Sunday, January 1, 2012

12 Homey Goals for 2012

Happy New Year, dear readers!  With 2012 laid in front of me, full of possibilities, I've decided to make a list of homey projects we'd like to complete this year.  Some are simpler than others, but when I get them all done, our place should really feel like home.  Here goes...

1) Decorate Our Master Bedroom 

There are some very bare walls in our bedroom.  We managed to paint them a light grey blue when we moved in but haven't done anything since then.  Boring!


 2) Start Keeping Bees

Our property has a side lot that's maybe 2 acres and it's the perfect spot for me to keep a beehive. Since my city days, I've been dreaming of keeping bees. As an anniversary gift, Jaisa & my friend Jen (& their hubbies) sent us a beginner beekeeper's set. This spring I need to set it up and order my hive...


3) Build Built-In Bookshelves for Library

We have a room off of the kitchen that we call our "library", but it's really just a few bookshelves and most of the stuff we're not sure where to put yet.  By the end of the year, I want to get built-in bookshelves in there, as well as a window seat.


4) Finish Painting 

You'd think we could have at least finished painting the downstairs in 2011.  Not so.  We still have a bunch of walls that still need to be painted.  Or, as below, need to be finished.


5) Make use of our 5th Bedroom 

Our master bedroom is on the first floor of our house and upstairs, we have four more bedrooms. One is my office, one is the guest room, one is the den/man cave/media center (we're still deciding on the verbiage...), and one is currently sitting empty. In 2012 I want to make it useful... Jesse wants a shuffleboard room. I want a second guestroom. Let's see if we can come up with a compromise on this...


6) Sew a quilt

 I have a sewing machine I hardly ever use and I want to try a challenging sewing project in 2012. I need to start small but I want to finish the year having made a quilt. An awesome one.

7) Hang up art we already own

 Jesse and I have a lot of art from our Brooklyn apartment that still hasn't been hung up yet.  Here are some prints that I LOVE that we had hanging in our old living room (taken in an iPhone picture by Jaisa):


8) Outdoor Living Room

Our house has some space on the back porch that could easily fit some chairs and a table and maybe some sort of sofa. Before next summer, I want to turn this space into an outdoor living room where we can relax on warm evenings.


9) Guest Bathroom 

We have a little half-bath that guests use on our first floor and it's a total mess. There's a stain on the ceiling caused by a leak that happened before we moved into the house, the room is dark and windowless, and it's a boring beige. Time to update this tiny little room.


10) Vegetable Garden 

Our house came with an organic vegetable garden in the side yard that's 800 square feet, the exact size of our apartment in Brooklyn.  We totally let it go this summer, but next spring I want to get in there and start growing our own vegetables.


11) Map Wall 

Since a trip to Vieques in 2007, Jesse and I have been collecting maps to hang up.  When we moved into this house, we conveniently (finally!) had a space to hang them all.  Here's where we want them to go (and a shot of how we're starting to space it out):


12) Organize Jesse's Office

On the first floor of our house, overlooking the front yard, Jesse has a little office that's been taken over by paperwork, unpacked boxes, books, and Fred the hound.  We'd like to paint it, design a better storage system, and maybe get a nice comfortable little dog bed.




What are your goals for this year?  Now that you've seen mine, I can't back out.  Get ready for big things... and stay homey!

8 comments:

  1. Good Luck with your projects!!..It seems your plate will be full for 2012...I'm totally inspired.

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  2. Look into getting the bees SOON. A beekeeper friend says they are hard to get this year. Good luck!

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  3. Wow, I am so impressed by your house and property! You've got some major projects in the works. It looks lovely. Now I'm curious about where you live! My husband and I dream of moving out of Brooklyn and to the country. Hopefully one day when I'm done with school. Anyway, just wanted to say that I'm enjoying the blog, keep up the good work!

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  4. Hi Ellie! We actually live close-ish to camp. My husband and I met there in 2004 and he grew up nearby. It's a LOT more upkeep than our little place on Atlantic Ave, but as much as I miss Brooklyn, I love having the outdoors and so much more space. House swap?

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  5. Good to know about the bees... thanks!

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  6. I love your goals! And I am right there with Jesse with spaces being taken over by hounds. They seem to have a way of placing themselves right in the middle of everything...

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  7. Caitlin, if you are serious I would TOTALLY take you up on the offer one of these days when we're itching to get out of the city! And I would love to show my husband camp if that's even possible. I haven't been back since Winds! We live in Fort Greene, half a block from the park. We have two (small) bedrooms. Ahhh outdoor space, how nice that must be!!! :)

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  8. You keep me posted! It really is a quick drive from camp!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!