House Goals for 2018

At first it seemed silly to write out what projects I would like to complete around our house this year, but then it got me to thinking about what truly matters and what is a higher priority to complete. So it ended up being a helpful exercise. One thing I have to remind myself is that just because it would be nice to do doesn't necessarily mean it is worth it. This house likely isn't a long-term house for us, so I want to be realistic about what we do and don't do, especially if it is an aesthetic issue primarily. For example, many of the walls are a tan color. It isn't my favorite color, and I wish they were white, but they had been freshly painted right before we moved in, so it isn't really worth it to me to prioritize painting them. Perhaps someday I will paint them, but for now, I am decorating around it and fighting for contentment in it.

There are some projects, though, that need to be done, will add overall value to the home, or just add value to my day-to-day life because they bring me joy and allow our house to function better.

So, what am I hoping to complete in 2018?

DECORATE BABY GIRL'S ROOM

First up on the docket is to decorate Baby Girl's room. She is due in April, but I am hoping to get a lot of the room put together by the end of February / beginning of March so we don't have to scramble at the last minute.

I am working on a blog post with my inspiration for the space, but here is the high-level list of what needs to be done.

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To do—

Paint walls white

Hang curtains

Art for walls including this print from Etsy

Paint crib (?)

Small side table, new lampshade, and this new rug

ADD SHELVES FOR BOOKS IN OFFICE AREA

All of our non-kids books are still in boxes because we don't have anywhere to put them. We have a great spot at the top of the stairs in our office area that would work perfectly; we mostly just need to buy the shelves and brackets and set aside the time to hang them. This is pretty high on my priority list because it will make our office function more efficiently, and it will just generally make the space less cluttered and messy.

"FINISH" OUR DINING ROOM

This is one of the rooms that has tan wall paint. I don't intend to paint right now, but I would like to add some other finishing touches so it feels more completed. None of these changes are urgent really, but I am itching to get them done and crossed off my list because they feel like 'easy' wins.

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To do—

Reupholster our dining chairs with this fabric and get two new end chairs

Add art from Jenny's Print Shop—Hyacinth & Poppies, to be specific

Paint bench

Hang curtains

TWEAK LIVING ROOM

For the most part, our living room functions well, and I like how it has come together. I would like to switch out the loveseat that we have for a longer sofa that fits the style I'm going for a bit better. Also, the accent chair we have been using in the living room will get moved to the baby's room, so I will play musical chairs with a few other options I have around the house. Otherwise, the room needs some art and possibly another lamp for one of the corners that always seems dark. Besides switching out the loveseat, the other changes for this room are pretty low-priority for me.

To do—

Sell loveseat and replace with longer option

Switch around chairs

Lighting (?)

Art for walls

UPDATE FRONT EXTERIOR

The front and side doors of our house are currently red for a reason that will always befuddle me. The red does not go with any of the other colors used for trim and whatnot on the exterior of the house. I just wonder if the previous owners had read that a red door was popular or something and went with it. So, I would love, love, love to paint the doors this spring to better go with the rest of the home's exterior. On our long-term list, we would like to update the windows, paint the exterior trim, and get new gutters. Painting the front and side doors will be a nice hold-over until we get to those other items (probably next year). I'd also like to add some plants to the front garden so it doesn't look quite so bare.

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To do—

Paint front and side doors

Replace lock hardware with something more modern

Replace front exterior light with dusk-to-dawn option (We put these on our garage last summer, and I really like them.)

Add hydrangeas to front garden

UPDATE BACK EXTERIOR

We started on the back patio last summer and have a few things to finish up. There was a small deck leading from our back door to the yard area, and whoever built it did not use exterior screws, so they had rusted through. We ended up taking the deck down entirely so it can be built properly, but we didn't have enough time before winter came to rebuild it. This is pretty high on the list once the ground unfreezes so that we can take advantage of the backyard for the summer and fall. Dylan also wants to build a picnic table for our patio, which I am very excited about.

To do—

Build deck

Build picnic table

Add a few plants around patio (?)

Build grill station (?)

REMOVE CARPET FROM BASEMENT STAIRS (AND PAINT THEM)

This project is pretty simple but mostly just tedious. I will probably tackle it after the baby comes and we get back to a little bit of a 'normal' schedule again. It's not high priority but would be so nice to get done.

IF BUDGET ALLOWS—

Switch out pedestal sink for ikea vanity in main floor bathroom

Finish drywall in laundry room

I'm hoping this list will help me stay on track and not let random projects creep in that end up using up our time and budget. I'd love to hear if you have any particular house projects you are working on this year!

My 'One Little Word' for 2018

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Have you heard of One Little Word? I came across it two years ago from listening to the Elise Joy podcast. Elise and Ali Edwards have a yearly conversation about their One Little Word, and it is always very interesting to listen to. You can find this year's conversation here. If you are curious about One Little Word, I recommend listening to it. It's a quick listen, and she links to a bunch of resources in her show notes for you to explore further.

The basic premise is that you pick a guiding word for the year. In my mind, it is like picking a theme that you use to guide you and your year.

I have never actually done it before. Last year I thought about a word but nothing really stood out to me, and then I pretty much forgot about it. As I've been thinking about this year, though, I've been thinking about how it would be nice to have a word to guide my goals and resolutions so they are a bit more cohesive.

For whatever reason, the word that has stuck out to me is DIG—as in Dig In, Dig Up, Dig Out. I particularly liked these definitions...

1) Break up & move earth with hands, a tool, or machine

2) Push, poke, prod, jab, or shove

3) Excavate

4) Bring out something hidden or stored

5) Search or rummage for

So, what do I want to dig into or dig up in 2018? Well, here's what I've been thinking about...

Dig into my relationship with God—

I've been thinking about the concept of abiding with God, particularly in the day-to-day things of life, and I want to spend some time reading verses from the Bible about that.

I also can easily get caught up in anger, anxiety, impatience, and general discontentment that swirls around in my heart. I've been thinking about this verse from 1 Peter 3:3–4—"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." The part about the gentle and quiet spirit really stands out to me. I want to explore what that would look. I would like to read, "Keep a Quiet Heart" by Elisabeth Elliot to facilitate some more thoughts about that.

Dig / prod / poke / shove myself to live a more active lifestyle—

After the baby comes, consistently do my kettle bell workouts (which I had started before I was pregnant and really enjoyed).

Say "yes" to going for walks and playing outside with Finn.

Generally be more proactive about doing activities with Finn, especially ones that get us moving.

Part of this will involve digging up some bad lifestyle habits of choosing laziness, eating poorly, etc.

Dig into being a mom to two kids—

I have no idea what this will look like, but I definitely want to leave room that it will be a transition. It's just been Finn and I home for the last 3 years, so having a newborn is going to be quite a change. Plus, Finn will start preschool two days a week in the fall.

Dig out my painting skills and prioritize time painting regularly—

Rather than trying to learn a new creative hobby, I would like to dig out my painting skills and dust them off a bit. I haven't painted in years. It's definitely going to take some creative muscle stretching, but I think I'd like to start by painting some florals and landscapes. It will be a much looser style than I've done previously, and I'm feeling excited and inspired to try it out. I think I'm going to buy this desk easel and a pack of canvases so I don't have an excuse to keep me from jumping right in.

My one resolution, which doesn't really fit into the categories above, is to take better care of my skin. Primarily, this means washing my face and applying moisturizer at night and regularly wearing sunscreen. I'm pretty much the worst about washing my face when I'm tired and it's cold and the water is going to take forever to heat up. But, it's such an easy thing to do and takes very little effort in the grand scheme of things.

Do you make resolutions? Is there anything you are trying to focus on in 2018?

On Pacing

Hustle felt like the word of 2015. You can find pretty prints of the word all over Pinterest. I have a love-hate relationship with words like this. There is something good and right about working hard and yet there is nothing enviable about working yourself into oblivion. We can probably all think of someone we know (or know of) that just oozes stress, running around like a crazy person.

See, the lie of "hustle" is that it calls you to a hurried pace. There's no counterbalance. No anchor to help slow/stop the suction of the worm-hole of busy. From there, it is easy to fall into the belief that who you are as a person is dependent on what you accomplish, how much you have hustled.

I truly believe we can strive for pacing in life that is healthy—that accounts for working hard, relaxing, and just generally having fun—because who you are as a person is not dependent on what you accomplish or how much you achieve.

I feel this struggle of the hustle firsthand. I have Achiever in StrengthsFinder (see Note below if you aren't familiar), so each day is a blank slate and I need to get things done to feel productive and accomplished. For me, "getting things done" means tasks (i.e. calling the insurance company, scheduling a vet visit, doing laundry, etc.) I am slowing re-orienting my perspective to include things like playing with Finn, going for a walk just for fun, and reading a book into my view of a good day.

So, as I think about my hopes for this year, I want to be mindful of the lie of the hustle. I want to work hard at my responsibilities and be reliable. I also want to leave room in my schedule for time with friends and family, for doing hobbies I enjoy just for the sake of them and not because they might make money or make me look cool. I want to allow myself times to have nothing on my schedule but curling up with a good book. I want to let myself enjoy a night of binge watching a show on Netflix without feeling like it was a waste of time or that I "should have been productive". I want to let myself have times to enjoy things just for the sake of enjoying them. To do something inspiring if the motivation strikes. To let myself linger over brunch with friends. I don't want the hustle to eat me up because I don't want to end the day, the week, the year exhausted and frustrated. Life is in the memories of the year, not all the tasks I got done.

What about you, any hopes for 2016?

Note—If you haven't heard of StrengthsFinder, it is a personality test. It is very interesting, and I recommend you check it out. It will give you a list of 5 "strengths" based on your responses to their online questionnaire. For Dylan and I, knowing our strengths has been very enlightening of why we do what we do. You can buy the book from most bookstores or Amazon and that includes a link in the back to access the online questionnaire on their website.