2012...looking forward

Ya know, even though I have given up on making New Year resolutions, I still think of the goals I'd like to accomplish in each new year.  Sure, I'd like to let by-gones be by-gones, but some things are not meant to happen until it feels right. I think when that person is dead is a good time for that. LOL!!  OK, just kidding. well sorta. I like to make more interesting goals. Not that burying the hatchet isn't interesting, it's not always easily accomplished if the other person isn't just as willing.


BUT! Hatchets aren't what this post is about. I want to talk about the goals you set for yourself to make improvements in your life. Eating better. Organization. Live more. Stop Smoking/drinking or other self destructive habits. I was a smoker in my younger days. I've been smoke free for 12 years now. Sorry, again I've went off on a tangent there. This really isn't a fire and brimstone blog post - really! It seems to be taking that tone though, doesn't it? sorry.


What I really want to say here is that I am hoping that we can make some major home improvements this year. These are really big dreams, considering my hubby's new job keeps him super busy and working late many nights. That's about the only thing he doesn't like about his work. He loves it otherwise and they treat him great!


I am happy to say that we actually had some time this weekend to discuss starting a somewhat major remodel project this year. You see, even though our house is kind of large, (3,400 sq. ft) we still don't seem to have enough room for all our stuff. Granted, we've inherited tons of stuff from my hubby's side of the family as well as our own 2 households before getting married. We have liquidated so much, but my hubby has a hard time parting with many family items. Take blankets for instance, I think we have enough quilts and throws to adequately care for the homeless community in a large metropolis! His mother, grandmothers and aunt loved to make blankets of all sorts. I like some of the quilts and have opted to keep only the prettiest and practical ones and donating the rest. My hubby seems to think that his deceased mother is the one that will decide whether he goes to Heaven or not based on how many blankets are left in the family estate. He keeps looking for the lightening bolt out of the sky when we discuss this. I have to remind him that his momma isn't caring about what happens to these her blankets anymore up in Heaven. I'm not wanting to burn them, I just want them to go to people who will really use them and that needs them. We don't NEED 50+ blankets. There's only 3 of us living here and one college student (part timer). One smaller tote is sufficient.

(source)

Some of them aren't even this pretty (this example is from Pinterest). Some are very pretty, and those are the ones I want to keep. They weren't even made during the depression where they had to use whatever they had on hand, like the only one I have from my maternal grandmother. I'm not into crocheted ones at all, and not when they have a varied mix of colors and one of those colors is black. It might be pretty to someone else and trendy some other time. It's just not my thing. I love crocheted things like doilies and pillow cases and the edges of  hankies and such with thread or floss (& we have many of those too) but not blankets from yarn. Sweaters yes. Does that make me mean? *sigh!* We have totes of blankets - big totes, that Christmas trees fit in...and more than one of those too. Have mercy on me, please & Don't judge me. I loved my Mother In Law dearly for the short time I got to spend with her. How I wish she were alive today so I could have her make some awesome stuff that I know she would be capable of. She'd probably get a kick out of Etsy!


Anyway. Back to the project(s) that we'd like to get done this year, which is kind of 2 fold. I have a good sized laundry room that currently holds a washer and dryer, an upright freezer and a full sized fridge. There is also a small cabinet in there and a small bench. There are 2 small closets with one housing the water softener. The entry into the crawl space is in the floor here, as well. Mind you, I have been wanting this room redone for yeeeeaaaaarrrrssss quite a while. It has some issues and needs a desperate update. It has some seriously shagadelic carpet in there!

Yes....this IS it!  nice.

I'm having visions of Austin Powers in his boudoir right now, all I need is some black fur. ICK!!!

E'hem, now erase that picture from your mind. sorry. Our daughter's bedroom is on the other side of the laundry wall and there are 2 large closets in her room on that wall.

These are the 2 closets.

We want to take the left half of the left closet and close it off on her bedroom side and open it on the laundry room side, so the fridge or freezer can be built-in the room making it more open. We figured if we completely reconfigured the closets in her room, we can get a full closet on her side, half of one on the other side of the wall and create a built in desk with some shelves for her in the corner of her room. I have her side all planned out and on paper it will work.


Here is my rough sketch (sorry it's so light) and a sketch artist I'm not. I can sometimes draw, but I don't try hard at it when it's something like this in 2 minutes. Hopefully you get the gist.

 
Is that clear as mud? ;^) I NEVER plan anything out because it never works out anyway.  It might be a while before I can actually get any "after" shots. That's just the way things are around here, and the hubby is extremely busy with his job. In fact, he'll be doing 3rd shift before too long, but just for a couple of weeks. But...here's my prediction. This won't happen this year. Why? My hubby seems to be leaning more towards redoing the master bath. Don't get me wrong, it definitely needs redone too! And, it's probably more pressing than what I just planned all out for you above. The bath has had lots of leaks prior to us owning the house and now it's starting to smell mildewy because of bad tub stall design. Long story, but this will most likely become our priority. It won't upset me to work on that either. Trust me. I've just been waiting for a new laundry room for 9 years now. I mean, I bought wallpaper border for this room! Hello. I'm so over THAT now.


But for now, I have sloooooowly been working on taking down all the decorations from Christmas. The majority is done, yet there is still the Christmas Village and the lights outside left to go. Wouldn't ya know, we get the Christmas snow the day AFTER New Years. Now it's just an annoyance to me. LOL! My daughter loves playing in it, so that's good that she goes out more now than in the summer. She HATES bugs and that's just a given here in the middle of the woods.


Sorry for the long drawn out post that is probably pretty boring, but at least there's pictures! LOL!! Sometimes I rattle on with no visual aid to break up the monotony whatsoever! LOL!!


God Bless and have a great day!