Looking Back, Looking Forward 2006/2007- Part 1

Well, another year has come and gone. I really, really, really can't believe 2006 is over already. Someone, please tell me what happened? Literally, where did the time go?

I thought it might be fun to reflect on what we've accomplished here at our little 'cottage in the making'. Honestly, when I tried to think of what we did here, I couldn't think of much - that is- until I looked back in the archives. So here are the hightlights:

January:
-Primed the dining room and kitchen walls. A year later, there is still *only* green primer on the walls, but it's a good thing. We've decided to remove the door to laundry room from the dining room, so there is more drywall work to do this upcoming year.
-Initiated First Annual Love Your Critters Day . Just thought it would be fun to have a day in blogdom for myself and others to give some extra special love and hugs and attention to our little critters. What a great time to introduce everyone to your special pets and to get our brag on! (It's coming up on January 13th!)
-Painted our living room a warm and cheerful shade of yellow called "Clarified Butter"

February:
-Began our kitchen cabinet makeover, added new trim and beadboard to old cabinets for a different style
-Installed undercabinet puck lighting
-Bought hardwood flooring for kitchen, living room, and hallway (it's still not installed...we're STILL walking on mostly painted subflooring and ugly old linoleum!)
-Put together a completed kitchen design scheme

March:
-Completed fireplace makeover
-Installed and painted kitchen, dining room, and living room "cottage" / country style window trim

April:
-Primed all kitchen cabinets and doors, painted basecoat

May:
-Painted, painted, and painted cabinets, doors, drawers
-Ripped carpet out of daughters' room
-Completed first set of kitchen cabinets

June:
-Completed a temporary bedroom makeover in daughters' room in preparation for out-of-state guests (I wish the girls' room still looked this nice and fresh and clean- they have my organizational skills, meaning...they don't have any, lol!)

July:
-Wrote a letter to our cabinet doors
-Spruced up our *gutted bathroom* for guests. Our bathroom is still gutted, but at least we can bathe and shower in there. A lesson in patience, perhaps?
-Completed a 5-Day Home Improvement Marathon and lived through it without hubs and I clobbering each other
-C O M P L E T E D our cottage kitchen cabinet makeover just in time for guests! Whew!
-OWCL featured in Cottage Tribune article
-Unearthed our dining room which served as Grand Central Station for our home improvement projects. It is now Grand Central Station again, but at least I know there is a dining room under all those tools and remodeling supplies!

August:
We did *no* work on the house in August. We did, however, take a moment to breathe and we hosted a going away party for a friend:)


September:
-Began priming and painting about 200 pine planks to be installed as our kitchen ceiling

October:
-Continued painting planks...this was a real fluff of a month. Lots of entries on cottage accessories and decor. We didn't work that hard in October, lol!
-OWCL featured in new Cottage and Bungalows magazine

November:
-Began installation pine plank ceiling

December:
-Completed installation of pine plank ceiling
-Attempted to make our cottage "construction site" a little more cozy in the living room..(still hating the dirty looking subfloor *sigh*...thank goodness for area rugs)
-Completed 2.5 out of 3 ceiling beams - then the flu struck.

Wow. I suppose we didn't get as much done as other renovators might have, but considering that we usually only have a couple of weekends out of each month to work on the place (we can't spend *all* our time working in the house, afterall!), I think we accomplished a lot for our busy family and modest budget.

You wouldn't believe how much there is to do here and sometimes it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to even think about it. The house is usually in C.H.A.O.S (Can't Have Anyone Over State) and to me, except in very rare moments, it still doesn't feel like a home should feel. There are rare moments, yes, and sweet vignettes discovered occasionally, that give me glimpses of what this place should and will feel like when it is completed. I don't know when that will be...so until then, we'll just keep plugging away little by little, blow by blow.:) In the grand scheme of things, house remodeling is just part of the fluff of life, and shouldn't be the meat of it.

My next entry will be "Looking Forward". I do have some goals for the upcoming year but by now, you probably need a snack or bathroom break, lol...so I'll write more later. Hope everyone is doing well!