joists and add blocking before we could even add OSB as a floor) so we plan to on doing one section each year until the whole thing is done.
#3. Turn the Garage Attic into a Playhouse/Fort
Yes!
This attic makeover was a favorite project this year and the boys have really loved having it. It makes me wish we would have thought of this idea when they were all littler, but at least we got it done :)
#4. Finish the Garage Curb Appeal Project
Partly...
We finally painted the back eave and did some landscaping, but there is still one more project that I didn't do. And that I haven't told you about yet.... Plus we added a project to our list for the other side of our garage. I'll add that to your list for this year.
#5. Finish Down Bathroom
Nope.
This year was weird and our focus ended up being more outside then in. But we may or may not have started this one now.... #staytuned
#6. Refresh up Bath
Yep!
It didn't take much to completely change the look of the up bath and I love it.
#7. More Room Makeovers for Others
Partly.
Well Covid really screwed this one up for me. I squeezed one in at the beginning of the year for my nephew before the world was put on pause. But hopefully this year I will get the chance to decorate some new spaces for others.
Goals for 2021
Down Bath shower
Again, we basically have most of the supplies. So this should be pretty easy to complete soon. I still am undecided on the size of the nook and what tile to add to it. Colorful? Fun pattern? More plain? Ugh. It is crazy how one little thing can hold you back from moving forward.
More Attic Storage
Like I mentioned before, we want to add a new section every year. The boys had fun helping their dad up there so I don't think getting them on board this year will be too hard. They like wearing headlamps and hammering :)
I also still need to share pics of the pull down ladder and the storage we have now. It is pretty cool!
Privacy Wall in the Backyard
This one is kind of hard to explain, but I designed a "wall" system of sorts to give us more privacy in the areas of our yard where there is a two story house next to us. Shane and I both grew up in very rural areas with few neighbors so we want our backyard to feel more private. We also want to add more trees at the back of our yard. Operation "Privacy" will commence in the spring when the ground thaws. I am SUPER excited for this one!!!
Garage Makeover (Part 3)
I have a couple more projects for the outside of the garage. I want to do some more painting (I'm keeping it a bit of a secret), and I want to fix up the south side that os currently a garbage pile. A fence, and a few other things to finish it off.
More Room Makeover for Others
Since Covid made it a bit harder to go into other's spaces for most of 2020, I am hopeful I can do more room makeovers or home projects for friends and family this year. I love doing kids spaces the most, but am open to whatever. My niece is building her first home and her little girl has already requested a rainbow unicorn room. A tad outside of my comfort zone as a boy mom, but I like a challenge!
Blog More Often
When I started this blog I posted 6 days a week. Then after a few years I went down to 4-5 and held steady at that pace for a long time. A couple of years ago, I realized my oldest would be leaving the nest soon(ish) and wanted to cut back on work and focus a lot more time on family and having adventures with my kids. I over-corrected a bit and went down to one day a week. I want to find a happy medium and post a couple days a week and slowly work up to 3 days a week. Even though I only post one day a week, it doesn't mean I don't work everyday. Between emails, social media, doing the projects, planning, etc, I still work at least part time hours daily. But I think I can push a little harder and get more content on the blog without it effecting time with kids.
Blog Makeover
This blog needs an overhaul. It needs to be redesigned so it is easier to find things and it needs a fresh look. This is the longest I have gone in-between redesigns. I am looking forward to a facelift!
The VERY Back of the Yard
Behind the planter box fence is about 25 feet of nothing. It is dirt, weeds, and firewood. It is where we park the trailer and pile up yard waste that either turns onto compost or eventually goes to the dump. Shane and I would love to clean it up a bit and put down some gravel. I also want to add better compost bins.
These pics are from two years ago when our neighbor flattened a hill back there. Imagine a billion weeds and then you know what it looks like now.
I'm hesitant to add more to my goal list because if 2020 taught me anything, it is that it is harder to plan ahead when there's a pandemic. There are much larger projects that I am omitting due to the uncertainty of our budget. Like lots of new concrete poured... I guess if they do happen, it will be a bonus :) If not, there's always next year.
Do you set home goals? I love to hear some of the projects that YOU want to accomplish this year!
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Angela St
I'd love to see upcycling/recycling projects for the house and garden.
Stacy
I love that idea! I used to more of that and it will be good to do more of those projects this year :)
Stephanie A
Hi Stacy,
I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog and that I find the number of projects you completed this last year amazing!! One of my very favorites was your garage curb appeal project, and it will be fun to see how you finish that up. It’s so cool that you were able to adjust your blogging to have more time with your kids, but I’m glad you’re going to be able to spend more time with us in the future!! I get so many ideas from you and look forward to continued inspiration as you work through as many of your projects in this coming year as possible. All the best to you, Stephanie
Stacy
Thank you Stephanie! You just made my whole week :)
Lamar Shahbazian
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for the inspiration, your work is lovely and it's great to see what you have done and plan to do. I am recently retired so have a lot more time for home/garden now. We plan a remodel of our upstairs bath this year, and possibly the 1/2 bath downstairs. I have started cleaning our wood railing for the stairway that takes you up/down stairs, but it took some of the finish off so I need to figure that out. My daughter's room is becoming my craft room and right now I just crammed everything in her closet but I'd like to organize it better. Other than that, it's mostly outdoor projects. We have a sunporch that I'd love to turn into a greenhouse/potting shed and a place to start seedlings. We have a big backyard but it's mostly organized already, I just need to figure out what to plant where. And we have a big wild blackberry patch on the property and I've never "maintained" it, so I might see if I can trim it back and get access to more berries! That's probably enough I think. Thanks for asking!
Stacy Risenmay
I love your list! All my favorite things. Makeovers, organizing and gardening :)
Mary Alice Kenley
Our Goals: Both in our mid-70s, this is the year we decided to downsize from our 3000 sf lakeside home. While it is a lovely Southern plantation style one-story with a 625 sf wrap-around porch, it isn't perfect. Our goals are as follows:
1. Finish painting the interior--we lack the front entry, living and dining rooms and one guest room.
2. Replace the tub shower with a walk-in shower. Installers are due today.
3. Replace the three windows in the kitchen. Ordered
4. Design and execute a plan for what we call the secret garden, a lovely little fenced spot on the neighbor side of our property.
We know these will be done. Others that are still swimming around in my head.
Stacy
Sounds like you are off to a good start! I love having a secret garden! I can't wait for things to warm up so I can garden in there again.
Thank you for sharing :)