Projects for 2011

Happy New Year to everyone! I am so glad to have a fresh start. There is definitely something magical about January 1st and allowing yourself to forget all your bad habits and move forward with a clean slate. I am always making resolutions and setting goals in the New Year, but this time I have decided to change it up a bit. Not only will I continue to work on the goals that I have had for years (like eating healthier and exercising), but this year I want to be very specific with the goals that I have in mind for my house. I currently have a lot of ideas going on in my head about what I would like to do in my house (even more now that I read so many of your fabulous ideas), but never know where to start, so this year I am going to select a project a month and set up the list of projects ahead of time. This way I will always know what I should be working on, no more jumping from room to room, project to project. So without further ado, here is my list of projects and schedule for 2011. 1. January-Whole House Decluttering

It only makes sense to start with eliminating all of the unneccessary JUNK that we have in the house. It's time to let loose of the stuff we no longer use or need. There are a few things worth listing on E-bay or Craigslist, but most of it will go directly to the Salvation Army store. As I am dejunking I want to organize the basement storage. 2. February-Sewing and Craft Area

Living in Kansas, we all have basements and mine is currently unfinished. It is very large, but I have managed to take over about 75% of it for sewing and crafts. I sew alot and make things for family and friends and also sew for our childrens carseat cover business Carseat Couture. I have 5 sewing machines a large cutting table and lots of fabric on shelves. I also have a lot of furniture to refinish and multiple craft projects going at any one time. Time to clean this up and get some organization going. 3. March-My Office My office needs a complete overhaul. It is a organizational nightmare that I have worked on time and time again. The problem is, I never finish it. And then things begin to pile up on the desk and in the chairs. Before I know it, it is overwhelming. I want to declutter, reorganize and redecorate. I saw so many wonderful posts this year by those of you who showed us where you work. You are amazing at setting up and creating a beautiful space to take care of business.

4. April-Master Bedroom

We have lived in our house for eight years and have never done anything with our bedroom. I am still using the same bedspread and dust ruffle that we had in our old house. We still have builder beige wall color and no curtains. (We did install the 2 inch wide blinds the day we moved in) It is boring, and it is time to make it special.

5.May-Great Room

About 5 years ago, we took the furniture out of our great room to paint it and after we painted, my husband thought it would be a great place for a pool table. I said why not and we bought a beautiful pool table and created a really nice Billiard Room. We really enjoyed it for the first couple of years. We would play pool together in the evening and everyone that came over would practice their shots in their. It was alot of fun, but it seemed to wear off after a while and now no one ever uses it. It needs to be put back together as a normal gathering room.

6. June- Powder Room

Another are untouched since the builder left. Standard plate glass mirror and beige walls. Its time to create a beautiful space for our guests to use. Taking the mirror off of the wall has always been intimidating, so we may use the framing technique that is so popular in blogland.

7. July- Laundry Room

I never thoght about decorating my laundry room until I started reading all of your posts and seeing the great ideas you all have. I am going for it, paint, wall decor, and of course organization.

8. August- Guest Room Bath

Our builder installed a prefabricated, one piece shower in this room. We hated it from the beginning, but it wasn't enough to keep us from buying the house. Well, at Christmas this year, my father in law was staying in the guest room and using this shower. He informed us that he had noticed a crack in the fiberglass and we should take a look. Sure enough, there are two cracks and it could possibly be patched, but would always look like it was patched. So, we have decided to rip out the whole shower and redo with a tiled shower stall.

9. September- The Boys Rooms and Bath

We have two more bedrooms that our youngest sons(both in their twenties) use. One of them still at home and the other comes and goes. They are adjoined by a bath. I want to paint both rooms and the bath and just generally redecorate.

10. October- Start Finishing the Basement

If I am still on schedule by this point in time, I want to start the process of finishing the basement. I would like to have a large area for the family to gather and possibly a bedroom and bath . It is definitely doable if I can get Hubby on board. He is very handy and we have done some great work together before.

11. November- Focus on Holiday Preparation

No more last minute shopping and sewing. This year I am going to get it together early. This is also a busy time for the antique mall, so I don't want to have a major home project going now.

12. December- Enjoy the Holiday Season

Since I am going to be ready early, I want to really enjoy the season this year. Baking and spending time with family. No more rushing to the store on my days off and especially Christmas Eve. I can also take this time to reflect on the upcoming year and what I have accomplished during the last year. I can't wait to relax and enjoy the holidays and the real reason for the season.

I am sorry this was such a long post, but I really wanted to get it all on paper this year. I want to know where I am going and have a plan. I really feel like this will help me get more accomplished in the long run.

Happy New Year to all and I hope your year is as productive as mine will be!