Goal #3

 Close to ten years ago, I purchased a house.  Not just any house, but the house I grew up in.  It's not a horrible house.  It's an old house.  It has old house problems.  Unfortunately, in the last year some of those problems have made my house a place I don't want to be.  That's not what a house should be.  So, this brings me to my next goal.

Goal #3: Turn My House Into My Home

Before I start listing all the things I want to do, let me go ahead and let you know that I am not delusional.  I am completely aware that all of this will not happen this year.  Actually, this all will probably not happen in 5 years, but I need a plan and this is where it is starting.  Ultimately, I just want to create a place that I want to be, a place that I'm excited about having friends see, and a place that feels like ME.  So, here's the enormous (ever-changing) list of all the things I would love to do:

Kitchen (I think this is where I will start!)
New flooring - laminate
Counters - either new counters, or paint the old ones
Paint the appliances
Cabinets - repainted, new hardware
Lighting - NEW
Walls - Paint
Kitchen Table and Chairs - Paint
Wood stove- REMOVE
Bust through the wall between living room and kitchen and put in gas logs that will heat from both sides
Curtains for Glass doors as well as window above sink
New kitchen sink and faucets
Create recycling station

Living Room
Bust through the wall between living room and kitchen and put in gas logs that will heat from both sides
Floor - New carpet
Walls - Paint? Remove paneling...SOMETHING!
Replace picture window
New Curtains
New Light Fixtures
Redo Mantel

Bedroom
New Carpet
Walls - Paint
Curtains for openings in closets
Figure out the lighting in this room
Find an old piece of furniture to turn into an armoire for the TV

Craft/Gift Wrapping Area
New Carpet
Paint/Remove Paneling
Reorganize area

Guest room
Fix floor (broken board!)
Repaint
Add heat source!
Repurpose furniture
Lighting

Bathrooms
New Floor: laminate
Paint Walls
Put up new wall boards in bathtub room
Remove shower door and add curtain

Guest Room/Office
Declutter
(new-old desk?)
Paint Bookcases

Back entry/Laundry area
New Floor: Laminate
Paint
Reorganize
Add cabinet above Washer/Dryer

Repaint outside of house - YIKES!


So here's the deal.  I'm poor.  I'm single.  And while I feel creative in my brain, it hardly ever manifests itself in actual products!  I MUST do as much of this on my own as possible.  I cannot afford to pay someone to do these things - except for maybe the busting out of the wall...that scares me A LOT.  Anyway, I'm relying on the ideas and talents of my super creative friends....and the manual labor of those same friends, to help me make this house a place I want to be.  Again, I KNOW that this list will not be checked off by the end of the year, but at least I have some ideas and a plan.  And really, I just want to get started.  I just want to love where I live and enjoy spending time there.

Hopefully I'll have lots of before and after pictures to show you as the year goes on!  (The before pics are not the problem!  I just hope that I have something fun to show you for the AFTER!)

Up next?  Goal #4