I sit here, in my living room (as that is where my computer is) and think about all the projects that Robert and I currently have on the go in the house. The kids are playing nicely, in fact Ned has just lined his trains up all along the handles on the drawers of my desk which I find very cute, and I’m trying to think about what I want to say before they stop playing nicely and I’m whisked away to referee.
I’m guilty of starting a new project in the house when work has stalled on the one I/we are currently working on. Say the weather has forced us inside so we can no longer do anything in the garden then I will whip out a tin of paint and decide to start on a wall or some dark wood that I don’t like, that kind of thing. This hopping about from job to job can leave a trail of unfinished jobs. So Robert and I are reigning in our haphazard way of doing up a house and instead finishing off the ones we have started. I hasten to add that the ones on show in the pictures today are a mere sample of the projects on the go as some of the other ones are crafty projects, furniture makeovers and decorative bits and pieces that I’ll have fun showing you anon.
We are going to re-tile the kitchen. It’s a relatively small space to re-tile so that wasn’t the fear, the fear was how easily they would come off the wall and how much damage they would do to the plaster.
The gods are on our side as they popped off the wall, dry and dusty and once you’d got one off you could almost pull every other one off with your bare hands.
Even Nye with her baby screwdriver could’ve done it. But she directed from the sidelines instead.
And there’s the front garden. When we moved in there was no fence. Robert and his brother have spent time getting the post and rail fence in as and when they have the time. They’ve done the side you can’t see in this photo and have almost reached the end. But this area of garden needed clearing. There were two straggly lilac trees and another half dead straggly monster that we felt needed to go in order to bring some calm and neatness to the front of the house.
So over Christmas Robert went out with a chainsaw and a strimmer and we started work on essentially landscaping the front by ourselves. As long as this area is neat and manageable and we can get the fence finished off we can then take a step back and decide what we want it to look like in the long term. But the trees we chopped down were stopping us from being able to see if there were any cars coming along the road so it was important we dealt with them
Eventually the dream is to have a laurel hedge along the front just behind the fence. Beautiful glossy laurel, neatly trimmed and evergreen. We started off trying to grow our own laurel hedge last autumn by taking cuttings. I’ll let you know how we get on but I can see some buds forming so hopefully they’ve taken.
Ah yes, the entrance hall. I started this one Friday afternoon when the kids were in bed. Silly really as I didn’t do any of the prep I needed to do to the wood, the floors and the walls first. I was just so desperate to see a staircase that wasn’t dark brown.
Mmmmmm, a bit half eaten as you can tell.
But we’re getting there. Yes, we’re getting there.
We’re begging, borrowing, reupholstering, making do, renovating, getting creative, managing, scraping, sanding, painting, sawing and everything else that you can think of.
Which is a poetic way of saying that we’re making a home for ourselves.
And when we’ve finished I’m sure we’ll pick a corner and start all over again.
i love you all so much and thank you for reading
Cherry x
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Hi Cherry,
I just spied your brown chair under your stairs ! I have the same, and we recently ‘shabby chic’d’ them !
We bought 5 in a charity shop, then my other half’s Nan had one in her shed from years ago ! So we have a complete set 
I love you for your half finished everything. Our place is exactly the same. x
I miss “the year in pictures”!
xo Liliana
You and your family are such an inspiration. I just love reading all your comings and goings, either here or on your Facebook page. How you manage to do all you do with 2 little ones running around, I have no idea. Both mine are at school, and the ironing pile, well I wont mention the ironing pile! With much love to you and your wonderful beautiful family…xxx
I am the queen of half done jobs! The house is full of them, and let’s not even mention the half started craft projects!
xoxo
I’m sure you are doing all of this, just the way it needs to be done…. In-between, when children are quiet, as time allows, when help is available, etc., etc., etc.
You really have no exact time table. This is Life, and Life doesn’t follow an exact time table. ENJOY along the way.
And btw, it is so fantastically wonderful, to see Robert doing all this stuff. I am so happy that he is healthy enough now, to so do. So happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentle hugs,
“Auntie”
Impressed, is the first word that comes to mind, and Exhausted, is the second!!! You wear Me out! I wish I had your energy and sense of style! And to do all this with little ones, wow you’re just incredible!! I’m loving your blog, and I wish I had your energy. You know the book, ‘I don’t know how she does it,’ thats you in my head but a lot more organized, you have imagination, style, engenuity, a lot more ‘projects’, with a very supportive husband and you complete all your jobs EVENTUALLY, I know that you do, With the pictures to prove it, beautiful!!! I moved into my dream house 26 years ago, I still love it. I worked on all my projects for the first few years, and I thought I was going to be done, you’re never done. Don’t wear yourself out Love, there’s a new project around every corner, and a very fun life to live, good luck to you your husband family and your babies!!! TaDa
I’m not sure one is ever “finished” with projects around the house.:-) You have some wonderful things going there, Cherry. What a busy, busy person you are!
xo Nellie
“Making a home for ourselves” – that’s exactly how I feel at the moment too. And I know what it’s like to want to start so many things but trying to reign it in and get something finished before starting the next. We’re in the process of planting fruit trees, making a path, having our utility room re-done, upcycling some furniture and decorating our hall. Yet I still want to rip the wallpaper off in 2 other rooms and put wallpaper up in a third as well as…….well, you don’t want to hear all that.
It is fun and inspiring but it’s also tiring and sometimes we just need to walk away from it and veg on the sofa for a while. I bet both of our houses will be gorgeous and very personal once we’ve finished.
I can’t wait to see your entrance hall when it’s finished! I’m like you too though, starting something before finishing something else but I’m trying to change too
I can imagine how you feel, before I met my husband I lived in an old victorian end of terrace that needed EVERYTHING doing to it. I’d start something and then something else, nothing was finished but in my mind I was ‘getting there’… sort of! I’m still a bit like that, but with smaller projects, easier for me to cope with, I can get a bit panicky. A doer upper is NOT for me. I admire anyone who takes one on
And you are getting there. You have a lot of balls in the air, so to speak. Your bakery school, children to look after (they do tend to use up a lot of time!!!!), home to run, general day to dayness, AND sorting out your home. oh yes, and getting ready for your book launch.
Hats off to you lady, you are made of determined stuff!
Now you can get back outside, the snow has gone and the sun is out
x