Tenacity and Getting My House in Order

I know a lot of bloggers posted their favorites or most popular posts from 2015.
As usual, I got pretty busy making custom orders for Christmas,
even right up to the last minute,
and then I took a break to spend time with my littles while they were off from school.
Needless to say, I didn't put together any best of posts for last year.
Instead, I'm going to just look forward to this new year.
I've got a ton of plans floating around in my head for getting my own house in order.
I've begun gathering a few things to put them into motion.

First up is my bathroom.
Here is the kind of awful before.

It's nearly done now.
I've been working diligently on redecorating and
re-vamping (as much as you can in a rental house).

I picked up a few things this last weekend to complete the decor.
The only thing I'm missing is a new soap pump.
I buy new things very rarely so I'm looking for just the right one.
Who knew a soap pump could be so tricky??
Here's a sneak peek from Instagram for you though.

I'm excited to show it all to you!

I've also started working on my bedroom.
I've made a few new things for it and purchased a few, too.
Like some pretty new sheets from Target
and this new window shade from Joss and Main.

I'm getting a desk in there tomorrow.

It's the only real space I have in the house for a desk so it's just going to have to fit!

I also moved a nice antique armoire into my bedroom to add some much needed storage.

The only thing holding me back from completing the bedroom

is the gigantic pile of clothes on the floor!

I am making it a priority to donate a bunch (a very large bunch)

to our local thrift store this month.

Then I can get my closet in order and, finally, the actual bedroom.

I'm also working on the rest of the house.

I've got ideas for the kitchen but I'm purposefully not doing a thing with that

until the bedroom is finished.

One room at a time, as a friend recently reminded me.

In the mean time, I'm working on some smaller projects for the living room.
Little pieces of decor to change things up.
And I've finally got an idea of how to cover up
the much-dreaded wallpaper in my dining room!
Landlord-friendly, of course.

In order to accomplish a few of my ideas,
I'm finally learning how to use a sewing machine.

So far, I've only been able to sew by hand.
But I bought this beautiful ticking fabric to use for a pillow in my bedroom.
And I need to be able to sew this up the correct way!

So, I'm learning something new.
I figure, if I can learn how to use saws and build cabinets and such,
then surely I can learn how to use a sewing machine, right?

Which brings me to the first half of the title of my post.
Tenacity.

Can I tell you a secret?
I talk to myself all the time inside my head.
Who doesn't, right?
But sometimes I even talk to myself out loud.
I'm alone a lot, what can I say? Haha!
It's all fine and dandy until you do it at the supermarket
and someone happens to see you.
Then it can be a little embarrassing, let me tell you.

But, sometimes, it's a genuinely helpful quality.
Let me explain, lest you think I'm actually a little, you know, woo-hoo...

As I said, I'm alone a lot.
At work. At home when my kids are with their Dad.
And sometimes I need encouragement.
When I'm lifting something heavy from the garage without help.
When I'm trying to figure out how to actually put together
some idea I've concocted in my head.
When I'm staring at 4 different projects in one weekend,
like my bathroom makeover,
my bedroom redecorating,
a cedar chest sand-down and revamp
(in the middle of winter with no shop to work in),
and figuring out how to take apart an old changing table
to repurpose one part and toss the rest.
Sometimes I feel like I won't possibly be able to do what I've set my mind out to do.
That's when talking to myself comes in handy.

I realized this last weekend
that every time I feel like I'm not going to be able to accomplish something,
The word tenacity pops into my head.
(And, as previously discussed, it sometimes slips right out of my mouth, too)
It has become my mantra.

I've seen word of the year posts popping up in my blog feeds,
and I figured I'd share my word with you, too.
It seems that, by default, it has become my go-to word.
The word that has gotten me through projects and personal situations
quite a lot in the last few months.
I'm starting to believe that, with persistence,
I can accomplish just about anything I want!
And that is a nice attitude to carry into the new year!

I'm hoping to get that new soap pump very soon
and show you my finished bathroom next week.
Check back for it!

Let's keep in touch...

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Your comments make me smile :) 'Til next time!