Friday, January 7, 2011

House Goals for 2011

I have to be realistic about what I can accomplish with all the things that are happening this year (you can read the list here if you missed it), but I'm all about resolutions and making plans so here's my list of what I would like to accomplish around the house this year.

1)  Add some colour to the back of the open cabinet in the kitchen.  I've been pondering whether it should be paint? fabric? wallpaper?  What colour or colours it should be?  Believe me it has been taunting me for months.  I'm open to suggestions and just so you know I'm thinking of yellow.


2)  Add a frame around the mirror in our en suite bathroom along with new taps and light fixture.  We have already purchased the faucet, but it has yet to be installed (or it might even get used in another bathroom since they all need replacing).  I have no idea what type of light to get and I can't decide if the frame around the mirror should be white or dark brown.  Decisions, decisions.


3) Organize the storage baskets for our mitts, hats, and scarves in the front hall closet.  We need new baskets and possibly a shelf added above the one that is already there.  I don't have a picture of it yet, but ideas are brewing.

4) Sort out our oldest son's bedroom so it will accomodate a married couple when they come to visit.  It is a very tiny room and right now contains a twin bed, a dresser, a small bookshelf, and a desk that is built into the closet.  I'm going to take the door off the closet so it is easier to access, take out the twin bed frame and just stack two twin mattresses on top of each other.  That way my husband can use the desk in the room to write his book when there are no visitors and when Malcolm and Christie come to visit the mattresses can be laid out side-by-side on the floor (which will mean it covers the entire floor) to make a queen sized bed.  It is the only arrangement I can see working in our fairly small house, even though it isn't really very elegant.


5)  My biggest resolution for this year is to try and get all the housework done during the week so we don't have to spend the weekends cleaning and doing groceries.  Now that hubby has a new book contract, he will be busy writing most evenings and weekends so that means most of the household chores will fall on me and the kids.  Over the holidays I devised a plan to get everything done during the week and have implemented it for one whole week.  Yah me!  We'll see how it goes as the year progresses, but I would love it if I could make it work. 

That is all I can think of right now and probably more than I will accomplish, but that's okay.  It is to dream!  What about you -- anyone else have plans for what they want to accomplish around the house this year?

Linked to 2011 Home Goals at The Nester

9 comments:

  1. Your kitchen project is going to be so much fun! I love yellow, so I approve of your color choice, and I think it looks nice with gray. Grace, I appreciate how much you have helped me so far with the planning process of my big project: converting our tiny formal living room into an art studio :D

    I am interested in your pan of getting all chores done before the weekend. Do you have a chore schedule? I wish you would share it with us because you are so organized I bet it is a really good plan/schedule.

    xoxoxo,
    Ricki Jill

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  2. Why not try fabric or wallpaper on that back of the open cabinet? If you cut posterboard or something similar in the right sizes and then covered them with the fabric or wallpaper you could change them out as you tired of them or even change them seasonally without spending much time or money. Just a thought.

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  3. I was going to say what texas511 said. I covered heavy cardboard with fabric for a bookcase in my bedroom and just folded the fabric around the board...works really well :)

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  4. I'm voting for wallpaper in the recessed area in the kitchen. Although I have none myself, I've been wanting to use wallpaper in a variety of areas. There are so many great patterns to choose from. I also vote for white around the bathroom mirror! Good luck with all of your home goals -- Mine are to redo our bedroom furniture and get the nursery complete. Oh, and we also need to landscape!

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  5. Congratulations to hubby on the book contract. The stacked twins sounds like a good idea, or you could look for one of those good quality inflatables. I have heard they are really comfortable. Would a pullout couch work? I have also heard that you can get them in a much comfier version now. However, with the trip to India, the mattresses stacked and then spread out is certainly more budget friendly.

    Wallpaper, or scrapbook paper even, sounds like a good route, especially if you are looking for pattern or texture.

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  6. Hi Grace, I love your goal about cleaning the house on weekdays so you can relax and enjoy your weekend.

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  7. I love your idea for putting something on the back of the open cabinet. I love the idea of yellow...I think it will look fab! I have been toying with the idea of doing the same thing with a cabinet in my kitchen. Have you though of using scrapbook paper? Much cheaper than wall paper and I think you might only need about 9 sheets of 12x12 paper...3 per shelf. And I would use scrapbook adhesive to install it. It would be cheap and SO, SO easy to change out when you got tired of it. If I lived closer I would come over and help you. I think it would only take an hour or so. Plus there are so many fabulous choices in scrapbook paper. Angie xo

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  8. I think you should do something to the backs of the open cabinet but I'm not sure what. I can't wait to see what you choose. As for the bedroom, if you already have two twin mattresses, perhaps you can get a trundlebed frame for the room.

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  9. Grace, unfortunately when you put the 2 twins side by side, you get a king bed. Bedding for a king can be costly as I discovered with ours. I like the idea of fabric or scrapbook paper on cardboard for the shelving--it's not permanent and if you wish to change it up for the seasons or a houseparty, you can. I too do chores M-F while kids are in school. Each day is one load of laundry and one room. Other family members also clean 3 rooms/area each. Together the whole house is cleaned by Friday's dinner time. Yay for the weekend. AL from Calif.

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