winning

I'm winning at lists and life!  I'm channeling the Charlie Sheen in me and telling you all about my victories.  I don't know how many of you caught that I added a little laundry list of projects I needed to work on around the house to my sidebar a bout a month ago?  With my new blog desgin I wanted to add it to the "tabs" section across the top of my page, but in reading it over, I discovered that I've done quite a few of the things already!!  Total win hiding in plain sight!  Are any of you "box checking" kind of people?  I LIVE by lists - it's a sickness really.  If I could do it without driving my friends and family nuts, I'd "Type A" the crap out of EVERYTHING I lay my hands on.  So, posts like this are really cathartic to me.  Here was my original list (in really no particular order), and crossed off are the items I've already finished...

• Finish digging out pool
• Add pictures to frames
• De-clutter bedroom
• Buy cushions for dining chairs
• Install vent in guest bath
• Replace and paint pantry doors
• Buy new dishwasher
• Buy new refrigerator
• Sew pillows
• Add trim to curtains
• Hem curtains
• Hang curtain rods
• Spray paint wall sconces (<-actually starting to like their color?  I'll document this in a post soon)
• Paint pantry
• Paint laundry room
• Remove popcorn ceiling
• Paint living room
• Paint family room
• Paint hall
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting

 WOW!  I'm super excited - I've completed 6 of my original tasks!  And now I will show you all most of them. 

#1: De-clutter bedroom
Here we are before...

And after...

Just kidding.  Neither of those are my house.  You'll get bedroom pics soon enough (<-sounded wrong??), when I update you on our decorating progress in there!  Suffice it to say that I sorted, boxed, labeled and stored everything in a neat manner (remember my Type A sickness?  It's a real thing, people). 

#2: Buy cushions for dining chairs

Before...

After...

 We now have these on all 8 - woop woop!  Sorry you don't get a real picture.  It's nearly impossible to make cheap you-know-what IKEA chairs look classy.  They have a hard enough time keeping all 4 legs on the ground at once, lol.  On to...


#3: Sew pillows (read more here, here, and here) 

Before...

And after...

This was a big one.  A ten for me on the "winning" scale of one to awesomeness (otherwise known as ten).  You can also see evidence in this last photo of....

 #4 & #5: Hang curtain rods and hem curtains (read more here)

Before...

And after...

  

The curtains have added such a wonderful element to our living space - I LOVE them!  And last but certainly not least...

  #6: Paint pantry (read more here, here, and here)

Before...

After failed attempt at paint color choosing #1...
 

And the real after (I decided the fire-hydrant yellow color was burning my corneas)...

I think I'm pretty satisfied with what I've done since mid-July!  It's been a month and I think this was a lot to accomplish, along with going back to teaching for the year (can you say exhaustion?!).

I'm hoping to tackle these items next...

• Replace and paint pantry doors (<- so, so  SUPER EXCITED!  It involves chalkboard paint!)
• Add pictures to frames (<-we have lived here for 2.5 years - this is embarrassing, lol)
• Remove fluorescent kitchen lights & replace with track lighting (more IKEA coming our way)
• Make another chevron lazy susan for a giveaway on a friend's blog...  Maybe do a giveaway here?  Not sure if people would actually want something I made, lol.  I'm no Cassie or Natty, after all!

Are y'all box checkers like I am, or do you fly by the seat of your pants, or something in between?   What are you planning for your next projects?  Do share!  Happy Tuesday, friends!