Sweet Parrish Place Goals for 2014

Earlier this week, I posted a review of the goals I set for 2013. It really helped me to take a look at what my goals were, and how I did at achieving them. If I had to grade myself, I think I would give myself a B. After giving it some thought, I think maybe, since that was my first time making goals like that, I was a tad bit too lofty. So, in setting my goals for 2004, I am going to try to be a little more realistic in what I think I can achieve. some of the goals from 2013 that I did not complete will carry over to my goals for this year, and I will be adding a few new ones into the mix. I am going to try to keep it under 12 goals for the year. So here goes!

Goal #1: Clean, seal, and hang my new barn beam mantel over the fireplace. LC bought me a gorgeous fireplace mantel for Christmas. Woot woot! I had it made by a man in Pennsylvania who recently tore down an old wagon barn. I found him on Craigslist, and it was a match made in heaven! I told him what I had in mind, and my measurements, and he cut it to size and sanded it down nice and smooth on the top. I also sent him some pictures I found of the types of mantel I had in mind. I am planning on cleaning it, and then sealing it with something, I haven’t decided what to use yet, but I will be keeping you posted on the progress. This beam and corbels weighs over 100 pounds, so we are considering having it professionally hung, you know, because we don’t know WTF we are doing! anyone out there have any advice on mounting this heavy thing? I shared this picture before Christmas of the mantel sitting in our garage, but here it is, in case you missed it. Click here to see the picture of the mantle that was my inspiration.
Update: You can see my finished and installed mantle here!

Goal #2: Hang shelving over my desk area. I already have the shelves, we purchased them at Ikea before Christmas. They are the Ikea Ekby wall shelves. Our desk is also from Ikea, so they will match perfectly. The brackets are a brushed nickel look, and I am thinking of using some Rub n Buff on them to make them gold, since I have other gold accents in this room. This is a picture of the exact same shelves, used in a different way.
Update: See my installed shelving here.

Goal #3: Stencil the green wall in my dining room/office. This is a carry over goal from 2013. I just didn’t feel the inspiration to actually do this, although I already have the stencil I need. So it WILL get done this year! Here is a picture of the particular wall I am talking about.

Goal #4: Install a light over the mirror in Miss 17 Year Old’s bathroom. This is another thing about this house that has been nagging at me since we moved in. Miss 17 Year Old’s bathroom has a ceiling light, but no light over the mirror. That bugs me, and this is the year that it will be remedied! Here is a picture of her bathroom.

Goal #5: Replace the linoleum in Miss 17 Year Old’s Bathroom. Yes, another goal involving her bathroom. The room has been painted since we moved in. Pink was the color she chose. Actually, the entire room needs an update, but I am only going to make these two things a goal. We’ll see whether I get around to anything else in this room or not.

Goal #6: Paint the stair risers and base boards going up and down our stairs. I have been steadily chipping away at this area recently, painting the railings and the walls. So the next thing is to give all white parts a fresh coat of white. This is how it looks right now.
Update: See the freshly painted risers here.

Goal # 7: Stain Door thresholds in downstairs hallway, and paint door leading to garage black. This is actually two goals that I am rolling into one, because these are two small jobs that are in the same space and these will pretty much finish up that space. This is what the space looks like now. The door you see will be black like my front door and kitchen door.

Goal #8: Paint walls and ceiling in living room. This room needs so much, but a new paint job will go a very long way in making it look the way I want it to. Not to mention the new mantel! This is what the room currently looks like, but Christmas is in the process of leaving the building as we speak. The fireplace is on the wall to the left and cannot be seen in this photo.

Goal #9: Hang new curtains and blinds in the living room. I am already 1/4 of the way there. I bought the curtains at Marshall’s over Christmas break. They are just a natural burlap look with grommet holes. I want to add bamboo blinds, and maybe try my hand at a DIY curtain rod. We’ll see what happens, but the day that those mini blinds leave this house will be a happy one for me! You can see a good picture of the current window treatments here. This was all here when we moved in and has not been changed, other than the fact that I did clean them.

Goal #10: Put a new bed in Mr. 13 Year Old’s bedroom, and give Mr. 6 Year Old Mr. 13 Year Old’s loft bed. Both of the boys bedrooms are going to be changing sooner rather than later. No plans for paint or anything just yet, but I will be changing both of their beds, and organizing and finding storage for each of them. We’ll see what happens, and I will be sure to share it all with you. You can see Mr. 13 Year Old’s bedroom here, and Mr. 6 Year Old’s bedroom here.

Goal #11: Paint the handrails going down the stairs on the front stoop of our house. This is a necessity. The railings are already white, but are very weathered. They need sanded down and given a fresh coat of paint. This is our front stoop.

Goal #12: Phase one- update boys’ bathroom. I would like to paint the walls and the vanity in their bathroom, and replace the shower curtains, towels, and rugs in there. I also want to either clean or paint the grout. This is the bathroom now. Don’t even get me started on the lighting, it may just get changed out too. I mean, since I am going to paint, an accident might happen, and this light may or may not get ripped out of the wall. Oops! In advance.

I could go on and on. Seriously people. No, seriously. As I said recently, I am trying to focus on phase one of this house right now. Everything on this list will be part of the phase one I have in mind. And even after it is all done, phase one will still not be complete! Can you believe that?

In case you didn’t notice in my header, I am the girl with a tight budget, so we do what we can as we can afford to do it. Not to mention that I work a full time job. So I do things as I have the time to do them. I am off during the summer, so I will tackle a larger project during summer. Probably the living room and maybe the bathrooms.

I hope these goals gave you a clear idea of what we are going to be up to around here in 2014. And trust me, I am sure many other small little projects are going to pop up along the way. I plan to keep up Trashtastic Tuesdays at least twice per month.

I plan to do lots of purging and organizing as well. We are planning a garage sale over the summer, so every nook and cranny of this house will get organized and purged between now and then. When you live in a home, like we do, with an under abundance of storage, purging on a regular basis is a must.

Also, on a more personal note, I plan on whipping myself into better, and healthier shape. So I might blog a little about my progress on this personal goal too. I really want to feel better about myself by the time bathing suit weather rolls around. and just feel better in general. I have been eating waaaay too much sugar lately, and I can physically feel the effects.

As far as this blog, I also have some goals, which I will be sharing with you throughout the coming months. Basically, it is my desire to grow my blog, because it is a true love and passion of mine. And the only way that is going to happen is if YOU keep coming back! That’s right! YOU! Right there behind that screen, I am talking to you! I am so thankful for every single person who gives a rats hiney about this little adventure of mine, and I hope and pray that you will stick with me, and that even more people who don’t even know about Sweet Parrish Place will start joining me. So, if you like me, I mean really like me, go over to my side bar and find a way to follow me. I mean, there are several ways, so just choose one and join me on this crazy ride, will ya?

Enough already right? I will stop now. Speaking of goals, what are your goals for 2014? I would love to hear a few, or all of them!

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Monday:
The Dedicated House
Rain on a Tin Roof
Between Naps on the Porch
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My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Cozy Little House
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Friday:
Liz Marie Blog
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Funky Junk Interiors
Remodelaholic