My home is forever a work in progress.
Kinda like me.
While this can be frustrating to the girl who loves project deadlines, accepting that the state of progress is an okay place to be . . . helps me.
Here’s the thing. I get big ideas. I picture wonderful finished projects in my head.
Things that are done and finished and can be admired and remembered. This mentality can paralyze me in certain situations where I simply am not able to do it right.
Right now.
Remember the white bench? The one I removed from my gameroom? That was extreme decluttering because it meant accepting that the cute surely-it-should-be-useful-there piece . . . wasn’t useful.
In fact, it was a problem-causer.
Taking it out completely has been a huge help in that room. I really don’t even miss it there.
But . . . . here’s where I admit something. I never actually got rid of it.
Nope. It’s been sitting in my garage for, ummm . . . a while.
In the comments on that post where so many of you were trying desperately to NOT be an enabler for me, someone mentioned putting it in an entryway. Which . . . was a FABulous idea.
When we looked at this house, the lady who lived here had a bench in the entryway. I loved it. The entryway is a perfect place to put this cute-as-can-be bench.
Mmm-hmmm. That’s what I’ll do.
Y’know, someday.
Someday, because I also have an overall plan for re-doing the entryway. It’s in my head, just not in my budget. (Neither my money-budget NOR my time-budget.)
So, motivated by the fact that my Room by Room girls and I had randomly assigned “Entryways and Mudrooms” to this month . . . I figured now was as good a time as any to do something. Not everything, but something.
So, I just rearranged. I moved the current items in the entryway to their new homes. The sofa table went to the master bedroom, where I’ve always wanted it anyway. The chest I got in Thailand went to a perfectly-fine spot in the living room.
It’s not the overall look I want. It seems small in this space, and I’m ready for you to take that gold-framed picture back, Mom.
It’s in a state of progress. But we could live in this state for a while and be perfectly fine.
Meanwhile, there are three more feet on the side of my garage that I don’t have to do any bodily contortions to get through.
What areas of your home are in a state of “livable progress”?
Be sure to check entryway/mudroom inspiration from my friends:
Jami from An Oregon Cottage is sharing the evolution of her entry. And knowing her, it will be beautiful and inspiring!
Taylor from Stain-Removal 101 is sharing 5 Mudroom Ideas To Keep It Both Clean And Inviting .
Christine from I Dream of Clean is talking about how front doors are like first impressions!
My WHOLE house is always in transformation. I guess its because I am a yard sale shopper. I keep upgrading my pieces. Don’t worry I am pretty good about getting rid of the older models either at my own yard sales or Craigslist or donations. My problem is getting around to refinishing or altering the newer models and I have to admit the last older model is getting donated in its unaltered and unfinished state because I just didn’t get around to it!
I am trying to figure out what we won’t need in the next 3 weeks and get them packed. Once packed I need to find a spot to put all of it.
Right now the living room is in a “livable state of progress” but I’m in the process of working on that. We’re on vacation this week and I was able to get my husband to paint at least one wall (it’s red and the only wall in that room that will be that color). Tomorrow I’m hoping to get him to the store to buy the window treatment and paint for for the rest of the living room. After that I’ll need to finish the slip covers I started three years ago (I told you it was a work in progress) and I’ll be finished. At least for now 🙂 Are we ever really done?
Good job on finding a spot for your bench.
My whole house is always in a state. I have big ideas for hoeing out and re-organizing, but life gets in the way of my plans. Both DD’s will be away next week and I don’t have to go to work until Wednesday, so I’m hoping and praying that I can make allot of progress. My goal is to clean out the basement and make space for a dedicated sewing area. Right now that area is the kitchen table. Definitely not ideal, as it has to be put away during meals. I’d love to actually finish that area, but that will have to wait till next time.
Livable progress? Well, the entryway is baby-poo brown and that bpb only partially covers up the purple that my DH tried next (he put it on liberally so we could see it in various lights) that he didn’t believe was purple until my son said, “Why are there purple spots on the wall?”—oh, I didn’t mention DH is color-blind? So, now you ask why he was picking out paint by himself….good question.
Anyway, we had just enough bpb left in the can to partially cover the new mess.
Oh, and we still have green painter’s tape in the transom window. It’s been this way (to quote Nony) for a while.
Omgoodness! I need the “Welcome to the White House” sign!!
I don’t know how inconvenient it would be, but I really like that table and have been looking for a gossip bench type piece of furniture for my upstairs hallway, so if you ever find that it doesn’t truly fit in your house I’d love to buy it.
For now, the table is in my daughter’s room!