Looking through my camera, I found a few pictures of projects that either didn't get finished (and therefore didn't get posted) or weren't significant enough to deserve a post of their own.
February- painted the master bedroom
December- waiting for the perfect (affordable) lamps
April- organized some jewelry
August- rewired and refashioned a pair of lamps
November- waiting for the perfect (affordable) shades
October- sawed the skulls off some antlers (ew)
November- used them around the house over the holiday
October- saved up and purchased curtain rods for the living room,
fortunately they arrived intact, no thanks to the UPS guy
December- enjoying the process of searching and saving up for decor,
yay for delayed gratification, next up- art
And last, but certainly not least...
June- started painting the house
December- finally finished, after hiring help on this end
Most of these projects have stories behind them... for example, you may notice that the curtain rods in the first picture of the master bedroom are mounted much higher than in the second picture. The lesson learned is NEVER to hem Ikea curtains by measuring up from the bottom, unless you first measure to insure they are all the same length. And regarding the antlers (picture me on the verge of barfing), the stench of bone is still in my nostrils. No amount of money will convince me to take a hacksaw to bone of any kind ever again.
READ HERE:
This collection of pictures comes with a temptation to feel like a procrastinating, unmotivated, goal-defeater. And even more so if I give in to comparing myself to others. Our culture is all about instant gratifiaction. We hear, "Make over your living room today!", "Loose 5 lbs this week!", "Get rid of wrinkles in a month!" and the list goes on. Blogland is full of projects that, while fun and inspiring, frequently create feelings of inadequacy and discontentment. But here's the thing- life is not about completing projects and achieving goals. And it's certainly not about the speed at which projects are completed. What matters is that I live MY life (not yours) and that I am honest with myself and with others about who I am. Most importantly, life is about cultivating a relationship with the One who knows me better than I know myself. Take it from someone who has learned and is still learning- true happiness and contentment is in Christ!
Happy New Year, friends!
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Oh my gosh, Katie, you are so funny! I'm just sitting here chuckling. I DID notice that the curtain rods were lower because I'm crazy that way. I'll heed your advice next time I hem Ikea curtains. Who knew? I'll also be heeding your advice next time I want to saw some antlers off akull. Hee.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty, though. You're right that gratification in the form of doing things yourself is rarely instant. And right too that life is not about completing projects and achieving goals. Happy New Year to you too! :)
Thanks for
Wow Katie! You were one busy project producing machine! You have great taste. I love how those lamps turned out. Such a simple idea that I would have never thought of.
ReplyDeleteLove looking at your projects and house!! Could you please tell me what color paint you used for your outside doors? (Last photo)
ReplyDeleteHi, Debbie! The door paint is Sherwin Williams Deep Sea Dive Exterior Satin. Hope this helps! If you use it, send me a picture! :)
DeleteThanks Katie! We have gray siding and I've been looking for a blue for the front door. That color looks like a good choice - not too dark and not to light.
DeleteHey Katie!! I had to look back through your blog to find this post :) We are in the process of building again and ugh.. all the decisions that come along with that. I am really liking the idea of no carpet downstairs. Can you tell me any more about your floors? Real hardwood? Still liking it? High maintance? Would love any info you have :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Rachel! Oh my... in some ways it sounds fun to make all those decisions again and in other ways I would give almost anything to NOT have to. :) Yes, 3/4" prefinished hardwood. We watched for a good sale and then David installed it himself. The little cat furballs and dust bunnies definitely show up more than on carpet, but after sweeping, it's definitely cleaner than carpet. We keep one of those wood markers around for scratches, but I don't get too crazy about keeping them all colored in. I figure it's all part of the character of a lived-in house. :)
ReplyDeleteThere is for sure one thing I would do differently next time... David said there is some way to install the trim along the floor so that you don't have to put down quarter round moulding. Our quarter round is painted white like the trim which is what I wanted, but it gets pretty banged up with the sweeper and stuff.
And hardwood means rugs so... !!! :)