2014 Recap

Is 2014 over already? Well, here at the end of this year I am so excited to be able to participate in this 2014 Recap blog hop hosted by Simply Nicole along with 13 other bloggers. Be sure to visit all their blogs in the links below for a great round up of posts and memories from this year.

This year was a really eventful one for us. So much has happened that it’s hard to come up with a summary. The first and biggest event was the birth of our son, just three days after the new year began. Remember how horribly cold and snowy last winter was? We will never forget that week we had Jordan, because we actually had gotten snowed in at the hospital. The day we took him home had record breaking cold temperatures. I guess Jordan just had to make a big entrance and come during historical times.

As winter faded (finally) and spring began to show it’s tender signs of life, I dreamed of gardening. I’d had absolutely no experience with it in the past, but the idea appealed to me. We lived in a rental at the time and couldn’t just go plow out a large plot of land to create a garden. Instead I constructed a small raised bed. I am just kicking myself for never taking pictures of it, and apologize for the lack thereof. You’ll have to just picture in your mind the tiny little sprouts of sweet peas, tomatoes, various herbs, and green peppers making their way towards a warm inviting sun within my miniature garden. I worked daily on it, enjoying the task and reason to be outside.

Also during that time, we began our house hunt. I knew when I started the garden that there would be a possibility that we would move. I was correct in my thinking. In July we had found the perfect little home in a nearby town.

We fell in love with it immediately. It sits on the edge of town and is far enough away from businesses and neighborhoods that it really feels like we live in the country (which was the unattainable dream). Our backyard borders a rolling field,

and from the front we have a view of the quaintest little cow farm. I mean, it has the perfect little red barn and everything.

The inside of the house has all the charm of an older home with built-ins all over, a laundry shoot, a gorgeous fireplace, and hardwood floors.

However, it does not possess the unfortunate aspects of older homes such as small closets, a closed floor plan, or outdated finishes. If you haven’t gathered from my gushing review, then let me just say it clearly, I am totally in love with this house. I see us living here forever and have so many plans to make it our own.

Something else that occurred this year was that I found my passion for DIY projects. I’d always enjoyed decorating and saving money, but had never really gotten down and dirty with power tools. Well, this year I took the plunge. Of course, this meant building up my tool supply, and I’m still working on that, but some things I’ve been able to whip up are:

Our Pallet Picnic Table,

This pallet side table,

my office window whiteboard,

this pallet crate (seeing a trend in material?),

I refinished this cedar chest,

painted these wicker chairs,

created these sea glass jars,

re-purposed this dining room hutch,

and much more!

I’m still learning a lot about tools and techniques, but I’m getting there, and having a blast in the process.

In November of this year another somewhat big event was that I started Charming Imperfections.

It was sort of an unplanned, spur of the moment decision. At the time, I had no idea it would come this far (and it’s only been two months!) This blog has become an enjoyable creative outlet and a true blessing. It has opened up the opportunity to meet so many new people all across the country that have similar tastes and passions as I do. I have loved (pretty much) every second of blogging.

It’s been a great year and I’m just so excited to continue to grow and learn as we dive head first into 2015.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Simply Nicole

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