Texas - go for it!
Mine are just figments of my imagination for now.

Ah yes budget (tax) time. The great equalizer here. Budget is made smaller for me this year yet again. Kitchen Resolutions. Get the induction in. Now there will be no induction. Floor is no longer slate now re-purposed wood. Inset fridge is out. So sad. No Resolutions for me next year. I get my TKO butt trounced every time.

Yeona

The resulution is getting back into shape (so far, so good I hope).

Plans for the year were to redo the master bathroom/closet/bedroom and that's still coming along ok. We looked at Houzz a lot and came to a few conclusions now that we have a layout...
- We both want a vanity made of wood, either floating or small feet with underlighting. Lighter countertops, either granite or quartz.
- Teak for the shower floor
We talked about colors a lot - my other half wants more of it but I pointed out the amount of neutrals you see used in bathrooms. If someone brings in color I see it more in decorating choices rather than in tile. It's far easier to change out, so now we're in agreement there.
- Perhaps we'll continue the stone/tile from the shower the length of the wall with the window by the bathtub.

Idunno, guess we're getting there.

My only house resolution is to fix up the bathroom, and I'm starting to look at making some purchases in anticipation of that. We have two bathrooms, so I'm not worried about the main one being out of commission for a couple of weeks. It'll be an absolute pain to go to the basement for everything, but it'll go by quickly, I'm sure.

I'd like to get the basement lights done. I might just go down in the springtime when there is a little more (barely) natural light, shut of the breakers and see about taking down the fluorescent fixtures and installing another fixture. I'm hoping it's just the tubes that don't work and not the actual electrical. You can get minimal light right now. Once the lighting is solved, I can slowly get the walls strapped/insulated and drywall put up. That's for another time though, not this year.

Texas, your house is really moving along!

Add me to the list of those doing a bathroom this year. I also have some things yet to be done in the laundry room. It needs a counter and a sink. There used to be one of those dreadful grey, plastic, utility sinks in there with the plastic legs. I'm going to either get an inexpensive vanity with a sink and countertop all included and put feet on it to bring it to height or I'll get an in stock, unfinished sink base at the big box and do it that way. That might bust the budget though as I'd also need a counter for that option.

I'm also thinking of moving the dryer. Right now the washer and dryer are split with the sink in the middle and I don't really like that. I'd rather the washer and dryer were next to each other with the sink to one side. Again, might be a budget buster.

As far as the bathroom goes, phase one is to replace the tub and all the tile around it. I'd love to do the floor but it's going to have to wait. My friend is going to replace the tub for me and get the walls fully prepped for tile and I'm going to do the tile. Never done it before but I think I'll be able to manage it.

Long term, the other bathroom is going to need some work too.

Alright so brick is completely finished
{{gwi:2136392}}

INCLUDING my kitchen addition from last year that we weren't able to brick at the time.
{{gwi:2136393}}

Just look at my columns, aren't they pretty?!?
{{gwi:2136394}}

Sadly though, they broke the globe on my ceiling fan so I have to call the manufacturer in the morning to see if I can get a replacement. I would feel bad having the brick layer pay 200 for a new fan when the only problem is a 20 dollar globe but the original globe was a unique design element of the fixture and I don't want to put on a standard globe.

That looks awesome!

Great job! It looks like the columns are already stained/finished?

Wow. This is so gorgeous!
I can't believe how fast this is.
I also cannot believe all this is going on behind the house in the other thread. You'd never realize!

About the Weeks. Let's run with this one here (bring those pics over!) and go from there. It would be great if someone would take the initial thread start over, since I'm running dry (and too pooped to pop) on titles. I thought we were on week 34, though!

Resolutions. Same as the last few years. To FINISH something.

So far, I'm hanging in on putting the face frame on the 3 cabinets in the DR. I've run into a few obstacles, which normally make me stop and work on something else until I figure it out. This time, though, I'm making myself fix whatever and plug along. I live for "done once, done right." But I seem to always forget the "done" part.

Rain here. Am considering continuing to clean out the front yard. The soft ground precludes driving to the barn, but I can get the piles of pavers, slate and wood moved to the side. There's space there where the fellows moved several truck loads back to the barn, before it got really cold and wet.

Other than that, it's just cold.

This year's resolutions are all health related. So far, so good.

- Still biking 25-30 miles/day for 3-5 days/week.
- Still avoiding carbs and eating out when possible. 1 day/week is ok though. Need to pick up some berries for snacks even though what I really want is Doritos.
- Still eating edamame beans for lunch instead of a burrito.

2.5 lbs down, 17.5 left to go...

Good job Shicksal!
How much edamame do you have to eat though to "feel" satiated?

So here's the tree before and after pic moved here.
Christine, my tree removal has nothing to do with Texas Gem's house addition. :)

My home- related resolutions are:

1. clutter-free in 2015
2. finish kitchen renovation started in Feb 2014 (!!)

"Clutter is stuck energy. The word "clutter" derives from the Middle English word "clotter," which means to coagulate - and that's about as stuck as you can get."
~ Karen Kingston

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
~ William Morris

The clutter is tricky. I've gotten rid of a lot but there's always more to do. In a 1050 sf apartment with no additional storage and a family of four, I'm facing tough choices about what to keep. A slightly bigger home would be a lot easier for us, but we just can't make a jump in this real estate market.

In the kitchen - I need to downsize my pantry supplies. I live in a neighbourhood where I can buy most things within blocks so I don't need a huge pantry. Looking at glasses - figuring out how many categories we need (wine, drinking, liqueur, beer, etc.). In my fantasy life I entertain a lot so I like the idea of tonnes of glassware ;) . Thinking of putting all the family china in an odd hidey spot that we are creating under the island (yes, a compromise). It is not used frequently, and it will be safe there!

Texas, what an amazing home!

By now, I'd think you'd realize that I have come to know that you're the same person. One in the same.

I try to fool you into thinking I have you always mixed up, but I'm on to you.
"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't following me, either," she whispered, eyes darting side to side.

I like you, er, ah, both of you, though, and think the things you do are amazing. Together.
"Right," she nodded vigorously.

Feisty68, I came from a family that entertained formally. We had reason for dress-up clothes. We always had a function or event, or just created one. My mom was very well trained gracious and trained us to be ready at a moment's notice.

After 18 years of being married to someone who fought over clean jeans, God forbid a tie, I have found a solution to the china, (family) crystal, and "good" clothing. I gave it all to my 2 sisters and the youngest sister's kids.

I could keep it, move it around, pretend to dust it, have it take up sad room, where it'll never be used, or just face it. My life isn't such that I'll ever have the funds to entertain formally. When I have to GO somewhere formal? First time in years was October to a family function. I let them dress me. This waitress/bartender/yoga teacher has uniforms and stretchy clothing. Not good for "after 4:00 attire."

Granted, that's not your life, but my point is there's always a way to store things at a relative's home. Including extra fancy clothing. Just an idea.

This post was edited by CEFreeman on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 13:09

CEFreeman, I'm thinking about a similar solution for Granny's teacups and some of the china ;) . Unfortunately my siblings may not be in an acquiring mood - hard to tell until I get serious about asking. And only one sibling is local so then I would have to deal with shipping china issues. Yikes.

I am attached to some of it:

{{gwi:2136395}}

But, I recently found out that my new-ish husband isn't a fan. And it's true that it doesn't really fit our life.

Feisty, have you done any furniture blog reading ?
Women out there are OB.SESS.ED. with anything remotely European. Which, they all call "French" even if it has not even a blink of French style.

I'm not one that ever advocates selling family items. I just can't. However, if you're able to, I'd open an Etsy shop and sell this by the piece. It is INCREDIBLE what they'll pay for this really, gorgeous china. It's such a style in its own.

Don't ship. Take things with you when you visit. Or, if they visit, have a box already packed for them. "Merry Christmas!"

No, I haven't read furniture blogs. Interesting what we hyper-focus on :) .

I think I will probably sell the Spoke soup tureen. It is bulky, unusable (hairline crack), and not practical. It won't get full price but I like the idea of it going to someone who values it.

Oh, Feisty!! I might know someone who'd LOVE your china!! I'm pretty sure she has or wants something like this! She showed me once. Is there a pattern name? She'd be on a bit of a budget though, I'm sure. Her new house is an "old style" farmhouse. It's so nice! And all re-claimed brick for the exterior.

Let me know the name and I can check with her if you're thinking of selling it.

Schick, I've never had edamame, though I'm curious to try it. Do you cycle for your commute? I was thinking maybe I might do that in the summer. It's only 5k, but it's mostly highway with transport trucks or I'd have to go way out of my way. I signed up for the Detroit International Half Marathon in October. I've never run a half before, only a 10k. I'd better get a move on in the training.

MGMum, it's Spode Pink Tower. Not sure I would want to sell most of my pieces though.

Edamame - YUM. I like them in salted and in the shells but they are also great in salads.

texas_gem, WOW! It's just so much fun to see the lightning-fast progress! Your brick and columns both look lovely. I'm sorry to hear about the globe. If the original fixture is being sold still, you can call the manufacturer and ask for where to get a replacement globe. One is never the first to break something....

terri_pacnw - Another WOW! I felt sad at first seeing the picture without the trees but I cheered up thinking that they are probably pines, no?? (We have lots in our neighborhood). What a difference, what do you plan to do now with your new front yard?

a2 - ha! You'll be travelling, biking, running in marathons and meeting GW-ers. You always do so much:)

MGMum - good luck with your training. I HATE running!!

feisty68 - being clutter free is really thought provoking. I think it's worthy of a post on its own; I'm sure there would be some interesting feedback and ideas.

schicksal - I'm jealous of your weather (and light) and biking so much. I'm up north of Boston, and not only has it been below freezing, it gets dark, early.

I haven't done much on my resolutions yet, except 20 barre classes in a row and I've kept going to my usual 5:30 AM bootcamp classes too :) So a healthy, slightly obsessive start to the year.

Here are my others, with next steps:

1) Wooden floors refinished.
I need to measure out all rooms so the project can be quoted.

2) Family Room - Convert fireplace to gas insert:
Need to research gas inserts.

3) Family Room - TV mounted above fireplace; wiring and components hidden.
Research signal repeaters and fans.

4) Redesign DS and DD's bathroom.
Measure room and determine dimensions.

5) Fix roof leak in map room.
Have DH cut into ceiling to determine where issue is.

6) Make wills (ridiculous that this is number 6 on my list). Read book on subject and outline initial thoughts.

Oldbat2B,
Well technically they were Douglas Firs..kinda like very large weeds. ;)
Hubby has estimated the the really big guy in the side yard was well over 75' tall! We didn't figure that prior to it's downing, we were quite surprised once that baby was on the ground.

We now have a lovely barked "fruit tree area" to add about 6 more fruits.
I also turned one of the stump/rock areas on the back hill into a little "garden" spot. (13 trees were taken out of the back yard before we purchased it) most are in the "orchard" side though.

Little bit of GrandDiva news..they moved her due date up to Valentine's Day!
That's two weeks earlier than thought.
No resolutions, but I have lost 5lbs by increasing my activity level. ;)

This post was edited by terri_pacnw on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 0:32

Schick- yes, when we put in the cedar posts, we routered the edges, sanded them smooth and then put spar on them to waterproof. Good job on getting healthy! I've let myself go since the remodel started and I too am trying to finally get back on track. I hope I can do as well as you are.

CEF- sorry about the confusion!! When I made last weeks post I accidentally titled it week 33...again, so we basically had ourselves a little groundhog week! Figured I would correct it to the right number this time! I am still waiting to see a picture of that living room{{gwi:807}} of yours! ;)

Terri- shhhh, she's onto me, I, I mean US!!( nods and smiles brightly). The house looks SOO different with those trees down! I can't remember if you had a plan for something to replace them or not?

Feisty- clutter free is an EXCELLENT resolution! I keep telling myself I will do that, once all the renovations and projects are done. Realistically, I would GET more projects done if there wasn't so much clutter in the way.

Ob2b- did I read that correctly? You have a map room?

For me, today was a wonderful milestone. It was 76 outside with no wind (a rare thing around here) so I went out and spent all day cleaning building materials, dried mud, gunk, etc off of my porch and finally, 17 months after it was poured, it is finished!!! Well, except the globe which the manufacturer does still make but its on backorder. It was only 35 and I should get it in a few weeks. But seriously, check out my "outdoor room!!"
{{gwi:2136396}}

The covered part is 12x15 and then the slab continues for another 7 feet or so (been a while since I measured)

We spend so much time outside basically year round that I wanted to have a nice area.

We even ran a gas line out so that we can put an outdoor kitchen in in the future, of course it would need a hood since it is under the porch. Still, I am exhausted but very happy. We even had burgers and hot dogs{{gwi:807}} out there tonight!

I had to edit just to include another shot! I just keep imagining how nice it will be when all the construction dust has settled and I can plant some stuff and have an actual yard instead of dirt!
{{gwi:2136397}}

This post was edited by Texas_Gem on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 0:35

I would love to put a few mini japanese maples...but hubby likes the openness. So it'll probably be some controllable plantings that stay low.

Your outdoor space is lovely! It's begging for a little cozy bench/love seat with some pillows though and little side table to place your beverage.

Terri- I agree re. back porch. That's another one of those projects on the list.

Grand baby though, YAY!!!! My youngest turns 2 just before Valentine's day, I call her my little love baby and she is the most snuggliest, cuddliest of all my kids. Maybe it has something to do with Valentines? ;)

Thanks for reminding me, that really is right around the corner and i need to get busy planning a party! Can't wait to see pics of her when she arrives!!

Love that porch Texas! I suppose I should do something about mine. It doesn't really need any work, just some clean up and furniture to make it more inviting.

Texas! Awesome porch! You can grow herbs out there too. What a great space it will be when it's finished. I am so jealous!

Terri, get some shamrock apple trees! They are awesome. I don't know where in the PNW to get them but Salt Spring Apple Orchards sells them. They aren't on Salt Spring but in the interior somewhere. Not quite the Okanagan though.

This thread blew up since the last time I checked in. Sort of like how work has been yesterday and today (completely BSC).

@ terri_pacnw - An entire field? But since that would be hard to fit into a microwave steamer bag I instead eat what the bag says is "about 3" servings. A couple of tiny salt packets bring it from "blah" to "meh... ok."

It's cool that you don't have to worry about a doug fir falling on your house now! Are you leaving the yard like that or planting something else?

@feisty68 - that's a wonderful goal. If we're lucky we'll be able to try and do the same thing. It's difficult moving from a house with actual closets to one where they were removed and an afterthought.

@CEFreeman - we're in the same situation with my grandparent's everyday dishes. I remember them from visiting over there but we already have our own everyday and nice sets. There are no siblings to give them to. It's my one box of things that I'm irrationally attached to I suppose.

@ MGMum - no biking to work for me at this site. I need to be here at 5:30AM so every minute of sleep is precious. The path I would take is also not good, but the after work route from home, around the waterfront and historic parts of downtown and over a huge bridge with dedicated bike/jogging lanes is much safer and scenic. I do that instead. BTW, edamame is some type of soybean. I'm not quite sure how it's different from other kinds.

@Texas_Gem - the back porch looks great. It's nice to be able to keep the outdoor furniture away from direct sun exposure so it will last. That stuff is too expensive to let it get chewed up by UV exposure.

Today... I need to research and review a HVAC proposal that I got yesterday. The guy mentioned new thermostats but I really like the two Ecobees we already have. No bike ride toady due to a late staff meeting. The warm weather is over tomorrow, then it's back to bundling up and seasonable conditions again but that's ok. I need to call the landscape design person soon because our place looks embarrassing. All outdoor photos I've posted anywhere are selected very carefully but in a nutshell, the outdoor plants are all older than I am.

Shick, there will be somethings planted. I have an abundance of purple iris' at my mom's. Japanese and Bearded. Not sure where I will put them, but likely in a few spots. :) The Japanese will look good the longest with their green "grass" clumps.

So this is what I'm working on.
I have 12 year old phone that claims to take pictures. so...

I have 3 base drawer cabinets, a 36" 24" 36" that I'm hooking together with a beaded face frame. I want beaded inset stuff and will figure out how to jury rig it.

Here's how they start:
{{gwi:2136398}}
Here you can see the original face frame behind the new, beaded one, where I've moved the drawer glide back a stupid 1/8" to let the drawer fronts sit properly.
{{gwi:2136399}}
Unfortunately, Norcroft uses plastic brackets, which don't let the glide move back. (Moral of the story: NEVER accept plastic, anyway.)

Here I'm reinforcing the drawer glides. The top has a metal bracket; the original plastic ones right below it. It'll be metal. Given I'm concerned about over loading these 36" drawers, I'm putting a brace along the side for additional support:

{{gwi:2136400}}

And just for good measure, Here's a shot of my work area. I've got the 16' butcher block countertop slid over onto extra base cabinets (extra? Who has EXTRA!?!) and I'm crawling around on the floor to put these in. Arrrgh.

{{gwi:2136401}}
Above this you can see some of the cherry cabinets I stripped. There are (useless) apothecary drawers in a row below them. The corbels are not decorative -- and are very pretty.

I'll have to tell you my contortionist story (I posted on my drawer glide bracket thread) later. Right now I'm just glad, at 56, that I still practice yoga.

Just look at those lovely beaded inset frames, NICE!!! Thank you for the pictures, big smile on this end :)

CEF - Your cabinets are going to be beautiful. I really like that beading. I'm sure your drawers will hold up just fine (famous last words).

Terri - Don't do it! Irises are worse than ivy. I could ship you a truckload of root bulb thingies and still have plenty left over in our yard.

Lol Doug, I am aware of their growth pattern. :) I can handle it. ;)

Hey, if you get a black one, let me know. I'm the..ahem..."murderer" of our lone black iris, although I have no idea how I killed it. Weedwhacker, I suppose.

Lol..I'll keep an eye out for you.
I had some beautiful white ones..and those disappeared..don't think it was the weed whacker.

CEF- oh my goodness, I can't believe you have been doing that maneuvering under/around that countertop. You are a braver soul than I. The beadboard looks great though!!! I wish I could go that route for my buffet/China hutch area but it is a nonstandard size (18 inches deep) so I don't think I can find old cabs that size to reuse and have a new face frame built for. Oh well, thank you for posting pictures!!! In case you can't tell by my posting behavior, I'm a visual person and seeing really helps!!

As for these parts, guess who had drywall delivered yesterday??{{gwi:2136402}}

Guess who got hit with a big winter storm, lost power for several hours and has school canceled tomorrow?
{{gwi:2136403}}

That table is under a 15 foot overhang and still got completely covered in snow. That pic was taken an hour ago and it is not supposed to stop snowing until sometime tomorrow.

Gotta love the weather around here!

We had a little snow yesterday, too. Big fat wet flakes. Extremely pretty and very annoying!

Texas_Gem, my face frame is my 2014 cabinet splurge. I got it made by Brian and The Cabinet Joint.com. I don't know how to use a router yet, so a beaded face frame was out of my talents. The cupboards are actually Norcroft, so they're just standard maple. So it can be done without a lot of hoo-ha.

Almost done with it. Got the 3rd bank's drawer glides to move back and I can put them countertop back on and put things away. I am SO tired of stepping over crap and all the visual clutter.

Ok. Back to work then off to work!

CEFreeman - your cabinets are looking great :) . That'll be really pretty. My kitchen is all corners but I love the look of a handsome cabinet run.

Schicksal, closets are nice, but what I long for is an attic, or a garage, or a basement :) .

Texas - snow!! Wow. We haven't had much "up" here.

My husband was kind enough to bring some firewood up to the front porch last night. He left the tractor parked there and this is what I was greeted with this morning.
{{gwi:2136404}}

We got 14 inches in roughly 12 hours so I'm not planning on doing anything for the next few days!!

Holy Moly!
And it's 53F here today.

We are going to work on drawing up a floor plan to play with in the kitchen this weekend.

I'm sleeping in tomorrow. I'm assigning the Topic responsibility to the 1st of you to get here! :)

Use your imagination -- I look forward to it!

Someone else will have to start it, but since it is Super Bowl week, how about:

"Are you game?"

The theme would be what new, bold things would you like to do this year?