Back in May 2021, I carved out a little arts and craft space for my kids in the corner of our kitchen. It was simple but super functional for two small children and served both LJ and Vi well as they developed their loves of creating.
Flash forward almost three years, and they have outgrown the small desk. They are both very creative and love working on various art projects, and despite my best efforts to keep things organized, the space was overflowing with coloring books, bins of paper, markers, crayons, paint supplies, stickers, play doh, stamps and ink pads, and much more. It got to the point where the “art desk” was just a dumping ground for all the supplies, but they actually needed to do the creating somewhere else because there was no space at the desk. (I’m cringing at this photo!!)
The dining room table is where things naturally gravitated. We really only use it for meals if we have company over (and even then, we’re often hosting in our basement) so the kids started using it as a space for their projects. The table had the advantage of space for both of them to work at once, as opposed to the single-person art desk, and before long the room was taken over with supplies and finished projects. I decided to embrace this season of life: we’re not using a dining room right now, so let’s just turn it into an art room for the kids! But if we were going to do this, I did not want to have another disheveled mess in the dining room, which is what was happening. Exhibit A: (cringing again!)
The biggest need was very clear: storage. Things really got out of hand with the art desk and were heading the same direction in the dining room; I wanted to keep better organization in the new space. I needed it to be very kid-friendly and preferably inexpensive, but also nice enough to fit in with the flow of the rest of the house since the dining room is open to the rest of the main floor. I found the perfect solution at Ikea with their Kallax system.
I love that Ikea sells the basic 8-cube shelf and allows you to customize it with extras and inserts. I chose to elevate the shelf on the black iron legs to make it a little easier to access for the kids. I also chose to use 4 drawer inserts, giving us 8 drawers to categorize and store supplies. The drawers seem small but they can hold a lot! I also chose a few divider inserts and used two horizontally to create additional shelves and two vertically to create slots for storing various activity books. It fits everything that was piled on and in the art desk but with a LOT more organization.
I also snagged this desk organizer at Ikea and a few little pencil cups to keep the most commonly used utensils handy on top. The kids can just take the cup they need over to the table to work. It’s been working great so far! I’ve had this cute lamp for several months now – I originally intended for it to be in the living room but I don’t currently have a place for it there out of toddler reach. I had the idea to try it here for now and I actually love it! It creates a nice warm glow when we just need a little light and not the full overhead lighting.
The only other thing I want to do with this room right now is address the large white wall. I want to add a bunch of frames to the wall to display finished artwork, and I am also debating adding a corkboard over the shelf for a place to dry painting projects. It’ll be a pretty simple but impactful transformation and it really makes our house feel more like us as it works to fit the needs of our family in this stage.
We may be a week into January, but this feels like my New Year’s Day. We traveled to visit family over the last week in December, and then had a nasty little sickness work its way through our family last week, so we didn’t exactly have that Fresh New Year Energy going for us. Then last night, I did a huge cleaning of our main floor and got us reset for the week. All my family members are getting back to feeling better, we’re back in school, and it feels like now we are ready for 2024 to begin.
Every year I like to set some goals for our house projects. Today I wanted to recap how I did on my 2023 goals and map out my hopes for this year. I always hold these plans a little loosely, as I know a lot can change over the course of a year. Looking at last year’s list, I completed some goals, partially finished others, and also did a few things I wasn’t planning for at all. I’m excited to see what this year has in store! First, let’s look at how the projects of 2023:
I kicked off the year with free-handing a mountain mural in my kids’ shared bedroom. The other three walls are a white and blue color block, so this was a fun addition and a nice nod to Justin and my shared history of living out East among the mountains. It’s colorful and playful and the kids loved it!
As LJ became more and more interested, I was in desperate need of storage. I couldn’t find a ready-made solution that I liked, so Justin and I decided to DIY a Lego table from scratch. This project was able to be completed in a weekend and I am so glad that we made a nice, solid top for when the table is not in use. It’s perfect for keeping baby hands away from the Lego stash and I love that it doubles as a regular table for kids when we have company over!
Justin and I scored this midcentury dresser off Facebook marketplace approximately 8 years ago (for $30!!) At the time, I hadn’t done much DIY and the dresser was a bit scratched so I thought the easiest thing to do was just paint it. We painted it a soft neutral blue and put it in the nursery for LJ and he’s been using it ever since. Once I painted the mountain mural, the painted dresser placed in front of it just felt like too much . . . paint. I needed more natural tones on the wall! I decided to strip off the paint, sand it down, and re-stain it to its original look. I also used rub n buff to make the legs appear metal to match the drawer pulls, which are original. I LOVE the end result!
My goal this year was to finish the living room phase one, and while I didn’t get totally finished, I did make progress! The living room has been by far the slowest renovation I’ve ever done. It started with painting the walls and the ceiling last year. We also swapped out the old ceiling fan for a large light fixture. Then this year we hired an electrician to add sconces – we went from zero permanent light fixtures in the room to three and it has made such a difference! I also added a large framed print and freshened up the pillows this year. Then just a few weeks ago, we hired painters to paint the foyer and they also painted the windows black. We’re content with this *very* slow and steady approach to the room and are happy with the progress this year.
My goal was to update the patio – we didn’t end up making any changes to the space itself but I did decide to give our furniture set a little glow up. We’ve had our patio set for several years and it was looking pretty rough, so I spent some time this summer refreshing it with teak oil. I’ve never done anything like this before so it took a bit of trial and error to figure out a good process but I’m really happy with how it turned out!
LJ started kindergarten this year and requested a Sonic backpack. I’m all about kids having some autonomy and choosing what they like, but for me a backpack is an investment piece. I do not plan to buy a new one each year and I knew his interest in Sonic would fade. We compromised with an iron-on Sonic patch on his backpack and were both super happy with the result! And whenever he’s done with Sonic, we can just remove the patch and put something else on 🙂 Win win!
When we got new carpet in the kids room last year, we had to remove the existing closet shelves because the shelves were installed underneath the carpet. We made things work with a couple rods and shelves and tubs, but it wasn’t an ideal or efficient storage setup. This year we used The Container Store to maximize storage in the space and it has been SO great to have tons of accessible storage again. I decided to paint the walls dark to match the dark colored rods and I love the monochromatic look it created. The closet is also set up in a way that the kids can easily get what they need which has been so helpful.
Guest Room Stencil Wall
After years of having the guest room partially stenciled, I finally finished the faux wallpaper stencil this year! It took many hours, and I worked on different walls at different times, but it was such great feeling to finally finish and having a fully “wallpapered” guest room. I haven’t made a post with the finished process yet because I still want to repaint the all the trim, but just having the walls done was such a good step.
Replace the Basement Carpet
This one felt SO good to finally take care of. It took me several weeks and many many carpet samples, but I finally chose a carpet from a local flooring company and they installed it late this summer. It’s soft and cozy and makes the space feel so fresh and nice! In an effort to keep it nice longer, I added a rug under the dining table to catch any food spills.
This project was a spur-of-the-moment, incredibly last minute DIY that I did on the morning of LJ’s 6th birthday party. We didn’t lean strongly into a theme but he wanted a monster truck cake and the night before the party, as I was picking up a few more party supplies, I saw a fun monster truck pinata. I was immediately inspired to make a dupe and LJ was thrilled with it! I definitely think I’ll do this again for future birthdays.
Foyer Painted . . . FINALLY!
After two and a half years of staring at a half-painted foyer, I finally hired painters to come and finish the job! Of course, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The space seems so much brighter and bigger now (unfortunately, the only photo I had was very dim because it was an overcast day, but just trust me, in person, it’s lighter and brighter!) They also painted the upstairs hallway and the trim work and doors upstairs so the space really feels so much more cohesive with the rest of the home now.
Better Garage Storage
Back in May, I talked about plans for updating our garage. I shared some of the progress on Instagram, but this was all happening as I began to taper off sharing on Instagram over the summer. Life got busy – we had trips planned and a lot of other things happening so we never finished the garage and I never even shared what we were able to accomplish. Oops! The storage we did create around the freezer has been so functional for us and I’m so glad we at least finished that part in 2023.
Whew! Looking at that list, I’m proud of all I was able to accomplish this year, even if it wasn’t quite everything I planned to do. Looking ahead at this year, I’m trying to keep things attainable with a mix of bigger and smaller projects. Life isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and I want to enjoy our family life as much as I can, so we’ll see what all I’m able to get to with our house this year. Here’s what I’m hoping for:
2024 Home Project Goals
Window Trim in the Living Room
The painters who did the foyer also painted all the living room windows, so really the big thing left is to replace the trim to match the rest of the windows in the house and I’d like to tackle that this year. Eventually, I also want to get new flooring and possibly add a small fireplace insert. I’m also kicking around the idea of planking the ceiling! And we need to get a drywall company out here to take a look at a few issues with the walls. So suffice to say, the living room won’t be finished this year, but we’ll keep moving the needle a bit 🙂
Create a Workout Room
This is a goal that got bumped from my list last year. We want to convert this little room in between the garage and basement – we call it the utility room but it’s really just storage – into a workout space. Last year we did clear out a significant amount of the stuff stored inside, but we need to keep chipping away at it this year. Once it’s cleared out, I want to paint, swap out the lighting, add some mirrors, and move in our stationary bike, weights, mats, etc so we have a dedicated space to workout.
Finish Garage Storage
While we were able to create some functional storage in our garage last year, this spring my goal is to finish our plans to make it a fully functional space for our family’s needs!
Updates in Entryway + Hall
Now that the foyer and upstairs hallway are painted, I am inspired to make a few other small updates to the space. The chandelier in the foyer is very dated and I’ve never been a fan, so I’m looking forward to swapping it out for something else. I also want to add artwork and family photos to the hallway walls upstairs, and we need to swap out the can lights and fire alarm.
Convert Dining Room to Art Space
My kids love art. They love drawing and painting and play doh and stickers and modeling clay and color by numbers and really anything creative and crafty. Because of this, we have quickly outgrown the small art station in the kitchen and all their projects have spilled over into the dining room. Since we rarely use the dining room and prefer to eat our meals in the kitchen, I’m going to just embrace this stage of life and convert the dining room into their art space, complete with storage and a place to hang all their creations. I already started this just a bit over Christmas but I’m excited to make this space into something they love and use every day!
Leveling Up the Basement
The basement has had so much progress over the years, but there are just a few smaller projects I want to finish this year. Now that the guest room stencil is done, I want to repaint the trim to match and possibly repaint the guest bathroom, depending on how it flows together. I also need to address the painted tile (spoiler alert: it hasn’t held up as well as I had hoped) and create better storage for all our outdoor things in the entryway. I would love to also paint the windows and swap out the baseboards for the chunkier version we’re using throughout the house, but I’m not sure if that will happen this year or not. We’ll see!
As for personal goals this year, I have two. I want to walk “24 in 24” (24 minutes a day, every day) because we have a big trip planned for summer that will involve a lot of walking, and for our family, we are trying the “1000 hours outside” challenge where we, you guessed it, spend 1000 hours outside in one year. Movement and fresh air are the big goals for us this year.
Hello hello and happy 2024! I enjoyed a very fun and full holiday season with my family and definitely enjoyed cozying up with a blanket next to the Christmas tree to read. In December I read seven books of various genres. It was interesting to me that the full-fledged “Christmas” books I read I didn’t love, but a few of the non-Christmasy ones gave me the perfect cozy holiday feels. Others weren’t even remotely cozy or Christmas-y and yet I still enjoyed them sprinkled in among the other books this month. The variety this month was great! But I digress…
A powerful hurricane is headed to Florida, and thanks to the state’s slowly crumbling infrastructure and rapidly deteriorating weather patterns, Hurricane Wanda is going to wreak havoc and usher in a new era for society and survival. For one family in particular, the hurricane brings both devastation and new life, as their baby girl is born right in the middle of the storm. Named after the hurricane itself, curious and unusual Wanda grows up in a society that seems to be unraveling more and more with each passing year.
I read this story for a book club and it was an excellent choice for reading with others, as there was so much to discuss. The story is broken up into four parts: power, water, light, and time. Through alternating perspective chapters, we follow Wanda and her family as they navigate both the unprecedented hurricane and the devastating aftermath. This story was unlike anything I’ve read before! It was essentially the author imagining a potential future for our planet given our current context of climate change, and I found the whole concept to be really thought-provoking. I was captivated by the hurricane saga and intrigued with the imagining of the deteriorating world afterwards. I was able to read it pretty quickly; although there was a section in the middle where things got pretty slow for a while, it thankfully picked up again for me as I read on. There was also one piece of the plot that brought in a bit of fantasy and I wish that hadn’t been included, as it took away from how realistic the rest of the plotline felt. Other than those issues, I enjoyed the storytelling overall and I enjoyed that we saw different character’s perspectives as the world around them drastically changed. Bottom line: I was intrigued and challenged by the ideas in this story and I absolutely know I will be thinking about it for a long time so for those reasons, I do recommend it!
Single mom Clare has just moved with her young son Owen to a cute little small town called Knights Bridge where she now works as a librarian. It’s there that she meets Logan, a busy ER doctor who lives in the city but has come back to Knights Bridge to help his grandmother Daisy as she transitions to assisted living. Daisy has moved out of her beloved Victorian house in town and makes a request to Logan: could he please decorate it for Christmas one last time? Unsure of how to do the grand old home justice, Logan turns to Clare for help and offers a chance to look through Daisy’s book collection for donations to the library in return. As the house comes to life under their hard work decorating, they discover an unexpected and growing attraction…but will they be brave enough to allow themselves to fall in love this Christmas?
I wanted a cute, easy, festive, Hallmark-y read and thought this would fit the bill. When I’m searching for a book using that criteria, I know there will likely be predictability and not a whole lot of deep character development, but this one felt a bit too easy for me. The characters had too little depth and the storyline was too repetitive and predictable. I wasn’t ultimately very invested or interested and I ended up mostly just skimming along. There were a few storylines I expected the author to dig deeper into and was disappointed that they just kind of got glossed over. All that being said, it’s still a pleasant, fairly clean read (a few swear words but no steamy scenes) and has a LOT of festive elements like Christmas decorations and ice skating and hot cocoa. It was also evident that this author has a series set in this town, as there were a lot of references to other couples that I’m sure are the main characters in other books, so if you’re a fan of this author and series, you’ll likely enjoy this book! It just didn’t quite hit for me and my Christmas-y mood.
Hugh Standish is in trouble. His lie to his mother about having a fiancée seemed innocent enough; after all, she lives in America, he lives in England, and his letters about “Minerva” have gotten her off his back about settling down. But now, she is on her way to visit and fully expects to meet his beloved Minerva. Hugh knows he is going to get caught in a lie, but when he steps in to help a beautiful young woman on the street and learns her name is actually Minerva, he gets another idea. He makes an offer too good to pass up for Minerva, who has been struggling to provide for herself and her two younger sisters. Getting paid to spend a few weeks pretending to be in love in a stunning English manor can’t be that hard, right? But as the charade goes on and High and Minerva spend more and more time together pretending to be in love, it stops feeling like an act and starts feeling like the real thing.
This book gives some Jane Austen-meets-Bridgerton vibes and was about what I expected. Hugh and Minerva are pretty likeable, and the overall storyline is predictably cute (leaning heavily into the fake dating and miscommunication troupes), but it also got pretty repetitive. Hugh is highly motivated by this one specific character quality he believes he inherited, and that gets old in the storyline and ultimately feels silly in the end. The setting is fun, some of the banter is enjoyable, the side characters bring a playful and interesting dynamic, and it feels slightly Christmas-y because it is set around Christmas time. I believe it is part of a series with each book centered around another sister’s romance but I don’t anticipate that I’ll read the rest of the series. There is one steamy scene, but it’s very easy to see coming and skip over if you prefer not to read those. Overall, this book was fine, a middle-of-the-road level read for me.
Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni have been friends for years. Though life has taken them all in very different directions, they still reunite for getaways together when they can. This year, it was Liz’s turn to pick a destination; since she’s currently stressed out by life and the state of her crumbling marriage, she suggests something different than their typical beach holiday: hiking in the remote mountains of Norway. Despite their hesitations, the others agree to come along and the group sets off for camping and hiking in the wilderness. What they don’t know is that there are secrets lurking everywhere along their journey and if they’re not careful, they may not make it out of the wilderness alive.
This book is a destination thriller that leans survivalist at times and I loved that it was such an escapist read. I felt like I had been transported to Norway and it made me want to travel and experience this gorgeous country for myself. I binged the entire thing in less than 24 hours – I couldn’t put it down! It’s not a twisty and jumpy thriller, but it is a compulsive, must-find-out-what-is-going-on page-turner. The characters all felt authentic and layered, each with likeable and dislikable qualities; I love that we see their own thoughts and feelings alongside their actions and can compare those to how they each perceive one another. The premise is interesting, the plot moves along at a good pace without feeling rushed, and it is satisfyingly dramatic without being scary. I didn’t quite love how everything wrapped up at the end, but I’m willing to overlook that because of how much I enjoyed the suspenseful ride throughout. Overall, it’s a solid thriller that I do recommend!
“On a snowy evening in March, thirty-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear. The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.”
This isn’t a Christmas read at all, but since it initially started in a blizzard it felt wintery and perfect for my cozy reading mood this month. It’s a sweet rom com with a bit of a Hallmark-y feel but I didn’t find it to be cheesy or cringey; I thought it was a fun read! I loved the premise and enjoyed Sam and Noelle’s characters and was absolutely rooting for them to get together. There are just enough side plots layered in to keep things interesting without distracting from the main storyline, and it does pull in some weightier topics like death, loss, and life’s challenges. I will say I had to give some leeway in the fate/realism department – there are a lot of coincidences with Sam and Noelle continuing to run into one another in some fairly far-fetched circumstances, but if you can accommodate that, it’s an enjoyable, feel-good read! I found it to be delightfully heartwarming and exactly what I was in the mood for snuggled up by the Christmas tree. It’s also pretty wholesome – it does have a bit of language but no steamy scenes. I definitely recommend if you want a lighthearted read with a bit of depth to it!
Olivia’s passion is running her nonprofit, Christmas From the Heart, and she relies heavily on the generosity of donors to be able to provide relief and comfort to struggling families in her area. When she learns her charity lost a large and long-standing donor, she is furious. Guy Hightower feels he did what needed to be done; his company may be large, but prior mismanagement has meant that they need to try to cut what they can and save the company from crumbling. He never expects to meet the woman who sent him all the angry emails after he cut off her funding, but when his car breaks down as he passes by her small town, the beautiful Good Samaritan who rescues him from the side of the road is none other than Olivia. He quickly gives himself a fake identity, and as he’s stuck in town for a few days, Guy gets a first hand look at Livi’s life and charitable work, and Livi gets to know “Joe”, a good-hearted, thoughtful stranger who she finds herself falling for. But when the truth about him is revealed, will they be able to continue their growing feelings for one another?
This is another one I thought would be perfect for curling up by the tree and getting in the Christmas spirit. The potential with the storyline was there! But the execution was off for me. Unfortunately I did not connect with the characters or their romance. I think the biggest problem was I didn’t find the main character to be likeable. Livi was meant to come across as a kind, generous do-gooder but in actuality I thought she came across as entitled, gold-digging, and even rude at times. I could not fit her behavior after being turned down by one donor with how someone who actually runs a charitable nonprofit would act. Plus the lie with Guy’s true identity went a little too long, and the subsequent chapters after that revelation felt really disjointed. Despite all the lies and personality shortcomings, I was being told how the romance was unfolding and the characters were falling for one another, but as the reader I wasn’t actually feeling it at all. I wanted to like this one, but it just fell flat for me and I skimmed just to finish. Bummer!
Ever since she was a young girl, Cassie has been given a special Christmas gift from her older brother Tom: a scavenger hunt created just for her. This year, he has promised her it will be the best one yet, but then he tragically dies right before Christmas. Lost for months in her deep grief, Cassie struggles to just make it through her days until one day, she is given an envelope with Tom’s handwriting on it. She knows it is the start to the scavenger hunt and her last communication from her beloved brother. In order to complete the hunt, she will need to rely on her closest friends, and that includes Tom’s best friend Sam. Though Sam is hardly recognizable from the younger version of himself she once loved, he is the only other person who feels Tom’s loss like she does. As Cassie works her way through Tom’s last scavenger hunt, she also begins to work up the courage needed to accept the final gift he has left for her.
Oooph, this book got me good! It’s hard to describe because it deals with such a heavy plotline but somehow isn’t a distressing read. Granted, I have not lost a close family member like Cassie has, so perhaps those who have would find it harder to read, but I thought the author did a great job navigating loss and giving space for the heartbreak while balancing other aspects of life. Obviously, grief is a huge part of the book, but I think it’s done in a way that manages to not be completely heart wrenching and sad. You feel the sorrow, you empathize with the characters, but you also feel joy and hope with them. I loved seeing Cassie’s confidence grow throughout and I was always rooting for Sam to get his act together. I will say, it’s partially a (closed door) romance but not a banter-y, laugh out loud rom com. Instead it’s a touching story of growth, friendship, support, love, and showing up for one another through all of life’s challenges. It is centered around the scavenger hunt, which is a Christmas gift, but the rest of the book is not Christmas-y at all. Even so, it was a perfect choice as a deeper holiday read. It tugs on your heart, it makes you smile, it just brings out emotions and ultimately is uplifting. I loved it!
Whew! That’s it for last month, now bring on all the 2024 reads! As always, if you have any great recommendations, send them my way!
simplify the chaos 