GUUUUUUYYYYYYYSSSSS!!!   This month has completely flown by… wait.  Did I say this month?  Last month.  That’s what I meant.   Sheesh.   😉

I know January is usually a busy month for most and for us it was no different.   We’ve had a smattering of smaller house projects/additions that I didn’t think were truly worthy of full blog posts, so I’ve been posting on Instagram to keep y’all updated.   Right now, I’m working on a, well… unexpected project.  You may have seen (if you follow me on Insta), that we recently transformed our front bedroom into a workout space.  I’ve only shown tidbits of the room because I wanted to put together a full post about it.  And I would’ve had that post for you right here and now, except, well….

I.CANNOT.BE.TRUSTED.

Most people rest when they have gnarly upper respiratory infections.  Me?  I get bored and start picking at things.

It’s a problem.

I need to sort it out.

But, I won’t.  😛

This pic is one that I recently posted on Instagram of the new workout space.   But, ya see.. The desktop shown in this built-in above has always irked me.   Well, lets be honest… the BEIGENESS of the entire built-in irked me.   I’d always guessed that the paint job was of poor quality judging by the many chips in the paint, so I wondered how much effort it would really take to strip the desktop to bring it back to it’s original beauty.  On a whim, I chipped away at the paint in a corner with my fingernail.   And the paint came up easily.   So, I grabbed some tools and continued this quest.  And the paint practically FELL OFF with the exception of one teeny spot.  It was embarrassingly simple and literally took no strength.   Just a little exact-o knife with a flat blade (it was all I had)…

Yes, that’s me Vanna-Whiting an Exact-o knife. I’m not sure why. I guess, in my medication-induced haze, I suspected that this is usual practice in the stripping of desktops?  We will never know.

On a funny note, as I was working on this, I thought I might need stripper for that stubborn tiny spot up front (I didn’t) and the following conversation ensued:

Me (to myself): “I think I need a stripper.”

Lucas: “He’s outside.”

Me: “Who?”

Lucas: “Daddy.”

I nearly keeled over laughing.  I swear, he does NOT know what a stripper is at five years old.  I’m not sure what he thought he heard, but it sure played out beautifully.

So anyways, back to the project, I’d love to tell you that I have a neat before and after for you this post, but thanks to this little chipping-of-the-paint discovery, I’m mid-project restoring the wood top.  AND IT’S FLIPPIN’ SPECTACULAR.   I mean, don’t get me wrong, I get covering up ugly 1970’s wood tones, (like I did here and here) but this desktop is pah-retty.

I’m going back and forth as to whether to paint the beige built-in’s white first, or just to show y’all the space after I finish the desktop and do that later.   I guess it depends on how excited/patient I am. Thus, I’ll probably just show you when it’s done.   Because… ME.

Second update: Joey’s SOMEHOW convinced me to embark on a full-gut renovation of our kitchen.

Like, everything GONE.

All new cabinets, counters, appliances, lighting, backsplash, paint, you name it.   I was all for painting the cabinets and updating everything else, but he made a good case for stripping (harhar) everything and starting fresh.  Plus, the clincher was when I experimented with the Ikea Kitchen Planner and discovered just how affordable their cabinetry is.  I mean, I’d always heard it was but when I actually planned out an initial version of what we may want, the total cost was WAY below what I’d thought it’d be.  Sold.  Well, soon to be sold anyways.  We want to hold out for their annual kitchen sale to pull the trigger.   We’re still in the planning stages, but once we actually get closer to getting started, I’ll fill y’all in on the plan.  I’m scared.  Seriously.  The thought of not having a working kitchen for (potentially) months is totally unnerving for a cook-at-home gal like me.  It’ll all be worth it in the end, I’m sure, but gah…

Lastly, one of the more exciting adventures we’ve had lately was a family trip to Puerto Vallarta.   Joey’s grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and took all of their children and adult grandchildren to a gorgeous all-inclusive resort.   It. Was Stunning.

And I’m not gonna lie, I miss waking up to this view…

And gazing at this from outside the elevator…

This vacation was so relaxing and MUCH needed.   Joey and I got some great quality time together and we got to hang out with his family which was a blast.   We decided not to go on any excursions in favor of relaxing at the beach and pool, and I didn’t take a ton of pictures while we were there, but on the last day, we had Joey’s cousin Christine take some pics of us on the beach.  This is one of my faves…

And I doubt you’ll find a pic that more accurately defines us than this one…

Seeing these pics makes me wish I was here (warning: crummy iphone quality (but still fun) pic alert) …

…On our first day of vacay.  Enjoying our first meal with the entire stay in store.  But, that’s okay.  Being back home means we’re with Lucas, who was definitely missed on our trip, though adults-only is really nice upon occasion for sure.  On a side note, I’m not normally a hat person, but for whatever reason I didn’t take that hat off much during our trip.  Weird.

Anyways, so now we’re now back to reality and ready to properly tackle 2016.  Let’s do this.  🙂

What are your goals for 2016?   Any recent trips or adventures?  Any DIY plans happening anytime soon?