It's time to look back at the year and highlight some of the ways that we grew, changed, learned, and succeeded. That's why I make New Year's resolutions every year. Not to whip myself into shape or berate myself for past failures--that stuff doesn't actually work, anyway. To me, resolutions are about plotting a course, setting a goal, keeping track of progress, and hopefully being better for it at the end. If you need a refresher, here are the resolutions I made for 2013:
If you'd like to see these explained in more detail, read last year's post:
The main objective was to make our home reflect who we are while making it pretty, comfortable, welcoming, and functional.
The secondary challenge was to use only funds that I was able to bring in from outside the family budget. It wasn't easy, but it was fun!
Here are some of the projects we finished in the house this year:
I build this bench for the entryway from scratch!
Elijah's felt mobile (which he's still crazy about!)
Some behind-the-door bookshelves to hold Emma's book collection...at least some of it.
A new table top for our too-small patio table.
I finally got to do something I've wanted to for forever! A whole chalkboard wall in Ethan's room!
These are just a few of the projects that we finished in the house this year. If you'd like to see more, check out the "house into home" category.
So, did I keep my resolution? Absolutely. Sure, there are lots of projects that I would have liked to accomplish that still need to be done, and there are still a couple rooms with the same old brown paint on the walls. But my resolutions are about a direction of improvement, not an end goal. This resolution helped me to focus my energy and heart on making our home into what it needs to be. To consider what our style is, and do what we can to make our home reflect that. If I want our home to look, feel, or function a certain way, I'm the one who needs to step up and make that happen. It's my job. I'm the homemaker. This might be the first time that I've actually embraced that role, instead of trying to resist it. My home, my family, and my general attitude have benefited from that shift.
Will I keep it up into the new year? Oh yes! I learned how to use power tools, for goodness sake! I'm not going back. I have lots of plans for the rest of the rooms in our house, and I'm excited to bring my blog readers along with me. Maybe it will inspire you to tackle a room in your house, too!
So, what about the money. Did I say within my budget? This might be my favorite part of the "house into home" resolution. Every project that I finished this year for the house was paid for with funds that I raised through my two etsy shops: Rope and Lasso the Moon, as well as a few well-timed gifts and gift cards from family and loved ones. I think that having the financial boundaries made me more creative and resourceful. I could have gotten a lot more done by digging into the family savings, but putting the burden on myself actually gave me the freedom to do what I wanted with our home, without feeling like I was taking away from our family's future. And that feels really good.
