Home Improvements

Jack was home sick today...I'm not sure what bug he has.  It is a low 99-ish fever, and he threw up once on Sunday.  Since then he has just felt tired and a little congested.  Hopefully, he will be able to go to school tomorrow.

Anyway, since we were home all day I spent some time decluttering all of our built in bookshelves.  Basically, four years of "stuff" had accumulated, so it felt great to reorganize, recycle, and rethink this area of the house.  This process got me thinking about home improvements...what we've done to the house since moving in October 2005 and what I hope to accomplish in the coming years.


Improvements so far:

~One of the very first projects we did was putting tile in our living area.  The carpet in our home is just a shade darker than WHITE.  Obviously, we didn't pick this and I can't imagine a worse choice for kids and dogs!  The off-white carpet in the living room was in the direct path of the dogs coming in from the backyard. Talk about dirt, grass, and mud.  So we matched the tile of the entry hall and kitchen to give our living room a continuous look.

~Built-in entertainment cabinet made for the living room.  There was a giant 8 foot niche for the tv, and I am so happy with the cabinet.

~Our house had about 1/2 faux wood blinds and 1/2 wood shutters when we moved in.  We have gradually been replacing the blinds with shutters to finish out the remaining windows.

~Replaced the carpet in the dining room and study with wood floors...Mohawk Santa Barbara Light Amber Maple.

~Painted Jack and Grace's rooms.

~Bought a leather sectional for the living room.

~Bought a new washer and dryer.

~Bunk beds for Jack

Future projects:

~Complete the windows of the house by putting shutters in the game room.

~Put wood floors in the master bedroom.

~New furniture for the master bedroom (It may seem like we're buying a lot of furniture, but most of our house is hand-me-downs from grandparents at this point.  At age 40+ it's about time to try something new.)

~Refinish the front door.

~Long term - in several years - repaint interior and replace carpet upstairs.

~A pool?  I would hate to lose the play space in the backyard, but I know we would use a pool so much.  In our area, you can swim (depending on your tolerance for cool water) from April - October.  Michael thinks we could fit a pool and the swingset...hmmm.  Something to think about!

What projects do you have in mind for the coming year(s)?