Well my friends, with another wonderful holiday season behind us, it’s time to get back into the swing of things around here. Anyone else struggle to jump back into real life after a break? We’ve actually had a slower start than usual this year as Carson went back to school after his break with a week of online schooling from home (which had us all struggling to get anything done last week). With C back in the classroom this week, things are feeling a little more normal this week, which makes it so much easier to fall back into some routine once again.
Brady and I have spent the last few weeks dreaming up all sorts of ideas and plans for the year ahead. We’ve got far more ideas than we’ll ever have time for, but there’s something so exciting about taking the time to list out all of our dreams and goals for the year ahead, knowing there’s a whole year of possibility lying in front of us. Now, obviously we’ll need to pare down our list to create something a little more realistic (nobody wants to set themselves up for failure right out of the gate), so while we work on that, I thought it would be fun to take some time to look back at some of the projects we tackled last year. With a brand new year ahead and all sorts of goals floating around our heads, it’s always helpful to reflect back on the past year – thinking through what worked, what didn’t, and all of the many things we managed to accomplish together. Looking back, I’d say 2020 was a “year of cozy” around here. As we settled into spending more time around home together than ever before, we found ourselves on a constant quest throughout the year to make each space in our home feel more comfortable & cozy than ever. Scroll through for a look back at some of the projects we tackled through 2020 and see how they’re influencing our goals for the year ahead…
Our 2020 project list
january
Even before the world shut down and we found ourselves looking for all the things we could do from home, I found myself picking up some cozy new hobbies like knitting dishcloths (which has become one of my most popular tutorials now!) and making my own scented candles.
February
In February I shared an in-depth tour of the layout of our home and put together a resource for all of the design and decor sources for each and every room (something I’d been meaning to gather for years now).
March
In March, I shared a complete before & after tour of our entire home, taking you through each space, room-by-room. It was SO fun to look back at just how far this house has come!
I also discovered a love for embroidery. I mean who wouldn’t love the chance to get creative and make their own art while relaxing on the sofa, especially when it’s such a simple little hobby to learn!
I also shared some other creative hobbies I was learning from home and some other simple craft kits that had caught my eye.
april
In April, I focused on some ways to make the most of all this extra time at home.
may
In May, I finally got around to sharing the tutorial for our DIY enclosed raised garden space and it quickly became another one of your favourite posts!
june
The house projects finally started up in June. A little paint went a long way with this super simple, but very impactful update to our bedroom.
I also found some time to put together another well requested post – how to decorate with wood signs and where to find them.
july
July saw the start of our biggest renovation project of 2020, finishing our basement. This was a massive undertaking that required everything from framing & drywall to electrical and plumbing. You can check out where we started here.
august
Though it felt so slow, we made a ton of progress down in the basement through August, getting all of the electrical and framing finishing up so that the drywalling could start. I also put together the final design plans for the space so that we could have a clear vision about where we were heading with things.
I also shared a list of 10 other renovation projects we’d still like to tackle someday (many of these will be on our list for 2021!).
september
In September, I shared some cozy updates I’d made to our main living room space. Can you spot them?
We also made a ton of progress down in the basement – with the drywall, paint and subfloors going in, our unfinished basement was really starting to feel like an actual room in our home!
September is also the month we managed to rip up most of our backyard (read more about that here). Do you remember this? I’m sure it’s no surprise that putting this mess back together is high on our priority list for 2021!
October
Thankfully, our October was full of unseasonably warm, sunshiny days, which allowed us more time to work on the many outside projects we’d started through and were nowhere near finishing.
Not only did we get all of the trenches we’d dug out for our new plumbing and electrical all filled back in, but we also finally got started with our back deck construction (which was the reason we had to tear up most of our yard in the first place). If you’re curious, you can read more about our deck plans here.
We also somehow made a ton more progress down in the basement, seeing our carpets installed and putting together the design plans for our little powder room.
November + December
November and December was filled to the brim with all things Christmas here on the blog, including our cozy holiday home tour, this year’s vintage inspired tree and our Christmas baking list.
Behind the scenes we also managed to finish up the back deck (or the base of it anyway), build a gazebo, install a new hot tub, and finish the basement (including our powder room) just in time for Christmas. With all things Christmas swirling around my head, I didn’t actually manage to get a dedicated post written for any of this, but I did share our progress along the way through my Weekend Reading updates. I’m hoping to share some more thorough updates about it all soon though, so stay tuned.
Looking back, 2020 certainly was one heck of a year (and not just because the whole world was fighting a global pandemic). It felt like a year of too many projects and not a whole lot of progress to show for it through so much of it, but looking back, it seems we did manage to tackle some pretty incredible projects (and even finish a few of them along the way – ha!). It’s also pretty clear that we have quite a long list of unfinished projects that will need our attention through this year ahead (torn apart back yard, I’m looking at you!). I can’t wait to share our project list for the year ahead with you next week! I’d love to hear some of your plans for 2021 – what’s at the top of your project list this year?
Wishing you such a lovely day!
I can't wait to hear your thoughts!