The NeverEnding List 2018

January 3, 2018January 3, 2018 / Winnie / 1 Comment

Whelp – the NeverEnding List of 2017 came to a screeching halt when we moved to ND at the beginning of 2017 and I did not make a new one for our ND abode. …Until now. As a refresher the NeverEnding list came about when I realized that things were falling on and off my To Do list at an alarming rate and I was never sure what I was going to work on next. Hence NeverEnding.

2014 List

More Updates

2016 List

More Updates

2017 List – Surprisingly, before we moved we finished half of this list. A complete change up from the year to year and a half timing we had in the past. Basement Bathroom – Done; Guest Bathroom – Done.

Now that we are somewhat settled in. I have been trying to nail down what I would like to accomplish first.

Storage Solutions – There is 1 (!!!!) true bedroom closet in this house.
Home Office – In MT I had a whole room to dedicate to an office/library. Not so in ND.
To Rug or Not to Rug – I am waffling on rugs in the living room and my bedroom.
Paint the upstairs bathroom.
Cabin stuff
Not sure that I would get there- but a nice place to put my patio furniture would be great.

7. And finally – some art in the hall downstairs.

I am trying to keep it reasonable for 2018 as my work schedule is incredibly full – not to mention all the kid activities. What do you have planned for 2018??

How we live in this house

December 1, 2016 / Winnie / Leave a comment

One of the things that does not happen when I take photos, is staging. Would the house pictures look better if I added some things in and moved others around in order to get a great shot? Of course! But that is not how we live in this house and it would not give you an accurate view into how we make this house work for us. The only thing that really changes is the level of cleanliness. hahahaha. Seriously though. I try to take pics after we have picked up the randoms that have accumulated over the course of a few days.

I ran home at lunch yesterday to take a few phone pics of how this place can look at any random time. and poorly lit…sorry peeps

Kitchen is pretty good in comparison to some days. 🙂 Wine left out from book club the night before, dishes left out to dry, Jane’s glass on the counter and my glass on the bar

Jane’s room is looking good.

Main bathroom is so-so. FULL garbage and Jane’s necklace left out on the counter.

The master is the worst. I have a container full of old, small toys to sort through (next to my bedside table). Dave has a pile of clothes that needs to be put away….I think this is Day 3….no Day 4

As a contrast here is the same shot – but clean and lit well.

the happy crazy hosue white bedroom ikea

Brutal.

If you follow me on Instagram – you see the house as it really is on a day to day basis. Here is a pic of Jules dancing; coat on the floor, paper on the chair, etc.

I love the pics that show the house well lit and clean…but I will continue to add in some pics on Instagram and here that represents our day to day life, mess and all.

Changing the dining room

September 15, 2014 / Winnie / Leave a comment

In my decluttering quest...I was distracted. I was putting away the paint that I had in the dining room for touch-ups I had been working on….when I decided that I should paint the patio door.

Here is my before:

I want to say that I painted the patio door black….maybe a year ago??? I can’t really remember….and I really like it….. it just seems to darken the room. I fight against a contrast of too dark and super glare-y all the time so I am trying a new color to see if if helps with the too dark half of my problem.

To combat the glare – Dave pitched in by hanging a curtain rod for me and making sure it was properly anchored.

Ikea: Kvartal single track

Ikea: Kvartal ceiling fixture

Paint: I used Valspar Ultra as my paint of choice (matches all my trim). I prepped the surface and went to town.

And from the kitchen:

As distractions go….It was a pretty good one. I am super pleased with how it turned out. I will need to work on how the curtains hang and how to drape around our water dispenser but even with those things on my list…I like it.

Decluttering OR Living with Less – The Plan

September 9, 2014 / Winnie / 1 Comment

Depending on who you follow on Pinterest…this could be a topic you have seen so many times you could puke. Well…me too. Until I came across this site and this article.

http://www.lifeedited.com/residential-behavioral-architecture-101/

Now, over the past couple of years I have heard the terms downsizing, decluttering, small living, etc. It sounds so freeing….for other people. I never thought I would drink the Kool Aid. A few articles that I was drawn into later and I realized that there are things in my house that I haven’t touched for months. I decided to take a step and worked on my closet.

https://thehappycrazyhouse.com/2014/06/12/organization-shoot-me-now/

Here is my ‘After’:

Not gunna lie…..I let it get super messy again. BUT I have not added to it, which is good. I was able to get it cleaned up in 10 minutes which is a miracle and a testament to keeping only the things you wear.

So – I have decided to start working on each room in the house. I hope to get through the whole house by mid October. My plan is to do an initial run through that mimics this……http://redefinedmom.com/how-to-declutter-your-house-in-five-minutes/ and then do a second round that is a more cut throat.