STARTING OVER

I don't feel like I'm exaggerating when I say that the first month of 2016 has been the worst start to a new year ever. . . probably not so for everyone, but mine was pretty crappy. 

I quit making new year resolutions years ago; I never kept them.  Goals work better for me - I think because they're kind of like a major "to do" list.  I'm a list maker from way back, and its always such a great feeling when you get to cross something off.  Its motivating.  (I could write a whole journal post about the importance of making lists.) 

At the end of 2015, I decided on five goals to be completed before the end of 2016. Last week, I added one more for a total of six.

  • Create and publish a book of all of Mama's recipes
  • Walk! 
  • Get a carry permit
  • Read the Bible daily (using a one year reading plan)
  • Organize all photos of Mama and Daddy into an album
  • Do something in memory of Jeffrey  (I'm not sure yet what this will be,  but I want it to be something that would've made him smile). 

So, I guess I better get busy - I can hardly believe that we are already at the end of January. 

Also, if you have any ideas for the 'Jeffrey' project, please let me know - I would love to hear them.

 

 

 

 

HOME SWEET HOME

A lot of people have been asking to see photos of our new home.  Despite my best intentions, it has taken me way too long to pull some photos together, but I am finally ready.  I will start with the following "before and after" pic that shows the difference it made when we tore out the wall between the kitchen and living room.  (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

For those that don't know, the house we moved into was the former home of my parents, built about 20 years ago.  

Many changes were made before we moved in: all new doors and windows, scraped the popcorn ceilings, tore out the wall between the kitchen and living room,  installed new hardwood floors, pulled out the built-in bookcase in the den, painted the entire interior of the house, tore out and replaced all the cabinets in the kitchen, built a new pantry, replaced the sink in the half bath,  added a shower and tiled a wall in the guest bathroom, replaced and added new trim and molding throughout the house, installed new columns on the front porch, painted and replaced the post and spindles of the staircase,  new landscaping front and back (still plan to do more in the Spring), upgraded heat and air system for the main floor of the house and installed a new system for the upstairs area, electrical upgrade was needed, replaced all lighting fixtures and fans, installed new drywall in the main garage, replaced the posts on the back porch,  created a screened-in area on the west side of the porch, also closed in the part that wrapped around the west side of the house (which enlarged the laundry room and created a new storage area), and rebuilt the staircase that leads to the basement.  Currently, we are in the process of cleaning and repairing the fireplace and chimney.

All the work mentioned above was done to the existing structure; it doesn't include all that was involved with adding a master suite to the back of the house. (I'll cover the master suite addition in a separate post later.)  It also does not include all the work that went into cleaning out the basement and Daddy's garage/shop.  Many projects are waiting for warmer weather.  

Here are a few more before and after pics.  If you'd like to see more, click here.