Resolutions for a good morgan

There are plenty of things I'd *like* to get done in the coming year, but unfortunately there are a few projects that can no longer be ignored. So that, of course, means that the things at the top of my to-do list for 2008 are not as fun as I'd like them to be...

1) insulate the attic - we promised ourselves that we were going to do it last year, but it never happened. We have a problem with ice dams and really should have added some insulation before this winter.

2) cement the icky room - there's a room that no one dares enter... with a dirt floor... and stone walls... in the basement. This picture is from before we bought the house so it's since been cleaned up a bit (but not much). There's only so much you can do! Cemented floor is a must this year! I'm almost embarrassed to show this...



3) Hire someone to fix the fireplaces - neither of them work and they both drip water if the wind and rain are blowing the right way.

4) Finish the bathroom - OMG. I've been working on the bathroom since last spring. My father is supposed to help me with the floor the week after next. If that happens, we should be home free...

5) De-clutter/organize - this seems to be a yearly activity around here.

6) Focus on the landscaping in front of the house - We've done some nice work on the backyard, but it's time to start working on the landscaping that people actually see. Yep, it pretty much still looks like this...



...except for that ugly brown bench on the porch. It's been replaced with a red IKEA chair.

7) Paint something whimsical on my daughters wall - Right now a giant tree with birds, owls and fairies is at the top of her list.

8) Make the laundry room pretty - I'm not sure how that's possible, but I'll figure out something. Something like this from Domino magazine...



9) Make more art just because

10) Quit being chicken and pick some wall colors already! I have so many paint chips, I could easily cover the walls without buying one can of paint.

Pretty little etsies

There are so many pretty things on Etsy these days. Like creativethursday's "Pandas", for which I'm sure I could find a place in my home...


Maybe in the bathroom?

Simple Memory Art

I love sneaky educational tools. I love them even more when they're pretty, like these kitchen towels with herb and spice tips from Simple Memory Art...



And also these periodic table magnets...



I'll admit the magnets aren't really "pretty", but what a great way to teach your kids the periodic table! My daughter learned all of her letters and their sounds using magnets so maybe I should up the ante and get her to learn the elements?

The bathroom of paneling...doomed!

This is what our bathroom looked like when we bought the house.



Ohhh how I love being surrounded by wood paneling... especially when it has nicks and scratches and old drill holes where the previous owner must have had at least three separate toilet paper holders. It looks so wonderful paired with the cheap flooring and the ceiling tiles... oh! the ceiling tiles....



When we moved in there was actually a cover over that shop light, but if you closed the door just right it would fall down on your head.

For our first project, my father and I put in some lovely new ceiling tiles. Still... I just couldn't take that paneling... so I ripped it out... without a design plan... without a second thought....



Ahhhhh. Much better already.

I've made a bit more progress than that though. I painted the walls a nice green. Got some nice new cabinets and a mirror from IKEA...



...and that's where I've been stuck for three months now. I'd like to put something on the wall above the towel bar. I was considering one of the floating towel shelves like this one from Umbra.



My other thought was to put up something decorative that's dark, maybe black or dark brown. The room feels a little too light right now, but I guess that could change depending on what I do with the floor. How about this?