Wednesday, January 11

Home Goals 2012

I thought I'd join the fun over at The Nesting Place and share my Home Goals for 2012! (be warned, it's a lot of words and not a lot of pictures) I've never made a list of home goals before, so I started by reading the Nester's Advice for setting goals which was a great boost for my goal-setting-mindset. It also made me realize that a big element of how I feel about my home is my mindset and attitude, so I need to set some goals in that area as well as physical goals for my home.

I started by thinking about my answers to the questions she posed:
  • What’s my favorite room in my house? Why? - Aesthetically, the bathroom. I think it's really pretty and it's one of the few rooms that I feel like I've fully transformed to fit my style. Functionally, the living room. I love how big and open to the rest of the house it is, and it's where we spend most of our time as a family. 
  • How and where does my family hang out together?  What’s working for that room? What’s annoying in that room? - The living room. The size and openness is great and and I like the set up of the lounging area (with couches and a table). We definitely have not found our groove for great function yet. This room is rearranged more than any other in the house because I can't find what really works for us yet. And I can't put my finger on exactly what bothers me in there! I'd like to address the spaces around the front door, the entertainment center, and the general layout and flow of the room.
  • Is there something in my home I want to do but I’m afraid?  What if I take that risk?  What’s the worst that can happen? - I want to put concrete counters in the kitchen. If I take the risk it could turn out totally awesome and I'll never have regrets wondering how awesome it could have been. The worst that could happen is the countertops won't turn out and we'll lose a couple hundred dollars and still have no countertops. Kind of a big deal...
  • What’s the purpose of my home?  Is that obvious by how we use it and what is filling it? - The purpose of my home is to be a safe, happy, loving place for my family. As well as a welcoming place for friends. Hmmmm....good question. Sometimes? I feel like we have quite a bit of junk we don't need that's filling space (which is because I have a hard time getting rid of things. there, I said it). I feel like having extra stuff puts the focus on the stuff instead of on the people around the stuff. It would be better to have more room for Baby B to play (and not worry about breaking things). I'll have to think on this one some more....
  • Do the objects in my home reflect our family or do I just have things because someone told me it looked good, gave it to me or bought it for me? - Most of our things we truly like and use...but not all. If I do some decluttering and toss the things that aren't, I'll probably feel more at peace when I walk through my home.
  • Am I neglecting my home and not putting money into something that is needed?  Am I squandering money on something I don’t need or enjoy? - I don't think we're neglecting any serious needs for the house (as in major function/safety needs). We do neglect some of our "it would be nice to...." projects, usually because of finances. When I squander money it's usually on other crafts or projects that I do enjoy, so I just have to prioritize my wish list.
From that point, I set the follow goals for my home in 2012 (some taken directly from her suggestion list):

  • Stop apologizing for my home.
  • Say more kind things than negative things about my home.
  • My home is for the people who live there first and foremost, honor them and also think about my guests.  This means I can ignore what any random people have to say about my paint colors and furniture placement. Make it work for my family for this season of life.
  • Make our patio a space where we spend as much time as the living room in the summer. (see our patio progress here)
  • Paint the kitchen cabinets
  • Put a countertop in the kitchen (budget allowing) (see the kitchen plan here)
  • Find a better way for our living room to work for our family
  • Keep the guest room clear and comfortable for guests
  • Adjust Baby B's room to house a growing (soon to be walking!) boy (see the nursery here)
  • Declutter and get rid of the things that don't fit my family - no guilt allowed
  • Re-think our budget, make sure we are using our money where it best suits our family
  • Plant a garden 
  • Keep my home reasonably clean & organized year round
  • Live healthier & more naturally
  • Play with Baby B instead of working on ______. I'll be glad I did later.
 Whew. That's a long list. But we have a whole year ahead of us! I'm sure some of the goals will be tweaked and developed as the year goes on, but it feels great to have a starting place and something to strive for. What kind of goals do you have for your home this year? You can join me and link up at The Nesting Place. Here's to a happy home, in 2012!

P.S. You can still enter my giveaway to win a travel shopping bag, made by me! It rolls up to fit in your purse until you need it.


Click here to see the details on this sweet bag and enter to win!

2 comments:

  1. concrete countertops sound fantastic!!! i would love to do them in my kitchen, but our current ones are in perfect condition...no need to mess with them...right? :)

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    1. Alana, thanks so much! I'm a little afraid to commit. Ha! But I think I will love them so I should probably just go for it. That's kind of a bummer, being stuck with countertops in great shape. We don't have that problem (fortunately?), but if ours were nice we probably wouldn't mess with them either.

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